China & Russia Drop The Dollar- What's It Mean For Us?.

http://www.TheFinancialCoach.com

The Financial Coach Bryan Binkholder explains what it really means with China & Russia Dropping The Dollar. Does this hurt us economically? Is the dollar done? What about national debt levels?

S 510 Food Safety bill is still alive and may unleash a new army of FDA agents

Thursday, December 09, 2010
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com
(NaturalNews) The U.S. government wants to know where your greenhouse is. Under Senate Bill 510 -- which is now back in the hands of the U.S. Senate after the House hid an amendment in an appropriations bill and passed it last night -- American food producers would be required to register their facilities with the U.S. government. The feds, it seems, want a database of food growers so they know who to target for surprise inspections (show me your papers!).


As stated in the bill itself: (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi...)


SEC. 102. REGISTRATION OF FOOD FACILITIES. 18 (a) UPDATING OF FOOD CATEGORY REGULATIONS; BIENNIAL REGISTRATION RENEWAL. Section 415(a) (2120 U.S.C. 350d(a))

"The registration shall contain an assurance that the Secretary will be permitted to inspect such facility at the times and in the manner permitted by this Act."



What this language shows is that the point of registration is so that government agents can conduct surprise inspections of food facilities. At least 4,000 new FDA agents will need to be hired if this bill becomes law, greatly expanding the FDA's agent presence in much the same way the TSA expanded over the last few years.


Read the entire article

Gas up $1 a gallon on Obama's watch

Washingtontimes.com
By Stephen Dinan and Kara Rowland

Gas prices have risen $1 since just after President Obama took office in January 2009 and are now closing in on the $3 mark, prompting an evaluation of the administration's energy record and calls for the White House to open more U.S. land for oil exploration.

The average price per gallon across the U.S. hit $2.81 this week, according to the Energy Information Administration. That was up from $1.81 the week of Jan. 26, 2009, just after the inauguration, and marks the highest price since Oct. 20, 2008.

John B. Townsend II, a spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said price increases are a result of the cost of crude oil, thanks to a decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries not to raise production even as economic growth in countries such as Russia and China spurs more demand.
"From all indications, we're going to see $3 gas again this summer," he said.

The Obama administration also blames the market for the high prices and argues that its record for expanding energy development has been solid over the past year.

Read the entire article

U.S. Posts $150.4 Billion November Budget Deficit

WASHINGTON—The U.S. government ran its 26th straight monthly budget deficit in November amid wrangling over a package that would extend big tax cuts to Americans trying to recover from recession.
The Treasury Department, in its regular budget monthly statement, said the government spent $150.4 billion than it collected in the second month of fiscal 2011.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected a shortfall of $126.5 billion. November is traditionally a month for deficits.

The Treasury report, detailing the government's spending programs, prompted an economic research firm, Macroeconomic Advisers, to lift its forecast for economic growth from October through December by four-tenths of a percentage point, to 2.7%.

Last month's red ink pushes up the deficit to $290.8 billion for the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. That figure is a little smaller than the deficit during the same period last year. But President Barack Obama's administration expects the deficit to top $1 trillion in this fiscal year.

Washington has spent in excess of $1 trillion during each of the last two fiscal years, as revenues were reduced by the deep recession. At the same time, the economic slump and Wall Street bailout raised the government's expenses.

The November deficit marked the government's 26th shortfall in a row. As the deficit continues growing, Washington is in the midst of working out key tax legislation. The Senate unveiled final details of a broad tax bill—and its 10-year price tag of $858 billion—and began debate Thursday night on the package. Earlier in the week, Mr. Obama struck a deal with Republicans in Congress to extend for two years tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush.

The budget statement Friday said federal spending totaled $585.7 billion so far this fiscal year, with revenues at $294.9 billion. In the last two months, the federal government spent $128.3 billion on defense, $36.8 billion in interest payments on its debt, and $20.0 billion for unemployment benefits.

The U.S. budget deficit in fiscal 2010, at $1.294 trillion, was the second-highest ever, behind the record 2009 deficit of $1.416 trillion.

The administration last July said it was projecting a 2011 budget deficit of $1.416 trillion. But Michael Feroli, an analyst at J.P. Morgan Chase, said Friday he expects the budget gap to set a new record in fiscal 2011, reaching $1.5 trillion as the government pays for the extension of tax cuts.

Read the entire article

Pentagon Papers Whistleblowers Call for a New 9/11 Investigation

Washington's Blog
Thursday, December 9, 2010

The main players in releasing the Pentagon Papers were Daniel Ellsberg and Senator Mike Gravel.
Ellsberg is, of course, the former military analyst and famed whistleblower who smuggled the Pentagon Papers out of the Rand Corporation.
Senator Gravel is the person who read the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record. This act made the papers public record, so that they could not be censored by the government.
Ellsberg and Gravel are receiving a lot of media attention right now for their support of Wikileaks.
But little attention has been paid to Ellsberg and Gravel's support for a new 9/11 investigation.
Ellsberg says that the case of a certain 9/11 whistleblower is "far more explosive than the Pentagon Papers". (Here's some of what that whistleblower says.)
He also said that the government is ordering the media to cover up her allegations about 9/11.
And he said that some of the claims concerning government involvement in 9/11 are credible, that "very serious questions have been raised about what they [U.S. government officials] knew beforehand and how much involvement there might have been", that engineering 9/11 would not be humanly or psychologically beyond the scope of those in office, and that there's enough evidence to justify a new, "hard-hitting" investigation into 9/11 with subpoenas and testimony taken under oath (see this and this).
Senator Gravel has long supported a new 9/11 investigation. Gravel told the Daily Caller this week:

Individuals in and out of government may certainly have participated with the obviously known perpetrators of this dastardly act. Suspicions abound over the analysis presented by government. Obviously an act that has triggered three wars, Afghan, Iraqi and the continuing War on Terror, should be extensively investigated which was not done and which the government avoids addressing.

