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The Devil Rides Out without Shame

ramonrive — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:58:05 GMT

Some of you think I am obsessed with the corruption of the State of Russia and its descent toward evil , stemming from one figure who ultimately takes total responsibility for being the greatest sponsor of Terror on the planet .
Vladimir Putin -- the greatest gangster ever seen and heading to even out achieve Stalin as the greatest murderer .
The sources for this report are those that outlined the complete strategy and phases of the recent Israel /Gaza war before it even started .

Moscow sources disclose that the Russian, Iranian and Damascus governments have cooked up a scheme to get around Vladimir Putin's undertaking as president to refrain from selling Iran and Syria advanced Iskander-M cruise missiles: The transaction will go through Belarus.

Sources in Moscow and Minsk confirmed Sunday, May 3, that the Iskander-M sale to Tehran has gone through and negotiations are ongoing for Iran and Syria for another transaction: the sale of Russia's advanced S-300 anti-air anti-missile multi-targeting shield systems as well.

Western military sources have reported in the past that Israel cannot afford to allow this high-performance hardware enter operational service in Iran and Syria, because it would dangerously destabilizing the Middle East arms balance. Nonetheless, confirmation of the sale has come from the horse's mouth: Thursday, April 30, Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko stated: "I would like to implement top-level agreements with the government of Tehran. We will sacredly fulfill our agreements with Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and expect more activity in projects earmarked for joint implementation."

Lukashenko did not specify what projects he had in mind, but military sources in Minsk and Moscow confirmed he was talking about the Iskanader-M transaction.

And a short while after he spoke, the Russian news agency Ria Novosti which has a good rapport with Kremlin officials reported: "The swiftness of relation-building between the two states (Belarus and Iran) is an indication that President Lukashenko is selling the short-range missiles to Iran.

The disclosures came shortly after Iranian defense minister Mustafa Najjar visited Moscow to press the Russians for action on the Iskander sale to Tehran.
Military sources note that Moscow often uses Minsk for top-of-the-line arms sales which might embarrass Moscow diplomatically – especially in the case of two such weapons going to Syria as well as Iran.

In 2005, Moscow contracted to sell Syria Iskander and S-30 systems. Part of the consignment was to be redirected from Syria to Iran. This transaction was put on ice under pressure from the United States and Israel. Now the two sales are going through via Belarus in the reverse direction: Iran will take delivery of the consignments and divert a part to Syria.

Ahmadinejad will claim the honors for announcing the breakthrough for the release of these weapons when he arrives in Damascus Tuesday, May 5, at the head of a big delegation. He has timed his visit to overshadow Israeli president Shimon Peres' meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House on the same day.

Bartering to save Russia and maybe elsewhere

ramonrive — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:42:27 GMT

I thought Sterligov had retired to the country with his wife and kids and had become a self sufficient small holder / farmer .
Apparently he is back in town advocating my suggestion of bartering to restore the global economy .
As the real catastrophe builds and declares itself over the next few months, I think his plans will be embraced and will mushroom .
I think the guy is very clever and his track record suggests unconventional genius . Putrid could save his own skin by sacking that buffoon Kudrin and utilising Sterligov's undoubted talents and his ability to think laterally .

Atop of one Moscow skyscraper is German Sterligov, one of Russia's first multi-millionaires. He has reincarnated the age-old system of bartering - a move he claims can save the world from economic ruin.

Debt exchange

I am led past reception through the heart of Sterligov's online operation, called the Anti-Crisis Settlement and Accounting Centre.

Here dozens of young workers tap feverishly at their computer terminals. Sterligov is in the middle of a board meeting with potential clients from across Europe.

He assures me that people are queuing up to adopt his scheme. Judging by the number of phone calls he receives in the space of a minute, I can't help but believe him.

Sterligov says his system can replace bank loans, which he says are unreliable
When the financial world began to collapse around him, Sterligov hired computer programmers to create an interactive database that would allow users to exchange goods and debts worldwide.

I ask Sterligov to illustrate further. He grabs a piece of paper and begins hastily sketching out a spider diagram.

Steel Company A has an estimated debt of $1m to Coal Company B for supplies.

Company B then puts information about company A's non-payment on Sterligov's system and then lists what products it needs itself.

Company A then puts $1m of steel into the system.

With a bit of luck a buyer will then surface that wants company A’s steel, paying the $1m that can then be used to settle A's debt with company B.

Company A will still be $1m out of pocket, but no worse off than if it had borrowed the money from a bank and had to pay off a $1m debt.

Apocalyptic vision

Sterligov's plan is to allow companies to generate hard cash to repay debts, instead of using bank loans, which he deems unreliable.

Under the system users are able to transfer debts in exchange for goods, and pay off their debts quickly.

He says the more users there are in the system, the more companies can pass their debts and stay afloat.

"For the whole thing to work," he says, "there need to be thousands of companies using the system.

"This is not really a barter system because in a barter system you exchange goods for goods and that's it. But in this system money is used several times ... you can exchange debt for goods too."

Sterligov works hastily. He harbours an apocalyptic vision of the future. "The financial crisis", he despairs, "is the first step towards world war and annihilation".

