99er Rhonda Taylor to Speak at "Rally to Save the American Dream" this Tuesday

99er Rhonda Taylor will speak at the Rhode Island "Rally to Save the American Dream" this Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

WHAT: Rally to Defend the American Dream Against Republican Budget Cuts

WHERE: 1000 Chapel View Blvd, Cranston, RI

WHEN: Tuesday, March 15, at 4:30 PM

We’re demonstrating to support efforts by Senators Reed and Whitehouse to BLOCK Republican initiatives to make our poor and middle-class American taxpayers “foot the bill” (even more than before) for the damage caused to our economy by Wall Street Banks and their affiliates. We will also express our OUTRAGE over recent attacks by Republican governors on the state and local governmental foundations of our democracy!

We’re standing up to defend our schools, health clinics, fire stations, parks, libraries and more. If the Republicans’ federal “spending cut” initiatives pass, they will kill at least 700,000 American jobs!

Come out and show your support for a federal budget that invests in—not cuts—the American Dream and one which helps our state and local governments better survive the losses of revenue caused by Wall Street misdeeds.

For more information and rallies in your area to join, visit: http://pol.moveon.org/event/defenddream/

How we can EASILY rid ourselves of our “national debt boogieman” entirely!

Throughout our nation’s history, our nation has undergone numerous economic “boom and bust cycles”, and during the “bust” portions of those cycles “boogieman” arguments like the ones we’ve been hearing about our present “national debt” have been used to “morally justify” governmental actions that have devastated the livelihoods of tens of millions of Americans! But the fact is that none of those disastrous actions were ever really necessary, because our federal government is authorized by the US Constitution to “issue money” WITHOUT incurring any debt to do it. Earlier on, those “busts” were created (or at least made worse) by bank or government initiated contractions of our nation’s supply of gold-based and/or silver-based paper money. But nearly a hundred years ago, our Congress (and President Wilson) got duped by a group of Wall Street bankers (led by J. P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller) into enacting the Federal Reserve act of 1913 which established a legalized “Ponzi scheme” that required our government to borrow from the Federal Reserve in order to issue new paper money. That law CREATED what we now call our nation’s “national debt.” Subsequently, that borrow-in-order-to-create-money principle was ALSO applied to all federal government checks for “new” (non-revenue-raised) dollars and to new electronically created dollars. The bankers who sneaked that law through Congress knew very well that the US Government would ALWAYS spend more money than it received in taxes and thereby engage in “deficit spending.” So given that fact that our national debt get’s automatically “rolled over” each year, the US has been paying compound interest on EVERY new paper dollar, check-created dollar, and electronically created dollar it has issued through the Federal Reserve since 1914!

In principle, at least, when our government issues coins, it pays less than face value for each coin, and it pays it only once! But when our government issues new “paper money notes” (minted dollar notes, dollar checks, or electronically created dollars), it not only pays full face value for those notes, it pays compound interested on those notes FOREVER! This is INSANE! It’s a Ponzi scheme that is increasing our Federal-Reserve-created “national debt” at an exponential rate!

Our government can solve this problem EASILY by repealing the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and its follow-on legislation. Our Treasury Department could then “create money out of thin air”, just like the Federal Reserve has been doing, but WITHOUT creating any additional debt burden on all future generations of Americans! Eventually, all of the US government bonds that comprise our present “national debt” will get paid off (with interest), and future generations of Americans will no longer need to be concerned about a “national debt” which will no longer exist. This will also enable our economy to operate a LOT more smoothly than it presently does, because our Treasury Department will be able to easily fill in money-supply gaps while “controlling inflation” by limiting the amount of new money it creates, just as the Federal Reserve has been doing (but without incurring debt).

And if you are wondering whether or not the rest of the world will honor US dollars that have no gold or silver backing them up, the fact is that they have been doing so for the past 40 years since President Nixon severed the last remaining relationship between gold and the US dollar in 1971.

So the easiest and most practical way to get ourselves out of this unnecessary “national debt crisis” is to REAPEAL the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and its follow-on legislation NOW!

