Friday, November 27, 2009

Obama Calls for Immediate Probe of White House Crashers; As For Millions of Missing Jobs? Not So Much.


A headline in this afternoon's Wall Street Journal ("Obama Calls for Probe of White House Crashers") describes the president's anxiety over his personal security.


As for the economic security of millions of Americans -- who are victims of Democrat policy failures and Cloward-Piven government -- well, the President has plans.

He plans to convene a "jobs summit" -- which he figures will work about as well as the "Stimulus" bill, the Omnibus spending bonanza, the auto bailout and "Cash-for-Clunkers" -- because it promises to offer some excellent photo ops. No rush, though. It'll be held sometime in December.

But we've got to get steppin' on that security detail probe.

CFR predicts collapse of the dollar 'well before 2030' and, purely coincidentally, the U.S. Mint halts sales of gold and silver coins


The assault on the U.S. dollar continues apace with two intriguing snippets of news today:

CFR predicts a dollar collapse 'well before 2030': The Obama administration's attack on the full faith and credit of the currency is succeeding.

The Council on Foreign Relations' subscription magazine Foreign Affairs describes the certain effects of the Democrats' unprecedented deficit spending.

...increasing U.S. demands on foreign investors would probably become unsustainable and produce a severe drop in the value of the dollar well before 2030, possibly bringing on a hard landing.

-- Foreign Affairs, Volume 88, No. 6, November / December 2009, p22.

The U.S. Mint halts the sale of its gold coins: Hording, anyone?

The U.S. Mint has suspended sales of most American Eagle coins made from precious metals including gold and silver, citing depleted inventories of the metals after sales surged 88 percent in the first 10 months of this year... Sales of American Eagle gold coins jumped to 1.07 million ounces this year through October, from 568,000 a year earlier, according to the mint's Web site. This month, the mint indicated it sold an additional 124,000 ounces of the coins.

About 23.41 million ounces of silver coins were sold this year through October, and almost 2.59 million more were sold this month, the Web site shows... Last year, the mint sold about 15.38 million ounces of silver American Eagles through October.

Now that gold has touched an all-time high of $1,193 an ounce -- with banks among the buyers to protect themselves against the hemorrhaging dollar -- I can't help but think of the movie Goldfinger, with George Soros playing the role of Auric Goldfinger.


Larwyn's Linx: Help Wanted, No Real Experience Required

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget..

Nation

Help Wanted, No Real Experience Required: Driscoll
Constitutional Law’s Tyranny of Complexity: PJM
Giving thanks to the necessary men: Doc Zero

Turkeys of the Year: Malkin
Three Proposals on the Black Family: City
Sen. Conrad's Insulting Defense of KSM: AT

Economy

The cronies, czars & corruptocrats at Obama’s first state dinner: Malkin
Dubai struggles to contain investor panic: Maktoob
Detroit and the true 'hockey stick' graph: jobs: BlogProf

State Pensioner Thinks He's Blameless for Pension Mess: STACLU
California Rumblings: Zero Hedge
World voting with its feet on the dollar: AT

Media

Even Russian TV Does Better Job Reporting ClimateGate Than CNN: NewsBusters
Cass Sunstein vs. the Hateful Blogs: Verum Serum
The White House's unprecedented use of 'unprecedented': BlogProf

The Competing Narratives of Barry and Sarah: AT (Cashill)
What is Helen Thomas thankful for?: RSM
Barbara Walters interviews Sarah Palin: Pedaling Fast

Climate & Energy

Uh oh: raw data tells a different story than the 'official' one: Watts
'Case for climate fears is blown to smithereens...UN conference should be closed': Depot
Science Czar Holdren's Involvement in 'Climategate': CFP

Politics and Greenhouse Gases: AT (McLaughlin)
Climategate: It’s the Totalitarianism, Stupid: PJM (Lewis)
Moving the goalposts: breathtaking: MoneyRunner

Here's the decline that they hid: Maggie's Farm
Science untarnished by 'Climategate,' U.N. says: CNet
Rigged from the start: WSJ

Protesters Chase Junk Scientist Al Gore Down the Street After Book Signing: GWP
Wow, “Man-made” Warming Really Is Global: Kiwis Dope The Data: CBullitt

