Monkeyfister

They have Their OWN Traditional Rodent Prognostication Methods.

I never knew.



Congrats on the BIG Anniversary, fellas! Look at all those hits, all those Blogroll links! Y'all's all growed inta yerselves and whatnot! I KNEW you all was sumpin' special when I urged you to launch! And NOW lookatcha's!

Kickass!

I'm really proud of you all, and very, very happy that you're growing. Lemme know if there is anything that I can do to help you.





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Labels: Prognostication, Pygalgia

Oh.My.God. He UNDERSTANDS IT!!! Obviously, he does his OWN grocery shopping.

via The Big Picture

"The bemused best-selling author noted the "utter inconsistency" of laissez faire.

"We want laissez faire when it comes to business -- except when it comes to the insistence of a politically popular but economically and environmentally hazardous renewable fuel, ethanol," he said.

As a result, he said we have unequivocal government support for a fuel that doesn't work and that raises the price of food for everyone including those who can least afford it, which, in turn, forces the Federal Reserve to keep the money supply tight to rein in resulting inflation.

"So we are laissez faire when it suits us … and we are anti-laissez faire when we can help farm states crucify us on a cross of ethanol," he said.

Gobbless your recent, tenuous grasps on Reality, Mr. Cramer. Keep on stepping forward-- we're here for you, buddy. One step at a time. No backslides, now, we're here for you. Come toward the Reality, it's shiny, and good, and will set you FREE.


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Labels: Ethanol, Mass-Media Economics, Wall Street

Hmm. Are the Producers flinching toward a settlement?


via Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's striking writers have made a key breakthrough in contract talks with film and television studios, leading to what could be a deal between the two parties by the end of next week, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

Negotiators in the bitter labor dispute reached an understanding late on Friday on how to deal with payments writers would receive when their work was streamed over the Internet, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources.

The report is the latest sign in recent days that progress has been made in efforts to settle the screenwriters' strike, which began on November 5 and has crippled Hollywood with TV production shutdowns and layoffs. It also has threatened to dim the lights on the Oscars on February 24.

---

The key provision settled on Friday, according to the New York Times, was what to do about streaming content. The paper said the AMPTP members wanted to pay a flat fee of $1,200 for one year of streaming, as in the directors' contract.

Writers wanted 1.2 percent of the distributor's total streaming revenue. How that issue was resolved was not exactly clear, said the newspaper.

Any breakthrough would calm the worried U.S. media industry. The Los Angeles Economic Development Corp has estimated the strike cost the region's film and TV industry at least $650 million in wages, with over $1 billion more in lost earnings attributed to a ripple effect on the local economy.

Striking writers have threatened to picket the Oscars, tarnishing the world's top film awards, although organizers have vowed to let the show go on.

PSSST... Producers... Want to end this money-killer for you already? Come in a little closer, and I'll tell you the secret to success. Closer... Closer... Now, listen closely...

GIVE IN, YOU GREEDY BASTARDS! Quit sniggling on fine points, and just give in. You've already lost Millions, and America is PISSED at you. Keep up your ways, and go for Billions of loses. We Unions DARE you.

Solidarity.


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Labels: Solidarity, Unionism, Writers

-- Alien Trucker. Truckin', Co-Ordinates set in. Alpha Centauri, yeah, that's where I've been... Seriously, now-- welcome!
-- ROTUS New to me! Great to have you on our side!
-- The Art Of Peace, who has some wonderfully beautiful words for a lot of excellent small bloggers.
-- DeRosa World New to me! Welcome!
-- Obsidian Wings Obsidian Wings is LONG overdue in my Blogroll.
-- The Impolitic Libby Spencer also blogs at the Newshoggers!
-- Ornery Bastard. No, he really is. but, he's OUR Ornery Bastard, and thank the God's for that. It'd be very bad if he was THERE Ornery Bastard-- he'd overshadow Rush. My personal nomination for entrance to the Blog Incivility Corps. Look! You're already a member! Grab the image from my sidebar, and send an email to NTODD. Bless you, man! :) YOU Rock! See you this coming December! Pssst.. and that's ONE word-- Monkeyfister-- it's a Traditional Naval term.


In addition to these fantastic blogs, I have also, finally, updated my Blogroll to include the many, many excellent blogs nominated for the 2007 Golden Monkeyfist "Au Peer" Award. I've still got some moving around to do within categories, but, DO have a look. When I am off being busy, you will certainly not be at a loss for good reading!

Oh, my dear skippy, and wondrous Jon Swift, what fabulous mischief hast thou wrought upon our Nobility! Spectacular scythes doth thou wield upon their wicked ways, and such a plethora of delightful, flowering seeds doth thou sow in these wild fields!

Huzzah! and long life be unto you!

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Labels: Blogroll Amnesty, Say Hello, The Blogohood

A stroll around the Blogohood...

-- PigLipstick Is Concerned That The Propagandists Are Getting Tired Of The Game.

-- TIA News Notices That AEI Wants A Surge!(tm) in Afghanihell, As Well As An Attack On Pakistan.

-- MEC at Mercury Rising Tracks A Whacked-Out DHS Security Drill Detailing Bloggers As National Enemies.

-- Alternative Brain Has A Look At The Hot, New Ralph Nader 2008 Campaign, And Tells Ralph To Shut The Fuck Up And Stay Home. Do I hear an “AMEN,” my Brothers and Sisters!

-- PHK at Whirled Views Warns Us Of The Fragility Of Our Democracy.

-- Rants From The Rookery Points Out That Days After George Praised The “Clean Coal" Initiative-- He Shut It Down. Personally, I have no problem with shutting down the oxymoronically-named scheme.

-- Marc at Beggars Can Be Choosers Notices That The Wingnuts Continue To Sanitize Bush Content At Wikipedia.

-- Survival Acres Fully Understands Why The Bombers Hate Us. It's NOT for our freedoms. I wholeheartedly agree with every word our good friend has written in this excellent post.


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Labels: Blogroll Amnesty, The Blogohood

A three-million gallon accident.

via Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nearly three million gallons (11 million liters) of partially treated sewage and storm water spilled into San Francisco Bay off the coast of affluent Marin County, officials said on Friday, just months after a major oil spill hit the bay.

