by Chris Powell of the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee
National Geographic’s January issue has what has been the usual “global” sort of article about gold mining, written by Brook Larmer, accompan…
The financial fraud known as “pump and dump” involves artificially inflating the price of a stock or other security through promotion, in order to sell at the inflated price. This practice is il…
Biggest Full Moon of the Year: Take 2
NASA (08 Jan 2009)
This Saturday night, Jan. 10th, a perigee Moon is coming — the biggest full Moon of 2009. Johannes Kepler explained the phenomenon 400 year…
CNN is running the documentary ‘I.O.U.S.A.’ this weekend. We thought you might find our commentary from this summer regarding ‘I.O.U.S.A.’ of interest.
Citigroup Inc. said Robert Rubin has retired from the bank. According to a spokesman, “Rubin did not anticipate the ‘extreme circumstances’ that the financial system now faces.”
Robert Rubin Quits …
In fiscal 1999, the Department of Defense was “missing” $2.3 trillion dollars. To put that amount of money in perspective, it is approximately 3X what President-elect Obama is .
In fiscal 2000, the…
The Arabs used to say, When a stranger appears at your door, feed him for three days before asking who he is, where he’s from, where he’s headed. That way, he’ll have strength enough to answer. Or, by…
There appears to be a chorus of people with very good resumes predicting that the dollar is about to fall. While the economic fundamentals for the U.S. dollar are dreadful, they have been so for qui…
Obama Picks Leon Panetta to Head CIA
Yahoo News (05 Jan 2009)
Leon Panetta on Wikipedia
wikipedia.org
Central Intelligence Agency on Wikipedia
wikipedia.org
The following snapshot from MarketWatch reveals that 2008 was, indeed, a difficult year for many investors.
These days I am wondering if Madoff’s biggest problem is that he stole from the rich. Feels to me like when you steal from ordinary people, particularly when it makes the rich much richer, it is cal…
One of the things that makes a town wonderful is a great local newspaper. Hohenwald, Tennessee (of financial permaculture fame) has the Lewis County Herald, which is the finest local newspaper I hav…
The housing and derivatives bubble sure was good for retired Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan and wife NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell. They just turned up in the University …
by James Bowen, National Chairperson of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/848045.html
In the late 19th century, changes in Ottoman law created a new cla…
Forty years ago, America’s cultural icons expressed the frustratation of the American people with the failure of then-President Lyndon Johnson to end this country’s undeclared war in Vietnam by bold…
By Catherine Austin Fitts
In the summer of 2000, I asked a group of 100 people at a conference of spiritually committed people who would push a red button if it would immediately stop all narcotics…
Vermont Royster’s Christmas message of 1949 has been republished by the Wall Street Journal every Christmas since. As I can not think of a more beautiful way to celebrate the birth and life of Christ…
The U.S. Dollar just took a nose dive….
Monsanto’s Destruction of Seed Cleaners and the Immense Threat to Human Access to Seeds
Bernie Madoff on the Modern Stock Market
YouTube
I have started and managed several small businesses. It is hard to run one set of books for a small business. There are other people involved — not…
I have been searching for updates on Bloomberg’s lawsuit seeking disclosure of collateral held by the Fed in exchange for a trillion plus in loans. Kudo’s to Bloomberg’s Mark Pittman for his coverage …
The Minneapolis Firefighters and the Southern Louisiana Sheriffs have taken on CitiGroup and the Citi board and underwriters. It’s one thing to put up with the New World Order bankrupting your local c…
So the Governor of Illinois decides to pull the plug on Bank of America:
Illinois Governor Cuts off Bank of America After Chicago Factory-Worker Sit-In
And look what happens:
Illinois Governor Ar…
On December 2, the US Congress’ investigative arm — the GAO — criticized the Treasury Department’s handling of the $700 billion bailout program:
Read the story on truthout.org
This photograph shows me being sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Housing by Jack Kemp in 1989. My dear friend, Georgie LaRue, is holding the Bible.
