Lending to the Banks: Any Adventurers Online

ProPublica just sent out the following, with some 886 Government Documents that were released by the Federal Reserve:

Search the Fed’s Documents Detailing Their Lending to Banks During the Crisis

Last week, the Federal Reserve released a cache of several thousand pages detailing its support of financial institutions during the financial crisis. The documents, released due to a Freedom of Information Act request, include the Fed's lending through its so-called discount window, its oldest lending program of last resort. The documents also include some previously released information about the Fed's lending during the crisis through specially-created programs. You can search through it all below. To the Documents

Have fun!

I may even dive into some but I'm sure it'll read greek to me.

Green Economy: Promotes Sustainability and Economic Growth

Trying to argue the point that it's only all about the obvious 'climate change' alone feeds directly into the meme's those that locked the brakes on advancing into renewable energy and related green some thirty plus years ago, locking out the innovators, were successful with then, and global warming wasn't even mentioned. It's the same players only using different means to keep what they've gained and grow their wealth on, especially here in the U.S.. The climate issue is just one much needed result, ignored for way too long, of bringing on a green type economic structure of growth added to what is or replacing what now isn't.

Q&A: What is a "Green Economy?"

While the prevailing economic growth model focuses on increasing GDP above all other goals, a Green Economy promotes a triple bottom line: sustaining and advancing economic, environmental and social well-being. Photo credit: flickr/Yodel Anecdotal.

April 5, 2011 - The global recession has brought new attention to chronic structural flaws in current economic models and assumptions. As economies struggle to recover, many are taking a closer look at the broad concept of a “Green Economy,” one that simultaneously promotes sustainability and economic growth What would this type of economy look like, and how could we get there? WRI Managing Director Manish Bapna responds to some of the most commonly-asked questions:

What is a Green Economy?

A Green Economy can be thought of as an alternative vision for growth and development; one that can generate growth and improvements in people’s lives in ways consistent with sustainable development. A Green Economy promotes a triple bottom line: sustaining and advancing economic, environmental and social well-being. {continued}

The American Veteran - Apr 2011

The Pentagon Channel:The American Veteran - A video news magazine designed to inform veterans, their families and their communities about the services and benefits they have earned through their service to America.

A Clash of the Extremes

Pastor Terry Jones and the Claim to Absolute Truth

An effigy of the American pastor Terry Jones burns during a demonstration in the Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday.

04/06/2011 - Twenty people have died in the protests triggered by Pastor Terry Jones' burning of the Koran in March and more violence is likely. But both his action, and the reaction in the Muslim world share the same problematic roots: Claims to absolute truth have little place in the modern world.

The Russian head of the United Nations mission in the northern Afghanistan city of Masar-i-Sharif had fled with three colleagues into a safe room when the mob stormed their building. But it wasn't long before the assailants broke into the room.

"Are you Muslim?" one of the insurgents yelled. The Russian, who was familiar with the Koran, lied and said he was.

"What is the profession of faith?"

The Russian didn't hesitate. "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his prophet."

It was a lie that saved his life, according to the story told by one of the Russian's UN colleagues. He got away with a severe beating. But the three UN workers he was with, a Norwegian, a Swede and a Romanian, were all killed. A report in the Wall Street Journal describes how a German barely escaped the massacre; four Nepali guards also fell victim. {continued}

Thousands Across USA Rally in Support of Workers' Rights

April 6, 2011 - In hundreds of cities, thousands rally to show support for public sector workers

Goldstone report: Israel

Goldstone report: the unanswered questions

Indiscriminate warfare, as opposed to deliberate killing, was undoubtedly Israel's state policy

6 April 2011 - It is difficult, in this digital world of instant claim and rebuttal, to say that you were wrong. But Richard Goldstone's retraction of one of the claims of the report that he chaired – that Israel targeted civilians in the war on Gaza as a matter of policy – is one such instance. Mr Goldstone deserves credit for honesty. It is another matter altogether to decide whether all the other claims of a 575-page report are now invalidated. The Goldstone report was a fact-finding mission, not a judicial inquiry. It was not a document of verdict, but put forward evidence for further investigation. So which facts caused Mr Goldstone to retract? Three, principally: that the shelling of a home in which 22 members of one family died was the consequence of an Israeli commander's erroneous interpretation of a drone image; that the officer was still under investigation; and that Israel has since investigated over 400 allegations of operational misconduct. Had he known then what he knows now, he concludes, the report would have been very different.