"We are testing the waters near the accident site to determine if there are any public health issues," said Janell Myhre, the emergency services coordinator for Marin County, north of San Francisco.

The spill of 2.7 million gallons (10.2 million liters) into Richardson Bay, an arm of San Francisco Bay, occurred on Thursday evening after a pump at a waste treatment facility failed, Myhre said.

In November, a freighter spilled 58,000 gallons (220,000 liters) of fuel into San Francisco Bay after striking the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco to Oakland, California, forcing the closure of several beaches and soiling 40 miles (65 km) of shoreline.

Until contamination results from the sewage are available around Saturday morning, Myhre said authorities are posting signs at local beaches to discourage direct contact with bay water and sport fishing until further notice.

Heavy sigh.



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Labels: Pollution, Toxic Spill

I went off recently about the "Blog Nobility," and I hold true to my Mission of supporting Small Bloggers above all others. We.Are.Legion.

via skippy

today marks the three-day weekend celebration blog-burst of b.a.d., or blogroll amnesty day for short, and literally dozens of participating blogs will be participating.

each blog will celebrate the unity of progressive infrastructure amenability by posting links to a handful of smaller blogs, thus giving exposure to diverse voices thru-out blogtopia, and yes, we coined that phrase!

we figure the only way to fight the great echo chamber of the hardly-ever-right is to create our own, and the best way to do that is to give linkage (hey, it's free!) to other writers with our same goals.

tho we are celebrating all weekend long, the actual anniversary day is sunday, feb. 3. (well, no, the actual anniversary day is super tuesday, feb. 5, but we figure most bloggers might be busy covering, oh, we don't know, the presidential race or something. so jon & skippy decided on feb. 3 to hold the celebration because, after all, nothing's happening this sunday).

[ed. note: jon swift insists that there never was any confusion about the date...it's actually feb. 3, according to him. we'll let him have his point, in the spirit of the day, tho we can't ever figure out why we thought feb. 5 was the occasion!]

we're happy to point out that kiko's house has already started with this post today.

and the inestimable mr. swift has a handful of other links to other blogs also commemorating this auspicious occasion.

so, this weekend, take a moment to click thru to a smaller blog, and read a new perspective. all of blogtopia and yes, we coined that phrase, will be better off. and happy blogroll amnesty day to everyone!

Rock on!


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Labels: Blogroll Amnesty

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow.


via AssPress

Brace yourself for more wintry weather. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Saturday, leading the groundhog to forecast six more weeks of winter.

The rodent was pulled from his stump by members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, top-hat- and tuxedo-wearing businessmen who carry out the tradition.

Each Feb. 2, thousands of people descend on Punxsutawney, a town of about 6,100 people some 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, to celebrate what had essentially been a German superstition.

The tradition is that if a hibernating animal sees a shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.

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Labels: Groundhog Day

Where oil flows, trouble grows.


via Reuters

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Rebels in Chad seeking to overthrow President Idriss Deby battled their way into the capital N'Djamena on Saturday and said they were securing it, but a minister said government forces still controlled the city.

Residents and diplomats said rebel fighters had entered the capital, but the situation remained confused.

Machine gun and heavy weapons fire, sometimes sporadic, sometimes more intense, could be heard as France prepared to evacuate French and other foreign nationals.

"We are in the process of securing the city," Abderamane Koullamalah, a spokesman for the unified rebel command, told Radio France International (RFI), saying he was speaking by phone from N'Djamena.

A Chadian opposition Web site, Alwihda, said the capital had fallen to the insurgents.

But a Chadian government minister of state, Mahamat Ali Abdallah Nassour, denied this. "Chad's defense and security forces are in control in the capital," he told RFI. He said government troops were pursuing rebel units.

The African Union is not best pleased by this coup attempt. Worth watching.


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Labels: Africa

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They are updating their rules regarding Bank Failures. I'm just posting this as a Public Service, as the new rule changes may pertain to you.


via FDIC

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has issued the attached two-part Notice of Proposed Rulemaking relating to the potential failure of an insured depository institution:

* Part 1 proposes a rule governing how and at what point deposit account balances would be determined in the event of an insured depository institution failure. This part would apply to all insured depository institutions.
* Part 2 proposes requirements to facilitate the process for determining the insurance status of depositors of large insured depository institutions in the event of failure. As proposed, the Part 2 requirements currently would apply only to the 159 insured depository institutions with at least $2 billion in domestic deposits and either (1) more than 250,000 deposit accounts or (2) total assets over $20 billion, regardless of the number of deposit accounts. These "Covered Institutions" amount to less than two percent of the more than 8,500 insured depository institutions.

Part 1. A deposit account balance on the day of failure would be defined as the end-of-day ledger balance of the deposit account on the day of failure. This account balance would take into consideration any prearranged sweep transactions scheduled to occur that day, as long as funds are not removed from the depository institution after the time of failure.

---

Part 2. This part of the proposed rule applies to large FDIC-insured institutions with complex deposit systems. Covered Institutions would be required to adopt mechanisms that would, in the event of the institution's failure:

* Allow automatic posting of provisional holds on large deposit accounts in any percentage specified by the FDIC on the day of failure.
* Provide the FDIC with deposit account data in a standard format.
* Allow automatic removal of the provisional holds and posting of the results of insurance determinations as specified by the FDIC.

When handling a depository institution failure, the FDIC is required to structure the least costly of all possible resolution transactions, except in the event of systemic risk. In addition, the FDIC is required to pay insured deposits "as soon as possible" after an institution fails. The FDIC places a high priority on providing access to insured deposits promptly and, in the past, has usually been able to allow most depositors access to their deposits on the business day following closing. Doing so enables the FDIC to (1) maintain public confidence in the banking industry and the FDIC; (2) provide the best possible service to insured depositors by minimizing uncertainty about their status and avoiding costly disruptions that may limit their ability to meet financial obligations; (3) mitigate the spillover effects of a failure, such as risks to the payments system, problems stemming from depositor illiquidity and a substantial reduction in credit availability; and (4) retain, where feasible, the franchise value of the failed institution (and, thus, minimize the FDIC's resolution costs).

