2009 was quite a year for me! Things were busy for me at work until I got laid off in April. I took a deep breath and moved on to a fascinating and eventful rest of the year. I started thinking how long I should break before start looking again, the long list of books I had wanted to read, where I should be traveling, and the list goes on.
The highlights of my 2009 were that I reconnected with my family and traveled to new places and learned a new culture. The most memorable moments were attending my niece’s high school graduation and moving her to college, and attending my two nephews’ high school graduation in Texas and spending time with them. I was so preoccupied with work and my life that I felt that they are already grown before I could realize it. The most fascinating experiences were in China.
I experienced a few shockers in China, especially Beijing and Shanghai, one about the road, the other about police cars. I also learned more in-depth about the Chinese culture, especially first hand experience of the importance of guanxi, the role of women, and the wine culture, which I will write about in subsequent blogs.
SEOUL— China’s reported plans to invest billions of dollars in North Korea reflect Beijing’s bid to prop up the regime and keep a dominant role in the region rather than to lure Pyongyang back to multilateral talks, analysts say.
A number of state-owned Chinese banks and other companies are close to a deal to invest nearly U.S. $10 billion in North Korean infrastructure, after talks with the official Pyongyang-based Taepung International Investment Group, Seoul’s Yonhap news agency has reported.
The report couldn’t be immediately confirmed.
The investment earmarks funds to build railroads, harbors, and homes in North Korea, the report said, adding that more than 60 percent of the investment would be put up by Chinese banks.
The deal, with North Korea’s State Development Bank, is expected to be signed next month, Yonhap said.
Winston Yang, a China analyst and professor emeritus from Seton Hall University, gave three reasons for the injection of Chinese funds into North Korea.
“The first is that it will increase [Beijing's] control over North Korea and its influence there. The second is that Beijing fears that Kim Jong Il will fall from power,” Yang said, adding that North Korea’s current economic woes have left millions hungry.
“The third reason is, I believe, that there is a sense in which it goes against the wishes of the United States,” he said.
Yang cited strains in U.S.-China ties stemming from U.S. arms sales to Beijing’s arch-rival Taiwan, a threat from Google to withdraw from China, and a meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Tibet’s exiled leader, the Dalai Lama……. (Radio Free Asia)
No, it is no movie that I talking about! Today’s story is about the Aeroflot Flight 593. The Aeroflot Flight 593 was a Russian Airlines Air bus passenger airliner. What was special about this plane? Well nothing, except that the Aeroflot crashed in a hill in remote Siberia on 23 March 1994, killing all the 75 passengers and crew on board.
Illustration of A310 F-OGQS. Credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_593
What is unique about the crash of the Aeroflot 593? Well, voice and flight data recorders later revealed that the pilot’s 15-year-old son Eldar Kudrinsky was seated at the controls, not the pilot!
In 1994, the USSR had just disintegrated and a new Russia had emerged. Hence many Chinese businessmen were travelling to Russia to see the new emerging market. On this particular flight to Hong Kong, the relief pilot,Yaroslav Kudrinsky, taking advantage of the discount rates provided by the airline to him, was taking his two children for their first visit overseas. During the flight, he invited his children t0 visit him in the cockpit.
Here is what happened. [credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_accidents_and_incidents]
With the autopilot active, Kudrinsky, against regulations, offered to let them sit at the controls. First his daughter Yana took the pilot’s left front seat. Kudrinsky adjusted the autopilot’s heading to give her the impression that she was turning the plane, though she actually had no control of the aircraft. Next, his son Eldar Kudrinsky took the pilot’s seat. Unlike his sister, Eldar applied enough force to the control column to contradict the autopilot for 30 seconds.
What nobody knew was that by doing this, he completely disconnected the aileron’s autopilot: the flight computer switched the plane’s ailerons to manual control while maintaining control over the other flight systems. The plane did not audibly signal a warning that this had occurred, although an indicator light did come on. It apparently went unnoticed by the pilots, who had previously flown planes with an audible warning signal. The first to notice a problem was Eldar, who observed that the plane was banking right. Shortly after, the flight path indicator changed to show the new flight path of the aircraft as it turned. Since the turn was continuous, the resulting predicted flight path drawn on screen was a 180 degree turn. This indication is similar to the indications shown when in a holding pattern, where a 180 degree turn is intentional to remain in one place. This confused the pilots for nine seconds.
Soon the plane banked past a 45-degree angle (steeper than it was designed for). This increased the g-force on the pilots and crew, making their bodies feel much heavier than usual, and making it impossible for the Captain to replace his son at the controls. After banking as much as 90 degrees, the remaining functions of the autopilot tried to correct the plane’s altitude by putting the plane in an almost vertical ascent, nearly stalling the plane. The co-pilot and Eldar managed to get the plane into a nosedive, which reduced the G-force on the pilots and enabled the Captain to take the controls. Though he and his co-pilot did regain control, their altitude by then was too low to recover, and the plane crashed at high speed, killing all aboard. The wreckage was located on a remote hillside approximately 25km from Mezhdurechensk in Kemarovo Oblast, southwest Siberia.
Ok, now I’m officially terrified. Here’s the propaganda coming out of Eastern Germany. Stamps proclaiming these bulbs as the almighty solution when they’re actually the problem.
It may be too late. These bulbs are in our worldwide consciousness as being good for the environment even though they’re all made in China, the US closed all its ight bulb factories, they’re considered toxic and hazardous, have plastic packaging, cause additional Mercury and coal production, no warning labels and have to be taken some place special to recycle them.
And we’re being convinced they’re ‘Green’.
Please educate yourself about the negative global effects these have on the planet from job losses to becoming toxic, hazardous waste once they break or burn out.
We have a choice. We can not blindly accept that changing to these light bulbs is the right thing to do. Please look into the additional Mercury production that the hundreds of million of these will fuel. How much is a hundred million? Well only 200 million Frisbees were ever sold since the 50’s if that helps put it on perspective.
They are Hazardous Waste once they burn out and will contaminate the water supply according to our own EPA:
PLEASE boycott these until every single town either has a pickup program or there is a Toxic Waste facility in all towns that don’t have Ikea or Home Depot (those are two places that will recycle them, if you or your neighbors bother to double bag them in plastic and drive them over…if they’re not broken…if they’re broken, it’s your problem).
While China is traumatized by military cliques during the Warlord Era in the 1920s, Shanghai (上海) is the cynosure of all eyes. People see it as both Hells Kitchen and Heavens Gate. One of the citys most memorable heroes has to be Chen Zhen, who single-handedly avenges his mentors death by killing all the Japanese at a dojo in Hongkou, only to be showered with bullets while making his legendary flying kick. Vanished from the public eye ever since, he has been taken for dead though his body is never found.
Seven years later, a wealthy entrepreneur called Koo returns from abroad and makes a grand entrance on the Shanghai social scene by befriending the notorious mafia boss of the city. This mysterious man is none other than Chen Zhen in disguise who dwells in a world of nefarious means in order to infiltrate the criminal empire. He soon discovers a clandestine collusion between the mafia and the Japanese.
Disguised as a caped crusader at night, Chen sets out to dismantle with his martial arts skill the evil collusion that plaques the country. One of his foremost missions is to ferret out the assassination list prepared by the Japanese.
Nikuman (肉まん; derived from 肉饅頭 niku (meat) manjū) is a Japanese food made from flour dough, and filled with cooked ground pork or other ingredients. It is a kind of chūka man (中華まん lit. Chinese-style steamed bun) similar to the Chinese baozi (包子), Also known in English as pork buns.
Nikuman are steamed and often sold as street food. From about August or September, through the winter months until roughly the beginning of April, Chūka man are available at convenience stores, where they are kept hot.
