World-News

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/14663


Informant: ranger116

http://www.politicalcortex.com/story/2006/10/14/11926/843


Informant: ranger116

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/how-to-steal-an-election-with-a-diebold-machine-200693.php


Informant: ranger116

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia-pacific/1908571.stm


Informant: ranger116

http://www.jonesreport.com/articles/111006_stan_jones.html


Informant: ranger116

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/nation/epaper/2006/10/12/m5a_FOLEY_EMAIL_1012.html?imw=Y


Informant: ranger116



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Foley

http://www.nbc6.net/politics/9431264/detail.html

Video: State Congressman Again Accused Of Making Racist Comments
http://www.nbc6.net/politics/9431264/detail.html

State Rep. Accused Of Making Threatening Phone Call
http://www.local10.com/news/10145070/detail.html?rss=mia&psp=news


Informant: ranger116

"Every new release of data on the housing market provides more evidence that the housing bubble is finally bursting," writes Dean Baker. "The housing downturn will almost certainly lead to a recession, and most likely a severe recession."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102406P.shtml



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Housing+Bubble

BushCo, via the Carlyle Group and Apollo Management LP, are exploring takeover bids for Tribune Co., publisher of the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102406O.shtml



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Carlyle

As if there weren't enough concerns about the integrity of the vote, a non-partisan civic organization today claimed it had hacked into the voter database for the 1.35 million voters in the city of Chicago.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102406K.shtml

The prairie dog is an important character on the American Plains. Burrowing owls, rabbits, snakes and other ground-dwelling creatures all make their homes in prairie dogs’ elaborate underground communities. And prairie dogs are a staple for endangered black-footed ferrets and other Great Plains predators.

Now, the Forest Service wants to poison and kill tens of thousands of these furry critters.

Take action now -- urge the Forest Service to stop the prairie dog massacre.
http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=F3DP2D1x2qrBnnwMvP2OZg..

Tens of thousands of prairie dogs could be poisoned and killed -- but it’s not only these tunneling critters that stand to suffer.

Because so many other creatures depend on prairie dogs for survival -- from burrowing owls to badgers, swift foxes to snakes -- the entire grassland ecosystem is at risk.

Help stop a harmful Forest Service plan to poison and kill tens of thousands of prairie dogs -- and harm the balance of life on the American Plains.
http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=F3DP2D1x2qrBnnwMvP2OZg..

Last year alone after a similar rule change, nearly 70,000 prairie dogs were killed on National Grasslands bordering private land.

Now, the Forest Service is proposing to make it easier to poison and kill prairie dogs on three more public grasslands including the Buffalo Gap National Grassland -- key habitat for the recently reintroduced swift fox and the most important recovery area for the endangered black-footed ferret.

Don’t let this dangerous proposal see the light of day -- write the Forest Service now!
http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=F3DP2D1x2qrBnnwMvP2OZg..

As always, thank you for all you do to protect our wildlife and wild places.

Sincerely,

Rodger Schlickeisen,
President Defenders of Wildlife

http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/out-of-balance/


Informant: NHNE



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Exxon

http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/5226/


Informant: jensenmk

From ufpj-news

October 24, 2006

By JOHN TAGLIABUE

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/world/europe/24swiss.html

[foto] Dominic Buettner for The New York Times - An 1870 postcard view of the Rhone glacier in Gletsch, Switzerland, contrasted dramatically with the shrinking 21st-century version of it.

GLETSCH, Switzerland — To hear the locals tell it, you would think they were referring to a loved family member declining in old age.

“It hurts, it hurts,” Philipp Carlen said of his feeling toward the vast Rhone glacier, which once came to the edge of his hotel, but now has receded several hundred yards. The glacier, whose soft contours and dirty gray surface make it resemble some huge sea creature, a whale perhaps, is rapidly shrinking, in the mild autumn weather, by 12 to 15 feet a day.

Eight thousand years ago, Mr. Carlen said, the glacier was the largest in Europe, with arms that reached all the way to Lyon, in France. Indeed, it remains the source of the Rhone River, which flows westward into France and from there into the Mediterranean. Now, however, it is only the fifth largest glacier in Switzerland, and experts foresee the day, probably in this century, when the glacier, all six miles of it, will melt away to nothing.

The shrinkage has consequences for the little village that owes its name — Gletsch means glacier in Swiss German — and its very existence to the icy behemoth.

Like most of the people in Gletsch, Mr. Carlen, 45, spends only the summer in the village; in the winter he practices law in the nearby town of Brig. Gletsch began its role as a summer residence in the mid-19th century, Mr. Carlen said, when the family of a soap maker named Joseph Seiler opened a small hotel here that grew over the years into an establishment consisting of two wings, with accommodations for 150 guests and a pampering staff of 300.

The first tourists were British aristocrats and their families. The Seilers’ hotel had its own butcher shop, bake shop, post office, and even a chapel that still stands, with its slender belfry, for services in the Anglican rite. The family later built a second hotel, up the mountain nearer to the glacier, that Mr. Carlen now owns.

In those days, Mr. Carlen said, the glacier spilled down into the valley below, almost reaching the edge of the village. But as the glacier shrank, so did the number of visitors to the hotel; the automobile challenged a little steam railway as a means of access to Gletsch and made day trips possible, and the number of guests fell further.

“It was not necessarily the shrinking glacier, but today people come by car, and don’t stay overnight,” said Armin Jost, standing in the shadow of Gletsch’s large post office, now boarded up. Mr. Jost, 31, takes care of the roads, in the season when Gletsch is accessible to traffic, and keeps an eye on the buildings.

The hotels, he said, now stay open only from May to October. In winter, snowfalls accumulating to the hotel’s second story, and with drifts even higher, cut Gletsch off from the world. “In the old days, two or three hotel employees would spend the winter in the hotel to look after it, only emerging in the spring,” he said.

First the Seilers sold the hotel in the village to the local government; in the 1980’s they sold the second hotel to Mr. Carlen’s family.

The glacier’s suffering is not unique. All of Switzerland’s glaciers — and there are more than a hundred, large and small, experts say — have lost about 15 percent of their surface in just the past two decades. The experts say global warming is the reason, though particularly hot summers, which might have happened anyway, also played a role.

“This year was a terrible year for the glaciers,” said Max Maisch, an expert on the topic at the University of Zurich. “July was very hot, though August was cool; but September was the warmest in 140 years. Many glaciers are collapsing on the edges.”