Today, I am sitting with Georgie in Pennyslvania…
I just got my box of mint oil drams from Crosby Mint Farm. It is excellent. In fact, I sent the planned presents out to the Solari team, so I am out and ordering more today. These make great presents …
At the end of the day, when the horizon is turning red and the zenith is cobalt-blue, step outside and look southwest. You’ll see Venus and Jupiter beaming side-by-side through the twilight. Glitter…
I decided to search out the reported indictment of Vice President Richard Cheney…
Texas DA Reveals Evidence Against Cheney
The Raw Story (27 November 2008)
Hearing Set for Monday to Oust Judge i…
Here is a must-see video: 137 pages of foreclosure notices in the Detroit Free Press BEFORE the bailout and resulting layoffs from the big three auto makers:
In 1989, while I was serving as Assista…
Following my recent interpretation of the G20 communique, the editor of Expresso wrote back: “Catherine, can you elaborate a little more about this printing euphoria?”
The Chairman of the Federal R…
A young man named John received a parrot as an early Christmas gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird’s mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with…
I was interviewed on Coast to Coast Am Radio last night. As is sometimes the case, we were unable to publicize this interview — I was flying home when they called me.
I discussed several of my earl…
Before I left for Estonia, GATA Treasurer Chris Powell sent a message out on the GATA wire, Meet GATA Board Member Austin Fitts in Estonia, inviting members of the global GATA network to have lunch wi…
After watching a fantastic movement performance by a troupe of Von Krahl students, giving my speech on the global financial system and listening to Paul Jay’s presentation on the state of media in the…
This is a question that the producers and artists of the Von Krahl Theatre in Estonia have asked.
They lived through the meltdown of the Russian empire. That is how Estonia achieved independence in A…
After flying through Amsterdam, I arrived in Tallinn this evening. The temperature is -7 and the air is dry, crisp and clear. I am staying at St. Olav Hotel in the Old Town near the Von Krahl Theatr…
Catherine speaks at the Von Krahl Theatre in Tallinn, Estonia on 23 November.
The global financial system is an enigma to many of us. On one hand we appreciate that we can bank in a small bank in o…
This update on Crosby Mint Farm just in:
Peppermint Jim Crosby here,
I just found you folks (on the Internet) and wanted to personally thank you from my heart for your support. We are working ever…
The wonderful Farm Hands in Flathead Valley, Montana have just launched a web site so that on-line folks can access the amazing maps they have been making for local food lovers for years:
http://www.w…
The Editor of Expresso in Portugal wanted my take on the recent G-20 communique. Here is my “translation” of the official statement:
1. Now that the growth of debt and derivatives bubbles has stall…
This just in from the network (author unknown) about the marvelous Dr. Riki Ott…
Every so often an idea comes along that rings with such clarity and purpose that it ignites the imaginations of mill…
Dear Solari workshop participants,
I wanted to express my thanks to all of you for attending the Solari workshop last weekend. Even though I didn’t participate in the group exercises, I was ins…
Catherine’s speech on local bartering at the IRTA conference is now available on Google Video:
You have heard me say or write before “in the destruction of the old, let there be the creation of the…
I just saw an excellent presentation by James Turk, founder of GoldMoney.com. He had just returned from Europe and was commenting on the severe economic downturn there. He presented this interesting s…
While acknowledging the turmoil in global financial markets — and in many individuals’ personal investments — it would be a mistake to lose sight of the blessings in our lives. Good health, the sup…
In light of the recent proposals to turn 401K’s and IRA’s over to the Social Security Administration (see Dems Target Private Retirement Accounts), I recommend reading what I believe was one of the fi…
Charles Thomas Fitts, M.D., 76, entered into eternal rest on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.
He was born in Jackson, TN, on July 4, 1932. He was the son of the late William Thomas Fitts, M.D. and Isobel B…
I do my best to always vote. I particularly feel that local elections are important and each of us can make a big difference if we support strong local leadership.
This year I was eager to vote, de…
President-elect Obama and his transition team now have 77 days to assemble a staff and Cabinet, determine the chief policies and goals for their first term and year in office, rework the federal budge…
Thanks to the Institute of Noetic Sciences Shift in Action series, here is my audio report on the Financial Permaculture conference in MP3 format:
Listen to the MP3 file
The bailout bill resulted in $700 billion of taxpayer funds, much of it going to Wall Street firms who will pay out an estimated $70 billion in bonuses this year. So what do people from Wall Street…
Tonight, Liora Adler, Andy Langford and Albert Bates gave a presentation on Transition Towns. Andy reviewed his estimates of what happens to the local economy each year in Lewis County as all the youn…
Here’s a live wire coming through the global information grapevine –
Last night I blogged here about Eric Wagoner’s incredible LocallyGrown.net, a stunningly simple software solution to the cha…
The ethanol team at the Financial Permaculture conference is amazing. I was in their session last night led by Pat Therrien who manages to combine encylopedia-like knowledge with a sense of humor. S…
View Catherine’s slide show on Financial Ecosystems here.