The recent attacks on google and other US companies that were traced to China have more specifically been traced to two Chinese schools, one that has ties to the Chinese Military. The same investigators who have traced the attacks to the schools also believe that the attacks may have started as early as April but were only recently detected. Although the Chinese government still denies they were involved in the attacks, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to believe their stance as more fingers continue to point to their involvement.
From about four in the afternoon Saturday until now, there have been a constant display of fireworks exploding in the air and on the ground. The myth is that the fireworks and wearing red clothing scares away evil spirits (Nien in particular). To really experience the Chinese New Year, my program ventured out into the rural Chinese province, Shanxi.
Our first stop was Taiyuan, a “small” city with 3.4 million people, on New Years’ Eve. While we ate, drank, and were merry, I unfortunately succumbed to my first allergic reaction in China. While my friends went out and shot off fireworks, I turned in for the night and slept 11 hours while my body recovered.
Fortunately, there was much of the trip that was left. On New Years’ Day, we visited the Jinci Temple and the Qiao Family’s Compound. The thousand-year-old temple was absolutely breathtaking. After living in a world of buildings and steel and pavement, the gently falling snow and carefully placed trees and shrubbery had quite the effect on all in the program. The Qiao Family’s Compound did not have the same kick to it. After paying 400 kuai (58USD) for a meal for 11 (we got ripped off big time), the compound was little more than a few rooms and some painted dummies. I would definitely not return.
That night, we arrived in Pingyao, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Everyone was so kind there! When we got off the bus, we were greeted by a group of gawkers, demanding to help us with our luggage and take pictures. We had to walk a short distance (1/4 of a mile?) to get to the hotel because the bus wasn’t allowed within the city walls. Once we saw our rooms, we knew we were in real rural China.
My roommate, Soomi, and I shared a queen-sized bed, which really was a wood plank with a blanket over it, that took up 80% of the room. The bed left enough room to get to the bathroom and the shower (which dribbled instead of sprayed when turned on). The second night we were there, Soomi, Sandi, Shelle and I all had a sleepover in the bed. OH THE CUDDLES!
Exploring Pingyao was an enjoyable experience. Lauren, Arete, Soomi, Chris, and I made a group. Together, we thrusted weapons at each other, rode a taxi that was a motorcycle tacked on to a cart, explored an ancient temple and ancient wall, and closed out the day with a liondance and massage. Though we were exhausted by the end of the day, Pingyao comes highly recommended.
Following the World War-II, there has been an unremitting resistance by the people of Subcontinent against the ruling British colonial power. Under the swelling pressure of the people of subcontinent, the British Government finally had to announce the partition of the Subcontinent on June 3, 1947. However, the British Parliament formally passed “The Indian Independence Act-1947” on July 17, 1947. As per provision of Article-I of the Independence Act, India was to be partitioned into two Dominions namely “India” and “Pakistan” from 15th day of August 1947.
However, Article 7 of the Indian Independence Act very clearly states that from 15th August 1947, “the suzerainty of His Majesty over the Indian states lapse and with it lapses all treaties and agreements in force at the date of the passing of this Act between His Majesty and the rulers of Indian states”. Consequent upon this, all powers and functions, which were exercisable by the British Government in relation to the Princely States, also ceased.
All agreements of British governments with either rulers or states also lapsed on 15th of August 1947. Since the state of Jammu and Kashmir was a Princely State with a special autonomous status, therefore, it can be very conveniently said that on 15th day of August 1947, the Maharaja Sir Hari Singh was not the permissible ruler of the state of Jammu and Kashmir as all his treaties with British India lapsed on that day. Once he was not a ruler of the state, he had no right to sign the instrument of accession (if at all he signed that) with the new Indian dominion. This title to the state was granted to him by the British Government (East India Company) under the Treaty of Amritsar (Kashmir Sale deed) signed on 16 March 1846 and lapsed on the appointed day of 15th August 1947.
Besides, on July 25, 1947 in his address to special full meetings of the Chamber of Princes held in New Delhi, Lord Mountbatten categorically told all princes of Princely States that they were practically free to join any one of dominions; India or Pakistan. He however clarified that, while acceding to any dominion they could take into account geographical contiguity and wishes of the people. In case of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, either of the above factors was favouring state’s accession to Pakistan, but Maharaja Hari Singh did not accept this basic precondition of accession.
Indian claim that its forces landed Srinagar Airport on October 27, 1947, only after signatures on Instrument of Accession by Maharaja and the Indian government is also fallacious. Indeed, a heavy contingent of Patiala State was involved in fighting against the Kashmiri rebellions in Uri Sector on 18 October 1947, which means that they were very much inside the State`s territory much earlier than October 27, 1947.
On 24 October 1947, Kashmiris formally declared their independence from Dogra Raj and established their own government with the name of Azad (Free) Kashmir Government. Following this Maharaja Hari Singh sent his deputy Prime Minister Mr. R.L. Batra to New Delhi for Indian military assistance to his Government against those revolted and tribal from NWFP who joined their brethrens against a tyrant rule. He (Batra) met the Indian Prime Minster and other prominent Indian leaders and requested for assistance without making any mention or promise of state’s accession to the Indian Union. The Indian government instead sent Mr. V.P Menon (Indian Secretary of State) to Kashmir to assess the situation on the spot by himself on 25 October 1947.
After assessing, the situation in Kashmir Mr. V.P Menon flew back to New Delhi on 26 October 1947, together with Kashmiri Prime Minster Mr. Mahajan, who met top Indian leadership, seeking military assistance. He was refused to get that until state’s formal accession with India. On this Kashmiri Premier threatened the Indian leadership that if immediate military assistance was not granted, he would go to Lahore for negotiations with Pakistani leadership over the future status of the state. In a parallel development, Sheikh Abdullah met Indian Premier, Jawaharlal Nehru, on the same day, October 26, 1947, who agreed to despatch military assistance to the Kashmir government.
As stated by Mahajan, the Kashmiri Prime Minister, that V.P. Menon accompanied him to convince Hari Singh for accession of the State with India on 27 October 1947. Under the compulsion, Hari Singh signed the instrument of accession on the same day i.e. 27 October 1947, which was later taken to Lord Mountbatten (Indian Governor General), who also signed that on the same day (27 October), which was practically difficult. V.P. Menon, however, states that all these formalities of signatures were completed on 26 October 1947, which is impracticable. This version, however, seems concocted as even contradicted by pro Indian Kashmiri Premier. Both however are unanimous on one point that Indian state forces landed at Srinagar airfield in the morning of 27 October 1947 and a battalion of Patiala State received them there, which was already there.
In his travel account, Kashmiri Prime Minister Mahajan has described that he had refused to return to Kashmir and hand over powers to Sheikh Abdullah until Srinagar airfield had been physically taken over by the Indian forces. This creates doubt as to whether Mahajan and V.P Menon even went to the State (Jammu) for getting the signatures of Maharaja Hari Singh on the Instrument of Accession before 27 October 1947. This is further confirmed by variation in the statements of V.P. Menon and Mr. Mahajan (Kashmiri Prime Minister) regarding their travel to Kashmir either on 26 or on 27 October 1947 for getting the signatures of Maharaja Hari Singh.
However, whatever be the case the factual position is that; Maharaja Hari Singh was not in favour of State’s accession to Indian Union therefore, he only requested the Indian government for military assistance without any pre-condition of accession. Indeed, the accession documents and letters to Lord Mountbatten were initiated through the Joint efforts of V.P Menon and pro India Kashmiri Premier Mahajan, as wished by Indian Government and Hari Singh was forced to sign it on the evening of 27 October 1947 or thereafter. Whereas, Indian forces landed on Srinagar airport on the early hours of 27 October 1947. The time calculation of Mr. V.P Menon’s (Indian Secretary of State) visit to Srinagar, Delhi, Jammu and vice versa does not fit in with the concocted story of the signing of the Instrument of Accession.
