It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men. -Samuel Adams Wednesday Evening - February 17, 2010 |
The animated magnetosphere - has missing time again today! If you go to YouTube to watch .. notice how the graphs end up 'flat lining' ... either they are having mechanical problems or they don't want the public to view what is going on with our planet's 'protective' magnetosphere?? |
"Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people" - John Adams - Second President (1797 - 1801) |
OUR PLANET'S PROTECTIVE MAGNETOSPHERE UPDATE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
About Real-Time Magnetosphere Simulation http://www2.nict.go.jp/y/y223/simulation/realtime/index.html February 17, 2010 at 5:51 PM CDT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MOON UPDATE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current Moon Phase http://www.die.net/moon/ Recommended: What the Hell is Going on Up There? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SUN UPDATE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/sunspots/ http://solarcycle24.com/ Classification of Solar Flares Magnetic fields trigger solar wind Solar Update - Solar activity remains low. Sunspot 1046 and 1048 are both small and do not pose a chance for strong solar flares. The new region reported on Tuesday evening has formed some sunspots. This region should be numbered 1049 on Wednesday. NASA Images Earth-Sized Objects Inside Corona Of SUN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EARTHQUAKE UPDATES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles Area, CA continues to experience earthquake swarm
Update time = Thu Feb 18 0:38:09 UTC 2010
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VOLCANISM NEWS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yellowstone Earthquake Swarm Summary as of 11 February 2010 The rate of earthquake occurrence in the Madison Plateau area is now at background levels. As of February 11, 2010 4:00 PM MST there have been 1,805 earthquakes located. The swarm began January 17, 2010 around 1:00 PM MST about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the Old Faithful area on the northwestern edge of the Yellowstone Caldera. Swarms have occurred in this area several times over the past 30 years. Visual observation of landforms and geothermal features by Yellowstone National Park personnel did not show any changes that could be attributed to the earthquakes. This swarm is now the second largest recorded swarm at Yellowstone. It was longer (in time) and included more earthquakes than last year's swarm beneath Yellowstone Lake (December '08/January '09). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS - NEWS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National Severe Weather Map Surface Temperature Forecast Map www.511nebraska.org http://weather.unisys.com/satellite/sat_ir_enh_us_loop.html National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications Emergency and Disaster Information Services (EDIS) Budapest Hungary |
Obama has stuffed the diplomatic corps with more political appointees than in 40 year
Obama’s bundlers occupy dozens of key positions
Barack Obama has long decried the corrupting influence of money in politics. As a candidate, he ran against lobbyists and the pay-for-play culture of Washington. As president, he has continued to hammer the theme, most recently in his impassioned attacks on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v Federal Election Commission.
Given this, it’s a little surprising to learn that Obama has not only embraced the sordid money-driven culture of DC, but actually outdone his predecessors. An analysis by the American Foreign Service Association, for example, found that Obama has stuffed the diplomatic corps with more political appointees (i.e., cronies) than any president in the past 40 years. Only a year into the administration, close of half of the president’s biggest donors already have federal jobs.
Below is a list of Obama campaign bundlers and the taxpayer-funded positions they’ve received:
