CoOlDiGgY news (late edition)

Secret Memo Urges War on Iran

President Obama's Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, has written a memo that urges war with Iran. This is a statement counter to the "full range of contingencies" message that the Administration has put out to the media. Are we closer to war with Iran than we know?

A secret memo by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates urges Washington to consider the use of military force against Iran if diplomacy fails to scrap the country's nuclear program.

In what seems to be a new twist in US efforts to tackle Iran's enrichment activities, The New York Times reveals that a three-page memorandum, which has been circulating in Washington since January, has advocated military action against Tehran.

The classified memorandum, according to unnamed government officials quoted by the Times, warns that Washington lacks an effective policy in dealing with Iran's nuclear program and should therefore come up with new options.

One senior official has said that the memo accuses Iran of weapons development and lays out a set of military alternatives to counter Iran's progress in nuclear science and technology.

Read more...

*Stimulus Money Going to Turn Free Roads into Toll Roads



earlier:

Poll: 4 out of 5 Americans don't trust Government

Mistrust of government extends beyond the so-called Tea Party movement

WASHINGTON – America's "Great Compromiser" Henry Clay called government "the great trust," but most Americans today have little faith in Washington's ability to deal with the nation's problems.

Public confidence in government is at one of the lowest points in a half century, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they don't trust the federal government and have little faith it can solve America's ills, the survey found.

The survey illustrates the ominous situation President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party face as they struggle to maintain their comfortable congressional majorities in this fall's elections. Midterm prospects are typically tough for the party in power. Add a toxic environment like this and lots of incumbent Democrats could be out of work.

The survey found that just 22 percent of those questioned say they can trust Washington almost always or most of the time and just 19 percent say they are basically content with it. Nearly half say the government negatively effects their daily lives, a sentiment that's grown over the past dozen years.

Read more...

*Joint Chiefs chairman looks at military options in Iran

*Iran calls out US for being "world's only atomic criminal"


*The Fall Of Goldman Sachs?

*Ratigan Deconstructs Goldman, Connecticut AG Blumental Wants Criminal Charges Filed

*Casino Carnival Barker Jim Cramer Defends Goldman Sachs

*"Revolving door" a bar to mine safety?

*NSA stops collecting some data to resolve issue with court

*US indicts 5 Blackwater Ex-Officials

*No silver lining in air transportation nightmare

*Israeli PM Netanyahu urges 'crippling sanctions' against Iran

*Soros: Euro, EU Will Collapse if Germany Doesn't Make Concessions

*Tenth Anniversary of the Popular Uprising Against Bechtel and the Privatization of a City’s Water Supply

*Afghanistan: A Conspiracy of Silence - poll shows 77 per cent of Britons want forces home and presence makes UK less safe from terrorism

*UK Police: "let us sedate suspects


*I’m Not Shedding Any Tears for Daryl Gates

CoOlDiGgY news (late edition)

Foreclosures Up Sharply Despite Loan Mod Program

Just in time for spring, next wave of foreclosure crisis gets rolling

The number of U.S. households caught in the foreclosure process during the first quarter jumped 7% from the prior quarter as activity increased sharply in March, a real estate firm will report Thursday.

Filings involving the later stages of foreclosure rose compared with the same period last year, according to RealtyTrac of Irvine, indicating that banks were beginning to repossess properties at a faster clip despite the Obama administration's push to help borrowers.


Read more...

*US jobless claims make surprise rise


*Nine Myths about Socialism in the US

*Venezuela, Iran and Russia: Virus as the New Axis of Evil

*The Poll Democrats Need to Know About: Why Democrats So Often Act Like Republicans

*Kagan gets fire from left as potential pick for court

*Greens launch NAFTA action on Canada oil sands

*Jailed UBS Whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld Makes Tax Day Clemency Request to President Obama

earlier:

Jordan's King Says Israel-Hezbollah-Lebanon War "Imminent"

Congressman Adam Schiff hosted a "Members Only" meeting of the 'Congressional Friends of Jordan Caucus' in the US House of Representatives this morning in the CVC Congressional Meeting Room with Jordan's King Abdullah II.

According to one attendee in the session, "the King's message was sobering."

King Abdullah seemed significantly concerned that conflict was about to break out again between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

One congressional source told me that the word the King used was 'imminent' with regard to the potential outbreak of war.