The largest insured institutions are growing increasingly complex. The proposed rule would help facilitate an insurance determination and dramatically improve access to depositor funds if one of these institutions were to fail. The proposed rule is intended to allow the deposit operations of a failed institution to be continued on the day following failure. It is also intended to permit the FDIC to meet its legal mandates regarding the resolution of failed insured institutions, provide liquidity to depositors promptly, enhance market discipline, ensure equitable treatment of depositors at different institutions, and help preserve the franchise value of a failed institution (thus, reducing the FDIC's costs).

More at the link.

Timing, as they say, is everything.

Earlier: Getting To Know The FDIC


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Labels: Bank Failures, FDIC

Hey now!


via Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters Life!) - The Grateful Dead, the San Francisco cult rock band that has played at political events since the 1960s, will reunite on Monday for the first time in four years to rally support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, a spokesman said on Friday.

Band leader Jerry Garcia died in 1995. Surviving members have played together occasionally since then, most recently in 2004. On Monday, original members Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir will play at a San Francisco theater a day before California's primary.

"They have agreed to reunite for this one-time-only event in order to lend support to Senator Obama leading into the crucial 'Super-Tuesday' series of primaries held on Tuesday, February 5th," the band said in a statement.

That bit of news caught me by surprise.


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Labels: Grateful Dead, Obama

The GOPer Shadenfreude is brimming over.


via Maru




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Labels: Right Wing Media, They Eat Their Own, Wingnuts On Parade

The Sub-Prime Mortgage reset peak is still a long way off. We'll feel the impact sometime in May or June. Right now, we're feeling the fallout from November. Folks get served the reset, they try to make it for a month or so, and then they simply cannot. The US Economy LOST 17,000 Jobs Last Month.

BLS Overstated Job Creation Last Year-- Revises Down.



















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Labels: Drunk At The Casino, Real Estate Crash, Sub-Prime Crash, US Economy, Wall Street Casino

I suppose this will probably go up to the SCOTUS, but, for now, it is a victory.


via Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday lost a court bid to prevent terrorism detainees gaining access to all readily available documents about them as they challenge their indefinite imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay.

By a 5-5 vote, the full 10-member U.S. appeals court rejected an administration request to hear a case that a three-judge panel of the court ruled on last year. The tied vote meant the earlier decision remained in place.

That ruling required the government to provide detainees with all readily available documents to help them challenge their designation as enemy combatants.

The United States has been widely criticized by human rights organizations for its treatment of those it has designated as enemy combatants in the war against terrorism.

There are about 275 detainees at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which was set up to handle prisoners captured by the United States following the September 11 attacks.

Detainee lawyers have argued that giving them the right to review all documents compiled by the U.S. government, not just those presented to the military tribunal, could help clear the prisoners, many of whom have been held for about six years.

Under a U.S. law called the Detainee Treatment Act, the prisoners can bring legal challenges before the appeals court to decisions made by the "Combatant Status Review Tribunal."

Combatant Status Review Tribunals have been held for about 570 detainees. The military determined that only 38 were no longer enemy combatants but prisoners have challenged more than 100 tribunal decisions.

Yes. Our prisoners-- even POWs and alleged Non-Uniformed Combatants-- have basic rights to present evidence of their innocence.


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Labels: Gitmo, US Federal Court System

Know when to walk away, and know when to run, and when to come with a TOTALLY WRONG plan when you lose big.

I was looking for "Barfly," but the only version available had Asian dubbing. This'll have to do.



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Now, THAT is the TV that we will forever miss! Can't get that stuff no mo'!





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Labels: Conan O'Brien, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

The highly publicized Greensboro, North Carolina Lunch Counter Sit-In occurred. One of the major first steps toward Civil Rights and Equality in America.


via About

When four black college students sat in protest at Woolworth’s segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the time, it was unforeseen what impact their actions would have on the rest of the South. As the sit-in garnered national attention, the sit-in movement spread to other southern cities and led to the desegregation of numerous lunch counters.

Greensboro, North Carolina Sit-In

On February 1, 1960, four North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College students sat down at a Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina and waited for service. While the students knew that most likely they would not be served, they were also aware that this form of nonviolent protest was potentially a powerful method in accomplishing the desegregation of lunch counters.

However, this was not the first time sit-ins were used at lunch counters. This method of nonviolent protest had been used in 1943 in Chicago by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), in St. Louis in 1949, and in Baltimore in 1953. In these previous sit-ins, they had not gained much attention from the media or the public.

Despite the lack of success of previous lunch counter sit-ins, this time was different. On the first day of the sit-in, college students Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, David Richmond, and Ezell Blair Jr. arrived at Woolworth in the afternoon. They took seats at the lunch counter and encountered silence from the white patrons. At first, servers ignored them and then they were told that they would not be served. Nevertheless, the four sat silently.

When the police chief was notified, he informed the store manager that nothing could be done as long as the students were peaceful. Since the police refused to respond and the students would not budge, Woolworth closed early. The students left with the intent to return the following day.

After the first day, word spread in the community about the sit-in. Thus, the following day, two more students joined them. Finally, the media picked up the story and over the course of several days the protestors were joined by more students, including whites.

The effectiveness of the sit-ins was due in part to the behavior of the participants. They dressed in their Sunday clothes, were quiet, nonviolent, and respectful. Furthermore, many students brought their school textbooks, and studied while they sat at the lunch counters.

More at the link.

We've still a long way to go for Civil Rights and Equality for all in America, and this past eight years have brought a host of set-backs, but we all must join arms, and move forward together. We must never forget the brave actions of our elders.


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Labels: Civil Disobedience, Civil Rights, Non-Violent Disobedience

So, a couple of days ago, I downloaded the new Flash update from Adobe. As soon as I re-booted, every Flash-based application on the intertubes went kablooey. YouTube stopped working properly, Think Progress' embedded video, and Google Video stopped working properly, everything. It would load, but, only play about two seconds worth of video, with no audio, and then stop. So, I spent today uninstalling all of my media apps, uninstalling Firefox and Flash, and reloading everything. Things are still a little weird, but, (after hours of deduction, and reloading this blog, and re-running the Olbermann piece) it seems that as long as I don't open Bloomberg.com, and don't open my own blog first in a group of tabs in Firefox, Flash works just fine. We'll see how long it lasts.