Two of the three other members of the mission disagree with their former chairman's change of heart. Hina Jilani, who served on a similar fact-finding mission on Darfur, said that nothing changed the substance of the original report, and Desmond Travers, an expert on international criminal investigations, still feels the tenor of the report stands "in its entirety". {continued}

Record number of Palestinians made homeless by demolitions

RAMALLAH, 6 April 2011 (IRIN) - The number of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem demolished by Israeli authorities increased for the third consecutive month in March, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Since January, Israeli authorities have demolished 176 Palestinian buildings, displacing 333 people, including 154 children. “The West Bank is where the future Palestinian state is meant to be situated, and its viability is being reduced with each demolition,” UNRWA spokesperson in Jerusalem Chris Gunness said.

In March, 77 buildings were demolished compared with 29 in January and 70 in February.

Half of the demolished structures were houses, while the rest included stables, which can be just as valuable to a herding community as a house, Gunness said.

The number of Palestinians made homeless by these demolitions also hit a record monthly high, according to UNRWA, with 158 affected in March (including 64 children) compared to 70 in January and 105 in February. {continued}

Green Economy Financial Benefits

If we still had the real business minds of yesterday we could have already started rebuilding a broken economy with growth we lived after WWII, years back and with continued expansion, that was abruptly stopped some thirty plus years ago. We would be creating jobs for the already experienced and expanding the needs for the younger generations to further expand that growth.

"In almost every career in the future, there will be an aspect of the green economy," said Boyd. "Whether you are the legal, financial aspect, there will be a part of the Green Economy weaving his way through his career. "

Panel Says Green Economy Financial Benefits

Getting people to go green is a question of economic incentives and education, according to a panel of American and British experts spoke in Columbia South Carolina on Friday.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, Colombia Mayor Steve Benjamin and British Energy Minister Gregory Barker participated in the debate at the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business.

Barker, a leader in the efforts of the United Kingdom who understand that green homes modernize the aging of the nation to be more energy efficient, said his country has a goal of becoming the world greener.

"Not only because it is right for our children and grandchildren, but because we realized that it is the smart thing to do to turn around our economy," said Barker. "We are aware that any competitive global economy must reduce its dependence on expensive fuels and fossil even abroad."

One step in that direction, he and other panelists from the United Kingdom, he said, was that the leaders are still debating the causes of climate change and began to talk about how to cope.

"He has support across the spectrum of politics in Britain," said Emma Howard Boyd panelist, director of SRI and governance of Jupiter Asset Management Limited. "We almost moved beyond the debate about science because we have these long-term policy framework in place." {continued}

Turning Back the Clock on Progress Already Made

When Did Progress Become a Partisan Issue?

April 2011 - Political debate over the direction of United States energy and technology policy is obviously nothing new. But in recent weeks, two news items jumped out for me from the usual political cacophony:

News item 1: Republicans introduce bills in the House and Senate to repeal the 2007 federal law requiring 25-30 percent more energy-efficient light bulbs starting next year. Republicans in four state legislatures also offer bills to exempt their states from the mandate.

News item 2: As the new majority in the House, Republicans have replaced the House cafeteria’s compostable cutlery and cups, introduced under ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Green the Capitol initiative, with the previously used plastic and polystyrene versions.

It’s one thing to disagree about tax incentives for the wind and solar industries, subsidies for the extraction of fossil fuels, the future role of nuclear power, the strictness of building efficiency standards, or countless other issues that will determine our energy future. But it seems like quite another thing to actually turn back the clock on progress already made.

“It’s just symbolism, but symbolism of the worst kind,” says Alan Salzman, CEO and managing director of clean-tech funder Vantage Point Venture Partners, of the compostable cutlery replacement. “While they’re at it, why don’t they put a nuclear plant in the basement?” One Congressman, Oregon Democrat Earl Blumenauer, was equally sarcastic with a Tweet: “I can hardly wait for the lead paint.”

What exactly is going on here? {continued}

Unions Make the Middle Class

Without Unions, the Middle Class Withers

April 4, 2011 - Unions give workers a greater voice not only by promoting political participation among all Americans—ensuring that more of the middle class vote and get involved in politics—but also by being an advocate on behalf of the middle class in the daily, inner-workings of government and politics.

Interactive Map: Stronger Unions Create a Stronger Middle Class by Nick Bunker and David Madland

Why should anyone—especially those who are not union members—care that union membership is at record lows and likely to fall even further? Because if you care about the middle class, you need to care about unions.

Critics of unions claim they are unimportant today or even harmful to the economy, but unions are essential for building a strong middle class. And rebuilding the middle class after decades of decline and stagnation is essential for restoring our economy.