Change in lifestyle

The 41-year-old is a one time darling of Russia's young market economy, credited with creating the country's answer to Wall Street.

At the age of 24, Sterligov was one of the wealthiest men in the country, with business interests ranging from running a security firm to making films.

All that changed in 2004 when he sank the bulk of his fortune into challenging Vladimir Putin in his re-election bid.

Sterligov traded a life built on wealth to one based on getting back to nature
"There were powerful people who didn't want me to remain rich," Sterligov tells me.

Since then he's been living with his family in a wooden house 100km outside the capital.

He became a devout Orthodox Christian over a decade ago, cultivating a life and beard worthy of Leo Tolstoy.

When we arrive at his country retreat, I can't help but feel that this is a man at odds with the outside world.

He has a startling array of weapons, including a mounted machine gun sitting on his porch.

His teenage daughter, one of five children, even takes me out shooting.

Safeguarding the future

There is something in this self-styled utopia that needs defending.

Sterligov denounces homosexuality, abortion and women who wear trousers.

Sterligov demonstrates that generating business plans is not his only strength
He insists on teaching his children history at home and needed a significant amount of convincing, his wife Alyona told me, before allowing his daughter to go to university.

His ultra-conservative beliefs seem to jar with a man knee deep in materialist ventures in the office and knee deep in cow-muck on the farm.

In the outhouses on his barb-wire-rimmed estate, Sterligov shows me his chickens, horses and goats.

"Only by losing all of my money," he insists "did I realise how to live."

However, Sterligov is reluctant to tell me where the millions used to finance his latest venture come from.

If successful, his Anti-Crisis Settlement and Accounting Centre will make him rich but the real prize, he insists, is to safeguard a future for his children free from financial strife.

Yes .Effing Russian Crap Holes

ramonrive — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:31:53 GMT

Snow Drop, your remark about Train Toilets sent a shudder through me .
Judging by my dreams I am locked in Freud's Anal phase , though things have improved slightly the last few years .
More in the reduced frequency of the horrible recurrent dream than its vile contents .
Thank God that at least I have never fallen in a vat of faeces or slipped over , face down , in a men's toilet or sports shower room , where the floor is covered with a lake of urine and piles of faeces . But I am always barefoot .
You are right . It is ghastly .
Apart from the unbelievable state of train toilets in East European countries after a few hours of travel , there is the memory of temporary toilets erected in Gorky Park in Summer with the temperature nudging plus 40 .
One of the few times in my life I was nearly sick .
I was a charming and polite person until I visited Soviet Russia and rode the trains .

Swine Flu breaking World Records as we speak

ramonrive — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:07:44 GMT

Flu Guards saw Penitez Gomez in the market place of Puerto Rica's capital City and immediately rushed her to isolation in the converted Police Gaol .
Yes . You guessed it .
Penitez sneezed and turned misfortune into near murder by not covering her mouth with the 3 foot sheet all Puerto Ricans have been issued with .
Separately , a Health and Alien Diseases expert phoned the statistic through to WHO where crestfallen officials admitted the Pandemic is raging with several hundred people catching Flu across the Planet in the last few days .
" I have never seen anything like it " , muttered Patricia Stains the WHO Pandemic co-ordinator .
" This is what I call a crafty virus . Just like a feral Pig . It watches you out of it's disease ravaged eyes and if you shut your eyes in boredom , it pounces .
My God . If things continue in this hell like way , everybody on the planet will be infected within five hundred years ."
Officials admit that the crafty nature of this evil disease suggests the possibility of Alien Forces at work with mutated viruses brought back to Earth by Russia's crashing Space Laboratory . It was a stupid idea to build it out of wood particularly as Scientists had told them that flying too close to the sun could bring about major long term problems .
The initial symptoms are deceptively mild and people usually recover within a couple of hours , especially if they flush out their system with a good curry .
Tragically the public have not been told that the virus lodges in the brain once it has explored the human body with later developing effects similar to CJD .
Therefore and on the bright side , average world intelligence will rise once the disease fully kicks in .

Russia increasing War Effort in Tiblisi , Georgia

ramonrive — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:24:29 GMT

Russia was only able to invade Georgia and its territories last year from a huge series of provocations which are now documented around the world and show how long Russia had planned the invasion in the greatest detail , even rehearsing parts of its plans last july .
Effectively Russia re-invaded Georgia from April 9th this month .
The plan was to destabilise the capital but a fragmented opposition and brilliant Georgian tactics have meant that , so far , Russia's efforts to produce mass violence have failed .
Now Russia is increasing its efforts and a war of tactics will unfold for us to spectate .
Separately , Russia through the Mad Puppet Dog known as Kadyrov is accusing Georgia of harbouring Chechen insurgents who are now funneling back into Chechnya and fighting the apostate Russian FSB troops stationed throughout the area .
All of these threads of activitry are being used to spin a web of lies and deceit which will give Russia the deluded excuse of sending in " Peacekeepers " to protect claimed Russian interests .
Make no mistake , Russia wants Georgia as quickly as possible .

