Business leaders see eurozone break-up

This from The Financial Times -- Please follow link to original for rest of article.

Business leaders see eurozone break-up

By David Oakley in London

Published: January 30 2011 17:30 | Last updated: January 30 2011 17:30

An overwhelming majority of business and financial leaders from around the world think there is a chance that one or more eurozone countries will leave monetary union over the next three years.

More than four out of five senior executives, or 85 per cent, said there was a chance of this happening, while two in three, or 60 per cent, said there was a chance the eurozone would break-up over the next three years...............

Another "Gun Show" post

Most "Gun Shows" also have folks selling tee-shirts, jewelry, gun safes, jerky, various homemade condiments, custom knives, cheap knives, holsters, etc.

One booth that had a lot of interest was a group selling "Heritage Seeds". These are non-genetically-modified vegetable seeds in sealed packages. They garnered a lot of interest -- there was a lot of talk about GMO seeds and plants, and how they would cross pollinate with non-GMO varieties. There was a lot of talk of Alfalfa, and the roll Monsanto has in this.

Not exactly what you expect when you listen to reports from our "liberals" about the "horrors" of Gun Shows.

There are times I suspect many of the supposed "right-wing" and the "left-wing" would agree on an awful lot of issues if they (we) were able to make up our own minds.

I guess the Limbaughs, Becks, and their ilk serve a very useful role for our Ruling Class -- anything to keep people who have common interests from realizing it.

What has happened to my country? Where has it gone?

Once again, I'm very happy to be almost 72. I'd hate to be 35 today -- but, then again, 35 year old folks do not know what they're missing. The brain-washing has been extensive -- they really do not understand what we once were, and what our promise was.

The "Approved Way Forward"

Always remember, the current "approved" "American Attitude" is WTF!

WTF is WTF?

WHY?

Are a series of "Morning In America" speeches to follow -- as they sell of what is left of America? Will "We The People" "officially" become "We The Totally Powerless"?

Will they at least provide BREAD along with the circuses?

What "circuses"? --- Just turn on your TV. Football, network TV (AKA: Total Propaganda), and various other "stories". Those that scare the shit out of you, and those with a meaningless, but "feelgood" "vibe". Don't forget -- celebrity "culture".

I really think we are lost.

THIS is a "Democratic" Administration"

Please read before you vomit. THIS is what "America" has become. Cry after you peer at our "future" (if that's what you want to call it). Please follow link to original

US taxpayers should not pay for fixing US infrastructure, new White House chief declares

By Nathan Diebenow
Sunday, January 30th, 2011 -- 6:49 pm

US taxpayers should not pay for fixing US infrastructure, new White House chief declaresAmerican taxpayers should not foot the bill for infrastructure improvements around the country, the new White House chief of staff said recently.

“I don’t think raising the taxes on the American people right now is the way to go at this point of our economy," William M. Daley told Bob Schieffer of CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday.

Daley, a former Wall Street executive who opposed two of President Obama's major initiatives, said that investment for US infrastructure could instead come from private sources both foreign and domestic.

"That's a creative way to move forward," he said.

Daley continued, "Reality is, as certain people in the Republican Party have said, there's no way they are going to look for revenue raising in any way, shape, or form. It obviously puts an enormous constraint on the budget and the deficit."

When asked about the Republicans' proposed $55 billion cut from the federal budget, Daley said that he has yet to see from where the cuts would come.

"Where's the beef?" he replied.

Daley noted that Obama has already called for a domestic spending freeze amounting to $400 billion over 10 years. Then-candidate Obama, however, campaigned in 2008 against a spending freeze proposal.

Earlier this month, Daley replaced interim chief of staff Pete Rouse, who in turn took over from Rahm Emanuel.

The White House will unveil its proposed federal budget in two weeks.

"We got in this hole over many years," Daley told Bob Schieffer. "No business, when they get in trouble, just cuts and has much of a business when the cycle comes back."

WIN THE FUTURE

Yep, our "super intelligent" President looks at our REAL economy, at the chaos in the world, the various disasters, the past, current, and future, economic meltdowns, and come up with a "program" whose initials are WTF.

Tell me that doesn't show typical "beltway" insulation from both people and facts.

WTF?

How lame is that?

It's as if it is an intentional slap in the face to all those who are not as rich as Obama. Not as favored.

It really is "time for a change"

Gun Show

We went to a gun show today, to look for some ammo, talk to some folks we know, and just look around. Had some interesting conversations with folks that many people would call extreme right wing. Some are, some are not.

Many "liberals" would be horrified by these people.

Though I am politically and economically FAR to the left of almost all of these folks, if we were to hit really hard times, I would feel very comfortable with these folks watching my back.

From some of the things said, it seems the opposition to "Obamacare" is waning. Folks seem to be blaming the corporations and bankers more than EITHER political party -- who they also see as tools of our ruling class.

It was a very busy show, with a lot of folks who just now seemed to be thinking about the need for self defense.

Something is happening.

This Week In Holy Crimes

From Joe.My.God - This Week In Holy Crimes -- follow link to original


Sunday, January 30, 2011
This Week In Holy Crimes

Over the last seven days...

New York: Pastor Michael Clare charged with first degree rape of 12 year-old girl.
South Carolina: Pastor Ronald Satterfield charged with running a $3.3M Ponzi scheme that wiped out dozens of his congregants.
Texas: Pastor Larry Gene Martin charged with aggravated sexual assault on a 12 year-old girl.
Texas: Pastor Randy Carl Russell charged with making a terrorist threat for saying he was going to kill his daughter's boyfriend and his family.
New Brunswick: Father Albert LeBlanc charged with 40 counts of sexual assault on boys between the ages of seven and eleven.
Florida: Pastor Jason Allen Roberts charged with felony child molestation.
New York: Santeria priest Miguel Leon convicted of child molestation.
Indiana: Father Wayne Wigglesworth sentenced to ten years in prison for attempted molestation of a 15 year-old boy.
Wisconsin: Pastor Travis Gandy pleads no contest to possession of child pornography.
Georgia: Pastor Kenneth Terrell indicted on charges of embezzling $200K from his church. Last year Terrell was also charged with child molestation.
Tennessee: Pastor Samuel Peters charged with theft of donations to the Lions Club, which aids visually-impaired children.
Britain: Father Alexander Bede Walsh charged with four counts of molesting boys.
Nunavut: Father Eric Dejaeger charged with three counts of molesting Inuit children.
Utah: Pastor Aaron Witcher pleads guilty to two counts of raping a minor.
Michigan: Father Herbert Richey is still working for the Detroit Archdiocese despite having been defrocked for child molestation.

This Week's Winner
France: Father Antoine Videau has been convicted of stealing £2 million from church charity boxes intended for the poor. Videau used the cash to buy himself a Ferrari and take lavish Las Vegas vacations with his young mistress. Investigators found 28 separate bank accounts holding stolen parish money and discovered that Videau had also helped himself to £500,000 from the estate of a deceased archbishop

Egypt

I do not know enough about Egypt, or the Middle East, to make any intelligent comments. In fact, I think it best for folks to look at various news sources to get a balanced view.

One resource, often ignored, is Al Jazeera English.

Please follow link there.

Love or leave me - Nina Simone

Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim, T-Bone Walker.. and much more

Jack DeJohnette - Keith Jarrett - Gary Peacock

Keith Jarrett - All The Things You Are

Un Poco Loco - Bud Powell

Gladys Horton dies - co-founder of The Marvelettes

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gladys Horton, a co-founder of the Marvelettes who helped put fledgling Motown Records on the musical map with its first No. 1 hit "Please Mr. Postman," has died at age 66.

Horton died Wednesday at a nursing home in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles, where she had been recovering from a stroke, her son Vaughn Thornton said.

Horton was a teenager in the Detroit suburb of Inkster when she and friends formed a group they called "The Casinyets," short for "Can't Sing Yet."

By the time she was 15, Motown had given the group a new name and a hit song in "Please Mr. Postman." The tune, more pop-oriented than much of Motown's early recordings, was later covered by the Beatles and others.

"Gladys was a very, very special lady, and I loved the way she sang with her raspy, soulful voice," Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement. "We will all miss her, and she will always be a part of the Motown family."

He noted that "Please Mr. Postman" was the first No. 1 hit for the record label that would become known as Hitsville USA and produce such other popular all-girl groups as the Supremes and Vandellas.

The Marvelettes also had a hit with "Beachwood 4-5789." Their other popular songs included "Playboy," "Too Many Fish in the Sea" and "Twistin' Postman."

By the mid-1960s, however, the group's success began to wane as it was eclipsed by the Supremes and other Motown acts.

Horton was replaced as the group's lead singer in 1965, and she left the Marvelettes two years later.