Unions make the middle class strong by ensuring workers have a strong voice in both the market and in our democracy. When unions are strong they are able to ensure that workers are paid fair wages, receive the training they need to advance to the middle class, and are considered in corporate decision-making processes. Unions also promote political participation among all Americans, and help workers secure government policies that support the middle class, such as Social Security, family leave, and the minimum wage. {continued}

Unions Make the Middle Class

Mortgage mess: Who really owns your mortgage?

AFL-CIO blog site about rallies-link in graphic

If you thought you didn't have a reason to participate in the April 4th "We Are One" {face book page link} rallies around the country this report will certainly plant that needed seed as they continue trying to destroy what America once was building successfully, through it's workers!

60min. 3 April 2011, if you missed this it's a must watch and or read!

They tried to scam the wrong person, as they had scammed thousands before and since, and are caught red handed. With this and all the rest that have gone on in our financial system, that bring it down for the masses but not for those who caused the collapses, during the 2000's, has yet brought massive perp walks and looooong prison sentences, yet the proof is all there and I'm sure there's plenty more!!

This is an explanation of the 60min report:

Scott Pelley explains a bizarre aftershock of the U.S. financial collapse: An epidemic of forged and missing mortgage documents

April 3, 2011 - Do you know who really owns your mortgage? As Scott Pelley reports on "60 Minutes" this week, that question has become a nightmare for many homeowners since the invention of mortgage-backed securities. Yes, those were the exotic investments that sparked the financial collapse in this country. And the're still causing problems. {continued}

And this is the CB 60min report in full:

Mortgage paperwork mess: the next housing shock?

Scott Pelley reports how problems with mortgage documents are prompting lawsuits and could slow down the weak housing market.

April 3, 2011 - If there was a question about whether we're headed for a second housing shock, that was settled last week with news that home prices have fallen a sixth consecutive month. Values are nearly back to levels of the Great Recession. One thing weighing on the economy is the huge number of foreclosed houses.

Many are stuck on the market for a reason you wouldn't expect: banks can't find the ownership documents. {continued}

And this is what the wealthy and so called powerful still want to hold onto as their capitalist system. Doing so through the Congress, extremely lax regulating, the Washington Bubble and Washington lobbying by using the same ones who were in charge of the power through the 2000's up till the latter part of that decade and the total collapse felt around the World, still ongoing, as those who so greatly profited, and are still doing so, also are still rewarding themselves handsomely like nothing ever happened!

HONORING THE FALLEN: US Military KIA, Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan - March 2011

April: Month of the Military Child

There are 1.7 million American children and youth under 18 with a parent serving in the military and about 900,000 with one or both parents deployed multiple times.

April is designated as the Month of the Military Child, underscoring the important role military children play in the armed forces community. The Month of the Military Child is an opportunity to recognize military children and youth for their heroism, character, courage, sacrifices and continued resilience. DoD: Month of the Military Child

DOD Celebrates Month of the Military Child

April 1, 2011 – Children of U.S. service members around the world will be honored throughout the month for their contributions to their families’ well-being and sacrifices on behalf of the nation, a Defense Department official said.

Each April, Americans pause to recognize the nation’s 1.8 million military children during the Month of the Military Child, which marks its 25th anniversary this year. { continued}

Honor our living brothers and sisters all the time! Fully Fund the Veterans Administration, no questions asked, as we fund the Department of Defense, no questions asked.

Sacrifice comes from the rest who send those of us who serve into Wars and Occupations of others, they and their families are not the only ones who should be Sacrificing their all!

Iraq, from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn Sept 1, 2010
There have been 4,761 coalition deaths -- 4,443 Americans, 2 Australians, 1 Azerbaijani, 179 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, 1 Czech, 7 Danes, 2 Dutch, 2 Estonians, 1 Fijian, 5 Georgians, 1 Hungarian, 33 Italians, 1 Kazakh, 1 South Korean, 3 Latvian, 22 Poles, 3 Romanians, 5 Salvadoran, 4 Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, 2 Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of March 3 2011, according to a CNN count. { Graphical breakdown of casualties }. At least 32,046 {32,046 up to last month} U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan

Rest Can Be Found Here

Jobs

One of the many problems with this extremely slow growth is the jobs being created are more towards the lower wage so called service sector, that sector that doesn't really produce a product but the workers try and still give a quality job while getting low wages and few benefits and seek respect for what they do.

