Archive for December, 2008
Army Wages iPod Warfare in Baghdad
December 17th, 2008Via: Wired: During a humanitarian aid distribution in Baghdad’s Sadr City, Staff Sgt. Kent Crandall brought along a nifty iPod accessory: an Army psychological operations loudspeaker. Crandall had loaded the iPod with Iraqi pop music, which he cranked during the halal food handout in this war-torn neighborhood. This is only one of the tools in […]
OPEC LOOKING TO CUT OIL PRODUCTION BY 2.5 MILLION BARRELS PER DAY
December 17th, 2008Via: Reuters: OPEC ministers continued their meeting on Wednesday, with the possibility of an even bigger supply cut of 2.5 million barrels per day being agreed, OPEC delegates said. “We want a big cut,” said one of the delegates. “And 2.5 is on the table and a possibility.” OPEC ministers have been focusing on a […]
Federal Reserve Sets Stage for Weimar-style Hyperinflation
December 17th, 2008Via: Engdahl: The Federal Reserve has bluntly refused a request by a major US financial news service to disclose the recipients of more than $2 trillion of emergency loans from US taxpayers and to reveal the assets the central bank is accepting as collateral. Their lawyers resorted to the bizarre argument that they did so […]
Pictures: Greek Riots
December 17th, 2008Boston Globe Research Credit: DP
The Cognitive Mechanism Behind Political Fundamentalism… And Probably Lots of Other Fundamentalisms
December 17th, 2008In trying to understand public support for the Bush regime, I came to the conclusion that mass delusion was the culprit. The same goes for the Obama Hope and Change Industrial Complex. Average people are lost, so we don’t expect much in the way of informed opinion from them. But what about people who should […]
Citibank’s Computers Down, Blocking Account Info
December 17th, 2008Via: AP: Customers of New York City-based Citibank have lost access to much of their account information because of a computer outage. Many of the troubled bank’s clients haven’t been able to retrieve account details online or by telephone since Tuesday afternoon. Others can access only parts of their account profiles. Citibank telephone representatives say […]
Scotland Yard Anti-terrorism Adviser Wanted by Interpol for Terrorist Offences
December 17th, 2008Via: Telegraph: Former intelligence chief Baroness Neville-Jones has urged Scotland Yard to sack one of its anti-terrorism advisers who is wanted by Interpol for terrorist offences. Mohamed Ali Harrath has reportedly been advising the Metropolitan Police, the UK’s biggest force, on countering Muslim extremism. Lady Neville-Jones, who chaired the Joint Intelligence Committee, and is a […]
New York: Massive Tax Increases
December 17th, 2008How about actually cutting the budget!? Unthinkable. Via: New York Daily News: Gov. Paterson released a $121 billion slash-and-burn budget Tuesday morning that slams New Yorkers with 88 new fees and taxes – even on their iPods. Calling the budget the “greatest economic and fiscal challenge of our lifetimes,” Paterson acknowledged his spending plan cuts […]
Fed Rate Cut to Record Low
December 17th, 2008WARNING: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument. On gold, I expected more of an initial move above $850 than what actually materialized (spot hit $860.70). However, if the move is going to be sustained, it will go in waves. There’s a surge and then consolidation, surge, consolidation, etc. […]
Madoff’s “Auditing” Firm: Friehling & Horowitz, One Room Office, Three Employees
December 16th, 2008Via: Bloomberg: The auditor for Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, whose namesake was charged in a $50 billion Ponzi scheme last week, is under investigation by the district attorney in New York’s Rockland County, a northern suburb of New York City. The New City, New York, auditing firm Friehling & Horowitz signed off on […]
