A PERSONAL UPDATE FOR MY FRIENDS

by

Michael C. Ruppert

JULY 7, 2009 I have been back from Oregon and the sexual-harassment hearing for over a week. Having run out of money I had to fly up and represent myself. I relied heavily on excellent pre-trial work by local counsel Lee Werdell. I cannot ever find a way to express my gratitude to Mark and Emanuel for coming down to Medford for the hearing in the three-year old case. Their presence stopped an absolutely rude, bullying Case Presenter (the Labor Board's version of a prosecutor) from calling me names or screaming at me non-stop. They were the only witnesses in a 10 X 20 hearing room. The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) was utterly professional and had to admonish someone from his own Department about six or seven times a day; (six times in the closing argument alone). I never lost it once.

I have every confidence that I won. My accuser, Lindsay Gerken, was caught lying several times and, in the end, her story just fell apart. Her own mother even impeached Lindsay's testimony. And Scott McGuire was a true and honest friend who stood up to tesify about things he had seen. She had no witnesses. I had photos disproving her story. I had some records. She had nothing. I will receive the Administrative Law Judge's ruling within about 50 days now. Most importantly for me though, I sat there and fought in that crucible which had been hanging over me for three very long and painful years. I have always needed to look all my demons in the eye. There is no other way to know the truth.

I have now proved and documented that a horribly flawed and biased police report, written by an officer terminated after I left, (who had formerly worked for an L.A. area police department), was improperly leaked to reporter Bob Plain of the Ashland Daily Tidings. I had already had a knock-down, drag-out with the Tidings (and won) before Ms. Gerken came along. I can use her name now. It's a public record. Based on that flawed and biased police report, the reporter (Bob Plain) and his editor (Scot Bolsinger) published two of the nastiest and most vicious news stories I have ever seen after I wnet to Venezuela. They hurt. The Case Presenter -- Patrick Plaza -- introduced them as evidence against me in the harassment case. I got all of the trash about Bolsinger and Plain on the record to impeach the two hit pieces. Plaza's case kept falling apart like that. The ALJ (from Eugene) was listening. Legally, I deconstructed Plaza's entire case. At the end he was getting desperate.

Yeah, it was nasty.

The Ashland Police Department in 2007 and 2008 apologized first in front of attorney Ray Kohlman, and later Jenna Orkin. The APD abjectly apologized for the series of "really bad screw ups". At the second meeting the Deputy Chief, Rick Walsh, came in and apologized also. I was not a suspect in the burglary and they twice refused to give me a Voice Stress Analyzer test; in front both Jenna and Ray. A break came because the Detective who met with us, Randy Snow, was also an Army Ranger and familiar with the Pat Tillman case.

Scot Bolsinger, the former editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings, is now in prison for unlawful sex with a minor and under ongoing investigation for racketeering in defrauding at least three Ashland businesses out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bob Plain has disappeared. All of that is in the record at the sexual harassment case. It's public now........

(paragraph removed by JO pending consultation.)

My ten-year business relationship with Ken Levine is... OVER.

It's over... It's all over. There is nothing hanging over my head.

I have no more battles left to fight. I have kept all the work we all did, clean and unblemished. My duties are discharged.

It's time to...

No, it's just happening that I am walking away from all of this for a while. I am still working closely with Chris Smith and Kate Noble on CoLLapse. (http://www.collapsemovie.com). Watch the site closely now. It seems the whole world is holding it's breath. We should see it in early August and that will coincide with the publication of "A Presidential Energy Policy" by Variance Publishing and a real marketing campaign. The book will be in bookstores when the movie comes out. -- I guess I've been fighting a great many battles for a while... thirty years or so.

In the meantime Cynthia McKinney sits in an Israeli prison for trying to smuggle crayons and medical supplies in Gaza... Well, she is a few years younger than I am.

But I'm not reading any news stories for a while. I'm not anaylzing or pondering. I'm not thinking about Peak Oil or collapse, or die off or any of it. Life has given me a second shot at some things that have long been missing; like music, singing, romance, friends... and more. The re-emergence of music in my life has set off a freight train train that I just have to ride for a while. I have two special friends to thank for that: Doug Lewis and Andy Kravitz... But then there's also this guy named Jim Sullins.