It's very annoying having to reopen sites in the Evil Blue E browser just to view a video. I have nothing odd running on my machine, no weird apps, everything was running perfectly until the Flash update. Hopefully, the good folks at Mozilla are aware of the issue, working on this.

Is anyone else having similar problems?



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Labels: Intertubes Oddities

We salute and remember.















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1995 Jim Jarmusch film with Neil Young soundtrack. Starring Gary Farmer and Johnny Depp; with Iggy Pop and Crispin Glover and even Gibby Haynes showing up along the way... Enjoy.





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Labels: FISA, Fiscal Irresponsibility, Warrantless Domestic Spying

I woke up to a sheet of ice outside. Called in to work, as my tires just spun trying to get out my driveway. I'm going back to bed.



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Maru Has It For You

Bottom line is that Fox News is in for a very rough 2008. And the reason for that is quite simple: Eight years ago the all-news cable channel went all-in on the presidency of George Bush and became a broadcast partner with the White House.

More at the link, as only Maru can deliver it.


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Labels: Right Wing Media, That Wacky Librul Media

So many people are just "Walking Away"... The despair is palpable in the country. There ARE Jobs Out There. Sometimes, you just need to bite your balls, and do what's necessary to get a steady job. It might not save everybody. But, I'll do my best to help anyone interested enough click on comments for some good tips on getting a Federal Gubmint Job. Better YOU than some FReeper.




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The Senate Finance Committee has passed to the Senate Floor for debate, their version of an economic Stimulus Plan, which George will promptly veto.

Fair Use, full text, [my comments in brackets].

via Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Finance Committee approved a $157 billion economic stimulus package on Wednesday that offers smaller tax rebates to more people than a plan passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The committee approved the bill as the full Senate prepared to begin debate as early as Thursday on competing versions of an economic stimulus plan lawmakers hope will encourage consumer and business spending to help stave off an election-year recession.

President George W. Bush wants the Senate to accept the $146 billion package passed Tuesday by the House. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has been pushing his fellow Republicans to reject the Senate Finance Committee bill and support the House version to avoid delays on issuing the rebate checks.

The Finance Committee bill, approved on a vote of 14-7, would provide a flat $500 tax rebate to individuals and $1,000 for couples, plus $300 per child. The rebates also would go to about 20 million low-income retirees on Social Security who would not receive checks under the $146 billion House stimulus bill.

[Oh BOY! $500!!! I'll try not to spend it all on paying down just one bill.]

"I've worked hard with my colleagues to improve on the House stimulus proposal and move a bill quickly," Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, said. "Congress should seize with both hands this chance to make 20 million American seniors a part of our economic stimulus efforts today, and get our country growing again."

The House bill calls for rebates of up to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for married couples, plus $300 per child. The rebates would begin phasing out for individuals with more than $75,000 in taxable income and married couples with more than $150,000.

[Better idea.]

The Finance Committee bill would give a flat $500 rebate to individuals, $1,000 for couples, plus $300 per child to all tax filers reporting at least $3,000 of income, including Social Security and disability benefits.

[I appreciate this inclusion. These people need, and will spend the money on necessities.]

The House bill provides for a $300 rebate for low-income workers, $600 for families who reported at least $3,000 in income in 2007 and paid no income taxes. Those families would also get the $300 child benefit.

The Finance Committee bill would also make more higher-income people eligible by doubling the income when phase-out begins to $150,000 for individuals and $300,000 for married couples.

[Here, the Senate goes WAAAAY FUCT. No. These are RICH bastards. If THEY are hurtin', then they most certainly made bad choices. George's Reaganesque "Trickle Down Economics" was meant for THESE people to share the wealth with US, down here. THEY should HAVE the money to spend. THEY can afford the new Republican/Clinton Bankruptcy Laws. Or can easily downsize out of the McMansion, and sell the Hummer.]

A downturn in the housing market, a subprime mortgage crisis, tightening credit markets and rising oil prices have lawmakers and some economists worried that the U.S. economy could slip into a recession.

Economic growth slowed abruptly to 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter last year, following a surge of 4.9 percent in the third quarter, the U.S. government said on Wednesday.

The Finance Committee added a number of measures not included in the House bill, including nearly $6 billion in tax benefits for renewable energy resources. The bill would extend unemployment benefits beyond the 26 weeks offered by most states. Bush and many of his fellow Republicans oppose extending unemployment benefits.

[BOTH of these ideas are excellent. Renewable energy IS THE FUTURE, and we NEED this investment. As to extending Unemployment Benefits, I see it as better to allow and keep people paying their bills, than defaulting on their bills. I certainly appreciated the extension back in 2001-2.]

The committee also agreed to an amendment that temporarily raises by $10 billion the amount of tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds that states can offer to help fund low-income housing and low interest mortgages to help some homeowners facing foreclosure refinance their loans.

[Better to back those MBOs with the full force of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, than to have them disintegrate along with the rest of the shitpile, as I detailed in the big post, below...]

Like the House bill, the Finance Committee measure includes business incentives for new purchases. But it goes further by allowing companies to write off more of their losses against previous tax years.

[Ummmmm... WHAT businesses? WHAT losses? If this includes MBIA, AMBAC, FGIC, Countrywide, Bank Of America, CitiGroup, and all the other shitpile conspirators, then-- NO! This language needs to be removed STAT. NO CORPORATE Bailouts. THEY got us into this mess. THEY get to live or die by their own Invisible Hand. FREE MARKETS! and all that NeoCon Republican shit.]

The committee bill would cost the federal treasury about $157 billion this year and nearly $36 billion next year, but last minute additions to the bill could change that number.

I think if the Senate and George follow my guidelines, then we'd have a stimulus package. They won't, and we won't.

Stock Up On Food. Particularly the Freeze-Dried varieties-- they'll last for decades. Survival Acres really does have the best prices anywhere. I've done the research for you. He's not a greed-head, he's one of us. He wants good people to survive this horrible mess.

If you are one of the unlucky ones who are planning to Walk Away, and leave some "jingle mail" for your Lender, then listen when I tell you that FOOD is NOT one of the things that the REPO Man will take from you. It is a very sound investment. Like Silver Bullion-Grade Coins.


