MFS - The Other News

                        Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Russia 5.1 and Indonesia 5.6, Tonga 5.5 and Japan 6.7  ! More info here.

• Japan : For the most accurate info on the nuclear disaster go to : Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog.Here.

• ‘If You are a White, Middle-Aged American Male, You Might be a Terrorist!’(BigGovernment).In a hat tip to Jeff Foxworthy’s “You Might be a Redneck” shtick, the Department of Homeland Security has instituted a “You Might be a Terrorist” campaign. It goes something like this: “If you are white, male (maybe female), and middle-aged…you might be a terrorist!”The DHS has released yet another public service announcement-style video to push its If You See Something, Say Something campaign to encourage public vigilance in the War on Terror. The problem is, like previous PSA videos, the only way DHS can portray terrorists is as white men or women.Now, I’m not saying it’s impossible for white, middle-aged American men and women to be terrorists, but the odds suggest otherwise. Over the last two years, 126 people have been indicted on terrorism-related charges, and all have been Muslim. According to Attorney General Eric Holder, only 50 of the 126 were Americans, but how many of these Americans were white men or white women has not been released.This latest Janet Napolitano “Big Sis” production comes on the heels of a July 2011 PSA video which also characterized white Americans as likely terrorists.When Infowars broke the story about this first PSA, it theorized why DHS took this unique approach to portray who might bear watching:“Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the DHS’ own internal documents list predominantly white conservative groups as the most likely terrorists, such as Ron Paul supporters, gun owners, gold bullion enthusiasts, and a myriad of other comparatively banal political interests that are largely the domain of white middle class Americans.”I think the motive lies somewhere between the tyrannical (as the above quote suggests) and the politically correct.We’ve certainly seen how the left wants to disparage patriotic Americans, especially the Tea Party. Whether Vice President Joe Biden did or did not call Tea Partiers terrorists recently may never be proven, but it seems the sentiment is there, so I lean toward believing he did. It’s the same kind of disdain we see in the DHS 2009 report about right-wing extremism. Are the DHS PSA videos an attempt to create a perception of danger about a group of people who have not demonstrated any violence?A large component of the DHS’s careful selection of actors in its PSA videos seems to be PC-based. Although the average terrorist who has attacked/attempted to attack American interests in recent years has been a young Middle-Eastern Muslim male, DHS could not bring itself to use that accurate depiction. It might offend the people who are actually trying to harm us! It’s the same mentality that causes DHS-owned TSA agents to frisk toddlers and senior citizens with great zeal. Profiling would be offensive, even when the data suggests a certain profile to watch for.Something like $10M of taxpayer money was poured into the creation of these worthless videos…government silliness at its worst. If the DHS was motivated by a streak of tyranny, then we have much more to fear as citizens than just these videos. If they were created because the PC crowd on the left feared being offensive to Muslims, then the irony is in how offensive the videos are to white, non-Muslim Americans. Either way, or somewhere in between, we need to shake up the makeup in Washington, DC. The inmates are running the asylum, and it’s time for some adult leadership in government.Hmmmm.....hear,hear!Read the full story here.

• Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to Investigate Validity of Obama's Birth Certificate.(BirtherReport).At the request of tea party leaders in Arizona, famed Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has promised to investigate the validity of Barack Obama's purported long-form birth certificate in a determination of the president's eligibility for the county's 2012 election ballot.Tea party leaders in Surprise, Ariz., met with Arpaio and WND senior reporter Jerome Corsi Thursday morning to express concern that a fake birth certificate would be used to document the president's eligibility to run in Maricopa County, where Arpaio is the chief law enforcement officer.Arpaio's tough crackdown on illegal immigration has made him a national figure.At a one-hour meeting in Arpaio's office, the tea party leaders presented the sheriff with a petition that was drafted after a speech by Corsi the previous night. Corsi, author of a best-selling book challenging Obama's eligibility, "Where's the Birth Certificate?", presented evidence from numerous computer-imaging specialists who believe the document presented by the White House April 27 is not authentic. Autographed copies of Jerome Corsi's "Where’s the Birth Certificate?" are available only from the WND Superstore. At the gathering Wednesday night of more than 325 people, sponsored by the Surprise Tea Party Patriots of Surprise, Ariz., and the Liberty Through Action organization, 242 signatures were gathered on the petition, which requested that Arpaio begin a criminal investigation.The petition calls for the sheriff to investigate the possibility that a crime has been committed against the Arizona secretary of state, who must decide whether to put Obama's name on the ballot. Arpaio told the tea party leaders the complaint is within his jurisdiction, and he will be forced to investigate. He said he expects political pressure, but he pointed out that as the chief law enforcement officer of Maricopa County, he's taken an oath to respond to citizens who approach him about enforcing the law.Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Lt. Justin Griffin confirmed to WND that Arpaio is "waiting to receive all the documentation and all the investigative material from Dr. Jerry Corsi, and then he will look into the matter and compare it to the Arizona revised statutes."The petition states:

