tagged w/ Globalization
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http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/index.php
Brief history
Bilderberg takes its name from the hotel in Holland, where the first meeting took place in May 1954. That pioneering meeting grew out of the concern expressed by leading citizens on both sides of the Atlantic that Western Europe and North America were not working together as closely as they should on common problems of critical importance. It was felt that regular, off-the-record discussions would help create a better understanding of the complex forces and major trends affecting Western nations in the difficult post-war period.
The Cold War has now ended. But in practically all respects there are more, not fewer, common problems - from trade to jobs, from monetary policy to investment, from ecological challenges to the task of promoting international security. It is hard to think of any major issue in either Europe or North America whose unilateral solution would not have repercussions for the other.
Thus the concept of a European-American forum has not been overtaken by time. The dialogue between these two regions is still - even increasingly - critical.
Character of meetings
What is unique about Bilderberg as a forum is
the broad cross-section of leading citizens that are assembled for nearly three days of informal and off-the-record discussion about topics of current concern especially in the fields of foreign affairs and the international economy;
the strong feeling among participants that in view of the differing attitudes and experiences of the Western nations, there remains a clear need to further develop an understanding in which these concerns can be accommodated;
the privacy of the meetings, which has no purpose other than to allow participants to speak their minds openly and freely.
In short, Bilderberg is a small, flexible, informal and off-the-record international forum in which different viewpoints can be expressed and mutual understanding enhanced. Bilderberg's only activity is its annual Conference. At the meetings, no resolutions are proposed, no votes taken, and no policy statements issued. Since 1954, fifty-nine conferences have been held. For each meeting, the names of the participants as well as the agenda are made Public and available to the press.
Participants
Invitations to Bilderberg conferences are extended by the Chairman following consultation with the Steering Committee members. Participants are chosen for their experience, their knowledge, their standing and their contribution to the selected agenda.
There usually are about 120 participants of whom about two-thirds come from Europe and the balance from North America. About one-third is from government and politics, and two-thirds from finance, industry, labour, education and communications. Participants attend Bilderberg in a private and not an official capacity.
Governance and Funding
Bilderberg is governed by a Steering Committee which designates a Chairman; members are elected for a term of four years and can be re-elected. There are no other members of the Bilderberg conference. The Chair's main responsibilities are to chair the Steering Committee and to prepare with the Steering Committee the conference program, the selection of participants. He also makes suggestions to the Steering Committee regarding its composition. The Executive Secretary reports to the Chairman.
The expenses of maintaining the small Secretariat of the Bilderberg meetings are covered wholly by private subscription. The hospitality costs of the annual meeting are the responsibility of the Steering Committee member(s) of the host country.http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/index.php
Brief history
Bilderberg takes its... more
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by Amaterasu Solar
Let Us presume a world where free energy is available to all. Also, Let’s add robots doing all the necessary work no One wants to do - or taking up the slack where not enough People are doing necessary work.
In this scenario, there would not be any need for money - in any form: barter, trade, work exchange, cash, checks, electronic funds. You may doubt this, but Let’s examine a single case to illustrate the whole.
Let Us now suppose that You have a hot dog cart - You like to hang around it from time to time and chat with People, say; You are a gregarious sort. And You like to see people happy eating food. The energy to run this cart is free, and You have a robot tending it, taking orders, fixing the dogs, and so on. You, Yourself, may choose to fix a dog or two for People You particularly like, but You don’t HAVE to do any of the work.
Your robot is run on free energy, so it doesn’t cost You anything.
Now Let’s say Your hot dogs come from pigs, and the farm - where the pigs are allowed to roam a few acres - is run by robots. There may be someone who LOVES to raise pigs there, but most likely, the pigs are cared for, organically, by the robots (which are run on free energy). The cost of the pigs themselves is nothing.
The fields that grow the food for the pigs are farmed by robots, running on free energy, and perhaps a Human or three who LOVE to farm the land. The tilling, planting, weeding, debugging (maybe by small robots patrolling the plants), and harvesting is all handled organically by these robots and so there is no cost to grow the pig food.
Robots transport the pig feed for free (and any Humans who LOVE to transport things, should there be any).
Robots would handle the slaughter, cleanly (We would ensure this), quickly and honorably. They would also process the meat into the dogs, and upon a standing order, or Your request over the web, would deliver the dogs to Your cart - for free.
From the fields, free-range chicken coops and dairies (handled by robots), would come the ingredients for the buns and condiments, delivered to bakeries and processing plants for free - baked by robots (and Those whose bliss it is to bake large batches of buns) and processed by robots, with no energy cost anywhere. These things too would be delivered upon request, for free.
So… How much would You charge for these hot dogs? You paid nothing for the energy in the production line, nor for the labor in the production line - Those who chose to add Their Human energy did so not because They HAD to in order to survive, but because They LOVE to do what They were doing. Things being free, They simply chose to spend Their time in Their bliss. The seeds that were farmed are freely given by nature...so are the pigs, for that matter. The planet sits under Us freely for seeds to go into and pigs to live on.
You paid nothing for these hot dogs; it costs You zero to run the stand. (And We could go into the stand itself, as well as the robot, costing nothing, too, through robot workers for mining the metals, smelting, shaping, etc...). So why would You need to charge for the hot dogs?
Now, Let's say one day You befriend someone and She just LOVES to make specialty hot dogs - Her own "secret recipe" of spices. She can get Her meat free, Her spices free, Her cooking heat free, Her pots and pans and whatever else for free. And, because She doesn't HAVE to spend 8 or more hours pursuing Her slave's compensation for Her Human energy, She has time and energy of Her own to devote to making Her signature hot dogs.
One day She invites You over - You, who don't have to "mind the store," since Your robot can handle it easily - and so You decide to hang out with Her while She is in Her bliss, making Her dogs.
You say, "Hey. Those smell damn good. Better than what I have at the hot dog stand! If You have any extra, can I distribute them at My cart?"
She smiles in delight. "Of course. I always have a lot and You can have what You want! Thank You for the compliment!"
Thus begins a happy relationship. You have a robot pack up Her dogs and take them to the cart. You also have a sign made up saying, "NOW! Dogs by Delilah!" And soon, Delilah is blissfully making Her dogs, and Your cart is gaining the reputation of being the best on the block - or in town…or in the world. You develop a reputation. Your cart is written up in a number of blogs, and demand for the dogs - HUMAN made - grows. Soon, reservations are required to get the dogs, because Delilah does not want to make THAT many dogs. All this is handled via net and computer.
In the end, You gain reputation for having a popular hot dog cart, Delilah has reputation for making dogs, and neither of You have traded, bartered, exchanged work, exchanged coin, bills, checks or electronic funds (money).
But You are both very rich in social standing.
This all seems idyllic, so wonderful to consider. Every Human Being freed from wage-slavery and poverty to follow Her/His bliss, with richness in character and betterment contributions defining wealth. But can We get there? The answer is, YES!, but We need a plan.
The Plan is to:
1) Raise awareness that electrogravitics technology (which provides gravity control (“antigravity”) and overunity (“free energy”)) exists so that We can -
2) Call for the release of the overunity technology to -
3) Remove the cost of energy in manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, homes, & misc. so -
4) The cost of building robots to do the necessary jobs no One wants to do becomes affordable so -
5) We can relieve Ourselves of undesired toil, being supported easily at this point on social services since -
6) Money will become unnecessary when the effort to collect the penny for the week's groceries (the room full of furniture, the house, the [fill in the blank]) is more than the penny is worth
By abundantly replacing the money with what it represents (meaningful energy expended), the need for money dissipates and there is no motive to promote consumerism. There is no motive to create cheap, breakable goods to ensure future sales. There is no motive to solve issues the cheapest or most profitable way. There is no motive to steal - if One wants it, another can be had for the asking on the web. There is no motive to defraud. There is no motive to silence discoveries. There is no motive to hide cures. There is no motive to do what does not give One bliss.
