Friday beaver the thieving kind

                                          

            Beavers are back it must be close to spring

 I'm not the conspiracy theory type but in looking at what's gone on in the past and what is happening today one tends to put two and two together and things start to add up. Take our entire banking system. There was a time when the government actually had control of our banking system. Our money was backed by gold and silver at a set price of $35 an ounce of gold. That kept prices stable and our monetary system flowing for quite a few years. The "federal reserve" is not a part of the government even though it sounds governmental. It's all private bankers who make up the system and they have one and only one objective. It seems they'd like nothing more than to suck the life blood out of the world's economy and for what? Another bump in their bottom line or perhaps another house in the Caymans that is if they can remember where the left the other half dozen.

Now digging through history we find some other interesting facts. After WWI Germany was required to pay back all of the debts from all the nations that participated even though it didn't start the war. The effort was disastrous.  With no other choice but to print more and more money to pay back the debt it took a wheel barrow to buy a loaf of bread. Hitler did one thing right by pulling out of the world monetary system and bringing it under government control just as we had done with our gold standard. Germany flourished after that. The world banks prior to that had backed Germany and were basically sucking her dry.

Fast forward to 1963. Five months before JFK was assassinated he signed into law an executive order removing us from the federal reserve system. Instead of dollars new notes were printed under the control of the federal government effectively cutting out the banks. Upon his death these notes were destroyed never to see the light of day.

A quick jump again to Nixon. France had a massive amount of U.S. currency and it decided to cash that in for gold. The only problem was that the U.S. didn't have enough gold to cover the currency (you will note that Nixon put a wage and price freeze under the guise of fighting inflation) so his next trick was to immediately remove us from the gold standard. The Saudis at that time were swimming in not only oil but our dollars as it was the world's reserve currency. They wanted to loan us money but fearing it having no backing wanted something as collateral. Nixon set about to form the EPA which unknown to many put much of our federal lands in a trust to be used as their collateral.

Fast forward once more and we find that most of the saber rattling and the fall of dictators was not because they had WMDs or for the spread of democracy but because these dictators were about to shift from the greenback to their own monetary systems. Saddam Hussein was about to shift to the euro. Mommmar Kadoffe was about to start his own gold backed currency. Even Hugo Chavez had returned the private oil companies to public ownership. So there may be real questions about his death.

So keep your eyes open for any country wishing to get out of this monopoly game played by the world bankers it will tell you who we bomb next. Iran is high on the list as they would like to leave the game and not because they are a physical threat to anyone on our shores.

I believe it was Rothchild who said "Let me control the money supply and I could care less what governments do".

Bank fails later
UPDATE: No bank fails this week

It's the economy stupid

                               

Surfing through the world news sources to get a better picture of what's happening I stumbled on some revealing information from of all places the Ukraine. And while America is focused or should we say distracted by the next pope or more importantly the next American Idol, conditions are ripe for a revolution. It won't be as mild as the minute men fighting the red coats either. A check of country after small country gave light to the situation. This recession is more akin to a depression only it hasn't quite hit here. And those at the top are secretly worried that the house of cards is about to fall.

 The United States on Wednesday urged Ukraine not to renegotiate its World Trade Organisation commitments, warning the move could trigger a chain reaction and bring down the whole global trade system.

Countries are waking up to the fact that you can't keep cutting and laying more austerity on the populations and expect healthy economies. The proposals are to increase tariffs and taxes to make up for massive losses over the past few years. Entire industries sit idle and while citizens are none too happy, their leaders are starting to worry about not just their own jobs but their personal safety for we know by history that coups and uprisings in other countries tend to lead to dead leaders.

There are 18 million empty homes in this country,the evidence of the housing bubble, but what that's done on a world scale is more than horrific. While the gamblers of the financial world were busy cashing in their chips entire towns were quickly becoming empty and some never saw a tenant even after they were built. They were built and nobody came. Rules were thrown out the window and the game continued until we have what we have now. There's not much left to squeeze out of economies when few are working and there's nothing to produce. And if you don't think it's happening in just the major countries like Greece, Spain and Italy then dig a little deeper.  These trade agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA were no blessing. It appears the World Trade Organization (that would be the financial boys at the top of the heap) are very nervous that things are about to fall. I suspect they are right this time especially when the players (suckers in this case) want to change the rules in the middle of the game.

The extent of the corruption by governments is beyond belief. They may have followed the letter of the law but they sure didn't follow the spirit of the law. Even now it's all debatable. And as we all know if you give somebody an inch they'll take a mile and they did just that.Time to give them the foot?

Jobs jobs and no jobs

                                      

The beavers are about done with their winter hiatus and should be back shortly.