We the undersigned citizens are respectfully requesting that you initiate a criminal investigation under the authority of A.R.S. 13-2407 A-C, Into the alleged Certificate of Live Birth, File Number 151 61 10641, State of Hawaii, for Barack H. Obama II. The document was released on April 27, 2011, by the White House to the press and posted on the White House website and distributed and downloaded by computer throughout the nation, including within Maricopa County. Reportedly, several experts have declared the document to be a forgery. Reportedly, the file number may be out of sequence; "THE" appears to be misspelled as "TXE" in the State Registrar's stamp; there appears to be a "smiley face" in the "A" in the Alvin T. Onaka, State Registrar stamp; reportedly the document has computer generated, multiple layers and is not a copy of a single layered document; font types appear to vary throughout the document, reportedly, not possible with a vintage 1961 mechanical typewriter. We urge you to continue to support the Rule of Law and to investigate and determine whether the alleged Certificate of Live Birth, for Barack H. Obama II, File Number 151 61 10641, is a forgery or an authentic document. A.R.S. 13-2407 A-C, declares that tampering with a public record is a class C felony.Read the full story here.

• Wall Street firms donated $11.2 million to members of debt ‘super committee’.(RawStory).The bipartisan "super committee" created by the debt ceiling deal is comprised of lawmakers who have received big bucks from special interest groups, according to a report by MapLight.The committee is tasked with finding at least $1.2 trillion in deficit cuts over ten years. In total, the twelve members appointed to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction got nearly $64.5 million from special interests groups over the past decade, with legal firms donating about $31.5 million and Wall Street firms donating about $11.2 million.Of that $11.2 million, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase donated approximately $2 million combined.The members appointed to the committee are Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Rob Portman (R-OH), Patty Murray (D-WA), John Kerry (D-MA), and Max Baucus (D-MT) and Reps. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Fred Upton (R-MI), Dave Camp (R-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Xavier Becerra (D-CA), and Jim Clyburn (D-SC). Democratic and liberal groups donated the third most amount of money, with about $9.6 million in political contributions, and the health industry donated the fourth most, with about $9.3 million.Club for Growth, a conservative free market group, donated more money than any other organization, contributing a combined $990,066 to the twelve lawmakers. The vast majority of that money went to Sen. Toomey.Read the full 'story' here.

• Operation Fast and Furious grows more outrageous.(WashingtonExaminer).Only in Washington, D.C., are juicy promotions given to three senior career government executives at the center of a dangerously harebrained, officially sanctioned gun-sales scheme that, so far, has led to the slaying of one U.S. Border Patrol agent and played lethal roles in at least 11 other violent crime scenes in two states. The scheme -- officially dubbed Operation Fast and Furious inside the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- allowed U.S. gun dealers over a 14-month period beginning in November 2009 to sell more than 2,000 firearms, including semiautomatic assault rifles, to buyers known to be linked to Mexican drug cartels. The idea was the weapons would show up at crime scenes in Mexico, thus enabling Mexican and U.S. officials to link drug kingpins to specific criminal acts. Instead, the weapons are showing up here in the United States where horrendous crimes have been committed. Not one Mexican drug cartelist has been arrested as a result of Operation Fast and Furious.The most prominent of the three just promoted is William G. McMahon, who was elevated from ATF's deputy director of operations to deputy assistant director of the ATF's Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations. That just happens to be the ATF division that investigates misconduct by employees and other problems. In recent testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee headed by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., McMahon, who championed Fast and Furious inside ATF, admitted that "the advantage of hindsight, the benefit of a thorough review of the case, clearly points me to things that I would have done differently." Also promoted was William Newel, the special agent in charge of ATF's office for Arizona and New Mexico. Newel was promoted to special assistant to the assistant director of the agency's Office of Management in Washington. The third promotion went to David Voth, formerly the program's on-the-ground team supervisor, who is now branch chief for the ATF's tobacco division here.These promotions point to one of the most important but least frequently discussed factors driving the explosion of federal spending. The career federal bureaucracy is more than happy to cooperate with professional politicians in Congress and the White House who want bigger government programs. The politicians get more goodies to hand out to friends, while the bureaucrats get fatter budgets, bigger staffs and more power. The culture of the buddy system insulates them as far as possible from individual accountability for their work. If one of them is held accountable, then sooner or later all of them could be, so they take care of each other. That is why senior bureaucrats who make horrendous management mistakes like Operation Fast and Furious that ultimately cost lives are so often promoted instead of fired.Hmmmmmm....Thugocracy in its natural environment.Read the full story here.