In recent years, to help the Rhone glacier over the hottest months, Mr. Carlen has taken a lesson from the care of stranded dolphins and whales, and has spread large tarpaulins of special fleece on the glacier’s edges during the hottest months. “It helps a little,” he said, explaining that it has reduced the shrinkage to about five feet a day.

The diminution is painful for Mr. Carlen because for four generations his family has been boring a tunnel each year into the glacier, so tourists could enter its icy confines. But with the shrinkage, the tunnel, 120 yards long, must be dug and redug, farther up the mountain, by chain saw.

Now a zig-zagging lace of paths and planks covers the side of the mountain that visitors must climb to get to the mouth of the tunnel. In winter, the tunnel has other uses; Mr. Carlen stores barrels of wine there.

Walther Meier, a retired pharmaceutical employee, and his wife stood near the chapel gazing up the mountain where the tongue of the glacier was just barely visible. They had hiked up the valley toward the mountain and had passed stone markers, with the years 1818 or 1856, that showed how far down the valley the glacier once stretched.

Mr. Meier recalled his last visit to Gletsch 15 years ago, when much of the glacier was still visible from the village. “Every year it recedes quite a bit,” he said, shaking his head.

Mr. Carlen is philosophical, reflecting that things could have been worse. In the early 1980’s, he said, the Swiss government drew up plans for a dam and a power station at the end of the valley that would have submerged Gletsch. “Those plans remain in a drawer in the government building,” he said. “And I hope that’s where they stay.”


Informant: binstock

Schools Of Many Colors
http://ga3.org/ct/gd20pgF1NRh8/

October 24, 2006

A WWF study says that we have been living beyond the environment's means for two decades

By Lewis Smith

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2418083,00.html

THE Earth’s natural resources are being used 25 per cent faster than the planet can renew them, analysis by WWF indicates.

Measurements of crop yields, carbon-dioxide emissions, fishing and the use of forests suggest that Mankind’s ecological footprint is too big to be sustained.

Since 1961 it has more than tripled in size and, for the past 20 years, mankind has been living beyond its ecological means, a WWF report said. It is the equivalent, in banking terms, of living off capital rather than interest.

Using United Nations projections of the worldwide growth of the human population and economies, the report predicts that by the middle of the century “large-scale ecosystem collapse” is likely.

The world’s average footprint is calculated to be 2.2 hectares per capita but only 1.8 hectares of each person’s consumption can be regenerated by the planet each year.

Carbon-dioxide emissions are the biggest single factor within the footprint, accounting for up to 48 per cent of man’s impact on the globe, according to the WWF Living Planet Report.

The speed at which resources are being used has had the effect of destroying biodiversity at an unprecedented rate.

By tracking the fortunes of 1,313 species of vertebrates from around the world, the report indicated that there had been a 30 per cent slump in wildlife since 1970.

Tropical species, including mammals, reptiles and birds, were the most badly hit of the 695 land-based animals monitored. They declined by an average of 55 per cent, while the populations of temperate creatures have, overall, remained stable since 1970.

Marine species declined by an average of 25 per cent in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Southern Oceans. The index monitored 274 species and there was particular concern about the loss of cod, tuna and turtles.

Late last century the land habitat that vanished fastest were tropical grassland, flooded grasslands and savannas, and tropical dry forests. They were replaced with either crops or grazing land for livestock.

Mangroves were highlighted as the most endangered habitat, with more than a third being lost to developments between 1990 and 2000, twice the rate at which tropical forests are being destroyed.

Jonathan Loh, of the Zoological Society of London, one of the authors of the report, said: “The Living Planet Index is a stark indication of the rapid and ongoing loss of biodiversity worldwide.

“Populations of species in terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems have declined by more than 30 per cent since 1970, a rate that is unprecedented in human history. In the tropics the declines are even more dramatic, as natural resources are being intensively exploited for human use.”

His colleague, Ben Collen, added: “It makes depressing reading. It’s another stark indication that we are losing biodiversity at an unprecedented rate. But one of the messages is we do have a choice at this point. We can moderate our consumption and become a less throwaway society.”

The ecological footprint is designed to measure the extent of human demand on the land and seas, and the report concludes that, for the past two decades, people have been turning resources into waste faster than the planet can turn waste back into plants and creatures. “Humanity is no longer living off Nature’s interest but drawing down its capital,” the authors said.

“This growing pressure on ecosystems is causing habitat destruction or degredation and permanent loss of productivity, threatening both biodiversity and human wellbeing.”

They called for radical changes in human consumption, and said that a 50 per cent reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions and fish catches would make it possible to close the gap between resource use and replacement by 2080.

The report added: “Moving towards sustainability depends on significant action now. Population size changes slowly, and human-made capital — homes, cars, roads, factories or power plants — can last for many decades.

“Given the slow response of many biological systems, there is likely to be a considerable time lag before ecosystems benefit significantly from people’s positive actions.

“We share the Earth with five to ten million species or more. By choosing how much of the planet’s biocapacity we appropriate, we determine how much is left for their use.

“To maintain biodiversity it is essential that a part of the biospehere’s productive capacity is reserved for the survival of other species.”

James Leape, WWF’s director-general said: “We are using the planet’s resources faster than they can be renewed. We need to stop. We must balance our consumption with the natural world’s capacity to regenerate and absorb our wastes. If we do not, we risk irreversible damage. As countries improve the wellbeing of their people they are bypassing the goal of sustainability and going into what we call ‘overshoot’ — using far more resources than the planet can sustain.”

The calculations for the report are based on figures up to 2003. In 2003 the global ecological footprint was calculated to total 14.1 hectares. Only 11.2 hectares of the world’s productive surface was restored to previous levels.

Among the animals to have suffered the largest declines is the saiga antelope, whose numbers have dropped by 90 per cent in the past decade because of hunting in Mongolia.

Wildebeest have declined by 20 per cent in the past 30 years because of encroachments on their migration routes by farmers. Polar bears have suffered population falls of up to 30 per cent, mainly because of the loss of sea ice, which is attributed to global warming.

In Britain, the corncrake was one of the animals monitored. From 1970 to
1993 there was a fall from 3,250 calling males to 478, a reduction of 80 per cent. But since then conservation programmes have halted the decline and helped the species to recover slightly.

In the marine environment, the creatures that are among the worst affected include the endangered fin whale, the jackass penguin and the dugong.