First Community is assimilated - now part of National Association -- #11

U.S. Bank, National Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Assumes All of the Deposits of First Community Bank, Taos, New Mexico

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2011
Media Contact:
Greg Hernandez (202) 898-6984
Cell: (202) 340-4922
Email: ghernandez@fdic.gov

First Community Bank, Taos, New Mexico, was closed today by the New Mexico Financial Institutions Division, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with U.S. Bank, National Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota, to assume all of the deposits of First Community Bank.

The 38 branches of First Community Bank will reopen during their normal business hours beginning Saturday as branches of U.S. Bank, National Association. Depositors of First Community Bank will automatically become depositors of U.S. Bank, National Association. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of First Community Bank should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from U.S. Bank, National Association that it has completed systems changes to allow other U.S. Bank, National Association branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of First Community Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2010, First Community Bank had approximately $2.31 billion in total assets and $1.94 billion in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, U.S. Bank, National Association agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-450-5417. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time (MST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., MST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., MST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., MST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/firstcomm_nm.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $260.0 million. Compared to other alternatives, U.S. Bank, National Association's acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. First Community Bank is the eleventh FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in New Mexico. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was High Desert State Bank, Albuquerque, on June 25, 2010

FirsTier is now at the bottom, with no friends at all - #10

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Press Releases
FDIC Creates the Deposit Insurance National Bank of Louisville to Protect Insured Depositors of FirsTier Bank, Louisville, Colorado

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2011
Media Contact:
Greg Hernandez (202) 898-6984
Cell: (202) 340-4922
Email: ghernandez@fdic.gov

FirsTier Bank, Louisville, Colorado, was closed today by the Colorado Division of Banking, which appointed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC created the Deposit Insurance National Bank of Louisville (DINB), which will remain open until February 28, 2011, to allow depositors access to their insured deposits and time to open accounts at other insured institutions.

At the time of closing, the receiver immediately transferred to the DINB all insured deposits of FirsTier Bank, except for brokered deposits, certificates of deposit (CDs) and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The receiver also transferred to the DINB all secured deposits of public entities.

The FDIC will mail checks directly to customers with CDs and IRAs. For the brokered deposit customers, the FDIC will pay the brokers directly for the amount of their insured funds. Customers with brokered deposits should contact their brokers directly for information concerning their money.

The main office and all branches of FirsTier Bank will re-open on Saturday, January 29, 2011, and will provide limited services. The DINB will maintain limited business hours. Banking activities, such as writing checks, ATM and debit card withdrawals, can continue normally for former customers of FirsTier Bank until February 11, 2011. Official checks of FirsTier Bank will continue to clear and will be issued to customers who will be closing their accounts. All government direct deposits, including Social Security checks, will be redirected to FirstBank, Lakewood, Colorado, for 30 days after February 22, 2011, which will process them at the same time as in the past.

All insured depositors of FirsTier Bank are encouraged to transfer their insured funds to other banks during this transitional period. They may do so by asking their new bank to electronically transfer their deposits from the DINB or by writing checks for the amount in their accounts. For depositors who have not closed or transferred their accounts on or before February 28, the FDIC will mail checks to the address of record for the amount of the insured funds.

Under the FDI Act, the FDIC may create a deposit insurance national bank to ensure that depositors have continued access to their insured funds where no other bank has agreed to assume the insured deposits. This arrangement allows for uninterrupted direct deposits and automated payments from customers' accounts and allows them time to find another institution with which to do business.

As of September 30, 2010, FirsTier Bank had $781.5 million in total assets and $722.8 million in total deposits. At the time of closing, the amount of deposits exceeding the insurance limits was undetermined. Uninsured deposits were not transferred to the DINB. The amount of uninsured deposits will be determined once the FDIC obtains additional information from those customers.

Customers with accounts in excess of $250,000 should contact the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-517-8236 to set up an appointment to discuss their deposits. This phone number will be operational this evening until 9 p.m., Mountain Standard Time (MST); on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., MST; on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., MST; and thereafter from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., MST. Customers who would like more information on today's transaction should visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/firstier.html.

Beginning Monday, depositors of FirsTier Bank with more than $250,000 at the bank may visit the FDIC's Web page "Is My Account Fully Insured?" at http://www2.fdic.gov/dip/Index.asp to determine their insurance coverage.

The FDIC as receiver will retain all the assets from FirsTier Bank for later disposition. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $242.6 million. FirsTier Bank is the tenth FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the second in Colorado. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was United Western Bank, Denver, on January 21, 2011

Evergreen wilted -- #9

McFarland State Bank, McFarland, Wisconsin, Assumes All of the Deposits of Evergreen State Bank, Stoughton, Wisconsin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2011
Media Contact:
Greg Hernandez (202) 898-6984
Cell: (202) 340-4922
Email: ghernandez@fdic.gov

Evergreen State Bank, Stoughton, Wisconsin, was closed today by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with McFarland State Bank, McFarland, Wisconsin, to assume all of the deposits of Evergreen State Bank.

The four branches of Evergreen State Bank will reopen on Saturday as branches of McFarland State Bank. Depositors of Evergreen State Bank will automatically become depositors of McFarland State Bank. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of Evergreen State Bank should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from McFarland State Bank that it has completed systems changes to allow other McFarland State Bank branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of Evergreen State Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2010, Evergreen State Bank had approximately $246.5 million in total assets and $195.2 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, McFarland State Bank agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-517-1846. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Central Standard Time (CST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., CST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., CST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., CST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/evergreenstatewi.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $22.8 million. Compared to other alternatives, McFarland State Bank's acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. Evergreen State Bank is the ninth FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in Wisconsin. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was First Banking Center, Burlington, on November 19, 2010.

Bank 7 takes over #8

Bank 7, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Assumes All of the Deposits of the First State Bank, Camargo, Oklahoma

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2011
Media Contact:
Greg Hernandez (202) 898-6984
Cell: (202) 340-4922
Email: ghernandez@fdic.gov

The First State Bank, Camargo, Oklahoma, was closed today by the Oklahoma State Banking Department, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Bank 7, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to assume all of the deposits of The First State Bank.

The sole branch of The First State Bank will reopen on Monday as a branch of Bank 7. Depositors of The First State Bank will automatically become depositors of Bank 7. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of The First State Bank should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from Bank 7 that it has completed systems changes to allow other Bank 7 branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of The First State Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2010, The First State Bank had approximately $43.5 million in total assets and $40.3 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Bank 7 agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-450-5668. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Central Standard Time (CST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., CST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., CST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., CST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/firststatebank_ok.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $20.1 million. Compared to other alternatives, Bank 7's acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. The First State Bank is the eighth FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in Oklahoma. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Home National Bank, Blackwell, on July 9, 2010

Violence Erupts at Kato Funeral

By the way -- tell me again about how "all cultures are equal". Tell me how some barbaric practices are just "cultural", and not violations of basic human rights

How about this: (from The Advocate - please follow link to original)


A local pastor attending Friday’s funeral for murdered Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato grabbed the microphone in the middle of the ceremony and decried homosexuality, causing a fight to break out and leading villagers to refuse to bury the body.

During the funeral in Mukono, Uganda, which was attended by about 300 people, according to Reuters, the pastor grabbed the mike and began screaming, provoking strong reaction from Kato’s friends.

"The world has gone crazy," the pastor said. "People are turning away from the scriptures. They should turn back, they should abandon what they are doing. You cannot start admiring a fellow man."

As he screamed, “It is ungodly,” gay activists stormed the pulpit and grabbed the mike. They were wearing T-shirts featuring Kato's face with sleeves with gay pride colors.

"Who are you to judge others?" a female activist yelled. "We have not come to fight. You are not the judge of us. As long as he's gone to God his creator, who are we to judge Kato?"

Villagers then refused to bury Kato’s body, leading his friends to carry the body to his grave and bury it themselves.

Kato was the advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda. He was found brutally beaten to death Wednesday at his home.

He was one of many gay Ugandans threatened with death on the cover of Rolling Stone newspaper in October.

more on the weather

Here's a little tidbit from "Some Assembly Required" - go to original - click on HIS link to get to the original (is that confusing enough?). Anyway, it's going to be an "interesting" ride!


Weather or Not: We have seen a remarkable run of extreme weather events – droughts, floods, cold and snowy in the temperate zone and balmy in the Arctic. If you think speculation is the only factor driving up food prices, you are wrong. If you think this is all “just the weather” you have your head really, really deep in the sand.

Ten dead, three missing in Jeddah floods

THANK GOODNESS Global Warming (AKA: Climate Change) is a "hoax", a "fraud"!!


RIYADH (AFP) – Ten people have been killed and three others gone missing in three days of flooding due to heavy rains in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's civil defence chief said on Friday.

Since the floods began on Wednesday, "the death toll has risen to 10 and three people are still missing," said Saad al-Tuwaijri, quoted by the state news agency SPA.

Emergency services mounted a major rescue operation in Jeddah on Wednesday as water levels rose rapidly in Saudi Arabia's commercial capital where flooding killed 123 people in 2009.