Other high-level whistleblowers have alleged a cover-up as well.
For example, Air Force Colonel and key Pentagon official Karen Kwiatkowski - who blew the whistle on the Bush administration's efforts to concoct false intelligence about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction - wrote (page 26):
I have been told by reporters that they will not report their own insights or contrary evaluations of the official 9/11 story, because to question the government story about 9/11 is to question the very foundations of our entire modern belief system regarding our government, our country, and our way of life. To be charged with questioning these foundations is far more serious than being labeled a disgruntled conspiracy nut or anti-government traitor, or even being sidelined or marginalized within an academic, government service, or literary career. To question the official 9/11 story is simply and fundamentally revolutionary. In this way, of course, questioning the official story is also simply and fundamentally American.
Indeed, Ellsberg and Gravel join a long list of high-level former officials in the government and intelligence services - including many well-known whistleblowers - who have publicly demanded a new investigation.

And see
this.

Jesse Ventura Conspiracy Theory - Great Lakes Conspiracy

They call it "Blue Gold." Water is the new oil. Once a human right, it's now a valuable commodity, and corporations and super-rich oil dynasties are believed to be buying up water rights, controlling nations and populations. Jesse looks into the possibility of these activities finding their way to American shores and uncovers what may be a plot to literally steal the Great Lakes.

The era of mega banks – The growth of too big to fail. American banking system still backing over $13 trillion in assets with a negative deposit insurance fund. 7,760 banks but 19 banks make up 50 percent of the asset base

The growth of the too big to fail bank is something that is modern to this era.  In the 1990s there were fewer than 40 institutions that had total assets above $20 billion.  In the late part of the 1980s and 1990s this number was below 20.  The peak was reached in 2005 with 55 institutions having more than $20 billion in total assets.  That number has fallen in recent years because of the crisis yet we have a handful of banks that control most of the nation’s banking assets.

 The total U.S. banking system as of today supports over $13 trillion in total assets.  The FDIC insures these deposits with a deposit fund that is negative so it might as well be supported by pure faith.  What makes up most of these assets are residential and commercial real estate loans.  As we have discussed banks have yet to come to terms with the reality that many of these loans are not worth what they claim they are.  First, let us look at the growth of too big to fail.

Read the entire report

Intense climate talks stretch into final hours

AP – Environmental activists from 350.org, left, demonstrate before the cameras of journalists during the convention

CANCUN, Mexico – Exhausted climate negotiators labored nonstop through the night and into their final day Friday, bargaining intensely over draft accords and seeking small, but essential steps to stem global warming.

If successful, the two-week Cancun meeting will create a fund of $100 billion a year for developing countries threatened by altered weather patterns, and give them the technology to leapfrog old petroleum-based economic development in favor of clean energy.

"This is a crucial day, not only for the process but for the climate," said Joke Schauvliege, a leader of the European Union delegation.

In a late-night session, negotiating groups reported they had settled some disputed wording and clauses, but other knotty issues remained to be sorted out. One issue, related to pledges by industrial and developing countries to rein in emissions of heat-trapping gases, appeared deadlocked.

"We have very limited time," said the conference chair, Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa, affirming that negotiators worked through the night. Delegates were beginning to stumble over their words with fatigue as they described the state of play in the talks.

Despite the reported progress, the EU's top climate official, Connie Hedegaard, said countries were withholding approval on all issues until everything is ready. "Everything is still being negotiated until we have the full package," she told reporters. "Nothing is cut in stone."

Read the entire article

Big Sis Set To Expand Spy Program To Sports Stadiums

Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
December 9, 2010

If you thought seeing Big Sis urging Americans to “report suspicious activity” at Wal-Mart checkouts was creepy enough, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Homeland Security announced yesterday that the program was set to be expanded to include 9,000 federal buildings, as well as sports stadiums, businesses and communities in general.

Read the entire article

DREAM ACT PASSES HOUSE! WE'RE HIT!!! TELEVISION News Update! December 8, 2010

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!!!
WE'RE HIT!!! TELEVISION
Mark Matheny
December 8, 2010

The House passed the Dream Act on December 8, 2010, 216 to 198. The bill will now go to the Senate where it must be stopped!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfadB6PmGHA


Senator Jeff Sessions explained ten reasons to stop the Dream Act:
“Ten Things You Need to Know About S. 3827, The DREAM Act."  Here are a few of the low-lights he enumerated:
  • The DREAM Act Is NOT Limited to Children, And It Will Be Funded On the Backs Of Hard Working, Law-Abiding Americans
  • The DREAM Act PROVIDES SAFE HARBOR FOR ANY ALIEN, Including Criminals, From Being Removed or Deported If They Simply Submit An Application
  • Estimates Suggest That At Least 2.1 Million Illegal Aliens Will Be Eligible For the DREAM Act Amnesty.
  • Illegal Aliens Will Get In-State Tuition Benefits
  • The DREAM Act Does Not Require That An Illegal Alien Finish Any Type of Degree
  • The DREAM Act does not require that an illegal alien serve in the military as a condition for amnesty, and There is ALREADY A Legal Process In Place For Illegal Aliens to Obtain U.S. Citizenship Through Military Service
  • Despite Their Current Illegal Status, DREAM Act Aliens Will Be Given All The Rights That Legal Immigrants Receive—Including The Legal Right To Sponsor Their Parents and Extended Family Members For Immigration
  • Current Illegal Aliens Will Get Federal Student Loans, Federal Work Study Programs, and Other Forms of Federal Financial Aid
Sources: JBS.org , http://werhit-mathenyahu.blogspot.com/2010/12/ten-things-you-need-to-know-about-s3827.html

Go to JBS.org "action" section at:

http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?A...

and take action to let the Senate know that this bill needs to go NO FURTHER!!!