4 PAGES!!
The Big Changers’ Club ($500,000+)
Avant, Nicole (Los Angeles, CA)
Position: Ambassador to the Bahamas
Barzun, Matthew (Louisville, KY)
Position: Ambassador to Sweden
Beyer, Don (Alexandria, VA)
Position: Nominated to Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Bleich, Jeff (Piedmont, CA)
Position: Ambassador to Australia
Danzig, Richard (Washington, DC)
Position: Member, Defense Policy Board
Donahoe, Eileen Chamberlain (Washington, DC)
Position: Nominated to Ambassador to UN Human Rights Council
Eacho, William (Bethesda, MD)
Position: Ambassador to Austria
Forester, Christine (San Diego, CA)
Position: Member, Presidential Committee on the Arts and Humanities
Genachowski, Julius (Washington, DC)
Position: FCC Chairman
Gips, Don (Boulder, CO)
Position: Ambassador to South Africa
Gutman, Howard (Washington, DC)
Position: Ambassador to Belgium
Harris, Scott (Washington, DC)
Position: General Counsel, Department of Energy
Katz, Allan (Tallahassee, FL)
Position: Nominated to Ambassador to Portugal
Kennard, William (Washington, DC)
Position: Ambassador to the European Union
Oreck, Bruce (Boulder, CO)
Position: Nominated to Ambassador to Finland
Overton, Spencer (Chevy Chase, MD)
Position: Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy
Perrelli, Tom (Arlington, VA)
Position: Assistant Attorney General
Rivkin, Charlie (Los Angeles, CA)
Position: Ambassador to France and Monaco
Roos, John (Hillsborough, CA)
Position: Ambassador to Japan
Sanchez, Frank (Tampa, FL)
Position: Undersecretary of International Trade
Solomont, Alan (Boston, MA)
Position: Ambassador to Spain
Spinner, Steve (Menlo Park, CA)
Position: Loan Programs Advisor, Department of Energy
Stroum, Cynthia (Seattle, WA)
Position: Ambassador to Luxembourg
West, Tony (Oakland, CA)
Position: Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division
Guard troops wait for promised post-deployment payAssociated Press Writer Thousands of National Guard soldiers who served extra-long deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts were supposed to get paid time off when they came home three years ago. |
Marines Find Rocket Attack’s Victims as Mystery Deepens
Danger Room - Feb 17, 2010 - On Tuesday, Company K of the Third Battalion, Sixth Marines visited a house in Marjah, Afghanistan, reduced to rubble by American rockets. Inside were twelve bodies. According to their superior officers, Company K had somehow been involved in the strike from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System; according to a press release from NATO headquarters in Kabul, the rockets had been a counterattack on a “compound where insurgents were delivering accurate, direct fire.”
But “to the Marines of Company K, and an embedded reporter accompanying them, one thing seemed clear: the company had not ordered a rocket strike on that house,” the New York Times reports. “‘The compound that was hit was not the one we were targeting,’ the company commander said.”
That’s not surprising. The HIMARS system is a “brigade-level asset,” controlled by the Marines’ top commanders in Afghanistan — not by junior officers on the ground. “The approval process goes all the way up to the top,” one Marine fire support officer told Danger Room in the hours after the incident became public.
Rawalpindi, Pakistan(Muhammed Muheisen / Associated Press / February 17, 2010) Afghan refugee children play in a poor neighborhood of Pakistan's fourth-largest city. |
Western Pa. school OKs concealed weapons group
A Pittsburgh-area community college will let a student form a campus chapter of a group that promotes the rights of students to carry concealed weapons.
Cops: Imitation pot as bad as the real thingAssociated Press Writer There may be nothing like the real thing, but some industrious marijuana users have seized on an obscure but easily accessible substance that mimics the drug's effects on the brain-creating a popular trade in legal dope that has stymied law enforcement authorities. The users are buying a product known as K2 - or "Spice," Genie" and "Zohai" - that is commonly sold in headshops as incense. Produced in China and Korea, the mixture of herbs and spices is sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Users roll it up in joints or inhale it from pipes, just like the real thing. |
3 dead in small plane crash into California home
A small plane crashed Wednesday in a residential neighborhood shrouded in heavy fog, killing all three aboard, igniting fires and scattering debris onto a house where a children's day care center operated, authorities said.
2 die when small plane hits building in Texas
Authorities say a pilot and his passenger were killed when their twin-engine plane crashed into a concrete storage building in the Texas Panhandle city of Amarillo.
