Pop Goes the Weasel, Google developing a face recognition APP that will divulge EVERYTHING about you.

He ain't Heavy, he's my Google Big Brother.....

Remember when the big worry was a tattoo on your forehead identifying who you were, or an implanted chip, well, those days are gone and now we'll just take picture of your FACE, and let the world know everything about you.

A 60 Minutes Tear Jerker, Global Medical Relief's Mission.

Is there a correlation between Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions?

Just a couple of days before the 8.8 offshore Japan Earthquake, Hawaii was experiencing significant volcanic activity. Right around the time of the 2011 8.8 Japan Earthquake, Three volcanoes were active. Click here to read more.

The biggest problem with Collective Bargaining is there is more than one Collective, and they base their raise on what other Collectives get.

No need to read my short article about collective bargaining, the headline says it all. Basically, by bargaining with several different unions, various collectives are able to work off of each other to extract bigger and bigger contracts. If there was only one collective, and perhaps just one across the board raise for everybody, collective bargaining could work.

It amazes me how the real grain of truth within the bigger controversy always gets overlooked and under publicized. Each collective bases their deal on what other collectives have already gotten, or on what they think other collectives will get. The problem is, each collective believes their collective is more important than the other collectives, and no collective wants to look like they got the weakest deal for their own union.

Combine all the collectives, everybody gets the same percentage of raise, and that could go a long way towards solving the collective bargaining issue.

"Please Support Inside Job", I posted that message as a Graphic and Link on ten of my blogs since October 15, 2010.

If you google the phrase "Please Support Inside Job" as a graphic and as a link, you would find that I had posted a free advertisement for Inside Job since October 15, 2010 on ten of my blogs. If you googled the phrase "Please Support Inside Job" on the web, you would see pages of my blogs at the top of google that not only listed the graphic but also gave a link to where the movie could be viewed.

However, unless I say something, it's the kind of thing that I'll never be acknowledged for on any level, even if it were for nothing more than to build trust and loyalty for future recommendations.

Why is that?

If the United States Declared Solar and Wind Energy as Rogue Terrorists, I bet we'd find enough to supply all of our energy needs.

Is it a good thing when the headline of an article completely explains the content of the article that is to be written?

Imagine thousands of U.S. Military men with telescopic mounts on top of surveyor gear combing the U.S. countryside looking for enemy wind and solar energy terrorist cells.

Does anyone doubt that our military could find enough of these wind and solar energy terrorist cells within the United States to provide energy for the United States?

Should returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan be re-deployed in the U.S. to hunt down wind and solar energy terrorist cells, capture them, and convert them to energy?

Just a thought.

Federal Hobbs Act Violations Challenged by Several Defendants who were Candidates Only.

"Edit Update: Feb. 18, 2011) Judges throw out Hobbs Act Violation. How is this fair to the other politicians running for office? If a politician is anyone who runs for office, then it should not matter whether they actually win or not, no?

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Pa. fed appeals court hears NJ corruption claims.

The Federal Hobbs Act case being tried by federal appeals judges in Philadelphia apparently has never occurred before. The defendants are trying to get the Federal Hobbs charges removed because they were not politicians at the time of the apparently illegal deeds they are alleged to have done. The Federal Hobbs Act violation that is being considered is the accepting of funds by a politician in exchange for further favors under the color of right.

This case is really a huge deal on many levels. What I did not understand were a couple of the judges questions and analogies, and more importantly, what wasn't asked. One judge seemed to be implying that it would be wrong to charge someone for burning their own house down just because the house was in what could be called "escrow". I don't really get that analogy. There were other prospective home buyers interested in that home and the act of burning the house down ruined the chances for others to buy the home.

What concerns me are the other, honest candidates that don't promise favors in exchange for money NOW, TO HELP WIN THE RACE. Violating the Federal Hobbs act under the color of right at the expense of other political candidates should therefore be on the table, no?

On the other hand, the government could easily meddle in ANY RACE since every candidate receives donations and anyone could then accuse them of accepting the money in exchange for favors after the candidate is elected. Although, since the government accusing political candidates of Hobbs Act violations apparently has not come up before, so maybe it would not be an issue.

The other issue that is not being brought up is, once a candidate gets signatures to become eligible to run for a political position, they are in fact a politician running for office. You don't become a politician by running and winning office, you become a politician once you convince enough people to sign your petition to run for office.

Otherwise, somebody who runs for office and loses could never call themselves a politician.

