Former Banker Exposes Plans for the US Economic Collapse

Guantanamo Bay Under Obama – More of the same?

Stephen Lendman
Global Research
March 9, 2009

As The New York Times reported on January 22, Barack Obama signed Executive Orders (EOs) banning torture and “directing the CIA to shut what remains of its network of secret prisons and ordering the closing of the Guantanamo detention camp within a year, government official said.”

The closure EO is titled: “Executive Order — Review and Disposition of Individuals Detained at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and Closure of Detention Facilities.”

Sec. 3 reads: “Closure of Detention Facilities at Guantanamo. The detention facilities at Guantanamo for individuals covered by this order shall be closed as soon as practicable, and no later than 1 year from the date of this order. If any individuals covered by this order remain, they shall be returned to their home country, released, transferred to a third country, or transferred to another United States detention facility in a manner consistent with law and the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.”

It sounds great up front, but when you delve into the details…

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A Chronolgy of Data Breaches

Every once in a while we come across an article about a data breach. Whether its a laptop stolen or a data hack, our information is everywhere and constantly at risk. Here is a handy list of the most recent data breaches and the details of each. Check if your bank or workplace is on the list.

Dow 4000 by Summer

Evans-Pritchard: Dow 4,000 by Summer

By: Gene J. Koprowski Article

Global trade and economic output are collapsing at rates that outpace the Depression of the 1930s, and “shock and awe” policies are required from the U.S. government to revive global growth, says Daily Telegraph International Business Editor Ambrose Evans-Pritchard.

“This terrifying fall has been concentrated in the last five months. The job slaughter has barely begun,” Evans-Pritchard writes. “Social mayhem comes with a 12-month lag.”

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Outstanding Derivatives: 1.28 QUADRILLION-95% on MARGIN!

In an inflationary economy, big numbers quickly lose the shock factor.

Over the course of just a few years, a single banana becomes 10 times more expensive than what a four-bedroom home used to cost. A simple two-ply square of toilet paper sells for $417, while a full roll is priced at more than $140,000. And don’t even torture yourself by guessing how much a gallon of gas can go for under these conditions. The numbers get so big, not only do people stop trying to understand them, they begin to ignore them.

So it is alarming that the latest report from the Bank of International Settlements (bis) went largely unnoticed.

According to the bis, the number of outstanding derivative contracts in the global marketplace soared by double-digit percentages last year. Anything going up by double digits should elicit interest in and of itself, but in this case it is the sheer magnitude of the numbers involved that raises red flags.

The bis reported the total amount of outstanding derivatives has reached a practically incomprehensible $1.28 quadrillion. Yes, you read that correctly—quadrillion! And as astounding as this astronomically huge number is, the actual totals are even bigger because this number does not include derivatives related to the commodity markets (which the bis says it can’t track because values aren’t available).

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Central banks reported to be net buyers of gold in January

By Ovid Abrams
Platts.com
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

http://www.platts.com/Metals/News/7719694.xml?sub=Metals&p=Metals/News&?…

NEW YORK — Central banks, which have been net sellers of gold in recent years, were net buyers of an estimated 1.1 million ounces in January, according to the latest Market Alert by the CPM Group, the New York-based metals consultancy.

The world’s central banks were both buyers and sellers, but the quantity bought outstripped what was sold.

Ecuador is estimated to have purchased 920,000 ounces of gold in January, Venezuela bought 240,000 ounces, and Russia purchased 130,000 ounces, after having bought 310,000 ounces in December.

“Ecuador’s government has run into severe political and economic problems, and has a dollarized economy, using the US dollar as its currency and thus not having many monetary tools, such as being able to issue money that other central banks possess,” CPM noted.

France was the largest seller of gold in January by 40,000 ounces and 10,000 ounces, respectively.

“It seems highly unlikely that such large net purchases of gold by central banks will continue,” said CPM. “However, those central banks that have been selling gold for much of the past two decades have sold most of what they wanted to sell. Others are buying small volumes and considering larger purchases, in the face of the financial crises and currency market volatility they have faced over the past year.”