On many levels, this is extremely worrisome. Hezbollah is now integrated into Lebanon's parliament and interacting with countries like France at all levels of government. An Israeli-Lebanon War could preempt the normalization track the United States is pursuing with Syria.

Read more...

*Election 2012: Barack Obama 42%, Ron Paul 41%

*Birth Tourism: More Foreign Mothers Live Abroad to Give Birth on U.S. Soil, Debate Over 14th Amendment

*McCain: US Should "Pull the Trigger" on Iran




*Smoking Gun: Bettie Page - FBI Consultant

*Taxes slightly lower this year but increases on the way from states, health reform, fees, more

*Civil rights icon Benjamin L. Hooks dies at 85

*Austerity coming to Portugal

*In UK, it's Labour's austerity versus Tory's giveaways

*Volcanic ash from Iceland forces cancellation of flights, disrupts travel for thousands

*The Icelandic Banking Volcano: Icelandic banking report reveals greed, ‘extreme negligence’

*Atlantic Garbage Patch: Pacific Gyre Is Not Alone


*UC a tougher bet this year for Californians, with 10,700 wait-listed

*DWP may weasel in a rate increase

CoOlDiGgY news

75% Of Homeowners In Obama's Plan Still Owe More Than Their Homes Are Worth

Obama plan has failed to do anything for most of the underwater mortgages that qualify for Administration's program

More than three-quarters of homeowners who have had their monthly mortgage payments reduced under the Obama administration's primary foreclosure-prevention program owe more on their mortgage than their house is worth, according to a new report by government auditors.

Over half of the roughly 170,000 distressed borrowers who have gone through the program are seriously underwater, meaning they have negative equity of at least 25 percent, the report shows, citing data through February. In other words, for every $1.00 their home is worth, they owe at least $1.25.

The average homeowner that's received a five-year modified mortgage under the administration's plan had negative equity of about 35 percent prior to the program, according to a Wednesday report by the Congressional Oversight Panel, a federal bailout watchdog. After modification, that burden actually increased for the average homeowner, who is now underwater by more than 43 percent, according to the bailout watchdog's report. Research shows that the more under water homeowners are, the more likely they are to fall behind on payments, default, or walk away.

But that data understates the problem, the report said. Those figures are for first-lien home mortgages only. Debt owed on junior liens, like second liens and home equity lines, isn't part of that calculation. The Obama administration estimated last April that "up to 50 percent of at-risk mortgages currently have second liens."

Read more...

*Belarus “invaded by NATO from Ukraine”

*Arizona passes strict illegal immigration act

*Was Obama Nuke Summit Necessary or Just “Nuclear Alarmism”? And What About Israel’s Arsenal?

*When the Army Uses "Enhanced Interrogation" on an American Soldier

*Nebraska Law Sets Limits on Abortion

*Obama bicycle policy hits potholes

*Big Banks Draw Profits From Microloans to Poor

*Yemen Refuses to Go Along with US Extrajudicial Killing Policy

*Scandal over Israeli army’s illegal operations

CoOlDiGgY news (late edition)

Five Million Should Flee Tehran Over Earthquake Fears: Ahmadinejad

At least five million Tehran residents should flee Iran's capital because it sits on several fault lines and is threatened by earthquakes, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday

"We cannot order people to evacuate the city... but provisions have to be made. At least five million should leave Tehran so it is less crowded and more manageable in case of an incident," Mehr news agency quoted him as saying.

Mr Ahmadinejad said the government could offer "land, loans at four per cent interest and substantial subsidies" in the provinces to encourage Tehran residents to leave the sprawling capital.

Tehran province has nearly 14 million inhabitants, eight million of whom live in the city, which straddles several fault lines. Experts have warned that a strong quake in Tehran could kill hundreds of thousands of people.

Mr Ahmadinejad said that 67 per cent of Iran's 74-million-strong population lives in urban areas.

Read more...

*Another Obama bow, this time to China head

*Consumer Reports says Lexus GX 460 is too unsafe to buy

*Video catches Maryland police beating unarmed student, unprovoked

*Cops drop ‘corrupting youth’ charge against war protester’s mom

*Vatican scoffs at idea of arresting pope in Britain

*Kyrgyzstan interim leader says US base will stay

earlier:

Hedge fund managers invest on Hill

Hedge fund manager John Paulson held a $1,000-a-head fundraiser for the Senate Banking Committee chairman last year. Many hedge funds enjoyed an enormously profitable year in 2009, in part because of good bets that federal dollars would be used to rescue “too-big-to-fail” financial institutions

John Paulson, one of the world’s richest hedge fund managers, has not been shy about spreading his wealth to Senate campaign coffers — or to the chairman of the committee that could directly affect his bottom line.