After the November 2009 floods in Jeddah, the king sought legal action against officials and contractors for alleged corruption, mismanagement of real estate and land planning that exacerbated the floods.

The inability of Jeddah's infrastructure to drain the waters and uncontrolled construction in and around the city were blamed for the high number of victims.

Thousands of families lost their homes as 10,785 buildings were destroyed, a survey found.

Recession and Homelessness

The suburban sunbelt is the scene of terrible poverty (this from The Economist - please follow link to original)

THE statistics are worthy of Detroit or Newark: almost half the children in the local schools are from families poor enough to be eligible for free or cut-price lunches; a tenth of households qualify for food stamps; one in eight residents gets free meals from soup kitchens or food banks; perhaps one in 12 has suffered a recent spell of homelessness. Yet the spot in question is not a benighted rust-belt city, but Sarasota, Florida—a balmy, palm-studded resort town on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Sarasota-Bradenton metropolitan area, a two-county sprawl of condominiums, marinas and retirement homes, saw the proportion of people living below the poverty line rise by more between 2007 and 2009 than any other big city in America, from 9.2% to 13.7%, according to the Census Bureau. Nor is Sarasota an aberration. All the other metropolitan areas that saw jumps of four points or more are also formerly fast-growing southern and western cities: Bakersfield, California; Boise, Idaho; Greenville, South Carolina; Lakeland, Florida and Tucson, Arizona. Arizona now has the second highest poverty rate in the nation, after Mississippi. The especially severe housing bust that ended the breakneck growth of these sunbelt cities has brought with it deprivation on a scale they have never previously encountered and are struggling to address.

Poor inner cities in the Midwest and north-east still have higher overall poverty rates, but in recent years, notes Elizabeth Kneebone of the Brookings Institution, a think-tank, poverty has grown fastest in the suburbs, especially in the sunbelt. A third of America’s poor, she notes, now live in suburban areas. Many cities in the sunbelt, adds Margaret Simms of the Urban Institute, are suffering from what it calls “double trouble”, meaning a plunge both in property values and employment, with concomitant jumps in poverty. This trend is significant, says Scott Allard of the University of Chicago, since it is harder for the poor to seek assistance and to hunt for jobs amid the suburban sprawl.

Sarasota epitomises all these trends. For many years it prospered by offering tourists and new residents—especially retirees—relatively cheap accommodation in a sunny climate. The population grew by about 5% a year for decades. At the height of the boom, in 2006, construction, property finance and related services accounted for at least a third of the local economy, says Kathy Baylis, the head of Sarasota County’s economic development corporation. Her hairdresser (a traditional harbinger of bursting bubbles) was speculating in property, teaming up with friends to buy and “flip” condos.

When property prices began to drop, the effects on the area were particularly pernicious. Those in the building or tourism trades, as well as retirees living off their investments—a huge share of the population—quickly felt the pinch. Unemployment soared, from 3.1% on average in 2006 to 13.4% in January of last year (it is 12.3% now). It would be higher still had some not moved away, causing the population of the county, like the state, to fall for the first time in living memory in 2008.

That has left people like Ken struggling to keep body and soul together. He describes how he gave up his cooking job to look after his ailing mother in 2007. When he started to look for work again a few months later, he could find only a part-time job, which soon evaporated. He had no savings, so could no longer afford to rent. He wound up in a tent in a camp for the homeless called Pinellas Hope, which was set up by the Catholic church in the town of Clearwater, 50 miles up the coast from Sarasota. He is relatively lucky: Steve Barton, a carpenter from Ohio, is one of several hundred living in the woods outside Venice, 20 miles south of Sarasota. He has been out of work for over two years, so is no longer eligible for unemployment payments. He lives entirely off charity.

In addition to the cooks, chambermaids and construction workers who hit the skids soon after the recession began, many former professionals have now exhausted their savings and are beginning to fall back on local charities. Angie Sammann, a former loan officer at a bank, is another of the tent-dwellers at Pinellas Hope. She tells the story of how she lost her job due to illness, then her apartment, then part-time work in a deli, then the room she was renting and finally the possessions she had put in storage. She got a month’s work from the Census Bureau last year, but otherwise has not seen a pay cheque for over a year. “I don’t care if I scrub toilets,” she says, “I just want a job.”

Pinellas Hope has 255 tents and 28 huts, all of which are occupied. The Salvation Army branch in Sarasota is equally overrun. It has 200 beds for the homeless, but regularly ends up accommodating 250 or more, according to Bryan Pope, the manager. A special phone service that directs those seeking help to local charities can only help one in five callers, says Richard Martin, the head of a local homelessness charity.

Much of the money for such schemes comes from different local, state and federal government agencies. But all are tightening the purse strings. The county’s revenues have fallen with property values, so it is cutting back. The state, meanwhile, has cut its grants to Mr Martin’s outfit by 80% over the past four years. Many of the federal grants come courtesy of the stimulus bill of 2009, and so are quickly drying up. When the federal money runs out, says Carolyn Mason, a county commissioner, “that’s pretty much the end of the road”.

Moreover, cities like Sarasota are unsympathetic places for those down on their luck. One of the reasons they grew so fast in the boom years were their low taxes, leaving little money for social programmes. Homelessness is often seen as a threat to migration and tourism. Sarasota city council made several attempts to outlaw sleeping rough, finally finding a formula that passed muster with the courts in 2005. That year it was named the meanest city in America by the National Coalition for the Homeless. All the other cities in the top ten were also in the sunbelt

Dexter Gordon- Loose Walk (Live in Holland 1964)

Harold Land Sextet 1960 - West Coast Blues

CLIFFORD BROWN : NIGHT IN TUNISIA

Sonny Rollins Quintet - Valse Hot

Sonny Rollins Quintet - Valse Hot (1956)

Personnel: Clifford Brown (trumpet), Sonny Rollins (tenor sax), Richie Powell (piano), George Morrow (bass), Max Roach (drums)

Corcovado - Oscar Peterson Trio - We Get Requests

Blue in Green by. Miles Davis

Texas's love/hate relationship with Washington's money

This from CNNMoney.com -- please follow link to original

I live in Texas, and live with this insanity on a daily basis. Gov. (GoodHair) Perry says one thing, repeats it over and over while doing the exact opposite. Those who just looove him (bless their hearts) see no problem with that. I guess it's just "faith based insanity".


By Tami Luhby, senior writer January 24, 2011: 7:29 AM ET


NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry likes to tell Washington to stop meddling in state affairs. He vocally opposed the Obama administration's 2009 stimulus program to spur the economy and assist cash-strapped states.

Perry also likes to trumpet that his state balanced its budget in 2009, while keeping billions in its rainy day fund.

But he couldn't have done that without a lot of help from ... guess where? Washington.

Turns out Texas was the state that depended the most on those very stimulus funds to plug nearly 97% of its shortfall for fiscal 2010, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Even budget deficits are bigger in Texas

Texas, which crafts a budget every two years, was facing a $6.6 billion shortfall for its 2010-2011 fiscal years. It plugged nearly all of that deficit with $6.4 billion in Recovery Act money, allowing it to leave its $9.1 billion rainy day fund untouched.

"Stimulus was very helpful in getting them through the last few years," said Brian Sigritz, director of state fiscal studies for the National Association of State Budget Officers, said of Texas.

Even as Perry requested the Recovery Act money, he railed against it. On the very same day he asked for the funds, he set up a petition titled "No Government Bailouts."

"Join our fight and add your voice to a growing list of several thousand Americans who are fed up with this irresponsible spending that threatens our future," Perry wrote on his blog on Feb. 18, 2009.

A governor's spokeswoman played down the money's role in shoring up Texas's finances.

"Texas would have balanced its budget regardless of the presence of stimulus dollars," said Lucy Nashed, Perry's deputy press secretary. "This money came from the pockets of Texas taxpayers, and we are committed to getting our fair share of these dollars, which would have otherwise been disbursed to other states."
Difficult years ahead

Unfortunately for Texas, and for most other states in the union, the stimulus safety net has dried up. So they are now facing draconian spending cuts as they try to close yawning budget gaps for fiscal 2012, which starts July 1 in most states.

Texas is in trouble too. State lawmakers last week unveiled an austere budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal years that cuts $31 billion in spending. Schools, colleges, Medicaid and social services for the needy will be hit especially hard.

The state won't replace any of the federal stimulus funds with its own revenues, said Rep. Jim Pitts, who is writing the budget bill for the Texas House. It doesn't have the money. The state comptroller estimated that revenues will be $15 billion less in fiscal 2012-2013 than the previous two-year period.

Gone are the $4.3 billion in stimulus funds for Medicaid and $3.25 billion for public education. The resulting cuts outlined in the budget means schools would likely close and class sizes would get bigger. And because the budget proposes a 10% cut in Medicaid reimbursement rates for doctors, physicians will likely leave the system, making it harder for the poor to get health care.