Scanning the jobs outlook is never the most pleasant thing especially with the sequester (make that read jobs cuts). It wouldn't be bad if the same jobs didn't appear day after day month after month. The choices are simple. A job that would require starting over but the drawback would be another four year degree and starting at the bottom. No time left for that now. Or a job not requiring extensive qualifications but with not enough pay to cover the gas to get there. The third is totally perplexing. Wanted: someone with 30 years experience who's 20 years old. Lastly we have the job that requires no experience but is temporary, part time, requires on call working any shift monday through friday and weekends with a minimum wage starting salary, own car and tools required, no benefits.

And what do we have now? People who are working are expected to do the work of three people. And the scammers have crawled out from under the woodwork. Never sign up for a job search company. Your inbox will be filled with work at home scams promising millions.  And of course there's this Nigerian princess who said she'd lavish me in wealth if I only send her a small $10,000 dowery. Someone also mentioned there's money to be made as a White House tour guide but I'd have to hurry and send in all personal information for the security check. 

So what's left in scraping the barrel of employment possibilities? Male stripper? Nope, the six pack abs are down to a two litre bottle and all the strip clubs have been run out of town. Newspaper delivery? As if anybody reads a paper anymore. Last one I got was a give a way at the market and not worth the paper it was printed on. Nursing assistant? Doesn't pay enough to cover the gas to get there and soon I might be needing one myself. So here we sit watching our roads go to hell our schools slowly crumble and what's left of the jobs get bounced from Mexico to China then to who know where. All the while our congress argues over who's next to get stabbed in the back. Happy days sure aren't here again.     

Fukushima revisited

A school with a radiation monitor. You will note the level at .0083. Assuming that's in Sv then the maximum regulatory exposure rate would be reached in about two days.

The two year anniversary of this nuclear power station disaster , but not one to celebrate such things, and the situation has little changed. In fact it is worse. Towns outside the contamination (exclusion) zone are unsafe to return to but for short visits.  Radiation levels remain well above any background levels meaning that these people will never be able to return permanently in their life times.

The sheer volume of contaminated material will make the "clean up" impossible for entire towns have been left uninhabitable for generations to come.

This was however an accident waiting to happen for you see the first three reactors were commissioned in the 1970s some 40 years ago. As anyone knows building materials have a life span. It's true that some concrete and steel can last for centuries but not when they're exposed to such high temperatures. That's why most nuclear plants are designed with a life span of 25 to 30 years. Not a very efficient use of money or materials when you stop to consider the costs to build one, operate it, then tear it down. It takes 10 to 15 years just to get one on line. Fukushima was starting to experience maintenance problems as early as 2009 with valves failing and automatic and manual shutdowns. Much like owning an old car that you're just not to sure if it will get you there. Add to that the relationship between the plant owners and the regulators that give oversight. Regulators get stuck between public safety and corporate profits. Too lax and there's public outcry, too strict and corporations cry foul. But nothing goes noticed until there's an accident and nine times out of ten it's because of greed, a company cutting corners to save a buck.   

This is the legacy of fukushima. Ghost town after ghost town never to see activity again. Eventually nature will take back what we screwed up but that will be a long time coming.

Stupid is as stupid does

Take any position you like there is a correct way and the stupid way. You don't stop gun violence by adding more guns. That is just a statistical fact. Employment is not expanded by cutting jobs. Cutting benefits to the less fortunate is not going to make things better. Peace will not be achieved by starting more wars (and don't give us the BS about fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here non sense). FDR realized that the greatest defense a nation had was in the strength of its' people. It's the reason he put so much effort into building up the welfare of the people. What good is to have a strong national defense when there's nothing left to defend?

" Sgt. Shultz guard that falling down out house over there, that's an order!"

There's another delusion however not quit as apparent. That would be the quest for resources and the military being used to accomplish it. Nothing is farther from the truth. Yes every nation needs resources but that is not where the 'real' money is to be made. The real money is in the musical chairs game of failure. How perverted a thought one might think. But it's true. In the great casino of world markets more money is made by betting against than for. Like kids throwing rocks at the windows of an old abandoned house and daring each other, no betting each other, that they couldn't break the window on the top floor. Only problem is the house isn't empty and it doesn't represent just a house. The rocks aren't rocks but the weapons of war and the house represents a nation. And all the while those who profit from it sit comfortably in plush mansions in the Hamptons. That is the reality of the situation. And for them there is no good or bad news because it's all neatly done with emotionless computers crunching the statistics. They care not who lives or dies as long as the money stream keeps flowing and the game continues.

