Allowing Fraud

Regular people know the price of what they own - whatever the price is on the open market.  Financial companies have been able to operate with reduced capital by engaging in the fraudulent practice of marking their assets to non-market prices.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board, which sets accounting standards, has agreed to continue to allow financial companies to mark their assets to prices that could not be realized in the free market.  This allows the banks to show higher profits, to have less capital, and to continue to mislead investors while giving senior management oversized bonuses.

The panel, which sets U.S. accounting standards, today approved a change to its proposal that will allow banks to report some financial instruments on their balance sheets at amortized cost, as they currently do, rather than at fair value.


For Bear Stearns, the cheating was taken to greater levels.  When will there be dozens and hundreds of criminal prosecutions?

Former Bear Stearns mortgage executives who now run mortgage divisions of Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Ally Financial have been accused of cheating and defrauding investors through the mortgage securities they created and sold while at Bear.


It is time to stop the looting and start the prosecuting.

Underwear Bomber Headed For Trial

The so-called underwear bomber is headed for trial.  Will credible allegations of government complicity be allowed in court?

Attempted Plane Attack: Trial Date Set for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

... it was actually more interesting to hear from a couple of the passengers that showed up at court. They had an interesting theory about what really happened.

"The U.S. government escorted them through security without a passport and, we believe, gave him an intentionally defective bomb," said Kurt Haskell.

It's a startling allegation from two local attorneys that were on-board the 2009 Christmas Day flight to Detroit when Abdulmutallab allegedly tried to blow up a bomb hidden in his underwear.

Kurt and Lori Haskell think the U.S. government was behind the whole thing.

"It was intentional that it went this far to further the war on terror, to get body scanners in the airports, to increase the TSA's budget, to renew the Patriot Act and whatever other reasons you want to list," Kurt Haskell told FOX 2.

The Haskells say in Amsterdam before boarding the flight to Detroit, they witnessed Abdulmutallab arguing with a ticket agent at the gate because he didn't have a passport when a man in a tan suit with an American accent intervened.

"The ticket agent did not want to allow Abdulmutallab on the flight and this man was very insistent of it, and then she referred them to a manager down the hallway," said Kurt Haskell. ...

The Hidden Agenda

The Hidden Agenda: The Fluoride Deception
Lecture by Dr. Stanley Monteith

Russia Warned Of Airport Attack

  With government operatives violating security protocol to put the "underwear bomber" on the plane, and people in the Swedish government having fore-knowledge of the Drottninggatan bomb, and the Russians being warned of the location of the airport bomb, reasonable people wonder if the government allows these events to happen.

Moscow airport attack: Russian authorities were warned about a terrorist attack 

A security source told the RIA Novosti news agency: “The special services had received information that an act of terror would be carried out at one of the Moscow airports.

“A tip-off with a warning that something was being prepared appeared one week before the explosion. Even the place, by the customs, was named,” according to the website Lifenews.ru, which has close links with FSB, Russia’s security service.

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

"Fructose is a poison."
"Fructose is alcohol without the buzz."
"Fructose is a chronic toxin."


Sugar: The Bitter Truth
Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public

The Fed Cooks Its Books

The Federal Reserve is a private banking cartel, not part of the US government.  In some ways similar to how government sub-contracts some jobs, the government sub-contracted the job of setting the price of money to the private banking cartel known as the Federal Reserve.

The Federal Reserve has a protected monopoly on issuing money and setting interest rates.  It doesn't follow regular GAAP accounting standards and much of what the Fed does is shrouded in secrecy.  Now the Fed has changed it's own questionable accounting standards to avoid recognizing any potential losses by allocating losses to the US Treasury.
This is more than an accounting tweak for the private central bank.  This is absurd.  It is time for a full and complete audit of the Federal Reserve.

Accounting Tweak Could Save Fed From Losses

The change essentially allows the Fed to denote losses by the various regional reserve banks that make up the Fed system as a liability to the Treasury rather than a hit to its capital. It would then simply direct future profits from Fed operations toward that liability. 

Iceland For The People

There is one country that did the right thing with the banks (let them fail) and is now doing the right thing to the bankers.

More Icelandic bankers arrested

Iceland’s special prosecutor into the banking crisis has confirmed that raids have taken place today and that arrests have been made. The Central Bank of Iceland is among the institutions under investigation. 

Note the private banking cartel Central Bank of Iceland is also under investigation.

Anti-Freedom Disguised As Freedom

Amazing article by Kirk Boyd and the "2048 Movement" in Ode Magazine that purports to be about freedom. It actually sets up systems to enforce a one world government police state without freedom.

It's a bad sign when an article begins with "2048 is a plan to prevent future wars, eliminate poverty and create the conditions necessary for a sustainable existence on our planet."

The article sets up a ridiculous straw man argument with "One of the most pernicious myths is that peace and prosperity are hopelessly complicated and unattainaable."

The article proposes "five basic fundamental freedoms"

1. freedom of speech
2. freedom of religion
3. freedom from want
4. freedom for the environment
5. freedom from fear

The article gets much, much worse.