Other areas are being hit too. For instance, the state would have to lay off 565 caseworkers who investigate child abuse. And stimulus funded child care and job training programs would also end.

Of course, stimulus alone could not have plugged this year's revenue hole. Lawmakers are suggesting a wide range of cuts to bring the budget back into balance. In all, nearly 9,300 government jobs would disappear.

"The federal money bought us some time and that time has run out," said Eva De Luna Castro, budget analyst for the Center for Public Policy Priorities, which focuses on low- and moderate-income Texans.

The budget introduced earlier this week is only the first step in a long process to crafting a final spending plan. Lawmakers and Perry will weigh in over the next few months. The state's fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

But a vocal chorus of Democratic lawmakers and advocates are already urging the GOP, which controls the Texas legislature and governor's mansion, to tap into the state's estimated $9.4 billion rainy day fund to blunt some of the spending cuts and replace the stimulus money.

Stimulus "helped us save our rainy day fund for an even rainier day," De Luna Castro said. To top of page

"Where Liberals Go To Feel Good"

This an excerpt from a column by Chris Hedges on TruthDig. Please go to original to read the rest -- follow link
-------------------

Chris Hedges' Columns
Where Liberals Go to Feel Good

By Chris Hedges

Barack Obama is another stock character in the cyclical political theater embraced by the liberal class. Act I is the burst of enthusiasm for a Democratic candidate who, through clever branding and public relations, appears finally to stand up for the interests of citizens rather than corporations. Act II is the flurry of euphoria and excitement. Act III begins with befuddled confusion and gnawing disappointment, humiliating appeals to the elected official to correct “mistakes,” and pleading with the officeholder to return to his or her true self. Act IV is the thunder and lightning scene. Liberals strut across the stage in faux moral outrage, delivering empty threats of vengeance. And then there is Act V. This act is the most pathetic. It is as much farce as tragedy. Liberals—frightened back into submission by the lunatic fringe of the Republican Party or the call to be practical—begin the drama all over again.

We are now in Act IV, the one where the liberal class postures like the cowardly policemen in “The Pirates of Penzance.” Liberals promise battle. They talk of glory and honor. They vow not to abandon their core liberal values. They rouse themselves, like the terrified policemen who have no intention of fighting the pirates, with the bugle call of “Tarantara!” This scene is the most painful to watch. It is a window into how hollow, vacuous and powerless liberals and liberal institutions including labor, the liberal church, the press, the arts, universities and the Democratic Party have become. They fight for nothing. They stand for nothing. And at a moment when we desperately need citizens and institutions willing to stand up against corporate forces for the core liberal values, values that make a democracy possible, we get the ridiculous chatter and noise of the liberal class. ..........................

Miles davis et John Coltrane - So what

Confirmation by Charlie Parker

listen to this:

A little more climate info -- is it time for global warming deniers to move to the artic?

(follow link to original)


Cold comfort: Canada's record-smashing mildness

Bob Henson | 18 January 2011 • Some fascinating weather has unfolded across the Northern Hemisphere over the last month, but you may have only heard about part of it. The media dutifully reported on the heavy snow that battered the mid-Atlantic and New England states in late December. It was also the United Kingdom’s coldest December in at least the last century. Meanwhile, the sparsely populated Canadian Arctic basked in near-unprecedented mildness.

It’s the second chapter of a tale that began a year ago, when Canada as a whole saw the warmest and driest winter in its history. Much of the blame went to El Niño, which typically produces warmer-than-average weather across Canada. So far, so good—but similar things are happening this winter, even with a La Niña now at the helm.

Just how mild has it been? The map at right shows departures from average surface temperatures for the period from 17 December 2010 to 15 January 2011, as calculated by NOAA’s Earth Systems Research Laboratory. The blue blip along the southeast U.S. coast indicates readings between 3°C and 6°C (5.4–10.8°F) below average for the 30-day period as a whole. That’s noteworthy—and in fact, it was the coldest December in more than a century of record-keeping across south Florida (see PDF summary). Blue also shows up across the UK, where December averaged 5.2°C (9.4°F) below normal.

What really jumps out, though, is a blob of green, yellow, orange, and red covering a major swath of northern and eastern Canada. The largest anomalies here exceed 21°C (37.8°F) above average, which are very large values to be sustained for an entire month.

To put this picture into even sharper focus, let’s take a look at Coral Harbour, located at the northwest corner of Hudson Bay in the province of Nunavut. On a typical mid-January day, the town drops to a low of –34°C (–29.2°F) and reaches a high of just -26°C (–14.8°F). Compare that to what Coral Harbour actually experienced in the first twelve days of January 2011, as reported by Environment Canada.

* After New Year’s Day, the town went 11 days without getting down to its average daily high.
* On the 6th of the month, the low temperature was –3.7°C (25.3°F). That’s a remarkable 30°C (54°F) above average.
* On both the 5th and 6th, Coral Harbor inched above the freezing mark. Before this year, temperatures above 0°C (32°F) had never been recorded in the entire three months of January, February, and March.

The extremes have been just as impressive when you look high in the atmosphere above these areas. Typically the midpoint of the atmosphere’s mass—the 500-millibar (500 hPa) level—rests around 5 kilometers (3 miles) above sea level during the Arctic midwinter. In mid-December, a vast bubble of high pressure formed in the vicinity of Greenland. At the center of this high, the 500-mb surface rose to more than 5.8 kilometers, a sign of remarkably mild air below. Stu Ostro (The Weather Channel) found that this was the most extreme 500-mb anomaly anywhere on the planet in weather analyses dating back to 1948. Details are at the conclusion of Ostro’s year-end blog post.

Farther west, a separate monster high developed over Alaska last week. According to Richard Thoman (National Weather Service, Fairbanks), the 500-mb height over both Nome and Kotzebue rose to 582 decameters (5.82 km). That’s not only a January record: those are the highest values ever observed at those points outside of June, July, and August.
The year the sea forgot to freeze
Arctic sea ice extent, 12.21.10
Large areas of open water persisted across much of the area between Greenland and Canada on 21 December 2010. (Image courtesy Cryosphere Today.)

Why so freakishly mild? One factor that both feeds and is fed by the warmth is the highly unusual amount of open water across seas that are normally frozen by late November. On the winter solstice (December 21), Hudson Bay was little more than half frozen (see map at right).

Similarly, a large swath of the Baffin/Newfoundland Sea fell weeks behind schedule in freezing up. As evident in the charts at bottom, these bodies of water remain in catch-up mode. Around the south part of Baffin Island, “the boats were still in the water during the first week of January,” says David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment Canada. “The Meteorological Service of Canada was still writing marine forecasts as of 7 January, well beyond anything we have ever done.”

Storm after storm sweeping up the East Coast in recent weeks has pumped warm Atlantic air across eastern Canada, helping postpone the freeze-up even further and allowing temperatures over land to soar far above average.

According to Philips, the implications for people in the far north have been widespread. Nunavut’s capital, Iqaluit, had to cancel its year-end snowmobile run on Frobisher Bay for the first time. “Last New Year’s Eve, the big story was ice breaking up,” says Phillips. “This year there was no ice to break up.” Worst of all, he adds, “it’s impossible for many people in parts of the eastern Arctic to safely get on the ice to hunt much-needed food for their families—for the second winter in a row. Never before have we seen weather impact a way of life in so many small and big ways.”
More negativity from the NAO

The extraordinary Arctic warmth and the midlatitude chill and snow bear the fingerprints of a negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the pattern that prevailed for much of last winter as well. As opposed to a positive NAO, where the jet stream whisks mild air across the Atlantic, a negative NAO—which has predominated since October—features a blocked-up jet stream that allows cold air to plunge more easily southward and mild air to take hold in the Arctic.

It seems plausible that the open water between Greenland and Canada has played a role in the record warmth observed at the surface and aloft and the associated negative NAO. However, the NAO’s causes remain mysterious, and its future is impossible to predict beyond a few days. Clearly, the back-to-back punch of two winters with heavy snows in populated areas gives researchers added incentive to examine how the NAO might evolve in a warming climate. We’ll look at some of this work in an upcoming UCAR Magazine article.

Correction: A reference to Barrow, Alaska, in the eighth paragraph above was amended to refer to Nome and Kotzebue.

And you think I'm a pessimist?

(this from Raw Story - please follow link to original)


Republicans’ 2010 election triumph will fuel civilization’s demise, Chomsky says

By Nathan Diebenow

Republicans 2010 election triumph will fuel civilizations demise, Chomsky says The Republican Party's triumph in the 2010 congressional elections, coupled with the rapid depletion of the earth's natural resources, signaled the impending collapse of human civilization, according to a world-renowned scholar known for his left-wing politics.

“You could almost interpret [the election] as a kind of a death knell for the species," Noam Chomsky, professor emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said in a recent interview.