The situation in Georgia also requires EU involvement on a higher level and with a more credible message than has hitherto been the case. Just, the radical extra-parliamentary opposition in Tbilisi -40 kilometers from the Russian armored force spearheads- is now poised to switch from "peaceful" tactics to calculated low-level violence, which (judging from Georgia's experience) could escalate beyond control (EDM, April 28). Laying siege to government institutions and plunging the capital city into chaos since April 9 could not reasonably be defended as peaceful tactics, but the bar has been set lower for the opposition and higher for the Georgian government to pass this test.

"For the sake of democracy, the government is tolerating many phenomena that Western European governments would not have tolerated," Parliamentary Chairman Davit Bakradze has told the assembled European ambassadors. "[Let] the population watch the developments with their own eyes and without restrictions and draw conclusions for themselves" (Rustavi-2 TV, April 25).

Western ambassadors stationed in Tbilisi have exerted every effort to bring the radical opposition into dialogue with the government. The ambassadors bent over backward to treat the radical leaders deferentially and never to criticize their excesses. But they could not persuade the radical leaders before April 9 to desist from starting the confrontation in the streets and cannot persuade them now to move to the negotiation table. This situation requires EU involvement on a higher level and with a more credible message than has hitherto been the case.

President Mikheil Saakashvili and parliamentary leaders had offered a dialogue long before the start of the current wave of demonstrations and persist with the offer, both publicly and through the Western ambassadors' mediation. Meeting with the ambassadors on April 25 Bakradze reconfirmed the agenda for dialogue: strengthening parliament's powers and its oversight functions vis-à-vis the executive branch, amending the electoral code so as to increase the opposition's parliamentary representation, steps to restore political confidence, and agreement on a program to overcome the economic crisis.

European envoys are increasingly concerned and frustrated by the opposition's strategy of confrontation. French ambassador Eric Fournier declared, "Because of the [opposition's] activists, the parliament chairman must hold meetings at a hotel, not in the parliament building. We regret that some people have decided to act against the law and violate the democratic constitution. It is inadmissible that we should gather at a hotel to meet the chairman of the parliament. This is a lamentable fact" (Rustavi-2 TV, April 25). The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly Secretary-General Terry Davis told the opposition that "any issues should be discussed in negotiations, not in the streets;" and reproached it for having refused to take up their parliamentary mandates after the 2008 elections (Rustavi-2 TV, April 28).

Opposition leaders, however, demand Saakashvili's resignation and the holding of general elections (only one year after the last elections). They denounce the "criminal Saakashvili regime," as they have done continuously since 2007, and insist that a dialogue should only pertain to the modalities of resignation and early elections (Imedi-TV, Public TV, Kavkas-Press, April 25-28).

Unaccustomed to and intolerant of European criticism, some opposition leaders bristle in response. One of them, French-born diplomat Salome Zourabichvili, felt duty-bound to apologize to the crowd at the rally over Fournier's remarks; and she retorted to "Davis or any Englishman" that their call for dialogue was like "dialogue with Hitler" (Rustavi-2 TV, April 28). Other opposition leaders, parochial and unfamiliar with European institutions, imagine as "Conservative" leader Kakha Kukava told the crowd, that Europe will pressure Saakashvili into a dialogue about resignation (Rustavi-2 TV, April 25, 27).

The authorities adhere to the policy of non confrontation, no physical contact with the opposition in the streets, and openness to dialogue toward a political agreement with opposition groups. Saakashvili called for such dialogue most recently in his April 23 speech at a factory outside Tbilisi and his April 28 remarks in the city, following a special church service convened by the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II. The Patriarch had publicly appealed to opposition leaders to attend the service; but they did not seem to be on hand, with the exception of Alliance for Georgia leader Irakli Alasania, who accepted to shake the president's hand (Imedi TV, April 28).

Alasania, with his small personal following, is attempting to stake an elusive middle ground between the radicals and the authorities. The radicals do not regard Alasania as one of their own and have treated his attempts at mediation as scornfully as they have the European envoys' efforts. Alasania attended and addressed the opposition rallies during the first phase after April 9, but seems to have dropped out from the meetings and the limelight afterward. The opposition's field has narrowed and the most radical elements now have that field all to themselves.

Swine Fever basicaslly a Media Stunt

ramonrive — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:42:16 GMT

There is no natural news lately .
Had you noticed ?
Russia hasn't invaded anyone this week , Hizbollah and Hamas are regrouping and the American Republicans are just bleating their usual right wing extremist nonsense which only farmers in Missouri are listening to .
But suddenly we have Swine Flu , which is not what it name suggests , but simply a mild viral shift to combination Pig , Chicken , Human flu .
And how many people have died outside of Mexico ?
None
How many ?
Well . None yet .
And how many have died in Mexico from confirmed Swine Flu ?
A hand full .
And why did they die ?
From factors not present in the developed world !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK . A virus can mutate , usually within two or three weeks and it can grow in strength .
But has this happened yet ?

No

It looks like this is the most hyped nonsense since the death of the white witch , Princess Di .
Unless matters change radically and soon , this is the Pandemic that never was and could even be a load of nonsense , -- essentially dramatised -- to keep eyes off and away from the real economic horror story .