Even if there is an instrument of accession between Maharaja Hari Singh and Indian government, it provides a number of safeguards to the state’s sovereignty, e.g. Clause 7 of the instrument says, “Nothing in this instrument shall be deemed to commit me in any way to acceptance of any future constitution of India …”. Whereas, Clause 8 of the Instruments says, “Nothing in this Instrument affects the continuance of my sovereignty in and over this state…….”.
Supposedly, the all instrument of accession was signed by the Maharaja and Indian government, it was clearly mentioned in his reply to Maharaja’s letter by Lord Mountbatten that after the restoration of law and order in the State of Jammu and Kashmir and the expulsion of the raiders, its future will be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the State. The same stance was taken by UNO in its over 23 resolutions, passed from time to time. Besides, over the years, Indian leadership had been reiterating their commitments to Kashmiris, Government of Pakistan and to the world community that after the restoration of peace in the state, its future would be decided as per the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir through UN mandated plebiscite. However, with the passage of time India refused to fulfil her commitments/obligations, which means she had ill designs right from the very beginning. Nevertheless, implementation of these resolutions and the fulfilment of Indian commitments is still awaited.
Another significant fact is that, had there been any accession treaty between the state of Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian government, why it could not be published in the Indian White Paper of 1948? This has left a great disbelief regarding the conclusion of any such agreement. Yet another very serious reservation arises, had Kashmir been part of the Indian Union, why it was given a special status under the provision of internal autonomy through Article 370 of the Indian constitution? It is momentous to mention that the Indian government did not accord a similar status to any other state under this provision. Indeed, out of 560 Princely states, over five hundred joined India, but none was accorded this special status.
Through this status and a number of commitments, India kept luring in Kashmiri masses to become its part. Upon failure of winning their commiserations, India forced its way, through a fake assembly resolution in mid 1950s and thereafter started calling the state as its integral part. United Nations, however, through its resolution, No.2017 of 30 March 1951 and S.3779 of January 24, 1957, made it absolutely clear that; any action which Kashmir Constituent Assembly may have taken or might attempt to take to determine the future shape of state or any of its part would not constitute the disposition of the state and that election of State’s Constituent Assembly cannot be a substitute for plebiscite. Thus, this act of India was a blatant violation of the UNSC resolutions that India had accepted too.
Inaccuracy of Indian claim of accession can be judged from the top-secret letter addressed to British Government by Mr Alexander Symon, UK High Commissioner to India. In this letter, he briefly described the events until 4.00 P.M on October 1947, as; ten Indian aircrafts loaded with arms and troops were despatched to Kashmir from New Delhi on the morning of 27 October 1947. Until 4 P.M of 27 October 1947, Mr V.P. Menon has not reported from Jammu, which mean accession documents were either not signed or signed by Hari Singh on 27 October 1947, and there were only rumours of Kashmir accession to Indian Union without any confirmation.
Indian antagonistic approach can be imagined from the fact that Kashmiri Administration had requested for a Standstill Agreement with both India and Pakistan. Pakistan, however, accepted this offer but India owing to its pre-planned evil designs did not accept it. Instead of accepting it, India started interference in state’s affair through leaders like Sheikh Abdullah. Finally, they paved the way for illegal interference in the state’s affair through military invasion by her forces in October 1947.
From July to October 1947, with the connivance of Indian leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Patel, and V.P Menon, three Kashmiri Prime Ministers were changed one after the other. Pandit Kak, the State’s Prime Minister, was indeed favouring state’s accession to Pakistan or to keep it independent. He was a strong opponent of states accession to India, in spite of being a Hindu Pandit. Mahajan, who replaced Pandit Kak as new Prime Minister was a non-Kashmiri. He was a Judge of East Punjab High Court and has been the member of Radcliff Award, and hence a party to giving away the Muslim majority areas of Gurdaspur to India. He was very close to the top Indian leadership. To get him appointed as a Prime Minister of the state was through a planned strategy to force Maharaja from all around for surrendering to Indian Union.
In the light of the above-mentioned facts it can be very conveniently said that the Indian claim over the state of Jammu and Kashmir is completely illegitimate and unsubstantiated. India is negating its own commitment with Kashmiris, Pakistan and world community. Indian leadership should realize this and adopt a realistic approach for the solution of this outstanding issue as a goodwill gesture. Let UNO settle it under its auspices through plebiscite as per its resolutions.
My last post featured a challenge from a young soldier stationed in Iraq. It was a challenge to every soldier of Christ to read the Bible and , more importantly, DO what it says.
Coincidentally, I came across a similar challenge in J. Hudson Taylor’s autobiography. Mr. Taylor was one of the first missionaries to inland China and started the China Inland Mission. He was kind of a radical among missionaries of the time as he and his fellow workers gave up their refined English clothing for Chinese dress and traded their tea and crumpets and silverware for rice and fish and chopsticks. see below:
His writing style is a little more, shall we say,” stuffy” than Stephen “Blu” Mack, soldier in Iraq’s, but the message is just as loud and clear, though written almost 150 years ago.
Enjoy! Or as J. Hudson Taylor might have said, “Be enriched to the fullest degree!” ~~
Note: He’s talking about the time before he became a Christian:
“It may seem strange to say it, but I have often felt thankful for the experience of this time of skepticism. The inconsistencies of Christian people, who, while professing to believe their Bibles,were yet content to live just as they would if there were no such Book, had been one of the strongest arguments of my sleptical companions; and I frequently felt at that time, and said that if I pretended to believe the Bible I would at any rate attempt to live by it, putting it fairly to the test, and if it failed to prove true and reliable, I would throw it overboard althogether.
These views I retained when the Lord was pleased to bring me to Himself; and I think I may say that since then I have put God’s Word to the test. Certainly it has never failed me. I have never had reason to regret the confidence I have placed in its promises, or to deplore following the guidance I have found in its directions.” ~ J. Hudson Taylor
Let’s pray the chopstick prayer:
“Oh, Father in heaven, you are so good. You gave us the Bible to show us how to live (2 Timothy 3:16) and you gave us the Holy Spirit to help us to do it (Acts 1:8). May I please be like a pair of chopsticks in Your hand, doing whatever you will. In Jesus’ name, amen!”
Here’s a book you might want to buy and read with your family about Hudson Taylor. Click on the pic for ordering information.
A Chinese zoo’s bid to restore a tiger’s natural instincts by putting a live bull in its cage backfired when prey turned hunter.
Yancheng Zoo, in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, put the one-year-old bull into the white tiger’s enclosure, reports Modern Express.
Keepers expected the rare tiger, called Tang Bai Hu, would kill and eat the animal as it would have done in the wild.
Tang Bai Hu did try to attack the bull – but the bull turned the tables by charging the tiger which fled in terror, much to the amusement of visitors.
The tiger tried again but could not get the better of the bull which pushed him away and, at one stage, even seemed to bite the tiger back.
Zoo spokesman Chang Yihai admitted that a live bull might have been too much for the 15-year-old tiger which normally eats chopped beef or chicken.
“Our tigers’ hunting skills are long forgotten. They live a very comfortable life here, with a big house, swimming pool and sports field,” he said.
“But their wild nature has been lost, which indirectly causes the degeneration of their immune system and reproductive ability.”
The zoo had not given up – but would try offering Tang Bai Hu live chickens next time and build up from there, he added. Tang Bai Hu is the zoo’s only adult white tiger. He and his two cubs, Charles and Harry, are the stars of the zoo’s big cat show.
The Ricochet Economy – It is one of the fastest growing economies of the world and there are many business opportunities: It’s interesting to note that in year 2003 the total foreign remittance from developed countries to developing countries was $93 billion. As on year 2009 according to World Bank the total remittance would triple and would be close to $300 billion. There are so many business opportunities in this remittance business and one of the major developments in remittance is the launch of MMT (Mobile Money Transfer) service by Bangladesh which could potentially reduce costs to 1 percent of the transfer amount. The project will be implemented by Grameen Phone (a subsidiary of Grameen Bank which has pioneered mobile access to rural areas in Bangladesh). – According to India’s Economics Times.