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Labels: American Food Prices, Collapse, US Economy

I honestly do not understand why the following two musical acts are considered "genius," or even make money...

Bjork
Gogol Bordello

I spent last night trolling through GooTube, listening to, and watching tons of their videos.

I simply cannot understand why either of these two acts even make repeat albums. Is there something that I am missing? I have read their lyrics, as a Theatre Major Baccalaureate, I do not see genius, or anything heavy or even meaningful in them. Musically, they are pretty repulsive, but I can appreciate Bjork's "experimentalism" in vocal control, at least. I mean, I like the Pogues, I like plenty of female-led art bands, but I just don't get these two acts, or their huge success.

Can someone help me out, here-- I really AM trying to understand. They are both whiskey sexy, and this jaded Stagehand cannot understand why. Maybe I just don't want to admit to being old at 39.




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Labels: Music

Ten years gone. If he was a Scientologist, he was at least one of the good ones.





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Three current High School students have produced a 12-minute documentary on the state of education today. Being current, I would call this an indictment of George's "No Child Left Behind" scheme. There are a few notable exceptions to the majority of young adults interviewed.

Well done, fellas.




Some of the kids are alright. But, I really fear for the future of America.



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Labels: Bush Agenda, Consume And Obey, Education In America, No Child Left Behind, Schools

Until I saw these two at Shedlock's site. Click for larger images, click the link for full implications of what these two charts mean.

Mish says:

Given that the Fed is not in a credit tightening mode, we must look for a better explanation. Here it is: Banks in aggregate have now burnt through all of their capital and are forced to borrow reserves from the Fed in order to keep lending.

OK. With that in mind, consider Bernanke's 1/2 point Fed cuts. It would seem that right now, there are enough BIG banks so in the red that they are borrowing directly from the Fed, just to keep afloat. So, Ben has made it a little cheaper for them to stay alive.

But, those BIG Banks' problems have rippled out, and are now causing real problems for not only the INSURERS of the investments and loans that those Banks made (and took), but also MUNICIPAL investments. Atrios posted a bit on what happened today, but, let's have a look, as the A-Man can be a bit vague.


S&P; Lowers or May Cut $534 Billion of Subprime Debt

This is HUGE. Standard & Poor's is one of the three or four leading rating companies, and they have been VERY patient with the Markets and Banks while they untangled and unwound the values of their shitpile investments. As we will read later, they are now forced to do these downgrades, or risk their very reputations as raters of investments. Here's a healthy Fair Use snip, with my emphasis throughout the rest of this post.:

Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Standard & Poor's said it cut or may reduce ratings on $534 billion of subprime-mortgage securities and collateralized debt obligations, the most sweeping action in response to rising since home-loan defaults.

The downgrades may extend bank losses to more than $265 billion and have a ``ripple impact'' on the broader financial markets, S&P; said in a statement today. The securities represent $270.1 billion, or 47 percent, of subprime mortgage bonds rated between January 2006 and June 2007. The New York-based ratings company also said it may cut 572 CDOs valued at $263.9 billion.

The reductions may increase losses at European, Asian and U.S. regional banks, credit unions and government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks, S&P; said. Many of those institutions haven't written down their subprime holdings to reflect a drop in market values and these downgrades may force them to recognize losses, S&P; said.

``It is difficult to predict the magnitude of any such effect, but we believe it will have implications for trading revenues, general business activity, and liquidity for the banks,'' S&P; said. The ratings company will start reviewing its rankings for some banks, especially those that ``are thinly capitalized,'' it said.

S&P; downgraded $50.1 billion of subprime-mortgage securities, none rated higher than A+. More than 69 percent of the AAA rated subprime securities from 2006 and 46 percent from the first half of 2007 were placed on review.

But, like I said, S&P; is following the move. What came earlier? Well, have a look...

Fitch Was First to Downgrade FGIC, MBIA and AMBAC shortly after the Fed announced Rates cuts. Had they announced earlier in the day, the destruction would have been enormous, and Bernanke's move would have looked feeble by comparison.

Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks fell for the first time this week on concern that bond insurers guaranteeing $2.4 trillion in securities will lose AAA credit ratings, erasing a rally spurred by the Federal Reserve's interest-rate cut.

Ambac Financial Group Inc. and MBIA Inc., the largest U.S. bond guarantors, led declines after Fitch Ratings revoked its top ranking on Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index had climbed as much as 1.7 percent following the Fed's decision to lower its benchmark lending rate to 3 percent from 3.5 percent to help the economy avert a recession.

---

Financial Guaranty, a unit of New York-based FGIC Corp., was cut two levels to AA, jeopardizing ratings on securities the insurer guarantees and limiting the company's ability to generate new business.

AMBAC and MBIA also took two levels to AA.

This is quite the same thing as a "CALL" in a game of poker. This is an enormous game of poker, with the highest stakes imaginable. I'm very fond of referring to Wall street as the NYSE Casino, and the traders as the Drunken Gamblers. Here it is.

As you read these articles, keep in mind these downgrades mean that these Banks are going to HAVE TO show their holdings of the shitpile. They don't have a choice now, IF they want to restore their AAA ratings, and keep players (investors) at the table. Catch-22 is that as soon as they do show their hands, the game is all over, and everyone at the table is going to grab their money, and run for the doors.

The money that they are going to pull off the table is your pension funds, your Bank's investments that it makes to pay you your savings interest, your Town-- or City's investments which it uses to pay Cops, Firefighters, Teachers, and other workers, as well as Infrastructure maintenance, and Bond Issues. It's just going to go away. Much of the gains on those investments were never really there, save for the Principle Investment, and even that is going to suffer. Smooth-talking fools sold them some snake oil.

And there are plenty of other holders of the shitpile, cowering in abject fear at that poker table, with their "Bluff" hands. It was all, "Let the good times roll!" and "double down," until this inevitable CALL. The pink slips and titles are piled up in the middle of the table...

In Naval terms, this is a shot below the waterline.

General Quarters, General Quarters. Battle stations! Battle stations! This is NOT a drill. Fall out and trice-up. Set Condition Zebra throughout the ship. Battlestations! This is NOT a drill.