AIR DATE: April 1, 2011
Unemployment Rate Drops in March, but Economic Recovery Remains Fragile

SUMMARY
The U.S. unemployment rate for March dropped to a two-year low of 8.8 percent. Ray Suarez discusses the numbers with Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisers and Catherine Mann of Brandeis University International Business School. Transcript

Another is it shows that tax cuts don't produce jobs, if that were true the whole previous admin would have seen monthly positives in job growth right after bill was passed and signed and the recent extension, especially to the wealthy, would have caused continued bigger numbers across the board in job growth. Those with the real cuts, the wealthy, are hoarding that along with the rest of their wealth, wall street capitalism, and not investing!! Notice how the tepublicans constantly use the point in their twisted policies as 'job creation' yet can never give specifics of that growth, they just keep saying over and over 'job creation', especially when they get what they want as they either control the numbers and power in congress or obstruct any and all forward movement policies when they aren't the majority. Notice how no body calls them out when interviewing them.

AIR DATE: April 1, 2011
Returning Vets Face a New Battle: The Job Market

SUMMARY
As part of his series on Making Sen$e of financial news, economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on the challenges veterans face returning home and searching for work in a troubled job market. Transcript

This above is a blatant example of the false meme's used especially by the politicians of a particular political party that is supposedly known as 'Strong on National Defense', and related to that 'job growth'. They go to seek revenge and find the guilty of an attack on the U.S. with an invasion of the country those are within. They quickly start beating the drums for invasion of an innocent country and people, leaving the first to turn into a quagmire and war of choice having nothing to do with the original goals of the country and purpose of sending soldiers into harms way, starting a second war of choice. Both are reaping great wealth for their wall street contributors, especially as both are still on going, first a decade second over eight years. They wave the flag, they scream how they support the troops and any against their policies don't, they wear flag lapel pins while laughing about purple heart bandages, they're supporters help in creating even more hatreds towards us by constantly condemning a religious ideology of others as they yell "God Bless America" bringing more recruits into the fold who are fighting our soldiers and some seeking revenge for the killings and maiming's as well as that constant hate and fear rhetoric. And when the surviving soldiers return home they find no jobs. Even the National Guard soldiers of whom jobs are supposed to be held if possible after serving because many serve not one but multiple deployments and the tightjob market will hire a college student who went to a known party school or partied in school, but fear a veteran who might have developed PTS and is getting help for what they've lived through, In Our Names!

While now they seek to axe monies targeted for Homeless Vets and in this 'battle?' over budgets they're long obstruction standoff could delay a VA hospital while the extreme minority tepublican supporters want to shut down the government as the soldiers 'only they supported' not long ago, and rarely mention, are still being sent into both theaters and are being killed and maimed.

All this as other countries are quickly moving past us in developing alternative energy sources, that which we had developed and started using years ago and led in that as we did in other economic growth only to allow the brakes to be slammed on by the same forces doing same now and not investing here nor wanting to and especially not wanting the Government to, that's us!

War News Radio: Foreign Affairs

April 1st, 2011 - This week on War News Radio, Foreign Affairs, we learn about the role of Chinese investment in Afghanistan. Then, we hear from a freelance journalist about his time in the Middle East. Finally, we look at the changing status of foreign correspondants. Our program begins with a round up of this week's news.

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Afghanistan: 'Kill Team' Documentary

Warning: The documentary contains extremely graphic content.

The Rhetoric, Actions from here in the US and the Occupations leads To these Types of War Atrocities

Carried out by those we send and into these two and sent multiple times!

The Germans have produced a Video of the "kill teams"

Murder in Afghanistan SPIEGEL TV's 'Kill Team' Documentary

Warning: The documentary contains extremely graphic content.
SPIEGEL TV's Video: 'Kill Team' Documentary

For months, the US Army kept the images compiled by the so-called "kill team" under lock and key out of fear it could result in a scandal even greater than Abu Ghraib. SPIEGEL TV spent weeks researching the story behind the men of 5th Stryker Brigade and how things could go so terribly wrong. Warning: The documentary contains extremely graphic content.

04/01/2011 - When Justin Stoner returned to Forward Operating Base Ramrod, hoping to settle into his room and get some rest, he could recognize the smell right away: hashish. Time and time again, he had asked his roommate in this remote outpost in Afghanistan not to do drugs, at least not in their room.

But this time Stoner had had enough. As he filed the complaint with his superior, he knew it would result in serious trouble. When, almost as an aside, he mentioned that his pot-smoking comrades would take revenge, and that they were capable and guilty of much more than smoking hashish, he set in motion an investigation that would lead to what would become the US Army's next Abu Ghraib.

Weeks later, the Army arrested 12 men, some of whom would speak openly to investigators about their so-called " kill team," an inner circle of soldiers belonging to the 5th Stryker Brigade out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the state of Washington. Their alleged leader, Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, is supposed to have instigated the murder of innocent civilians and to have collected fingers he cut off of the hands of dead Afghans as trophies.