Paulson held a ritzy $1,000-per-head fundraiser for Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd last year — and then maxed out his donation with $4,800 more for the Connecticut Democrat’s now-aborted reelection run.

Paulson is hardly alone.

According to a review of Federal Election Commission records, the nation’s 10 richest hedge fund managers have dumped nearly $1 million into campaign accounts over the past several years — with much of it going to senators who’ve given them a friendly reception on Capitol Hill.

And despite all the tough talk about a crackdown on Wall Street, consumer advocates and critics from other financial sectors say hedge funds would get off pretty easily under the regulatory reform bill Dodd’s committee approved last month

Read more...

*13 Reasons You Should Sell Your House Now Before It's Too Late

*Pakistan Air Strike Kills 71 Civilians

*USA: A Banana Republic with No Bananas


*Medvedev: Israeli strike on Iran could spark global catastrophe

*Vice President Biden Lends His Prestige To Robert Rubin's Relaunch

*The Number Of Small Businesses Freaking Out Over The Economy Is "Surging"

*Tax Day Prompts Rethinking on Climate Policy

*Wrong video of health protest spurs N-word feud

*Glenn Greenwald on Why Elena Kagan Would Shift the Supreme Court to the Right

CoOlDiGgY news

Three American 'Hostages' in Iran Worked for Intelligence Services

The Iranian intelligence minister says Tehran has compelling evidence that three Americans arrested in Iran last year were cooperating with intelligence services.

In an exclusive interview with Press TV, Heydar Moslehi said Iran will present its evidence to the media soon.

Shane Michael Bauer, Joshua Felix Fattal, and Sarah Emily Shourd were arrested in the western Iranian district of Marivan, at Malakh-Khur border point on July 31.

In November, Tehran chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi also said that the trio had entered the country to carry out acts of espionage.

But the United States says they are hikers and has called for their release.

Moslehi also warned neighboring countries against working with Israeli and US intelligence services, emphasizing it would destabilize the region.

Read more...


*Greenspan Knew Everything About Bubble, Did Nothing

*Ben Bernanke Stole All Our Money And Now Wants to Steal Our Paycheck, Too

*US developing new non-nuclear missiles, conventional warheads could strike anywhere in less than an hour

*Afghan Official Says U.S. Raiders Hid Killings

*Health care overhaul spawns mass confusion for public

*US initial jobless claims up 18,000 to 460,000

*An e-mail suggests Toyota delayed accelerator announcement

*Town's citizens allowed to pass out parking tickets

*Former Kyrgyz president: "current situation is because of his cooperation with the US driven by economic interests"

*UK troops trained by firing at 'replica mosques'

*Census Bureau concerned about head count problems

*Gases Lead to New Setback in Mine Rescue



*Qatari Diplomat Sneaking Smoke Sparks Bomb Scare

*American parents send adopted 8-year old back to Russia – by himself

CoOlDiGgY news (late edition)

Reserve Reveals Bear Stearns Assets it Swallowed

April 1 (Bloomberg) -- After months of litigation and political scrutiny, the Federal Reserve yesterday ended a policy of secrecy over its Bear Stearns Cos. bailout.

In a 4:30 p.m. announcement in a week of congressional recess and religious holidays, the central bank released details of securities bought to aid Bear Stearns’s takeover by JPMorgan Chase & Co. Bloomberg News sued the Fed for that information.

The Fed’s vehicle known as Maiden Lane LLC has securities backed by mortgages from lenders including Washington Mutual Inc. and Countrywide Financial Corp., loans that were made with limited borrower documentation. More than $1 billion of them are backed by “jumbo” mortgages written by Thornburg Mortgage Inc., which now carry the lowest investment-grade rating. Jumbo loans were larger than government-sponsored mortgage buyers such as Fannie Mae could finance -- $417,000 at the time.

“The Fed absorbed that risk on its balance sheet and is now seen to be holding problematic, legacy assets,” said Vincent Reinhart, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington who was the central bank’s monetary- affairs director from 2001 to 2007. “There is both an impairment to its balance sheet and its reputation.”