They must be doing quit well and we barely hear their names. For while you were busy watching the latest snow storm or mass shooting entire countries of the world are crumbling before our very eyes and no film at 11 for you. Wouldn't want the masses catching on to the game before it hits our shores. So in the mean time kick back and be distracted by your celebrity of choice or unreal of reality show, the game of deception continues until the house of cards falls and it will. Debt has no real intrinsic value other than to heap suffering on others and even like houses it too loses value. 

Stupid is as stupid does and how stupid of us to fall for such a game. "What fools these mortals be."  

Dirty pussy Friday... ewww!

Not that pussy this pussy!

You can't get there from here so just keep digging.

Oil.. black gold...bubblin crude.

Alberta, Canada, 1967 the first commercial oil sands operation began. Suncor Energy then called Great Canadian Oil Sands was originally Sun Company of Canada which was a subsidiary of Sun Oil which is now called Sunoco. Confused yet?

Now I'm sure you've seen the ads on TV showing the pristine wilderness while a voice over tells you about all the wonderful clean renewable energy the company is producing all for a better environment and future for the kiddies. Poppy cock! While the company does operate four wind farms on the one hand it's busy polluting the poop out of the planet on the other.

Fine fine everywhere a fine..

On April 2, 2009, Suncor was fined $675,000 for failing to install pollution control equipment at its Firebag operation near Fort McMurray, Alberta in July 2006. On the same day, Suncor was fined $175,000 for dumping untreated wastewater from a company work camp near Fort McMurray into the Athabasca River in 2007.

In the United States, Suncor has also been fined by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. In April 2012, a fine of $2.2 million was assessed for air pollution. Suncor failed to monitor and control emissions a number of times throughout 2009 and 2010, and numerous emissions exceeded regulations. Additionally, a benzene leak into Sand Creek was discovered in the fall of 2011. Employees at Suncor and the nearby Metro Wastewater Reclamation District Plant were exposed to benzene through the air and through drinking water. Cleanup efforts and the extent of the environmental consequences have remained largely undisclosed to the public and community around Sand Creek.

Now the memory might be a little short of late but I recall using Sunoco gas way back in the mid 70s. Why? Because it was the cheapest stuff around and I was about broke at the time. Someone years later informed me that it was not good stuff to run in an engine and he was right. That's the only car I've ever owned that blew an engine and I don't drive like I was in NASCAR. Something about cutting the gas with alcohol which of course cars back then could not handle. Today all gas is cut with alcohol but they're designed for that now.

So why won't these companies shift to cleaner ways? Because like junkies they have too much invested in the operation and they're all focused on their next 'fix'. They'll talk 'green' until they're blue in the face but their drug of choice is oil and they won't part with it until they're long dead and buried. Problem is they'll take us with them when they go. The thought occurred to me while watching a documentary on the tar sands that there really isn't a place left on the planet that is polluted to some degree or other. Look around your neighborhood. It might look pretty but I'd bet anything you'll find nasties in your soil water and air. A trip out on the boat you say to get away from it all? Think again. We dump sewage and industrial wastes there on a daily basis. Canadians didn't even bother to treat it first until recently.

I hear the ferry boat fog horn so it should be a nice day here. Get out and enjoy it. Just don't forget your respirators.

Bank fails later

UPDATE: One bank failed in GA.

Spin.... wash rinse repeat

                                  

I swear we need a translator for the news these days. I'll step into the role for a moment and show you what I mean.

North Korea threatens nuclear strike against 'aggressors'

(No they're just ticked because they're losing more handouts from China and Kim  Jung doesn't know what else to do. Got to keep your people on high alert and afraid. (See yesterdays post) ) And we have enough fire power to make the rubble bounce and they know it.

Political skill of the first order

Rand Paul demonstrated in his filibuster of John Brennan exactly why he is a formidable force....

(No he just demonstrated how a senator is full of hot air and can flap his gums for hours on end once again proving how useless congress truly is.) Anyone else caught doing that on a job would be cleaning out their desk.

Jobless claims in US unexpectedly fall to a six week low

(No the seasonal work is all over and with the sequester nobody is buying anything.)

Kenyan Shilling rebounds from plunge on Manual vote count switch

(Never trust computers it's how Bush won at least one election. And now they want to have cars run totally by computers? With the GPS systems we have you're liable to land up in the ocean.)

Obama to lunch with Ryan after dinner with GOP senators

(Wonder if Ryan will sit at the little table like we did as kids at thanksgiving?)

Study: States strict on gun laws, fewer gun related deaths

(Blows holes (pun intended) in LaPierre's thinking. And one can only hope he'll have an accident while cleaning his gun proving once again that he who lives by the sword (er gun) will die by it.)