Photo: Daniel Kurtzman’s Political Humor Blog

Dennis Bernstein, of the KPFA radio show, Flashpoints, interviewed Catherine last night (Feb 3, 2010.) Listen to the portion of the interview where Catherine talks about small business: Listen to the clip. . . Listen

Continue reading Who Owns Organic

By John Rubino The latest piece of deep thought from iTulip’s Eric Janszen explains why, if the recession is over, so many people remain in such bad shape. More specifically, how can U.S. GDP be

By Jesse “more than 519 municipalities that face 990 million euros in derivatives losses” As the quote indicates, its a big problem, and Bank of America is not the only bank involved. But they are

By Brady Dennis American International Group plans Wednesday to pay another round of employee bonuses, worth about $100 million, said several people familiar with the matter, a year after similar payments at the bailed-out insurance

By Tyler Durden Yes, slowly but surely it is happening. In a federal notice filed earlier, the DOL and Treasury are soliciting a response on what has been on many investors’ mind, namely the process

From Wikipedia A Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) is a government financial statement, which goes beyond the minimums established for public sector companies by NCGA (National Council on Governmental Accounting) statement 1. Public sector companies

By Lance Lewis Since December 2009, gold bears have had a ray of hope as gold has corrected (as all bull markets do), and now the bears are keying in on a headline from George

By PK Semler A proposal by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to limit bank’s proprietary trading will be either be dropped or significantly modified in the Senate, lawmakers and staffers told deal Reporter. Senate

By Tyler Durden The chart below demonstrates the amount of borrowing per state, as well as trust fund holdings. (View Larger Chart) Continue reading A Majority Of States Are Now Insolvent: Quantifying The Disastrous Unemployment

By F. William Engdahl Former President becomes UN Special Envoy to earthquake-stricken Haiti. A born-again neo-conservative US business wheeler-dealer preacher claims Haitians are condemned for making a literal ‘pact with the Devil.’ Venezuelan, Nicaraguan, Bolivian,

By Margaret Collins and Alexis Leondis U.S. President Barack Obama’s effort to increase retirement savings by requiring all businesses to offer automatic IRA accounts may face opposition from small companies, says a Washington-based trade group.

By David Reilly The idea of secret banking cabals that control the country and global economy are a given among conspiracy theorists who stockpile ammo, bottled water, and peanut butter. After this week’s congressional hearing

By Scott Thompson and Paul Gallagher If the rising movement of American patriots is going to clean out the London/Wall Street swamp of the Obama Administration, not only must Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner go immediately;

Continue reading Boston Globe Names Elizabeth Warren ‘Bostonian of the Year’

YouTube | February 04 2010 Sir James Michael “Jimmy” Goldsmith (26 February 1933 18 July 1997) was an Anglo-French financier. Towards the end of his life, he became a magazine publisher and a politician. In

There recently was an article in the St. Petersburg Fl. Times. The Business Section asked readers for ideas on: “How Would You Fix the Economy?” I think this guy nailed it! Dear Mr. President, Please

By Robert Britt Tonight’s full moon — called the wolf moon — will be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. It offers anyone with clear skies an opportunity to identify easy-to-see features

1. US Congress Sells Out to Wall Street 2. US Schools are More Segregated Today than in the 1950s 3. Toxic Waste Behind Somali Pirates 4. Nuclear Waste Pools in North Carolina 5. Europe Blocks

Whitley Strieber writes, “For years, I have grappled with strange memories from early childhood that suggested involvement in some sort of abusive program. But I was never sure what these memories meant, until, in December

J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose “The Catcher in the Rye” shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91. Salinger died of natural causes

By Jesse Just returned last night from Beijing. While on standby at airport from 11:30 AM until 6:30 PM (all classes of all half-hourly flights of all airlines were overbooked and loaded full, and so

By Sven Egenter The police commander heading security at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland was found dead on Tuesday, local authorities said, adding that his death appeared to be suicide. Markus Reinhardt, head of

The heavily-redacted regulatory filing that spells out the details of the New York Federal Reserve’s controversial bailout of American International Group is a secret no more. Reuters has obtained a copy of the five-page document

By Emily Singer The anti-aging power of blood might not be just the stuff of vampire stories. According to new research from Harvard University, an unspecified factor in the blood of young mice can reverse

From the Federal Register today: [Federal Register: January 28, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 18)] [Rules and Regulations] [Page 4635-4654] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr28ja10-13] [[Page 4635]] SUMMARY: The Office of

Ben Bernanke’s great reflation gamble appears to be working. Unfortunately, it appears to be working in all the wrong places. View Larger Chart Continue reading The Trillion Dollar Mean Reversion

CAF Note: Not enough time to ask about: the Chair of the NY Fed being a former Goldman Co-Chair, a member of the Goldman board and shareholder; what % of the shares of the NY

By James MacPherson A federal appeals court on Tuesday affirmed a lower court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit by two North Dakota farmers who said they should be allowed to grow industrial hemp without fear

By Joe Weisenthal and Kamelia Angelova Continue reading Chart of The Day: How The AIG Bailout Really Worked