Dance of the Digital Dominators, aka Wall Street can't create anything, Wall Street just combines things and takes money off the top.

The four headed monster comprised of the Internet, the advance of digital media technology, satellites, and Wall Street, at first helped caused an economic expansion. Now, this four headed monster demands to be fed, and main street is the happy meal it seeks out.

Wall Street no longer creates anything, they simply recombine something that already exists, and they appear to take the biggest cut for themselves. That is the essence of the four headed monster that is destroying the U.S. economy and soon the world's entire economy.

This four headed wall street monster can multiply, securitize, then re-multiply ANYTHING, many times replicating the same product in different markets than disappearing with the upfront bonuses and fees that have already been collected, long gone before the house of cards collapses.

Wanna place a bet on which state will have the most foreclosures, wall street will offer some type of securitized fund. Want to securitize any future failure? No problem, Wall Street will securitize it and profit handsomely on the front end.

and there in lies the problem.

If Wall Street put together deals that had a reasonable profit cap on what they could earn, and if the money was paid out over time instead of upfront, maybe, just maybe, we could learn to live with the four headed Wall Street Monster.

Instead, the upfront, over the top profits that Wall Street creates for itself simply motivates Wall Street to reinvest using the same profit paradigm as before, a new financial product that once again creates nothing but a temporary increase in value that ends up in wall streets pockets.

I don't know if there is a solution, but until we de-emphasize wall street's role in growing real jobs for main street, we are whats for dinner.

The most Hurtful Anti American Words I ever heard were meant as a back handed compliment by a Canadian Tourist at a 2011 New Years Eve Celebration.

The most hurtful anti american words I ever heard spoken were actually meant as a backhanded compliment by a Canadian Tourist enjoying herself at a 2011 New Years Eve Celebration.

I was at home for news year eve when I heard the comment made on television. I don't even recall what channel I was watching, it might have been Fox, it might have been KCBS, it might have been KABC, when my jaw dropped as the most hideous thing ever said about america was said in passing by a canadian tourist actually enjoying herself at a Pasadena Rose Bowl Pre-Parade New Years Eve Party.

When I heard the Canadian say what she did, I actually felt tears well up, even when I think about it now, it can still bring me to tears, and not in a proud way. Our Canadian friend said what she did in an off the cuff way to a reporter and I think that is what makes it so hurtful. Our Canadian friend didn't really pause in thought, she just said it... "If there's one thing americans still know how to do, it's put on a show."

The way our canadian friend said "IF there's ONE THING americans still know how to do, it's put on a show" that made the comment so hurtful. This comment is painful because I think she's right. If there is even one thing we still know how to do, it's how to put on a "show".

I will admit I am not sure if the word "still" was used. I think it was, but either way, the undertone of the comment is lethal. We are becoming the world's court jesters (but with knives?), and PROUD OF IT.

Even the word "show" reminds me of Barack Obama picking up a prematurely won Nobel Peace Prize, then flying to Europe with Oprah Winfrey in tow so he could try and win the Winter Olympics moreso for Chicago, than America, so he could be center stage as he finished his 8 years in office. The show was mapped out even before Barack Obama had won the presidency.

In the past I have referred to Barack Obama as having a "poker face" when it comes to his complete botching of foreclosure relief programs such as HAMP and EHLP. Barack Obama should be facing impeachment charges over the save your home foreclosure deception he so proudly backed in March of 2009.

It was that same Alfred E. Neuman poker face that belittled the fact that a significant portion of Barack Obama's record campaign donations in the 2008 democratic presidential nomination race came from anonymous, untraceable, pre-paid credit cards.

Maybe it is appropriate that the description of america "If there's one thing that americans still know how to do, it's put on a show", were said right in the middle of our poker faced, untraceable president's first term in office.

Oil, the rising economy sinker. When the economy is bad, oil is priced lower, when the economy starts to heat up, oil prices go up.

Oil prices generally go lower when the economy goes bad. Oil prices seem to increase at the first sign of any economic activity, thus squashing any real economic momentum.

Even if the economy is able to survive higher oil prices, some of the additional oil profits that are created from higher oil prices may be being used to simply seed the worlds stock markets to artifical highs, before they crash again.

Gotta get the alternative energy products humping so we can get out of this lose, lose paradigm.

Undercover Boss GSI Commerce Michael Rubin inadvertently exposes why the economy is in the tank and may never get better.

