Friday, July 02, 2010

Financial Flim Flam
No One Knows
Chuck Colson

Here we are, after three long years, still enduring one of the most serious recessions in American history.

And, as you’ve heard me say many times, it’s an economic disaster we have brought upon ourselves—from ethical failures on the part of Congress, government bureaucrats, Wall Street, lenders, and, yes, ordinary citizens who were either too greedy or lacked enough common sense to realize they shouldn’t buy homes they can’t afford.

And we see the wreckage everywhere: lost jobs, houses, depleted 401(k)s, all up in smoke.

This is the revenge of secularism, the result of a nation that has lost the Christian work ethic—honest work for an honest wage, delayed gratification, avoiding personal debt. It is what happens when we abandon biblical principles and engage in reckless behavior.

And what have we learned?

Apparently, nothing. Not one thing.

That’s the only conclusion I can reach after seeing that Congress is posed to pass a monstrous, 2,000-page finance reform bill that a) no one, including your elected leaders, understands, and b) simply ignores one of the chief causes of the economic collapse.

I say no one understands the bill because the bill’s sponsor doesn’t even seem to know. The Washington Post reports that Senator Christopher Dodd said, "No one will know until this [the bill] is actually in place how it works.”

Are you kidding me?

But Senator Dodd knows exactly what the bill won't do. And that is clean house at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the very two agencies that the Wall Street Journal called, “the toxic twins of the mortgage industry.”

As the Journal opines, “By far the most significant error of omission in the bill is the failure to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government sponsored enterprises that encouraged the origination of risky mortgages in the first place by purchasing them with the support of many in Congress.”

And that’s what should have every American citizen enraged. Fannie and Freddie, which pumped out heaven knows how many bad loans, are left un-reformed by a reform bill passed by our elected leaders, who in turn have received millions of dollars in campaign contributions from Fannie and Freddie.

How cozy. How corrupt. And how utterly unacceptable.

There are other problems with this bill: Does it fix the corrupt system of bond rating agencies, who are paid by their clients for favorable ratings? Are the American people protected from never-ending bailouts of failed banks and corporations? Well, as Senator Dodd would say, “no one knows.”

It is grossly irresponsible for the people who brought us this catastrophe to pretend they are fixing it—when all they are doing is adding level upon level of bureaucracy, more government, more spending, all without addressing the fundamental problems.

Democracy can’t work this way. The elites are counting on the American people to go back to their iPhones and twitter accounts and forget the whole thing. They’ll take care of things for us.

Well, I say this is beneath the dignity of a free people. If citizens do not express their outrage, then we deserve what we get.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Gulf Oil Spill - The Greatest Disaster Since The Flood?
Politics / Environmental Issues
Jun 23, 2010 - 01:23 AM

By: Submissions

Joshua S. Burnett writes: Most articles begin with a purpose statement revealing what the author desires to convince the reader of. This article is different. These few paragraphs begin with a plea for someone to tell me that I’ve got the evidence all wrong and that what I see and know is a smoke filled illusion void of reality. I want someone who knows differently to tell me. So as you read this article please understand that I’m not attempting to be a fear-mongerer. Please know I’m no prophet or guru, just a guy who looks at all the evidence he has and draws conclusions. And if you know I’m wrong and why, please write and tell me.

First, let’s review the facts:

1.The spill has continued, unimpeded, for two months now.
2.No advancement has been made on actually plugging the leak.
3.Every attempt at plugging the leak thus far has failed, and failed totally. It’s not as if we’ve made progress and fallen just short. We haven’t done jack.
4.Not only have we not made any progress in plugging the leak, the estimates of how much oil is actually leaking have grown steadily to the point where the official rate is now twelve times higher than initially released (from 5k bbl/day to 60k bbl/day) and the private estimates double the official rate (120k bbl/day).
5.Before this, Exxon Valdez was the worst oil spill in American history. That took months for the initial cleanup and much of the oil spilled was unrecoverable (boom operations, the bread and butter of oil cleanup, only captures 20% of spilled crude) and continues to contaminate the area, years afterward. If current official estimates are to be believed (and they’re on the very low end of plausibility) we’ve got 15 Exxon Valdez’s already spilled in the Gulf. The equivalent of another Exxon Valdez is spilled every four days (every two days if private estimates of leak rates are true).
6.We’re now in hurricane season. We’ve averaged 11 named storm systems per season for the past 53 years.
7.Oil generally floats to the top of the water (exceptions to be explained later) which is the first liquid to be picked up by storm systems.
8.One quart of oil contaminates 250,000 gallons of water.
9.The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is located right off the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Just considering these facts here’s what I would consider to be the expected outcome (not the worst case): first, we wouldn’t need anything more than a tropical storm (of which we can expect 11 in the geographical vicinity this year) to pick up a massive quantity of oil and rain it all over the coast to an inland distance of several hundred miles (it isn’t uncommon for hard rain from a tropical storm to reach as far north as Tennessee). This oil will destroy all vegetation it lands on and poison any surface water and probably shallow water tables. These water sources are what all local wildlife subsists on and the source for all city water purification I know of. You obviously see the problem here. I can see some of the hardier trees surviving if we get enough pure rainfall immediately following a tropical storm or hurricane drenching, but all this would do is to rinse the oil into ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and the water table; cleaning this up would be a multiple year nightmare; recovery for the region would be measured in decades.