• Rep. Maxine Waters says blacks want Obama to get tough.(LATimes).As far as Rep. Maxine Waters in concerned, it is time for President Obama to get tough with Republicans and put together proposals that help the poor and especially the hard-hit African American community.Speaking at a job fair in Atlanta on Thursday, the fiery Los Angeles Democrat said there was rising unhappiness among African Americans with the nation's first black president."There is a growing frustration in this country and in minority communities because the unemployment rates are so high," Waters said in televised remarks. She went on to cite home foreclosures and the increasing wealth gap between blacks and whites for "creating frustration and, yes, some anger" in the black community, which wants to see Obama take on his opponents."The president is going to have to fight and he is going to have to fight hard," she said.Waters also expressed frustration with the nation's high unemployment rate, and she pointed out that Obama did not visit any African American communities during his recent three-day Midwest tour to highlight economic issues.Rep. Allen West, a black Republican from Florida, also noted that Obama didn't visit any African American communities during the bus trip. In an appearance on the Fox News Channel program "The O'Reilly Factor," West castigated Waters and other African American Democratic leaders as "overseers of this 21st-century plantation" and called on the GOP to push for votes among blacks."The laughable hypocrisy is that the big black bus is not going in the black community," West said.Hmmmmm......The 2012 Obama campaign play the race card?Why not throw in a few more flashmobs for extra pressure?Read the full story here.

• Obama's advice to the farmer was simple: 'Contact USDA.' - Obama's unhelpful advice.(Politico).At Wednesday’s town hall in Atkinson, Ill., a local farmer who said he grows corn and soybeans expressed his concerns to President Barack Obama about “more rules and regulations” — including those concerning dust, noise and water runoff — that he heard would negatively affect his business.The president, on day three of his Midwest bus tour, replied: “If you hear something is happening, but it hasn’t happened, don’t always believe what you hear.”When the room broke into soft laughter, the president added, “No — and I’m serious about that.”Saying that “folks in Washington” like to get “all ginned up” about things that aren’t necessarily happening (“Look what’s comin’ down the pipe!”), Obama’s advice was simple: “Contact USDA.”“Talk to them directly. Find out what it is that you’re concerned about,” Obama told the man. “My suspicion is, a lot of times, they’re going to be able to answer your questions and it will turn out that some of your fears are unfounded.”Call Uncle Sam. Sensible advice, but perhaps the president has forgotten just how difficult it can be for ordinary citizens to get answers from the government. When this POLITICO reporter decided to take the president's advice and call the USDA for an answer to the Atkinson town hall attendee's question, I found myself in a bureaucratic equivalent of hot potato — getting bounced from the feds to Illinois state agriculture officials to the state farm bureau.Here's a rundown of what happened when I started by calling the USDA's general hotline to inquire about information related to the effects of noise and dust pollution rules on Illinois farmers.Get ready ,get set go....Read the full from Peter to Paul story here.Without seeing the'light' in the end i might add.

• Outgoing Obama ‘Car Czar’ Makes Yet Another Communist Reference.(TheBlaze).Well, the bloom appears to have fallen off the rose for Ron Bloom — special assistant to the president for manufacturing policy – and man who in the past has revealed a curious respect for communist leader Mao Tse-Tung. The former “car czar,“ and architect of the auto bailout who once said the ”free market is nonsense,” announced last Tuesday that he will be leaving the White House.But buried in a story on Politico’s website about the departure is yet another seemingly veiled reference to Mao.Bloom, who worked as an investment banker and then as a negotiator for the United Steelworkers union before entering a career in government, began his tenure with the Obama administration back in 2009 as an automotive senior adviser to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.Still, what Bloom might best be known for is his past comments about Mao and communist China.During a keynote speech in 2008 at the 6th Annual Distressed Investing Forum at the Union League Club, Bloom spoke about a union’s role in bankruptcy and restructuring, saying he “agreed” with Mao that “political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun.”“Generally speaking, we get the joke,” Bloom started. “We know that the free market is nonsense. We know that the whole point is to game the system, to beat the market or at least find someone who will pay you a lot of money, ’cause they’re convinced that there is a free lunch.”“We know this is largely about power, that it’s an adults only no limit game. We kind of agree with Mao that political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun. And we get it that if you want a friend you should get a dog.”Not surprisingly, Bloom denied any affection for chairman Mao, saying he only made the comment in jest.That brings us to this month. In an article last week, Politico ended its story on Bloom’s resignation with a curious quote. In reference to Obama attempting to forge a partnership between manufacturers in several states and academia — in order to revitalize American factories — Bloom apparently saw something Mao-esque in the way government was attempting to support private business, stating the approach would, “let the great thousand flowers bloom in America.”If that sounds familiar, it should.While the correct wording is in fact a “hundred flowers,” there is no question as to where the phrase derives from. Back in the summer of 1957 in the People’s Republic of China, a movement emerged called the “Hundred Flowers Campaign,” during which the Communist Party allegedly encouraged those with diverse view points to step forward and share their ideas with a view to “letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend is the policy for promoting progress in the arts and the sciences and a flourishing socialist culture in our land.”Of course it was all a ploy, implemented to out as many free-thinkers and dissidents as the regime possibly could. Not surprisingly, Mao punished many who participated in the Hundred Flowers Movement until finally reimposing his oppressive policy on public expression.So, if his past Mao comments were a joke, then why would Bloom make yet another reference to Mao, this time with regard to American manufacturing? Is he implying Mao’s Hundred Flowers campaign actually born out of good intentions? Did Bloom mean to say that the Obama administration was then letting “a hundred schools of thought contend” in a “policy for promoting progress” in American factories? That very well could be the case. Or perhaps, Bloom made the comment as a dig to all of those, like Beck and Mack, who have called the former union worker out on his ideological leanings.So many questions.Hmmmm........Confucius say:  American couple who have communist baby, name it " Sum Ting Wong".Read the full story here.