In 1982 I had a band and Jim was the first guy I hooked up with. He'd written songs for Sheena Easton, Ray Charles and Julios Iglesias. He played one of the crispest rhythm guitars and we sang some crazy-ass harmonies. Well I've heard from Jim a few times lately. I've sent him some lyrics that seem to be pouring out of me. Jim's a songwriter in Nashville and after twenty-five years he screaming at me, "Sing! Sing! Be with music. Be happy." I am happily a member of the Venice Arts Club. Scroll down at the site and you'll see a few pics of me being happy with some fine people. http://veniceartsclub.wordpress.com/

The daimon which brought me this far, through all this, to meet and be with you guys... to do the work we've done, is now dragging me into a place I'll call... happiness. I am not resisting.

I'll be there for whatever the movie asks and I'll do all for the book. But otherwise, I'm done. Now I can really retire.

Jenna, the blog is all yours. I may send a few things out. But Jenna Orkin has been this blog's parent for a long time and we all know it. What a job she has done. I'm not looking back for a while.

Love to all,

MCR
***********************************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin:

A cursory glance at the news would suggest that The Powers That Be and their spokesmen, the Mainstream Media, aren't trying to save the patient (us) from our current crises; they're trying to anaesthetize us through the dying process. The neverending story of Michael Jackson advances this agenda as we calmly moonwalk backwards off stage.

Not to torture that metaphor since I have no understanding of the moonwalk, but it would seem reasonable that all you need to do to fall behind in the world is to stay put while the world moves forward. Just keep on doing the same ol' tricks, crank out a few trillion more of that trusty ol' currency, while around you the scene has evolved; the currency, lost its trustiness.

But who could have known? Such a thing never happened before (except in Rome before the collapse of the Empire, China under Kublai Khan, France after John Law, Germany after World War I......)

Collapse
Economic Fragility Underestimated - Collapse May Be Imminent (from Rice Farmer)
Debt Burden Accelerates Global Power Shift as G-8 Countries Lose Influence
U.S. Should Consider a Second Stimulus Package, Obama Adviser Tyson Says
No Amount of Stimulus Will Work
Oil price rollercoaster
Is this another inflationary spike that could derail the economy?
Pope Calls for New Political and Financial World Order
California - and the U.S. - Headed for Permanently Smaller Economy
Who Killed California's Economy?
Who'll take California IOUs?
Goldman Sachs Says Morgan Stanley All Wrong About Fed's Quantitative Exit
GM to Fire 4,000 Managers by October, Become ‘Greener’: WSJ Link
Will General Motors Kill Its Electric Car?
US Weekly raw steel production down by 46.1pct YoY (from Rice Farmer)
Americans are working fewest hours on record (from Rice Farmer)
Forbes' Layoff Tracker
Social Security Number Can Be Guessed From Government Data, Web Sites
Office Vacancies Near 4-Year High; 24% Vacancies in Suburbs; Rents Fall
Twitter Vital for National Security
500,000 Canadians 90 Days Behind on Credit Payments
Hotels Feel the Pain of a Glut of Empty Rooms and Lower Room Rates
FBI detains Russian programmer for stealing secret Goldman Sachs codes
Pentagon IG Probes Afghan Headquarters Contract

UK
Police Fear Far-Right Terror Attack
Anti-terror police face budget cuts
The Secret Torture Evidence MI5 Tried to Hide
MI5 Accused of Bribe Offer
Straw Proposes New Powers to Prosecute War Criminals in Britain
Britain to face 100,000 swine flu cases a day by end of August (from Rice Farmer)
Summer of chaos feared as BA workers reject plans

Asia
Riots, Street Battles Kill At Least 156 in China
China's Uighurs March to Protest Detention of 1,000 After Deadly Rioting
China Signals End of Commodity Stockpiling (from Rice Farmer)
"It is possible that the entire commodities / equities rally and economic ‘green shoots’ were spillover effects of Chinese stockpiling."
China Arrests Four Rio Tinto Employees
...in dispute over iron ore prices.
Key in Afghanistan Is Economy, Not Military
Workers Have Daily Smile Scans

General
Baltic Exchange made changes in calculating BDI (from Rice Farmer)
"Maritime Global Net reported that the Baltic Exchange has made changes to the way it calculates the Baltic Dry Index in a move it says is designed to help boost derivative trading."
Will Improving Farming Solve the Food Crisis ?
Scientists create test-tube sperm

Brush Up Your Mandarin

From Jenna Orkin:

HEADLINES
Emerging Markets' Global Equity Share Hits Record; China Tops $3 Trillion
What Is North Korea's Endgame?