I was watching the Sixty Minutes story on the diminishing water supply in Kenya that could mean the end of the annual wildebeast run. Right after Sixty Minutes came Undercover Boss, and suddenly I saw why there are so many out of work people and why they may never find work. 


The hour long Undercover Boss episode featured Michael Rubin, (who runs GSI Commerce) and his interaction with several of his own workers while "undercover" as a new hiree.

Her name is Shannon and it rhymes with Cannon, and if you watched her pack GSI Commerce boxes one after another, you might just say, All Star softball pitcher potential. Shannon was packing boxes so fast that it indeed looked like the videotape was speeded up. 


Shannon, in my opinion worked twice as fast as what one would consider acceptable speed. Shannon's job for the day was to teach the new employee, Undercover Boss and owner of the company, Michael Rubin - who was masquerading as a new hire, how to pack boxes, quickly.

At one point, Michael Rubin asked Shannon how many boxes she could box and ship per hour. Shannon responded thatthe minimum requirement is 90 packed boxes per hour, but she normally averaged 110-130 per hour. I don't recall what she exactly said, but it was a 110 on the low end, and many more on the high end.

I noticed something else about the segment with Shannon, there seemed to be boxing work stations that were empty. This got me to thinking, if Shannon is the fastest boxer at 110 to 130 per hour, and the minimum boxes packed per hour to keep ones job was 90, it was clear to me that 90 is too high of an "average".

Shannon to me looked like she was twice as fast as a normal boxer. Ergo, one half of 120 would be 60 boxes per hour. The average boxer should be boxing 60 boxes per hour, 75 boxes per hour would solid, 90 boxes would be super fast, and 100 and over would be super human speed.

Michael Rubin got fired from his own company after just one day because he was expected to box 90 boxes per hour and he probably never did more than 45 to 60 in an hour. It seems to me that someone who works as fast as Shannon should make more money than someone who works at Michaels pace. Instead of one speed fits all, why not have pay scale categories?

Assuming Shannon is making at least 15-17 dollars an hour, pay Michael 8.50 an hour for boxing 50 boxes, and offer a pay scale for more boxes averaged per hour. 60 boxes would equal 10 bucks an hour, 70 boxes would equal 12.00 bucks an hour, 80 boxes would equal 14.00 bucks an hour, 90 boxes would equal 16.00 bucks an hour, 100 boxes would equal 18.00 bucks an hour, 110 boxes would equal 20 bucks an hour, 120 boxes would equal 23 bucks an hour.

I bet the minimum boxing requirement per hour was not always 90 boxes an hour. I bet it has slowly gone up over the years so that the executives could get bigger and bigger year end bonuses. The result is the company gets more and more selective in whom they hire, putting more pressure on fewer workers until those fewer workers burn out. Shannon may average over 100 boxes per hour, but the moment she cuts her finger and her finger bleeds, then what?

Does it take two workers to replace Shannon? Where do those workers come from if all they do is hire Shannon's only?

After the company hires only "Shannon's", they eventually discover that riding someone in fifth gear all the time wears them out PREMATURELY. Suddenly a few Shannon's quit, and there is a huge dip in production and profits drop. An executive is fired as a result, and another one is hired.

The new executive decides to drop the minimum productivity rate from 90 boxes an hour to 60 boxes an hour (where it probably was a few years ago). After a while, the new executive starts to play the same "raise the minimum boxes per hour game" that the prior executive played. 


The company now has a big enough pool of reliable employees who  can handle 60 boxes per hour, plus a few who work a lot faster, so the executive slowly starts to raise the per hour box quota rate. The executive now gets rewarded for turning the boxing division around, and the previous process of ramping up the hourly quota keeps repeating itself.

It is silly to expect a person to do any job as fast on the first day as they would do it after one week's worth of experience, one month, the sixth month, and after the first year.

If GSI commerce expects a new worker to produce at a B+ A- level by the end of day one, the U.S. economy will never recover because not every worker out there is a B+ A- level producer, especially from day one.

One more thing about Shannon, if she can box 120 boxes in an hour, and the company charges 6 bucks for shipping and handling. Shannon is generating 720 dollars worth of value per hour. Yet there are several hidden costs than enable Shannon to be hired so she can work and have benefits.

Isn't it interesting that a worker possibly generating 720 dollars of wealth per hour, even after we subtract 320 dollars per hour for her work station, power, boxes tape, space, electricity, storage space, shipping costs and handling of her boxes, and so on, might Shannon still be generating 400 dollars of wealth per hour minus the cost of her pay and benefits?