WE'RE HIT!!! TELEVISION
http://werehit.blogspot.com

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!!! News
http://werhit-mathenyahu.blogspot.com

WE'RE HIT!!! RADIO
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mark-mat...

Please forward this video to everyone you know!!!!

Ten Things You Need To Know About S.3827, The DREAM Act

CFIF.org
By Senator Jeff Sessions
Thursday, November 18 2010

1. The DREAM Act Is NOT Limited to Children, And It Will Be Funded On the Backs Of Hard Working, Law-Abiding Americans
Proponents of the DREAM Act frequently claim the bill offers relief only to illegal alien “kids.” Incredibly, previous versions of the DREAM Act had no age limit at all, so illegal aliens of any age who satisfied the Act’s requirements—not just children—could obtain lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. In response to this criticism, S.3827 includes a requirement that aliens be under the age of 35 on the date of enactment to be eligible for LPR status. Even with this cap, many aliens would be at least 41 years old before obtaining full LPR status under the Act—hardly the “kids” the Act’s advocates keep talking about.
The DREAM Act requires that DHS/USCIS process all DREAM Act applications (applications that would require complex, multi-step adjudication) without being able to increase fees to handle processing. This mandate would require either additional Congressional appropriations, or for USCIS, a primarily fee-funded agency, to raise fees on other types of immigration benefit applications. This would unfairly spread the cost of administering the DREAM Act legalization program among applicants and petitioners who have abided by U.S. laws and force taxpayers to pay for amnesty. Taxpayers would also be on the hook for all Federal benefits the DREAM Act seeks to offer illegal aliens, including student loans and grants.

Read the entire article 

FLUORIDE: NAZI U.S. GOVT. KNEW FROM THE START

WE'RE HIT!!! TELEVISION



Full Russell Blaylock M.D. lecture starts here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztoh49...

Russell Blaylock M.D. is a retired neurosurgeon and author whose trailblazing research has tirelessly documented the fact that there is an epidemic of neurological disorders in the western world which are directly connected to toxins in our environment, and how this relates to the larger global eugenics program behind population reduction. In this fascinating interview, Blaylock reveals how depopulation programs forged by the Rockefeller foundation in association with the Nazis were the basis of modern day incarnations of eugenics like fluoride poisoning and vaccinations.

Blaylock explains how the eugenics movement began in America through Rockefeller, Ford and Carnegie funding and what originated as The Science of Man project, which was an effort to socially engineer humanity to weed out those deemed "undesirable" to the elite. Rockefeller funding via major universities then bankrolled eugenics programs for the next several years, information about which was gleaned and exchanged with the Nazis in Hitler's Germany. Once eugenics had attracted the negative connotations of racial superiority and genocide, the pseudo-science was reborn under the umbrella of molecular biology and DNA.

The goal is to alter behavior by chemically changing the way in which the brain functions. One of the primary methods through which this is achieved is by fluoridating water and food supplies. Blaylock explains how fluoride opportunists seized upon falls in dental cavities, which were occurring naturally as a result of increased calcium intake and better diets in the west, to claim that mass fluoridation was the answer, while burying a plethora of studies that proved adding fluoride to water did not reduce cavities at all and in fact in several instances increased dental cavities.

Blaylock highlights how independent study after study has shown that fluoride increases cancer rates, increases bone disorders, which as Blaylock points out is a good way of increasing mortality rates amongst the elderly, and also leads to profound neurological disorders. Blaylock highlights the research of Phyllis Mullenix, Ph.D, who during her tenure at Harvard University conducted one of the largest studies into fluoride's effects on the brain in animals. Mullenix found that offspring of animals who had been fed fluoride became hyperactive (ADHD) and that if you gave an animal fluoride after birth they became very lethargic and apathetic. Mullenix discovered that fluoride tends to accumulate in the part of the brain that controls behavior. After revealing the truth about fluoride, Mullenix was later shunned and attacked by the medical establishment that she had once been a part of.

Blaylock delves into the dangers of vaccines and how they are part of the eugenics assault, pointing out that America's infant mortality rates are impossibly high for a nation that is supposed to be a global leader in health care. Blaylock puts the number down to the fact that American babies are now being shot up with more vaccines than ever before, the rising number of which correlates exactly with levels of infant mortality. "When you over-vaccinate, it interferes with the development of the brain and then the child has difficulty learning, they have behavioral problems, and their brain cannot develop normally," states Blaylock.

This is a key interview to watch if you want to get a firm grasp of how we are under attack from modern day eugenics. Blaylock frames the information in clear and easily understood verbiage so everyone can obtain a coherent understanding of how we are being targeted and what we can do to defend ourselves against this chemical and behavioral assault on humanity.

INFOWARS.COM
PRISONPLANET.COM
PRISONPLANET.TV

OATHKEEPERS.ORG
AE911TRUTH.ORG
  [endtext]

WikiLeaks, WikiDrama and WikiGossip

Washington'sblog

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

What should we make of the Wikileaks story?
Obviously, the Swedish "sex crime" charges are ridiculous, as are the death threats against Wikileaks founds Julian Assange. See this, this and this.
Some leading first amendment advocates support Wikileaks as a vital resource. For example, John Perry Barlow - founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (a great organization with a long and proven track record in fighting censorship) says:

The first serious infowar is now engaged. The field of battle is WikiLeaks. You are the troops.
Likewise, the ACLU has been fighting for Wikileaks for years.