Shocking numbers: Real unemployment tops 22% The true rate of unemployment for October 2009 may be 22.1 percent, not the 10.2 percent reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Jerome Corsi's Red Alert reports. |
China sells $34.2bn of US Treasury bonds The move means that Japan, which boosted its purchases, is once again the largest overseas holder of the securities |
GREED VULTURES HAVE TAKEN AIM AT HAITI
BILL CLINTON
USAID Steers No-Bid Haiti Contract to ‘Politically Connected’ Firm of Bill Clinton Friend
Historic visit: French president visits Haiti
CHINESE HEADLINES Tehran rejects U.S. comments on Iran moving toward dictatorship Japan now top U.S. treasury holder 02-17 09:08 China trimmed its holdings of U.S. debt by 34.2 bln U.S. dollars in December 2009, leaving Japan as the largest U.S. treasury holder. U.S. federal budget deficit hits 91.85 bln dollars | |
RUSSIA TODAY HEADLINES
US could attack Iran – Russia’s General Staff
Starbucks line to be on Burger King menu |
Reid Jobs Bill Gives Tax Breaks for Hiring Illegal Workers
Federation for American Immigration Reform | Bill contains a tax credit that does not require the employee to be legal or require that the employer use E-Verify to establish the employee’s work authorization.
metro detroit newsBudget woes put big road projects in jeopardy Summer 2010 could become the season Michigan looks back on as the last with a widespread road repair program, state officials and a road industry group warn. |
Study claims “influenza vaccine has no effect”
The Local | There is no evidence to support the contention that the influenza vaccine administered to the over 65s is of any more use than opening the windows and washing hands.
Anger fuels water-fluoridation debate in Watsonville, Calif. L.A. Times | One of the biggest employers in Watsonville, CA — the Martinelli beverage company, famous for its sparkling apple cider — said it would rather move a planned expansion elsewhere than use fluoridated water in a new line of juices. |
Gum ingredient may cause cancer
The Leader-Post | A substance used to make chewing gum could soon be declared toxic by the federal government after an international agency found that it might cause cancer in lab rats.
NavyTimes.com | Corps to use more lethal ammo in Afghanistan |
Defections Shake Up Climate Coalition
Record number of media killed, jailed in 2009 February 17, 2010 NEW YORK — An international press freedom watchdog said that 2009 saw a record number of journalists killed, including the single worst massacre in the Philippines, as well as an increase in journalists jailed, fueled by the crackdown in Iran. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the massacre of 29 journalists and two media support workers in a politically motivated ambush in the southern Philippines on Nov. 23 claimed more lives than any single event since it started documenting attacks on the press 18 years ago. In its annual report on freedom of the press released Tuesday, the committee also accused Iran of being one of the leading jailers of journalists last year, with more than 90 reporters arrested and at least 23 writers and editors still being held. That's second only to China, where 24 journalists are in jail today, it said, though that's a decline from a high of 42 in 2004.... |
South Carolina Lawmaker Seeks to Ban Federal Currency...
As the Palmetto Scoop first reported, Pitts introduced legislation this month banning "the unconstitutional substitution of Federal Reserve Notes for silver and gold coin" in South Carolina.
In an interview, Pitts told Hotsheet that he believes that "if the federal government continues to spend money at the rate it's spending money, and if it continues to print money at the rate it's printing money, our economic system is going to collapse."
"The Germans felt their system wouldn't collapse, but it took a wheelbarrow of money to buy a loaf of bread in the 1930s," he said. "The Soviet Union didn't think their system would collapse, but it did. Ours is capable of collapsing also." ....
To be fair, this article could just as easily have been called “Waking a Zombie World”. While various people and governments point to the USA as the bad actor in this mess, in fact it has taken dozens of nations to form this conga line to hell and the rest of the world is far from blameless. Nor is America the sole residence of the world’s zombie population. However, since this writer and much of the ZH readership reside in American, we will assume an American (ego) centric focus. My apologies for the delay in posting this article which I had promised some time ago. In my defense, there are hundreds of thick and dusty books on this subject at the local library, proof that it’s not very easy to condense this complex subject into a 10 minute read. In fact, it’s impossible to do so and not even worth trying. While you can break visible light down to its primary colors, it’s actually composed of millions. The same applies to this subject. What I finally decided to do was break it down into separate postings so that the reader could find the courage and stamina to actually read it. Even with the division, be forewarned that this first posting is still a long read. READ MORE |
Alex Jones' InfoWars.com | Featured Headlines - February 17, 2010
BREAKING: Sarah Palin 9/11 truther controversy makes hypocrite of Glenn Beck
Aaron Dykes & Alex Jones | Glenn Beck and the media cretins who followed his lead are hypocritical in dismissing Medina for not immediately belittling 9/11 truthers while ignoring similar statements by GOP darling Sarah Palin.