Written by: Christopher Currie, 161 Lake Shore Drive, Pascoag, RI 02859

[The donation button below is for Paladinette. If you like what I write please donate so I can keep on fighting for the 99ers! Thank You!]

Japan Earthquake 2011: Unofficial Missing Or Dead Toll At 12,000

First reported at Zennie62.com

The unofficial missing or dead toll as a result of the 8.9 Richter Scale Japan Earthquake is, solely according to this blogger's estimate, standing currently at 12,000 people. That's the result of taking two solid reports from the Kyodo News (which is starting to be recognized as a reliable source for news on the Japan Earthquake).

One report explaining that the victim toll is greater than 2,000, and the second one from Focus-Fen.net, a breaking news story that over 10,000 people are not "accounted for" in the port city of Minamisanriku in quake-hit Miyagi prefecture, according to Japan's NHK.

That's just over half of the town's population of 17,000 people.

The other reason for this, is the apparent lack of desire of the Japanese Government to release actual, reliable data on the latest information relate to the quake. More often than not there are conflicting reports on everything from the death toll, to persons missing, to the possibility of a nuclear meltdown at one of the five nuclear plants of concern.

Stay tuned.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel Split

People magazine online reports that Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have split after their on-again-off-again three year relationship. The magazine also includes rumors that Timberlake may be cozying up with costar Mila Kunis:

Last month, Timberlake, 30, and his Friends with Benefits costar Mila Kunis were "pretty inseparable" at an afterparty for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, but a source said at the time that the pair – who lit up the Oscars stage as co-presenters a couple of weeks later – were just friends.

In October, another source shot down chatter that Timberlake was cheating on Biel with actress Olivia Munn.

Despite the infidelity rumors, Timberlake and Biel continued to show a united front and spend quality time together.

A different source who knows the couple said Biel "looked the other way" when it came to Timberlake's alleged cheating. The source says "it's been a rough road" for the pair who denied rumors of a breakup in 2009 after spending some time apart due to busy work schedules.

Image from Ecorazzi.

UPI.com reiterates that the break up was mutual.

Top Comic Book Artists Headline 25th Wondercon 2011 SF

Wondercon 2011 SF (San Francisco) is fast approaching and will be held April 1st - April 3rd 2011 at Moscone Convention Center South. The Bay Area-born event, created by Bay Area retailers John Barrett, Bob Borden, and Rory Root, along with comics writer and agent Mike Friedrich, was bought by Comic Con International in 2002, and has grown to draw 36,000 people.

Wondercon 2011 is sponsored by BBC America, DC Comics, G4, Showtime, and War North, the 25th Anniversary Wondercon 2011 is bringing some of the World's top comic book artists to San Francisco.

Just check out this list: Jason Aaron, Sergio Aragonés, Berkeley Breathed, Tony Daniel, Mark Evanier, Adam Hughes, Brian Keene, Robert Kirkman, Hope Larson, Bob Layton, Paul Levitz, Jeremy Love, Francis Manapul, Carla Speed McNeil, Terry Moore, Ryan Ottley, Joe Quesada, Frank Quitely, Amy Reeder, Seth, Bill Sienkiewicz, Len Wein, F. Paul Wilson, Marv Wolfman.

Wondercon posted bios of the artists on the event website, like this one for Jason Aaron:

Jason Aaron is an Eisner and Harvey nominated comic book writer whose work includes the critically acclaimed crime series Scalped for Vertigo and celebrated stints on Black Panther, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine: Weapon X for Marvel. He currently writes Wolverine, Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine, and Punisher Max, all for Marvel. Jason lives in Kansas with his wife and two sons.

And this one for Sergio Aragonés:

One of MAD magazine's longest-running cartoonists (Al Jaffee holds the record) and the creator of that popular dim-witted barbarian Groo, Sergio Aragonés recently ventured into the popular world of The Simpsons, becoming a featured writer/artist in Bart Simpson Comics. A new book, MAD's Greatest Artists: Sergio Aragonés: Five Decades of His Finest Works, celebrates Sergio's long history with the humor magazine.

