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POPSTrillions Of Troubles Ahead Then there will be no way out but to create more debt in order to finance the old debt. It assures a period of economic devastation. In a last, desperate attempt, politicians at the federal and local levels will raise taxes to astronomical heights to raise revenues. And that only assures destruction of the economy. Forget the fable of economic recovery. Unless there is a change in Washington by next year's election, there will be no way to turn back.
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POPSLiving with Half of a Body Peng Shuilin had half of his body amputated after being run over by a truck. But he never gave up! His recovery has amazed surgeons after almost two years undergoing a series of operations. The vice-president of the hospital where this 37-year old Chinese man has been treated said: “He is amazing and the only person in the world to survive having so much of his body amputated.” He
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POPSThe 2010 Elections: Bring ' em on! Some interesting charts and graphs on the what things looked like during and shortly after the Bush years for working Americans, and where things are at now for working Americans
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POPSFour steps to working through grief and loss The holidays bring up a lot of loss in our lives. This is especially true when we have "unresolved" losses that have not fully healed. Feeling the hurt again is not pathological. Staying stuck in it is and may require professional help in finding a path of acceptance and recovery. Here are four basic steps to helping you find your way on that path. The time and duration for the journey is different for everyone. Share your stories of healing from grief and loss. Click on the comment link to tell us about where you are on the path!
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POPSSelling a low-carbon life just got harder "Everything to play for". Well, people need a bit of coherence in order to understand. For example, the consequences of a "healthy" economic recovery will certainly be another sharp increase in CO2 emissions. What should we do? That would be the start of some coherent, non-hypocritical policy making. Start by asking real open questions, and do not think you know the answers in advance. Then use some natural intelligence to look for other pertinent questions before entering into an open inquiry.
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POPSThe NEXT BIG THING for 2010
· Neo-Survivalism: A new breed of survivalist is devising ingenious stratagems to beat the crumbling system. And, they’re not all heading for the hills with AK-47’s and pork & beans. · Not Welcome Here: Fueled by fear and resentment, a global anti-immigration trend will gather force and serve as a major plank in building a new political party in the US. · TB or Not TB: With two-thirds of Americans Too Big (TB) for their own good (and everyone else’s), 2010 will mark the outbreak of a “War on Fat,” providing a ton of business opportunities. · Mothers of Invention: Taking off with the speed of the Internet revolution, “Technology for the Poor” will be a major trend in 2010, providing products and services for newly downscaled Western consumers and impoverished consumers everywhere. · Not Made In China: A “Buy Local,” “My Country First” protectionist backlash will deliver a big “No” to unrestrained globalism and open solid niches for local and domestic manufacturers. · The
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POPSMajor Groundwater Loss in California's Heartland I've visited this area many times during the past three decades and each and every time have been forced to conclude that the current practices are not sustainable. When (not if, but when) it finally collapses, the "values" we now take for granted will come back to haunt us.
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POPSObama's False Economic Consensus Greg Mankiw, to cite one of scores of possible examples, is an "economist who's looked at it," and he had an op-ed in The New York Times just yesterday that cited several other economists who have looked at stimulus packages throughout the ages. His conclusion? Successful stimulus relies almost entirely on cuts in business and income taxes. Failed stimulus relies mostly on increases in government spending. A growing body of evidence suggests that traditional Keynesian nostrums might not be the best medicine. Obama is a political master at drawing boundaries around the "respectable" debate and marginalizing a swath of his critics as being beyond the pale.
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POPSIndependent commission led by former lawmakers, economists releases plan to control federal debt 
The rest of the plan includes an enforcement mechanism to stay on track (featuring automatic triggers to raise taxes and cut spending if targets aren’t met), then actually stabilizing the debt in 2018, followed by continued debt reductions toward the nation’s 50-year average of below 40%. The nation’s public debt is now 53% of U.S. gross domestic product — up from 41% a year ago — and on track to become 85% of GDP by 2018, 100% by 2022 and 200% by 2038, under the commission’s projections. The group says before those levels are reached, the U.S. would likely face a debt-driven crisis in which interest rates spiral higher and squeeze out other priorities. “The tipping point is impossible to predict, but the United States is already hearing concerns about its fiscal management from some of its largest creditors, and the country is uncomfortably vulnerable to shifts in confidence around the world,” the report stated.
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POPSUncle Ted's American Jobs Summit America is quickly arriving at an economic crossroads. States such as California and Michigan are free-falling into economic collapse. Unemployment is at its highest peak in over 20 years. We are trillions of dollars in debt and the unsustainable debt continues to rise. There is no economic good news. Honey, we're broke. Let's go on a shopping spree!
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POPSamerica's race to the bottom well.just when i was feeling less than perky and broke- this confirms it.....i am......kidding- but this really isn't a laughing matter- except for some i spose.....