But that’s not all of it; here’s where I outline my “worst case” scenario. The main reason they’re having such incredible problems capping the darn thing is not because of depth; it’s because of internal well pressure. In the pre-drilling geological surveys a massive methane pocket was discovered coinciding with the oil deposits; this pocket is sitting at a pressure of 100,000 psi. Current engineering technology doesn’t exist to contain something at 100,000 psi, meaning efforts to cap this puppy are useless. The presence of this methane pocket is becoming harder to ignore as 40-70% of the emissions from the leak are now comprised of natural gas (and we’re still blowing out 60,000-120,000 barrels of oil a day). Best estimates put the amount of methane leaking at 2,900 cubic feet for every barrel of oil spilled (with an estimated 4.5-9.0 billion cubic feet of methane leaked so far… and the dang thing is STILL in six digit psi).

The secondary concern here is the pressure and what happens if (more like when) it is discovered that the oil leak can’t actually be capped as it spews with that amount of internal force. The primary concern is what happens if/when the methane pocket ruptures; some estimates put its size at 15-20 miles wide (at 100,000 pounds of pressure per square inch).

If the methane bubble explodes, it would create a tsunami that would wipe out anything within dozens (and possibly hundreds) of miles of the Gulf Coast in all directions (view this animation of the 2009 tsunami in Samoa and how it spread). The tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 wiped out between 150,000-300,000 people, some as far away as South Africa. This was caused by an earthquake that shifted the ocean floor by meters. An explosion of this size would shift the ocean floor for miles. The Gulf is touched by the Mississippi River and opens into the Caribbean where it is exposed to the Panama Canal.

I’ve just outlined what I think would be the worst case scenario. So, for fairness sake, let’s turn our attention to the best case scenario. To do that let’s assume a few things:

1.The oil leak is capped today (a virtual impossibility, since BP’s most optimistic estimates don’t even put sufficient siphoning capability in the region until mid/late July). Or, let’s assume the oil runs out (yet another virtual impossibility seeing how it is still spewing out of the ground at 100,000 psi; this tells us there’s quite a bit more where that came from). But let’s assume one of these two possibilities.
2.We’ve got the equivalent of between 15 and 30 Exxon Valdez’s that have spilled in the Gulf. One of the inherent traits of oil is that it separates from water and rises to the top; but this inherent trait can be temporarily suspended. Think back to grade school when one of your teachers brought in colored water and oil mixed in a two liter bottle; if you shook it hard enough you could get the two to mechanically mix and it would take a period of time for the two to separate. That’s with the strength of a fourth grader. One of the problems revealed in this video is that much of the oil, spewing out at 100,000 psi, is still sitting at the bottom of the Gulf and spreading outward from there. This has severe long term implications for the fishing and shipping industries across the Gulf states. As large a deal as other industries are made of in the Gulf States it is the Gulf itself that drives them; without a living Gulf fishing, shrimping, crabbing, oystering, and tourism are all gone. With them goes the economic viability of the area.
3.With immediate concern I see the possibility of a large quantity of oil being dropped across the coast as virtually unavoidable, and with it goes the large scale poisoning of flora and fauna… and there too goes the long term economic viability of the coast.
Best case? Oil rains down within 300 miles of the Gulf Coast, poisoning flora and fauna and turning the major parts of the Gulf States into disaster areas. Large scale evacuations will have to be made in any contaminated areas simply due to the carcinogenic risk of the oil; this will create large refugee camps outside of the immediate disaster areas and the economic ripple effect will be felt nationwide; this will obviously impact the world economic scene in a negative fashion.