Zennie62 Will Be At Wondercon and Comic Con 2011

Follow Zennie62 on Twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube channel Zennie62, to get videos and tweets on what's happening at both Wondercon and Comic Con 2011.

A Badge Warning

Additionally, Wondercon producers want you to know that events are on a first-come, first-seated basis. Having a badge doesn't mean you're going to be seated if a room is already filled to capacity, so get there early.

Satoshi Tajiri (Pokemon), Yuko Yamaguchi (Hello Kitty), Alive After Japan Earthquake 2011

First reported at Zennie62.com.

There's a rumor on Twitter so persistent that it's caused "Satoshi Tajiri," the creator of the game Pokemon (pictured), to become a Twitter Trend over the assertion that he, as well as "Hello Kitty" character creator Yuko Yamaguchi died.

Both Satoshi Tajiri and Yuko Yamaguchi are still alive.

In the case of Mr. Tajiri, the Pokemon creator was, in part, the focus of a Nintendo Twitter Tweet reading:

NintendoAmerica Nintendo of America
Thanks for your concern! During the earthquake no one at Nintendo in Japan was injured and there was no apparent structural damage.
17 hours ago

Additionally, the blog Mauritiushot.com reports:

Satoshi Tajiri,45 years old live in Machida, Tokyo. Satoshi Tajiri fainted while seeing the destruction done by the Tsunami but he is not dead.

In the case of Ms. Yamaguchi, there's no evidence or reports of her death in the Japan Earthquake or the Tsunami.

For reasons that add up to insensitive mischief, Twitter has been a cosistent source for rumors of the death of celebrities, and in the wake of the fifth largest earthquake in history, someone elected to play on fears and launch tweets that have turned out to be a hoax.

Japan Earthquake 2011: Nuclear Plant Explosion, No Radiation Rise #prayforjapan

Contrary to reports at The Huffington Post, the explosion at the massive Tokyo Power Electric Co. Fukushima Dai-ichi plant did not cause a rise in radiation levels.

AlJazeeraEnglish on YouTube just issued a new video, the one above, reporting that the metal container that shelters the reactor has not been effected. Radiation is not rising, but decreasing. This information was released by the Japanese Government.

The blast was originally feared to have caused a radiation level increase. Four workers were killed.

Al Jazzera reports that a state of emergency has been declared for five nuclear reactors at two different sites in Fukushima.

As of this writing, the Japan Earthquake 2011 death toll is at 600, although it's believed that number will be revised upward as time progresses.

Philippines Tsunami Evacuation

After the big earthquake hit Japan triggering a tsunami the Philippines is now ordering tsunami evacuation as the tsunami's 3-foot-waves are expected to hit the northern coast, according to Yahoo News.

Yahoo writes:

Philippine Volcanology and Seismology Institute director Renato Solidum says the first 3-foot (1-meter) high waves are expected to hit the northernmost Batanes islands by 5 p.m. (09:00 GMT) Friday.

Disaster management officials in Albay province southeast of Manila say they have ordered residents to move to designated evacuation sites that are at least 15 feet (5 meters) above sea level.

Japan's Earthquake and Destruction

CNN reports that the earthquake in Japan is the largest it has had in over 100 years - it has killed hundreds of people and collapsed many buildings. The earthquake has also brought on a tsunami which adds to the devastation.

CNN writes:


Friday's quake is the strongest earthquake in recorded history to hit Japan, according to U.S. Geologic Survey records. The previous record was an 8.6-magnitude earthquake that struck near the Chubu Region near southwestern Honshu on October 28, 1707, that may have killed 5,000 people, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris said.

The quake, which struck at 2:46 p.m. (12:46 a.m. ET), prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories, although initial reports as the waves hit outside of Japan indicated no damage.

The epicenter of the main quake Friday was off Miyagi Prefecture, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) from Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Photo taken from Bharat Chronicle

Japanese broadcasters reported collapsed buildings, power outages and transportation disruptions throughout Japan. In Tokyo, 230 miles from the hardest-hit areas, rail service was suspended, elevated highways were shut down early Saturday and surface streets remained jammed as commuters continued trying to get to their homes in outlying areas


There is a lot of commotion around the Fukushima nuclear power plant, because the emergency cooling system has not been working and there is fear for a meltdown as reported by the LA Times.