AMERICAS
US moves into back seat
Recession on Par With Worst Year of Depression
Sarah Palin resigns as governor of Alaska
In Honduras Coup, Truth Is As Strange as Any Banana Republic Fiction

Brother Paul and the Fight for the Peruvian Rain Forest
Seven banks fail, pushing 2009 tally to 52

ENERGY
Europe Urged to Stockpile Gas
Nigeria Runs Out of Crude
The Oil Intensity of Food
"An empty cereal box delivered to the grocery store would cost about the same as a full one." Thanks to Our Fossil Fuel Addiction, We May Be Setting Ourselves Up For a Catastrophic Natural Event
Less Than Meets the Eye (from Rice Farmer)

WAR
Eager to Tap Iraq's Vast Oil Reserves, Industry Execs Suggested Invastion
Louis Freeh memoirs: FBI chief defended Saudis
The pro-Saudi bias of former FBI director Louis Freeh during the investigation of the 1996 Khobar Towers terror bombing in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 United States airmen shut down a probe in which Osama bin Laden was clearly implicated. Had the case run its course, the US may not have been so brutally blindsided by 9/11. - Gareth Porter (Jul 3,'09)
This is the final article in a three-part report.Part 1: Al-Qaeda excluded from suspect list
Part 2: Why US officials blamed Iran
Top Judge Calls Use of Drones "Intolerable"
Hezbollah on Steroids (from Rice Farmer)

EUROPE
EU faces permanent loss of output
China to overtake UK Quarter of graduate vacancies vanish
Eye in Sky For All Bobbies on Beat
Facebook page exposed MI6 head
Pay freeze threat to all public workers
BT offers staff long holidays for 75pc cut in wages
By "long holidays," do you mean nine months?
Portugal’s economy minister resigns

We need identity cards, and soon
A conclusion that is the inevitable and perhaps not accidental outcome of ID fraud.
Climate change shrinks Scottish sheep

RUSSIA
Ten Chechen policemen gunned in deadliest attack in Russia's Caucasus
Russia May Ban Powerful Incandescent Bulbs in 2011

OSCE Passes Resolution Equating Soviet and Nazi Roles in Starting World War II

AFRICA
Fears for world poor as rich grab land
Rising demand sparks African land grab

ASIA
Uighurs riot as ethnic tensions rise in China
Mass flu infection caused by servant
DPRK Fires Four Short Range Missiles Off Coast
Chinese airline may offer cheaper fares to passengers who stand (from Rice Farmer)

ENVIRONMENT ETC.
Ants Form Global Mega-Colony
Sea Level Rise: It's Worse Than We Thought (from Rice Farmer)

Blackout (from Rice Farmer)
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Doughnut
Organic Recycled Recessionista Chic

What Companies Do When They Have Nothing Else to Offer

Stripping Naked to Improve Company Morale

Top Fifteen Differences on a Naked Airlines Flight

Naked News

Recovery Hope Bubble Bursts

From Jenna Orkin:

Americas
Joblessness Hits 9.5%, Deflating Recovery Hopes
Home Loan Delinquencies Double on Prime Loans; Foreclosure Filings Top 300,000 3rd Straight Month
China Moves Again to Cut Reliance on Dollar
Washington Post to sell access to reporters?
SEC bosses told investigator to ignore Madoff
Small businesses vital to economic recovery go bankrupt (from Rice Farmer)
Ron Paul Wins Support to Audit Fed
Record numbers seek permits to carry concealed weapons (from Rice Farmer)
Did Leak from a Laboratory Cause Swine Flu Pandemic?
Coffers Empty, California Pays With I.O.U.’s
California Fails to Break Impasse as States Struggle to Meet Budget Deadlines
Beware of Rallies in Uncertain Times
Short on dollars, Arnold Schwarzenegger's state is inventing its own currency.
Will Banks Demand Discount on California I.O.U.'s?
Supreme Court Refuses Case by 9/11 Victims Families
Hugo Chavez threatens military action in Honduras

Europe/Russia
Record Deflation in Eurozone
British economy sinks at fastest rate in 50 years
OECD tells UK to cut back
Lloyds cuts 2,100 more UK jobs, total hits 7,000
UK: ID Cards Won't Be Required
Russia’s Neighbors Resist Wooing and Bullying
Russia begins large-scale military exercises in North Caucasus
Russian war games widen rift with Georgia
Gazprom Seeks African, Caspian Supplies to Build Gas Grid Circling Europe
Croatian Prime Minister quits politics