Poor Barca not worth watching

ramonrive — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:55:06 GMT

One of the half dozen top Team GB teams showed Barca how over rated they really are in the Neu Camp tonight .
Spain have a very second rate national league and have been flattered by their success over not very strong other Spanish opposition this season .
Real Madrid --- their so called second team -- came to England not long ago and were truly humbled and embarrassed by Liverpool . who are barely in the top three Team GB teams .
Tonight Barca looked rather second rate , fielding very small men who were not really up to a big man's game .
Messi lived up to his name and clearly he would be a flop in England over a full English season .
It seems the gulf between the English Premier league and other European leagues is enormous presently and countries like Spain now need to look to the English Premier to restore talent and physical strength to their overall CV .
It is to be hoped that Barca can be seen to put up some sort of real challenge when they mount their forlorn second leg challenge . Where are the good strong Spanish teams of times past ?

Is Ingushetia a Bomb ready to explode ?

ramonrive — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:06:27 GMT

Over the last six months I have repeatedly mentioned the worsening position in the Caucasus , particularly in Ingushetia and Dagestan .
Matters , it appears , go from bad to worse .
Russia recently declared that it had abandoned counter terrorist activity in Chechnya as though this country was in the full control of the monster Kadyrov . Nothing could be further from the truth .
The true position is that Kadyrov's death squads have total control in major towns and Grozny itself but they have conceeded that insurgents rule in the countryside and mountains . And , of course , Kadyrov's Butcher policy has simply driven many into neighbouring territories -- Dagestan and Inguishetia .
From Russia's blinkered perspective , this area is becoming very troubling and if there is a wider break down in the Federation , later in the year , I would expect the freedom fighters and extremist Moslem groups to escalate astivities dramatically.

It is now six months since Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was appointed President of Ingushetia. Not a long period of time, but not a short one either. He was awaited as a saviour who with the full backing of the federal centre possessed the will and the ability to restore at least some order to the republic.

But now he has encountered problems which cannot be solved by means of skilfully deployed tanks and guns.

The Ingush president is obviously sickened by the experience of his Chechen colleague Ramzan Kadyrov (all credit is due to him for that!). But he is also forbidden to take the path of former Ingush President Aushev. In part this is because all his actions are watched jealously by the federal centre, but mostly it is because he is committed to the idea of a united and undivided Russian state, and naively sees the present system of government as the only ones possible.

On the one hand he has been charged with the task of destroying the armed insurgency, while on the other he would like to establish a strong and organic connection with Ingush society and attempt to find a formula for agreement between all shades of public opinion in the republic. These two goals are evidently in direct conflict with each other.

Speaking in Rostov, he divided Ingushetia's citizens into three groups - those who are indifferent, those who help the insurgents, and the insurgents themselves. How can one govern a people who directly or indirectly support the enemy? To this, Yevkurov has no answer.

At the outset of his career Yevkurov's attempts to establish a dialogue with all parties were perceived as a thoughtful and deliberate move towards democracy on the part of the new president. But today, in the absence of results, those attempts are seen as a weakness. He is simply afraid of losing the support of those groups who considered themselves to be influential, whether opposition figures or elders.

For several months now there have been persistent rumours that the Kremlin has given Yevkurov carte blanche to create his own guard on the model of Kadyrov's paramilitary units. About a month ago it was reported that 50 sets of black uniforms and equipment had been delivered to the interior ministry warehouses for use by the special counter-terrorist battalion created for relatives of dead policemen. Although 50 is an absurdly small amount, it seems that the new president is not even able to assimilate this number of "knights of the cloak and dagger". Please do not suppose that I advocate the creation of "revenge" groups - I am merely saying that Yevkurov is totally paralysed, that he is unable to take any decisions, good or bad.

As a background to the portrait of the "bewildered colonel" one might point to the explosive growth of crime in Ingushetia. Incidents of robbery are widespread and frequent, and the sums stolen from former officials and their relatives are estimated at tens of thousands of dollars. According to data released by the Ingush interior ministry's information centre, crimes involving the use of weapons are up by 736%, cases of robbery with violence by 600%, and vehicle theft shows a 500% increase compared to January-February 2008. Crime is a very important indicator. Gangsters always feel that the government's grip has loosened. In circumstances like these they are very quick to seize power.

The situation is deteriorating on all fronts. No one is able to explain what is going on in Ingushetia. The killing is universal: it is wiping out Russians and Ingush, clerics and businessmen, not to mention employees of the Ingush interior ministry and FSB, and insurgents.

To the question of who is doing the killing there is likewise no single answer. A few weeks a car containing Ingush interior ministry personnel came under fire near the railway station in Nazran. The answering fire destroyed the attackers. They turned out to be members of the FSB - one was killed and two were seriously wounded. What impelled FSB officers to shoot at Ingush policemen in broad daylight remains a total mystery.

A few days after the ending of a counter-insurgency operation in the village of Ordzhonikidze, a bear that had attacked a local resident was shot and killed. The bear had been forced to leave an area of forest that was regularly being shelled and was swarming with insurgents and federal troops.

The angry creature met its death in the chaos of an ungovernable reality.