And
Daniel Ellsberg and Noam Chomsky think Wikileaks is the real deal.

However, many savvy observers argue that that Wikileaks is not what it seems.

For example, former U.S. National Security Adviser under President Carter (and top foreign policy advisor) Zbigniew Brzezinski doesn’t think all the leaked information coming out of Wikileaks is a result of Army PFC Bradley Manning, and suspects a foreign intelligence service may be providing the more embarrassing leaks for their own political reasons.

As Brzezinski
told PBS:
The real issue is, who is feeding Wikipedia on this issue — Wiki — Wiki — WikiLeaks on this issue? They’re getting a lot of information which seems trivial, inconsequential, but some of it seems surprisingly pointed.

***

For example, there are references to a report by our officials that some Chinese leaders favor a reunified Korea under South Korea.
This is clearly designed to embarrass the Chinese and our relationship with them. The very pointed references to Arab leaders could have as their objective undermining their political credibility at home, because this kind of public identification of their hostility towards Iran could actually play against them at home…
***
It’s, rather, a question of whether WikiLeaks are being manipulated by interested parties that want to either complicate our relationship with other governments or want to undermine some governments, because some of these items that are being emphasized and have surfaced are very pointed.
And I wonder whether, in fact, there aren’t some operations internationally, intelligence services, that are feeding stuff to WikiLeaks, because it is a unique opportunity to embarrass us, to embarrass our position, but also to undermine our relations with particular governments.
For example, leaving aside the personal gossip about Sarkozy or Berlusconi or Putin, the business about the Turks is clearly calculated in terms of its potential impact on disrupting the American-Turkish relationship.
***Seeding — seeding it is very easy.
I have no doubt that WikiLeaks is getting a lot of the stuff from sort of relatively unimportant sources, like the one that perhaps is identified on the air. But it may be getting stuff at the same time from interested intelligence parties who want to manipulate the process and achieve certain very specific objectives.

Other smart people point out that - while there is pointed information challenging the actions of other countries - the information coming from Wikileaks about the U.S. is more of the nature of gossip, and doesn't actually challenge U.S. foreign or domestic policy is a direct manner. For example, the information disclosed to date doesn't challenge the narrative of the "War on Terror" itself, the government's handling of the economic crisis, or any other central American policy.

So whether Wikileaks is a first amendment champion or an intelligence service psychological operation aiming to persuade and embarrass, so far it has mainly been a bunch of gossip in terms of leaks about America.

If you don't believe me, read some of the actual cables which have been released. While there have been some stunners about foreign countries, the ones regarding U.S. actions have been nothing but idle chatter about well-known people or events, providing interesting but wholly irrelevant details about what people were wearing or who they slept with. No breakthrough revelations which actually challenge core U.S. policy.

(Many people are saying that the disclosure that the U.S. has spied on the United Nations shows the value of Wikileaks. But it has been known for years that the U.S. spies on the U.N. See
this, this and this.)

Read the entire article

America Laughs As Jon Stewart Explains How Ben Bernanke Is Robbing It Blind

Zerohedge.com



Sick of bears explaining QE2? Prefer to watch Jon Stewart roasting the monetary Hewlett Retard instead? Here is your chance. Somehow catching Ben Bernanke lying on national TV has become not only a national sport, but one that provokes uncontrollable laughter... Ironically that is the laughter of all those whose money on a daily basis is worth less and less, courtesy of the Chancellor (Chairman is so QE1) buying back $50 billion in debt every week. Presumably laughing as one's net worth is getting destroyed makes it more palatable. Just wait as the country collapses into uncontrollable hysteric guffaws as the 30 Year mortgage passes 5%, then 6%, then 7%, etc. destroying up to 25% of household net worth.
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Big Bank Theory
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorThe Daily Show on Facebook

Food Stamp Rolls Continue to Rise.

More people tapped food stamps to pay for groceries in September as the recession and lackluster recovery have prompted more Americans to turn to government safety net programs to make ends meet.
Some 42.9 million people collected food stamps last month, up 1.2% from the prior month and 16.2% higher than the same time a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nationwide 14% of the population relied on food stamps as of September but in some states the percentage was much higher. In Washington, D.C., Mississippi and Tennessee – the states with the largest share of citizens receiving benefits – more than a fifth of the population in each was collecting food stamps.

Read the entire report

Raw Video: Mystery Objects Spotted over Stone Mountain

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!!!
Mark Matheny
December 7, 2010


http://www.ajc.com/video?bcpid=97471435001&bclid=1717763711&bctid=700744798001


Strange unidentifiable fiery objects videotaped in the skies of Clarkston Ga at around 5:30pm on November 28, 2010. Two objects can be seen in the video, one of which travels close to a plane as it passes by.


Jump START?

From Jill Dougherty, CNN Foreign Affairs Correspondent
December 5, 2010 12:53 p.m. EST
CNN.com
 
 
Washington (CNN) -- Facing the ticking time bomb of the Senate's lame-duck calendar, the New START arms control agreement now looks closer to being voted on before the end of the year.
"We're counting votes but we're not counting chickens," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Thursday. "We are encouraged that public comments by various senators on both sides of the aisle appear to leave open a strong possibility that this will come to a vote."

On the Senate floor, Democrat John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was trying to strike an optimistic tone, praising some Republicans for negotiating "in good faith."

"It's my hope that these conversations that we're having and the process that is in place is going to produce, hopefully, a positive outcome and we're certainly going to work in good faith to try to make that happen in the next days, hours," he said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said there was still a ways to go.
"Did I feel any movement on START? The the answer is yes. I feel that, but as far as being able to hear anything, that we have things worked out on it, the answer is no at this stage," Reid told reporters Wednesday.