Asia
Pak general: CIA has Distributed 400 Million Dollars Inside Iran to Evoke a Revolution (from Rice Farmer)
U.S.-built bridge is windfall for Afghan drug trade (from Rice Farmer)
Flood of Afghan heroin fuels drug plague in Russia (from Rice Farmer)
India wilts as monsoon fears grow
Scientists seeks to bring on Indian monsoon
China's banks are an accident waiting to happen to every one of us
China to Intensify Patrols in South China Sea
Weather Disasters May Rise in China
Drought Plagues China as Downpour Hits South
Extreme weather hits China
China races extreme weather for wheat harvest
Extreme weather lashes country
Extreme weather hits NW China, costing 5B yuan
Extreme cold kills 1,000 Tibetan gazelles
Hong Kong's Pro-Democarcy March Draws Thousands
Young Japanese Raise Their Voices Over Economy
Japan: Biometric ID System Catches Four

CYNTHIA McKINNEY TAKEN INTO CUSTODY

CYNTHIA McKINNEY TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, GAZA RELIEF SUPPLY SHIP BOARDED BY ISRAELI NAVY -- McKINNEY AND COLLEAGUES DETAINED IN ISRAEL

June 30, 2009, 12:30 PM PDT -- This morning at 0915 I received a call from Cynthia McKinney aide David who advised that a ship en route from Cyprus to Gaza filled with relief supplies including medicine and much-needed cement had been fired upon and boarded by naval vessels of the Israeli Defense Forces. On board were dozens of peace activists and aide workers including Nobeal Peace Laureate Maired Maguire. I had last heard from Cynthia on Sunday June 28th when she called me from Cyprus at around 0930 my time to advise that she and her band of international peace activists were finally departing from Cyprus for Gaza after many delays.

David advised that as far as he knew, no one had been hurt in the Israeli attack and that Cynthia was physically OK. However, he added that her safety and whereabouts inside Israel were unknown at this time.

I am encouraging all of my fans and followers to reach out by any means to the White House, to the international media, to the Israeli embassy in Washington and by whatever means they can to protest this attack on a humanitarian relief effort and to ensure the safety of all aboard. The plight of the Gazans is epic and brutal. It is time that voices were heard and all of us who have known and loved Cynthia McKinney for so long need to rally behind her uncompromising courage. We need to make our voices heard on this.

For more information, please visit http://www.FreeGaza.org.

Michael C. Ruppert
*********************************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin:

Americas/UK
Obama could mull second stimulus if needed: adviser
Fears over UK debt
Britain's national debt is in danger of quadrupling, Standard & Poor's warns
Brown to keep spending high despite recession
Atta boy.
Why the Dow Is Headed to 6000
TIPS Are Untested: What Happens When Inflation Takes Over?
US Approves IMF Gold Sales; What Does It Mean?
Volcker Gets Less Than He Wants From Obama in Curbing Wall Street Excesses
New Home Sales Market Share Drops to Record Low of 7.4%: Chart of the Day
Regulators Shutter five banks
- two in Georgia, two in California and one in Minnesota - bringing the year's total to 45 bank failures
Don't miss "The Crumbling of America" documentary news (from Rice Farmer)
The U.S. Military is Going Green
Rebellion on the Range Over a Cattle ID Plan
Supreme Court Finds Bias Against White Firefighters
Honduran President Removed in Coup
Gold Heist at the Canadian Mint?

Energy
Iraq oilfields up for grabs in 'extraordinary' TV auction
Japanese Biomass Powerplants Struggle with Shortages
Big Oil's Answer to Carbon Law May Be Fuel Imports
Solar power faces early sunset in Australia
Coal-Eating Bugs May Solve Energy Crisis
Three from Rice Farmer:
The Coming Mystery Of The Missing Barrels Of Oil
Rare Metals Could Trigger Next Trade War
Black Markets for Rare Earth Metals

Water
Positioning for When Water Runs Out: Part II
It's Now Legal to Catch a Raindrop in Colorado
Low Rainfall Cuts Hydro Power Generation
India turns to 'cloud seeding' to make rain

Russia
Russia considers bail-out for banks
...that will go further than measures taken by the US, as fears grow that bad loans could paralyse the economy.
Russia’s Putin welcomes oil and gas cooperation with Royal Dutch Shell in Sakhalin
South Stream Exports May Sideline Ukraine
NATO & resumed military cooperation with Russia
Mullen Calls for New US-Russian Military Relationship
Attack from breakaway Abkhazia damages Georgian power grid
Ukraine coalition 'close to collapse'
Russia Signals It Will Stay Out of OPEC
Credit crunch forces Russian climbdown.
Number of Russian wealthy drops 28.5%, report finds