1. You and those you love are your assets – invest in you, your health, your homebase and your own business first; 2. Bank and do business with people you respect and trust; 3. Stick

The 2010 State of the Union Address will be given by United States President Barack Obama on January 27, 2010, to a joint session of Congress. It will be Obama’s first State of the Union

I am watching the Congressional testimony about AIG. It’s a parade of people lying to themselves and to you. My expectation is that you will get a much more accurate explanation of the government’s gift

Today the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held hearings on: “The Federal Bailout of AIG” to examine the Federal response to the collapse of AIG. The hearing will focus on the decision to

By Tyler Durden Zero Hedge discussed a month ago the disastrous prospects of what would happen if the new proposal contemplated by the SEC, which would allow the suspension of redemptions from Money Market Funds,

By Ryan Grim A Republican senator said Tuesday that documents showing Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernake covered up the fact that his staff recommended he not bailout AIG are being kept from the public.

By Gretchen Morgenson and Louise Story Weeks after rescuing the American International Group with an $85 billion taxpayer loan in late 2008, Federal Reserve Board officials rejected a proposal that would have forced the insurer’s

“My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You’re facilitating the problem if you give an

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By Nick Turse One moment there was the hum of a motor in the sky above. The next, on a recent morning in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, a missile blasted a home, killing 13 people. Days

By Joe Weisenthal and Kamelia Angelova View Larger Chart In the last several days, a view emerged that the tightening has un-officially begun. Continue reading Chart of The Day: Say Goodbye To The Great Liquidity

By David Voreacos, Carlyn Kolker and Klaus Wille A Swiss court ruling that impedes the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to collect data on 4,450 UBS AG accounts may prompt the U.S. to revive a lawsuit

By Michael Shuman Since the global financial system unraveled in 2008, U.S. policymakers have struggled heroically to improve the performance and oversight of global banks and investment firms. But these actions have been largely unresponsive

U.S. securities regulators originally treated the New York Federal Reserve’s bid to keep secret many of the details of the American International Group bailout like a request to protect matters of national security, according to

By Tyler Durden Politico has obtained the phone log of conversations performed by then FRBNY President Tim Geithner during the period of the financial crisis, or specifically September 14, 2008 through the end of the

By Inigo Gilmore As a member of the media covering the tragedy in Haiti, it’s with a sense of alarm and astonishment that I’ve witnessed how some senior aid officials have argued for withholding aid

By Peggy Noonan What does the Massachusetts election mean? It means America is in play again. The 2008 election settled nothing, not even for a while. Our national politics are reflecting what appears to be

View Larger Chart By Jesse Here is an interesting chart that shows the ascendancy of the financial sector in the US. Continue reading Financial Services: From Servant to Lord of the Economy

By Tyler Durden Rep. Darrell Issa comes out guns blazing once again, alleging that the Fed provided a selective response to the subpoena to provide all documents relating to the AIG bailout, and asks Edolphus

By Ishkabibble Become majority lender in an economy of people with assets you want. Encourage indebtedness by loaning generously while securing on assets of interest. Loosen lending standards until the assets you seek to capture

We have received several comments from listeners and readers questioning whether or not mortgage companies or banks are required to provide homeowners specific proof of customers’ individual notes. In response, please see these previous blog

Continue reading Ron Paul:”We Need To Take Out The CIA”

The 94 United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law,

One of the greatest pleasures in life is to have visitors. That is why we are so glad to see you. We hope your stay with us is relaxing, refreshing and most of all fun.

By Vincent Fernando and Kamelia Angelova Continue reading Workers Are Unemployed So Long, They’re Forgetting Their Skills

By Michel Chossudovsky A Haiti disaster relief scenario had been envisaged at the headquarters of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in Miami one day prior to the earthquake. The holding of pre-disaster simulations pertained to the

By Philip Stephens When Lloyd Blankfein met politicians in London a little while ago he brushed aside warnings that investment banks faced higher taxes if they ignored the rising public outcry about multibillion-dollar bonus pools.

Republican Scott Brown has won the Massachusetts Senate seat held for nearly a half-century by Democrat Edward Kennedy. Brown’s victory in the special election gives Senate Republicans the 41st vote they need to block legislation

By Nicholas Gonzalez, M.D. In recent weeks, as the tenor in the health care debate has become more contentious, and the passage of some far-reaching legislation now more assured, I felt, as a physician, and

by Tom Burghardt In the wake of the Flight 253 provocation, over-hyped terrorism panics, and last year’s Big Pharma and media-engineered hysteria over the H1N1 flu pandemic, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13528 on

Unfiltered access is similar to giving your car keys to a friend who doesn’t have a license and letting him drive unaccompanied,” said SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro. “Today’s proposal would require that if a

By New York Times If you’re a retiree who relies on interest income, you know that the tap is running dry. In fact, many investors in certificates of deposits, savings accounts and money market accounts

By Adrian Douglas Here are some Trivial Pursuit questions for you: 1) What is the biggest market in the world for a physical commodity? 2) Is the gold market one of the smallest markets in