The shut down of over 18 percent of all plants has caused much of the electricity in Japan to be shut down.

President Barack Obama has offered condolences and assistance to Japan.

CNN writes:

"I offer our Japanese friends whatever assistance is needed," he said during a news conference. "Today's events remind us how fragile life can be."

Obama said Friday that the main U.S. assistance to Japan for now would probably be "lift capacity" in the form of heavy equipment to help clean up damaged infrastructure.

The U.S. government is taking inventory of how many military personnel are in Japan to provide help, he said, adding that American citizens in Japan will also receive assistance.

Obama called the earthquake and tsunami "a potentially catastrophic disaster," saying the images of destruction were "simply heartbreaking."

The following is video footage from Japan:

Oakland Army Base Redevelopment Update - Phil Tagami Video Part 1

On Tuesday, this blogger visited California Commercial Investments Managing Partner Phil Tagami, who has been a friend of mine since 1990.

Tagami is the developer of the Fox Theater (where such groups as Coldplay and Green Day have performed) and The Rotunda (both in Downtown Oakland), sat down to talk with me about the progress his team, including AMB Realty, is making on the redevelopment of The Oakland Army Base in West Oakland into in a new town and facility called Oakland Global. The 300-acre project's in what is technically called an "Exclusive Negotiating Period," as of this writing.

It's a weird deal in that Phil's team could do a lot of work, from environmental studies to infrastructure planning, and still lose the right to continue the "ENA." There's no sign of that happening, however, and if it does, the City doesn't have a viable "second act" to effectively complete the work.

Print that.

Here's the Oakland Army Base Redevelopment Update video, which is 33 minutes long in total. This is blog post is "part one," because our talk is filled with jargon that has to be explained for the lay viewer, and will be in a follow up post. This blog post presents our talk. Here's the video:



Stay tuned.

Huge Japan Earthquake Triggers Tsunami

The 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan this morning was the 2nd this week, and triggered a Tsunami that has already passed the coast of Kauai, as coastal evacuations proceed in Oregon, Washington, and California. President Barack Obama has already offered help to the people of Japan, and has a news conference scheduled for later this morning.

"Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the people of Japan, particularly those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake and tsunamis..."

U.S. President Barack Obama

Twitter is sluggish as the information flows; the two best hashtags are #japan and #tsunami as of now. Further information, including how to help, is available via CrisisWiki.org

Obama offers help to #Japan after quake, FEMA and Coast Guard ready in states as CA and OR opt for #tsunami evacs http://bit.ly/hFG2Wa

@kabiu Tweet

Record 8.9 earthquake, 2nd quake in 3 days, hits japan, triggering tsunami. http://reut.rs/ehpuKV Hawaii evacs in progress

@kabiu Tweet

Political Correspondent Thomas Hayes is a former Congressional Campaign Manager; he's a journalist, communications consultant, photo/videographer, entrepreneur, and union supporter who contributes regularly on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

You can follow Tom as @kabiu on twitter. Tweet

Tsunami Warning For West Coast After Japan's Massive Earthquake

Japan suffered a massive 8.9 on the Richter Scale Earthquake that MSNBC's reporting to be, as of this writing, one of the fifth largest in history.

The quake caused a 12-foot tsunami in the port city of Kamishi and its tremors shook buildings in the capital Tokyo, over 400 miles away. The sheer magnitude of the quake, which has killed 17 people as of this blog post, is such that tsunami warnings have been issued for Hawaii and for the entire United States West Coast.

Tsunami warning sirens have been sounded in Honolulu after the quake, and the first waves are expected to reach Hawaiian shores at 8 AM Island Standard Time. About 1 meter of waves are expected

The Japan Quake, which struck at 2:46 PM local time in Japan, hit 129 miles off the coast, and resulted in the first giant waves sweeping whole portions of Japanese farmland away, and washing large 18-wheel trucks in its path. The video images are horrifying. Here's some of them from YouTube:









The epicenter of the quake was near the town of Sendai. The airport there is pretty much under water.