Asia/Africa
North Korea Threatens to Shoot Down Japanese Spy Planes
S. Korea boosts defense spending, warns of first-strike capability (from Rice Farmer)
US Abandons Efforts to Eradicate Poppy Plants
Drug crop cultivation plummets in Afghanistan
Opium poppy production fell 19 per cent in Afghanistan
US confirms U-turn in Afghan counter-narcotics policy
Somali children being forced into war, says leader
Four from Rice Farmer:
Alarming Death Rate of Foreign Trainees Reported in Japan
Is China Faking Economic Recovery?
Japan's public pension assets suffer record yearly loss, erasing all profit made in last eight years
North India reels under power shortage

Science
When a Hybrid Takes Hold, the Outcome Can Be Bad
Worm Charming
Just what it sounds like.
Sanofi to donate 100m swine flu vaccines
The hidden cost of giving away vaccines
One-off gifts of childhood vaccines can cause more harm than good.

Intelligence
Secrecy News reports:
The Defense Department has issued a newly updated policy statement (pdf) on reporting "questionable" intelligence activities. "It is DoD policy that senior leaders and policymakers within the Government be made aware of events that may erode the public trust in the conduct of DoD intelligence operations," the June 17, 2009 memorandum states. Some such questionable activities are to be reported to the Intelligence Oversight Board, a component of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. However, the efficacy of any such reporting is limited by the fact that that Board currently has no sitting members. ("White House Intel Advisory Board Has No Members," Secrecy News, June 15, 2009).
Blog of Bill Leonard, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under Clinton and Bush II.

Collapse 101

From Jenna Orkin:

Economic Collapse

Buffett: US Economy in Shambles; No Sign of Recovery Yet
The operative word is "yet." Hope springs eternal etc.
Update on US Exports and Imports: The Collapse Continues
Japan's Exports Slump 40.9%
Industrial Orders in Eurozone Drop 35% Year on Year
New Home Sales in Northeast Fall 32% in March
Auto Parts Maker Lear Close to Bankruptcy
Auto Supplier Said to Prepare for Chapter 11
UK To Sink Into Red Further Than Any Other Country, OECD Warns
King Warns of the Long Hard Slog to Clear Britain's Debt
An anemic version of 'blood, sweat and tears.'
BA cost-cutting: 800 staff offer to work for free
Credit Card Charge-Offs Hit Record High in February
Russia Facing Long Recession, World Bank Says
Quarter of Russian Families in Debt, Poll Says Gazprom Sees No Reason for 'Panic'
Could Banks Have to Close to Solve Severe Problems? (from Rice Farmer)
State Shutdowns Loom as Deadlines Near (from Rice Farmer)
Moody's on California: Nice Weather. Shame About the Insolvency
Harvard Endowment Expected to Shrink by 30%
Some Operations of Citigroup Suspended in Japan
...on grounds it failed to monitor suspicious transactions.
French Minister Says Retirement Age Will Rise
Tracking the $700 Billion Bailout
Interactive Graphic: Geography of a Recession
Lawmakers Attack Fed for Being Too Secretive
J'accuse the US Army's Development Delusions
ECB lends record €442bn in first loan offer to boost credit flows
Depressed Banker Missing With Two Shotguns
Goldman Sachs on Pace for Record Bonuses
Gold will breach $1,000

Technology/Intelligence/Terrorism
Al-Qaeda 'plotting cyber war against Britain'
India Undertakes Ambitious ID Card Plan
Obama Contemplates Executive Order for Detention Without Charges
Smartphones Pose Security Risk Says Gvt
Brazil: Terrorism possible in Air France crash
Violence Expected as U.S. Troops Leave Iraqi Cities
Somali Pirate Attacks Boost Shipping Insurance Rates 20-Fold Investors (from Rice Farmer)