Self-Destructive Gaming Addiction

A gaming addiction gone too far.

Man tunnels into GameStop, steals games

Computer game piracy is big business, but there are still those who prefer to get their games the old-fashioned way: by digging a tunnel into their local games shop and making off with as much stock as they can carry.

At least, that's the slightly bizarre approach taken by a man from Greeneville, Tennessee, who was arrested late last week after being caught tunnelling into his local GameStop store from an empty adjoining building.

Gun Control Creates Victims

Handguns, used by a trained person, are one of the best equalizers that will allow a small person to defend themselves from physical violence. Areas of the USA with restrictive gun policies have higher rates of violent crime.

Criminals, by definition, don't care about laws. A potential victim can defend themselves or call 911 and wait for minutes while they are victimized. The police may arrive in ten minutes to complete a crime scene report.

Camden, New Jersey to Lose Half Its Cops

Due to budget problems, the mythical land of restrictive gun laws will need to fall. Will the people stand up and demand the lawful authority to defend themselves, or will a crime spree in Camden NJ be required?

Police officers in Camden, New Jersey began turning in their badges Tuesday as part of deep municipal layoffs destined to further erode the quality of life in one of the nation's most impoverished and crime-ridden cities.

Wikipedia has FBI information that ranks Camden NJ in third place for the highest violent crime rates:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report ranking of cities over 40,000 in population by violent crime rates (per 100,000 population) finds that the ten cities with the highest violent crime rates for 2003 include three cities in the very strict state of New Jersey ...

Medicine, Placebo Effect, Homeopathy

Video presentation by Dr. Ben Goldacre about medicine, the placebo effect, and homeopathy.

She Predicted Her Journey

This story of a Michigan woman attests to the power of visualization and positive energy.

The $112 Million Dollar Woman

...
She predicted every bit of her journey. “I knew I’d get here,” Stafford says, as she sits in the elegant living room of her Los Angeles–area home. “It was just a matter of visualizing it.”

Back in January 2007, Stafford was raising five children and struggling to pay the bills, so she began lulling herself to sleep at night by imagining that she was holding a lottery check. She pictured the exact amount: $112 followed by lots of zeroes. The story seems implausible, and yet Stafford’s steady gaze and positive energy make you believe her, even the bit about knowing what she’d be wearing when she won: a lime-green blouse with a leaf print. “That part kept surprising me,” she says, laughing.
...
“When I found out, I sat in silence for a minute because it confirmed how powerful our minds can be,” she says with a grin.“
...

Government Appointees Deserve Luxury Trip

Colorado State appointees took first-class luxury trips to locations such as Pebble Beach. When this was exposed, their response was that they deserve it. At Pebble Beach, the least expenives rooms are $695/night and gold $495/person.

Click the following link to access a video showing a fat board member becoming physically confrontational.
Lawmakers Outraged By Pinnacol Trip

Gov. Bill Ritter called a trip by three Pinnacol Assurance board members “ill-advised,” and there is now a bipartisan call for board resignations...
...
The trip included the board member tasked with ethics.

The ethics-abusing government appointees say they won't resign. Ken Ross and his ethics-abusing cohorts still think they deserve free first-class vacations.
Pinnacol executives don't plan to resign

Pinnacol Assurance CEO Ken Ross and three board members of the workers' compensation insurer have told agents in a memo that they don't intend to resign in the wake of controversy over a lavish golfing trip to California's Pebble Beach ...

The Terrorists Have Won

Our so-called border patrol now inspects candy eggs for unsafe plastic toys. We have allowed the bankers to seize our finances and the terrorists to seize our freedoms.

Woman's candy egg seized at border

Lind Bird was recently stopped at the U.S. border and selected for a random search of her vehicle. She was warned she could have faced a fine after the customs official found — and seized — her $2 Kinder Surprise egg as illegal contraband.

The Bankers Have Won

In spite of all of the damage the bankers have caused, they continue to have direct access to senior politicians so the bankers can keep their big-money bonuses at the expense of average Americans.

Bill Daley’s Appointment Proves "The Bankers Have Won Completely," Simon Johnson Says

To Simon Johnson, author of 13 Bankers and the former IMF chief economist, it's a sign "the bankers have won completely."

The fact that President Obama's top aide is the former Midwest chairman of JPMorgan Chase proves "the White House fails to understand that, at the heart of our economy, we have a huge time-bomb," according to Johnson.

Simon Johnson goes on to give an estimate of 3-5 years until the next credit problems.

Snow (Almost) Everywhere, Global Warming Nowhere

Colder weather and snow in 49 States simply does not fit with a warming trend.

There's (almost) nowhere to go with no snow

There's snow on the ground today in 49 states, the government says.

Sanity In California

In a small way, sanity is returning to California. The new governor ordered 1/2 of the government cell phones to be returned.

New Gov. Jerry Brown today ordered the collection and return of 48,000 state government-paid cell phones - half of those now in use - by June 1.