There are two new innovations compared to other developing countries with successful MMT implementation: (1) This service is targeted primarily for cross-border transfers unlike domestic transfers, and (2) It will use a network of ATM machines for withdrawing money instead of having to go to a designated agent.
The Local Immigrant Diaspora – There are ample local opportunities to cater to immigrants in US: According to the book the number of immigrants in US increased 57% between 1990 and 2000. With the increase in immigrants there have been successful ventures, which have catered to these populations. For example Sulekha.com, China.com and others have been very successful at reaching out globally but there are a lot of local immigrant websites that cater to locally communities in US. One notable local website is apnatriangle.com that caters to local Indian communities in Raleigh/Durham area in North Carolina. This website is very popular among Indian communities in Raleigh/Durham area and provides a medium for people to connect.
The Vonage Way: Vonage is a very good example of how a company that is marketing in the developed world by looking for ways to reach immigrant population. Vonage provides free long distance international calls using VOIP to 60 countries – like India, Mexico, Canada and others. For example by tapping into immigrant Indian population Vonage has been able to reap tremendous reward and has forced companies like Airtel, Reliance, Tata and others to reduce their call rates. It is important to remember that Internet and other technologies are a potent force that can give a company competitive advantage over others.
This is serious. The Asia Times reports today that China is ready to start selling off its US Treasury Notes, ostensibly as a “punishment” for the recent US sales of arms to Taiwan. I and others previously warned about what would happen if China decided to let go of its dollar holdings – the gist is that China is the only thing standing between the US and catastrophic inflation. Previously these fears were pooh-poohed by establishment figures with the familiar arguments: “China needs us more than we need them”, “Who will China sell its surpluses to?” I even heard someone say, “Without us, the Chinese will be cavemen”. Well, it looks like China might have found itself a new trading partner, if this Asia Times article is any indication:
Dollar-denominated risk assets, including asset-backed securities and corporates, are no longer wanted at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), nor at China’s large commercial banks. The Chinese government has ordered its reserve managers to divest itself of riskier securities and hold only Treasuries and US agency debt with an implicit or explicit government guarantee. This already has been communicated to American securities dealers, according to market participants with direct knowledge of the events.
It is not clear whether China’s motive is simple risk aversion in the wake of a sharp widening of corporate and mortgage spreads during the past two weeks, or whether there also is a political dimension. With the expected termination of the Federal Reserve’s special facility to purchase mortgage-backed securities next month, some asset-backed spreads already have blown out, and the Chinese institutions may simply be trying to get out of the way of a widening. There is some speculation that China’s action has to do with the recent deterioration of US-Chinese relations over arm sales to Taiwan and other issues. That would be an unusual action for the Chinese to take–Beijing does not mix investment and strategic policy–and would be hard to substantiate in any event.
Where do you think we’re getting the money to prosecute these $5,000 per second conflicts in the Middle East? Where did the money for our $2,500,000,000,000 (and counting) bank bailouts? China. They make our money real. Without their manufacturing powerhouse backing us up, our dollars are worthless. What, you think the world is going to value our “service economy” at $13,000,000,000,000 per annum if that money weren’t backed by Chinese promises? Well, those promises are now increasingly under threat.
SAN FRANCISCO — In an ambitious bid to revolutionize how consumers use the Internet, technology giant Google Inc. said it will build a network that would be 100 times faster than what is available for many users today.
Entering territory tightly controlled by telecommunications carriers, Google announced Wednesday that it will build and test an experimental high-speed fiber-optic network that could be available in several communities and reach as many as 500,000 people. The service could be available as early as next year, an analyst said.
Consumers in those communities will be able to sign up for the service, which would offer connection speeds of 1 gigabit per second, the company said. Many high-speed home Internet connections operate at less than 10 megabits per second.
The possibility of becoming Google’s test case immediately set off a flurry of interest among consumers and businesses frustrated with the high cost and low speed of Internet access. West Sacramento, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Houston, among other cities, have already set up “Bring Google Fiber” groups on Facebook.
“We would absolutely be interested in participating,” said Kevin Tonoian, city technology services manager for Santa Clarita, Calif.
Google, which considers broadband access a linchpin to extending its Internet empire, has been pushing for the U.S. to catch up with Asia and Europe in the availability and speed of broadband Internet, calling broadband the “dial tone of the 21st century.”
Google has argued that building a national broadband infrastructure is today’s equivalent to building the nation’s highway system, and would create jobs and stimulate economic development.
Faster and more widely available Internet access would also help Google get its products in front of more consumers and encourage new Internet uses such as viewing high-definition video or medical records.
“Google is trying to create a broadband utopia,” Forrester Research analyst Doug Williams said. “It wants to show regulators, government officials and other service providers what’s possible if you follow this model.”
Analysts say Google is using its political clout and deep pockets to show regulators and lawmakers the promise of speed and access in an industry historically in the tight grip of telecommunications carriers.
Google, which operates the world’s most popular search engine, has grown into a technology powerhouse with tentacles spreading into a wide variety of devices and services, but has no plans to invest tens of billions into rolling out a nationwide network, the company said. Instead Google is hoping that its experimental network would prod cable and phone companies to offer cheaper, speedier access on a broader scale, said Mike Jude, an analyst at research firm Frost & Sullivan.
Google would not say how much it would spend on the project, but Broadpoint AmTech analyst Ben Schachter estimated it could cost anywhere from $60 million to $1.6 billion, which would put only a slight dent in Google’s cash reserves of about $25 billion. Google plans to pay for the network without government subsidies.
“We are putting our money where our mouth is,” Google product manager Minnie Ingersoll said.
Google has urged the Federal Communications Commission to encourage such experiments. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski applauded Google. “Big broadband creates big opportunities,” he said in a statement.
The FCC set up a task force to propose a national broadband plan, which is due out next month. The task force has estimated that it could cost up to $350 billion to upgrade networks. The plan is expected to call for releasing more wireless spectrum for broadband use.
Google has a track record of flexing its muscle to overturn obstacles to open, unfettered Internet access. In 2008, Google bid more than $4 billion in a government auction for wireless spectrum. More recently it has lobbied in Washington for greater availability of wireless spectrum and for net neutrality.
Google is making big moves elsewhere in the telecommunications industry. Last month, it debuted a touch-screen mobile phone called Nexus One and opened an online store to sell it. In 2008, Google invested in Clearwire, which provides Internet access using a technology called WiMax.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association said Wednesday that it would “look forward to learning more” about Google’s test program. The trade group, whose members include Time Warner Cable and Comcast Corp., said the cable industry plans to spend billions of dollars on top of the $161 billion it has already invested over 13 years in a national broadband infrastructure, which is currently available to 92 percent of homes. Verizon said it alone was investing $23 billion in its fiber-optic network.
Industry watchers said they hoped Google’s entry into the marketplace would spur competition and innovation but tempered their enthusiasm. In most places across the country, consumers have one or two options for high-speed Internet, usually from their cable or telephone provider. Service providers have been pouring tens of billions of dollars into upgrading their networks, but the speeds they are aiming for are not nearly as fast as what Google is proposing. Until now there has been little competitive pressure to force providers to take more aggressive action.
“The promise it represents is exciting,” said Ed Black, chief executive of the non-profit Computer & Communications Industry Association. “But people shouldn’t assume that this means we’ll suddenly have an amazing new player.”
Senior Chinese military officers have suggested that China sell off some U.S. bonds to punish Washington for its latest round of arms sales to Taiwan.