Biology/Environment/Energy
China Suspends Reforestation Over Food Shortage Fears
To eat or to breathe; that is the question.
Space and Gas Deals Planned in Nigeria
Gazprom had previously discussed the possibility of participating in the construction of a pipeline across the Sahara Desert, as well as pipeline infrastructure in Nigeria. The trans-Sahara link would connect Nigeria with Algeria's export system, making it possible to send Nigerian gas to Europe.
Chinese Firm to Gain Access to Iraqi Oil
Two Utilities Are Leaving Clean Coal Initiative
Are Batteries in Electric Cars Safe?
Should Mexico Stop Exporting Oil?
Peak Water, Peak Fish and the End of Everything
Terse Op-Ed arguing that we're really smart and will figure out an answer to the doomsayers. Supporting evidence: The improvement in the quality of life over the last hundred years. No mention of the fact that this coincided with the rise of oil production.
Cows that burp less methane bred
One third of sharks and rays 'threatened with extinction'
All British homes to be wind powered
US eases pressure on China over climate change targets
Florist threatened for planting flowers
Russian street sweeper fired for planting potatoes on city lawn
Five from Rice Farmer:
Water Woes Seen As Opportunity For Ag
Swine Flu Vaccinations for the Canadian Population
Argentina Dengue Outbreak
Dengue fever out break in Sri Lanka kills 146, infects more than 10,000
Mauritius records 208 cases of dengue fever

Eurasia/Drums of War
Putin wants to remove President Saakashvili
Germany targeted by Russian commercial spies –official
Georgia fears second Russian invasion
Azerbaijani President says nation must prepare for war with Armenia
Assassination attempt raises fears of 'new Chechnya'
Russia: No Dissent on US Air Base
Two crocodiles spotted in pond near Ukrainian refinery

Asia
Pakistan: India no longer a military threat
Kim Jung-Il's Son Made Head of NKorean Spy Agency
China to Invest $3Billion in Turkmenistan Oil Field
China has more millionaires than UK for the first time
RBS topped the losses list while Chinese banks raked in profits
Japanese Exports Plunge Again

CRS Reports:
Judge Sonia Sotomayor: Analysis of Selected Opinions
Supreme Court Nominations: Senate Floor Procedure and Practice, 1789-2009
Inherently Governmental Functions and Department of Defense Operations: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress
Federal Rulemaking: The Role of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Homeland Security Department: FY2010 Request for Appropriations
Iran's 2009 Presidential Elections

And...
Spanish bar invites insults from stressed customers
A bar in Spain is serving up free beer and tapas to recession-weary customers who insult its bartenders as a way to let off steam.

Comment: The low-grade sadism involved in this article prompted me to investigate what would happen if you googled "recession" and "sex." Answer: 18.5 million hits. Further investigation uncovered Dominatrix Work Forces Recession To Its Knees

Hair of the Dog Losing Effectiveness

From Jenna Orkin:

Quote of the day:

We're in the third and fatal stage of a great country - the political stage. In this stage, money and power migrate from the financial community to the political community. The politicians get away with taking trillions out of the productive economy and spending them on their pet projects and private corruptions.

Economic Crisis/Americas
What Happened to American Sovereignty at G-20?
Big Brother in Basel: Are We Trading Our National Sovereignty for Financial Stability?
Well we're trading our national sovereignty for sure. Anyone want to bet we'll get financial stability in return?
ECB Opens the Taps, Cheers Europe
Hair of the dog. Bottoms up.
Bernanke Advocates Bigger Role for Fed
Bernanke Prepares to Defend Record as Debate Over His Reappointment Begins
Emerging-Market Stocks Tumble 10% from Peak; Oil Declines, Yen Strengthens
The 86 Biggest Lies on Wall Street
Transfer of Wealth
Watch Out for a Big Jump in Consumer Prices
Downturn pushing charities over 'the cliff'' (from Rice Farmer)
UK recession to be much worse than forecast

Factoids:

1. All the U.S. coins and bills in general circulation today have a total worth of about $829 billion. 2. Two-thirds of that cash is held overseas.
3. Filthy lucre: In a study last year, researchers found more cocaine residue on U.S. bills than on any other currency.

RGE Monitor: The IMF, the third largest official holder of gold intends to sell 403 tons of its 3217 tons in gold holdings, pending approval from 85% of its members which will likely be given in fall 2009. Any sales will be gradual. IMF gold sales are unlikely to be a negative disruptive factor for the gold market and could be a very positive development if it is purchased by other official investors (central banks) [UBS]

Mexican Cartels Lure US Teens as Killers
Who Are We?
The honeymoon's over. Stirrings of truth at the New York Times, at least on the Op-Ed page.

It was thought by many that a President Obama would put a stop to the madness, put an end to the Bush administration’s nightmarish approach to national security. But Mr. Obama has shown no inclination to bring even the worst offenders of the Bush years to account, and seems perfectly willing to move ahead in lockstep with the excessive secrecy and some of the most egregious activities of the Bush era.
Senator Claire McCaskill's Two Statements on White House's Reasons for IG Firing
The first comment, incisive; the second, apparently appeased.