But surely there are plenty Whose bliss is solving problems. Plenty Whose bliss is creating robots. Plenty Whose bliss is programming. Plenty Whose bliss is researching. Plenty Whose bliss is helping Others. Plenty Whose bliss is building. Plenty Whose bliss is creating art. Plenty Whose bliss is teaching. Plenty Whose bliss is any endeavor robots can't handle.
There WILL be motive to better the world - Those who contribute will earn appreciation, thanks, gratitude, name recognition and Self satisfaction. Instill a Betterment Ethic in place of the work "ethic" (a slave's ethic - enrich others with One's Human energy).
"From Each according to BLISS; to Each according to DESIRE."
So if One wants to be a couch potato... Heh. No problem!
Clearly We must spread this information. Widely. Below is a link to a petition, but if You choose to sign it, don’t stop there. Share it. Email it to friends and family, tweet it often on Twitter, post it to the Hotel Califacebook and on forums You visit. Become proactive and maintain the proactivity. If We all do this, We can make this planet a far better place than it is now.
To sign a petition for the release of electrogravitics technology:
http://www.change.org/petitions/us-military-release-the-technology-of-electrogravitics
More detail on the simple chaos seed for a society with free energy: http://bit.ly/I5TriH
Twitter: @AmaterasuSolarby Amaterasu Solar
Let Us presume a world where free energy is available to all.... more
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Beautifully shot and interweaving interviews with scenes from soy fields in Paraguay, Raising Resistance explores Latin American farmers’ struggle against the expanding production of genetically modified soy in South America. Biotechnology, mechanisation, and herbicides have radically changed the lives of small farmers in Latin America. For farmers in Paraguay this means displacement from their land, loss of basic food supplies, and a veritable fight for survival. Geronimo Arevelos and a group of small farmers stand defiantly in a corporate-owned soy field adjacent to his own, blocking a tractor from spraying herbicides that will decimate his crops and expose nearby families to toxic chemicals. As corporate farms seize farmland and rapidly expand production of genetically modified soy, Geronimo and the campesinos find themselves in a life and death struggle. Raising Resistance illustrates the mechanisms of a global economy that relies on ‘monocrop’ agriculture and corporate ownership of land. In telling the story of Paraguay, Raising Resistance poses the larger question of whether the global community wants to go on living with a system that allows one crop to prosper at the expense of all others.
(Official Selection International Documentary Festival Amsterdam 2011)Beautifully shot and interweaving interviews with scenes from soy fields in Paraguay,... more
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India's Bt cotton dream is going terribly wrong.
For the first time, farmer suicides, including those in 2011-12, have been linked to the declining performance of the much hyped genetically modified (GM) variety adopted by 90% of the country's cotton-growers since being allowed a decade ago.
Policymakers have hailed Bt cotton as a success story but a January 9 internal advisory, a copy of which is with HT, sent out to cotton-growing states by the agriculture ministry presents a grim scenario.
“Cotton farmers are in a deep crisis since shifting to Bt cotton. The spate of farmer suicides in 2011-12 has been particularly severe among Bt cotDREAM CROP OR A YARN?
`Bollgard Bt cotton' is a GM variety first developed by biotech firm Monsanto Monsanto commercialised the Bt cotton technology in 1996 in the US Mahyco (Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company, India) entered into agreement with Monsanto to import the technology into India and commercial approval was given on April 5, 2002 ton farmers,“ says the advisory.
Bt cotton's success, it appears, lasted merely five years. Since then, yields have been falling and pest attacks going up. India's only GM crop has been genetically altered to destroy cottoneating pests.
For farmers, rising costs -in the form of pesticides -have not matched returns, pushing many to the brink, financially and otherwise. Simply put, Bt cotton is no more as profitable as it used to be.
“In fact cost of cotton cultivation has jumped...due to rising costs of pesticides. Total Bt cotton production in the last five years has reduced,“ says the advisory.
This could have larger implications for Asia's third-largest economy where rural prosperity has been a key driver of overall growth.
The note is based on observations from the Indian Council of Agricultural Sciences, which administers farm science, and the Central Cotton Research Institute, the country's top cotton research facility.
Yet, officials HT spoke to either denied or downplayed the advisory. Swapan Kumar Dutta, India's deputy director-general of crop science, said he had no knowledge of the note and that Bt cotton continued to drive India's cotton production.
He could neither “confirm nor deny“ that such a note had been sent, said Prabeer Kumar Basu, the agriculture secretary.
Of the nine cotton-growing states, Maharashtra has seen the largest number of farmer suicides. In the state's Vidarbha region, a cottongrowing belt comprising six districts, 209 farmers committed suicides in 2011 due to “agrarian causes“.
In February 2010, the environment ministry put an indefinite moratorium on Bt brinjal, India's first GM food crop, days after the country's biotech regulator cleared it for cultivation.
Among many reasons, the ministry said it was “necessary to review“ the performance of Bt cotton first.India's Bt cotton dream is going terribly wrong.
For the first time, farmer... more
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10 years of Bt Cotton – False Hype and Failed Promises Exposed
Coalition for a GM-Free India, March 21 2012
http://indiagminfo.org/?p=393
The false hype and failed promises of Bt cotton in India were exposed by the Coalition for GM-Free India with a special report released in a press conference here today. As the 10th anniversary of Bt cotton's regulatory approval in India approaches, the Coalition, using data from government institutions, highlighted that the hype around Bt cotton as revolutionizing the cotton production in India is clearly wrong.
Closer examination of the data from the last 10 years negates the two important claims of dramatic yield increase and significant fall in pesticide usage. The report clearly exposes the dark side of the Bt cotton story – stagnant yields, pest resistance, new pest and disease attacks, the need for high levels of expensive farm inputs and the spate of tragic farmer suicides in the cotton belt.
In the face of aggressive PR campaign by the biotechnology industry which is being uncritically accepted by the government and regulators, the Coalition said, "This is a wake-up call for the Government, Parliamentarians, policy-makers, farmer organizations and media to closely examine the crisis in the cotton belt and critically re-assess the 10 years of Bt cotton. The government should stop promoting Bt cotton and pro-actively advise farmers about its unsuitability and risks."
The cotton farmers are in deep crisis after ten years of Bt cotton. The spate of farmer suicides in 2011-12 has been particularly severe among Bt cotton farmers. The extensive crop failure has exposed the false hype and advertising, often repeated by policymakers and regulators. In Andhra Pradesh, state government estimates show that out of 47 lakh acres planted with Bt cotton during Kharif 2011 season, the crop failed in 33.73 lakh acres (71% of the area). The state government reported that 20.46 lakh farmers suffered from cotton crop failure and lost Rs.3071.6 cr. In Maharasthra, the cotton crisis forced the government to take the unprecedented step of declaring Rs. 2000 cr. as compensation (the estimated loss is Rs.10,000 cr.). The cotton production estimates had to be downgraded despite the large expansion in cotton cultivation area.
Presenting some of the analysis, Kiran Vissa, co-convener of the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) said, "The real yield gains in the past decade (from 278 kg/ha to 470 kg/ha) happened from 2000-01 to 2004-05, i.e. when Bt cotton area reached only 5.6% of the total cotton area. From 2005-06 to 2011-12, when the Bt cotton area grew to exceed 90% of the total cotton area, there is no sustained yield gain – only going from 470 kg/ha to 481 kg/ha. It is the pre-Bt cotton yield gains that have proved to be stable, resulting from various factors including fresh land brought under cotton cultivation, expansion of irrigation and use of high-yielding hybrids." The report also refers to the statement of Dr. K.R. Kranthi, Director of Central Institute for Cotton Research(CICR), "The main issue that worries stakeholders is the stagnation of productivity at an average of 500 kg lint per ha for the past seven years. The gains have been stagnant and unaffected by the increase in area of Bt cotton from 5.6% in 2004 to 85% in 2010."