Also review Catherine’s handout: Starting and Financing a Business Checklist (1).
Here is the Ethanol Project Development Checklist, as well…
Great News! Howard Switzer and Katey Culver are going to present the history of natural homebuilding on Saturday evening during the open space presentations. Howard and Katey have a thriving business …
The challenges we face today are global in scope, but the solutions remain concrete. Our opportunity is to address them in sustainable, profitable ways. Companies can be conceived, launched, and sust…
An offering from Gifthub.org…
Click to access the final schedule (page 1, page 2) for the event: Financial Permaculture: The Greening of A Rural American Community, October 24-28, 2008 in Hohenwald, Tennessee.
Click HERE to view …
The Finance Team is doing two simulations on Saturday, October 25. Here are two of the handouts for the first simulation that Catherine will be leading:
Financial Team Simulation: What Does a Local I…
Recently we published a review of independent media capital structures.
This analysis looked at shareholder structures that divided investors between voting and non-voting shares or otherwise organiz…
If you have a comment about Financial Permaculture or the Financial Permaculture workshop in Hohenwald, Tennessee October 24-28, 2008, and are not sure where to put it, please place it as a comment to…
Principles of Financial Permaculture
By Jennifer Dauksha-English
View or download this document as a PDF
Financial Permaculture has been a part of the overall concept of Permaculture as it has cropp…
I can’t think of any issue more important to the health and well-being of a community than the health of its water. Here is a quick piece from a member of the Solari network to help you think about yo…
The leaders of the food coop team at Financial Permaculture are pretty incredible. Check out Eric Wagoner from Athens, Georgia and Robert Waldrop from Oklahoma. Bob organized and leads the Oklahoma Fo…
From Phil Cubeta at Gifthub.org:
The Prospects of Financial Permaculture
Greg Landau at Gaia Emerging responds…
Overview of Legal Structures for Small Businesses Financial Permaculture Conference
We wrote up a list of enterprise legal forms for the recommended reading list for the entrepreneurs in Hohenwald. T…
By Catherine Austin Fitts and Carolyn Betts, Esq.
Download a PDF version of this article
The fall in global stock market prices over the last year has had a significant impact on most Americans’…
“The Bank is trying to kill me, but I will kill it.”
— President Andrew Jackson
President Andrew Jackson of Tennessee was the 7th President of the United States. Jackson’s efforts to shut down the …
Did you realize that many of the stocks and bonds you and your community invest in are highly dependent on government contracts and purchases? Check out Government Executive Magazine for the latest ra…
This came in from the Solari network today. It turns out that the common folk do indeed understand mortgage backed securities!
Forrest Gump Explains Mortgage Backed Securities:
“Mortgage backed Se…
The Money Game and the New World
by Jon Rappoport
The people on this planet who run the money game at high levels have managed to put themselves into a hole. In retrospect, it was inevitable it would…
Thank you to the audience member of Bill Bowsher’s show on SciZone in Cincinnati who wanted to know if the bailout was an example of a conscious parallelism:
conscious parallelism n.
An undiscussed …
Jonathan S. Landay, McClatchy Newspapers:
“The Senate Intelligence Committee is examining allegations by two former U.S. military linguists that the super-secret National Security Agency routinely ea…
During the Clinton Administration, four trillion dollars disappeared through the back door. Rather, than get it back, the Bush Administration has decided to simply hand out more through the same banks…
The bumper sticker brainstorm continues with more than 300 posts. Today’s favorite is:
NO BANKER LEFT BEHIND
Thanks, Lizanne!
An Interview with Catherine Austin Fitts by Jorge Nascimento Rodrigues, editor of Janelanaweb.com.