The Democratic governor estimated that cutting the use of cellphones by state employees in half will save the state $20 million a year.

SEC Criminals

The Security and Exchange Commission is a government agency with financial regulatory responsibility. Unfortunately, the SEC is filled with crooks who conspire with fraudsters to cover up financial crimes.

Robert Khuzami, the agency’s top enforcement official, gave preferential treatment to Citigroup Inc. executives in the agency’s $75 million settlement with the firm in July.

The SEC is filled with crooks like Robert Khuzami who through malfeasance shield their banker friends from criminal prosecution.

Suspicious Bagel Leads To Arrest

We have become a nation of sniveling scared snitches. Now everyone is a suspect. The terrorists have won by encouraging us to give up our freedoms.

Florida Professor Arrested for Having a "Suspicious" Bagel on a Plane

A Florida professor was arrested and removed from a plane Monday after his fellow passengers alerted crew members they thought he had a suspicious package in the overhead compartment.

That "suspicious package" turned out to be keys, a bagel with cream cheese and a hat.

Recently, passenger complaints have resulted authorities taking action against innocent passengers who went to the bathroom too often on a flight and who were just being annoying.

In the hyper-sensitive world of flying, sneezing too often could get you kicked off a flight and questioned by the FBI.

Bank of America Skates Away

While the dying old press such as the Wall Street Journal whitewashes the scam being played on the taxpayers a new media blogger tells the truth that BofA paid just a cent on the dollar:

Bank of America settled numerous claims with Fannie Mae for an astonishingly cheap rate, according to a Bloomberg report.

A premium of $1.28 billion was paid to Freddie Mac to resolve $1 billion in claims currently outstanding. But the kicker is that the deal also covers potential future claims on $127 billion in loans sold by Countrywide through 2008. That amounts to 1 cent on the dollar to Freddie Mac.

The American taxpayers are left holding the bag while the bankers keep getting their bonuses.

Mysterious Bee Deaths Solved

Bees are pollinators that are necessary for plants to produce food. Widespread bee deaths the past few years have caused considerable concern about the potential for reduced food production. We now learn the EPA knew why the bees have been dying - the EPA approved a chemical that kills the bees.

Is the EPA working to protect the environment and the people or is the EPA working for the big corporations?

EPA Document Shows It Knowingly Allowed Pesticide That Kills Honey Bees

The document, which was leaked to a Colorado beekeeper, shows that the EPA has ignored warnings about the use of clothianidin, a pesticide produced by Bayer that mainly is used to pre-treat corn seeds. The pesticide scooped up $262 million in sales in 2009 by farmers, who also use the substance on canola, soy, sugar beets, sunflowers, and wheat, according to Grist.

Suspicions about clothianidin aren't new; the EPA's Environmental Fate and Effects Division (EFAD) first expressed concern when the pesticide was introduced, in 2003, about the "possibility of toxic exposure to nontarget pollinators [e.g., honeybees] through the translocation of clothianidin residues that result from seed treatment."

Clothianidin has already been banned by Germany, France, Italy, and Slovenia for its toxic effects.

Freedom From Wrongful Conviction

These bad convictions show that we morally should end the death penalty and go to life in prison. In this case, a new prosecutor worked with the appeals team to use DNA evidence to prove innocence.

Texan declared innocent after 30 years in prison
A Texas man declared innocent Tuesday after 30 years in prison could have cut short his prison stint twice and made parole — if only he would admit he was a sex offender.

But Cornelius Dupree Jr. refused to do so, doggedly maintaining his innocence in a 1979 rape and robbery, in the process serving more time for a crime he didn't commit than any other Texas inmate exonerated by DNA evidence.

Cancer Treatment Kills

Unsafe levels of radiation are killing those suffering with cancer. If planes were falling out of the skies due to design errors or software errors there would be outrage. Design errors and software errors in the burn/cut/poison cancer industry are largely ignored.

A Pinpoint Beam Strays Invisibly, Harming Instead of Healing

Two other patients were overdosed before the hospital realized that the device, a linear accelerator, had inexplicably allowed radiation to spill outside a heavy metal cone attachment that was supposed to channel the beam to a specific spot in the brain. One month later, the same accident happened at another hospital.

In Missouri, for example, 76 patients were overradiated because a medical physicist did not realize that the smaller radiation beam used in radiosurgery had to be calibrated differently than the larger beam used for more traditional radiation therapy.

NY Workers Hold Up Snow Plowing

The New York City workers responsible for plowing snow appear to have purposefully not performed their duties because they were upset with recent department cutbacks. At least they have a job.

Investigators in New York said Sunday they are looking into a report that four sanitation supervisors assigned to clean up after last week's monster blizzard instead bought beer and sat in their car.

Selfish Sanitation Department bosses from the snow-slammed outer boroughs ordered their drivers to snarl the blizzard cleanup to protest budget cuts -- a disastrous move that turned streets into a minefield for emergency-services vehicles, The Post has learned.