According to Reuters, the calls for retaliation came from officers at China’s National Defence University and Academy of Military Sciences.
“Our retaliation should not be restricted to merely military matters, and we should adopt a strategic package of counter-punches covering politics, military affairs, diplomacy and economics to treat both the symptoms and root cause of this disease,” said Luo Yuan, a researcher at the Academy of Military Sciences.
“Just like two people rowing a boat, if the United States first throws the strokes into chaos, then so must we.”
While these threats don’t represent fixed government policy, the open demands for retaliation clearly underscore the domestic pressures on Beijing to deliver on its threats to punish the White House over the arms sales.
I am heading back to the Dongzhimen food market…again…for the third time. I have some friends who haven’t been so I am going because let’s face it watching friends eat crazy food you should never actually put in your mouth is funny! The problem, I have been two times before the easy stuff is no longer a challenge to me. Stinky tofu, done! Starfish, done! Grubs, done! Shark, done!
So here it is my dear friend Leslie the southern belle who “decided to peace” has bribed me. She wanted to try scorpion and didn’t get the chance. SO if there is video documentation of me doing so then I get a care package. Well I guess there is only one thing to do……
The trouble, it means eating a scorpion, or as we have defined it; chewing and swallowing one bite. So tonight beer in one hand skewer of scorpions in the other I will take the challenge. I mean when have I ever shied away from a challenge? It can’t be any worse than chugging pints of malt vinegar can it? That is what I am going to have to tell myself. Wish me luck!
“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them (around the banks), will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”
Thomas Jefferson
Rank
Country
CAB USD, bn
1
People’s Republic of China
371.833
2
Germany
252.501
3
Japan
210.967
4
Saudi Arabia
95.762
5
Russia
76.163
6
Switzerland
70.797
7
Norway
59.983
8
Netherlands
52.522
176
Greece
-44.218
177
Italy
-52.725
178
Australia
-56.342
179
United Kingdom
-105.224
180
Spain
-145.141
181
United States
-731.214 [2]
This is a list of countries and territories by current account balance (CAB), based on the International Monetary Fund data for 2007, obtained from the latest World Economic Outlook database (October 2008).
The current figures will be a lot worse, as this chart comes from before the credit crisis hit.
This Credit Crunch financial crisis is just a re-run of the 1929-1933 Great Depression and US bankruptcy.
The previous credit crunch was brought on by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and the introduction in a big way of fractional reserve banking. This lead to the stock market bubbles of the 1920’s and the resultant market crash. It took 20 years to bankrupt the US after deregulation and fractional reserve banking.
Today we are facing the same issues. 20 years ago the financial world was deep into Regeanomics and Thatcherism ,de-regulating the financial markets and suprise suprise 20 years later we face bankruptcy! When will we learn?
It seems the financial markets have learned. This time the attempted fascist coup on the US and UK establishment looks like its going to work.There is a trail of premeditated evidence this time and a stench of despiration and it all comes from the same people that tried this in 1933 . It also seems that in the Endgame its the Chinese Bankers and NOT Wall Street that will win.
Here is how free market capitalsim is supposed to work, aka ,the BOOM and BUST economy
1.Availability of credit allows money to flow between savers and borrowers.
2.Resources and funds are allocated to various projects or investments during a boom phase.
3.Eventually borrowing becomes excessive and leads to malinvestment,
4.At this stage, adherence to free market theory would allow for an efficient cleansing period and a healthy recovery period. How? Irresponsible and unprofitable businesses fail. Bad debts get liquidated. Excess resources go on sale, flow into more stable ventures and pool together with more profitable resources controlled by healthy corporations or entities http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article6497.html
In this case, the irresponsible and unprofitable businesses are the Wall Street and UK Banks. They should of been left to fall ,thier assets stripped and put into the market place to be bought by responsible and profitable businesses at low prices as the market place will be flooded with assets. In this case ,the responsible and profitable businesses are Credit Unions(Trade Union banks) and Chinese banks or Saudi banks for example.
Instead we had a banker bailout .We “nationalised” the banking industry! Of course “they” do not call it nationalisation ,but when the taxpayer is the main share holder YOU ARE A NATIONALISED INDUSTRY!!! But actually this was all part of the Fascist plan.
“Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power”
Benito Mussolini
TODAY we run a Fascist business model, Banks can now run with PRIVITIZED PROFITS and SOCIALIZED LOSSES!!!!!!
The United States has transformed itself, the most radical degraded aspects having occurred in the last eight years. Many might object or cringe at repeated mention of the Fascist Business Model implemented by the Clinton Administration, and carried to extreme by the Bush II Administration
The Fascist Business Model has criminal fraud & corruption as its chief characteristic, alienation & resentment as its chief foreign effect, and systemic failure & collapse as its chief outcome. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article6447.html
REMEMBER THE BAILOUT ? IT WAS A LOT BIGGER THAN ADMITTED!!!
Remember that bailout $700 Billion….Well it was actually $23.7 TRILLION and it still has NOT WORKED!!
FED GAVE Banks Access to 23.7 TRILLION DOLLARS NOT $700 Billion! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDJc0PZV-Bk&feature=player_embedded#
TODAY DRUG MONEY KEEPS THE BANKS RUNNING. EXPLAINS THE BUMPER OPIUM CROPS IN AFGHANISTAN!!!!!!
Drug money saved banks in global crisis, claims UN advisor
Drugs and crime chief says $352bn in criminal proceeds was effectively laundered by financial institutions
Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said he has seen evidence that the proceeds of organised crime were “the only liquid investment capital” available to some banks on the brink of collapse last year. He said that a majority of the $352bn (£216bn) of drugs profits was absorbed into the economic system as a result. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2009/dec/13/drug-money-banks-saved-un-cfief-claims
Thw War On Drugs , another fake war that ended in total defeat for the US!!!!!
BEHIND THE SCENES DIRTY DEALS ARE BEING MADE!!! Western free market capitalism is DEAD,the fascist coup is in place !!!
BUSINESS LOBBY GROUPS BUY OR BRIBE CONGRESS
According to a study by The Center for Responsive Politics, special interests paid Washington lobbyists $3.2 billion in 2008—more than any other year on record. This was a 13.7 percent increase from 2007 (which broke the record by 7.7 percent over 2006).Business and real estate associations and coalitions were among the organizations that ramped up their lobbying expenditures the most last year.
The American Bankers Association spent $9.1 million in 2008, a 47 percent increase from 2007. Other industry groups that spent more in 2008 include the Private Equity Council, the Mortgage Bankers Association of America and the Financial Services Roundtable.
The US Chamber of Commerce remained the number one spender on lobbying in 2008, spending nearly $92 million—more than $350,000 every weekday, and a 73 percent increase over 2007—to advocate for its members’ interests. Pro-business associations as a whole increased their lobbying 47 percent between 2007 and 2008.Pro-Israel groups, food processing companies, and the oil and gas industry increased their lobbying expenditures the most (as a percentage) between 2007 and 2008.
Open Secrets.org
Title: “Washington Lobbying Grew to $3.2 Billion Last Year, Despite Economy”
Authors: Center for Responsive Politics
February 2, 2010 Warning: This is Not Another Wall Street Conspiracy Theory, These are the Facts
What the House Committee heard, overwhelmingly, on Wednesday was that AIG had to be bailed out because if it wasn’t, the financial implosion that would result would send unemployment to 25% and America into the tailspin of another Great Depression. http://moneymorning.com/2010/02/02/aig-collapse/
THE MARKETS ARE BEING MANIPULATED
Trader on Bloomberg says markets are manipulated and volumes ‘ficticious’.Not only are the new high tech/high speed transactions giving big banks an overwhelming trading advantage over retail investors, they’re also creating a false impression about the health of the stock market.
