The New World Order Update

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Almost thirty years ago, when I worked in an industrial setting, I came across my first pop off valve. We’d had a call that steam was escaping in an area, and were dispatched to go inspect it. My mentor explained that pop off valves were installed in the system for times when the steam pressure had exceeded the setting, and then it released the pressure in order not to cause damage.

It was an interesting concept, one that has carried over into my own life: a visible analogy of the pressure we carry inside us all the time; the good that comes from releasing that pressure; the danger of not releasing pressure when it exceeds our ability to cope.
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It’s been a month since the 9.0 Earthquake, tsunami, and the first of a series of explosions at the Daiichi reactors. Since that time, Japan has received 980 earthquakes and aftershocks: a number so staggering that it is almost incomprehensible. Numerous explosions have occurred as well, and every day it seems the Japanese nuclear and government official reveal a little more about the true nature of the on-going tragedy at Fukushima.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind everyone that the disaster didn’t just happen at Fukushima. Although the brunt of the radiation occurred within the 30 km radius, clearly the entire country of Japan is reeling from the economic, political, social, and public health effects of the upheaval. The earthquake / tsunami destroyed whole villages like Onagawa. Many untold numbers of the dead are from other prefectures along the eastern coast of Japan. It may by three or more months before we have a better idea of the impact and the human cost.

Initially the stoic Japanese were quite reticent to explain their own inner perceptions of the tragedy. “Shigata ga nai.” is an oft-used phrase in Japan. It means, it cannot be helped. Their ethos and manner of dealing with the disaster is quite different from an American one. Due to their high population density and ability to subside on only 25% of the land mass, and given their culture’s 4000 year old history, they’ve adapted to different methods of expression.

Sources: Predator Drone May Have Killed U.S. Troops

Sources: Predator Drone May Have Killed U.S. Troops - FoxNews.com

WASHINGTON – The military is investigating what appears to be the first case of American troops killed by a missile fired from a U.S. drone.

The investigation is looking into the deaths of a Marine and a Navy medic killed by a Hellfire missile fired from a Predator after they apparently were mistaken for insurgents in southern Afghanistan last week, two senior U.S. defense officials said Tuesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Unmanned aircraft have proven to be powerful weapons in Afghanistan and Iraq and their use have expanded to new areas and operations each year of those conflicts. Some drones are used for surveillance and some, such as the drone in this case, are armed and have been used to hunt and kill militants.

Officials said this is the first case they know of in which a drone may have been involved in a friendly fire incident in which U.S. troops were killed, and they are trying to determine how it happened.

Sen. McCain: ‘Unless We Enact Draconian Measures,’ America Faces a ‘Fiscal Meltdown’

Sen. McCain: ‘Unless We Enact Draconian Measures,’ America Faces a ‘Fiscal Meltdown’ | CNSnews.com

By Nicholas Ballasy

(CNSNews.com) – Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that “unless we enact draconian measures,” America is headed for a “fiscal meltdown.”

“We are at a critical juncture in American history that unless we enact draconian measures, then the results are very obvious, and that is a fiscal meltdown. No country can borrow 40 cents out of every dollar it spends – even the largest and most powerful nation in the world. No nation can continue on that track. So, tough medicine is required,” McCain said during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.

McCain said the United States faces a fiscal situation similar to Greece, Spain and Ireland.

Tim Pawlenty Running For President

Tim Pawlenty – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

“I’m running for president,” Pawlenty said in an interview set to air Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on “Piers Morgan Tonight.”

Radio Live | endtimewatchmen.com

Ron Paul says being anti-abortion is a Libertarian stance based in faith

Ron Paul says being anti-abortion is a Libertarian stance based in faith | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times

"Life comes from our creator, not our government," Politico reported Paul as saying. "Liberty comes from our creator, not from government. Therefore, the purpose, if there is to be a purpose, for government is to protect life and liberty."

Paul's stance on abortion won him the endorsement in 2008 of none other than "Jane Roe" from the landmark Roe v. Wade legal case of the '70s.

"Roe," whose real name is Norma McCorvey, became a pro-life advocate a decade ago and supported Paul in the last presidential election specifically because of his views on abortion. "I support Ron Paul for president because we share the same goal, that of overturning Roe v. Wade," McCorvey said. "He has never wavered ... on the issue of being pro-life and has a voting record to prove it. He understands the importance of civil liberties for all, including the unborn."

Republicans may push debt talks to 11th hour

Republicans may push debt talks to 11th hour - Yahoo! News

By Andy Sullivan – 1 hr 12 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican leaders in Congress said on Tuesday they may stretch out negotiations on raising the debt limit until July, when Washington will be close to defaulting on its obligations.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, fired the opening shots in what is expected to be a bitter fight with the White House over increasing the U.S. borrowing limit to enable the country to keep paying its debts.

Prolonging negotiations past mid-May when Washington will hit its debt limit could give Republicans more leverage to secure big spending cuts, but it could worry investors as the country runs up against a possible default. The Republicans said they would act before that happened.

In a speech on Wednesday, President Barack Obama will lay out his vision for reducing U.S. deficits to a manageable level through tax increases, spending cuts and changes to expensive healthcare programs for the poor and elderly.