Informant: binstock

Intellectual Conservative
by Peter Morici

10/23/06

On Election Day, voters will take Republicans to the woodshed, and they can thank George Bush. At some point, politicians have to deliver on their promise -- not their shallow campaign promises -- and deliver a government that reflects the aspirations of their supporters. For years, Republicans have boasted they can do a better job of defending American shores, managing the national economy, and shielding our civilization from the liberal social agenda embraced by the likes of John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi. Whether we are talking about foreign affairs, the domestic economy or the culture wars, George Bush has disappointed the voters that put Republicans in the White House and in control of the Congress...

http://tinyurl.com/u32ef


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

The Free Liberal
by Paul Jacob

10/23/06

The first line of the New York Times article says: 'Nine months after Congressional leaders vowed to respond to several bribery scandals with comprehensive reforms, their pledges have come to next to nothing.' It seems lawmakers are still 'clinging to their pet projects.' Under much pressure, the U.S. House passed a new rule that requires individual lawmakers to stick their names on some of the projects they try to sneak into spending bills. I've talked about this measure before. But, I'm told, the vast majority of earmarks would be unaffected by the requirement. And unless renewed, the rule would expire at the end of the current session. Oh really. A thought flashed into mind as soon as I read this: What if congressmen were term-limited?

http://www.freeliberal.com/archives/002376.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Guardian [UK]
by staff

10/23/06

Americans, Iraqis and many others must have wondered just what George Bush meant in his weekly radio address on Saturday when he insisted: 'Our goal in Iraq is clear and unchanging. Our goal is victory.' The president's comments can only be counted as bizarre at a time when concerns about the deteriorating situation have reached a 'tipping point' due to a combination of events on the ground in Baghdad, Amara and elsewhere -- and the impending decimation of the Republicans in the November 7 Congressional elections. Mr Bush's nonsensical message, a variant of his stock line about 'staying the course,' is likely to be quickly forgotten. The phrase that will be long remembered is that of Alberto Fernandez, head of public diplomacy at the state department: he told al-Jazeera that US policy in Iraq had suffered from 'arrogance' and 'stupidity.' Recent days have seen policy-makers in Washington scuttling to catch up with ordinary voters, and with some leading Republicans, who have had enough of this misconceived and incompetent war, their interest galvanised by leaks from James Baker's blue-ribbon, bipartisan Iraq study group. Mr Bush and Condoleezza Rice both say there is no fundamental shift of strategy in the offing, merely a review of 'tactics' in pursuit of a stable democracy. But talk of milestones, yardsticks and benchmarks attests to an increasingly urgent desire to quit before the going gets very much worse...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,1928837,00.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Boston Globe
by Laurence J. Kotlikoff

10/23/06

Our employer-based savings system is a mess. Everywhere you look, you see mismanagement, malfeasance, and meltdown. Collectively, private-sector pension funds are underfunded to the tune of $450 billion. State and local pension funds are short some $800 billion. That's $1.25 trillion in total! This situation didn't happen by accident. The federal government, with its own $11 trillion unfunded Social Security liability, has condoned the underfunding of private pensions for decades. It's also encouraged pension funds to invest in risky assets to cover their funding shortfalls. Those gambles generally haven't paid off. And it has sat silent as state and local governments turned pension underfunding into an art form...

http://tinyurl.com/ycdxnf


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Fox News
by Susan Estrich

10/23/06

Two weeks. ... These are the two weeks that candidates relive for the next two years. These are the two weeks in which results are sealed, in which late deciders decide, the two weeks of last chances and final hopes, the two weeks for any final surprises, the two weeks to turn it around, the two weeks to bring it home, the two weeks that all those years of work, the millions and hundreds of millions of dollars, the thousands of hours of work, all come down to. What can happen in these last two weeks? Everything and nothing. Close elections can turn into landslides, as Reagan's defeat of Carter did, and projected victories (President Gore's) into close elections (President Bush). ... George Bush's next two years depend on these two weeks. What can he do? For starters, he can hope his team stays with him...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,223460,00.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner

10/23/06

In two weeks, Election Day will render George W. Bush a lame-duck president, and he can begin thinking about his presidential library. Imagine what an honest rendition of that library might look like. Such libraries typically begin with the early career -- in this case The Foggy Years, the heroic service in the Air National Guard, and the falling upward economically. A gallery could commemorate all the Texas businessmen who helped young George turn business blunders into windfalls. This would lead into an exhibit on Governor Bush, the Uniter not the Divider, his collaboration with Texas Democrats, and the unity theme in the 2000 presidential campaign. From there, you'd go directly into the Hammer Room, and observe Tom DeLay excluding Democrats from the legislative process in Congress...

http://www.prospect.org/web/view-web.ww?id=12157


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

CounterPunch
by Werther

10/23/06

If the geographic situation of the United States, in the sense of the contrast between its far-flung (if futile) imperial ventures and its utter breakdown as a sovereign nation-state, is reminiscent of late Rome, then the economic basis of the empire completes the picture. The United States is no longer a producer, it is a ravenous consumer, now with an annual trade deficit of three-quarters of a trillion dollars (an unimaginable figure even ten years ago)...

http://www.counterpunch.org/werther10232006.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Asia Times
by Jim Lobe

10/23/06

While Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's continued tenure in office has been the subject of a surge of speculation over the past weeks, it may be US President George W Bush's continued reign -- at least over Iraq policy -- that appears most endangered at the moment. While no one is talking about a classic coup d'etat against the US president, as is being rumored about the increasingly hapless and seemingly helpless Maliki in Baghdad, Bush's mantra about 'staying the course' in Iraq is now seen as so delusory as to require some form of serious adult intervention...

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HJ24Ak02.html



Time for truth & consequences

Common Dreams
by Dave Lindorff

10/23/06

The Bush administration, losing the war in Iraq, has come with a 'new' strategy: setting a timetable for Iraq's puppet regime and its fledgling army to 'stand up' to the task of running the country so that the U.S. military can 'stand down.' If you think this brilliant 'new' plan sounds remarkably like the one proposed earlier this year by many Democrats, who were accused at that time of 'cutting and running' for proposing just such a withdrawal timetable, you're right. It also sounds like yet another one of those Bush/Rove scams that are pulled out at each election to trick gullible voters into thinking the president is actually going to do something dramatic when he is really just talking. The truth is this plan is no more serious than Bush's early announcement of a plan to send Americans to the moon and on to Mars...