AlJazeeraEnglish on YouTube has continued live coverage and videos of the Japan Earthquake and tsunamis. Here's a video:



Stay tuned.

NFL Fans Should Pay For Their Tickets, Not Stadiums

By David Levy-Fan Experience Reporter-Football Reporters Online

The Georgia Dome in Atlanta remains a perfectly fine building for professional football. Still a teenager, it is nowhere near long in the tooth. Capacity is enough to accommodate nearly every Atlanta Falcons fan willing to buy tickets.
Arthur Blank, the team owner, craves a new stadium. That seems akin to trading in your car after it has logged only 20,000 miles, but he can well afford it.  Blank, the former owner of the ubiquitous American home improvement store chain called The Home Depot, has a net worth of $1.2 billion, according to Forbes, and the franchise value has risen 52 per cent since he bought it in 2002 for $545 million.

But wait. Blank expects the quasi-public agency that operates the Dome and the proposed site of a new stadium to issue bonds that would pay some of the costs. That should be 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, sticking it to taxpayers at the same time that funding for public schools in Georgia is being cut.


This sickness is spreading among NFL team owners. In Minnesota, the Vikings' Zygi Wilf has capitalized on the collapse of the Metrodome's inflatable roof amid a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm and the fear of the franchise relocating to Los Angeles in his campaign for a replacement stadium. Of course, citizens would contribute to the project. Never mind that Blank might expect Wilf, worth $1.3bn, to pick up their lunch bill.

The shameless nonchalance of these folks who seem detached from reality has generated a shifting of the winds.  We have already experienced it here in New York and New Jersey.

The public, which normally sides with management during labor disputes in American sports, is sympathetic toward the players in a stand-off with owners that has pushed the league to the brink of a lockout.  In a poll conducted by Seton Hall University, 35 per cent who participated backed the players, compared to 22 per cent for their bosses. This, even though the same study found that most contend the players are overpaid.

Taxpayers are increasingly fed up with being forced to become stadium-erecting partners with Rolex-wearing, yacht-sailing jet-setters. Economists nowadays agree on little, but one belief they share is that public support of professional sports offers almost nothing financially in return.

The Giants and Jets grew tired of their shared arena and convinced the government to pitch in for a new-and-improved one. The old Giants Stadium was torn down despite carrying more than $100m in debt that must be paid off by the good people of New Jersey.  Plus, the season ticket holders are also helping flip the bill on the new one with PSL's.  Isn't that double dipping?  The nerve!

Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, stands complicit in this wasteful building boom. From his office comes a wink-nod promise of the ultimate in ego gratification for owners: host your own Super Bowl! Just throw up a stadium and you will get the big game. How you bankroll it, that's your business.

Which explains why the 2014 Super Bowl was awarded to New Meadowlands in a region where the average low temperature in February is -2°C.  Which also explains why 22 of 32 teams have moved into fresh digs or had their existing ones totally made over in the last two decades.
In that time, teams have been blessed with more than $7bn in taxpayer subsidies for construction and renovation, according to the NFL Players' Association.

The players union reports that, on average, taxpayers put up 65 per cent of the financing for those projects. Owners found a way to avoid putting in any money for 10 of them; for nine others, their contribution amounted to less than 25 per cent.
Further driving public sentiment toward the players are reports on the sport's inherent physical risk, particularly for victims of post-concussive syndrome that has ravaged retirees. Fans are looking beyond the average salary of $1.9m and discovering other statistics:

$770,000, the median yearly pay.  Three-and-a-half years, the average length of career.  Eleven, the average number of players per team on injured reserve this past season.

While many of us might trade places with the players, the figures show that most of them accumulate more aches and pains than enough wealth to last them a lifetime.

For team owners, it is a different story. Admittance into the club all but guarantees going from rich to richer, experienced from the comfort of a stadium luxury suite.

Fine. That is the American way. But those who knock on government doors seeking handouts to finance mostly unnecessary arenas should instead heed the marketing message aimed at customers of Blank's old home improvement stores.
Do it yourself.

Follow me Twitter @LevysBakeryProd or at LevysBakeryProductions.com