For years I have been looking for the story of Jung’s patient who had poisoned her best friend. Thanks to the wonderful Paul Levy at www.awakeninthedream.com and his rich expertise in all things Jung, I

I asked Franklin Sanders recently for his recommendation on a primer on money and banking. He recommended Modern Money Mechanics which was written a while back by the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank. Here it is:

By Michael Boldin, “Already, over a dozen states are considering laws or state constitutional amendments that would effectively ban, or nullify, any proposed national health care plan in their state, and we expect that number

The list of those called to testify for a House inquiry into the American International Group and its payouts to its counterparties just gained a few more high-wattage witnesses. Henry M. Paulson Jr., the former

By Craig Karmin A former top Calpers official has been paid more than $900,000 by a European money manager after he helped the start-up firm secure money from the giant public pension fund, according to

If the US has a Grand Master of family farming and marketing strategy, it’s likely Joel Salatin, here laying out a banquet of food for thought to a packed house in Santa Barbara… Related post:

By Andrew Ross Sorkin For years, Wall Street whispered that Goldman Sachs profited handsomely by trading ahead of — or even against — its own clients. On Tuesday, a Goldman executive made an unusual admission

U.S. foreclosure actions shattered all records in 2009 and will do so again this year, with unemployment and wage cuts overcoming programs to remedy failing home loans, RealtyTrac said on Thursday. A record 2.8 million

Yesterday morning,  executives from the banks which control the NY Fed and, in that capacity, serve as the depositories and agent for the US government, testified before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. This is the

Genetically modified maize can damage the liver and other internal organs in mammals, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Biological Science. In the study, rats were fed three GM maize

Researchers in Australia found that prolonged television viewing was linked to an increased risk of death, even in people who exercised regularly, and recommended more be done to encourage people to spend fewer hours sitting

William Black, an associate professor of economics and law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, talks with Bloomberg’s Betty Liu about Secretary of Treasury Geithner. View video:Black Says Geithner `Cover Up’ Also a Bernanke Scandal:

President Barack Obama said, “My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake. We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti.”

Argentina’s central bank reserves dispute suffered an expected escalation when on Tuesday Judge Thomas Griesa from New York State placed an embargo on Argentine central bank accounts held in the United States, following a lawsuit

By Lester Brown America’s century-old love affair with the automobile may be coming to an end. The U.S. fleet has apparently peaked and started to decline. In 2009, the 14 million cars scrapped exceeded the

By Tom Philpott The Gates Foundation has emerged as a kind of de facto USDA for Africa: a deep-pocketed funder with a focus on agriculture, in a continent that has seen ag-research funding plunge over

Executive Order will Strengthen Further Partnership Between the Federal and State and Local Governments to Better Protect Our Nation The President today signed an Executive Order establishing a Council of Governors to strengthen further the

By Joe Weisenthal Continue reading Chart of The Day:Cash-Strapped States Hope Salvation Is Right Around The Corner

by Jesse As a rule of thumb, the worst possible time to convert lump sum savings into a fixed income annuity would be when interest rates are historically low. Although products may vary, this is

by Karl Denninger Now this is a guaranteed rape job. In a short conversation this noontime that CNBC apparently has omitted from their archives (Why’s that folks?) Rick Santelli was talking about a potential to

By Joe Weisenthal and Kamelia Angelova Continue reading Chart Of The Day: A Jobless Recovery? Not For The Financial World

By Jeff Plungis U.S. investors oppose federal initiatives that would force them to give up control over their 401(k) accounts, the Investment Company Institute said. Seven in 10 U.S. households object to the idea of

Christopher Paton, who runs JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s public-sector benefit payments business, talks with Bloomberg’s Margaret Brennan about trends in food-stamp use in the U.S. Click to View Video Continue at JPMorgan’s Paton Sees `Huge’

By Tyler Durden The latest observation on our depressing economic reality, behind the glitzy headlines and the 3D TV screens, comes from Bloomberg’s Jonathan Weil who rightfully asks “if AIG executives repeatedly claimed the stock

Smartdust is a hypothetical wireless network of tiny microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS), robots, or devices, that can detect (for example) light, temperature, or vibration. A typical application scenario is scattering a hundred of these sensors around

Continue reading Sugar: The Bitter Truth YouTube (30 July 09)

Reginald H. Howe, partner in Golden Sextant Advisors and litigator in the first gold price-fixing case, Howe vs. Bank for International Settlements, has just analyzed the latest precious metals derivatives report from the BIS and

Continue reading How Will The Economy Recover With Lending Shrinking Like This?

By Catherine Austin Fitts I would like to propose a contrary theory to the dire views of those looking behind the veil of recent economic statistics. First, if you look at the amount of money

Continue reading Video Dispatch: The Year Ahead in East Asia

Continue reading Video Dispatch: The Year Ahead for Russia

By John Crudele The charade continues this Friday. That’s when the Labor Department will announce how many jobs it claims were lost in the US economy during December. The number is essentially worthless to anyone

By Omar R. Valdimarsson and Tasneem Brogger Iceland will hold a referendum on a depositor accord with the U.K. and Netherlands after President Olafur R. Grimsson blocked the bill in a move that threatens to