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1023-20.htm


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Liberty For All
by Jason Junge

"The irony of freedom is that though we all crave it, we all also fear it. We crave it because it is a crucial human tool of self-fulfillment; we fear it because of the work and responsibility it implies. Of course, I'm talking about freedom in a practical sense. Freedom in a theoretical sense can mean anything; from the political definition, which is also the most widely used, defining freedom as the absence of obstacles, to the religious definition, which is the practice of a free will... (written 12/20/02; posted 10/23/06)

http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=280


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

MSNBC

10/23/06

Speaking publicly for the first time, senior U.S. law enforcement investigators say they waged a long but futile battle inside the Pentagon to stop coercive and degrading treatment of detainees by intelligence interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Their account indicates that the struggle over U.S. interrogation techniques began much earlier than previously known, with separate teams of law enforcement and intelligence interrogators battling over the best way to accomplish two missions: prevent future attacks and punish the terrorists...

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15361458/


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Guantanamo

Star [Malaysia]

10/23/06

Restrictions on civil liberties due to the 'war on terrorism' have undermined media freedom in the United States and Russia over the past year, journalists' rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said. RSF's 2006 Worldwide Press Freedom Index released on Tuesday, a survey of censorship, intimidation and violence against journalists, found Finland, Iceland, Ireland and the Netherlands the most media-friendly. North Korea was last again...

http://tinyurl.com/wy24p


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

ImpeachPAC, a federal PAC funding pro-impeachment candidates for Congress, has announced additional endorsements, including: James Wright, Democratic nominee in the Eighth District of Texas; Stacey Tallitsch, Democratic nominee in Louisiana's First District; Danny Stover, Democratic nominee in Illinois' 19th; Bill Glass, Democratic and Green nominee in North Carolina's Ninth; Steve Young, Democratic nominee in the 48th District of California; John Laesch, Democratic nominee in Illinois' 14th District; Florice Hoffman, Democratic nominee in the 40th District of California; Dr. Bob Bowman, the Democratic nominee in Florida's 15th; and Sharon Beery, Democratic nominee in California's 22nd.

"Impeachment may be taboo in Washington - even in Nancy Pelosi's office," said ImpeachPAC President Bob Fertik, "but candidates from Maine to California believe George Bush and Dick Cheney must be held accountable for their brazen defiance of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We salute these outstanding candidates and we are proud to support their passionate campaigns."

ImpeachPAC has previously endorsed four candidates for the House of Representatives and two for the U.S. Senate. ImpeachPAC is contributing at least $1,000 (more in some cases) to each of the new campaigns endorsed, and contributed $5,000 to each of those endorsed earlier. Earlier endorsees included: Tony Trupiano (MI-11), Bill Durston (CA-03), Jeeni Criscenzo (CA-49), Jean Hay Bright (Maine, Senate), and two candidates who have been defeated in primaries: Chris Owen (NY-11), and Carl Sheeler (RI, Senate).

The full list of endorsements and links to the candidates' websites can be found here: http://impeachpac.org/candidates

Each of the candidates endorsed supports immediate impeachment hearings for President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Each of them has expressed this position publicly. Glass spoke at a large impeachment rally on September 30 in Charlotte, N.C. Young called for impeachment at a peace march on March 18th and plans to bring pro-impeachment signs to an upcoming parade for peace in Los Angeles. Wright's website makes impeachment his most prominent concern and offers citizens a form to use to Email Congress and ask for impeachment: http://www.wrightforcongress.net/petitions/pnum408.php

Laesch, who is challenging House Speaker Dennis Hastert in Illinois' 14th District, told Al Franken on his radio show that, once elected, his first act will be to call for an investigation into the lies Bush and Cheney told in launching the war, and then begin impeachment. Here's the clip: http://www.john06.com/media_files/alfrankenshow20060508.mp3

Beery has made impeachment one of the four main issues in her campaign and on her website http://www.sharonbeeryforcongress.com , where her position statement includes this: "When I am elected I will support the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. If needed I will introduce Articles of Impeachment myself as one of my first duties as a Representative of Congress. I will do everything in my power to make sure Impeachment is not taken off the table." Beery told ImpeachPAC: "I think they should be impeached and then tried for treason and war crimes. And when I say that, people always cheer."

Wright, Tallitsch, and Glass have aired television advertisements produced by the People's Email Network. The ads flash the words "LIE" and "DIE" on the screen while describing the candidate's opponent's support for a war based on lies. Tallitsch's ad can be viewed here: http://staceyforcongress.com

Wright's is here: http://www.wrightforcongress.com

Glass's is here: http://www.billglass2006.com


Informant: David Swanson

From ufpj-news



http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=impeach
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=impeach

They were waiting for day-old bread and frozen dinners packaged in slightly damaged boxes. These families are among a growing number of military households in San Diego County that regularly rely on donated food.

http://tinyurl.com/yh4tdx



Halliburton's 3Q Income Rises 22 Percent

The Houston-based oilfield services conglomerate Sunday posted $611 million, or 58 cents per share, in net income for the June-September quarter, including a $4 million charge from discontinued operations.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4279402.html


From Information Clearing House

On the day after the September 11 terrorist attacks, senior British intelligence officials told their American counterparts that they would not support retaliatory action against Iraq, a new book claims.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1928874,00.html


From Information Clearing House

The spiraling violence is "deeply disturbing," Skelton said in a conference call with reporters, during which he called for the redeployment of U.S. troops out of Iraq.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/15817001.htm


From Information Clearing House

Leaset we forget the victims killed prior to Bush Invasion of Iraq

A documentary film by John Pilger

Sanctions enforced by the UN on Iraq since the Gulf War have killed more people than the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945, including over half a million children - many of whom weren't even born when the Gulf War began.

Click to watch
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15385.htm

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has asked for an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigation into the activities surrounding the re-election efforts of Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline. A leak of internal memos shows that the AG attempted to recruit churches to aid his re-election efforts, in possible violation of IRS rules.

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/102306WB.shtml

Which Way for Labor on California's "Clean Money" Elections Initiative?

After leading the charge to rebuke Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's slate of anti-labor ballot initiatives in 2005, California unions may play the key role in passing an election reform bill, the "Clean Money and Fair Elections Act" (or Proposition 89), in upcoming state elections.

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/102306LA.shtml

Finding new sources of energy has played a big part in the McNerney-Pombo campaign. And energy companies have played a part in Richard Pombo's campaign. The four Congressional representatives who have accepted $10,000 in donations from Independent Petroleum Association of America this election cycle - including Representative Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) - voted for a bill in June that would slash royalties paid by oil companies to the government.

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/102306EB.shtml



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Pombo

Two environmentalists spent about four hours Monday perched on a ledge over an entrance to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration building to protest what they said is the agency's suppression of information on global warming. The pair unfurled a banner that read, "Bush: Let NOAA Tell the Truth."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102306T.shtml

William Fisher says that, "... this president has presided over arguably the most secretive government in US history," and finds it interesting that just before the mid-term elections, Bush praised open government at a signing ceremony for the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which will establish a searchable online database of federal grants and contracts.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102306R.shtml

MORE than 170 people have signed a petition against a mobile phone base station in the grounds of an Old Town pub.