Intelligence/Terrorism
New Military Command for Cyberspace
Documents Back Saudi Link to Extremists
Trials Seen as Hurting Terror Investigations
How long before we read, "Human Rights Seen as Hurting Profits?"
DOD Considers Protests a Form of Low-Level Terrorism (from Rice Farmer)
CIA Delays Release Of Inspector General Report On Torture
Obama team looks to colleges for future spies, considering spy ROTC program (from Rice Farmer)
Confidential Memo Reveals US Plan to Provoke an Invasion of Iraq (from Rice Farmer)
J. Orkin comment: This is the infamous "U2-reconaissance-plane-painted-in-UN-colors" memo which I have special fondness for as it's the same idea I came up with to solve the Cuban missile crisis when I was a kid.
EU Asks Horse Owners to Pledge Not to Eat Their Horses
The new regulations come into force on July 1. Horses born after this date, and those born before June 30 who have not been issued a horse passport, will also have a microchip implanted.

Resources/Pathogens
Deep in Bedrock, Clean Energy and Quake Fears
Justices Say Waste Can Be Dumped in Lake
Thirst for Profit: Corporate Control of Water in Latin America (from Rice Farmer)
Open your wallet: Electric rates already moving higher to finance new nuclear power (from Rice Farmer)
Guerrilla gardener movement takes root in L.A. area
Is Farming the Root of All Evil?
Possibly, but the guerrilla gardener movement isn't what we mean.
Life-Threatening Disease Is the Price We Pay for Cheap Meat
Thanks to the New York City Peak Oil Meetup for this link.

"If you wanted to create global pandemics, you'd build as many of these factory farms as possible. That's why the development of swine flu isn't asurprise to those in the public health community. In 2003, the AmericanPublic Health Association--the oldest and largest in world--called for amoratorium of factory farming because they saw something like this wouldhappen. It may take something as serious as a pandemic to make us realizethe real cost of factory farming."
In New Theory, Swine Flu Started In Asia, Not Mexico
Pets Pass Superbug to Humans (from Rice Farmer)
Oceans Rising Faster, Polar Caps Melting More Than UN Projections of 2007
Lethal Crop Dusters (from Rice Farmer)

Eurasia
Chavez Asks Russian President to Help Hike Oil Prices
...to $100pb.
Medvedev Trip Looks to Secure Africa's Riches
Tax payments down a third in Russia this year
Hundreds picket Russian embassy in US over Iran elections
Russia helps Taiwan design own fighter jet - report
Russia’s Sberbank shares tumble 19% in 30 minutes
IKEA sues Russian energy suppliers over gas and power shortages
Attack from breakaway Abkhazia damages Georgian power grid
Terrorist leader gunned down in North Caucasus
Cargo branch of Russian Aeroflot goes bankrupt
World Bank Warns Neighbors Of 'Damaging Russian Waves'
Op-Ed Contributor: A Possible Trap Awaits Obama in Moscow
Assassination attempt raises fears of 'new Chechnya'
Window on Eurasia: Wealthier Moscow Teenagers More Inclined to View U.S. as Russia's Enemy
Latvian Firm Accepts Souls as Guarantees for Loans
You're on.

Europe
British workers face 20% cut in pensions
Pensions Crisis to Hit Millions of Workers
Global pensions under stress Data for the last year show assets falling in value and liabilities Switzerland faces sanctions over banking secrecy

Asia
Bleak Forecast Hits Asia Hard
Iran Overtakes Saudi as China's Number One Oil Provider
But Saudi hasn't peaked; they've got enough to last for decades.
OPEC Says Low Oil Prices Could Lead to Underinvestment
Agents say DEA is forcing them illegally to work in Afghanistan (from Rice Farmer)
Afghanistan's Failing Forces
The Pentagon also neglected to keep track of weapons it gave out, like mortars, grenade launchers and automatic rifles. Tens of thousands disappeared, sold to the highest bidder and, in some cases, used against American soldiers.

Comment: I'm shocked that there's gambling in this casino.

The Bush administration planned to increase the Afghan Army from 90,000 troops to 134,000. That still won’t be big enough to secure a vast, rugged country with a larger population than Iraq’s. American planners propose expanding it to as many as 260,000 troops — roughly the size of Iraq’s Army. No decision has yet been made.
US offers Kyrgyzstan $1 billion over Manas air base
In Reversal, Kyrgyzstan Won’t Close a U.S. Base
Baitullah Mesoud's Taliban Rival Killed
Qinagdao Raises Algae Bloom Alert Level to 3
Cities Battling Unwanted Water Life
Japan's industrial electricity demand falls 19.4% in May (from Rice Farmer)

Paul Krugman's Forebear in the Weimar Republic

From Jenna Orkin

Quote of the day:

"The crisis seems to be easing, and a chorus of critics is already demanding that the Federal Reserve and the Obama administration abandon their rescue efforts," writes Nobel winning economist Paul Krugman in the New York Times this week. "Those demands should be ignored. It's much too soon to give up on policies that have...pulled us a few inches back from the abyss."