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POPSThe Uncertainty Economy
One big difference between Washington and private markets is that politicians think everything they do is free-standing. Markets, however, combine all the potential costs of Washington's policies and then decide whether to invest, or not. Consider what private decision-makers see in their future: A 2,074-page, trillion-dollar health-care bill to redesign 17% of the U.S. economy. A carbon tax"cap and trade"that remains an Obama priority ahead of the Copenhagen climate summit next month. A falling dollar and gyrating commodity prices, with no idea where those prices will go next. Democratic liberals are talking about an income tax surcharge to pay for any commitment in Afghanistan. Card check, to expand unionization of the private economy, remains a priority. Domestic discretionary spending in fiscal 2010 is set to rise at 12.1%, with inflation near zero. Nurturing a fragile economic recovery into a durable expansion requires policies that restore public confidence and reassure
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POPSThe Obama Recovery In Full Effect: Deficits Running 25% Higher Than Highest Estimates If the deficits continue to overshoot prior estimates, which they almost certainly will, the country is headed for total, hyper-inflationary meltdown: China and Japan will simply cease buying debt that can't be repaid. Oh, and recall that these totals don't even include state and local governments -- like the Blue State Utopias of California, Michigan, New York and New Jersey -- that are hemorrhaging revenues and residents as fast as they can pack their belongings, stuff them in U-Hauls and clear out for greener pastures. That deficit represents a 25% overshoot. Congratulations, Mr. President: your strategy is working. Hat tip: Denninger
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POPSOnline spending in America is rising These small graphs provide a quick comparison of one economic metric. It will be interesting to compare the relative numbers for "online" and "offline" (traditional) shopping consumer and business spending (since historically consumer spending is 2/3rds of the relative economic activity).
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POPS How Many Lies Is Enough? “I intend to take serious steps to reduce America’s long-term deficit because debt-driven growth cannot fuel America’s long-term prosperity.” So what happens when your debts become greater than your assets? You end up like GM and Chrysler - bankrupt. The country will be sold to the highest bidder, just as it is now being sold off to Red China. Cloward-Piven But Obama isn’t concerned with that, in fact, it’s exactly what he wants. Break the bank and redistribute the wealth to those who no longer have any income after the economy has collapsed and the country finds itself in a deep depression - taking much of the free world down with it. That is the Cloward-Piven strategy for the destruction of capitalism and the free market. In September of last year, American Thinker published my article, Barack Obama and the Strategy of Manufactured Crisis. Part of a series, (http://bit.ly/7Cn04V) it connected then-presidential candidate Barack Obama to ....
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POPSThe Nefarious Force Behind Cap-and-Trade "Climate Religion" to our very severe recession is taking place. Significant increases in taxes or interest rates have been shown in the past to have the potential to stall or crush a recovery. Moreover, now that the government’s claimed fundamental motivation for this legislation is apparently, at least in part, a sham, there is a growing suspicion among many people that the government knew that climate change arguments were overblown all along. Why, then, are they so dead-set on passing cap-and-trade? It’s All About Power and Control The present administration has virtually declared themselves to be socialist, and their actions support this perspective. The have needlessly nationalized financial and automobile companies, greatly increasing their power in those sectors. They’ve gone to the extent of setting executive salaries in a supposedly free market. Moreover, the president has openly stated that he want to “spread the wealth around”----
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POPSRectal Cancer destroyed by unltasound Almost 38,000 patients suffer from rectal cancer per year in the UK Approximately a third of these cancers are within the rectum Patients often suffer from tenesmus - a painful condition where they find it difficult to empty their bowels and need frequent trips to the toilet
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POPSHope For the Beluga Whale "Additionally, the proposed Knik Arm Bridge, a billion-dollar boondoggle, will directly affect some of the whale’s most important habitat. Port expansion and a proposed giant coal mine and coal export dock would also destroy key beluga habitat."
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POPSEconomy: Bush's Fault... yet, The Rats Are Jumping Ship— Members of President Obama’s own political party are charging that the White House and the Democratic Congressional leadership are not doing enough to help the unemployed and are threatening to organize a march on Washington of jobless Americans. “Obviously there’s something that’s not getting through to them,” said Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois. “And we’re going to let the White House and everybody who’s concerned know that we have got people in our districts who are depending on us to deliver for them.” Rush and Kaptur argue that a new jobs program is more important than health care reform, but stop short of threatening to hold up a vote on one of Obama’s most important domestic policy initiatives. “We’re not there yet,” Kaptur said. Some of the proposals being floated by the caucus include: redirecting existing stimulus and TARP money to jobs programs and pressing for a new jobs bill, which they’re careful not to call a “stimulus.”
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