Five big guns of Republican foreign policy, meanwhile, including former secretaries of state who support Senate ratification, urged their fellow Republicans, in a Washington Post editorial, to support the treaty which they say is "is clearly in our national interest."

Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, James Baker, Lawrence S. Eagleburger and Colin L. Powell said the agreement opens "a valuable window into Russia's nuclear arsenal," preserves the United States' ability to deploy effective missile defenses and provides enough money for modernization of the infrastructure essential to maintaining the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

Read the entire article

Wal-Mart Invasion Part of Larger DHS Takeover of America

  The Alex Jones ChannelAlex Jones Show podcastPrison Planet TVInfowars.com TwitterAlex Jones' FacebookInfowars store


Infowars.comDecember 7, 2010


WASHINGTON — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the expansion of the Department’s national “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign to hundreds of Walmart stores across the country—launching a new partnership between DHS and Walmart to help the American public play an active role in ensuring the safety and security of our nation.


 

watch another video

Korean War Exercises May Highlight Vulnerability Of U.S. Aircraft Carriers

Nov. 29 2010 - 11:33 am
By RUSSELL FLANNERY
 
The aircraft carrier has been a symbol of American military power for decades, projecting U.S. air might and ferrying troops to hot spots around the world. This week, the USS George Washington is at the center of war games involving the U.S. and South Korea, exercises designed to show Washington’s support for its Seoul ally following a North Korean attack on Tuesday that left four South Koreans dead.

Yet advancements in anti-ship missile technologies may be rendering the mighty ships obsolete, with China  – North Korea’s main military backer — possessing some of the world’s most potent technology.  How vulnerable is the USS George Washington as it carries out  its mission in the Yellow Sea?  To learn more, we exchanged by email with June Teufel Dreyer, a defense specialist in the department of political science at the University of Miami and a former member of the U.S. Economic and Security Review Commission.

Q. How advanced are Chinese anti-ship missiles today? What about Russia’s?
A.   Chinese and Russian anti-ship missiles are world-class.  If one includes PRC work on an anti-ship ballistic missile some experts call revolutionary, China may have the most advanced anti-ship missile program in the world.

 Q. How knowledgeable are we about military transfers between China and North Korea? Russia and North Korea?
A.  China has been the principle source of new weapons transfer to North Korea over the past two decades.  While the details are highly classified, experts can tell quite a bit from open-source surveillance photos.  Beijing seems to have escalated its conventional weapons transfers to the North Koreans.  To the best of my knowledge, no U.S. official has accused the Chinese on any of this, probably because of the myth that if we are nice to Beijing, Beijing will control Pyongyang.  The fact that Beijing either can’t or doesn’t want to doesn’t seem to have changed any minds in the D.C. establishment.  Non-administration analysts seem to be of two minds about this.  One group sees Beijing as the owner of a pit bull that is constantly trying to slip its leash: Beijing is trying to control it, but doesn’t always succeed. The second group argues that this is what Beijing wants us to think, and that actually Pyongyang, and Tehran as well, are proxies for the Chinese in their effort to overturn American hegemony.

As for Moscow, there is far less transfer than when it was the capital of the USSR.  Russia sells a lot to South Korea, and this is the more lucrative markets. The ROK government might be loath to buy Russian weapons if the north was getting the same weapons. Bottom line: the Russians need money, and the north doesn’t have money.

 Q. To what extent would you say the George Washington is vulnerable to anti-ship missiles, especially operating as it will be so close to China and North Korea?
 A.  The USS GW is extremely vulnerable—if  — and this is a big if — the Chinese should decide to put together a massed anti-ship missile barrage.  As a technology-knowledgeable friend says, after repelling an attack of about a hundred cruise missiles,” the hundred-first could ruin the carrier’s day.”  The crucial factor is the missile’s seeker versus the carrier battle group’s electronic countermeasures.  We can’t be sure what will happen until, perish forbid, it has happened.  A former U.S. government official with experience in this area points out that, if one looks at the espionage cases of the past decade or so, one notices that a prime Chinese target has been U.S. ECM (electronic countermeasure) technology.  The cases that make the newspapers are the ones we know about, but are likely to be the tip of the iceberg.  The former official quotes Rumsfeld as saying, “we don’t know what we don’t know.”

Q. What do you consider to be the mostly likely outcome of events in the next few days?
A.   In my humble opinion, the next few days will be characterized by posturing.  The tensions will abate — until the next incident, which is bound to occur. It is as if Pyongyang wants to provoke Seoul into taking some strong form of retaliation.  What is Pyongyang’s motive?  Some have suggested that it wants to restart the 6-party talks. I’m skeptical. I think that several of the parties must be feeling that, since repeated efforts to talk to the North Koreans have failed, there’s not much point in making yet another try.  Perhaps, of course, getting the talks restarted  is Pyongyang’s motive, either that or getting some other concession from its neighbors, but that it miscalculated those countries’ reactions.

Obama Announces 'Framework' for Deal With Congress to Extend Bush-Era Tax Cuts

Published December 07, 2010
FoxNews.com


AP
Dec. 6: President Obama speaks after meeting with Democratic congressional leaders on a deal to extend tax cuts.
President Obama and White House officials underscored the need to compromise Monday in unveiling a congressional deal to avoid the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts at the end of the year, but some of the toughest critics of Obama's version of compromise come from within his own party.

Democrats have generally argued that the tax cuts should be extended for the middle class -- but not for the wealthiest 2 percent. Republicans have argued that the cuts should be extended for all taxpayers.

The "framework" of the deal that Obama outlined Monday evening calls for a two-year extension of the cuts in all income tax brackets. It also would extend long-term unemployment benefits through next year. The estate tax rate would be renewed, but at a lower rate than even during the Bush administration. And the Obama administration is proposing a one-year payroll tax reduction that sources say would cut the amount contributed to Social Security from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent.