World

For Thanksgiving Barack Obama Demands Release of 1,000 Terrorists: GWP
Iranians stage protest at Haj; chant death to America and Israel: Maktoob
War Porn: Instant Gunship: Ace

Terrorist Criminal Trials and the Coming Jihad: AT (Miller)
Swiss vote on banning minarets: Riehl

Sci-Tech

Attacks Appear Imminent as IE Exploit Is Improved: PC World

Cornucopia

Gratuitous Thanksgiving Picture o' the Day: Crazy Uncle
What to Give Your Wife for Christmas: RSM
Turnabout's fair game: BrutHon

Suburban Housewife: Sally Brooks (Language Warning)
Movie Reviews: BDP (Language warning)
Environmentalism as Religion: Crichton (2003)

Quote o' the Day:

"All the talk about climate change, fraudulent science, the politicization of science, and so on has reminded me of one of my favorite stories of all time. I learned it from Tony Daniels (aka Theodore Dalrymple). In the Nazi period, 100 “Aryan” scientists signed a statement against Einstein — saying that the theory of relativity was a Jewish hoax or whatever. Asked to comment on this, Einstein said, “If what they are saying were true, one signature would have been enough.”

In science, as in other areas of life, beware the bandwagon. -- Jay Nordlinger


Thursday, November 26, 2009

Official Movie Trailer: The Day Al Gore Stood Still


Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...

***wheeeeeeeeeeee-ohhh-wheeeeeeeeeeee-ohhh...***

All science personnel, please report to the CRU...

Finally, this must be my vindication day... proof of global warming, once and for all.

Oww! My neck fat got caught in the zipper!! S**t!

Don't be afraid!

Afraid of what?

Didn't they tell you? They caught all the CRU scientists fudging the data! There's no global warming!!

...I'm going to ask you a series of questions...

Whatever, b***h.

...Is your name really Dr. Phil Jones?

Who the f*** else do I look like, yo?

...Did you ever fudge climate data to show that the Earth is warming?

Son-of-a-.... I want my lawyer!!

...Did you ever attempt to erase emails, documents or data related to a 'Freedom-of-Information-Act' request?

Would you believe we lost 'em?

Are you aware of an impending climate catastrophe?

No. But we estimate that there are perhaps 20,000 prehistoric humans frozen inside glaciers. Now, if they happen to thaw randomly, there's no problem. But if a leader emerges -- a caveman lawyer, perhaps -- we'll be facing a s***storm of pissed-off Neanderthals. With advanced technology. And no tort reform.

Do you feel what I'm feeling?

Yeah... it's gettin' colder, not warmer! I'm sick of this CRU "research" s*** -- gonna move to Jamaica --

How the hell are we supposed to say it's warming when icebergs are forming in the Gulf of Mexico?

Don't worry... Al Gore will come up with an explanation. He's a Nobel-frickin'-Prize winner, dammit!

Cooling? Cooling? I want a recount!! It's gotta be warming!

Okay, okay! I admit I fudged the climate data! But Gore's gone nuts -- he's setting fire to every damn forest in North America! He's going to make sure the Earth is warming, even if it means mass arson! He's got billions at stake!!

Opening in theaters November 28th.


The Real 'Hockey Stick' Graph


The most notable 'hockey stick' graph doesn't come from the world of faux climate science.


It's yesterday's chart for spot gold price.

Sprott Asset Management's John Embry describes several troubling anecdotes related to the trembling currency market and their ramifications for the near-term economic future.

The physical gold market is in the process of "overwhelming the chicanery in the paper-gold market," which Embry believes is highly suspect. Despite buying huge quantities of its own bonds, he surmises that the feds are terrified of a failed Treasury auction. The government's ability to finance operations -- by marketing its immense debt -- hangs in the balance.

India and China are competing for a limited amount of physical gold. There are rumors that Germany has requested that its gold held in the U.S. "be repatriated".

Furthermore, Hong Kong recently announced its intent to house Asian gold, thereby removing it from "the increasingly suspect London market". An analysis by a UK-based consultancy has raised suspicions that the London Market -- the world's largest for gold -- has far more paper claims than physical gold on hand.

This analysis aligns with word that, starting in late September, large London investors began demanding physical bullion as opposed to paper. Embry asserts we are nearing an inflection point that "will reflect the growing realization by investors that hold substantial amounts of paper-gold vehicles that they may not actually have the protection they think they have."