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Labels: Collapse, Drunk At The Casino, Global Economy, US Economy, Wall Street Casino, Wall Street Motherfucking Criminals

Hoffmania! has an EXCELLENT post for your consideration.

While the high school heathers of the press corps rush to generate in-depth analysis of the hairstyle and cleavage of candidates or who looks presidential as opposed to who acts presidential, the real issues get shuttled aside in polls and punditry and primary politico-image management.

At some point there will be one of those staged affairs where they take questions from the audience, the everyday folk – the voters. So let me step up to the microphone and ask a question:

When does 9/11 + 935 = 3,391?

When lies kill.

935 false statements (lies) moved this nation into a war that has resulted in 3,391 deaths so far.

The folks who see profit and growth in the numbers of veterans of this war, the Health Care Insurers know an opportunity when they see one. In her December 2007 report Emily Berry for American Medical News gives us a tour by the numbers:

Go read.


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Labels: Bush Crimes, Bush Knew, BushWar

Failed in the Senate today by 12 votes.

The fight goes on.

Keep fighting the good fight, Democrats, and you good Republicans who sided with them. It is ALL ABOUT THE BLANKET IMMUNITY FOR THE TELCOS. Get that out of there, open investigations on the TELCOS and the crimes that require immunity, and THEN you can start dealing on the Legalities of the rest of it.

What is so hard to figure out? Fuck the TELCO bribes that are greasing your palms-- give that money back, get on with The Rule Of Law, and preserve our Fourth Amendment Rights.

DUH.


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Labels: FISA

I TOLD you he'd go over the top with his bullshit.



via The White House

Read it for yourself, if you missed it. There is NOTHING in the White House Plan that makes a damned lick of sense, if you are keeping track, and reading along with me, and others.

Bush On Energy:
Coal? No such thing as "Clean coal." Coal and nuclear as greenhouse gas reducing energies-- ummm... coal is notorious for it's noxious emmissions, no matter how hard it markets to the Stupids, and Nuclear? Ummmm... Nuclear? Drought is shutting down plants as we speak. Ethanol? Oh-- that is diverting our food to fuel and starving us and our children as food prices rise by the week. And we STILL don't have a real palce to put the HORRIBLY toxic waste that will radiate and be deadly forever.

NO SOLAR OR WIND POWER PLANS??? George-- YOU are an ignorant ASSHOLE!


Bush On Economic Stimulus Package:
$600 dollars per person-- what, Am I supposed to buy a Chinese made Plasma TV? I'm going to pay off a few Medical fees, some STULOANS, and a Lawyer's bill. What's that stimulate? George says no extended unemployment benefits, and no tax cuts for the Poor or Middle Class. I guess it's up to the rich and China to save us. Good luck with that-- especially after the Beijing Olympics close.

Bush On Housing:
Ummm. George. Your plan is heavy on bailing out the Lenders, and short on the homeowners. The Courts are coming down and saying that the sold and sold, and sold mortgages are not holding up in foreclosures, and that only the ORIGINAL lender has rights to foreclose or enter into bankruptcy deals LEGALLY. You didn't address this. Meanwhile, homeowners are suffering, or just handing in the keys and bolting, or now we see that they are living in their houses until the banks CAN legally foreclose-- up to a year of free living.

Kick ass, George! Good Plan!

Bush On the War On Terrorism:
George is Long on Iraq... AfghaniWHO???? PakiWHAT??? AlQaeda in Iraq is ALL THAT! AlQaeada-- including Osama Bin Laden in Afghaniwho? or Pakiwhere? Not even mentioned. it's all about a $210 Billion war for nothing in Iraq, apparently. He gave absolutely no time to Afghaniwhere and Pakiwhat? Nor to those REAL AlQaeada terrorist expanding in those two countries. ROCK ON, George.

Bush On Taxes:
My Rich-assed Cronies loves them some tax cuts, and even though I TOLD you l'il folks that that wealth would trickle down to you, well, they felt it best to build their own capital instead of tricklin' it down on y'all, and to tell you all to fuck off, and so I demand that the tax cuts for my homey rich fuckers be made permanent, bitches. I'm a uniter, not a divider, and to hell with you little folks! You don't count!

Bush On Education:
Support, but do NOT fund "No Child Left Behind."
Sciences count, as long as they aren't sciency, and don't support cloning, or embryonic stem cell research, and evolution. There's room for faithyisms in there too, doncha know.

Bush On FISA:
My Patriotic Crony's in the TelCos did what I told them to do, and so they deserve total, blanket immunity for the crimes that I won't reveal that they committed. Congress needs to pass that FISA Bill, and indemnify the whole lot of us insodoing-- hehheh... And be afraid of a MASSIVE ATTACK if Congress doesn't free us all to keep committing crimes against you.

Bush is giving himself an Executive Order to block earmarks that His Majesty doesn't like.

Oh Gods, it just keeps gong on like that. I TOLD you he'd pull ALL the stop on his bullshit, and he did.

This year? We're TOTALLY FUCKED. There IS no plan. My advice to you: Pay your taxes, and then, make it up as you go along, and try not to hurt anyone as you go along, except the fucking Corporations-- hurt them as much as you possibly can. Who gives a shit? Get out of debt. Get out of the Stock Markets, Plant a HUGE garden-- 1/4 acre per person in your home-- if it's possible, disobey ALL of your neighborhood covenants, hurt as many Corporations as you are able to hurt without taxing or incriminating yourself, spend lots of time with your children, and read with them, learn to raise, hunt and process your own meat, raise chickens, buy Silver, LOTS of storeable staple foods, and guns and ammo for them, and learn how to safely use and store those guns. If this is George's PLAN, then COLLAPSE is the only solution to rebuilding America as America again.

As far as George seems to be concerned... Let the Good Times ROLL (for the rich)!!! But, be afraid-- and give up your freedoms when they say BOO!!!

This year is going to totally suck. Stock up.



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Labels: Bush Agenda, Bush Crimes, Bush Cronyism, Bush Delusions, Collapse, Fucking Republicans, SOTU

Keep the following in mind when George starts yapping his trap, thank the gogs, for the very last time...