If so, profits can still be made hiring workers who aren't as fast. A mix of Shannons and those who are slower is the perfect blend, and one that fits economic landscape as well.

A powerful indictment of the entire Wall Street Banking System and the Foreclosure Meltdown by L. Randall Wray of Benzinga dot com.

L. Randall Wray ties all of the banking malfeasance from the past decade together in one column on Benzinga dot com. Click here to read the indictment. Hat Tip to Market Ticker and Swarm the Banks.

The Internet has changed capitalism forever, unfortunately the rich elite just don't get it and we're all going to pay a huge price because of it.

Securitization in the foreclosure industry is what happens when there is too much money on top of the economic ponzie scheme and not enough investment opportunities to go around.

Until interest rate dividends are inverted, and the poorest receive the highest rate of return on their savings, and the richest receive the smallest rate of return on their savings, we are doomed.

The internet has created a communication efficiency paradigm that cuts profit margins because of the consumer ease of cost comparisons. Because of the internet, the days of higher profit margins are basically over, unless slave labor is added in to the formula.

You want huge profits, own part of a satellite, another huge JOB KILLER. Every time a satellite sends a signal to a new subscriber, another angel gets its wings cut off. Nowadays, huge profits mean someone has figured out a way to produce the same product with less people, aka, digitalizing the process. Increased efficiency means less overall jobs, yet the banksters continue to try and indenture their customers with obscene interest rate charges.

Rich people need to back off and simply PROTECT what they already have, and leave the remaining profit crumbs for the masses to survive off of, if they don't, we are all doomed, sooner, rather than later.

Is the U.S. Government Throwing a "Screen Pass" to deceive us with their ill Conceived Government Home Foreclosure Programs such as HAMP and EHLP?

Is the Federal Government Throwing a "Screen Pass" to deceive us with their ill Conceived Government Home Foreclosure Programs such as HAMP and EHLP?

Do you know how a screen pass works in football? The quarterback drops back to pass and the offensive linemen pretend to not let the defensive lineman rush past.

The defensive lineman gleefully rush in thinking they have outsmarted the offensive lineman and are about to sack the quarterback, when the quarterback just lofts the ball over their heads to the running back, who the defensive lineman gleefully ignored as they put their entire attention on sacking the quarterback. The running back suddenly has several of his own guys in front of him, and the defense way behind him in his rear view mirror.

When done correctly, the quarterback is able to get the pass off and also avoid the pass rush, leaving the defense to literally run in circles trying to catch the running back that they just let go by.

In many ways, the current home foreclosure debate has resulted in a lot of time spent rushing the quarterback, aka the government programs and the government rhetoric over whether the proper transfer of title was legally done, but not that much time on the actual real harm (aka the pass to the running back) that has already resulted from the improper transfer.

Is it possible that these federal programs and the ridiculous rhetoric over HAMP and EHLP are being thrown out there to create rancor and discord among "experts" on both sides of the issue so that issues that really matter, like what is a predatory loan, and the changing of terms without the expressed, written, consent of the homeowner, get obfuscated?

Credit card debt old school elitist advocate whores are destroying the world economy.

Lets face it, there are credit card debt old school elitist advocate whores who are ruining the planet. Credit Card debt old school elitist advocate whores are just as bad as those who enticed and addicted Asians to smoking cigarettes.

Because of digital technology and built up infrastructure, the world economy has expanded to the point where the less debt there is, the more agile the world and its people become. However, the Credit Card debt old school elitist advocate whores think they are doing the world a favor by allowing us to stand below them while groveling in debt.

Credit Card debt old school elitist advocate whores need to die because they are too set in their ways to change, and that is what is killing the planet. Credit Card debt old school elitist advocate whores receive the best interest rate dividends and Credit Card debt old school elitist advocate whores need to die because of this, and the sooner the better.

Credit Card debt old school elitist advocate whores are too set in their ways to understand that what worked in the past, has now devolved into an economic toxin that leaves people homeless by the tens of thousands everyday in the United States and no doubt is doing the same elsewhere.

Unfortunately, Credit Card debt old school elitist advocate whores are either too stupid to see that hardware infrastructure and digital capacitance has flowered, or too narcissistic to see that they are no longer needed.

Unless these Credit Card debt old school elitist advocate whores understand they should be receiving the lowest interest rates on their billions of dollars of wealth, not the highest, they need to die, and the sooner the better.