Ultimately, he believes that Alan Greenspan's "wildly expansionary monetary policy"; the feds' failure to regulate derivatives; and falsified economic statistics -- by the current "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", Lawrence Summers, Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner and the U.K.'s banking head Mervyn King -- will lead to continued economic hardship.

But, after all, that would appear to be the Obama administration's goal: some call it Cloward-Piven government.


Hat tip: BlogProf.

Priceless


Papa B sent this one in.

In all seriousness, Mark Levin's description of the Democrats' out-of-control entitlement programs is the most apt: child abuse.


Mr. and Mrs. Scofflaw


That would be the Jerkinator, caught by TMZ parking his Porsche in a red zone.

A few weeks ago, Mrs. Jerkinator was nabbed for a similar offense.

And blabbing on her cellphone all the while.

California is bankrupt. Its public sector unions have brought the state to its knees.

So what are the Jerkinator's priorities? Waging war against big-screen televisions and toilet paper.

And taxpayers in other states will end up footing the bill for this lunacy.


Five Rules for Men to Follow for a Happy Life


Ben sent this one in.

FIVE RULES FOR MEN TO FOLLOW FOR A HAPPY LIFE

1. It's important to have a woman, who helps at home, who cooks from time to time, cleans up and has a job.

2. It's important to have a woman, who can make you laugh.

3. It's important to have a woman, who you can trust and who doesn't lie to you.

4. It's important to have a woman, who is good in bed and who likes to be with you.

5. It's very, very important that these four women do not know each other


Larwyn's Linx: Blessed with freedom? Thank a soldier.

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget..

Nation

Blessed with freedom? Thank a soldier.: AT (Shiver)
If you believe in American principles, you can’t be a teacher: ProWis
DC Couple Crash White Dinner: GWP

Dem Senator: Americans can 'go somewhere else': Hot Air
Finally: Charges Files in Gladney Case: GWP
How private property saved the Pilgrims: Volokh

We Pay Them To Lie To Us: Stossel
Mobilizing the Midwest: InstaPundit
I'll have some PDS with my turkey, please: LegalIns

Economy

Obama's Anti-Capitalist Policies Kill Chances of Recovery: BigGov
The Case of the Missing Layoff Stories: BizzyBlog
Dem has solution in MI: raise taxes $6.5B: BlogProf

When the public coffers run dry: McArdle
Cleaning House: if Dems won't do it, voters will: Power Line

Media

ClimateGate: Have They No Shame?: PJM
Burn a CD for the New York Times: Steyn
Study: Has Editor & Publisher ‘Falsely Framed’ Peter Dreier as an Objective ACORN Critic?: BigGov

Ed Begley Jr. loses his mind on Fox News: BigHollywood
NYT linked to hacked Palin's emails, refuse to publish CRU emails proving warming is a lie: BlogProf
Alan Colmes, having fun at #1: RSM

Climate & Energy

Climategate: Alarmism Is Underpinned by Fraud: PJM (Plimer)
Pretending the climate email leak isn't a crisis won't make it go away: Monbiot
Hiding the decline: the deniers made them do it: Pundette

Open-Sourcing the Global Warming Debate: A&D
The people -vs- the CRU: Freedom of information, my okole…: Watts
The Good Ship AGW Is Sinking; Still the Band Plays On: PJM

World

Riding the Back of the Tiger: Hanson
Wow: Obama reaches out to Philippine Jihadi group: Weasel Zippers
Saudi King Pays For Grandma Obama’s Hajj: S&L

Sci-Tech

Hiding the Decline: Part 1 – The Adventure Begins: A&D
Smoking Gun -- The Algorithm: Bishop Hill

Cornucopia

George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation: BizzyBlog
Thankful: Rants & Refinements
Dressing Down: TAB

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Cool Pool


Click to enbiggen.




Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass dollar hysteria!


The value of the U.S. dollar continues to plummet faster than Michael Moore getting shoved out of a C-130.

Gold now at $1,185. What happens when the DXY [U.S. dollar] hits 70 in a few days?

And the diagonal, soon to be vertical channel:

DXY at 70?

As the dollar hemorrhages value, Ben Bernanke's outstanding record as a financial Nostradumas continues to inspire confidence.

I was struck with Bernanke’s comment last week at the Economics Club regarding bubbles. He said:

"It is not obvious to me that there are any misalignments in the US financial system."