• Judicial Watch Uncovers New Documents: Obama Administration Bankrolls Massive Internet Propaganda Campaign to Push Obamacare.(JudicialWatch).Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it obtained documents from the Obama Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showing that the Obama White House helped coordinate a multimillion dollar taxpayer-funded campaign to use Internet search engines such as Google and Yahoo to drive web traffic to a government website promoting the Affordable Health Care Act (also known as Obamacare). The expressed purpose of this campaign is to increase public support for the president’s health care overhaul among key Obama campaign demographics, specifically Hispanics, blacks, and women.The 2,328 pages of records, obtained by Judicial Watch pursuant to a March 23, 2011, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (Judicial Watch v. Department of Health and Human Services (No. 11-608)), include internal correspondence between officials at the HHS office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA), as well as communications with representatives from The Ogilvy Group, the public relations firm hired by the Obama administration to manage the Obamacare campaign. The following are highlights from the documents:

The Obama HHS launched a campaign to track Internet searches and to use online search engines such as Google and Yahoo to drive traffic to a government website promoting Obama’s healthcare overhaul. Using “pay-per-click” advertising tools, such as Google Adwords, HHS purposely targeted for influence people searching the term “Obamacare,” a word that has been described as “disparaging” by political agents of the president. One HHS email details:  A few keyword groups continue to be top performers, and have subsequently driven most of the traffic to the campaign websites:

Affordable Care Act, including such terms as health care reform, government health insurance, Obamacare, and affordable care act.

Health Insurance Group, including terms as health insurance.

Health Care Group, including terms as health care.

While other keyword groups have not performed as well, and are not driving significant traffic to the campaign websites:

Health Insurance, Health insurance options, Medical Insurance, and Insurance companies.

According to a budget summary prepared by Ogilvy, from October 2010 through February 2011, the Obama administration spent $1,435,009 on these online advertisements alone, including advertising campaigns with Google and Yahoo, almost $300,000 per month.

According to a December 10, 2010, email from Margo Gillman, Senior VP of Ogilvy Public Relations to Jenny Backus, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and the Principal Deputy for Strategy and Planning for HHS, the Obama White House was involved in coordinating the HHS propaganda campaign:Just a quick note to see if you have any feedback/direction on how we should proceed with the radio and TV concepts that were presented a few weeks ago. You mentioned on our last call that you were planning to discuss them with the White House on either Friday or yesterday. We would appreciate any guidance that you can provide, so we can determine immediate next steps and a production schedule. Also, we are awaiting your feedback on the overarching strategic campaign plan.Another HHS internal email dated December 1, 2010, from then-HHS official Jaime Mulligan to agency colleagues references the need to present recommendations to the White House regarding a number of components of the Obamacare campaign, including “a big guerilla campaign splash…” (Mulligan is currently the White House New Media Analyst for Public Health.)

A number of documents address the need to target the Obamacare propaganda campaign to Hispanics, blacks, and women. For example, according to an email from Chris Beakey, Vice President of Ogilvy PR Worldwide, to HHS officials on December 16, 2010, summarizing a conference call, “You want to utilize the bulk of their paid media efforts (which would include expenditures for Radio One and Univision) on media that reaches African Americans and Hispanics. The money will go farther and these audiences continue to be a top priority.” A January 18, 2011, email from Ogilvy to HHS New Media Communications Director Julia Eisman notes with respect to a Spanish banner ad campaign, “I realize we really can’t use the blond mom and child for this audience.”