Hutchinson 3G launched a pre-application consultation to hear the views of residents living near the Tally Ho in Church Street.

It wants to put a base station there, similar to the one at the Eastbourne Garden Centre, but a Liberal Democrat-led petition shows strong opposition.

Stephen Lloyd, Lib Dem Parliamentary challenger, said, "I was contacted by a local resident who showed me the letter that had come from a company called Babcock Networks Ltd who are acting as Agents for Hutchison 3G, a mobile phone company.

"The letter stated that a 'pre-application consultation' was taking place to determine the public's views of a mobile mast being sited at the Tally Ho. The resident asked for my help.

"With other Lib Dem campaigners and concerned residents we spoke to more than 170 people who live in and around the possible site to ask for their views.

"The response was overwhelmingly against the idea of a mobile base station being situated in a residential area."

Local campaigner Carolyn Heaps, who was one of those asking people for their views, said, "Every person I spoke to bar one was against the idea of a mobile mast being planted on top of the Tally Ho.

"Their views were very clear — an emphatic no."

Mr Lloyd added, "Though the deadline set by the company for responses to their pre-application consultation was incredibly tight, we managed to collect more than 173 signatures against the proposal.

"These were sent in — within the deadline — and I have just received a response from the agents.

"They remain non-committal about next steps but hopefully our prompt and sizeable response will give them pause for thought."

24 October 2006

All rights reserved © 2006 Johnston Press Digital Publishing.

http://www.eastbournetoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=488&ArticleID=1834603

Lohnstruktur: Die Legende von der zu geringen Lohnspanne

„Gibt es zu wenig Jobs für gering Qualifizierte, weil die Löhne zu hoch sind? Der Ökonom Ronald Schettkat hat diese These mit dem aktuellen Forschungsstand abgeglichen. Ergebnis: Weder in den USA noch in Europa finden sich Belege dafür, dass Niedriglöhne für mehr Beschäftigung sorgen…“ Böckler Impuls 15/2006 http://www.boeckler.de/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3D0AB75D-97481C1B/hbs/hs.xsl/32014_84219.html


Aus: LabourNet, 24. Oktober 2006

Am 27.10. wird der Film "The Big Sellout" vom Regisseur Florian Opitz bei den internationalen Filmfestspielen in Hof Premiere haben. Es geht neben verschiedenen privatisierten Bereichen wie Wasser u.a. auch um die Bahnprivatisierung in England. Dargestellt werden vorwiegend die konkreten Auswirkungen auf Menschen. Siehe die Homepage zum Film http://www.thebigsellout.org/index.html


Aus: LabourNet, 24. Oktober 2006

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GATS, Privatisierung und Gegenkämpfe

Der grosse Ausverkauf – ab 17. Mai 2007 in den Kinos

Der grosse Ausverkauf ist ein packender Dokumentarfilm von Florian Opitz über ein sehr komplexes Thema und liegt nun in einer deutschen Ausgabe vor (wir hatten bereits auf die englische "The Big Sellout" hingewiesen. In vier ineinander verwobenen Erzählsträngen bringt der Film dem Zuschauer das abstrakte und umstrittene Phänomen “Privatisierung” über einfühlsame Porträts von Menschen aus verschiedenen Kontinenten nahe, die von den oft inhumanen und fehlgeleiteten Versuchen, das Wirtschaftswachstum zu steigern, unmittelbar betroffen sind - Menschen, die sich auf ihre ganz persönliche Art und Weise dagegen zur Wehr setzen. Die Redaktion durfte den Film vorab sehen und kann ihn nur empfehlen! Siehe dazu:

Die Webseite zum Film mit Trailern, Infos und Hintergründen http://www.dergrosseausverkauf.de

Dort u.a. die umfangreiche Pressemappe (gezippt) http://www.majestic.de/downloads_dga/Der_grosse_Ausverkauf_Presseheft.zip

Sehr sehenswerter Film: Florian Opitz - Der große Ausverkauf. Ab 17. Mai 2007 Kinostarts in Deutschland.

Besprechung in Linkezeitung vom 07.05.2007 http://www.linkezeitung.de/cms/content/view/2632/37/


Public-Private- Partnership

Devise Heilmittel

"Public-Private-Partnership" - Partnerschaftliche Zusammenarbeit von Öffentlicher Hand und Privatwirtschaft wird als wundersames Heilmittel gegen die öffentliche Verschuldung und die binnenwirtschaftliche Stagnation propagiert. Stadtkämmerer und Finanzminister atmen auf, weil sie dem Ziel schuldenfreier Haushalte näher rücken, Baufirmen und Elektrokonzerne wittern neue Märkte in den Sektoren öffentlicher Güter, die ihnen bisher verschlossen waren. Faszinierend wirkt die Verheißung, das neue Zusammenspiel sei bürgerfreundlicher, kostengünstiger und leistungsstärker…“ Artikel von Friedhelm Hengsbach in der Frankfurter Runschau vom 21.04.2007 http://www.fr-online.de/in_und_ausland/wirtschaft/aktuell/?em_cnt=1119565


PPP – Eine kritische Würdigung

Folienvortrag von Robert Kösling (pdf) http://www.elternkammer-hamburg.de/uploads/media/PPP_-_Hamburg_070606.pdf


PPP –Diskussionsstand

Folien-Grundlagen von Robert Kösling vom 20.03.2007 (pdf) http://www.labournet.de/diskussion/wipo/gats/ppp_koesling.pdf


Aus: LabourNet, 8. Mai 2007



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Bahnprivatisierung
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Florian+Opitz

Zum fünften Mal hat Reporter ohne Grenzen am 23.10. 2006 die Rangliste zur weltweiten Situation der Pressefreiheit veröffentlicht. Dafür hat ROG die Situation in 166 Ländern zwischen September 2005 und August 2006 ausgewertet (die USA und Israel wurden zweimal gelistet: für das Land selber und das Vorgehen im Irak bzw. in den Palästinensischen Gebieten). Die Menschenrechtsorganisation hat sich mit 50 Fragen in den jeweiligen Ländern an ihre Partner (14 Organisationen, die sich weltweit für Pressefreiheit einsetzen) ihr Korrespondenten-Netzwerk und an Journalisten, Rechercheure, Juristen und Menschenrechtler gewandt. Berücksichtigt wurde der Zeitraum von September 2005 bis Ende August 2006.