Neo-Con Hierarchy Launches Dirty Tricks Campaign Against Real Constitutionalists
Paul Joseph Watson | Exclusive: Establishment neo-cons have resolved to attack Debra Medina, Alex Jones and Ron Paul because they are terrified of losing control of the Tea Party movement.
Another Newsweek “Conspiracy Theory” Claim Debunked
Paul Joseph Watson | Former Mexican foreign minister calls for North American Union, Amero currency.
Sex Pistols, Smashing Pumpkins members discuss HAARP, GM Foods, Illuminati
James Corbett | “The common frustration of the common man is that things don’t work, but then after a while you start thinking ‘Well, maybe they don’t work for a reason. Maybe they want things to break.’”
Climategate Scientist Accuses Skeptics Of “Hijacking” Peer Review Process
Steve Watson | Hypocrisy of climatologist who vowed to “redefine” academic standards to exclude contrary evidence.
China sells $34.2bn of US treasury bonds
Guardian | China relinquished its position as the largest overseas holder of US treasury bonds.
The New Generation Leaving Ireland
BusinessWeek | Some 170,000 jobs vanished last year, and the lack of employment is driving a generation away.
Food Stamp Hotline Run by JP Morgan in India
ABC News | It’s offensive when taxpayer dollars — including those in the federal stimulus plan — go to create jobs in India.
Scalia: “There Is No Right to Secede”
Eric Turkewitz | At least one vote solidly on record as saying that there is no right to secede.
Utah Senate asserts states’ rights
Salt Lake Tribune | The resolution states the Legislature’s feelings on the federal-state split in duties, but supporters said it could send an important message to the federal government to back off if enough states follow their lead.
Executive Orders: The Hallmarks of Fascistic Tyranny
J. Speer-Williams | Our beloved United States of America has become a fascist dictatorship, and will remain so, until the majority of Americans come to realize the sad state of our ship of state.
SteveQuayle.com | Hot headlines - February 17, 2010 New Info from the Moscow Visit: Today is Tuesday February 16, 2010 and I spent most of the morning in a briefing room of the Russian SVR (Foreign Intelligence Service) while I am sure most of you have heard of the old KGB, that was replaced with the FSB (kind of like our FBI but far more sinister) who’s responsibility is for the internal security of the Russian Federation. The SVR is more like our CIA with little to no responsibility inside of the borders of Russia. While their satellite capabilities are not up to the sophistication of our latest generation they are as good as our KH-9’s and very possibly the KH-11’s which means they can read the fine print on your driver’s license from low Earth orbit. more Sheriff Runs Campaign on Upholding US Constitution: In Montana there is now an attempt to put legislation in front of the voters called the “Sheriff First Law”. This law will require any Federal Law Enforcement Agency to get the permission of the county sheriff first, before undertaking any action in a county (as it should be). The sheriff would then have the power to approve or veto that request! Imagine constitutionally aware sheriffs protecting their citizens from abuses that threaten them and having the authority to hold those agents accountable for their actions. The Montana Firearms Freedom Act is serving as a model for other states. I have heard more than twenty states have now adopted similar legislation. These concepts could spread and have a huge affect for the cause of freedom… more Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno: Paradigm for the Future It is Elemental: Remember Boys, Aim Small, Miss Small The Power Elite and the Secret Nazi Plan: Part 8 FDA Invades Non-Commercial Amish Farm in PA Spiritual Wickedness in High Places U.S. Schoolbook Glorifies Communists New Info from the Moscow Visit India Worries as China Builds Ports in South Asia Ezekiel's Birds Gather for Gog of Magog Twilight's Vast Gleaming Pocket of Sulfuric Acids Prompts Hazmat Response Lone Voice Warns of Debt Threat to Fed Foreign Demand Falls for Treasuries Jobless Suffer as Corporate Cash Hits $1.18 Trillion Region's Shuttered Stores Tell a Thousand Stories The Dumping Begins: Chinese Reserve Managers Notified That Any Non-USG Guaranteed Securities Must Be Divested Germany Growls as Greece Balks at Immolation The FARC and the Quest for Surface to Air Missiles Shortage of Rare Earth Elements Could Thwart Innovation Google Buzzing to Get a Greater Grip |
GlobalResearch.ca | February 17, 2010