An October 25, 2010, email from Julia Eisman to Imani Green, Senior Vice President and Director of Paid Media for Ogilvy Washington suggests changing the online advertising campaign to accommodate web traffic patterns caused by the mid-term elections: “Given the high performance, we’re wondering if we should we consider reallocating resources from the lesser performing words and put more $$ to ‘Obamacare’ - at least for the next 7 days,” she suggests.

In previous documents uncovered by Judicial Watch, HHS describes in detail the key to success of the propaganda campaign in a “Statement of Work” accompanying the agency’s Acquisition Plan: “Health and program-related messages are processed by the target audience according to a particular reality, which he or she experiences. Attitudes, feelings, values, needs, desires, behaviors and beliefs all play a part in the individual’s decision to accept information and make a behavioral change.” [Emphasis added.] These documents suggest the total cost of the Obamacare propaganda campaign could reach as much as $200 million.“The Obama administration is using taxpayer dollars to manipulate public opinion regarding his socialist healthcare overhaul while also trying to get a leg up in the 2012 presidential campaign,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The American people should be disturbed that the Obama administration is using taxpayer funds to try to brainwash people simply searching the Internet for information on health care. This Big Brother campaign is underhanded, potentially unlawful, and it must be stopped. As the congressional ‘super-committee’ begins negotiations to cut the deficit, this wasteful Obamacare propaganda campaign is the first place they should look.”In November 2010, Judicial Watch obtained documents from HHS regarding a series of three Medicare TV ads featuring actor Andy Griffith. The Obama Administration spent $3,184,000 in taxpayer funds to produce and air the ads on national television in September and October 2010 to educate “Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers, and family members about forthcoming changes to Medicare as a result of the Affordable Care Act.” However, according to FactCheck.org, a project of the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, the ads intentionally misinformed the American people.Read and see the full story (Docs)here.

• I Refuse to Obey the Law.(Redstate).In yet another demonstration of contempt for the rule of law and the separation of powers, the Obama administration has announced that it will no longer enforce our immigration laws. Secretary of Homeland Insecurity Janet Napolitano proclaimed in a letter to the Senate that she will suspend deportation proceedings and grant amnesty to those who ostensibly fit the criteria of the Dream Act – a bill that was defeated with overwhelming bipartisan support of Congress. Hence, Obama is publicly declaring that he will ensure our laws are not executed faithfully.This unprecedented abdication on the part of the president begs the question – what sort of message does this convey to our youth regarding the inviolability of the rule of law?What other laws will this president refuse to execute faithfully? Will he direct the EPA to enforce cap and trade, or instruct the DOI to block the issuance of drilling permits? Oh, he is already doing that.And, most importantly, if the president is above the law, then why should any of us be compelled to adhere to laws that we regard as undesirable or unfair? If Obama can refuse to enforce his core constitutional duties, why can’t we disregard his individual insurance mandate – a law that is an anathema to the constitution?Ironically, the very illegals that remain in the country as a result of Obama’s shirking of his constitutional duties, will receive healthcare benefits from the unconstitutional Obamacare. Remember when Obama claimed that illegals would be barred from those benefits? Well, as Congressman Joe Wilson so presciently and succinctly declared, “YOU LIE.” I guess the real question is this: does an illegal have the authority to opt out of the individual mandate? Or can they play both sides of this lawlessness?Not only has this president refused to uphold our immigration laws; he has thwarted the states and law enforcement agencies from doing so. He has taken the unprecedented step of siding with foreign nations and suing two of our states for upholding the laws that he refuses to recognize. This is the most profound and dangerous form of extremism in our government today, as it undermines the very core of our political system.What if citizens would stop paying taxes, or refuse to participate in Social Security? If the executive branch can countermand a law of Congress, why can’t the voters – those who grant Congress its authority – do the same?This 'administration' is setting a dangerous precedent.Congress must reassert its constitutional authority over immigration law. They should hold public hearings and shed some light on the darkest corners of this administrative power grab. Additionally, as part of any budget negotiations for the FY 2012 continuing resolution, Republicans should ensure that no funds are allocated for the joint DOJ-DHS task force charged with granting these administrative amnesties.This extreme president is beneath contempt. He must be stopped.Hmmmmm......"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States"....Impeachment sounds really good.Read the full story here.