"I have no doubt that everyone will find something in this compromise that they don't like," Obama said, but "we cannot play politics at a time when the American people are looking for us to solve problems." He said letting taxes increase for all Americans would create a chilling effect on the economy.

FLUORIDE FACTS


  10 Facts about Fluoride
Fluoride Action Network

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) 97% of western Europe has chosen fluoride-free water . This includes: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland. (While some European countries add fluoride to salt, the majority do not.) Thus, rather than mandating fluoride treatment for the whole population, western Europe allows individuals the right to choose, or refuse, fluoride.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) Fluoride is the only chemical added to drinking water for the purpose of medication (to prevent tooth decay). All other treatment chemicals are added to treat the water (to improve the water's quality and safety - which fluoride does not do). This is one of the reasons why most of Europe has rejected fluoridation. For instance:
In Germany, "The argumentation of the Federal Ministry of Health against a general permission of fluoridation of drinking water is the problematic nature of compulsion medication."
In Belgium, it is "the fundamental position of the drinking water sector that it is not its task to deliver medicinal treatment to people. This is the sole responsibility of health services."
In Luxembourg, "In our views, drinking water isn't the suitable way for medicinal treatment and that people needing an addition of fluoride can decide by their own to use the most appropriate way."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Contrary to previous belief, fluoride has minimal benefit when swallowed. When water fluoridation began in the 1940s and '50s, dentists believed that fluoride needed to be swallowed in order to be most effective. This belief, however, has now been discredited by an extensive body of modern research (1).
According to the Centers for Disease Control, fluoride's "predominant effect is posteruptive and topical" (2). In other words, any benefits that accrue from the use of fluoride, come from the direct application of fluoride to the outside of teeth (after they have erupted into the mouth) and not from ingestion. There is no need, therefore, to expose all other tissues to fluoride by swallowing it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Fluoridated water is no longer recommended for babies. In November of 2006, the American Dental Association (ADA) advised that parents should avoid giving babies fluoridated water (3). Other dental researchers have made similar recommendations over the past decade (4).
Babies exposed to fluoride are at high risk of developing dental fluorosis - a permanent tooth defect caused by fluoride damaging the cells which form the teeth (5). Other tissues in the body may also be affected by early-life exposures to fluoride. According to a recent review published in the medical journal The Lancet, fluoride may damage the developing brain, causing learning deficits and other problems (6).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) There are better ways of delivering fluoride than adding it to water. By adding fluoride to everyone's tap water, many infants and other at-risk populations will be put in harm's way. This is not only wrong, it is unnecessary. As western Europe has demonstrated, there are many equally effective and less-intrusive ways of delivering fluoride to people who actually want it. For example:
A) Topical fluoride products such as toothpaste and mouthrinses (which come with explicit instructions not to swallow) are readily available at all grocery stores and pharmacies. Thus, for those individuals who wish to use fluoride, it is very easy to find and very inexpensive to buy.
B) If there is concern that some people in the community cannot afford to purchase fluoride toothpaste (a family-size tube of toothpaste costs as little as $2 to $3), the money saved by not fluoridating the water can be spent subsidizing topical fluoride products (or non-fluoride alternatives) for those families in need.
C) The vast majority of fluoride added to water supplies is wasted, since over 99% of tap water is not actually consumed by a human being. It is used instead to wash cars, water the lawn, wash dishes, flush toilets, etc.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) Ingestion of fluoride has little benefit, but many risks. Whereas fluoride's benefits come from topical contact with teeth, its risks to health (which involve many more tissues than the teeth) result from being swallowed.
Adverse effects from fluoride ingestion have been associated with doses atttainable by people living in fluoridated areas. For example:
a) Risk to the brain. According to the National Research Council (NRC), fluoride can damage the brain. Animal studies conducted in the 1990s by EPA scientists found dementia-like effects at the same concentration (1 ppm) used to fluoridate water, while human studies have found adverse effects on IQ at levels as low as 0.9 ppm among children with nutrient deficiencies, and 1.8 ppm among children with adequate nutrient intake. (7-10)
b) Risk to the thyroid gland. According to the NRC, fluoride is an “endocrine disrupter.” Most notably, the NRC has warned that doses of fluoride (0.01-0.03 mg/kg/day) achievable by drinking fluoridated water, may reduce the function of the thyroid among individuals with low-iodine intake. Reduction of thyroid activity can lead to loss of mental acuity, depression and weight gain (11)
c) Risk to bones. According to the NRC, fluoride can diminish bone strength and increase the risk for bone fracture. While the NRC was unable to determine what level of fluoride is safe for bones, it noted that the best available information suggests that fracture risk may be increased at levels as low 1.5 ppm, which is only slightly higher than the concentration (0.7-1.2 ppm) added to water for fluoridation. (12)
d) Risk for bone cancer. Animal and human studies – including a recent study from a team of Harvard scientists – have found a connection between fluoride and a serious form of bone cancer (osteosarcoma) in males under the age of 20. The connection between fluoride and osteosarcoma has been described by the National Toxicology Program as "biologically plausible." Up to half of adolescents who develop osteosarcoma die within a few years of diagnosis. (13-16)