The Necessity for Action: PA invokes 10th Amendment

Rep. Samuel E Rohrer
The Tenth Amendment Center
March 10, 2009

The danger of being number 10 is that no one really knows who you are. George Washington was our first president; but how many can name number 10 off the top of their head? And Sir Edmund Hillary was the first person to climb Everest, but does anyone know who the tenth person was to reach the summit?

And then consider our amendments to the United States Constitution: most of us know the 1st Amendment verbatim, but do you know what the Tenth Amendment says?

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Sometimes thought of as an afterthought, to “sweep up” anything the Founders may have forgotten, the 10th Amendment today is taking on monumental importance as increasing federal intrusion into state affairs threatens to completely destroy the balance between state and federal power.

Rep. Rohrer will be holding the “10th Amendment Rally for the State of Independence” on Monday, March 16 at noon in the Rotunda of the State Capitol. Please make plans to join him there. Visit www.samrohrer.com for more information.

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U.S. Army PSYOP: Push FARC into Venezuela

Eva Golinger
Axis of Logic
March 12, 2009

A secret document of the US Army National Ground Intelligence Center, recently declassified in part, through the application of the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), confirms that the Pentagon’s most powerful team for psychological operations is employing its forces against Venezuela.1 The document, dating from the year 2006, analyses the border situation between Colombia and Venezuela. It was drafted by the US Army’s 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) (4th PSYOP Group (A) or 4th POG) and the US Army National Ground Intelligence Center, a fact that thus reaffirms that the same psychological warfare team operates in the region against Venezuela.

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Media Matters: The media’s deliberate stupidity

by Jamison Foser at Media Matters for America

For weeks, the news media have been buzzing about earmarks in the recently signed omnibus spending bill. We’ve been told over and over that the bill is “loaded,” “filled,” and “stuffed” with earmarks. Since earmarks made up less than 2 percent of the bill’s total spending, this is a little like saying Alaska is “filled” with people.

But John McCain doesn’t like earmarks, so that’s where the media have focused their attention. (OK, there’s more to it than that, but not much.) Unfortunately, they’ve done so in the most juvenile way possible. Following McCain’s lead, the media’s assessment of the earmarks consists of nothing more than sarcastically listing them, as though they are self-evidently a waste of money. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman recently described the approach McCain and the Republicans have adopted:

The intellectual incoherence is stunning. Basically, the political philosophy of the GOP right now seems to consist of snickering at stuff that they think sounds funny. The party of ideas has become the party of Beavis and Butthead.

And the media have gone right along with it, producing news reports about the spending bill that are no more substantive than an adolescent chortle: Heh, heh, he said “pig waste.” Heh.

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9 Recession-Proof Careers

Despite the economic downturn, these careers are still growing.

By Cathie Gandel and Hilary Sterne
Additional reporting by Neena Samuel and Kathryn M. Tyranski

 From Reader’s Digest

Also in this article:

• How to Find a New Job
• What to Do When You Lose Your Job
• Career Experts Offer Advice to 6 People Out of Work
• Read what may be the world’s worst cover letter and resume.

These industries project promise—and jobs—for the future, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Occupational Information Network database.

1. Education
Math and science teachers will be in demand as the U.S. struggles to compete with other countries in engineering, technology, and medicine. A growing immigrant population means more English-as-a-second-language classes will be needed.

• Postsecondary teachers – Median salary: $56,120 Education: bachelor’s degree and often a master’s or doctorate
• Teacher assistants – Median salary: $21,580 Education: some post-secondary education or vocational training
• Educational, vocational, and school counselors – Median salary: $49,450 Education: secondary education, associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s

2. Energy
Some of the jobs in this field are the result of projects started a year or more ago. But the real boost will come from the new administration’s commitment to a more efficient national energy system. “Growth of energy consumption around the world will keep this sector strong,” says Laurence Shatkin, coauthor of 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs. 

• Power plant operators – Median salary: $56,640 Education: vocational training and several years of on-the-job training
• Insulation workers – Median salary: $31,280 Education: secondary education and vocational training
• Electrical power-line installers and repairers – Median salary: $52,570 Education: vocational training and several years of on-the-job training

3. Environment
Green is getting the green light in a nationwide push to make homes and office buildings more energy-efficient and to develop alternative energy sources (solar, wind, nuclear) as well as fuel cell technology. “Anything involved with wind power, either the design or related products, will be big,” says Laurence Stybel.