Siehe die Rangliste und Erläuterungen http://www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de/rangliste-2006.html


Aus: LabourNet, 24. Oktober 2006

Frage zu Wasserbestrahlung

Sehr geehrter Hr. Dr. Oberfeld,

im soeben eingetroffenen "Wasser" Magazin Nr. 16 (Sonderausgabe 50 Jahre WLV), für Kunden des Wasserleitungsverbandes nördliches Burgenland, finde ich einige hinterfragungswürdige Fakten.

Einige Auszüge im Telegrammstil:

"Trinkwasser - ein Lebensmittel von höchster Qualität!" stop "Funkauslesung ist eine tolle Alternative" stop "die Kunden des WLV werden von der Funkauslesung den größten Profit ziehen stop "WLV als Ansprechpartner in Sachen Umwelt" stop (auf der Nebenseite eine Reklame von B.net, dem Betreiber von W-Lan) -

"WLV setzt auf Innovationen".... neben dem Qualitätsmanagement setzt der WLV sowohl bei der "Funkauslesung" (Ablesung der Wasserzähler per Funk) als auch beim Projekt "Mobile Auftragsverwaltung" (rascher Austausch von Informationen mit den im Außendienst tätigen Mitarbeitern) auf Innovationen, die dem WLV-Kunden zahlreiche Vorteile bringen. Neben einer schnelleren Leistungserbringung wird auch die Qualität der erbrachten Leistung wesentlich verbessert. (?)

"Die Bedürfnisse unserer Kunden haben sich in den letzten Jahren "dramatisch" verändert!" (Anm.: persönlich wollte ich eigentlich nur weiterhin Wasser ohne Drama). "Unsere Aufgabe ist es daher, sich um Lösungen umzusehen, die den hohen Qualitätsanforderungen unserer Kunden gerecht werden", meint der Obmann des WLV Bgm. Gerhard Zapfl. ..........

...der TÜV Bayern (?) hat den WLV in einem internen und externen Audit auf "Herz und Nieren" (pers. Anm.: Hirn auch? ) geprüft und nun das Zertifikat über die Erfüllung der Anforderungen nach der Norm ISO 9001:2000, an den WLV überreicht. "Wir sind natürlich sehr stolz auf die Verleihung des ISO-Zertifikates ......"Vorreiterrolle bei den in der Wasserwirtschaft tätigen Unternehmungen", so der leitende Bedienstete des WLV, Mag. Nikolaus Sauer.

Darunter eine Reklame von Elin (www.ewt.at) ... ein imposantes Bild mit einem Angestellten im Auto, der ein Funkempfangsgerät in Händen hält. Text dazu: Praktisch im "Vorbeifahren" wird der Wasserzählerstand abgelesen- ohne dass die Kunden sich frei nehmen müssen (Anm. jährliche Karte tat es auch). Nächstes Bild mit Kommentar: "Hier ein Wasserzähler mit dem aufgesetzten Funkmodul, welches den Wasserzählerstand an den im Auto mitgeführten "Receiver" überträgt und in weiterer Folge sofort ins Datensystem übernommen werden kann".

Detailbilder mit Begriffen wie: ...."auf Sendung"....."starker" Empfang ohne Kabel....."alle Daten fest im Griff"........ein Bild mit Mann auf der Straße, der aus sechs Richtungen gleichzeitig (strichliert gezeichnet) Funkwellen von Häusern empfängt.

Im soeben mit Elin geführten Telefonat durfte ich erfahren:

dass die Verbrauchsdaten permanent alle 8 Sekunden gesendet werden, die Sendefrequenz 868 Hz beträgt der Empfang ca. bei 50 bis 150 m erfolgt (Zähler liegt bei uns ca. 1.5 m unter Erdniveau und ist mit Betondeckel verschlossen!!!). In Salzburg und Graz derzeit umgestellt wird in Hohenems, St. Pölten, Melk, Wels etc. bereits umgestellt wurde, im nördl. und mittleren Burgenland bereits 3500 Abnehmer umgestellt sind und im kommenden Jahr weitere 5800 folgen

Die bei dieser "Innovation" auftauchenden Gedanken bewegen sich im folgenden Rahmen: "Eventuelle Einflüsse des 8 Hertz Pulses (Alphawellen) auf EEG und zusätzlich der 868 Hz auf den Dipol des Wassers, Clusters, Wasserkristallbilder von Emoto usw........ es ist ja nicht auszuschließen, dass der 8 Hertzpuls eine sehr beruhigende Wirkung auf die Menschen ausübt - vielleicht wirklich eine tolle Innovation, wenn niemand mehr streitfähig wäre. Ökonomisch finde ich 365 Tage permanente Sendeaktivität der Verbrauchsdaten für eine einmalige Ablesung im Jahr, vom Auto aus, gerade nicht.

Meine Frage an Experten wäre, was halten Sie davon? Könnte es Auswirkungen auf das biologische System der fortschrittlichen Verbraucher geben? Sei es durch direkten Einfluss von Puls und Frequenz, oder über jahrelangen Genuss des "informierten Speichermediums" Wasser, welches direkt durch den permanent sendenden Zähler fließt?

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

M. Lauber


P.S: Ich habe den Verteiler aus einer mir zugegangener e-mail (Strahlungsthema) verwendet, in der Annahme, dass diese Info auch für Einzelne interessant sein könnte, die wahrscheinlich diesen Fortschritt bald genießen - falls nicht, bitte ich um Entschuldigung und einfaches Wegklicken. An Meinungen wäre ich interessiert.


Richtigstellung:

Über freundliche Information seitens d. Herren Dr. Oberfeld und Dr. Spaarmann, möchte ich folgende Richtigstellung übermitteln. Der Puls beträgt 1/8 Hz (0,125 Hz) statt irrtümlich angegebener 8 Hz. Telefonisch erhaltene Auskunft über Frequenz habe ich über Datenblatt im Internet verifiziert, sie beträgt 868,95 MHz. Das Modul ist programmierbar, d.h. die Sendedauer bzw. der Zeitpunkt ist davon abhängig.
http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/pdfe2yfospf_de_funkauslesung.pdf


Mit freundlichen Grüßen

M. Lauber

HLV INFO 109/AT

24-10-2006


Volker Hartenstein, MdL a.D. 22-10-06

V E R A N S T A L T U N G S H I N W E I S

RISIKO MOBILFUNK "Leiden Gesundheit und Demokratie?"