Source: Prague Watchdog

First Warning to Gibble Gobble

ramonrive — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:53:47 GMT

Does Gibble Gobble need to pull up his socks ?
The Brass Necked Belgian Bunny is right . Gibble / Muddy has lost control and is making occasional highly questionable judgements .
I was actually surprised when I found out I had been banned from Forum participation . I had no knowledge that I had been "Warned " twice because I was never informed on either occasion ."
As a result , Communication " and "Manners " were the two words that sprung to my mind . Or , rather , the lack of them .
Only after resting in the sin bin for a few days did I fortuitously discover some specifics of one of these "Warnings" . By sheer luck I glanced again at the satirical Topic about Somalians suing the American Government , following the report that two Pirate Morons were considering suing the Germans ( always good for a laugh ).
Moddy had removed a Post of mine well after it had been written though what sane reasons existed for such an action remain as mystifying now as they have been from the outset .
Incidentally , I haven't the foggiest notion what the other "Warning " refers to , but it needs to be a thousand times more understandable than this Pirate clanger for it to even approach good sense laced with a note of fairness .
But let's return to the "Pirate Warning" .
The Post in question suggested that in the long term countries reaped their own Karma , much as individuals do . The context was the n' th occurrence of a US shooting massacre .
The suggestion that countries develop their own psyche and character , which grow from the incidents which have shaped that country , is hardly a new one .This thinking proceeds along the lines of there coming a point where a country seems to develop its own troubles --- much like a Victim on an individual basis --- and therefore actually deserves to reap the consequences of its own culture .
It is a subject that is debated endlessly by thinkers , intellectuals and writers , particularly Historians with brains .
One contributor actually accused me of terrible insensitivity by even mentioning such a matter but given his extreme right wing attitudes on most matters , that hardly was surprising .
But to think that anyone would even seriously play with the idea of censorship of such a basic and very important matter was quite chilling to me .
I think , with the benefit of hindsight , most discerning people are aware of the difficulties many German and Italian people had in dealing with their identityand consciences after the Fascist 30's and the second World War .
And a similar exposition seems quite clear to many about Russia , though the immediate screams of self denial we have seen in this Forum make it a difficult subject on which to hold measured discussion .
So to see Americanism resorting to the very Undemocratic processes that are laid at the feet of China and Russia , for example , was laughable as well as sad and abundantly wrong .
Just something to mull over , but , as I don't carry grudges , it is not something that will unduly occupy me .
Perhaps one or two others -- apart from Bunny and I -- might care to let your Democratic concern be recognised . As a discussion conclusion rather than a basis for tomorrow's revolution .

Federal Bank to go under ?

ramonrive — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:08:18 GMT

The Federal Reserve is watching the backs of U.S. banks. But sometimes I wonder, "Who's watching the Fed's back? Is the Fed our next troubled bank?"

You see, all of this garbage paper that's going bad — the troubled residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS), the commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS), the asset backed securities (ABS), the Fannie Mae bonds, the corporate loans, and so on — hasn't just gone "Poof."

Instead, more and more of it has been landing on the Fed's doorstep — either through direct ownership or as collateral against Fed loans that keep getting rolled over.

The result? The Fed's once pristine balance sheet is starting to look more and more like the balance sheet of a troubled financial institution.

All the Washington and Wall Street spin has been stripped away leaving behind a road map to prosperity even in these tough economic times.

What do I mean? Well, take a look at this April 26, 2007, Federal Reserve Statistical Release. Table 2, the Consolidated Statement of Condition of All Federal Reserve Banks, shows the breakdown of the Fed's assets back then.
In 2007, 89 percent of the Fed's assets were in risk-free Treasuries. Since then, that number has plummeted to a scary 24 percent.
In 2007, 89 percent of the Fed's assets were in risk-free Treasuries. Since then, that number has plummeted to a scary 24 percent.

You'll see that the Fed banks listed total assets of $883.5 billion at the time. The lion's share of those assets — $787.1 billion, or 89 percent — were "AAA" quality U.S. Treasury bills, notes, and bonds. There were a few other assorted line items (gold, bank premises, etc.) ... but that's about it.

Now compare that two-year old balance sheet, to this multi-headed hydra of a balance sheet that came out a few days ago. The equivalent table (number 9) shows that total Fed assets have exploded to $2.19 TRILLION. And those plain-vanilla, risk-free Treasuries? They make up just $526.1 billion, or 24 percent, of Fed assets!

The Fed now also owns more than $355 billion of mortgage backed securities and $61 billion in debt issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae. Term auction credit comes to $455.8 billion. Those are short-term loans against just about anything and everything — from auto loans and credit card receivables to Brady Bonds and CMBS.

The Fed is also holding $238 billion in commercial paper as part of an October 2008 program to help corporations fund short-term debt obligations. And it has $111 billion in so-called "other loans." This all-purpose category includes loans made to primary dealers ($12.9 billion), bailout baby AIG ($45.1 billion), and loans made as part of the Fed's Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility ($5.1 billion).

Finally, the Fed has lent money to so-called "Maiden Lane" LLCs that acquired dodgy asset portfolios as part of the Bear Stearns and AIG bailouts. The grand total there comes to $72 billion.

Bottom line:

* The quality of the balance sheet of the U.S. central bank is deteriorating.

* The Fed is now heavily burdened by the same kind of crappy paper that has been hammering private U.S. banks for several quarters.