By President Obama’s own optimistic projections, American deficits will not return to what are widely considered sustainable levels over the next 10 years. In fact, in 2019 and 2020 — years after Mr. Obama has left the political scene, even if he serves two terms — they start rising again sharply, to more than 5 percent of gross domestic product. His budget draws a picture of a nation that like many American homeowners simply cannot get above water. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/us/politics/02deficit.html?hp
ALL THIS EXPLAINS WHY THE FED DOES NOT WANT TO BE AUDITED!!!!!! ITS ALREADY BANKRUPT AND FRAUD IS THE ONLY THING KEEPING IT AFLOAT!!!!
HOW DID WE GET IN THIS SITUATION …SIMPLE DE-REGULATED FRACTIONAL RESERVE BANKING! ITS WHAT BANKRUPTED THE US IN 1933 AS WELL. COINCIDENSE , INCOMPITENCE OR CONSPIRACY?
According to the New York Federal Reserve Bank, fractional reserve banking can be explained this way….
“If the reserve requirement is 10%, for example, a bank that receives a $100 deposit may lend out $90 of that deposit. If the borrower then writes a check to someone who deposits the $90, the bank receiving that deposit can lend out $81. As the process continues, the banking system can expand the initial deposit of $100 into a maximum of $1,000 of money ($100+$90+81+$72.90+…=$1,000).”
THIS YEARS SHORT TERM DEBT REPAYMENTS $ 3.5 TRILLION
one of those numbers that’s so unbelievable you have to actually think about it for a while… Within the next 12 months, the U.S. Treasury will have to refinance $2 trillion in short-term debt. And that’s not counting any additional deficit spending, which is estimated to be around $1.5 trillion. Put the two numbers together. Then ask yourself, how in the world can the Treasury borrow $3.5 trillion in only one year? That’s an amount equal to nearly 30% of our entire GDP. And we’re the world’s biggest economy. Where will the money come from?
How did we end up with so much short-term debt? Like most entities that have far too much debt – whether subprime borrowers, GM, Fannie, or GE – the U.S. Treasury has tried to minimize its interest burden by borrowing for short durations and then “rolling over” the loans when they come due. As they say on Wall Street, “a rolling debt collects no moss.” What they mean is, as long as you can extend the debt, you have no problem. Unfortunately, that leads folks to take on ever greater amounts of debt… at ever shorter durations… at ever lower interest rates. Sooner or later, the creditors wake up and ask themselves: What are the chances I will ever actually be repaid? And that’s when the trouble starts. Interest rates go up dramatically. Funding costs soar. The party is over. Bankruptcy is next.
When governments go bankrupt it’s called “a default.” Currency speculators figured out how to accurately predict when a country would default. Two well-known economists – Alan Greenspan and Pablo Guidotti – published the secret formula in a 1999 academic paper. That’s why the formula is called the Greenspan-Guidotti rule. The rule states: To avoid a default, countries should maintain hard currency reserves equal to at least 100% of their short-term foreign debt maturities. The world’s largest money management firm, PIMCO, explains the rule this way: “The minimum benchmark of reserves equal to at least 100% of short-term external debt is known as the Greenspan-Guidotti rule. Greenspan-Guidotti is perhaps the single concept of reserve adequacy that has the most adherents and empirical support.”
The principle behind the rule is simple. If you can’t pay off all of your foreign debts in the next 12 months, you’re a terrible credit risk. Speculators are going to target your bonds and your currency, making it impossible to refinance your debts. A default is assured.
So how does America rank on the Greenspan-Guidotti scale? It’s a guaranteed default. The U.S. holds gold, oil, and foreign currency in reserve. The U.S. has 8,133.5 metric tonnes of gold (it is the world’s largest holder). That’s 16,267,000 pounds. At current dollar values, it’s worth around $300 billion. The U.S. strategic petroleum reserve shows a current total position of 725 million barrels. At current dollar prices, that’s roughly $58 billion worth of oil. And according to the IMF, the U.S. has $136 billion in foreign currency reserves. So altogether… that’s around $500 billion of reserves. Our short-term foreign debts are far bigger.
According to the U.S. Treasury, $2 trillion worth of debt will mature in the next 12 months
CHINA NOW CALLS THE WORLD ECONOMIC SHOTS. CHINA IS DUMPING DOLLARS!! CHINA WANTS GOLD AND ASSETS!!!!
China alarmed by US money printing
The US Federal Reserve’s policy of printing money to buy Treasury debt threatens to set off a serious decline of the dollar and compel China to redesign its foreign reserve policy, according to a top member of the Communist hierarchy. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/6146957/China-alarmed-by-US-money-printing.html
US USING FAKE GOLD TO PAY ITS CHINESE DEBT!!!!!!
In October of 2009 the Chinese received a shipment of gold bars. Gold is regularly exchanges between countries to pay debts and to settle the so-called balance of trade. Most gold is exchanged and stored in vaults under the supervision of a special organization based in London, the London Bullion Market Association (or LBMA). When the shipment was received, the Chinese government asked that special tests be performed to guarantee the purity and weight of the gold bars. In this test, four small holed are drilled into the gold bars and the metal is then analyzed.
Officials were shocked to learn that the bars were fake. They contained cores of tungsten with only a outer coating of real gold. What’s more, these gold bars, containing serial numbers for tracking, originated in the US and had been stored in Fort Knox for years. There were reportedly between 5,600 to 5,700 bars, weighing 400 oz. each, in the shipment!
THE CHINESE ACCUSE THE US OF MANUFACTURING THE FAKE GOLD!!!!
Roughly 15 years ago — during the Clinton Administration [think Robert Rubin, Sir Alan Greenspan and Lawrence Summers] — between 1.3 and 1.5 million 400 oz tungsten blanks were allegedly manufactured by a very high-end, sophisticated refiner in the USA [more than 16 Thousand metric tonnes]. Subsequently, 640,000 of these tungsten blanks received their gold plating and WERE shipped to Ft. Knox and remain there to this day.
According to the Chinese investigation, the balance of this 1.3 million to 1.5 million 400 oz tungsten cache was also gold plated and then allegedly “sold” into the international market. Apparently, the global market is literally “stuffed full of 400 oz salted bars”. Perhaps as much as 600-billion dollars worth
DA investigating NYMEX executive
Manhattan, New York, –Feb. 2, 2004. A top executive at the New York Mercantile Exchange is being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney. Sources close to the exchange said that Stuart Smith, senior vice president of operations at the exchange, was served with a search warrant by the district attorney’s office last week. Details of the investigation have not been disclosed, but a NYMEX spokeswoman said it was unrelated to any of the exchange’s markets. She declined to comment further other than to say that charges had not been brought. A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office also declined comment.”
The offices of the Senior Vice President of Operations — NYMEX — is exactly where you would go to find the records [serial number and smelter of origin] for EVERY GOLD BAR ever PHYSICALLY settled on the exchange.
SO HOW IS AMERICAN GOING TO PAY ITS DEBT NOW?
This Fascist coup could actually fail, and the Chinese just step in and takeover without a shot being fired.Whether this was the plan all along OR the bankers just never thought they would be out scammed by the Chinese I cannot tell, BUT what the future seems to hold is a global fascist NWO being run by the Chinese Communist party with Rupert Murdoch , the boys from Google and the Wall Street bankers all making their money in Chinese YUAN!!!!!
ARE WE SEEING THE CAPITALIST USA’S SOVIET UNION COLLAPSE MOMMENT? WILL THE US PROVE ITSELF LESS MORAL THAN THE USSR AND PUT THE TROOPS ON THE STREETS?
Thousands of Troops Are Deployed on U.S. Streets Ready to Carry Out “Crowd Control”
Members of Congress were told they could face martial law if they didn’t pass the bailout bill. This will not be the last time.