e) Risk to kidney patients. People with kidney disease have a heightened susceptibility to fluoride toxicity. The heightened risk stems from an impaired ability to excrete fluoride from the body. As a result, toxic levels of fluoride can accumulate in the bones, intensify the toxicity of aluminum build-up, and cause or exacerbate a painful bone disease known as renal osteodystrophy. (17-19)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) The industrial chemicals used to fluoridate water may present unique health risks not found with naturally-occurring fluoride complexes . The chemicals - fluorosilicic acid, sodium silicofluoride, and sodium fluoride - used to fluoridate drinking water are industrial waste products from the phosphate fertilizer industry. Of these chemicals, fluorosilicic acid (FSA) is the most widely used. FSA is a corrosive acid which has been linked to higher blood lead levels in children. A recent study from the University of North Carolina found that FSA can - in combination with chlorinated compounds - leach lead from brass joints in water pipes, while a recent study from the University of Maryland suggests that the effect of fluoridation chemicals on blood lead levels may be greatest in houses built prior to 1946. Lead is a neurotoxin that can cause learning disabilities and behavioral problems in children. (20-23)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8) Water fluoridation’s benefits to teeth have been exaggerated. Even proponents of water fluoridation admit that it is not as effective as it was once claimed to be. While proponents still believe in its effectiveness, a growing number of studies strongly question this assessment. (24-46) According to a systematic review published by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, "The magnitude of [fluoridation's] effect is not large in absolute terms, is often not statistically significant and may not be of clinical significance." (36)
a) No difference exists in tooth decay between fluoridated & unfluoridated countries. While water fluoridation is often credited with causing the reduction in tooth decay that has occurred in the US over the past 50 years, the same reductions in tooth decay have occurred in all western countries, most of which have never added fluoride to their water. The vast majority of western Europe has rejected water fluoridation. Yet, according to comprehensive data from the World Health Organization, their tooth decay rates are just as low, and, in fact, often lower than the tooth decay rates in the US. (25, 35, 44)
b) Cavities do not increase when fluoridation stops. In contrast to earlier findings, five studies published since 2000 have reported no increase in tooth decay in communities which have ended fluoridation. (37-41)
c) Fluoridation does not prevent oral health crises in low-income areas. While some allege that fluoridation is especially effective for low-income communities, there is very little evidence to support this claim. According to a recent systematic review from the British government, "The evidence about [fluoridation] reducing inequalities in dental health was of poor quality, contradictory and unreliable." (45) In the United States, severe dental crises are occurring in low-income areas irrespective of whether the community has fluoride added to its water supply. (46) In addition, several studies have confirmed that the incidence of severe tooth decay in children (“baby bottle tooth decay”) is not significantly different in fluoridated vs unfluoridated areas. (27,32,42) Thus, despite some emotionally-based claims to the contrary, water fluoridation does not prevent the oral health problems related to poverty and lack of dental-care access.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9) Fluoridation poses added burden and risk to low-income communities. Rather than being particularly beneficial to low-income communities, fluoridation is particularly burdensome and harmful. For example:
a) Low-income families are least able to avoid fluoridated water. Due to the high costs of buying bottled water or expensive water filters, low-income households will be least able to avoid fluoride once it's added to the water. As a result, low-income families will be least capable of following ADA’s recommendation that infants should not receive fluoridated water. This may explain why African American children have been found to suffer the highest rates of disfiguring dental fluorosis in the US. (47)
b) Low-income families at greater risk of fluoride toxicity. In addition, it is now well established that individuals with inadequate nutrient intake have a significantly increased susceptibility to fluoride’s toxic effects. (48-51) Since nutrient deficiencies are most common in low-income communities, and since diseases known to increase susceptibility to fluoride are most prevalent in low-income areas (e.g. end-stage renal failure), it is likely that low-income communities will be at greatest risk from suffering adverse effects associated with fluoride exposure. According to Dr. Kathleen Thiessen, a member of the National Research Council's review of fluoride toxicity: “I would expect low-income communities to be more vulnerable to at least some of the effects of drinking fluoridated water." (51)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10) Due to other sources, many people are being over-exposed to fluoride . Unlike when water fluoridation first began, Americans are now receiving fluoride from many other sources* besides the water supply. As a result many people are now exceeding the recommended daily intake, putting them at elevated risk of suffering toxic effects. For example, many children ingest more fluoride from toothpaste alone than is considered “optimal” for a full day’s worth of ingestion. According to the Journal of Public Health Dentistry:
"Virtually all authors have noted that some children could ingest more fluoride from [toothpaste] alone than is recommended as a total daily fluoride ingestion." (52)
Because of the increase in fluoride exposure from all sources combined, the rate of dental fluorosis (a visible indicator of over-exposure to fluoride during childhood) has increased significantly over the past 50 years. Whereas dental fluorosis used to impact less than 10% of children in the 1940s, the latest national survey found that it now affects over 30% of children. (47, 53)
* Sources of fluoride include: fluoride dental products, fluoride pesticides, fluorinated pharmaceuticals, processed foods made with fluoridated water, and tea.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References
To access the references, click here