QUESTION: Which are the roots of the ongoing financial crisis? A group of Wall Street’ criminals, o…
This piece about lavish spending by AIG executives after the $85 billion federal bailout is worth reading. It points out the impossibility of reviving a real economy under the leadership of people who…
About the Scoop US Electronic Election Integrity Campaign 2008
What is it?
A Pro-Bono (Free) advertising campaign to support the US Election Protection movement and its many diverse groups and partic…
Harry:
Thank you for the opportunity to be on your e-mail list. I appreciate your generosity and hard work.
I am writing to ask you to unsubscribe me from your list. I value your research reports. H…
OUR NEXT BRAINSTORM: WHAT ACTIONS CAN WE TAKE TO BAIL OUT OF WALL STREET?
The time has come to purge these people from our lives. How do we do it? Since our readers had such great ideas on the bumper…
by Catherine Austin Fitts and Carolyn Betts, Esq.
(1) Crime that pays is crime that stays.
There is reason to believe that Wall Street and those they represent are holding loans without collateral, …
I love Lesta Frank’s watercolors. You can learn more about Lesta and how to purchase watercolors, prints and cards at her website and blog. She has kindly granted me permission to share some of them w…
By Adrian Douglas
In the September 29 session on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) Goldman Sachs COVERED 13 short contracts and bought 495 long contracts to bring their long position to 2,525 cont…
Another reason to come to Financial Permaculture is to hook up with one of the fastest growing CSAs in Tennessee, Avalon Acres Farm in Hohenwald, Tennessee.
–
Visit Avalon Acres website >>>
By Carolyn Betts, Esq.
WHAT CONGRESS IS GOOD FOR THESE DAYS
Not much, it seems, given that we have what essentially amounts to a single-party system (i.e., the corporatist party). However, the Bus…
Please seed and spread around!
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2008/09/mussolini-style-corporatism-in-action.html
This is an audio recording of the conference call with the US Treasury Department, gi…
A great man died today—he left us with a family, movies, businesses and gifts that will bring joy for centuries to come. Let’s take a minute to give thanks for his life and say a prayer for him and …
Fed Pumps Further $630 Billion Into Financial System
By Scott Laman & Craig Torres – Bloomberg.com (29 Sep 2008)
Adjusted Monetary Base – 25 Sep 2008
St. Louis Federal Reserve
Financial Sense Ne…
U.S. House Rejects $700 Billion Financial-Rescue Plan
By Allison Vekshin & Laura Litvan – Bloomberg.com (29 Sep 2008)
One of our network members is keen on producing a bumper sticker to express our opposition to bailouts and the institutions engineering them. We could use your help in coming up with a pithy slogan fo…
Sit down and be quiet.
You are drunk, and this is the
edge of the roof.
~ Rumi
This wonderful quote from Rumi was brought to our attention by the amazing Albert Bates. Albert is one of the reasons why…
I went down to Burton’s Sugar Farm in Northern Mississippi outside of Memphis this weekend. This is my third visit to the Sugar Farm and each time I come away thinking that was the finest catfish and …
A network member requests that we offer up a place to post limericks and songs to lift our spirits in a dire hour. Here is her contribution:
Ode to Big Bankers & Politicians
Enjoy yourself, you …
Alastair Thompson: Politics and Pilgrimage
Scoop Independent News (20 Sep 2008)
For more on Scoop’s Campaign >>>
For more on Alastair’s recent Pilgrimage >>>
Proposed $700 Billion Bailout Is Too Little, Too Late to End the Debt Crisis; Too Much, Too Soon for the U.S. Bond Market
By Martin D. Weiss & Michael D. Larson (24 Sep 2008)
Submitted to U.S. Con…
By Carolyn Betts, Esq.
I agree with every point in Bernie Sanders’ proposal but have a suggestion.
I worked with lead counsel to the RTC (the government entity that served as receiver for defunct sa…
John:
You asked, what is the size of the total consolidated national debt?
The President of the Dallas Fed says $99.2 trillion. I would add $20-50 trillion for bailouts and collateral, securities an…
# 1 Over One Million Iraqi Deaths Caused by US Occupation
# 2 Security and Prosperity Partnership: Militarized NAFTA
# 3 InfraGard: The FBI Deputizes Business
# 4 ILEA: Is the US Restarting Dirty Wars…