US Inflation Rate: Inflation Using Volcker-Era Methodology Nearing 10% - CNBC

After former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker was appointed in 1979, the consumer price index surged into the double digits, causing the now revered Fed Chief to double the benchmark interest rate in order to break the back of inflation. Using the methodology in place at that time puts the CPI back near those levels.

Getty Images

Inflation, using the reporting methodologies in place before 1980, hit an annual rate of 9.6 percent in February, according to the Shadow Government Statistics newsletter.

Since 1980, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has changed the way it calculates the CPI in order to account for the substitution of products, improvements in quality (i.e. iPad 2 costing the same as original iPad) and other things. Backing out more methods implemented in 1990 by the BLS still puts inflation at a 5.5 percent rate and getting worse, according to the calculations by the newsletter’s web site, Shadowstats.com.

Obama prepares to raise taxes

Obama prepares to revive tax cut debate -- for now and 2012 - The Oval: Tracking the Obama presidency

Obama said he would raise the issue again the next time the Bush tax cuts expire - which happens to be 2012, a re-election year.

That effort begins early, with Wednesday's speech.

In his string of Sunday show appearances, senior White House adviser David Plouffe said Americans won't go for budget plans that place burdens on the middle class while asking nothing of people who make more than $200,000 a year.

"The president's belief is this has to be a balanced approach," Plouffe said on Fox News Sunday. "And if we do that, we can get deficit reduction in the country."

» Taxpayers foot $850M bill for Wall St.’s pension fees

Josh Kosman
NY Post
April 12, 2011

New York City taxpayers are helping to pay $850 million in Wall Street investment fees — even as these financial gurus have produced only meager results for strapped city and state pension funds.

City Comptroller John Liu this week released a comprehensive analysis of NYC pension costs over the past decade, revealing why they have risen from $1.2 billion to $7.7 billion.

Liu said one of the major factors in the shortfall was higher than expected investment and administrative fees, which were $71 million in 2005, and have risen more than four-fold to $313 million.

Nearly all of the increase was due to the pension funds shifting asset allocation in favor of private equity and real estate — chasing bigger returns — but which also have higher investment fees, he wrote.

Read Full Article

Elevated radiation levels found in Ontario: Energy Minister

Elevated radiation levels found in Ontario: Energy Minister - thestar.com

Elevated levels of radiation have been detected in Ontario in the wake of the Japanese nuclear disaster after last month’s tragic earthquake, Energy Minister Brad Duguid says.

However, the minister told reporters on Tuesday that he does not know where it is — if it is in milk or in the air — and when it got here.

Radioactive iodine has been discovered in milk in the eastern United States, according to New Democratic MPP France Gelinas (Nickel Belt) who brought the issue up during question period

Mubarak has heart attack

PressTV - Mubarak has heart attack

Former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak has had a heart attack during questioning by anti-corruption authorities about charges of graft and abuse of power, according to Egyptian state television.

Mubarak was later hospitalized in an intensive care unit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, AP reported on Tuesday.

On Sunday, Egyptian public prosecutor Abdel Magid Mahmud summoned Mubarak and his sons for questioning over corruption and the use of violence against peaceful protesters, who eventually succeeded in bringing an end to his 30 years of authoritarian rule.

Police Begin Writing Seat Belt Tickets at the Gas Station

US deficit up 15.7% in first half of fiscal 2011

AFP: US deficit up 15.7% in first half of fiscal 2011

(AFP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — The US budget deficit shot up 15.7 percent in the first six months of fiscal 2011, the Treasury Department said Wednesday as political knives were being sharpened for a new budget battle.

The Treasury reported a deficit of $829 billion for the October-March period, compared with $717 billion a year earlier, as revenue rose a sluggish 6.9 percent as the economic recovery slowly gained pace.

The Treasury argued that the pace of increase in the deficit was deceptive because of large one-off reductions in expenditures made during the first half of fiscal 2010, compared with previous and subsequent periods.

Those included a $115 billion reduction in funds spent on the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) -- the financial institution bailout program -- in March 2010

IRS Budget Spared Cuts as Agency Seeks Revenue From Tax Cheats

IRS Budget Spared Cuts as Agency Seeks Revenue From Tax Cheats - Businessweek

Of course just like the military the IMF cant touch the budget of its private collection agency for its private bank.

April 12 (Bloomberg) -- The Internal Revenue Service avoided a $600 million budget cut proposed by House Republicans, preventing changes that could have cost the government $4 billion in uncollected revenue.

Under the proposed spending bill released today, the IRS budget for fiscal year 2011 would be $12.1 billion, or 0.2 percent less than in fiscal 2010. That level would subject the IRS to the same across-the-board funding cut as all domestic, non-defense agencies.

The legislation would deny the IRS a $486 million budget increase it had sought as it tries to improve enforcement of tax laws aimed at wealthy individuals and multinational corporations. House Republicans touted the denial of the IRS increase when they announced the budget agreement with the administration April 8.

The IRS didn’t respond to a request for comment today. Commissioner Douglas Shulman said last month that IRS budget cuts would be counterproductive, because they would reduce revenue from tax collections. He estimated that the loss would be $4 billion.

Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who has called for the IRS to be more aggressive in pursuing offshore tax evasion, said Congress should give the agency more resources.

‘Going to Hurt’

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