* And the Fed banks are holding total capital of just $45.7 billion against the sum total of $2.19 trillion in assets, meaning the Fed is leveraging its capital 48-to-1. That compares to only 27-to-1 two years ago.

Imagine turning $200 penny stock investment into a waterfall of cash. There's a reason penny stocks have been Wall Street's favorite hidden investment for years now: they give the best shot at winning it big. A select group of profit-seekers already racks up the big penny stock wins with scientifically selected plays.

With the Fed doing its best to tarnish its balance sheet and the Treasury borrowing like crazy (not to mention the Fed monetizing some of that debt), the natural question becomes: "What's the risk?"

The answer is that it all comes down to the reaction of the capital markets ...

* Do investors continue to aggressively bid on U.S. Treasuries at our debt auctions?

* Do foreign creditors, who hold more than 53 percent of the privately held Treasury debt outstanding, start balking at supporting our profligacy?

* Does the U.S.'s AAA credit rating come under closer scrutiny?

* And does the dollar start to reflect the fact that the Fed is throwing money around like a drunken sailor — and taking on any and all kinds of crummy assets?

These questions likely won't be answered today, tomorrow, or next week. We may not learn for months or even quarters. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't discuss these risks now ... that those risks aren't very real ... and that you don't want to start taking some protective steps now.
Now might be the time to get rid of long-term U.S. bonds and buy some gold.
Now might be the time to get rid of long-term U.S. bonds and buy some gold.

I warned about an impending blow up in residential real estate in 2005. If you sold housing, construction, and mortgage stocks back then, you dodged the worst meltdown in modern history. I warned that commercial real estate was in big trouble in early 2007. If you sold your REITs then, you dodged the biggest crack up in office, industrial, and retail real estate shares in ages.

Now, I recommend you consider buying some gold and dump the heck out of any long-term U.S. bonds. Because some day, the trashing of the Fed's balance sheet is going to matter, and in a potentially huge way.

NATO gives Putin Two Fingers in Georgia

ramonrive — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:01:25 GMT

Look out for the Brigade of Royal Brighton Gaylords marching with the Union Jack flag in the upcoming Georgia NATO exercises .
The Excercises are code named " Up your Bum , Mister Medvedev "
Plans are to move Tanks right up to the border so that Russia can see some nice , new , shiny Tanks that work and actually can shoot missiles . Russian troops are then expected to turn tail and run back through the Roki Passs to catch the next train to Moscow to repel the British when we invade next month as we win the Eurovision Song Contest .

Russia has reacted angrily to the forthcoming NATO-led Partnership for Peace (PfP) exercises in Georgia. President Dmitry Medvedev called the decision to hold the exercises "shortsighted and not worthy of true partnership." He warned that tensions in the region will rise, saying: "these actions are a clear military demonstration, a buildup of military muscle," and that Russia "shall be following everything that will be happening there in the most attentive way, and, if need be, take this or that decision" (ITAR-TASS, April 17).

The PfP exercises "Cooperative Longbow-Cooperative Lancer 2009" scheduled to be held in Georgia from May 6 to June 1, are strictly peacekeeping in nature, aimed at achieving inter-operability of NATO and non-NATO militaries in future peacekeeping or humanitarian missions. The exercises in Georgia will not be military maneuvers per se, but staff training without the deployment or use of heavy weapons and away from the conflict zone. Neutral European nations, Russia and other former Soviet republics are part of the PFP program. Russia's close ally Armenia announced it will take part in the exercise, as well as the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Britain, the U.S., Canada -18 nation in all (Interfax, April 18).

General Alexander Sinaysky, the Russian secretary of the CIS Council of Defense Ministers told Ekho Moskvy radio that "the exercises are perhaps untimely," but they were preplanned long before the war between Russia and Georgia in August 2008, they are not military maneuvers and "there will be nothing dangerous happening" (www.echo.msk.ru, April 20). This seems to have been the sole voice of reason coming from Russian officials. The Secretary General of the Russian-dominated seven-member Collective Security Treaty Organization Nikolai Bordyuzha called the exercise a provocation and "support of aggression" (RIA Novosti, April 20).

The Russian ambassador in Washington Sergei Kislyak expressed regret that the West "has not learned the lessons of events in August." According to Kislyak, "The exercises strengthen the belief of the Georgian government that no matter what they do to Russia, they will still become a NATO member." If Georgia was already a NATO member, considered Kislyak, Russia and the U.S. would almost surely have gone to war in August 2008 (RIA Novosti, April 21).

The Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin, announced that in response to the exercises, the Chief of General Staff, Army-General Nikolai Makarov, will not attend a preplanned meeting with NATO's military chiefs on May 7. Rogozin told journalists that President Mikhail Saakashvili will "take the presence of NATO troops and military hardware in Georgia as another permit to resume an attack on Abkhazia and South Ossetia." Rogozin said that NATO will be responsible for the security of its soldiers during the exercises and that Russia has "warned about possible provocations." Since anti-government demonstrations have been held in Tbilisi, Rogozin accused NATO of interfering in Georgia's domestic affairs, by staging the exercises (www.echo.msk.ru, April 21).