Regarding pest protection, scientific studies and the company statements show that the target pest bollworm has developed tolerance to Bt cotton, whereas secondary pests like mealy bugs and whiteflies which were hitherto unseen are causing major damage. At the farmer level, pesticide spraying quickly went back to pre-Bt levels after the first three years. Data from Directorate of Plant Protection for six major cotton-growing states shows that in Maharashtra with the largest Bt cotton cultivation area, there has been a steep increase in pesticide volume (3198 MT in 2005-06 to 4639 MT in 2009-10) whereas in four other states (Gujarat, M.P., Punjab, Karnataka) there is a marginal increase. The only decline is in A.P., possibly due to the successful campaign against pesticide use by the government’s Non-Pesticidal Management (NPM) program. At the national level, even in the peak expansion years of Bt cotton, the pesticide usage increased by 10%. This is despite the heavy increase in use of more powerful low-volume pesticides during the same period, which should have reduced the total volumes. This shows that Bt technology is a false solution to the pesticide problem – the NPM methods which eliminate pesticide usage completely have been successfully demonstrated in states like A.P. in large-scale government programs while the Bt technology with all its risks, at best reduces pesticide usage temporarily for a given target pest.
Official information shows that Bt cotton requires more inputs in terms of fertilizers and irrigation, and is particularly susceptible to rainfall shortage at peak bolling period. The costs of cultivation have gone up significantly after the introduction of Bt cotton, leading to increased risk and debt for small farmers. The Coalition’s report also criticizes the false and unethical advertising by the companies like Mahyco-Monsanto whose advertisements were pulled up by Advertising Standards Council of India, earlier this year.
NOTE: The new report is here:
http://indiagminfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bt-Cotton-False-Hype-and-Failed-Promises-Final.pdf
More at the link
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_18y9F0sPOI/TdIEc4UA1GI/AAAAAAAABEA/xp8fIIcCwNU/s1600/BT-Cotton-CIRAD.jpg10 years of Bt Cotton – False Hype and Failed Promises Exposed
Coalition for a... more
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I might presume that most of You are aware of the Venus Project and the Zeitgeist Movement - if not, search the web, as there is much information. What Jacque Fresco and Peter Joseph, the founders of these movements respectively, fail to grasp, in Each's approach to a "resource based economy" is that the planet We live on is vastly abundant, and the universe offers incalculable amounts of energy.
As all economies of today are based on energy, with money needed to account for the meaningful energy expended, adding abundant energy eliminates the need for an economy as We presently know it.
(For more on the basis of economies in an energy-scarce world, see My blog: http://amaterasu101.tumblr.com/)
Adding overunity in a form drawing on the "dark" energy of the universe allows the elimination of an economy altogether, in any sense We Humans grasp as an economy today. As resource abundance and energy abundance flow, the economy will become a social one, not resource-based.
Released to follow One's bliss, We all will place value, not on resources, but on reputation.
To illustrate this I will offer an example of a painter - but this could be a scientist, an architect, a programmer, a robotics expert, or any other bliss-driven activity that offers betterment.
In the abundance paradigm, Our artist may order Her brushes, paints and canvases (all created by robots and any whose bliss it is to create these things) from the web, delivered to Her by robots (or, should there be any, One whose bliss it is to deliver things...).
She blissfully paints as Her heart leads Her, spending as much time as She chooses - She has no deadline - in completing Her work. Once She is satisfied that the painting is done, She photographs it and emails the picture to Her "followers." She may have a small list or a very large list. She may post the picture on websites to build Her list of followers (Her reputation).
Those who like and want Her painting will contact Her and then She may ask questions, seeking the highest appreciation of Her work (Her "payment" in the form of appreciation). Eventually, She decides on the recipient of Her piece, sending it via robot to the One She feels most appreciates Her efforts.
Those who appreciate Her work leave glowing comments at Her site...
The resources are not the base of the economy; the social aspects of reputation, appreciation, name recognition, lauds, Self-satisfaction, and so on are what the "economy" will be based on. Though resources are needed to facilitate abundance, they are not the basis of economy in abundance.
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So sign a petition for the release of the "free energy" technology of electrogravitics, click here:
http://chn.ge/AouRTZI might presume that most of You are aware of the Venus Project and the Zeitgeist... more
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"Why hasn't the problem of honey laundering made more of an impact on national media outlets over the course of the past ten years? Why have they been, with a few exceptions, relegated to local news pieces replete with honey jokes?""Why hasn't the problem of honey laundering made more of an impact on... more
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Electrogravitics... This technology was being developed and tested in all major aerospace companies in the 1950's. Martin, Convair, Lear, Sperry, Raytheon, and many others all were eagerly studying electrogravitics. But in 1959 or early 1960, the technology became highly classified and the path to energy abundance was stymied. Here is a basic description of electrogravitics:
First One has to understand that the model offered by Einstein is flawed... There are other models. There is one in particular...
The model, which I say is a far better one than relativity, is subquantum kinetics (SQK). Its developer, Dr. Paul A. LaViolette (an interesting character, to say the least), started with chemical kinetics (as above, so below?) and came up with SQK, being very concerned by its gravitational predictions. He had not heard of the Biefeld-Brown Effect, nor the work of T. Townsend Brown. He struggled with these predictions until He encountered Brown's work, discovering that SQK predicted exactly what Brown was showing experimentally.
Why is SQK better than relativity?
It takes no element on faith: Einstien's relativity is based on the faith that matter somehow "bends" space-time. Nowhere does He explain (or even try to) HOW or WHY this might be. One just has to take it on faith.
It explains things without the need for "renormalization;" relativity ends in infinities without this mathematical fudge.
It integrates EM with gravity. Einstein Himself died still trying to do so.
And it still predicts things like the lensing of light, the apparent time dilation, and all other predictions of relativity, plus more - all of which are testable (string theory is 100% untestable).
In fact, many of the mysteries of Einsteinian mathematics are predicted in SQK.
I recommend reading a book called Secrets of Antigravity Propulsion, by Dr. LaViolette, for more on the Biefeld-Brown Effect, Brown's work, electrogravitics, SQK, and more. It can be read here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47447158/secrets-of-antigravity-propulsion-pdf-november-11-2010-11-21-pm-28-7-meg
In SQK, positively charged particles have a positive gravity potential "well." Negatively charged particles have a negative gravity potential "hill." The positive particle's "well" is just the smallest fraction bigger than the negative "hill," accounting for the apparent weakness of gravity, where essentially even amounts of positively charged and negatively charged particles make up common matter, and in quantities as big as the earth, say, offer a slight "well" overall, thus explaining why We are aware of gravity at all.
The Biefeld-Brown Effect was discovered when it was noted that a dielectric with electrodes attached at either end, would lose weight when charged if the positive pole was pointed upwards on a scale, and gain weight when reversed. Higher voltage increased this effect. Study showed that the higher the K of the dielectric, the more pronounced the weight changes became, as well. Asymmetrical electrodes increased the effect. Also, a non-linear dielectric produced greater changes than a linear one. With high K, non-linear dielectrics, a substantial force could be observed, even to the point of levitation and a local gravity field was induced.
If, say, four devices were placed on a cross, each oriented 90° to the center and pointing in the same direction relative to that center, and a shaft was set at center and into a generator, when small amounts of energy are used at high voltage on the units, the resulting rotation will induce a greater output at the generator than the input to the units. Overunity is achieved.
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To sign a petition for the release of electrogravitics from black projects, please sign this petition and spread the information. If We can reach the tipping point of awareness, We can demand this technology:
http://www.change.org/petitions/us-military-release-the-technology-of-electrograviticsElectrogravitics... This technology was being developed and tested in all major... more
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From this site:
http://12160.info/group/we-hate-tar-sand-oil-and-we-support-john-bolenboug
[quote]In July , the Summer of 2010, over 1 millions gallons of tar sand oil were spilled http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38435210/ns/us_news-environment/t/pipeline-leak-pollutes-major-michigan-river/#.TzG5ysgrzKQ
into the Kalamazoo River in Calhoun County area, including Marshall, Kalamazoo, and Talmidge Creek.