Click for audio: via NPR

The Pentagon will unveil its budget request to Congress next week. The request totals about $500 billion. If approved, it will be the largest military budget — adjusted for inflation — since World War II.

But one thing is missing: most of the money to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Defense officials now say they'll only ask Congress to provide enough money to fund the wars through the end of the Bush administration.

Critics say the decision could present a political dilemma for the next president.

More from Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration will ask the U.S. Congress next week for $70 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and related operations for part of the 2009 fiscal year, the Pentagon said on Monday.

The new request is likely to set up another battle with Democrats who control Congress and are critical of President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq war. Congress has yet to approve most of Bush's fiscal 2008 war funding request.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the administration probably will not submit another war funding request after this one before leaving office next January. That would make war funding one of the first issues facing the next president.

Since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Congress has approved $691 billion to pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and such related activities as Iraq reconstruction, the Congressional Budget Office said last week.

Of the total, the CBO estimated that $440 billion had been spent on the war in Iraq.

The new war request will come on top of the administration's request for the regular Pentagon budget for fiscal 2009, which starts on October 1, 2008.

Looky here. We've been in Afghanihell for over six years, and in Iraqnam for nearly five years. There ARE NO "emergencies." For all of this time, Dick and George have been "hiding" the costs of these wars by not putting them on the Budget.

As the NPR article says, if George said, "Heh, I need 1/4 of a Tillion dollars this year, on top of the DoD Budget that dwarfs all other Departmental Budgets-- combined, to run my failed wars," all HELL would break loose.

Well, I hope that this post becomes a meme, because that is EXACTLY what he's doing, and what he's BEEN doing for his entire reign of ruin. Disaster Capitalism. I certainly HOPE that all hell will break loose.

His jaw-slapping, tonight is going to top all of the others for "OMGitude."

He revived Reagan's "Trickle-Down" economic plan early on, which George's dad, Bush the Smarter, declared "Voodoo Economics." All it brought it was a shitload of tightwad gazillionaires, NOT "trickling-down" the wealth, and instead, pissing on us, telling us it's raining, and laughing their asses off, while the rest of us scraped out a living, and went deeper in debt. Now, his "Ownership Society" plan has ended up in the mother of all Double-Dip Recessions. Now, George wants to protect his TelCo buddies from the crimes that they committed together, and demand even MORE free reign to invade our Constitutional Fourth Amendment Privacy Rights, while off-budgeting $210 Billion for his Halliburton-Blackwater war-profiteer buddies.

Gall. Squared. Cubed.

I've got a Tom Clancy novel running through my head tonight. It's probably not a healthy thought.


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Looks like the drunks at the Wall Street Casino are all het up about another airdrop from Helicopter Ben. One earnings report after another-- from AmEx to McDonald's all in the shitter, New Housing TANKOLA... "OH, BOY! Here comes a rate cut to save our asses!"

Up goes the DOW...



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Labels: US Economy, Wall Street Casino, Wall Street Fairy

Looks like George is going to have a tough time claiming that the Economy is strong at his final State Of The Union Address. Unless his PPT shoves a ton of cash into Wall Street today.

Reports on tap for today-- New Home Sales and American Express earnings.

via Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Persistent fears about the world economy battered global stocks again on Monday and drove investors towards safer assets despite expectations of more interest cuts from the Federal Reserve to bolster growth.

Equity markets in Europe and Asia fell sharply with the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 down around 2 percent, taking January's losses alone to more than 13 percent.

Japan's Nikkei early dropped nearly 4 percent on worries that the U.S. economy was already dragging Japan's down into recession.

Wall Street also looked set for a poor start with stock index futures pointing at sharp early losses.

"People remain pretty nervous. We haven't seen the full extent of the fall-out of subprime," said Jan Smedts, deputy head of equities for Dexia Group, referring to losses and turmoil in the U.S. mortgage sector.

Monday's losses on equity markets came despite efforts last week by U.S. authorities to stop that country's economic downturn, which is exacerbated by subprime losses and credit market worries.

It included an emergency 75 basis point Fed cut, a $150 billion fiscal stimulus plan from the White House and early discussions on how to bail out insurers whose underwriting of debt may yet trigger a new wave of losses.

The Fed is also expected to cut interest rates again this week with interest rate futures showing the market betting on another 25 or 50 basis points in cuts, possibly taking rates as low as 3.0 percent.

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Labels: Collapse, Global Economy, US Economy

Barry has his Sunday Linkfest up at The Big Picture.

Down. Down big, then down small. Down big, then up big. Up big. Up big,then down big.

That represents each of the five days trading action this past week. Despite all the sturm und drang, markets finished remarkably unchanged.

The big winners were REITs (+8.6%), Gold +3.4% and the Russell 2000 (+2.3%). The Dow and Crude Oil each gained under a 1%, while the S&P500; added 0.4%, and the Nasdaq slipped 0.6%.

Deeper in the red were emerging market stocks (-2.2%) and European stocks (-1.6%). The US dollar had an awful week, falling nearly three quarters of a point -- about the same amount the Fed cut rates on Tuesday. It was the biggest single day emergency cut ever.

The big losers? Soc.Gen (down -$7.1B), some 31 year old trader named Kerviel (career ender), and the Federal Reserve's credibility (down inestimably).

There were other assets, organizations and individuals who comported themselves across a pectrum of (in) competencies. We shall leave to your judgment any further critique of these

Barron's Trader column noted:

"Heavy stock-selling in Asia and Europe last Monday -- when the U.S. markets were closed for a holiday -- likely nudged the Fed toward Tuesday's surprise rate cut, since a market collapse would be disaster for the already stretched financial system. But by Friday, however, it appears the brutal selling had been exacerbated when Société Générale liquidated positions created by an ill-supervised rogue trader. This begs the question: Will the Fed still feel compelled to deliver another big rate cut in quick succession?

To get a sustained rally, as opposed to a transient bounce, Credit Suisse's global strategists say the government must guarantee the viability of bond insurers -- a major source of market worry -- and oil must retreat below $80 a barrel (which will alleviate inflation and spur spending). The European Central Bank also must cut rates, they say. "The problem with economic growth is now in all developed markets, not just the U.S., and thus a global response is needed."

Indeed.