As horrifying as it is, the Army was almost more worried about something else: The men of FOB Ramrod had been documenting their exploits and had taken thousands of pictures, including many of dead Afghans, as well as videos of legitimate but highly graphic engagements. Most troubling was the fact that they had posed with the dead, smiling and holding up their heads like hunters proud of their "kill." {continued}

The American Recruiting for the Taliban and al Qaeda

This is just breaking across the internets

Continues throughout the past decade and now into the second, unabated!

Done so readily and it always appears to be with a twisted joy or group glee by the so called 'christians' found here, on our airways, on the internet, in assembled groups, loudly proclaiming and singing "God Bless America" as they condemn other extremist elsewhere as those do exactly the same but pointed at us.

Only the one above, who they claim to follow, knows how many soldiers and innocents have been killed and maimed because of the rhetoric and hate of intolerance and fear by the amerikan christian.

At least 8 UN workers killed in Afghanistan

Deaths occur when protests turn violent over a reported Quran burning in the US, official says

1 April 2011 - Afghan officials say eight people were killed at a United Nations office in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif when a protest turned violent in response to a reported Quran-burning in the United States. At least two of those killed were beheaded, Reuters reported.

Demonstrators stormed the office Friday, opening fire on guards and setting fires inside the compound after news reports that a Florida pastor burned a copy of the Muslim holy book on Sunday, March 20.

The burning reportedly happened at the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., according to USA Today. The incident was said to have occurred at a mock trial overseen by controversial pastor Terry Jones, who last year halted plans to burn a Quran on the anniversary of Sept. 11. That proposal sparked protests and condemnation around the Muslim world.

snip

Several hundred people also protested the reported Quran-burning at several sites in Herat, a city in western Afghanistan. Protesters burned a U.S. flag at a sports stadium in Herat and chanted "Death to the U.S." and "They broke the heart of Islam."

About 100 people also gathered at a traffic circle near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Police directed traffic around the demonstration in the capital. One protester carried a sign that said: "We want these bloody bastard Americans with all their forces to leave Afghanistan." {continued}

Watch the same, amerikan christians, quickly start condemning this horrific incident, done so in a country invaded and occupied now for over a decade!

Another quick read report just out:

Afghanistan: 8 killed in protest at UN office

Photo credit: AP | Smoke rises from the UN's office following a demonstration to condemn the burning of a copy of the Muslim holy book by a U.S. Florida pastor, in Mazar-i- Sharif north of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday, April 1, 2011. An Afghan official says seven people have been killed at a U.N. office in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif when a Quran burning protest turned violent. (AP Photo/Mustafa Najafizada)

April 1, 2011 - Eight foreigners were killed Friday after demonstrators protesting a reported burning of the Muslim holy book stormed a U.N. office in northern Afghanistan, opening fire on guards and setting fires inside the compound, a top Afghan police official said. {continued}

Hey jones, and your merry band of frightened followers, the blood of these UN workers is on your hands, but your actions were done In All Our Names as far as the rest of the World is concerned!!

NOVA: Japan's Killer Quake

On PBS NOVA

An eyewitness account and investigation of the epic earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis Aired March 30, 2011 on PBS

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA.

Program Description

In its worst crisis since World War II, Japan faces disaster on an epic scale: a death toll likely in the tens of thousands, massive destruction of homes and businesses, shortages of water and power, and the specter of nuclear meltdown. With exclusive footage, NOVA captures the unfolding human drama and offers a clear-headed investigation of what triggered the earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear crisis. Can science and technology ever prevent devastation in the face of overwhelmingly powerful forces of nature?

Our Hydropower Resources

We have not been using our existing resources efficiently. We should have developed the technologies long ago and improved on those. With the possibility if we had been that would lead to even possible other sources or even more efficient use of the existing and development of new. With that technology and the tools to produce being exported to others.

Government dams, canals, projects could power 85,000 more homes

03/31/2011 - Seventy government-owned dams, canals, tunnels and other water projects could generate enough electricity to power 85,000 households, the Interior Department has determined, in its search for alternative energy sources.

Scattered across 17 Western states, the predominately rural sites together could generate a million megawatts of electricity a year, Anne Castle, Interior's assistant secretary for water and science, said Thursday.

After a detailed study of 530 government-owned dams and similar facilities, the department's Bureau of Reclamation judged 70 of them to be economically feasible for power production.

If the sites are developed to generate electricity, they also would produce 1,200 new jobs, without building new dams, Castle said during a press conference. {continued}

Bureau of Reclamation: Hydro Assessment Report