• It's the Tsunami-Earthquake-Congress-Teaparty and Djinn a.k.a. Stagflation signs surface in bonds, stocks, gold -- The Buzz.(Yahoo).By Paul R. La Monica.Stocks plunged Thursday after several economic reports in the United States raised more worries about stagnant growth and higher inflation.I wish there was a word to describe such a scenario. Oh yeah. There is! Stagflation. Remember that old chestnut from the 1970s? Gas lines and what not? Good times. Or not.Weekly initial jobless claims rose again and were back above 400,000. There's the "stag." And the Consumer Price Index rose at a much higher than expected rate in July. That follows a similarly strong Producer Price Index number Wednesday. Ladies and gentlemen, there's your "flation."What are investors worried more about? If you look beyond the latest carnage in stocks Thursday, investors are clearly sending a signal that they are worried both about stagnation and inflation. But the emphasis seems to be more on the "stag."The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note hit a record low Thursday morning, dipping briefly below 2% before bouncing back a bit. Low bond yields are a tell-tale sign of economic malaise. Stop me if you've heard this before, but bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.And investors often rush to buy Treasury bonds when they are afraid of putting money in riskier assets like stocks. That's still the case even in this brave new AA+ world we live in.A report from Morgan Stanley Thursday also helped usher in another new flight to bonds. The investment banks said the U.S. is "dangerously close" to another recession.As if this wasn't bad enough, there were two other gloomy economic reports later Thursday morning. Existing home sales fell 3.5% in July and manufacturing activity in the Mid-Atlantic region actually contracted in August.So much for the economic malaise being a "transitory" byproduct of the Japan earthquake in March, huh?"This is more than just market turmoil. The market is reflecting the uncertainty in the economy," said Reena Aggarwal, professor of finance and business administration at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in Washington."People see their net worth going down and get concerned about their jobs and 401(k) plans. We can't rely on consumer spending to lift us out of this funk," she added.Can rates go any lower? Japan, after all, has a 10-year bond yield hovering around 1%. And more and more experts are worrying that the U.S. is now in the midst of a so-called "Lost Decade" of economic malaise just like Japan.Still, it's probably a stretch to think that the U.S. economy will deteriorate that dramatically to justify rates falling that much."Are we Japan? There's no case right now for rates to get that low," said Leslie Barbi, head of fixed income for RS Investments in New York.Barbi did not rule out that rates could drop further in the short-term, but she said they may finally be getting close to bottoming out. Many investors may grow tired of owning Treasuries with yields this low, she said.But investors weren't ignoring inflation worries either. Gold is often viewed as a hedge against inflation. Unlike paper currencies, it's a tangible asset with "real" value.And guess what? Gold prices shot up to a new record high. In midday trading Thursday. The yellow metal was up more than $25, or 1.5%, to about $1,820 an ounce.Investors can't dismiss the inflation threat, especially since the Federal Reserve has pledged to keep short-term rates "exceptionally low" until mid-2013."Interest rates are very low now but at some point you have to get concerned about future inflation," Aggarwal warned.The sharp rise in consumer prices -- which can partly be blamed on Fed policies that have fostered an environment conducive to a weak dollar commodity boom -- is worrisome.Read the full story here.

• Turkey - BDP Group Chairman Selahattin Demirtas " We will not bow to the state".(Firat).ISTANBUL – BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) Co-Chairmen Hamit Geylani and Filiz Koçali, Group Chairman Selahattin Demirtas and deputies Gültan Kışanak, Sabahat Tuncel and Sırrı Süreyya Önder have held a press conference on the latest developments. The statement on behalf of the BDP was made by Group Chairman Selahattin Demirtas who said the followings;

“Not the state or the government but the Prime Minister himself is responsible for every death to be lived from now onward. These deaths are the most immediate agenda of the country now. The biggest obstacle to the solution of the Kurdish question is the AKP’s lack in a concrete policy and project, not the deep state, JITEM, army or dark powers. The Prime Minister didn’t give a single reply to the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan’s statement that this problem could be resolved within a week. Mr. Prime Minister hasn’t taken this proposal seriously in practice. We want to know which answer the Prime Minister gave to the leader directly or through the delegation visiting Imralı. We want the negotiations with Imralı to be conducted openly as the public opinion has the right to know what is going on. We demand the negotiations to be conducted for persuasion not for deceiving delaying. We want to know what is spoken, where the deadlock is and why the ceasefires were responded with operations. If you cannot explain these questions, can we say that there is a crime in view? Despite all developments, the BDP, who was excluded from the Parliament due to the electoral threshold and who has around three thousand administrators and members in prison, is found faulty despite its taking responsibility for the process and saying that dialogue is the single solution. You carry out operations but you say that we need to keep our distance from violence. You should also keep your distance from fascism as much as we do. We will not accept so much unjustness and unscrupulousness. A bilateral ceasefire is the only solution way to stop the clashes and deaths. Instead of agreeing to stop the operations when the PKK is in inertia position, the Prime Minister supports violence by refusing to discuss the autonomy and saying every day that there is a terror in the country. We should do what is reasonable instead of sending warplanes to Kandil every day. The Kurds do not accept to be named as slaves, second-class citizens or 'terrorists'. The Kurds want peace and freedom.”Referring to the assertions about the list of BDP and DTK (Democratic Society Congress) members to be detained and arrested, Demirtaş said; “We warn that the Prime Minister’s threats against us will bring the situation into a different state. The state has the power to arrest and execute us but it doesn’t have any legitimacy to do that. The problem could have been resolved so far if threats and cessations could bring a solution. Besides, we are not going to bow to the state if it is planning to move in this direction. Whoever says whatever, peace will be brought to Turkey. We call on everybody with conscience to stand by peace and we call on the government to end its provocations while the people are still protecting the good sense and before the society begins to act crazily.”Hmmmm......It seems the only choice left is "Fight or go the Armenian way'?Perhaps Israel should recognise the Kurdish struggle?Read the full story here.