John Bolenbough was an employee of Enbridge and he was being paid (a handsome wage) to clean up oil. John was fired when he refused to COVER UP OIL with mud, leaves, grass, etc.[/quote]
John has been bringing the truth of the oil debacle and I think any conscientious Human should help, too.
Let everyOne You know have a chance to spread the word, too. Send the link on!
Thank You!From this site:... more
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Now this is very strange... Since the beginning of February, 2012, forty - let Me restate... FORTY - CEO's, bank heads, and other major bankster-types have left Their jobs or announced Their plans to do so.
According to http://wakeup-world.com/2012/02/23/february-fever-why-are-major-ban... there are these on the list:
(1) 9/25/11 (SWITZERLAND) Bank chief resigns over ?1.5bn rogue trader crisis
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2041385/Oswald-Gruebel-resigns-UBS-boss-steps-Kweku-Adoboli-trading-scandal.html
(2) 10/29/11 (CHINA) Resignations Suggest Shift for China’s Banks
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203687504577003734190522426.html
(3) 11/01/12 (INDIA) More directors of the Beed district bank resign
http://www.thenews.coop/article/more-directors-beed-district-bank-resign
(4) 11/21/11 (JAPAN) UBS?s Japan Investment Banking Chairman Matsui to Resign
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-22/ubs-s-japan-investment-banking-chairman-yasuki-matsui-to-resign.html
(5) 11/29/11 (Iran) Iran’s Bank Melli CEO Resigns Over Loan Scam
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xlcznz_iran-s-bank-melli-ceo-resigns-over-loan-scam_news
(6) 12/15/11 (UNITED KINGDOM) Senior private banker resigns from Coutts [a very exclusive private bank]
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/15/coutts-fleming-idUSL6E7NF23S20111215
(7) 12/22/11 (FRANCE) Societe Generale?s Investment Banking Chief Steps Down
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/socgens-investment-banking-chief-steps-down/
12/23/11 (USA VA) Bank feud: Chairman Giles quits VNB with other directors
http://www.readthehook.com/102524/bank-feud-chairman-giles-quits-vnb-other-directors
(8) 1/05/12 (UNITED KINGDOM) Chief executive of Saunderson House [Private Bank] steps down
http://www.ftadviser.com/2012/01/05/ifa-industry/people/saunderson-house-chief-executive-steps-down-M0vEWlpbSqKA3OCLZDCcGM/article.html
(9)1/09/12 (SWITZERLAND) Switzerland’s central bank chief resigns
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/01/201219145612935171.html
(10) 1/12/12 (United Kingdom) Lloyds? head of wholesale quits
http://www.bankingtimes.co.uk/2012/02/01/lloyds-head-of-wholesale-quits/
(11) 1/19/12 (SPAIN) Spanish bank Santander’s Americas chief quits
http://www.expatica.com/es/news/spanish-news/spanish-bank-santander-s-americas-chief-quits_202395.html
(12) 1/30/12 (UNITED KINGDOM) Head Of UK Private Bank Steps Down [Butterfield Private Bank]
http://www.wealthbriefing.com/html/article.php?title=Head_Of_UK_Private_Bank_Steps_Down&id=43933
(13) 1/20/12 (JAPAN) Normura’s head of wholesale banking quits
http://www.euromoney.com/Article/2959021/Nomuras-head-of-wholesale-banking-quits.html
(14) 1/29/12 (NEW ZEALAND) New Zealand Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard to Step Down in September
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-29/new-zealand-reserve-bank-governor-alan-bollard-to-step-down-in-september.html
(15) 1/21/12 (Greece) Banks’ top negotiator quits Greece, but talks go on
http://www.france24.com/en/20120121-banks-top-negotiator-quits-greece-but-talks-go
(16) 2/02/12 (VENEZUELA) Key Chavez Minister Resigns Amid Banking Corruption Fallout
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?CategoryId=10717&ArticleId=348565
(17) 2/05/12 (USA – NY) Two Top Morgan Stanley Bankers Resign
http://www.stockbroker-fraud.com/lawyer-attorney-1133774.html
(18) 2/06/12 (INDIA) Dhanlaxmi Bank CEO Amitabh Chaturvedi quits:
http://www.livemint.com/2012/02/06160111/Dhanlaxmi-Bank-CEO-Amitabh-Cha.html
(19) 2/07/12 (INDIA) Falguni Nayar quits Kotak Mahindra Bank
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-02-07/news/31031134_1_kotak-mahindra-bank-falguni-nayar-shanti-ekambaram
(20) 2/07/12 (IRAN) Iran denies central bank resignation rumor (don’t believe until its denied?)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/iran-denies-central-bank-resignation-164154294.html
(21) 2/09/12 (VATICAN) Four Priests Charged In Vatican Banking Scandal
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-09/europe/31040509_1_anti-money-laundering-law-vatican-finances-italian-tv
(22) 2/10/12 (KOREA) Korea Exchange Bank chief steps down
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2012/02/10/0503000000AEN20120210005100320.HTML
(23) 2/10/12 (INDIA) Tamilnad Mercantile Bank CEO resigns
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/tamilnad-mercantile-bank-md-resigns/464259/
(24) 2/13/12 (KUWAIT) Kuwait Central Bank CEO resigns
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/kuwait-central-bank-chief-resigns-amid-political-tensions/2012/02/13/gIQAcxrOAR_story.html
(25) 2/14/12 (NICARAQUA) Nicaraqua Central Bank Pres Rosales resigns
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-14/nicaragua-central-bank-head-quits-amid-row.html
(26) 2/14/12 (UNITED KINGDOM) Social finance pioneer Hayday steps down from Charity Bank
http://www.socialenterpriselive.com/section/news/people/20120214/social-finance-pioneer-hayday-steps-down-charity-bank
(27) 2/15/12 World Bank CEO Zoellick resigns
http://business.time.com/2012/02/15/world-bank-president-zoellick-resigns/
Did the White House tell the World Bank president that he’s out?