But he's not the only one worried; the US business press is, too.

Chomsky continued, "There was an article in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, you know – not a radical rag exactly. They’re running through the new Republicans coming to Congress, and they’re worried about them.”

The cause for concern is that these newly-elected conservative members that now comprise the majority in Congress believe that global climate change is not the result of human industrial activities.

“One of the reasons is because they’re global warming deniers,” he told the Nation magazine. “Almost all – that means the powerful House committees, like science and technology and so on, are in hands of people who think there’s nothing to it – or at least claim that they think that, but what they actually think is another story.”

Chomsky is one of a number of professionals who have spoken about peak oil and climate change for a video series by the leftist magazine and On The Earth Productions.

Chomsky explained that the force behind the global warming deniers are the business and energy lobbies, both of whom have vested interests in selling cheap fossil fuels.

"The Chamber of Commerce, the main business lobby, the American petroleum industry and other business lobbies have publicly proclaimed in fact with enthusiasm that they are carrying out campaigns to try to convince the population that global warming is a liberal hoax," he said.

"It's succeeded unfortunately," he added, pointing to the US media's complicity.

The country that has risen to consume the most natural resources more efficiently than the other nations - the United States - is the engine of the coming collapse, Chomsky noted.

“If this was happening in some small country, in you know maybe Monaco or something, it wouldn’t matter much, but when it’s happening in the richest, most powerful country in the world – it’s a danger to the survival of the species,” he said.

Chomsky added, “Nobody else is going to do much if the United States doesn’t do a lot, not just some but take the lead. So we’re essentially saying, 'Let’s kiss each other goodbye.'”

The video series also features remarks by Bill McKibben, lead organizer of 350.org; Nicole Foss, co-editor of The Automatic Earth; Richard Heinberg, author of "The Party's Over," as well as other scientists and researchers.

This video is from the Nation magazine, broadcast Jan. 3, 2011.

As They say in Texas, "Politics is Sport, Sport is Religion, and Religion is Politics

What sort of "Democrat" have we elected? Pres. Obama acts more like what was once a Conservative Republican than any Democrat I've ever known -- and our super-intelligent-right-wing thinks he's a "Socialist" (as well as a Nazi, Communist, Muslim, and what have you).

Do any of these people have a @#$&^%# clue?

Go read "Some Assembly Required" for your Daily Chuckle -- follow link.

Here are some teasers. As I said, follow link, then link to the originals -- it's lots of fun:


Reincarnation: Obama, channeling Clinton, Summers and Rubin, is planning to use a “regulatory review” as an opportunity to embrace even more of the Republican economic plan, dismantling more of the regulatory protections that have so far escaped gutting. Under the guise of being a “fiscal conservative” he will use the State of the Union address as a forum to praise “American innovations”. You know, innovations like writing sub-prime adjustable rate-option mortgages, bundling them into MBS, chopping them CDO and writing CDS, and bringing down the global economy.

Pay to Play: Last year the US shipped $337 billion overseas to pay for oil imports. This does not include several hundred billion on the US military's efforts at keeping the world's petroleum available.

Who's On First: President Obama has chosen GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt to chair the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, saying “Jeff's somebody who brings a wealth of experience to the table," referring to the money he got from TARP for GE, the profits GE made by shipping thousands of jobs overseas and his conviction that “what is good for our country is good for General Electric, and vice versa.

Competing Views: Before Team Obama gets too far into a training regimen for The Competition, we should do well to decide what the event is, what the goal is, where the goal posts are and who keeps the score. Or is this a Special Olympics event?

Multiple Choice: Clarence Thomas's failure to report over $680,000 of his wife's income over five years was (1) lying (2) accidental (3) inadvertent (4) an oversight (5) deliberate falsification of a federal record.

The "Republic Party"

It is time for ALL AMERICANS to renounce the Republican party. They are ANTI-AMERICAN.

Clarence Thomas failed to report wife's income, watchdog says

WE MUST impeach Clarence Thomas! (story from The L.A. Times - please follow link to original)


Reporting from Washington —
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to report his wife's income from a conservative think tank on financial disclosure forms for at least five years, the watchdog group Common Cause said Friday.

Between 2003 and 2007, Virginia Thomas, a longtime conservative activist, earned $686,589 from the Heritage Foundation, according to a Common Cause review of the foundation's IRS records. Thomas failed to note the income in his Supreme Court financial disclosure forms for those years, instead checking a box labeled "none" where "spousal noninvestment income" would be disclosed.

A Supreme Court spokesperson could not be reached for comment late Friday. But Virginia Thomas' employment by the Heritage Foundation was well known at the time.

Virginia Thomas also has been active in the group Liberty Central, an organization she founded to restore the "founding principles" of limited government and individual liberty.

In his 2009 disclosure, Justice Thomas also reported spousal income as "none." Common Cause contends that Liberty Central paid Virginia Thomas an unknown salary that year.

Federal judges are bound by law to disclose the source of spousal income, according to Stephen Gillers, a professor at NYU School of Law. Thomas' omission — which could be interpreted as a violation of that law — could lead to some form of penalty, Gillers said.

"It wasn't a miscalculation; he simply omitted his wife's source of income for six years, which is a rather dramatic omission," Gillers said. "It could not have been an oversight."

But Steven Lubet, an expert on judicial ethics at Northwestern University School of Law, said such an infraction was unlikely to result in a penalty. Although unfamiliar with the complaint about Thomas' forms, Lubet said failure to disclose spousal income "is not a crime of any sort, but there is a potential civil penalty" for failing to follow the rules. He added: "I am not aware of a single case of a judge being penalized simply for this."

The Supreme Court is "the only judicial body in the country that is not governed by a set of judicial ethical rules," Gillers said.

A spokesman for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, which oversees the financial disclosures, could not be reached Friday night to comment on what actions could be taken. In most cases, judges simply amend their forms when an error is discovered.

"Without disclosure, the public and litigants appearing before the court do not have adequate information to assess potential conflicts of interest, and disclosure is needed to promote the public's interest in open, honest and accountable government," Common Cause President Bob Edgar wrote in a letter to the Judicial Conference of the United States.

The allegation comes days after Common Cause filed a letter requesting that the Justice Department investigate whether Justices Thomas and Antonin Scalia should have disqualified themselves from hearing a campaign finance case after they reportedly attended a private meeting sponsored by Charles and David Koch, billionaire philanthropists who fund conservative causes.

In the case, Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, the court ruled that corporate and union funds could be spent directly on election advertising.

The Koch brothers have been key supporters of the group Americans for Prosperity, which spent heavily in the 2010 midterm election and claims a nonprofit tax status that allows it to avoid disclosing its donors.

Clarence Thomas has been the lone justice to argue that laws requiring public disclosure of large political contributions are unconstitutional.

A Supreme Court spokesperson later said that Thomas dropped by the private event, but that Scalia did not attend.

GOP majority leader backs plan to slash Social Security, Medicare

Well, well, well, what have the Tea Party folks done to themselves? Think they will admit THEY are the "leeches", the burden all "productive people" must throw off?

How STUPID are we these days? (this from Raw Story - please follow link to original)


GOP majority leader backs plan to slash Social Security, Medicare

By Sahil Kapur
Sunday, January 23rd, 2011 -- 5:56 pm
GOP majority leader backs plan to slash Social Security, Medicare. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) on Sunday threw a measure of support behind a key Republican lawmaker's plan to dramatically cut Social Security and Medicare.

The plan, called "A Roadmap for America's Future," was created by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the new chairman of the budget committee, who promoted it last year as a means to cut the national debt.

"The direction the roadmap goes is something we need to embrace," Cantor said on NBC's "Meet the Press," praising the plan's capacity for deficit reduction.

The roadmap would partially privatize Social Security benefits and turn Medicare into a voucher program, effectively ending two monumental welfare programs in the United States.

Cantor's remarks earned an immediate rebuke from Democrats.

"House Republican Leader Eric Cantor and House Republicans are now 'full speed ahead' on a devastating plan that would privatize Social Security and eliminate Medicare that American seniors earned," said Jesse Ferguson, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "House Republicans are doubling down on plans to gamble Social Security in the stock market and eliminating Medicare."

In the run-up to the November midterm elections, Republican leaders declined to champion the specifics of the plan, treading carefully around the issue of slashing cherished entitlement programs.

But Cantor's comments Sunday, and the GOP's appointment of Ryan to chair the budget committee, suggest that Republicans may embrace such a proposal in the 112th Congress, where their control of the House gives them considerable clout to set the terms of the debate.

In another sign that this may be the case, GOP leaders have tapped Ryan to deliver the Republican rebuttal to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address this month

Shirley Horn fea. Miles Davis

When I Fall In Love - Carmen McRae

ROSEMARY CLOONEY - I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart

ROSEMARY CLOONEY SONGS: Sway

More on our "Recovery For The Rich"

The more I read, the more frightened I become.