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused the U.S. of rearming the Georgian military, "supporting the aggressor" and destabilizing the situation. Ryabkov called Western arguments that the PFP exercises in Georgia were preplanned and are a staff drill: "cheap and unimpressive." Russia's leadership believes that the exercises will strengthen Georgia's combat capabilities. Ryabkov added that Washington is still intent on proceeding with plans to deploy ballistic missile defenses in Europe and that Moscow is tired of hearing about the "reset" in bilateral relations (Interfax, April 21). In a feeble attempt to quell the outburst of Russian anger, NATO headquarters indicated that Russia as a PfP member could take part in the exercises or send observers. Moscow showed no interest, however, it is unlikely that the authorities in Tbilisi would have allowed Russian military personnel to participate while they occupy Georgian territory.

The announced desire by the U.S. and NATO to "reset" relations seems to have been interpreted in Moscow as a vindication of the invasion of Georgia last August and a tacit recognition of Russia's special rights and interests within the South Caucasus. In this context, the NATO exercises were apparently interpreted as Western double-crossing, or as an attempt to redress the facts on the ground after the Russian invasion. After the exercises, if the West keeps out and gives Moscow a free hand in the South Caucasus, the row might end.

Russian naval and land forces have been recently maneuvering near Georgia in what could be interpreted as a preparation of a new invasion (EDM, April 16). The EU mission monitoring the ceasefire said it had registered Russian reinforcements at the line separating Georgian-controlled territory and South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but had not monitored any significant Georgian build-up (Reuters, April 16). The situation on the border remains tense. Two OSCE observers were briefly detained this week by the authorities in South Ossetia, accused of "using bandit methods and provocations" (Interfax, April 21). Both Georgia and South Ossetia reported a shooting incident near Tskhinvali (Interfax, April 22). The presence of a contingent of foreign military personnel in Georgia for most of May could interfere with prepared plans for possible Russian action, if the situation in Georgia further worsens. This might explain the fury behind Moscow's reaction.

Sheep versus the goats

ramonrive — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 06:35:50 GMT

Those of you who signed the " Free Bakhmina " petition will , no doubt , be in receipt of the same mail .
It's great news .
To those who were aware of the petition but were too lazy to sign --- SHAME ON YOU .
To those who were not even aware of the situation --- You might be Bankers and not realise it .
Regardless , it shows that good is possible sometimes , if you try just a little .
So wake up you lazy and usually uninterested ones and let them know that the prosecution and persecution of the Yukos executives , and Khordokovsky in particular , is disgusting and hypocritical beyond belief .
And if you think Misha is a traitor and a criminal , get up off your arse and find out the facts .

From:
"no-reply@bakhmina.ru"
Add sender to Contacts
To:
rayahyeh@yahoo.co.uk
Светлана освобождена!

21 апреля суд удовлетворил ходатайство о ее условно-досрочном освобождении. Светлана дома, со своей семьей, с детьми... Это самое главное. Но еще очень важно, что нас оказалось много, больше, чем многие из нас надеялись — почти 100 тысяч подписавших письмо со словами о милосердии.

Мы благодарим всех, кто поддержал этот сбор подписей: СМИ, блоггеров, политиков. Конечно, жаль, что наш Президент нам не ответил. Жаль, что имея возможность помиловать Светлану, он этого не сделал...

Имена непобоявшихся, непостеснявшихся своего порыва и комментарии к подписям не пропадут. Мы будем поддерживать сайт сколько это будет возможно. Заходите иногда на него, посмотрите на фамилии тех, кто понимает почему важно прощать. Почитайте комментарии — часто очень простые и трогательные. Вспомните, что Светлана дома. Вспомните, что вы не остались в стороне.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Svetlana is free!

On April, 21 she was granted an early parole. Now she is at home with her family and children. It is most important. But also important is that almost 100 000 people signed the petition – it is much more than many of us could expect.

We thank everybody who helped us to collect the signatures – media, bloggers, political activists. We regret not having the response from the President for this petition to him. He missed the chance to pardon Svetlana...

No one of signatures and no one of comments will be missed. We will keep this site alive as long as we can. Let us visit it sometimes to read the names of people who believe in forgiveness. Read the comments – many of them is sincere and touching. Remember that Svetlana is at home. Remember that you didn't stay aside.

Some good -- if late -- news

ramonrive — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:27:28 GMT

Thanks to some of you who stood up and were prepared to be seen and heard .
Perhaps you could now stand up and show your disgust at the imprisonement of Micha Khodorkovsky -- one of the most despicable episodes in Russia's recent times .
A vote for Micha is a nail in the Mafia godfather's coffin -- Prime minister Putin .

Svetlana Bakhmina, a former attorney with the Yukos oil company, was released on parole Tuesday after an extended public campaign in her support. Bakhmina, 39, became the focus of public attention after she was denied parole four times, despite the fact that she had three young children at home and became pregnant when she was allowed to visit her family last March. While Bakhmina was convicted of embezzlement along with a handful of other Yukos executives, many political analysts say the trial was political, and attribute her prosecution with a political war against former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Russia tightening the noose around Georgia's borders .

ramonrive — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:53:54 GMT

This report underscores the accuracy of the information showing how Russia could be poised to find any pretext to invade Grorgia again --- info. I highlighted several days ago and which was received with deafening silence by our Russian friends .