http://bosco.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/02/15/did_the_white_house_tell_the_world_bank_president_that_hes_out
(28) 2/15/12 (SLOVENIA) Slovenia TWO largest Banks CEO’s (2) resign
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-15/slovenia-s-nova-kreditna-banka-maribor-ceo-plos-resigns.html
(29) 2/15/12 (KENYA) Governor of Kenyan Central Bank to Resign
http://www.centralbanking.com/central-banking/news/2152753/parliamentary-committee-calls-kenyan-governor-resign
(30) 2/16/12 (GHANA) Ken Ofori-Atta steps down as Executive Chair of Databank Group
http://business.thinkghana.com/pages/finance/201202/57429.php
(31) 2/16/12 (SAUDI ARABIA) Saudi Hollandi Banks Managing Director Quits
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ZVfFZypqVIcJ:www.a1saudiarabia.com/4489-saudi-hollandi-banks-md-quits/+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
(32) 2/16/12 (AUSTRALIA) Anz Bank CFO Australia resigns
http://www.proformative.com/news/1470243/cfo-anz-bank-resigns-amid-turmoill
(33) 2/16/12 (UNITED KINGDOM) Royal Bank of Scotland Bankers Arrested
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financial-crime/9086930/Senior-bankers-caught-up-in-film-investment-tax-probe.html
(34) 2/16/12 (AUSTRALIA) Royal Bank of Scotland Austrailan CEO Stephen Williams resigns
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/andrew-chick-to-lead-royal-bank-of-scotlands-australian-arm/story-fnay3vxj-1226272513981
(35) 2/17/12 (USA) Blankfein out as Goldman Sachs CEO by summer
http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/02/17/gary-cohn-goldman-sachs/
(36) 2/17/12 (SWITZERLAND) SNB Council President To Leave Central Bank
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120217-710604.html
(37) 2/18/12 (PAKISTAN) AJK Bank?s executive steps down
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/18-Feb-2012/ajk-bank-s-executive-steps-down?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online%2F24hours-news+%28The+Nation+%3A+Latest+News%29
(38) 2/20/12 (RUSSIA) Head of Russian Bank Regulator Steps Down
http://newsley.com/articles/head-of-russian-bank-regulator-steps-down/206711
(39) 2/20/12 (SWITZERLAND) Credit Suisse Chief Joseph Tan resigns
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-20/credit-suisse-s-private-bank-chief-asian-economist-tan-resigns.html
(40) 2/20/12 (USA) R. David Land Submits Resignation from the Boards of Directors of Peoples Bancorporation, Inc. and Seneca National Bank
http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=25695731
All this leaves One to wonder what's up. Are They all quitting so as not to be missed when the excrement hits the air-moving device? When the elite duck into Their comfy li'l bunkers? To Me, this is disturbing, to say the least.Now this is very strange... Since the beginning of February, 2012, forty - let Me... more
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In order to understand the very basis of money, it is best to contemplate how it developed in the first place. Once society developed past the clan stage, when barter, trade and so forth arose, it became the practice to place value on the products of Human energy expended. If One used One's energy to build a bow, go out hunting, kill an animal, process the carcass, and transport the meat back to be traded or bartered for, this gave that meat value. The bow components were free, as was the animal. The same was true for the farmer, who expended meaningful energy in tilling, sowing, tending, harvesting, and, if need be, transporting what that farmer produced. The produce had value. Even the gatherer expended meaningful energy in seeking things to gather and transporting the find back to be used as "money" for other things. The miner expended the meaningful energy to find the (free) ore, hew it out of the earth, and transport it.
From these beginnings, the practice of using coin and other objects arose to represent this meaningful energy expended when transporting large amounts of goods, as well as needing something anOther had but not having the specific thing the Other wanted, became problematic. And from this, Humans went on to bills, when coins and jewels and other objects became too cumbersome. And lately, We have added electronic funds, as even bills are cumbersome in million unit, billion unit and trillion unit transactions.
But the foundation of all these monetary units is the meaningful energy expended, whether Human or external (oil, coal, nuclear, etc.) energy.
Given this, it becomes clear that an addition of abundant energy - in the form of overunity ("free energy") and robotics (to replace Human energy in necessary work no One wants to do), the need for money in any form - barter, trade, work exchange, coin, bills, electronic funds... - becomes unnecessary.
If one removes the cost of the energy - Human and external - all down the line, what is left is freely given by this planet We inhabit.
Now, of course, many would say, "But there IS no "overunity" to be had!" And in that, They would be incorrect. There have been many solutions to energy production and distribution which have been avidly suppressed and hidden by the power elite. They are fully aware that, by adding energy which is free, Their power over others, in the form of money, will dissipate, leaving Each to control Self but no Others. Though there are examples of things such as cars that run on water, extracting energy from the planet's magnetic field, and so on that have had patents bought and buried, or threats to lives (of the inventors Themselves as well as Their families), to actual murders, I know of one such technology that not only offers overunity but also gravity control. And, unlike most of these other examples, is negentropic (negative entropy) in its function. Cooling is seen in this technology, as opposed to heating.
That science/technology is electrogravitics.
Back in the 1950's, electrogravitics, with the Biefeld-Brown Effect as its foundation, was being pursued at all the major aerospace companies: Lockheed, Boeing, Convair, Lear and many others were excitedly exploring what electrogravitics has to offer. Sometime, around 1959 or early 1960, this work became highly classified, and though ostensibly for its "weaponization" concerns, the true reason it became highly classified was because of its overunity capabilities. The power elite grasped that THAT was the biggest threat to Their continued control.
As a source of energy, electrogravitics is ideal. From it, We can have energy that is free of pollution, is easily constructed, and does not contribute to the entropy of the universe. Because it is so ideal, and because the power elite seem bent on Naziesque control of the planet - with "Patriot" Acts, NDAA's, TSA's, and other fascist enactments - it is vital that the awareness of such technology spread to the tipping point. If We can achieve that, Humanity will demand this tech and free itself from:
● Poverty
● Hunger
● Slavery (outright or wage slavery)
● War (most wars are incited to ensure profit for the war suppliers and "infrastructure rebuilders")
● The control of the many by the few
● The LOVE of money (the root of all evil)
● The need to pay for education (going deeply into debt or forgoing education)
● Products made to fail so as to ensure future sales
● Hidden cures (cures are not a money-maker in the long run; sick People keep paying)
● Spam
● Aggressive advertising
● Focus on the material
● Politics for Self- or special-interest
● GMO for control of food
● Water control
● Hydrofracking, rain forest clearing, oil drilling, coal mining
● Corporations
● Corporate "farmers" paid to NOT produce food (so as to keep the prices inflated through supply and demand)
● Doctors who are more interested in money than patients
● Bankers
● Insurance
● Interweb takeover
● "Voting" machines with proprietary software (why would a simple vote-counting program need to be proprietry??? Why do We accept such things???)
● Waste (presently supermarkets alone throw out hundreds or thousands of tons of food a month, distributing by profit and not need, other waste such as packaging can virtually be eliminated, products will not be made to break so as to ensure future sales)
There's more, but as One can see, just this list is an elimination of most of the problems We presently are beset with.
To the end of achieving the tipping point of awareness, I am offering a petition to the US Military (which presently controls the science of electrogravitics) to release this information. I offer it here in the hopes You sign, and not only that, spread the awareness of what I have presented and of the petition itself.
http://www.change.org/petitions/us-military-release-the-technology-of-electrogravitics
I thank You for reading and for considering My petition.
Twitter: @AmaterasuSolar http://www.tumblr.com/blog/amaterasu101In order to understand the very basis of money, it is best to contemplate how it... more
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Because I need a link:
http://amaterasu101.blogspot.com/2011/03/let-us-forgive.html
Let Us Forgive.
Let Us forgive the Down Trodden, who are reviled because They “take advantage of the system.”
Let Us forgive the Power Elite who choose to create the Down Trodden by hiding technology and news.
Let us forgive the Toadies, who know They behave unethically, but the money and status lure Them astray.
Let us forgive the Slaves, who have but a piece of the total picture and dutifully fulfill Their Work ethic tasks in return for some time They think is free.
Let Us forgive the Stars, the Ones who show Us what Others want Us to see.
Let Us forgive the Influences who see Beings of Human construction as cattle or sheep.
Let Us forgive the Influences who have held so little faith in Beings of Human construction.
Let Us forgive the Liars, whether Down Trodden, Power Elite, Toadie, Slave, Star or Influence.
Let Us forgive the Incurious, who reject much data and do not investigate.
Let Us forgive Those amongst Us who do not believe as We do in matters of the Spirit.
Let Us forgive Beings born of a different nature than Ourselves, be the difference in preferences, physical configuration, capacity, ideology, coloration, or status – within the Three Laws.
Let Us, instead, stand both tall and humble – tall in the knowledge that We are true Beings who are capable of Love, and humble in the awareness that We are equal to all Others.
Let Us show We are worthy of forgiveness and want Our place as equals by forgiving Our equals.
Petition for the release of electrogravitics, to free Humanity of hunger, poverty, war, and the control of the power elite:
http://www.change.org/petitions/us-military-release-the-technology-of-electrograviticsBecause I need a link:
http://amaterasu101.blogspot.com/2011/03/let-us-forgive.html... more
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Continued from Part 1 - http://current.com/community/93670291_the-end-of-entropy-part-1.htm
If we insist that all farming be organic – in its true sense, and not some trumped up legal definition – our food will grow ever better. If we insist that mining is done with a conscious awareness for retaining beauty and structure, our impact will be small and repairable. If we insist that manufacturing be done such that it is free of pollutants, our planet will remain healthy and abundant. If we are using the Plenum Energy, the energy we use will be clean (and fracture drilling, oil pumping, coal mining, rain forest clearing and other nasty behaviors and consequences associated with petrofuels will be eliminated). If we set this parameter of the seed with the drive to be thoughtful of our planet, our planet will thrive.