The truth appears to be, NO ONE gives a damn about us poor, or old people. As we dip more and more into our "nest eggs" (what a joke!), all they can talk about is cutting back any and all programs we have come to rely on -- social security and medicare are on the block, etc. People have been convinced, by the liars called "Republicans", there will be no help for them when they get old -- so, they don't give a damn if mom and dad starve to death today.

We are done. We have bought the "winners and losers" line from the super rich hook, line, and sinker.

There is more. Here's a little from "Financial Armageddon" (please follow link to original)
-----------------------------------------

Badly Summed Up

Three reports sum up just where things stand nowadays: people are "desperately afraid," "can't afford to live," and are dipping "deeper into their savings than at any point in the past six decades."

"Recession 'Not Over' on Main Street Amid Job Losses, Fear" (International Business Times)

Job losses and fear about what lies ahead persists on Main Street America, despite official pronouncements that the 'Great Recession' ended over a year ago, the head of a U.S. mayors group said this week. The group was in Washington to lobby President Obama and federal officials for billions of dollars in grants and investments.

"Despite what national economists are saying, the recession is not over for Main Street America," said Elizabeth Kautz, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which represents more than 1,000 mayors from the largest U.S cities.

Kautz was joined by the Mayors of Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and others at a press conference in Washington on Thursday. Over 230 mayors are attending the group's annual conference.

"Every day, mayors hear from constituents who have lost their jobs and people who are desperately afraid of what lies ahead." she said. Kautz is the mayor of Burnsville, Minnesota.

"Economy Forces Many to Seek Food Assistance" (Beacon News)

While there are signs around of an improving economy, it has not caught up with the unemployed and under-employed in Kane, Kendall, DuPage and other Chicago collar counties.

The past two years have shown a steadily increasing demand — in some cases almost alarming — for help to feed families, both at area food pantries and in requests for food assistance from the state.

Perhaps the most amazing raw numbers come from Kendall County, where the number of people served at the Kendall County Food Pantry in Yorkville has increased a whopping 303 percent from 2008.

In raw numbers, that is an increase from 2,208 people served in December 2008, to 6,700 served in December 2010.

“It blows my mind what’s going on out there,” said Maria Spaeth, Kendall Food Pantry director. “They just can’t afford to live.”

"Number of the Week: Americans Dipping Into Savings" (Real Time Economics)

$311 billion: The net amount US consumers have withdrawn from savings and investment accounts over the past two years.

In the course of the recession and recovery, Americans have dipped deeper into their savings than at any point in the past six decades. That’s helping the economy now, but could leave it less prepared to withstand shocks in the future.

Over the two years ending September 2010, Americans withdrew a net $311 billion — or about 1.4% of their disposable income — from their savings and investment accounts, according to the Federal Reserve. That’s a sharp divergence from the previous 57 years, during which they never made a net quarterly withdrawal. Rather, they added an average of 12% of disposable income to their holdings of financial assets — including bank accounts, money-market funds, stocks, bonds and other investments — each year.

Again, I say: What a recovery!

The Four Freshmen - Angel Eyes

the Hi-lo's - with Frank Sinatra

I HAD to look at the news. WHEN will I LEARN?

O.K., late last night I put up some music so I wouldn't have to even LOOK at the news today. Unfortunately, I opened up "Some Assembly Required" and was AMAZED (once again) at the utter STUPIDITY of our "leaders".

I should not have looked. It's painful. At times, when you read the entire article first, the utter insanity is lessened by the volume of words -- and, perhaps, "willful misunderstanding". Go there and read for yourself. Click on the links and read the original articles and news briefs -- then hide your head and cry.

I think our "Masters Of The Universe" are going to pay the price for their willful stupidity -- so will all the rest of us.

It will not be a revolution. Nor will it be a takeover (I hope). It WILL be another huge depression -- worldwide. Trust me, I know, there's always a hangover after any sort of binge. We've been binging.

------------------------------------

(please follow link to original)

What's Love Got To Do With It? Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) wants an Treasury Secretary Geithner to investigate the BP/Rosneft stock swap. Mr. Geithner could begin by explaining to Mr. Markey that BP is a British company and Rosneft a Russian one and that neither of them had to ask 'May I'.

God & Country: Seymour Hersh, with a long record of inconvenient investigative coups, is now reporting that a secret group of Christian nutcases has taken over much of the US military and have, in effect, “overthrown the American government” and replaced it with a fraternity of Crusading Knights Templar. Hope he includes the nuts at Colorado Springs.

Ignorance is Bliss: The outlook for the economy does not support the market's current valuation. There is a (nicely recited) very long list of domestic and global economic issues that point to problems ahead, while the technical measures indicate a significant market decrease awaits. But the market promises more, more, and ever more; thus we dance. It is now abundantly clear that it will take a crisis far larger than 2008 to teach the necessary lesson.

September In The Rain-Dinah Washington

Diane Reeves - Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

Patricia Barber Quartet "Caravan" - pts 1 & 2

Patricia Barber - Easy to Love

Keith is gone

Comcast-NBC merger approved 1/18/11 -- Keith Olbermann is gone (suddenly) 1/21/11.

does anyone think it a "coincidence"?

At least he didn't commit "suicide" by shooting himself in the head TWICE, the way Gary Webb did.

I guess we will hear from Keith at some future date. After all, he was the closest thing to a truth-teller we had on TV, or radio.

I will miss his intelligence and his wit.

Too bad.

7

First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company, Raleigh, North Carolina, Assumes All of the Deposits of United Western Bank, Denver, Colorado

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2011
Media Contact:
Greg Hernandez (202) 898-6984
Cell: (202) 340-4922
Email: ghernandez@fdic.gov

United Western Bank, Denver, Colorado, was closed today by the Office of Thrift Supervision, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company, Raleigh, North Carolina, to assume all of the deposits of United Western Bank.

The eight branches of United Western Bank will reopen on Monday as branches of First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company. Depositors of United Western Bank will automatically become depositors of First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of United Western Bank should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company that it has completed systems changes to allow other First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of United Western Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2010, United Western Bank had approximately $2.05 billion in total assets and $1.65 billion in total deposits. First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company did not pay the FDIC a premium for the deposits of United Western Bank. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC and First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company entered into a loss-share transaction on $1.11 billion of United Western Bank's assets. First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. For more information on loss share, please visit: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/lossshare/index.html.

Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-405-8028. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time (MST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., MST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., MST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., MST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/unitedwestern.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $312.8 million. Compared to other alternatives, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company's acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. United Western Bank is the seventh FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in Colorado. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Southern Colorado National Bank, Pueblo, on October 2, 2009.

6

First Bank, Troy, North Carolina, Assumes All of the Deposits of the Bank of Asheville, Asheville, North Carolina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2011
Media Contact:
Greg Hernandez (202) 898-6984
Cell: (202) 340-4922
Email: ghernandez@fdic.gov

The Bank of Asheville, Asheville, North Carolina, was closed today by the North Carolina Office of Commissioner of Banks, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with First Bank, Troy, North Carolina, to assume all of the deposits of The Bank of Asheville.

The five branches of The Bank of Asheville will reopen on Monday as branches of First Bank. Depositors of The Bank of Asheville will automatically become depositors of First Bank. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of The Bank of Asheville should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from First Bank that it has completed systems changes to allow other First Bank branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of The Bank of Asheville can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2010, The Bank of Asheville had approximately $195.1 million in total assets and $188.3 million in total deposits. First Bank did not pay the FDIC a premium for the deposits of The Bank of Asheville. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, First Bank agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC and First Bank entered into a loss-share transaction on $166.3 million of The Bank of Asheville's assets. First Bank will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. For more information on loss share, please visit: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/lossshare/index.html.

Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-234-9027. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., EST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., EST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., EST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/bankofasheville.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $56.2 million. Compared to other alternatives, First Bank's acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. The Bank of Asheville is the sixth FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in North Carolina. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Cooperative Bank, Wilmington, on June 19, 2009.

5

CertusBank, National Association, Easley, South Carolina, Assumes All of the Deposits of CommunitySouth Bank and Trust, Easley, South Carolina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2011
Media Contact:
Greg Hernandez (202) 898-6984
Cell: (202) 340-4922
Email: ghernandez@fdic.gov

CommunitySouth Bank and Trust, Easley, South Carolina, was closed today by the South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with CertusBank, National Association, Easley, South Carolina, a newly-chartered bank subsidiary of Blue Ridge Holdings, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina, to assume all of the deposits of CommunitySouth Bank and Trust.