• Environmental scientists – Median salary: $58,380 Education: master’s 
• Environmental engineers – Median salary: $72,350 Education: bachelor’s
• Hydrologists – Median salary: $68,140 Education: master’s

4. Financial Services
Rising from the ashes of a very bad year, financial services have a bright future. Corporate America’s wretched excesses mean more government regulation. Workers who are retiring will need advice on how to make their money last. Small businesses may outsource accounting services. As we get to the middle of the recession, there will be a wave of mergers and acquisitions, Stybel predicts. “People with experience in managing the process-corporate attorneys, investment bankers, and accountants-will be in demand.”

• Financial advisers – Median salary: $67,660 Education: bachelor’s
• Accountants and auditors – Median salary: $57,060 Education: bachelor’s
• Sales agents (securities and commodities) – Median salary: $68,430Education: bachelor’s

5. Government
More than half a million federal employees will retire by 2016, leaving open positions at agencies from the CIA to AmeriCorps to NASA. There will also be opportunities at the state and local levels. “In addition to police work and homeland security, government inspects and regulates many industries,” says Shatkin. “Workers can sometimes capitalize on their experience in an industry by moving into a regulatory job.”

• Government property inspectors – Median salary: $48,400 Education: vocational training, associate’s or bachelor’s
• Immigration and customs inspectors – Median salary: $59,930 Education: bachelor’s
• Urban and regional planners – Median salary: $57,970Education: master’s

6. Health Care
Health care pops up at the top of just about every list of hot careers. All of us are getting older and living longer, sometimes with chronic health conditions. What’s more, health insurance practices may undergo a radical revision during the Obama administration, which has announced plans to address three central issues: coverage, cost, and quality of care. “Health care is a growing industry,” says Bettina Seidman, “and not just for health care professionals. There will also be jobs for secretaries, accountants, and administrators.”

• Registered nurses – Median salary: $60,010Education: associate’s or bachelor’s
• Dental assistants – Median salary: $31,550Education: secondary education, plus a few months to one year of on-the-job training
• Medical records and health information technicians – Median salary: $29,290 Education: associate’s

7. International Business
Corporations, consulting firms, nonprofits, and even governments are going after global markets. People with international expertise, foreign-language skills, or a willingness to move abroad will be in demand. “The global economy is only going to grow,” says John Challenger. “U.S. involvement will expand, short and long term.”

• Interpreters and translators – Median salary: $37,490 Education: bachelor’s
• International management analysts – Median salary: $71,150 Education: bachelor’s or master’s
• Market research analysts – Median salary: $60,300 Education: bachelor’s or master’s

8. Law Enforcment
International terrorism makes daily headlines, and fear of financial insecurity is matched only by concern for our physical safety. “Crime doesn’t go down in a recession,” says Shatkin. “It may even increase.”

• Probation officers – Median salary: $44,510 Education: bachelor’s
• Court reporters – Median salary: $45,330 Education: postsecondary vocational training
• Paralegals – Median salary: $44,990Education: associate’s degree in paralegal studies

9. Technology
New uses of technology in services and products like electronic health records mean that this sector will continue to be strong. “We have just begun to use the Internet as an entertainment medium in publishing, music, and film,” says Peter Weddle.

• Computer systems analysts – Median salary: $73,090 Education: bachelor’s
• Network systems and data communications analysts – Median salary: $64,600 Education: bachelor’s
• Computer, ATM, and office machine repairers – Median salary: $37,100 Education: high school or vocational training

And We’ll Always Be Looking For…
“Think of basic human needs, the things we can’t do without,” says Shatkin. They provide what he calls “little islands” of employment in this economy. For example, he says, we will always need sewage and water treatment. Challenger says the food industry is a core area: “People have to eat, and the global population is increasing.”In a down economy, people don’t buy new cars—they repair their old ones. People turn to their clergy for comfort. Funeral directors will always have jobs. And since pets are very much a part of the family, veterinarians and veterinary technicians will continue to be in demand.

From Reader’s Digest – March 2009