If we demand open-source in all technology, we remove fears of machines “taking over.” Code can be looked at, published on the web – and better code will be worked out by those whose bliss it is to program things. A distrust of proprietary code (or any other hidden thing) should be promoted. Such a setting in this parameter of the seed will bring forth the best we can create.
By creating robots to do all the necessary work no one (or not enough people) wants to, we release ourselves to do what we enjoy – we are released from slavery, having cast it off onto our machines. This seed parameter is one only now available to humanity. Never before in our history have we had the option to create mechanical slaves for every “dirty job.” Therefore, it, along with the addition of a negentropic energy source, will provide a frame for unique emergence, a new societal framework, a new consciousness.
With a central website, in forum style, to address major issues – divided into local sections, regional sections and global sections, with “votes” at a certain level elevating the problems and solutions to the next level to be voted on by a greater number – we can collectively coordinate to solve the issues of this planet. This seed parameter will see an emergence of human unity as a race and as a planet.
Setting a focus of fulfilling one’s own bliss, exchanging the “work ethic” for a Betterment Ethic, will see very much happier people, and far better results of efforts made – a job is done far better by someone who loves to do it than by one who feels compelled against their main desire. No job will be required to live well, but any job one wants to do is open to be done. I quote again from Rifkin’s [u]Entropy[/u] (p. 210) to illustrate the differences between the scarcity paradigm and the new abundance paradigm, as it relates to work:
[quote]… [T]he authoritarian structure of the workplace robs the individual worker of a chance to join in a community with his fellows to make decisions and develop his talents. Unable to join with others to explore his potential and creativity, the individual is forced to retreat into a shell in which he has neither meaningful rights nor responsibilities at his work. All he is left with is a job, a place to make money, and a degrading environment to which he must submit, eight hours of every day.[/quote]
Thus we can see how a seed parameter of encouraging one to follow one’s bliss – since in this new paradigm one can – uplifts each one of us and increases the value of consciousness in society.
Having described the seed, how might it be expected to manifest? One of the first products that is likely to be seen are “power boxes,” which will be sold, initially. These would be units that had a mechanism to draw on the Plenum Energy and outlets to plug in our air conditioners, stoves, heaters, refrigerators, freezers, and so forth. This would allow us to move anywhere and bring our comfort items with us. We could “go camping” and still have our amenities, and many will. Eventually these items will each have their own units within.
As the cost of energy is removed from the production line at every stage, things will become less and less expensive, and at some point, will be given freely.
Other observables will include:
• Money falling into disuse
• Motivation from the heart as opposed to profit
• “Greed” becomes meaningless
• Peace
• Abundance for everyone
• Elimination of corruption
• Power over others supplanted by power over self
• Elimination of GMO’s
• Great reduction in violence
• Creative pursuits increased greatly
• A healed planet
• Reduced or eliminated hoarding
• Value placed on human-created art, textiles and products
• Focus on cures, not patentable chemicals that sicken for profit motive
• Human interaction with only those whose company is enjoyable (reduced social friction)
• Robotic stewardship of the planet
• Increased love and compassion
• Greatly reduced stress
• Wondrous works
• “Live and let live” behavior
• Most “laws” become unnecessary
• Corporate power eliminated
• Products made to last – no “planned obsolescence”
• Waste reduced to virtually nil
• Food nutrition increased for all
• One’s reputation becomes the “coin” one uses
• Personal responsibility for one’s own behavior
• Spiritual growth
• Slavery (outright or wage-slavery) abolished
• Human dignity encouraged
• Increase in charitable behavior
• Self autonomy
• Things are done because someone cares – from raising children to caring for others
From this list, it is clear that many issues we now face will be solved. Wealth will be measured in richness of character, rather than in deposits to a bank account. And we will spend our time doing what we like to do, being with the people we like and share interests with. Inventions, rather than being suppressed, will burgeon, and the “Star Trek universe” may be within our grasp, with things like transporters and replicators emerging.
And spiritual growth and communication will be encouraged as we find a greater amount of our time available to pursue the exploration of our inner dimension.
And though this is not a solution to every issue arising from human interaction – we will always have our personal disagreements – the overall health of society will skyrocket. Yes, we may still argue with others over the smaller issues in our lives, and some may choose to behave violently, but the numbers of occurrences will drop to a level we would consider statistically insignificant. Definitely a vast improvement over what we see today.
When you consider what I present here, ask yourself these questions:
Does this threaten a pet vision – passing laws, say, to solve a problem you see, or a view of striking it rich – that you have of your future? Does this scare you? Do you look for reasons that it won’t work? (All you envision as barrier issues – are scarcity paradigm views…)
Then ask yourself why working towards what I present here won’t solve the issue you want to solve, why you wouldn’t be rich in what I show to you, why it wouldn’t fulfill your idea of heaven, why you are afraid, and/or why you look for reasons it won’t work – rather than apply the proactive will to make this happen.
If we each choose to create this, since we have all it would take, consciously co-creating towards this goal, what I present would happen. It would take enough of us reaching a tipping point before it would all be downhill, and you may choose your future behavior. Speak for abundance, or reduce the chances that this will ever happen by keeping silent.
In closing, I recommend any who work for someone else and also are privy to information (such as methods of extracting usable energy from the plenum) give strong consideration to coming forth with what is known. In the end, you and all of us will be better off – and even today’s power elite will retain their life style, if not their power over us.Continued from Part 1 -... more
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Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans — nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.
The latest census data depict a middle class that's shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government's safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of workers and families.
"Safety net programs such as food stamps and tax credits kept poverty from rising even higher in 2010, but for many low-income families with work-related and medical expenses, they are considered too 'rich' to qualify," said Sheldon Danziger, a University of Michigan public policy professor who specializes in poverty.
"The reality is that prospects for the poor and the near poor are dismal," he said. "If Congress and the states make further cuts, we can expect the number of poor and low-income families to rise for the next several years."
Congressional Republicans and Democrats are sparring over legislation that would renew a Social Security payroll tax cut, part of a year-end political showdown over economic priorities that could also trim unemployment benefits, freeze federal pay and reduce entitlement spending.
snip
Mayors in 29 cities say more than 1 in 4 people needing emergency food assistance did not receive it. Many middle-class Americans are dropping below the low-income threshold — roughly $45,000 for a family of four — because of pay cuts, a forced reduction of work hours or a spouse losing a job. Housing and child-care costs are consuming up to half of a family's income.
States in the South and West had the highest shares of low-income families, including Arizona, New Mexico and South Carolina, which have scaled back or eliminated aid programs for the needy. By raw numbers, such families were most numerous in California and Texas, each with more than 1 million.
The struggling Americans include Zenobia Bechtol, 18, in Austin, Texas, who earns minimum wage as a part-time pizza delivery driver. Bechtol and her 7-month-old baby were recently evicted from their bedbug-infested apartment after her boyfriend, an electrician, lost his job in the sluggish economy.
After an 18-month job search, Bechtol's boyfriend now works as a waiter and the family of three is temporarily living with her mother.
"We're paying my mom $200 a month for rent, and after diapers and formula and gas for work, we barely have enough money to spend," said Bechtol, a high school graduate who wants to go to college. "If it weren't for food stamps and other government money for families who need help, we wouldn't have been able to survive."
About 97.3 million Americans fall into a low-income category, commonly defined as those earning between 100 and 199 percent of the poverty level, based on a new supplemental measure by the Census Bureau that is designed to provide a fuller picture of poverty. Together with the 49.1 million who fall below the poverty line and are counted as poor, they number 146.4 million, or 48 percent of the U.S. population. That's up by 4 million from 2009, the earliest numbers for the newly developed poverty measure.