In the upcoming week, we will get a full run of earnings, and a heavy slate of economic releases.

These reports are going to be a make or break situation this week, and I bet that plenty of wild volatility will be in store. Watch for downward revisions of previous months' numbers in this week's economic reports. Futures Are Already Down since I posted the snap just three hours ago.


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Labels: Barry Ritholtz, Global Economy, US Economy

Sheryl Crow understands Peak Oil. From her new album, "Detours," due out February 5th.

Lyrics




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Here's a quick screengrab of tomorrow's Stock Futures as Asian Markets start turning the on lights. Nikkei is down sharply.

via Bloomberg

Jan. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Japanese stocks dropped after an analyst said Fortis, Belgium's biggest financial-services company, may have further writedowns on subprime-related assets, fueling concern banks will incur more credit-market losses.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Japan's largest bank by market value, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc., the second biggest, both lost 2.7 percent.

U.S. stocks fell for the first time in three days on Jan. 25 after Dresdner Kleinwort said Fortis faces further losses this year on mortgage-backed securities and home-equity loans. Separately, China's economic expansion slowed for a second quarter, the government said last week.

``The Japanese market will be pushed back by the drop in the U.S.,'' Yoshifumi Kikuchi, a market analyst at Yutaka Securities Co., said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. ``Market prices have yet to fully reflect the possibility of a U.S. recession and China's slowdown.''

It'll be interesting to compare this set of numbers to what they look like when we all start waking up tomorrow morning.

I wonder if Barry Ritholtz is going to post his Review/Preview tonight?



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Labels: Global Economy, US Economy, Wall Street Casino

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"Anonymous" is waging a full-out cyber-war on Scientology, including a DOS attack of enormous scale. Visually, these messages are stunning to look at. The messages are clear and concise, and not a joke. Check this out--

First Message To The Church Of Scientology...


Second Message To The Church Of Scientology...


Dear News Organizations...



Heh. I hope "Anonymous" goes after the Moonies next.



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Following-up on the article below, here is a list of announced store closings by major mall-type retailers.

via Dallas Morning News

Zale Corp. said Tuesday that it will close 60 stores in the next 90 days, joining a growing list of retailers announcing post-holiday store consolidations.

The just-completed holiday shopping season showed the worst sales growth in five years. Since then, retailers have slashed earnings outlooks, seen their already depressed stock prices collapse further and announced a steady stream of store closings.

Last week, Zale said its sales fell 9 percent in the combined November-December period, when it garners the bulk of its yearly profit.

Without identifying the stores, chief administrative officer Rodney Carter said the Irving-based jeweler plans to close 60 unprofitable Zales, Gordon's and Piercing Pagoda locations and "several dozen more" later this year.

Zale also is cutting its capital spending to $85 million this year from a planned $100 million, he told the Cowen & Co. annual consumer conference in New York.

In addition to Zale, home furnishings retailer Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. said Tuesday it will close 12 stores and two service centers, cutting operating costs amid a slowdown in the housing market.

Last week, Liz Claiborne Inc. said it's closing its 54-store Sigrid Olsen chain.

On Jan. 4, Talbots Inc. said it's closing 66 Talbots Kids and 12 Talbots Men's stores.

On the same day, Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. said it's shutting the remaining 154 stores in its demo chain.

Three days after Christmas, Macy's Inc. said it was closing nine additional stores, including one in Dallas at Valley View Center, and some analysts predict more are likely.

The latest closures follow a slowdown last year in new-store expansions by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Home Depot Inc. Wal-Mart cut its plans for 2008 growth in square footage to 4 percent from 7 percent.

Some analysts predict that J.C. Penney Co. also will slow its expansion plans. Citigroup analyst Deborah Weinswig wrote in a report Thursday that Penney may move 2008 openings into 2009. And she said it was likely that Macy's has more consolidations coming.

The mall staples are pulling out. The list will get longer as the days go by.


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Labels: Commercial Property Meltdown, US Economy

And the dominoes continue to fall.

I don't go to the malls here in the Memphis area. They are all crammed into one area, the traffic is insane, and the drivers in Memphis are notoriously bad, and uninsured. I DO see plenty of empty commercial spaces in fairly newly constructed strips in my area, north of Memphis, and suspect that this translates over into major malls, as well.

What are you all seeing at those malls?


via Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Here, Mike "Mish" Shedlock comments on one of the articles within his post (in bold).

US office property sales fell by the largest amount since the September 11 2001 terror attacks in the final three months of last year, raising fears that commercial real estate is heading for a meltdown.

The volume of office space sold in the final quarter of 2007 fell 42 per cent to $26.5bn, compared with the same period in 2006, according to data released on Friday by Real Capital Analytics, a real estate data company. Sales of property portfolios fell to $5bn, after logging $105bn in the first three quarters.

My Comment: First transactions plunge. The property values plunge. This is going to play out just like residential.

"What's happening now is a capital markets event," said Dan Fasulo, managing director at RCA.

Spreads on CMBX, an index that tracks commercial mortgage backed securities, have recently suggested that default rates are expected to reach three times historical levels. But analysts say commercial property is not expected to suffer the same slump as housing because it has not experienced such high levels of overbuilding.

My Comment: What analysts are they talking to? Commercial real estate overexpansion in the face of a consumer led recession is monumental.

However, if the US economy experiences a deep recession, commercial property is considered to be at risk. Demand for space is largely driven by the health of the business environment.

"The wildcard is whether or not the US falls into a recession.

My Comment: The wildcard is whether or not we have a depression. We are already in a recession.

What's causing the market to hold up is the high level of occupancy and high level of rent," said Mr Fasulo. "Unless [there is a recession] you are not going to see a [major] deterioration."

My Comment: The market is crumbling as I type. Vacancies will soar. Banks are going to be stuck with overvalued commercial real estate for years. Too many projects were built on too optimistic lease rates and occupancy rates.

More at the link.

If you work at a mall store, especially one of the smaller, non-anchor stores, I wouldn't be considering a major purchase right now. Maintain your car, enjoy what you already have, and save your money for the coming rainstorm.


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Labels: Real Estate Crash, US Economy

Jon Stewart and Samantha Bee show how the Media over-hype and conflate events the election campaign trail.


Video via One Good Move


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