Informationsveranstaltung am Do., 09.11.2006 um 19:30 Uhr in Großbettlingen

"Bürger-Info Großbettlingen" (Ortsgruppe im "Mobilfunk Bürgerforum e.V." / Dachverein im Südwesten / www.mobilfunk-buergerforum.de ) veranstaltet alljährlich in der zweiten Novemberwoche einen Info-Abend.

Dieses Jahr haben wir erneut zwei kompetente Referenten gewinnen können, die sicher vielen namentlich bekannt sein dürften.

Herr Prof. Dr. Karl Richter und Herr Dr. rer. nat. Ulrich Warnke (beide aus dem Saarland) kommen zu uns nach Großbettlingen und werden über die gesundheitlichen Folgen des Mobilfunks (Warnke) und die gesellschaftlichen sowie politischen "Nebenwirkungen" (Richter) dieses Freilandversuchs am Menschen berichten.

Wir bitten um Veröffentlichung / Weiterverbreitung dieses Veranstaltungshinweises.


Jürgen Groschupp
1. Vorsitzender Bürger-Info Großbettlingen Ortsgruppe im Mobilfunk Bürgerforum e.V.

Veranstaltungsort:

--- Donnerstag, 9. November 2006 um 19:30 Uhr

„kultur forum“ in 72663 Großbettlingen
Scheidwasenstraße 3

Großbettlingen liegt an der B313 zwischen Nürtingen und Metzingen 5 km vom DB-Bahnhof Nürtingen (Tübingen-Stuttgart).

http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/1023-01.htm

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Active-duty service members organize against Iraq war
http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/5230/


Informant: jensenmk

From ufpj-news



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=duty

http://www.emxbiochip.com/pdf/Understanding_EMX_Puzzle_2006.pdf

"Key to understanding EMF issue....piecing together the EMF puzzle....." by Thomas Magnussen, Ph.D. (13 pages)


Dear Robert: I haven't had time yet to read through this interesting document but wanted to pass on the info. The EMX BioChip is featured on Dr. George Carlo's documentary "Cell Phone War." Take care - Joanne

Joanne C. Mueller Guinea Pigs R Us
731 - 123rd Avenue N.W. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55448-2127 USA Phone: 763-755-6114 Email: jcmpelican@aol.com (10-23-06)

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http://tinyurl.com/ubpuw

NOTES TO LEUKEMIA FILE (jcm 10-24-06) This study regarding nuclear radiation exposure indicates there are other mechanisms involved re development of cancer.

Even as late as 1995, "more studies" are indicated....... the fact that low levels of EMF/EMR have designated as Class 2B carcinogens (possible cancer promoters), combined with uncertainties regarding "ionizing radiation" links to Leukemia, breast cancer, etc. -- many years after nuclear bomb exposures, paints a grim picture of "todays' experimentation re chronic, prolonged EMF/EMR exposures.

"Other mechanisms" (other than early ionizing radiation exposure) may well be workplace EMF/EMR exposures as well as nighttime EMF/EMR exposures. In other words, one might have in-utero exposure to ionizing radiation (or early childhood ionizing radiation exposure) but that a trigger such as low level, chronic, prolonged EMF/EMR exposure or other toxic agent prolonged exposure, are likely "the actual trigger(s)" that result in development of Leukemia, breast cancer, other cancers and additionally, serious and life-threatening diseases such as M.S., Parkinsons, Lou Gehrig's Disease, Alzheimers, Type II Diabetes and more.

A lot of other important information on this site (including charts) regarding ionizing radiation exposure that gives insight into difficulties establishing scientific links.

Joanne C. Mueller Guinea Pigs R Us
731 - 123rd Avenue N.W. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55448-2127 USA Phone: 763-755-6114 Email: jcmpelican@aol.com (10-24-06)


"No substance is a poison by itself. It is the dose that makes a substance a poison..." Paracelsus (1493-1541

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FIBROBLASTS..ioniz&nonioniz exp induce terminal diff in cells
http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Joanne

Today, a short version of my recent commentary has been published (in Swedish). For those of you that can read and understand Swedish, or get automatic translations, please, see:

Johansson O, "Ge inte folkhälsan en prislapp", Helsingborgs Dagblad, 2006-10-24 http://hd.se/opinion/2006/10/24/ge-inte-folkhaelsan-en-prislapp/


Olle Johansson,
assoc. prof.
The Experimental Dermatology Unit Department of Neuroscience
Karolinska Institute
171 77 Stockholm
Sweden



http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=Johansson

http://tjh.elequity.com/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=1327

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Advertising Terrorism

"Mr. President, you, and that advertisement of terror, are full of sound and fury - signifying (and competent at) nothing," writes Keith Olbermann. "Eleven Presidents ago, a chief executive reassured us that 'we have nothing to fear but fear itself.' His distant successor has wasted his administration insisting that there is nothing we can have but fear itself."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102406J.shtml



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Olbermann

http://www.newstatesman.com/200610160035


Informant: Lew Rockwell

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Al Jazeera Vs. The Clash Of Civilizations

Reporting from the edge of the empire instead of its center might help bridge the divide between the West and the Rest.

http://ga3.org/ct/Ap20pgF1EmEY/

http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/5223/


Informant: jensenmk

From ufpj-news

#Die Linkspartei.PDS: Pressemitteilungen

24. Oktober 2006

Zu den Überschüssen der Bundesagentur für Arbeit erklärt der Bundesgeschäftsführer der Linkspartei.PDS, Dietmar Bartsch (MdB):

Dass die Bundesagentur für Arbeit einen Überschuss von 12 Milliarden Euro erwirtschaftet hat, könnte man gut heißen, wenn man nicht von den Plänen wüsste, dieses Geld zum Stopfen von Haushaltslöchern zu nutzen, die es ohne die verfehlte Politik der Regierung nicht gegeben hätte. Ein zweckentfremdeter Einsatz dieser Mittel kommt einem staatlich sanktionierten Raub von Sozialbeiträgen der Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmern gleich. Die Linkspartei.PDS fordert, den Überschuss für eine aktive Arbeitsmarktpolitik zu verwenden, die mehr als die Verwaltung von Arbeitslosigkeit sein muss. Ich denke da beispielsweise an einen öffentlich geförderten Beschäftigungssektor. Der Rekordüberschuss macht auch eins deutlich: Die Absenkung der Beiträge zur Arbeitslosenversicherung wäre auch ohne eine Erhöhung der Mehrwertsteuer um drei statt zwei Prozent möglich.