The new measure of poverty takes into account medical, commuting and other living costs. Doing that helped push the number of people below 200 percent of the poverty level up from 104 million, or 1 in 3 Americans, that was officially reported in September.
Broken down by age, children were most likely to be poor or low-income — about 57 percent — followed by seniors over 65. By race and ethnicity, Hispanics topped the list at 73 percent, followed by blacks, Asians and non-Hispanic whites.
Even by traditional measures, many working families are hurting.
Following the recession that began in late 2007, the share of working families who are low income has risen for three straight years to 31.2 percent, or 10.2 million. That proportion is the highest in at least a decade, up from 27 percent in 2002, according to a new analysis by the Working Poor Families Project and the Population Reference Bureau, a nonprofit research group based in Washington.
Among low-income families, about one-third were considered poor while the remainder — 6.9 million — earned income just above the poverty line. Many states phase out eligibility for food stamps, Medicaid, tax credit and other government aid programs for low-income Americans as they approach 200 percent of the poverty level.
The majority of low-income families — 62 percent — spent more than one-third of their earnings on housing, surpassing a common guideline for what is considered affordable. By some census surveys, child-care costs consume close to another one-fifth.
Paychecks for low-income families are shrinking. The inflation-adjusted average earnings for the bottom 20 percent of families have fallen from $16,788 in 1979 to just under $15,000, and earnings for the next 20 percent have remained flat at $37,000. In contrast, higher-income brackets had significant wage growth since 1979, with earnings for the top 5 percent of families climbing 64 percent to more than $313,000.
A survey of 29 cities conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors being released Thursday points to a gloomy outlook for those on the lower end of the income scale.
More at the linkSqueezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans — nearly 1 in 2... more
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If there is one thing I know, it’s that the 1% loves a crisis.
When people are panicked and desperate and no one seems to know what to do, that is the ideal time to push through their wish-list of pro-corporate policies: privatizing education and social security, slashing public services, getting rid of the last constraints on corporate power. Amidst the economic crisis, this is happening the world over.
There is only one thing that can block this tactic, and fortunately, it’s a very big thing: the 99%.
And that 99% is taking to the streets from Madison to Madrid to say “No. We will not pay for your crisis.” That slogan began in Italy in 2008. It ricocheted to Greece and France and Ireland and finally it has made its way to the square mile where the crisis began. “Why are they protesting?” ask the baffled pundits on TV. Meanwhile, the rest of the world asks: “What took you so long?” “We’ve been wondering when you were going to show up.” And most of all: “Welcome.”
Occupy Wall Street, on the other hand, has chosen a fixed target. And you have put no end date on your presence here. This is wise. Only when you stay put can you grow roots. This is crucial. It is a fact of the information age that too many movements spring up like beautiful flowers but quickly die off. It’s because they don’t have roots. And they don’t have long term plans for how they are going to sustain themselves. So when storms come, they get washed away.
Being horizontal and deeply democratic is wonderful. These principles are compatible with the hard work of building structures and institutions that are sturdy enough to weather the storms ahead. I have great faith that this will happen. Something else this movement is doing right: You have committed yourselves to non-violence. You have refused to give the media the images of broken windows and street fights it craves so desperately
We have picked a fight with the most powerful economic and political forces on the planet. That’s frightening. And as this movement grows from strength to strength, it will get more frightening. Always be aware that there will be a temptation to shift to smaller targets—like, say, the person next to you. Don’t give into the temptation. This time, let’s treat each other as if we plan to work side by side in struggle for many, many years to come. Because the task before will demand nothing less.
Let’s treat this beautiful movement as if it is the most important thing in the world. Because it is. It really is.
.http://tinyurl.com/87r9nlhIf there is one thing I know, it’s that the 1% loves a crisis.
When people are... more
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LOrion
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http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16112805
The record suicide rate among farmers in India continues to rise and is threatening the country's stability and future development, according to campaigners.
They are blaming the government's policies for the agrarian crisis and are demanding it takes urgent action.
More than a quarter of a million farmers have killed themselves in the last 16 years in what is the largest recorded wave of suicides in history.
Kishore Tiwari, a campaigner with the Vidharbha Jan Andolan Samiti in Maharashtra state in central India, says cotton farmers have been particularly badly affected.
Many of them have only just moved to growing cash crops - like cotton - in the last few years.
He says the farmers have taken on large debts to buy hybrid seeds, which are often unsuited to the harsh and temperamental Indian climate.
"They are sold these modern seeds and modern chemicals and have to take on large debts to buy them.
"The problem is they need a lot of water which is in short supply and then when the crop is poor and they have to repay the money lenders, they despair and commit suicide."
Mr Tiwari says the suicides are a symptom of a wider crisis in the countryside.
India's has one of the fastest growing economies in the world but its roots are in the countryside and much of it is being left behind.
In a country with aspirations, moving away from a life of subsistence is attractive but it can also be deadly.
Vandana Moohorle is now bringing up her children alone after her husband killed himself by drinking pesticide.
Like many farmers, he had been persuaded to use genetically modified seeds by the possibility of a better harvest. What he wasn't told was that they needed more rain than the region provided.
His wife blames the government and the large agricultural companies for exploiting the rural poor who dream of a better life.
"He was always tense" she said. "He had borrowed a lot of money for pesticides and fertilizers and now I will have to pay back his debts. Debt is the reason for all the suicides around here and it's the people in charge who are responsible for it."
Across rural India there is now widespread despair. The fields are also filling up with widows.
Activists say it is the other side of India's economic success story.
Beyond the headlines of fast growth, most of the country is still poor and is being left behind by a corrupt political class who are preoccupied with their own greed.
They point to the alarming suicide numbers to prove their point.
More than 60% of India's population still depends on the countryside for survival but with unfettered globalisation and little support from the government, the rural classes are badly exposed.
In the face of rising inflation and with no safety net, the ultimate act of desperation is often their only answer to the new world they live in.
It is a sobering fact but on average one farmer now commits suicide in India every 30 minutes.
And campaigners say the problem will only get worse without direct intervention from the government in the form of subsidies and agricultural educational programmes.http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16112805
The record suicide rate among... more
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If Oregon allows GM sugar beets to be deregulated, we may not stand a chance against full federal deregulation of all GM crops.
(SALEM, Ore.) - A public hearing is being held in Corvallis, Oregon this Thursday, November 17th to determine if Genetically Modified sugar beets will be deregulated in Oregon.
Meanwhile, the public comment period maybe just a local distraction giving way to full federal deregulation without any representation of organic and conventional crop farmers.
Let us not forget that the U.S House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture held a formal hearing on Genetically Modified (GM) Alfalfa on Jan 20, 2011.
The hearing corresponded with an open 30-day comment period, designed to provide relevant testimony with regard to deregulation of Genetically Modified Alfalfa.
The democratic process neglected to include a single organic or conventional farming representative. Throughout the two hour hearing various legislators publicly humiliated the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsak for even suggesting any compromise through talks with the organic and conventional communities. They all but ordered him to stand down his conversations with anyone but pro-GM enthusiasts (1:43:16).
Representatives left no seed unturned in honor of their allegiance to biotech crops and complete penetration into all foreign and domestic markets. In fact, Minnesota's Representative Collin Peterson referred to organic producers and consumers as "our opponents"[1](12:29).