The six branches of CommunitySouth Bank and Trust will reopen on Saturday as branches of CertusBank, N.A. Depositors of CommunitySouth Bank and Trust will automatically become depositors of CertusBank, N.A. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of CommunitySouth Bank and Trust should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from CertusBank, N.A. that it has completed systems changes to allow other CertusBank, N.A. branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of CommunitySouth Bank and Trust can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2010, CommunitySouth Bank and Trust had approximately $440.6 million in total assets and $402.4 million in total deposits. CertusBank, N.A. did not pay the FDIC a premium for the deposits of CommunitySouth Bank and Trust. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, CertusBank, N.A. agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC and CertusBank, N.A. entered into a loss-share transaction on $211.3 million of CommunitySouth Bank and Trust's assets. CertusBank, N.A. will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. For more information on loss share, please visit: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/lossshare/index.html.

Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-405-8124. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., EST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., EST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., EST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/commsouth.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $46.3 million. Compared to other alternatives, CertusBank, N.A.'s acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. CommunitySouth Bank and Trust is the fifth FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in South Carolina. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Williamsburg First National Bank, Kingstree, on July 23, 2010.

4

Press Releases
FDIC Creates the Deposit Insurance National Bank of McDonough to Protect Insured Depositors of Enterprise Banking Company, McDonough, Georgia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2011
Media Contact:
Greg Hernandez (202) 898-6984
Cell: (202) 340-4922
Email: ghernandez@fdic.gov

Enterprise Banking Company, McDonough, Georgia, was closed today by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, which appointed Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC created the Deposit Insurance National Bank of McDonough (DINB), which will remain open until January 28, 2011, to allow depositors access to their insured deposits and time to open accounts at other insured institutions.

At the time of closing, the receiver immediately transferred to the DINB all insured deposits of Enterprise Banking Company, except for brokered deposits, certificates of deposit (CDs) and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The receiver also transferred to the DINB all secured deposits of public entities.

The FDIC will mail checks directly to customers with CDs and IRAs. For the brokered deposit customers, the FDIC will pay the brokers directly for the amount of their insured funds. Customers with brokered deposits should contact their brokers directly for information concerning their money.

The main office and all branches of Enterprise Banking Company will re-open on Monday, January 24, 2011, and will provide limited services. The DINB will maintain limited business hours for Enterprise Banking Company. All government direct deposits, including Social Security checks, have been redirected to United Community Bank, Blairsville, Georgia, which will process them at the same time as in the past. Banking activities, such as writing checks, ATM and debit card withdrawals, can continue normally for former customers of Enterprise Banking Company until January 26, 2011. Official checks of Enterprise Banking Company will continue to clear and will be issued to customers who will be closing their accounts.

All insured depositors of Enterprise Banking Company are encouraged to transfer their insured funds to other banks during this transitional period. They may do so by asking their new bank to electronically transfer their deposits from the DINB or by writing checks for the amount in their accounts. For depositors who have not closed or transferred their accounts on or before January 28, 2011, the FDIC will mail checks to the address of record for the amount of the insured funds.

Under the FDI Act, the FDIC may create a deposit insurance national bank to ensure that depositors have continued access to their insured funds where no other bank has agreed to assume the insured deposits. This arrangement allows for uninterrupted direct deposits and automated payments from customers' accounts and allows them time to find another institution with which to do business.

As of September 30, 2010, Enterprise Banking Company had $100.9 million in total assets and $95.5 million in total deposits. At the time of closing, the amount of deposits exceeding the insurance limits was undetermined. Uninsured deposits were not transferred to the DINB. The amount of uninsured deposits will be determined once the FDIC obtains additional information from those customers.

Customers with accounts in excess of $250,000 should contact the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-405-8251 to set up an appointment to discuss their deposits. This phone number will be operational this evening until 9 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST); on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., EST; on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., EST; and thereafter from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., EST. Customers who would like more information on today's transaction should visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/enterprise.html.

Beginning Monday, depositors of Enterprise Banking Company with more than $250,000 at the bank may visit the FDIC's Web page "Is My Account Fully Insured?" at http://www2.fdic.gov/dip/Index.asp to determine their insurance coverage.

The FDIC as receiver will retain all the assets from Enterprise Banking Company for later disposition. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $39.6 million. Enterprise Banking Company is the fourth FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the second in Georgia. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Oglethorpe Bank, Brunswick, on January 14, 2011

#3 - a little late

This bank failed last week while I was on my short lived "rest". Might as well put it up before today's onslaught.



Bank of the Ozarks, Little Rock, Arkansas, Assumes All of the Deposits of Oglethorpe Bank, Brunswick, Georgia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2011
Media Contact:
LaJuan Williams-Young
(202) 898-3876
Email: Lwilliams-young@fdic.gov

Oglethorpe Bank, Brunswick, Georgia, was closed today by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Bank of the Ozarks, Little Rock, Arkansas, to assume all of the deposits of Oglethorpe Bank.

The two branches of Oglethorpe Bank will reopen during their normal business hours beginning Saturday as branches of Bank of the Ozarks. Depositors of Oglethorpe Bank will automatically become depositors of Bank of the Ozarks. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship in order to retain their deposit insurance coverage up to applicable limits. Customers of Oglethorpe Bank should continue to use their existing branch until they receive notice from Bank of the Ozarks that it has completed systems changes to allow other Bank of the Ozarks branches to process their accounts as well.

This evening and over the weekend, depositors of Oglethorpe Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.

As of September 30, 2010, Oglethorpe Bank had approximately $230.6 million in total assets and $212.7 million in total deposits. Bank of the Ozarks did not pay the FDIC a premium for the deposits of Oglethorpe Bank. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Bank of the Ozarks agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC and Bank of the Ozarks entered into a loss-share transaction on $173.9 million of Oglethorpe Bank's assets. Bank of the Ozarks will share in the losses on the asset pools covered under the loss-share agreement. The loss-share transaction is projected to maximize returns on the assets covered by keeping them in the private sector. The transaction also is expected to minimize disruptions for loan customers. For more information on loss share, please visit: http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/lossshare/index.html.

Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-355-0650. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., EST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., EST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., EST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/oglethorpe.html.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $80.4 million. Compared to other alternatives, Bank of the Ozarks' acquisition was the least costly resolution for the FDIC's DIF. Oglethorpe Bank is the third FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the first in Georgia. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Chestatee State Bank, Dawsonville, on December 17, 2010.

From "Anti-Neo-Confederate"

This from a blog titled: "Anti-Neo-Confederate" which tries to tell the truth about all the lies spread by "neo-confederates". Please follow link to original.

Here's some info -- Commercial Sponsors of the Council of Conservative Citizens -- the successors of The White Citizens Councils. You know, those "civic organizations" that the Gov. of Mississippi says were "helpers" in the drive toward integration. All those lynchings, shootings, arrests, and torture were merely "collateral damage".


Commercial Sponsors of the Council of Conservative Citizens
These are the sponsors in the newspaper of the Council of Conservative Citizens, www.cofcc.com.

1. Peoples Bank & Trust Co., North Carrolton, Mississippi.

2. All American Realty & Insurance, Rupert E. Dunkum, Webster, Florida.

3. Harry Sanders Grocery & Market, North Carrolton, Mississippi.

4. Hudson Flower Shop, Calhoun City, Mississippi.

5. Gaines B. Smith, Jewelers Inc. Batesville, Mississippi.

6. Swiney's Barber Shop, St. Ann, Missouri.

7. A.J. Barker Window and Siding Company, Clemmons, NC.

8. The Crystal Grill, Greenwood, Mississippi.

9. Q-Ball's Bar-B-Que, Indianola, Mississippi.

10. Stanford's Farm & Feed, Carrolton, Mississippi.

11. Christopher JM Cummins, MD, Ripley, Mississippi

High-ranking members of US military part of ‘Knights of Malta,’ ‘Opus Dei,’ reporter claims

So, these days even our MILITARY leaders are beholden to another power -- The Vatican! This harkens back to the days when folks were afraid JFK would obey The Pope, instead of the best interests of the USA.

How long before fears of "Papists" re-emerge?

As soon as the current, cyclical, "Religious Awakening" subsides, I suspect we will, once again, wake up with a huge hangover -- if we can still read and write, and know ANYTHING about the USA as a nation, and its ideals.

That is questionable, I'm afraid.

The following is from Raw Story -- please follow link to original.


High-ranking members of US military part of ‘Knights of Malta,’ ‘Opus Dei,’ reporter claims

By Stephen C. Webster
Friday, January 21st, 2011 -- 12:28 pm



High ranking members of US military part of Knights of Malta, Opus Dei, reporter claims. Veteran investigative reporter Seymour Hersh has broken some massive stories in his day, but uncovering secret societies within the highest echelons of America's military would probably be the biggest of his career.

Well, get ready for the media storm: That's essentially what Hersh told an audience in Doha, Qatar recently, according to a report published earlier this week by Foreign Policy.

Speaking at a campus operated by Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, Hersh said he was working on a new book that details "how eight or nine neoconservative, radicals if you will, overthrew the American government."

"It's not only that the neocons took it over but how easily they did it -- how Congress disappeared, how the press became part of it, how the public acquiesced," he continued, according to the published quotes.