New Cold War Confrontation? Kremlin Establishes Military Cooperation Agreements in Latin America As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wraps up his tour of Latin America, Moscow is weighing its options in a turbulent region long dominated by American influence. Although much of Lavrov’s trip – which took him to Cuba, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Mexico – was dedicated to the promotion of Russian culture and pressing humanitarian issues, there were several announcements that may turn some heads in the region, and especially north of the border. During Lavrov’s one-day visit to Nicaragua on Sunday, it was announced that the two countries had agreed to work jointly in combating drug trafficking and organized crime. “We have agreed on military and technical cooperation to jointly strengthen the potential of our army and police in fighting against drug trafficking and organized crime,” Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega told reporters after his meeting with Lavrov... Imagine Haiti - What is the Meaning of Genuine Solidarity for the People of Haiti.. |
Wall Street’s War against Main Street America Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson wrote an op-ed in The New York Times, (Feb. 16)[1] outlining how to put the U.S. economy on rations. Not in those words, of course. Just the opposite: If the government hadn’t bailed out Wall Street’s bad loans, he claims, “unemployment could have exceeded the 25 percent level of the Great Depression.” Without wealth at the top, there would be nothing to trickle down. The reality, of course, is that bailing out casino capitalist speculators on the winning side of A.I.G.’s debt swaps and CDO derivatives didn’t save a single job. It certainly hasn’t lowered the economy’s debt overhead. But matters will soon improve, if Congress will dispel the present cloud of “uncertainty” as to whether any agency less friendly than the Federal Reserve might regulate the banks... |
Kosovo's Unilateral Declaration of Independence in Violation of International Law He spoke for the state broadcaster RTS on the second anniversary of the Kosovo Albanian unilateral independence proclamation, to say that Belgrade was successful in the previous two years, "given that less than a third of the world countries have recognized Kosovo". “Two thirds of the states in the world have recognized international law and territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia that has put great efforts to improve the situation in Serbia's southern province,” Bogdanović stated. Bogdanović said that the figure of 65 countries, out of the 192 UN members, that have recognized Kosovo, shows that the majority of the states in the world do not accept the proclamation. The minister also said that in the last 10 years, Kosovo remained an island of crime and ethnic intolerance in the civilized world and Europe and a place where Serbs do not have freedom of movement and not all ethnic groups are legally protected. |
The Real Reason for Sanctions Against Iran: America's Quest for Global Miliitary Dominance The U.S.-sponsored drive to impose new economic sanctions on Iran has nothing to do with the noble cause of limiting proliferation of nuclear weapons on the planet. It is directly linked to the U.S. military doctrine of establishing 'full spectrum dominance' - i.e., military dominance on land, sea, air, and outer space over all other countries in the world. The logical extension of this doctrine is that only countries firmly allied to the U.S. government should be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons or to even develop the capacity to do so. Israel , for example, is widely-believed to hold secret Nuclear weapons. Yet there is no call for sanctions or investigations of them. The reason is simple: They are a U.S. ally. India and Pakistan have declined to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and have developed nuclear weapons. Yet there is no call for sanctions or investigations of them. The reason is simple: They are U.S. allies. Iran and North Korea are being subjected to economic sanctions, calls for more sanctions, and even threats of military aggression against them The reason is again simple: They are not U.S. allies... |