Fluoride Action Network | 802-338-5577 | info@fluoridealert.org

Jobless Recovery?: 25 Unemployment Statistics That Are Almost Too Depressing To Read

theeconomiccollapseblog
 
 



Guess what?  Unemployment is up again!  That's right - even though Wall Street is swimming in cash and the Obama administration is declaring that "the recession is over", the U.S. unemployment rate has gone even higher.

  So are you enjoying the jobless recovery?  The truth is that there should not be any talk of a "recovery" as long as the "official" unemployment rate remains at around 10 percent and the "real" unemployment continues to hover around 17 percent.  There are millions and millions of American families that are living every day in deep pain because of the lack of jobs.

  Meanwhile, there are all of these economic pundits that are declaring that we are just going to have to realize that chronic unemployment is the "new normal" and that if other nations can handle high rates of unemployment then so can we.  The most optimistic economists are projecting that we can perhaps get the unemployment rate down to around 8 percent by 2012.  On the other hand, there are many economists that are convinced that things are going to get even worse.

If you have never been unemployed, it can be hard to describe how soul-crushing it can be.  As the bills pile up and the financial obligations mount, the pressure can be debilitating.  Being unemployed for an extended period of time can easily plunge you into depression and grind your self-worth away to almost nothing.  After getting rejected dozens of times (or even hundreds of times), many Americans simply give up.  There are countless marriages and countless families that are being ripped to shreds by financial pressure even as you read this.  When the money is gone and there is no job in sight it can be a really, really empty feeling.
Of course there is a whole lot more to life than money, but it can be difficult to tell that to someone who can barely sleep at night because of the intense pressure to find a job.

The vast majority of Americans have at least one family member or close friend that is looking for work right now.  Times are really, really tough and unfortunately the long-term outlook is very bleak.  We should have compassion on those who are out of work right now, because soon many of us may join them.
The following are 25 unemployment statistics that are almost too depressing to read....

#1 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. unemployment rate for November was 9.8 percent.  This was up from 9.6 percent in October, and it continues a trend of depressingly high unemployment rates.  The official unemployment number has been at 9.5 percent or higher for well over a year at this point.

#2 In November 2006, the "official" U.S. unemployment rate was just 4.5 percent.

#3 Most economists had been expecting the U.S. economy to add about 150,000 jobs in November.  Instead, it only added 39,000.

#4 In the United States today, there are over 15 million people who are "officially" considered to be unemployed for statistical purposes.  But everyone knows that the "real" number is even much larger than that.

#5 As 2007 began, there were just over 1 million Americans that had been unemployed for half a year or longer.  Today, there are over 6 million Americans that have been unemployed for half a year or longer.
#6 The number of "persons not in the labor force" in the United States recently set another new all-time record.

#7 It now takes the average unemployed American over 33 weeks to find a job.
#8 When you throw in "discouraged workers" and "underemployed workers", the "real" unemployment rate in the state of California is actually about 22 percent.

#9 In America today there are not nearly enough jobs for everyone.  In fact, there are now approximately 5 unemployed Americans for every single job opening.

#10 According to The New York Times, Americans that have been unemployed for five weeks or less are three times more likely to find a new job in the coming month than Americans that have been unemployed for over a year.

#11 The U.S. economy would need to create 235,120 new jobs a month to get the unemployment rate down to pre-recession levels by 2016.  Does anyone think that there is even a prayer that is going to happen?

#12 There are 9 million Americans that are working part-time for "economic reasons".  In other words, those Americans would gladly take full-time jobs if they could get them, but all they have been able to find is part-time work.

#13 In 2009, total wages, median wages, and average wages all declined in the United States.
#14 As of the end of 2009, less than 12 million Americans worked in manufacturing.  The last time that less than 12 million Americans were employed in manufacturing was in 1941.

#15 The United States has lost at least 7.5 million jobs since the recession began.

#16 Today, only about 40 percent of Ford Motor Company's 178,000 workers
are employed in North America, and a big percentage of those jobs are in Canada and Mexico.

#17 In 1959, manufacturing represented 28 percent of U.S. economic output.  In 2008, it represented 11.5 percent.

#18 Earlier this year, one poll found that 28% of all American households had at least one member that was looking for a full-time job.

#19 In the United States today, over 18,000 parking lot attendants have college degrees.

#20 The United States has lost a staggering 32 percent of its manufacturing jobs since the year 2000.

#21 As the employment situation continues to stagnate, millions of American families have decided to cut back on things such as insurance coverage.  For example, the percentage of American households that have life insurance coverage is at its lowest level in 50 years.

#22 Unless Congress acts, and there is no indication that is going to happen, approximately 2 million Americans will stop receiving unemployment checks over the next couple of months.

#23 A poll that was released by the Pew Research Center back in June discovered that an astounding 55 percent of the U.S. labor force has experienced either unemployment, a pay decrease, a reduction in hours or an involuntary move to part-time work since the economic downturn began.

#24 According to Richard McCormack, the United States has lost over 42,000 factories (and counting) since 2001.

#25 In the United States today, 317,000 waiters and waitresses have college degrees.
But this is what we get for creating the biggest debt bubble in the history of the world.  For decades we have been digging a deeper hole for ourselves by going into increasingly larger amounts of debt.  In America today, our entire economy is based on debt.  Even our money is debt.  We were fools if we ever thought this could go on forever.

Just think about it.  Have you ever gone out and run up a bunch of debt?  It can be a lot of fun sitting behind the wheel of a new car, running your credit cards up to the limit and buying a beautiful big house that you cannot afford.

But in the end what happens?
It always catches up with you.

Well, our collective debt is starting to catch up with us.  There is a sea of red ink on every level of American society.  It is only a matter of time before it destroys our economy.

If you think that things are bad now, just wait.  Things are going to get a whole lot worse.  A horrific economic collapse is coming, and it is going to be very, very painful.

Is Bernanke headed for QE3?

Theglobeandmail.com
December 6, 2010

The Federal Reserve could end up buying more than the $600-billion in U.S. government bonds it has committed to purchase if the economy fails to respond or unemployment stays too high, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said.

 
In a rare televised interview, Mr. Bernanke told the CBS program 60 Minutes the Fed’s actions are aimed at supporting what is still a fragile economic recovery, dismissing critics who argue the policy will lead to future inflation.
“This fear of inflation I think is way overstated,” Mr. Bernanke said in the interview aired on Sunday.
“What we’re doing is lowering interest rates by buying Treasury securities,” he said. “And by lowering interest rates, we hope to stimulate the economy to grow faster. The trick is to find the appropriate moment when to begin to unwind this policy. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

Mr. Bernanke said it would take four to five years for the country’s unemployment rate, which rose to 9.8 per cent in November, to come down to what he called more “normal” levels of around 5 per cent to 6 per cent.