F.d.R. Alrun Nüßlein

http://sozialisten.de/presse/presseerklaerungen/view_html?zid=34367

by Katherine Albrecht & Liz McIntyre

Albrecht and McIntyre are calling on the industry to issue a public alert detailing the dangers of the cards they've issued, institute an active recall, and make safe versions without RFID available to concerned consumers....

http://www.newswithviews.com/McIntyre/Liz13.htm

by Nancy Levant

I receive at least 100 e-mails a day that map out an absolute path to Heaven. It’s fascinating to read how politically religious people have become. So before we delve into political religion, let me state the following...

http://www.newswithviews.com/Levant/nancy63.htm

#Die Linkspartei.PDS: Pressemitteilungen

20. Oktober 2006

Die vier führenden Wirtschaftsforschungsinstitute stellen der Konjunktur in ihrem Herbstgutachten zwar eine positive Diagnose, warten aber ansonsten mit Zahlen auf, die mindestens zu Zweifeln Anlass geben. Dazu erklärt Harald Werner, gewerkschaftspolitischer Sprecher des Parteivorstandes:

Folgt man der abweichenden Meinung des Deutschen Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW), sind sogar ernste Sorgen angebracht. Zweifel an der positiven Diagnose werden vor allem wach, weil die angeblich gute Wirtschaftslage für die Masse der Menschen mit weiteren Einbußen an Einkommen und sozialen Sicherheiten verbunden ist. Während die Mehrwertsteuererhöhung und ein weiterer Abbau von Steuervergünstigungen für Lohnsteuerpflichtige deren Nettoeinkommen um rund 29 Milliarden Euro schrumpfen lassen, werden den Unternehmen wiederum Steuern von vier Millairden geschenkt. Wenig Grund zur Freude bereitet auch die Arbeitsmarktprognose. Obwohl die Unternehmen ihre Lage so gut wie noch nie seit der Wiedervereinigung bewerten, stagniert die Zahl der sozialversicherungspflichtigen Arbeitsverhältnisse und wird trotz Hochkonjunktur niedriger sein, als sogar im letzten Krisenjahr. Seit Monaten korrigieren die Institute ihre Wachstumsprognosen nach oben und rechnen nunmehr mit einer Zunahme des Wirtschaftsprodukts von 2,6 Prozent. Das ist weniger als im Boomjahr 2000, muss aber vor dem Hintergrund des Krisenjahres 2003 gesehen werden, als das Bruttoinlandsprodukt um 0,2 Prozent gesunken ist. Drei Punkte lassen den gegenwärtigen Optimismus als Pfeifen im Walde erscheinen und offenbaren gleichzeitig das Scheitern der neoliberalen Strategie:

1. Die sozialversicherungspflichtige Beschäftigung hat in ihrem Sinkflug lediglich eine Verschnaufpause eingelegt und die Arbeitslosenzahlen sind gegenüber dem Beschäftigungseinbruch von 2003 nur um rund 200.000 gestiegen.

2. Die Konjunktur hat ihren Höhepunkt bereits überschritten und nährt sich zudem überwiegend aus Sonderfaktoren, die keine wirkliche Verbesserung der wirtschaftlichen Perspektive signalisieren. So haben die Unternehmen vor allem unverzichtbare Investitionen nachgeholt, die in den vergangenen Jahren ausgesetzt wurden, während die Zunahme des privaten Verbrauchs auf wegen der Mehrwertsteuererhöhung vorgezogene Investitionen zurückzuführen ist.

3. Die für eine gesunde wirtschaftliche Entwicklung ausschlaggebenden Zahlen, nämlich der private und staatliche Konsum bleiben weit hinter dem Wachstum zurück, so dass die nächste Krise schneller als üblich kommen wird.

Eine erhebliche Unsicherheit verraten selbst die Institute in Bezug auf die Wirkungen der Mehrwertsteuererhöhung, weil es keinerlei Erfahrungswerte für eine so drastische Erhöhung dieser Massensteuer gibt. Das verlangsamte Aufschwungtempo könnte sich sehr schnell in einen Abschwung verwandeln, weil die Mehrwertsteuer stärker steigt, als die Arbeitseinkommen. So prognostizieren die Institute eine Erhöhung der Effektivlöhne um nur 0,7 Prozent, so dass die Massennachfrage durch die höhere Mehrwertsteuer am Ende um 2,3 Prozent sinken wird. Diese negative Tendenz wird durch die Staatsausgaben verstärkt, die im kommenden Jahr um 50 Prozent weniger steigen werden, als in diesem Jahr. Wie seit Jahren üblich, kümmern sich die Angebotstheoretiker wenig um die schwächelnde Binnennachfrage, weil sie davon ausgehen, dass sinkende Arbeitskosten die Exporte steigern. In diesem Jahr um 4,1 und im kommenden um 2,8 Prozent. Dabei werden freilich zwei entscheidende Tatsachen ignoriert. Erstens tragen die Exportüberschüsse mit nur etwa zehn Prozent zum Bruttoinlandsprodukt bei und zweitens verwandeln sich die daraus entstehenden Gewinne kaum zu inländischen Arbeitsplätzen, sondern verstärken die Auslandsinvestitionen und das Engagement auf den globalen Finanzmärkten. Eine beängstigende Perspektive eröffnet in diesem Zusammenhang die abweichende Meinung des DIW. Die Auslandsverschuldung der USA, von der insbesondere der deutsche Export profitiert, hat einen Stand erreicht, der früher oder später zu drastischen Kurskorrekturen des Dollars führen wird. Das DIW rechnet in diesem Zusammenhang mit einer Aufwertung des Euro um 60 Prozent, was einerseits zu einem dramatischen Verlust auch deutscher Vermögensanlagen führen würde und andererseits den Export in die USA zum Versiegen brächte. Doch wer glaubt, dass dieser Anpassungsschock nur die Exportwirtschaft und die Bezieher großer Vermögenseinkommen treffen würde, irrt sich erheblich. Der niedrige Dollarkurs würde den deutschen Markt mit äußerst preisgünstigen Importwaren überschwemmen und hierzulande unzählige Arbeitsplätze vernichten und der Verlust von in den USA angelegten Vermögenswerten, wird vor allem jene schmerzhaft treffen, die ihre Altersvorsorge auf Fondsanlagen umgestellt oder ergänzt haben.

http://sozialisten.de/presse/presseerklaerungen/view_html?zid=34366

http://tinyurl.com/vnrzt


Informant: Richard

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/infowarsnews/message/1131
http://infowars.net/articles/October2006/231006fingerprints.htm

http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/Technology/story?id=2596705&page=1


From ICIS-Institute for Cooperation in Space