Vilsak, even with his ties to Monsanto, was attempting negotiation with "so called Option 3" containing a minimal stop gap as an alternative to absolute contamination of organic and conventional alfalfa. In essence, planting barriers would have been implemented to maintain protective measures for the integrity of all seed varieties. Legislators blatantly mocked him and even pulled rank, saying that the Secretary of Agriculture does not have the authority to do anything but fully deregulate the crop without further ado. (35:38, 1:25:50, 1:29:15, 2:18:47)
It can be noted that Vilsak testified no less than three times that we were in the midst of the 30 day comment period, and in his opinion, the talks among all sides were providing necessary elements worthy of analysis for all agricultural markets concerned. (29:00, 1:44:00, 1:51:54)
The theme of the hearing centered around the economic burden of GM farmers if full deregulation didn’t go forth immediately (1:44:00). It was insisted by every representative that their loyalties were to the biotech community and that full deregulation was unquestionable without consideration for any form of barrier to protect other crops from cross contamination.
In regard to preservation of non GM crops, Texas Representative Michael Conaway begs the question, "how much of this is a definitional issue"? He questions organic standards and even insists that he "suspects that Genetically Engineered seeds will become the new organic". He blatantly suggests that legislative steps be considered to modify the language and thus re-define organic standards so that Genetically Modified crops can freely contaminate without restriction. He insists that it is merely a marketing issue and not an issue of health and safety. Conaway asks if we are just "hung up on the phrase organic, meaning something we grew ourselves in the backyard with whatever?"(2:33:00).
Concern was expressed by a number of speakers that GM crops are being promoted throughout the world as being no different than conventional crops, and if word got out that we established restrictive planting barriers, then it might be assumed that the GM crops were somehow different. That could put a damper on GM producers and their marketing potential. (30:45, 1:58:17, 2:18:47)
It was apparent, by the end of one sided discussion, that full deregulation and contamination remains unquestionable from the perspective of our democratic leaders. In other words, it is most notably a flagrant case of Contamination without Representation.
If Oregon allows GM sugar beets to be deregulated, we may not stand a chance against full federal deregulation of all GM crops. Public comments are being heard on Thursday from 4 PM – 9 PM at LaSells Stewart Center Construction and Engineering Hall 875 Southwest 26th St., Corvallis, Oregon.
Please see the full length video of the U.S House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture forum on GM Alfalfa, Jan 20 2011.
http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetails.aspx?NewsID=1269If Oregon allows GM sugar beets to be deregulated, we may not stand a chance against... more
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Folks, read this article at wikipedia and do some other collateral reading on the subject. What's happening here in America, is what's happening around the world. The 99% includes everyone on the planet, not just us. We have to stop looking at our circumstances being unique and begin to understand how the pieces all fall together. This is NOT a Democrat/Rethuglican fight. It is the many against the few. The Dems are just as corrupt as the rethuglicans, the only difference is that the 'thuglicans have gone completely off the rails with the Dems not far behind. Recognize this and begin to discuss in those terms.
http://bit.ly/sEufrK
Naomi Klein's book "The Shock Doctrine" is an excellent read.
Read history folks. Our memories of the world tend to begin in the years after our births, so what we "know" really has a very limited context. Unfettered free enterprise sounds like a great and wonderful idea, until you realize that we had it once, before the 30's. We dumped it for the New Deal and for good reason. Read, read, read while you still can, because one day, even that history will be altered to suit the needs of the powers that be.
Read what Thomas Jefferson and James Madison had to say about corporations. They did NOT trust them and for good reason. Look at Chile in the 70's and 80's. Look at Argentina in the same period. Look at what happened in Russia and many of the other former Soviet Republics after the fall of the USSR. Why were Iraq's institutions completely dismantled after the war? So they (banksters) could rebuild the country in their desired image. Watch how the rebuilding of Libya and Egypt mirrors all the countries I've mentioned above. You should be able to see this clearly since its still early. In each and every case, you will see the great mass of wealth sucked into the hands of the few.
Qaddafi was set to receive a humanitarian award from the UN before he was attacked.
What could he have done, that he wasn't already doing, that caused the NATO invasion? Was it the African Central Bank he proposed to free the African continent from the greedy hands of the IMF?
http://bit.ly/vtAfdJ
http://bit.ly/uoL7cN
Neo-liberalism folks, from the University of Chicago's Milton Friedman
We stand in the way folks and if necessary, they will destroy this country and rebuild it the same as the others. Spread the word folks, neo-liberalism needs to be front and center in this debate.
Now, have a great weekend, folks!Folks, read this article at wikipedia and do some other collateral reading on the... more
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George Papandreou has announced that there will be a Greek referendum to approve the EU bail-out deal
GREECE'S astonishing decision to call a referendum – "a supreme act of democracy and of patriotism", in the words of premier George Papandreou – has more or less killed last week’s EU summit deal.
The markets cannot wait three months to find out the result, and nor is China going to lend much money to the EFSF bail-out fund until this is cleared up. The whole edifice is already at risk of crumbling. Société Générale is down 15pc this morning. The FTSE MIB index in Milan has crashed 7pc. Italian bond spreads have jumped to 450 basis points.
Unless the European Central Bank step in very soon and on a massive scale to shore up Italy, the game is up. We will have a spectacular smash-up.
If handled badly, the disorderly insolvency of the world’s third largest debtor with €1.9 trillion in public debt and nearer €3.5 trillion in total debt would be a much greater event than the fall of Credit Anstalt in 1931. (Let me add that Italy is not fundamentally insolvent. It is only in these straits because it does not have a lender of last resort, a sovereign central bank, or a sovereign currency. The euro structure itself has turned a solvent state into an insolvent state. It is reverse alchemy.)
The Anstalt debacle triggered the European banking collapse, set off tremors in London and New York, and turned recession into depression. Within four months the global financial order had essentially disintegrated.
That is the risk right now as the reality of Europe’s make-up becomes clear.
The Greek referendum – if it is not overtaken by a collapse of the government first – has left officials in Paris, Berlin, and Brussels speechless with rage. The ingratitude of them.
The spokesman of French president Nicolas Sarkozy (himself half Greek, from Thessaloniki) said the move was “irrational and dangerous”. Rainer Brüderle, Bundestag leader of the Free Democrats, said the Greeks appear to be “wriggling out” of a solemn commitment. They face outright bankruptcy, he blustered.
Well yes, but at least the Greeks are stripping away the self-serving claims of the creditor states that their “rescue” loan packages are to “save Greece”.
They are nothing of the sort. Greece has been subjected to the greatest fiscal squeeze ever attempted in a modern industrial state, without any offsetting monetary stimulus or devaluation.
The economy has so far collapsed by 14pc to 16pc since the peak – depending who you ask – and is spiralling downwards at a vertiginous pace.
The debt has exploded under the EU-IMF Troika programme. It is heading for 180pc of GDP by next year. Even under the haircut deal, Greek debt will be 120pc of GDP in 2020 after nine years of depression. That is not cure, it is a punitive sentence.
Every major claim by the inspectors at the outset of the Memorandum has turned out to be untrue. The facts are so far from the truth that it is hard to believe they ever thought it could work. The Greeks were made to suffer IMF austerity without the usual IMF cure. This was done for one purpose only, to buy time for banks and other Club Med states to beef up their defences.
It was not an unreasonable strategy (though a BIG LIE), and might not have failed entirely if the global economy recovered briskly this year and if the ECB had behaved with an ounce of common sense. Instead the ECB choose to tighten.
When the history books are written, I think scholarship will be very harsh on the handful of men running EMU monetary policy over the last three to four years. They are not as bad as the Chicago Fed of 1930 to 1932, but not much better.
So no, like the Spartans, Thebans, and Thespians at the Pass of Thermopylae, the Greeks were sacrificed to buy time for the alliance.
The referendum is a healthy reminder that Europe is a collection of sovereign democracies, tied by treaty law for certain arrangements. It is a union only in name.George Papandreou has announced that there will be a Greek referendum to approve the... more
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Firoze Manji: Nothing in international law allows regime change and assassination of a leader.
He also talks about oil, unholy alliances, privatization, European banks and the vast amounts of fossil water under the Nubian Aquifer... the real prize.Firoze Manji: Nothing in international law allows regime change and assassination of a... more
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