The Bear Stearns deal marked a turning point in the financial crisis for the Fed. By putting taxpayers at risk in financing the rescue, the central bank was engaging in fiscal policy, normally the domain of Congress and the U.S. Treasury, said Marvin Goodfriend, a former Richmond Fed policy adviser who is now an economist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.


Read more...

*Everything You Need To Know About The Latest Jobs Figures

*Sharp Increase in March in Personal Bankruptcies

*Hiring Hot Spots: These companies have been expanding their workforces aggressively

*VIDEO: Congressman says New Health Care Law Trumps Constitution



*California probe clears ACORN of criminal activity

*Cops & CPS Seize Child From Parents For Mistrusting Government

*“We Are in a Cabal... Five or Six Players ... Own the Regulatory Apparatus. Everybody Is Afraid to Regulate Them"

*VIDEO: Officers Accused Of Using Taser On 10-Year-Old



*Second Mexican helicopter sighted in US airspace

*Great-grandmother given an electronic tag and curfew for selling a goldfish to a 14 year-old

*100 million Americans question or find fault with the official 9/11 story

earlier:

Census Project Adds to the Job Picture

200,000 new jobs will be announced today, half of those are temporary Census positions. Critics say that's a drop in the bucket.

When March employment figures are released Friday by the Department of Labor, analysts are expecting to see the biggest U.S. job gains in more than two years.

But perhaps half the 200,000 or so positions expected to be added to payrolls may be the byproduct of a government effort that has turned into a fortuitous job generator: the U.S. census.

The constitutionally mandated nationwide head count arrives this year at a crucial time -- after the start of the country's economic recovery, but before private-sector employers have created many jobs. That's a stroke of luck for the Obama administration, which has been criticized for failing to revive the labor market. And it's a windfall for the 700,000 temporary employees the census expects to hire, although most of the jobs will last only two to six weeks.

This year's census isn't just about counting heads, it's helping create jobs in an economy that needs them badly.

Read more...

*Banks, Debt Collectors Find Ideal Debtors: Working Poor

*For Unemployed, Tax Deadline Brings New Worries...

*...Health Care's Job Creation: up to 100,000 New IRS Agents


*2 million eager for health care on parents' plans

*Five Reasons the Democrats Are Not Running Scared - Yet

*US to impose new airline security measures

*Army chief reverses course, to uphold policy on gays

*Rhode Island looks to slow recovery


*Mexico drug gangs turn weapons on army

*Obama and China's Hu discuss nuclear Iran in phone call

*Vanishing Beaches: Southern California beach erosion is worst in a decade

*Thirteen Israeli air strikes hit Gaza Strip

*US Sues KBR On Security Costs

*One of the Metro bombers could be teen 'Black Widow' – report

CoOlDiGgY news (late edition)

VIDEO: Paul Krugman Admits There Are 'Death Panels'

*Obama's New Fuel Standards Will Add Almost $1000 to Auto Prices

*Sell-off in US Treasuries raises sovereign debt fears

*2010 US Census Warning: Authorities Seizing Personal Property, Issuing Code Violations



*Depressions Last HOW LONG?


earlier:

Homeowner Program Favoring White Borrowers

A new survey from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition has raised new questions about the Obama administration’s $75 billion Home Affordable Modification Program. The program is designed to provide financial incentives for mortgage lenders and servicers to reduce monthly payments for struggling homeowners.

The survey found white homeowners are almost 50 percent more likely to receive a loan modification under the mortgage program than African Americans or Latinos. Meanwhile, loan servicers foreclose on delinquent African American borrowers more quickly than white or Latino borrowers.

Read more...

*Letter Suggests Pope Knew of Abuse

*Bill Clinton Apologizes To Haiti For Effects Of Free Trade

*U.S. Foreign Aid May Entice Partners To Stay In Afghanistan

*Obama Appoints Pesticide Lobbyist Gets Posted as Chief Agricultural

*Hook-Up Culture At Boston University Leads To Skepticism About Sexual Assault


*Census 2010: Are you counted?