Syria: A Clenched US Fist Behind the Hand of Friendship The announcement by Washington today that it is appointing an ambassador to Syria – after an absence of five years – is being hailed in the western media as another example of the Obama administration’s “policy of engagement” for regional peace. The BBC reports: “Analysts say the US now wants to renew dialogue with Syria as part of a wider push for Middle East peace.” Five years ago, the US withdrew its ambassador following the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which Washington accused Syria of masterminding. Damascus has always denied the accusation. But Syria has long been on the US list of “rogue states”, blamed for “sponsoring state terrorism” through its support for militant groups Hizbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine. The appointment of US ambassador Robert Ford and the sending of top US state department official William Burns to have talks this week with Syria’s president Bashar al Assad as part of a regional tour does not make any mention of Syria’s alleged involvement in terrorism. In bringing Damascus “in from the cold”, there are apparently no Washington preconditions for Syria to renounce violence or links with “terror groups”. We are led to believe, by fuzzy western media reportage, that Obama’s policy of engagement is simply aimed at adding “impetus to Middle East peace”. But as former US president Franklin Roosevelt once noted: “Nothing in politics happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.” Washington’s extended diplomatic hand to Syria must be seen in the context of a ramped US diplomatic offensive against Iran. Only days earlier, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton arrived in the Gulf state of Qatar to drum up support for tougher sanctions against Tehran. These sanctions include the cutting off of vital refined oil imports to Iran. Clinton did her best to enliven the hackneyed US mantra of a “nuclear armed Iran being a threat to the region”. Among the Gulf states, Qatar has a more independent foreign policy towards Iran, maintaining cordial relations with its neighbour to the north. It is no accident that Washington chose this location to shore up its attempt to further isolate Iran.... |
Employers Take a Beating by Laying Off Employees It’s not only employees who suffer when they get laid off but the firms responsible for handing them the pink slips can take a beating, too. As millions of Americans have been fired by employers struggling to remain profitable, we have all borne witness to Corporate America's calloused disregard of its workers. Now, canny business economists claim the layoffs have hurt employers, too. That’s part of the story of now-defunct Circuit City, an article in the current Newsweek reports, after it lopped off 3,400 of its highest-paid sales associates to cut costs. “A company cuts people. Customer service, innovation, and productivity fall in the face of a smaller and demoralized workforce,” Newsweek points out. "There are currently 14.8 million unemployed, and when you count 'discouraged workers' (who've given up on job seeking) and part-time workers who'd prefer a full-time gig, that's another 9.4 million Americans who are 'under-employed," writes Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University. By my count, that's 24 million Americans either out of work or not working at full potential. Wow! "The people who lose jobs also lose incomes, so they spend less. Even workers who don't lose their jobs but are simply fearful of layoffs are likely to cut back on spending too. With less aggregate demand in the economy, sales fall. With smaller sales, companies lay off more people, and the cycle continues," Pfeffer writes in the February 15th Newsweek... |
Former IAEA Head Hans Blix: 'Iran Won't Simply Sit There and Accept an Attack' Hans Blix is the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and also worked as a UN weapons inspector in Iraq. He talks to SPIEGEL about whether Iran really has the ability to enrich uranium and if economic sanctions can ever be effective. |
WayneMadsenReport.com | February 17, 2010
QUAKE NEWS (Chapter III of "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism" by Emmanuel Goldstein, 1984, by George Orwell: "All members of the Inner Party believe in this coming conquest as an article of faith. It is to be achieved either by gradually acquiring more and more territory and so building up an overwhelming preponderance of power, or by the discovery of some new and unanswerable weapon . . . others explore even remoter possibilities such as focusing the sun's rays through lenses suspended thousands of kilometres away in space, or producing artificial earthquakes and tidal waves by tapping the heat at the earth's centre. Secretary of Defense William Cohen, Pentagon briefing, April 28, 1997: "Others are engaging even in an eco-type of terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves.")