This comment has already gotten the attention of the media. Two years from now the blogs will be quoting it along with other notable words from the Chairman. Remember the following? Mr. Bernanke regrets having said this.

"We (the Fed) do not expect significant spillovers from the subprime market to the rest of the economy or to the financial system."

When Mr. Bernanke made those comments back in May of 2007 he was either misrepresenting the facts or he simply could not see the implications of the facts that were in front of him. I don’t think he was fibbing to us then. He called it as he saw it. He simply had no clue what the pieces meant. I am concerned that he is equally out of touch today.

How could Mr. Bernanke not see that zero interest rates are a misalignment?

Bruce Krasting goes on to suggest that the time of reckoning is near.

You can’t ask for a better example of the market’s attitude towards America’s monetary stance. It is starting to get downright hostile.

It would be a kick in the pants to the entire financial system if the price of gold started to have a meaningful impact on monetary policy. I think that is exactly what is going to happen. It is just going to take a while. Bernanke continues to believe that nothing is misaligned. We are going to wake up and find out that things are horribly misaligned.

Don't cross the streams, Ben!

Oops.

Too late.

What did Al Gore know -- and when did he know it?


The mainstream media remains, for the most part, curiously silent over the biggest scientific and socio-economic scandal since Piltdown Man. Global warming (or climate change, pick your branding) has been exposed as a hotbed of fraud, cover-ups and faux science.

Former Vice President Al Gore has played a major role for more than a decade in the effort to publicize the problem. He has personally earned, by some estimations, between a hundred million and a billion dollars by hawking the United Nations' vision of global warming. In April, Gore was questioned by Rep. Marsha Blackburn about his personal motivations for pimping carbon regulation.

"Is this legislation that we’re discussing here today, is that something you are going to personally benefit from?” Blackburn asked.

Gore sighed.

"I believe that the transition to the green economy is good for our economy and good for all of us," Gore said. "And I have invested in it. But every penny I have made I have put into a nonprofit — the Alliance for Climate Protection — to spread awareness of why we have to take on this challenge. If you believe that the reason I have been working on this issue for 30 years is because of greed, you don’t know me."

"No, sir," Blackburn said. "I’m not making accusations. I’m asking questions that have been asked of me (by) individual constituents that were seeking a point of clarity."

Gore talked over Blackburn as he said, "I understand exactly what you’re doing, Congresswoman. Everybody here does."

Blackburn took plenty of heat -- no pun intended -- for her questioning, which now seems prescient.

But Gore's venture capital fund has contributed at least $2.2 million to political campaigns including those of President Obama, Sen. Harry Reid, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

And expecting an ROI, in the form of carbon legislation that would advance his various business ventures, Gore proclaimed little more than a month ago that progress was at hand.

"We’re very close to that political tipping point... Never before in human history has a single generation been asked to make such difficult and consequential decisions."

Gore's work with the United Nations to market the cause resulted in a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He called global warming "the greatest challenge we've ever faced... [it is] a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."

The Nobel Peace Prize committee also cited the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for its tandem efforts that have "created an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming."

Open Source -- or Hidden Agenda?

But it is clear now that the IPCC was engaged in a massive cover up. Among other activities, the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the heart of the IPCC's research:

Hid code from other researchers;

Massaged data to hide cooling;

Conspired to evade disclosure laws despite their public funding sources;

Claimed to have 'lost' the original data files that were the underpinnings of their findings;

The CRU's agenda can best be represented by a 'hockey-stick graph' though it's not one that represents temperature.

It's the approximate amount of funding received by the CRU between 1990 and 2002.

Given the success of "open source" innovation -- from the Linux operating system to the MySQL database -- a crucial question is raised:

If global warming truly represented such a global crisis, why wouldn't the code and data be freely shared among researchers? Why wouldn't the IPCC leverage "the 'wisdom of crowds' and researchers worldwide to attack the problem?

The code and data have been hidden from view for one reason and one reason alone: global warming is a multi-trillion dollar bunko scam that advances the cause of a one-world government.

Given the obvious fraud, one must ask whether Al Gore was complicit. What did Gore know -- and when did he know it? I can hardly wait for his deposition and testimony.

I'd also like to go on record as suggesting a polygraph exam for Gore.