Georgia's government sees Russia as determined to prevent the West from considering Georgia a reliable transit country for oil and natural gas, contending that was Russia's main objective in the war.

The pipelines that cross Georgian territory are among the few that bypass Russia in supplying Europe with energy from the Caspian Sea and Central Asia. During the war, Russia bombed areas near the pipelines.

"Russia wants to be the monopoly supplier," said political analyst Shalva Pichkhadze.

Russia's Foreign Ministry confirmed the Kremlin has sent reinforcements to the boundary lines. It was responding to fears the Georgian government would provoke clashes to distract from the opposition protests, ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said.

Georgia's Interior Ministry said Russia has 15,000 soldiers in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which would be far more than in past months. Since the beginning of April, Russia has moved 130 armored vehicles toward the boundary line from elsewhere in South Ossetia and 70 more have entered South Ossetia from Russia, ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said.

Russia's Defense Ministry refused to comment on the composition of its forces, and Georgia's claims could not be independently verified. European monitors who patrol the boundary lines are not allowed into South Ossetia or Abkhazia, and journalists also are stopped at Russian checkpoints.

Peter Semneby, the EU special representative for the South Caucasus, said the Russian military presence is clearly "significantly larger" than it was.

From a Georgian police checkpoint just 100 yards (meters) from a Russian roadblock controlling access to the village of Akhmaji, a half dozen Russian tanks and other armored vehicles can be seen in the valley.

Local police chief Timur Burduli said the vehicles appeared during the first week of April and are the Russian forces closest to Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. "A tank needs only 40 minutes," he said.

Along the highway to Tbilisi, a freshly dug anti-tank trench stretches across a long field. Steve Bird, spokesman for the EU monitors, said the Georgians have been building such defenses in recent weeks.

continuation

ramonrive — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:13:32 GMT

Kudrin's conclusion is that the 30 percent reduction in the state budget income in 2010 will necessitate deep cuts in spending, including subsidies to regional budgets, even if Russia again resorts to external borrowing (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, April 15). This pessimistic view might appear excessive, as three key economic parameters have stabilized: the stock exchange, oil prices, and the ruble against the dollar and euro. The problem is that only some companies and sectors may learn to accept this level of oil revenues, while many others are hopelessly inefficient. Manufacturing, for instance, registered a 20 percent decline in the first quarter of the year. Prime Minster Vladimir Putin tried to provide some reassurance for workers in the Tver railcar plant last week, but responding to a direct question about Kudrin's forecasts he said only that the Finance Minister was "under a lot of stress" and had to protect himself from pressure (Kommersant, April 16). The high point in that "anti-crisis psychotherapy session" was Putin saying he had personally prevented the purchase of railcars from China.

Such personally-delivered stimulus packages for particular enterprises destroys the coherence of Kudrin's fiscal course, which renders Russia's anti-crisis policy far less efficient compared with the main world economies (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, April 17). The Consumer Confidence Index dropped accordingly to minus 35 percent in the first quarter and 48 percent of respondents expected further negative economic developments (PRIME-TASS, April 8). It is not only the middle-class that is experiencing a massive migration from the "upper" to the "lower" categories; the super-rich are also suffering: according to the Russian Forbes on April 16, the "golden hundred" of the richest individuals is now worth only $124 billion, having lost $380 billion in one year.

The simmering discontent among the most politically active and influential social groups worries Medvedev far more than rising unemployment, which compels experimenting with new ways of management and governance. His aides whisper, for instance, that the giant state corporations created within the past few years are no longer viable in the recession and must be compelled to open up their accounts before undergoing radical "sanitation" (RBC Daily, April 17). Putin, on the contrary, has taken a defensive stance insisting that his economic model of ever-increasing state control is sound and provides the best protection against the current turbulence -which will soon blow over. His own cabinet is deeply split over the priorities in budget and extra-budget funding, so that ministers declare diverging courses and their aides resort to in-fighting (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, April 16). This uncharacteristic lack of discipline within Putin's team betrays more than his doubts about choosing a way out of the crisis; his very ability to control the forever feuding elite clans is also in doubt.

The natural response to any disturbance in the system of power created by Putin is to squash the opposition and squeeze the insufficiently loyal oligarchs; the enforcement mechanism, however, has become so corrupt that forceful responses cannot be mobilized. Complaining bitterly -and futilely- about corruption, Medvedev probably believes that the system he presides over has become incapable of acting on its own logic. Hence the hesitant steps towards a neo-perestroika policy aimed at ensuring that "the state and civil society can act in harmony and together," as he told NTV in an interview on April 12. It is a different type of "harmony"' than the effective exclusion of society from politics that flourished in the autumnal years of Putin's "era." It is not certain that Medvedev will succeed in engaging the more dynamic parts of the middle classes in a new anti-crisis social contract, and the readers of Novaya Gazeta have good reasons to doubt that he will keep his part of the bargain while Putin looms over his less-than-heroic figure. Smooth words come easy to the accidental leader who cannot hide behind the fiction of "independence of the court" from the simple but stark dilemma: if Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev are acquitted, it is all over for "Putinism."