• Attacks by Turkish army start fire in villages in Kurdistan.(Firat).The ongoing attacks by Turkish army greatly damage the villages and villagers in the region.The bombings of Turkish warplanes in Kandil have once more targeted civilians. While Turkish army has reported that 352 targets were hit in two nights, fires were started in the crop fields of villagers. Local sources have reported that the bombing in Kandil which started this morning and hit the Kozine village in particular damaged the properties of villagers and many places villages.Separately, yesterday’s bombardment in Zagros region is reported to have targeted the Erguşe village which suffered great material damage due to the attacks by Turkish warplanes. While many villagers had to leave their villages, there are no immediate reports of casualties.Following the intense attacks by the Turkish army in Kurdish Federal Region at the night of 17 August, the attacks of yesterday, starting at 22:30 local time, targeted the guerilla-controlled Metina, Xakurke, Xinere and Zap regions.Despite the General Staff’s statement that the necessary sensitivity was displayed during the attacks for not affecting the civilian population adversely, attacks mostly have an effect on civilians living in hundreds of villages in the region. While a house in Zergele village of Kandil was completely destroyed by the attack at the night of 17 August, a cemetery of guerillas was also devastated at the same night. Speaking to DIHA about the operations, a Peshmarga spokesman Yawer said; “There are many villages in the region exposed to the bombardment. The civilians living in these villages have neither a sin nor any relation with the groups taking up arms against these countries. This situation, according to international agreements, violate human rights and the rights of civilian population as the attacks have greatly damaged the houses, animals, fields of these villagers who had to leave their living spaces due to the attacks. We consider these attacks as the disregard of our citizens’ rights. We do not believe that this problem could ever be solved through air and artillery shootings. According to the Federal Kurdistan government, this is a political issue which will sooner or later come up with a solution through dialogue.”People Defense Forces Press and Communication Center (HPG-BIM) also reported that forest fires were started in many areas and the villages in the region suffer great financial damages. HPG-BIM reported no casualities on the guerilla side.Hmmm......Scorched earth tactics destroy their crops so they don't have food in the winter,while 'feeding' the Somalians?Read the full story here.

• Peshmerga Enters Disputed Territory In North Iraq; Threatens To Use Force To Protect Kurds.(Memri).A brigade of Peshmerga forces entered the district of Khanaqin in the province of Diyala, a disputed territory that the Kurds eventually want to incorporate into their Kurdistan Regional Government. The unit commander, Maj.-Gen [liwaa] Hussein Mansour declared in a press conference upon entering the area that he was prepared "to use force to protect the Kurds in the various districts in the province. The commanding officer of the Peshmerga threatened to send another brigade to other parts of Diyala Province unilaterally if the Iraqi federal government and the U.S. forces fail to provide the security for the Kurdish people. The Kurds want the U.S. to remain in the disputed territory, including Kirkuk, until the territorial issues are resolved.Read the full story here.

• EU Turkey Civic Commission condemns raids against Kurds.(Firat).The EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) has strongly condemned Turkey’s heavy warplane bombardment since Wednesday afternoon against PKK bases in South Kurdistan; Kandil, Metina, Zap and Xinere as well attacking youth camps and recruitment centres. The warplanes set off from Diyarbakir and it is observed that the action was followed by a heavy movement of soldiers in the area. It is said that the reason for the bombardment is the killing of 11 soldiers in Hakkari on Wdenesday. The statement says: "These actions, which only are a hostile, follow up on a number of previous military interventions directed at the Kurds and the PKK strikes a blow against peaceful attempts to help solve the Kurdish problem in Turkey and constitutes a disaster for those seeking the best interests of all of Turkey’s citizens".The statement then points out that "Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan states however that the bombardment is only the beginning of Turkey’s military chase to crack down its declared enemy number one – the PKK. He further states that “Everyone should know that there is no power over state power.” Mr. Erdogan should have learnt a lesson from the uprisings taking place in the Middle East and North Africa; that there surely is a power that exceeds state power and that is ‘people’s power’ which is so clearly displayed also in the Kurdish regions in Turkey". Finally the statement underlines that "If Prime Minister Erdogan is a wise political leader he would rather use his political power to start talks with Kurdish representatives instead of using his warlike rhetoric that only foster more aggression and further military confrontations".The EUTCC again calls on the European Union, the international community and all democratic forces to condemn and take actions against Turkey’s recent military intervention in South Kurdistan.Read the full story here.