By Naomi Wolf the author of Give Me Liberty (Simon and Schuster, 2008),
SO WATCH OUT IF YOU PLAN TO DEMONSTRATE AGAINST FUTURE BAILOUTS ETC…
So looking only at short-term debt, we know the Treasury will have to finance at least $2 trillion worth of maturing debt in the next 12 months. That might not cause a crisis if we were still funding our national debt internally. But since 1985, we’ve been a net debtor to the world. Today, foreigners own 44% of all our debts, which means we owe foreign creditors at least $880 billion in the next 12 months – an amount far larger than our reserves.
Keep in mind, this only covers our existing debts. The Office of Management and Budget is predicting a $1.5 trillion budget deficit over the next year. That puts our total funding requirements on the order of $3.5 trillion over the next 12 months.
So… where will the money come from? Total domestic savings in the U.S. are only around $600 billion annually. Even if we all put every penny of our savings into U.S. Treasury debt, we’re still going to come up nearly $3 trillion short. That’s an annual funding requirement equal to roughly 40% of GDP. Where is the money going to come from? From our foreign creditors? Not according to Greenspan-Guidotti. And not according to the Indian or the Russian central bank, which have stopped buying Treasury bills and begun to buy enormous amounts of gold. The Indians bought 200 metric tonnes this month. Sources in Russia say the central bank there will double its gold reserves.
So where will the money come from? The printing press. The Federal Reserve has already monetized nearly $2 trillion worth of Treasury debt and mortgage debt. This weakens the value of the dollar and devalues our existing Treasury bonds. Sooner or later, our creditors will face a stark choice: Hold our bonds and continue to see the value diminish slowly, or try to escape to gold and see the value of their U.S. bonds plummet.
IF THE FAKE GOLD CAN BE TRACED “WITHOUT DOUBT” TO THE US (and it seems it can) THEN THE US IS ALREADY BANKRUPT!!!! AND THE CHINESE HAVE THE USA GREASED UP AND OVER A BARREL!!!!!
SO MAYBE US TREASURY BONDS WILL BE ISSUED IN CHINESE YUAN!!!!
U.S. Govt Yuan Bond Threat to U.S. Dollar
The Chinese are in town to meet with the USGovt officials on continued debt support. The public will surely NOT be told what is discussed. One informed contact wrote this morning that the US lies as a terminal patient in the Intensive Care Ward, and seeks a death with dignity from its Chinese creditor doctors. The challenge to China is to protect its main core of US$-based reserves, and to protect future investments.
The USGovt might soon issue bonds, except not in US$ denomination, but rather in Yuan currency. Out of the gate (with debt signposts), the USGovt must purchase gigantic swaths of Yuan and pay with USDollars. The result is a quantum decline in the US$ exchange rate
BUT MAYBE THE CHINESE WANT MORE!!!!!!!!!
Rumors are ripe that in a March 2009 trip to Beijing, Secy State Hillary cut a deal promising Eminent Domain on US property in return for continued USTreasury Bond support. So maybe a shopping basket of thousands of homes, hundreds of commercial buildings, scads of idle industrial plants, and a few million acres of farmland are soon to be seized by the Chinese in exchange for USTreasury Bond debt. One must wonder. The American people, i.e. USA Inc shareholders, will be the last to know in this criminal syndicate environment, a hatched cloud from the Fascist Business Model. Seemingly on a quarterly basis, something must be handed to the Chinese for continued USTBond support. The USTreasury officials and USFed have lied through their teeth about avoiding direct monetization. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article12386.html
The US Embassy in Beijing confirmed the deal to the source. Hillary closed the deal. A quid-pro-quo agreement was struck, continued USTBond purchases in return for Eminent Domain option to exercise by China for property seizure, “ to physically take, inside the USA, land, buildings, factories, perhaps even entire cities.” The concepts of colonization and carpet-bagging should come to mind!
This is just another phase of the New World DisOrder, BUT do NOT expect the US Government OR Wall Street to let YOU know what is REALLY going on!!!
BUT IF THE PEOPLE START GETTING TOO RESTLESS EXPECT TO BE SENT OFF TO SOME FAKE WAR. ITS GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY AND THERE ARE TOO MANY OF CONSUMERS ON THE PLANET!!!
AND A FINAL WORD FROM THE SELF PROCLAIMED BRIGHTEST AND BEST!!!!!!!
Finacial spokespersons give thier opinion on the finacial recovery
Financial spokesperson No.1
“ROOLS , ROOLS!!!!! We don’t need no stinkin ROOLS!!”
Financial spokesperson No.2
“OK everybody , just give us the money and no-one will get hurt!!!”
Financial Spokesperson No.3
“Here is your Chinese phrase book, its only 100 American Yuan!”
A last note . Bankers are the best suited for unemployment.WHY?
Well they are non-productive members of society , so society does not loose anything when they are unemployed.
They have thier own house and assets so do not need state subsidy.
SO WHY ARE WE FINANCING THESE INCOMPITANT CRIMINALS????
It seems they cannot even organise a piss-up in a brewery, or run an economy even when THEY print all the money !!!
PREDICTION
As this is a re-run of the 1929-1933 US bankrupcy and in this case we started our collapse in 2007/8 ,expect the bankrupcy to happen 2011/12. We should still manage to limp through 2010 , with a fake “pump and dump” recovery as the BIG players try to cash out before total collapse!! .China will become more of a World and economic influence,they already are keeping the US economy running. This is Chinas nuclear option. If it dumps its 2 Trillion of dollar assets on the market the dollar collapses and China looses 2 Trillion in dollar assets . BUT as China has been financially divesifying its reserves ,its NON-DOLLAR ASSETS will rise significantly in value with a dollar collapse. Thus in theory ,China could actually dumps its dollar assets , and immediately bankrupt America and NOT LOOSE ANY MONEY DOING SO!!!!!!
“Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value —- zero.” – Voltaire
“You have to choose between trusting to the natural stability of gold and the natural stability of the honesty and intelligence of the members of the Government. And, with due respect for these gentlemen, I advise you, as long as the Capitalist system lasts, to vote for gold.” – George Bernard Shaw
The modern banking system manufactures money out of nothing. The process is perhaps the most astounding piece of sleight of hand that was ever invented. Banking was conceived in inequity and born in sin . . . Bankers own the earth. Take it away from them but leave them the power to create money, and, with a flick of a pen, they will create enough money to buy it back again . . . Take this great power away from them, and all great fortunes like mine will disappear, for then this would be a better and happier world to live in. . . . But, if you want to continue to be the slaves of bankers and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let bankers continue to create money and control credit.[38]
- Sir Josiah Stamp, Director of the Bank of England, 1927
What is the Difference Between Parental Alienation (PA) and Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS)?
by Douglas Darnall
In Dr. Richard Gardner’s second edit of parental alienation syndrome, he defined PAS as “a disorder that arises primarily in the context of child-custody disputes. Its primary manifestation is the child’s campaign of denigration against a parent, a campaign that has no justification. It results from the combination of a programming (brainwashing) parent’s indoctrination and the child’s own contributions to the vilification of the targeted parent.” He went on to emphasize the point that if “true parental abuse and / or neglect is present” and the child’s animosity is justified, PAS would not be an appropriate explanation for the children’s feelings.
Gardner describes what the severely alienated child will look like. To better understand PAS and help prevent the damage its causes children and families, I am suggesting that parents and the courts must understand the process that leads to PAS. Therefore I am defining parental alienation (PA), rather than PAS, as any constellation of behaviors, whether conscious or unconscious, that could evoke a disturbance in the relationship between a child and the other parent.
My definition of Parental Alienation is different from Dr. Gardner’s original definition of PAS in 1987: “a disturbance in which children are preoccupied with deprecation and criticism of a parent-denigration that is unjustified and/or exaggerated.” I am placing the emphasis on the brainwashing process while Dr. Gardner’s definition goes a step further to explain that the term is similar in meaning to brainwashing except that he adds the additional component of the child becoming active participant in the denigrating the targeted parent. In effect, the child has been successfully brainwashed.