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NATIONAL NEWS
COUNTRY FOCUS: Iceland. Parliament taking up strong freedom of speech legislation. Freedom of the press also to be strengthened. |
Greece is Ready to Explode Henry Makow
The Continuing Climate Meltdown Wall Street Journal More embarrassments for the U.N. and 'settled' science. |
Hillary Clinton and Obama to meet Dalai Lama
AFP
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet with the Dalai Lama, separate from the exiled Tibetan leader's visit to the White House that has angered China, the State Department says.
Clinton will meet with the Dalai Lama at the State Department on Thursday, the same day that the 74-year-old monk goes to the White House to see President Barack Obama, department spokesman Mark Toner said on Wednesday.
China urges U.S. to immediately withdraw decision on Obama-Dalai Lama meeting
Webster G. Tarpley
TARPLEY.net
February 17, 2010
Webster Tarpley will discuss the Dalai Lama’s visit to Washington in the context of alarming Sino-American tension with host Peter Lavelle and his other guests in the Crosstalk program to be broadcast on Russia Today on Friday, February 19, 2010.
Suburban Homeless: Rising Tide of Women, Families |
POLICE STATE |
Car seizures at DUI checkpoints prove profitable for cities, raise legal question California Watch.org | Sobriety checkpoints in California are increasingly turning into profitable operations for local police departments that are far more likely to seize cars from unlicensed motorists than catch drunken drivers. Attention, Mundanes: “You Don’t Ever Touch a Cop” LewRockwell.com | Officer Hertzog was the first to lay hands on Rourke, grabbing him by his coat and pushing him backwards. Rourke, a 59 y.o. with a heart condition, grabbed Hertzog’s jacket in an effort to keep from falling backward to the pavement. Police drones are grounded for breaking the law Mail Online | Merseyside Police has been forced to ground its drones for flying them without the appropriate license. The CIA and NSA Want You to Be Their Friend on Facebook Cryptogon | The EFF sued the CIA, the DoD, DoJ and three other government agencies on Tuesday for allegedly refusing to release information about how they are using social networks in surveillance and investigations. Jim Davidson | The United States of America has abdicated government, placing us outside its protection, and is making war against us. TSA Thugs Harass 4-Year-Old Disabled Boy Philadelphia Inquirer | Ryan was taking his first flight, to Walt Disney World, for his fourth birthday. |
Nuke-Hunting Robo-Roaches Enlisted for Animal Army
A team of nuclear engineers at Texas A&M’s Nuclear Science and Policy Institute attached radioactivity sensors to the backs of cockroaches, meant to scope out different kinds of nuclear material. The cockroaches are remote-controlled, so officials could unleash them into potentially contaminated areas that might not be safe for humans.
The roaches would join an array of non-human war-fighters the Department of Defense seems keen on assembling: already, they’ve floated plans for cyborg spy beetles, flying robo-moths and even killer dolphins, allegedly.
But when it comes to nuke-detection, roaches are ideal candidates - for every reason everyone already hates them: the critters can survive for weeks without food, are nearly impossible to kill, and have invaded every continent except for Antarctica. They can also run non-stop for 35 minutes, and are resilient enough to carry a three-gram back-pod for several months. Oh, and somehow the things are radiation-resistant, too.
Continue Reading “Nuke-Hunting Robo-Roaches Enlisted for Animal Army” »
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Google Russia creates virtual tour of Trans-Siberian railway journey
Famous route spans six days in real time with tour guides, geotagged satellite views and choice of background noise
RELATED:
http://www.google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html
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Officials search for Asian carp in Chicago area
Wildlife officials have begun their hunt for the destructive Asian carp in Chicago-area waterways.
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