• Suicide bomber kills 40 in Pakistan mosque.(AJC).PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber struck a mosque in a Pakistani tribal region during Friday prayers, officials said, killing at least 40 people and wounding 85 others in the deadliest attack in the country in recent weeks.The attack came during the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting, sharing and heightened community spirit for Muslims.No group immediately claimed responsibility, but the Taliban and other Islamist militants have previously targeted mosques, especially if they believe enemies — such as army soldiers or anti-militant tribesmen — are using the facilities.The mosque hit Friday is in Ghundi, a village in the Khyber tribal region, a part of Pakistan's tribal belt. Khyber has long been a base for Islamist militants, and the Pakistani army has waged multiple operations aimed at pacifying the region but with limited success.Khyber also is a key region for the U.S. and NATO, because a large portion of non-lethal supplies heading to U.S. forces in Afghanistan passes through it.Some 300 people had gathered for prayers Friday afternoon in the Sunni mosque, and many were on their way out when the explosion occurred, local administrator Iqbal Khan said."All the evidence we have gathered confirms that it is a suicide attack," said Fazal Khan, another local official who also confirmed the casualty figures. He said witnesses alleged the bomber was a young man.Saleem Khan, 21, said people panicked after the blast, and that amid the smoke, cries and blood, several ran over him when he fell."Whoever did it in the holy month of Ramadan cannot be a Muslim," he said from a hospital bed in the main northwest city of Peshawar. "It is the cruelest thing any Muslim would do."TV footage from the scene showed a heavily damaged building. Prayer caps, shoes and green prayer mats were scattered across a blood-splattered floor, while ceiling fans were twisted and walls blackened. Men comforted a young boy who wept as he held his hand to his heart.Read the full story here.More here.

• Video - Australian cattle mistreated in Turkey.(SkyNews).Graphic new video footage released by Animals Australia shows conscious animals being hoisted and slaughtered in Turkish abattoirs in breach of anti-cruelty guidelines.The footage was shot covertly by two members of the group at three abattoirs in Turkey, a new market for Australian live exports.It shows conscious cows being hoisted into the air by a hind leg at an abattoir near the city of Bursa.The beasts swing out over the floor and their throats are cut, in some cases with a stabbing motion instead of a clean cut.Animals Australia cruelty investigator Lyn White said the practices breached international guidelines which stipulate animals must not be hoisted while conscious and slaughterers must be able to reach both sides of the animal's neck.The second part of the footage shows sheep being killed in another abattoir in Bursa.A veterinarian, who guided Ms White and her co-investigator, said on tape that the sheep shown were Australian, but Ms White was unable to verify their origin independently.However, she said she saw Australian merino carcasses at the facility.The sheep also were hoisted completely off the ground while conscious before their throats were cut.'This is a routine method that occurred in nine of the 10 abattoirs that we visited,' Ms White told reporters in Canberra.'This absolutely breaches ... the international guidelines that the Department of Agriculture have said for years had to be the base level standards for the importation of Australian livestock.'So it has to be asked why export permits have been provided to Turkey.'Other images were shot at a facility Ms White said was the main abattoir in the Turkish capital of Istanbul.One image shows a sheep having its throat cut which stands up and scrambles in an attempt to escape from the slaughter platform.Ms White said the methods used in this facility complied with the international guidelines the federal government wanted to impose on all facilities that slaughter Australian animals.The release of the footage came soon after two bills to phase out the export of live animals from Australia were defeated in parliament.Australian Greens MP Adam Bandt and Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie said they were very disappointed that neither the government nor the opposition supported their bills.Mr Wilkie said he intended to draft another bill to demand that any country to which Australia exported livestock must conform to Australian standards, including stunning before slaughter.'I don't know how much longer the government and opposition can continue to ignore the shocking animal cruelty being meted out to Australian livestock in any number of countries that we export to,' he said.Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said the footage was provided to his office last week.It had been referred to the Farmer review for consideration.'I am advised by Animals Australia that they are unable to confirm if the livestock pictured in the footage are Australian animals,' Senator Ludwig said in a statement.The government already had taken clear action to ensure the welfare of Australian animals, he said.Nationals Leader Warren Truss said Australia must use its influence to encourage best practice in overseas abattoirs.'The reality is progress has been made but there's still much more needs to happen,' he said.Mr Truss said he rejected any moves for new legislation from Mr Wilkie.He said the government had already put in place standards.'We would expect those standards to be honoured.Hmmmm.......Animals do as animals do?Read the full story here.Video here ,warning very graphic images!