*Good Guys Win: No DWP rate hike ... for now

*Metrolink workers object to personality testing


*R.I. flooding: 'It makes you want to cry'

*India begins census that will include photos and fingerprints of all adults

*Dagestan suicide bombings have Russia looking to Putin

*US isn't concerned with Iran’s nuclear threat but with its oil power

CoOlDiGgY news (late edition)

The coming inflation wave

(Fortune) -- Whether the American economy is in an inflationary or deflationary environment sounds like it should be a fundamental and settled question. But due to the unprecedented financial crisis, the answer is actually subject to intense debate among economists.

Making economic projections is far from a scientific process, so it's not surprising to find valid arguments on both sides of the divide. The economists who are right will help investors drive returns over the next three years.

Inflation can be a positive or negative, depending on the level and duration of it in our economy. The main negative associated with inflation is a drop in purchasing power of money, and therefore, consumers. In extreme cases, consumers may actually start hoarding if they fear continued and aggressive price increases. The positive side of inflation is to decrease the real value of debt, or essentially provide debt relief.

Read more...

*Iran Nuclear Scientist Defects to U.S. In CIA 'Intelligence Coup'

*Obama wants U.N. sanctions on Iran in weeks

*Pharma Planning to Dump Experimental and Controversial Vaccines in Public Schools


*Health Reform Law to Spawn More Tax Men?

*Subway riders question NYPD’s ‘ridiculous’ show of force

*Iraq election challenged over 'banned' candidates

*WikiLeaks to release video of civilians, journalists being murdered in air strike

*Children WILL face 'naked' airport scans

*Report: California’s foreign-born population has peaked

*VIDEO: Ed Asner for 9/11 Truth



earlier:

Recession Leading to the End of Speeding 'Cushion'

The recession may be claiming a new victim: the 5-10-mph "cushion" police and state troopers across the USA have routinely given motorists exceeding the speed limit.

As cities and states scramble to fill budget gaps with revenue from traffic citations, "not only are the (speeding) tolerances much lower, but the frequency of a warning instead of a ticket is way down," says James Baxter, president of the National Motorists Association, a Wisconsin-based drivers' rights group that helps its members fight speeding tickets.

"Most people, if they're stopped now, are getting a ticket even if it's only a minor violation of a few miles per hour," Baxter says. He cites anecdotal evidence of drivers being pulled over at slower speeds.

Read more...

*4 dead in D.C. shooting


*US oil company donated millions to climate sceptic groups

*Two-Thirds of Boys in Afghan Jails Are Brutalized

*Time Magazine: E.U. Members Sell Weapons with Torture Potential

*Elizabeth Warren: Banks Fought For the Very Thing They Are Now Fighting Against

*Catholic League Defends Pope, Blames Homosexuality for Molestations

*Is America ‘Yearning for Fascism’?

*Double suicide bombings kill 12 in Russia's Dagestan

*Canada to pull out of Afghanistan in 2011

the big story

A New War?

“If these reports are true, it's a very depressing picture, because we are seeing exactly the same build-up as we saw seven years ago with the war in Iraq. The same claims were made about Iran – that it has weapons of mass destruction and is about to attack the West,” claims Alan Mackinnon, disarmament activist.


The US is apparently shipping large quantities of bunker-busting bombs to a British territory in the Indian Ocean.

A Scottish newspaper claims the ordinance, which was widely used in the Iraq invasion, is being sent to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean – and it's raising fears that American forces could be preparing an attack on Iran.

Disarmament activist Alan Mackinnon, who saw the invoice on which the newspaper’s article is based, and believes it to be authentic, has memories of the run-up to the Iraq war.

According to Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, any action on Iran would spell disaster for the US military machine.

“We can bomb them for 50, 60, 70 days and all we are going to do is to solidify 70-plus million Iranians in a very nationalistic feeling of anger and passion against us.”

Meanwhile, Paul Ingram from the British American Security Information Council told RT that currently Israel is far more likely to be quite seriously thinking about a military attack on Iran than the US.

Read more...

CoOlDiGgY tech & media (late edition)

Mind-Control Coming To A Computer Near You

earlier:

FCC's National Broadband Plan

*Iran arrests 30 over U.S.-linked cyber ring - agency

*Red Censorship - China warns Google partners: Look for backup

*More Web Censorship: Hugo Chavez wants Venezuela to be the next Internet-censoring country

*.COM turns 25

*Make Your PC a Man-Cave Media Center

*God of War 3: Doesn't Live Up to Hype

*119 Words Banned for WGN Employees

*Larry David Talks Curb Your Enthusiasm's Future