With either definition, the motivation for the alienating parent has both a conscious as well as “a subconscious or unconscious” component.
The children themselves may have motivations that will make the alienation worse. Their hedonistic outlook for immediate gratification or their desire to avoid discomfort makes them vulnerable allies for siding with the alienating parent. The children become an advocate for the alienating parent by becoming the spokesperson for their parent’s hatred. They become the soldiers while the alienating parent is the general directing the action in the background against the targeted parent. The children are frequently unaware of how they are being used. It is most important to understand that if the child is angry and refuses to visit the targeted parent because of actual abuse or neglect, the child’s behavior is not a manifestation of PAS. This is why the issue of false allegations is so important.
Another difference in what I am outlining in my book (“Divorce Casualties: Protecting Your Children From Parental Alienating“) is my emphasis on the alienating parents rather then on the severity of symptoms. I believe this is important because parents (both mothers and fathers) must be able to honestly look at their behavior, identify the symptoms of alienation (not just the symptoms of PAS), and learn strategies for preventing PA regardless of whether the parent is the alienator or the targeted parent. I believe that alienation is a reciprocal process where both parents get caught up in alienation.
Dr. Gardner’s most controversial solution for dealing with severe alienation was to remove the children from the alienator’s home and place the child with the targeted parent. Later, however, he recanted his recommendation, saying that the children “are likely to run away and do everything possible to return to [the alienating parent's] home (Gardner, 1992).” Dr. Gardner then recommended “transitional sites” such as friend or family member’s house, a community shelter, or hospital. Each site would have a different level of supervision and resources to help the children and targeted parent. Hospitalization would be used only as a last resort.
Dr. Gardner’s definition emphasized the point that the child must be an active participant with the alienating parent in degrading the targeted parent. My definition of Parental Alienation (PA) focuses more on the parent’s behavior and less on the child’s role in degrading the victimized parent, because alienation can occur well before the parent’s hatred for the other parent permeates the child’s beliefs about the victimized parent. This definition is necessary if parents are going to recognize the risk they have for unconsciously falling into a pattern of alienation if they don’t take corrective action. By the time the children have come to agree with the alienating parent’s propaganda, it can too late to prevent the significant damaging effects of the alienation. *(See Note at the end of this article for an important new finding.)
Also, Dr. Gardner’s definition states that the criticism of the other parent must be unjustified and/or exaggerated. I do not believe this is necessary. One parent can alienate the children against the other parent simply by harping on faults that are real and provable. Divorced parents need to understand that their children need to love both parents if at all possible, even if they themselves have years ago ceased to love their ex-spouse or ex-partner. They should help the children to dwell on the other parent’s good points rather than the faults.
It is important to keep in mind that that alienation is not about the horrible parent or “bad guy,” versus the targeted parent or “good guy.” The “bad guy-good guy” roles rotate. The same parent can be both the alienator and the victim, depending on how he or she is behaving. It is not uncommon for a targeted parent to retaliate with alienating behavior against the other parent. At this point, the parents have reversed their roles. This process can occur well before PAS manifest itself. The problem now is that the alienation escalates back and forth, each parent retaliating against the other. What does this do to your children? It is this vicious cycle that must be prevented or stopped.
You can’t assume that the targeted parent is without fault. Targeted parents can become alienators when they retaliate because of their hurt. Now they are in the role of the alienator and the other parent becomes the victim. The roles become blurred because it’s now difficult to know who is the alienator and who is the victim or targeted parent. Often both parents feel victimized. Alienation is a process, not a person.
Understanding parental alienation is paramount for a child’s welfare and a parent’s own peace of mind. Divorced parents, grandparents, judges, mediators, attorneys, and mental health workers all need to understand the dynamics of parental alienation, recognize the symptomatic behavior, and execute tactics for combating the malady.
Published by: ABP World Group International Child Recovery Service
OMG!!!! Look his hair, he look so hot in hair style of young singer today XD~~~~. Love his smile : x : x : x. He still young and look like a tennager XD~.I want to go to Beijing T_T
Nikuman (肉まん; derived from 肉饅頭 niku (meat) manjū) is a Japanese food made from flour dough, and filled with cooked ground pork or other ingredients. It is a kind of chūka man (中華まん lit. Chinese-style steamed bun) similar to the Chinese baozi (包子), Also known in English as pork buns.
The recent attacks on google and other US companies that were traced to China have more specifically been traced to two Chinese schools, one that has ties to the Chinese Military. The same investigators who have traced the attacks to the schools also believe that the attacks may have started as early as April but were only recently detected. Although the Chinese government still denies they were involved in the attacks, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to believe their stance as more fingers continue to point to their involvement. 
From about four in the afternoon Saturday until now, there have been a constant display of fireworks exploding in the air and on the ground. The myth is that the fireworks and wearing red clothing scares away evil spirits (Nien in particular). To really experience the Chinese New Year, my program ventured out into the rural Chinese province, Shanxi.
Fortunately, there was much of the trip that was left. On New Years’ Day, we visited the Jinci Temple and the Qiao Family’s Compound. The thousand-year-old temple was absolutely breathtaking. After living in a world of buildings and steel and pavement, the gently falling snow and carefully placed trees and shrubbery had quite the effect on all in the program. The Qiao Family’s Compound did not have the same kick to it. After paying 400 kuai (58USD) for a meal for 11 (we got ripped off big time), the compound was little more than a few rooms and some painted dummies. I would definitely not return.
That night, we arrived in Pingyao, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Everyone was so kind there! When we got off the bus, we were greeted by a group of gawkers, demanding to help us with our luggage and take pictures. We had to walk a short distance (1/4 of a mile?) to get to the hotel because the bus wasn’t allowed within the city walls. Once we saw our rooms, we knew we were in real rural China.
Exploring Pingyao was an enjoyable experience. Lauren, Arete, Soomi, Chris, and I made a group. Together, we thrusted weapons at each other, rode a taxi that was a motorcycle tacked on to a cart, explored an ancient temple and ancient wall, and closed out the day with a liondance and massage. Though we were exhausted by the end of the day, Pingyao comes highly recommended.
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Note: He’s talking about the time before he became a Christian:
“It may seem strange to say it, but I have often felt thankful for the experience of this time of skepticism. The inconsistencies of Christian people, who, while professing to believe their Bibles,were yet content to live just as they would if there were no such Book, had been one of the strongest arguments of my sleptical companions; and I frequently felt at that time, and said that if I pretended to believe the Bible I would at any rate attempt to live by it, putting it fairly to the test, and if it failed to prove true and reliable, I would throw it overboard althogether.
These views I retained when the Lord was pleased to bring me to Himself; and I think I may say that since then I have put God’s Word to the test. Certainly it has never failed me. I have never had reason to regret the confidence I have placed in its promises, or to deplore following the guidance I have found in its directions.” ~ J. Hudson Taylor
Let’s pray the chopstick prayer: 
“Oh, Father in heaven, you are so good. You gave us the Bible to show us how to live (2 Timothy 3:16) and you gave us the Holy Spirit to help us to do it (Acts 1:8). May I please be like a pair of chopsticks in Your hand, doing whatever you will. In Jesus’ name, amen!”
Here’s a book you might want to buy and read with your family about Hudson Taylor. Click on the pic for ordering information.
Country 
People’s Republic of China
371.833
2
Germany
252.501
3
Japan
210.967
4
Saudi Arabia
95.762
5
Russia
76.163
6
Switzerland
70.797
7
Norway
59.983
8
Netherlands
52.522
176
Greece
-44.218
177
Italy
-52.725
178
Australia
-56.342
179
United Kingdom
-105.224
180
Spain
-145.141
181
United States
-731.214 [2]