"It's déjà vu all over again," he concludes, referring to the Japanese in the '90s and the Americans in the '30s. In both cases, he thinks their economies died because they turned off the juice too soon.

But people come to think what they must think when they must think it:

"To follow the good counsel of stopping [the inflation machine] would mean... that in a very short time the entire public, factories, mines, railways and post office, national and local government, in short, all national and economic life would be stopped."

Karl Helferich, Chairman, Central Bank of Germany, 1923.


Military
US Tailing DPRK Ship Suspected of Carrying Missiles
Japan: New Draft Calling for Bigger Military

Economic/Energy Forecasts
Hyperinflation is Coming
Why Stocks Will Collapse This Fall (from Rice Farmer)
The Coming Oil Crisis (Newsweek)
New Forecast: Mass Starvation
Emerging Markets Will End Dollar's Reign: Roubini
Oil at 100, Interest Rates May Stifle Economy: Roubini
Hyperinflation Could Hit US in 5-10 Years: Roubini
Nouriel Roubini's Website

Economic Crisis
ECB's Trichet Says No Room for More Debt
UK: Borrowing Reaches Record
States in Deep Trouble Over Plunging Income Tax Revenues
States Turning to Last Resorts in Budget Crisis
Banks Fail in Georgia, North Carolina, Kansas
State Plans to Limit Bank Bailout Funds
Joblessness Continued to Rise in May in Nearly Every State (from Rice Farmer)
Unemployment Paychecks Double
The Weekly Layoff Report: Rupert Murdoch Joins the Crowd
Strange Inconsistencies in the $134.5 Billion Bearer Bond Mystery
Did the counterfeiters stage this bizarre episode in order to get caught? Is it part of a scheme to collapse the dollar?
Fire Moves Into Houses Abandoned by Foreclosures (from Rice Farmer)

Energy
IDA Study on Peak Oil Debate
Oil Price Fears Follow Rebel Attacks on ShellOil Refinery Strike
Switch from Oil to Biomass Won't Happen Overnight
Nitwits In Congress Propose Tapping Oil Reserves To Halt Price Increases
Wartime Fungus Joins Elephant Dung to Make Biofuel
Greenwash/Hogwash

Americas
Peru's PM quits over jungle anger
Mexico: The War Next Door
Sixty Minutes report.

It's gotten so bad, a U.S. military report warned that Mexico could face "rapid and sudden collapse....."

"Half of what we seize, 55 percent are assault rifles. And this is what gives these groups this intimidation power. Over 17,000 assault rifles, throughout the last two years. Two thousand and 200 grenades, missile and rocket launchers. Fifty caliber sniper rifles," the attorney general explained.

It might surprise you to learn where all these guns are coming from. It turns out 90 percent of them are purchased in the US..."

There was an assault weapons ban in the United States for ten years. It expired in 2004.

"Would you consider asking Congress to reinstate that?" Cooper asked Napolitano.

"I haven't thought that far," she replied.
How New Intelligence Will Tame the Information Explosion
The economic crisis paves the way for RFIDs. This is an ad for IBM disguised as an article.
NASA Prepares to Bomb the Moon
Obama Protecting Cheney from Jon Stewart

Russia/Europe
Russia, Netherlands, Discuss Serious Energy Plans
Rosneft Boosts Powers of Board of Directors
Russia renames mountain in tribute to energy firm
Mosquito swarms threaten Britain
Helicopters are being deployed to spray poison in the skies above northern France to wipe out swarms of mosquitoes that are threatening to cross the Channel into Britain.

Asia
China Crosses the Rubicon (from Rice Farmer)
They Shoot Frequent Fliers, Don't They?
37,000 Dogs clubbed to death in China to contain rabies
Seven Killed by Lightning in Beijing
Speculation inevitably centred on the government's weather modification programme, which has been ramped up in recent years to offset droughts by seeding clouds.
Power Outage Darkens Pakistan's City of Light (from Rice Farmer)
The Curse of Oil Looms for Cambodia