Hersh also lamented President Obama's continuance of the Bush administration's worst abuses.

"Just when we needed an angry black man, we didn't get one," he reportedly said.

The Foreign Policy report added that in 2003, those "in the Cheney shop" were not concerned about the havoc the invasion of Iraq was destined to cause.

"[The] attitude was, 'What's this? What are they all worried about, the politicians and the press, they're all worried about some looting?" Hersh was quoted as saying. "Don't they get it? We're gonna change moseques into cathedrals. And when we get all the oil, nobody's gonna give a damn.' That's the attitude. We're gonna change mosques into cathedrals. That's an attitude that pervades, I'm here to say, a large percentage of the Joint Special Operations Command [JSOC]."

He further claimed that Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Vice Admiral William McRaven and others in the JSOC were members of the "Knights of Malta" and "Opus Dei," two little known Catholic orders.

"They do see what they're doing -- and this is not an atypical attitude among some military -- it's a crusade, literally," Hersh reportedly continued. "They see themselves as the protectors of the Christians. They're protecting them from the Muslims [as in] the 13th century. And this is their function."

He added that members of these societies have developed a secret set of insignias that represent "the whole notion that this is a culture war" between religions.

It was President George W. Bush who first invoked images of a holy war in the Middle East, when he suggested soon after Sept. 11, 2001 that the US was on a "crusade" in the region.

The "Knights of Malta" were a Catholic order founded in 1085 as a group of monks who cared for the wounded. It evolved into a military order that safeguarded Christian pilgrims from Muslims during the nine "Crusades," where Europe's Christian states laid siege to Muslims for control of Jerusalem.

"Opus Dei," popularly depicted in the Hollywood film "The DaVinci Code," was founded in 1928 and officially accepted as part of the Catholic church in 1947. The group's website claimed their principle calling was to bring about a "Christian renewal" around the world.

Doubts, denials and a distinctive trend

Raw Story reached out to Hersh and The New Yorker to confirm the accuracy of his quotes, placing this report on hold until they responded. Both declined to make any further statement, neither confirming nor denying the quotes.

However, one source close to Hersh who spoke to Raw Story off the record, suggested that Foreign Policy's report was indeed correct.

Raw Story followed-up on the quotes due to a widely-reported false claim attributed to Hersh in May 2009, where he'd allegedly said former Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

troops High ranking members of US military part of Knights of Malta, Opus Dei, reporter claimsThe report, which appeared to have originated in Pakistan, was picked up by The Wall Street Journal and the conservative-leaning American Spectator, but both removed the links after Raw Story published a denial from Hersh. A link to Raw Story's original report was unavailable due to a database malfunction.

Hersh, a Pulitzer-winning author and reporter, has previously reported that the JSOC was set up by former Vice President Cheney as something of an "executive assassination squad" that operated outside of congressional authority.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who resigned after Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings quoted him mocking the US civilian command, led JSOC before taking command of America's war effort in Afghanistan.

In an email to the military's Stars and Stripes publication, McChrystal's spokesman, David Bolger, panned Hersh's claim.

“The allegations recently made by Seymour Hersh relating to General McChrystal’s involvement with an organization called The Knights of Malta are completely false and without basis in fact,” he reportedly wrote. “General McChrystal is not and has never been a member of that organization.”

The religious indoctrination of US soldiers has been in headlines in recent weeks as soldiers who "failed" the "spiritual fitness" portion of the "comprehensive soldier fitness" test claimed they were forced to attend Christian ceremonies and become "born again" by professing love for the Christian deity.

Similarly, GQ magazine uncovered last year a series of top-secret military briefings prepared by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that included passages from the Bible.

Trijicon Inc., a defense contractor, was also discovered last January to have been for years placing scriptural references on gun sights used by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Their actions revealed Trijicon was forced to provide the Pentagon with kits to remove the codes.

Buy American?

Do you know why we do not have a "Buy American" campaign?

Simple ----- WE DO NOT MAKE ANYTHING.

Any further questions?

Jessica Williams - Just The Way You Look Tonight

Jessica Williams, jazz pianist, plays Body and Soul

Ellis Marsalis - Love for sale

Mo Better Blues by branford marsalis

Wynton Marsalis - Caravan (1988)

Weekly Diaspora: Anti-Immigrant Hate Crimes Rise with Hateful Political Speech

Here's some more "good news" about how "enlightened" citizens of the USA have become. The following is by way of "Open Left" -- please follow link to original.


Open Left


Weekly Diaspora: Anti-Immigrant Hate Crimes Rise with Hateful Political Speech
by: The Media Consortium
Thu Jan 20, 2011 at 18:00

by Catherine A. Traywick, Media Consortium blogger

The federal trial of three Pennsylvania police officers accused of covering up the murder of an undocumented Mexican immigrant opened last week-reigniting critical discussion about the recent rise of anti-immigrant hate crimes. The officers-former Shenandoah Police Chief Matthew Nestor, Lt. William Moyer and Patrolman Jason Hayes-allegedly attempted to conceal the racially motivated nature of the 2008 murder of 25-year-old Luis Ramirez, who was brutally beaten to death in a park by a group of teenagers spouting racial slurs. At the time, Ramirez's murder underscored a growing trend of anti-Hispanic violence in the U.S., which some attribute to increasingly anti-immigrant political rhetoric.

The Media Consortium :: Weekly Diaspora: Anti-Immigrant Hate Crimes Rise with Hateful Political Speech

In recent years, hate crimes against Latinos have increased by 52 percent, a steep rise that Alternet's Arun Gupta attributes to incessant "right-wing vituperation" and "caustic rhetoric." In Arizona, where anti-immigrant sentiment has fomented into a bevy of retrogressive and prejudicial state policies, the number of reported hate crimes rose from 161 in 2007 to 219 in 2009. Tellingly, the recent rise in anti-Latino hate crimes runs counter to an overall decrease in reported hate crimes nationwide.

Prevalence of I-Word on television coincides with anti-immigrant hate crimes

At ColorLines, Mónica Novoa points out that a dramatic spike in the use of the word "illegals" in television programming last year coincided with both the passage of Arizona's SB 1070 and a number of subsequent racially motivated murders:

* In June, Juan Varela-U.S. citizen and a third-genderation Mexican American-was shot to death in Phoenix by a man shouting "You fucking Mexican, go back to Mexico!"
* In July, Sergio Zapata-Zurita's family was accosted at gunpoint in Washington by a man apparently obsessed with "illegal immigration.
* In August, Martin Reyes-a Honduran immigrant and father of six-was stabbed to death in Baltimore by a crazed man who told police that he "hated Mexicans."

The irony here is that, while heated discourse surrounding the measure may have contributed to a rash of anti-immigrant hate crimes last year, its implementation in Arizona has inhibited the local victims of those crimes contacting the police-for fear that, under the new law, they will be arrested for being undocumented.

Hate crimes report censored to conceal role of official's hate speech

Some localities have taken important steps to counter the rise of anti-Latino hate crimes, but at least one of those well-meaning efforts has been undermined by the anti-immigrant Right. Change.org's Alex DiBranco reports that, in Suffolk County, New York, one ranking official's affinity for anti-immigrant rhetoric may have compelled him to censor a potentially damning hate crimes report. Suffolk County's problem with anti-immigrant violence has been in the news since 2008, when the racially motivated murder of an Ecuadoran immigrant highlighted Long Island's epidemic of racial violence. Following the incident, Suffolk County formed a Hate Crimes Task Force responsible for monitoring hate crimes in the area, and issuing reports of its findings.

But County Executive Steve Levy, who is locally notorious for his anti-immigrant rhetoric, has been accused of editing more than 50 pages from the task force's most recent report-many of which contained substantial criticism of his administration's handling of immigrant issues, according to Mike Clifford at the Public News Service. Noting that Levy's critics have long attributed the rise in anti-immigrant hate crimes to his extreme position on immigration, DiBranco speculates that Levy's drastic censorship of the report is an attempt to conceal his own role in fostering violence.

Bigotry accusations divide the Republican Party

Following the recent Tucson shooting, the tragic potential of hateful political rhetoric has come to the foreground. The issue has become so heated that it threatens to fracture the Republican Party itself. In the aftermath of the tragedy, and in light of the party's increasingly extremist positions on immigration, certain party leaders have defected from the GOP, accusing the party of fostering racism for political ends, John Tomasic at the American Independent reports. Most recently, former Colorado Republican Muhammad Ali Hasan and former Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes have spoken out against party bigotry directed at Muslims and Latinos, prompting conservative Latino organization Somos Republicans to launch an anti-bigotry campaign against its own party.

It's a step in the right direction. But even as a minority of Republicans takes it upon themselves to critically examine the role of the party's extremist positions and rhetoric, the deadly impact of the party's institutionalized bigotry nevertheless remains remarkably under-recognized-even as it continues to claim innocent lives.