That’s the best case scenario.

Worst case? The methane bubble explodes, causing a tsunami that wipes out 80% of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Large portions of Texas are also destroyed. The Gulf islands and Mexico will be in the same boat. All of the oil platforms currently drilling in the Gulf would be torn away from their moorings, creating further oil leaks that would exacerbate the problems already there.

Does all of this sound fantastic and like I’m completely off of my rocker? I know it does to me, and I’m writing the dang article. But I just can’t get away from the fact that this is where the trail of evidence leads me. Three and a half million barrels of oil don’t just disappear. A methane bubble that size at those pressures doesn’t just quit pumping. So I’m asking someone to tell me that I’m nuts, and why. Tell me that none of my reasoning makes sense and what the real answers are.

By Joshua S. Burnett

Email Josh at jburnett85@gmail.com

© 2010 Copyright Joshua S. Burnett - All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.
URGENT, URGENT, URGENT
Posted: Wednesday, June 30, 2010
- written by JERRY GOLDEN

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URGENT, URGENT, URGENT

There is a very large naval force that has come together in the Persian Gulf and surrounding Iran. The USS Carrier Harry Truman has pulled into the area loaded for bear. Israel and the US have grouped bombers and fighter jets in many countries in the Middle East, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan and others. Over the past week USS warship have went through the Suez Cannel, as have Israel subs all capable of launching a Nuclear Attack. And if Iran has already obtained or developed a nuclear warhead this thing will certainly go nuclear bringing the world into a global war. In fact, if Iran goes to the nuclear option Israel will have no choice but to take out Syria, Hezbollah (now all of Lebanon) and the Hamas in Gaza, and also Egypt if it tries a sneak attack, in short order or face terrible civilian causalities.

While most people are concerned and closely watching the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and justly so all hell is about to break lose around the world if Iran is attacked. Another decoy or if you will smoke screen is the change of command in Afghanistan that has also found 24/7 coverage in the media news. To put it bluntly, folks we are in deep trouble and if you haven't made your peace with the Prince of Peace Yeshua you are in even worse trouble, if you haven't prepared and stored some water and food, made some arrangements for your family all I can say is shame on you. If you are Jewish and you haven't bought that air plane ticket to Israel, shame on you as well.

We always hope and pray that once again this is just the kid shouting wolf, wolf but I am afraid the wolf is here, and all that fire power now gathered in the Persian Gulf is far greater than anything we have ever seen in the past, this is just plain serious and explosive. It is very obvious that Iran cannot be threatened or bluffed, and sanctions have no effect, leaving only the military option, so here we go.

My first thought was to send you this information so you can make an intelligent assessment or do your own research to verify this information. My second thought is, oh God I am so sorry that we don't haven't done better in preparing to save Jewish lives, that we still don't have the larger boat, please be with us as we move out trusting you to do Your Will Your Way with what you have supplied us with for without your hand on us we can do nothing. I pray that if you have been called to this Ministry and have been holding back that you release the funds right away. If you are a faithful supporter I thank you and I know God cannot lie (Gen.12:3) I ask you to kneel before God and ask Him what you should do for this Ministry and for your family while it is still possible.

To support this Ministry click HERE.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for our son Joel and all the IDF soldiers. Pray for this Ministry and your part in it.

Shalom, jerry golden
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The Golden Reort
http://www.thegoldenreport.com/
Shocking Developments
Posted: Sunday, June 27, 2010
- written by jerry golden

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Connie and I have returned from a trip that took us through Turkey, Rhodes, and Kos. Many valuable contacts were made and the hand of God was felt upon us every step of the way. There are many things I'd like to report, but feel it best at this time to hold back on some things for obvious reasons. One thing I feel imperative to report is this; Israelis have stopped travelling to Turkey for vacation and yet in past years they did so at a rate of over 600,000+ a year to one city alone (Antalya). This has put a great deal of stress and financial pain upon the Gullet charter business, and the result will be even lower prices as these large boats go up for sale. Just one of these boats could save many Jewish lives.

If you live in the US or anywhere within a few hundred miles of the Gulf of Mexico you would already have been inundated with information about the Gulf Oil Spill. Nevertheless, I feel it necessary to forward this link to you. Someone sent it on to me. I don't know who this person is, but I think they have it right on the dot and you should read this very carefully. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article20530.html.

For those who still haven't perceived the Prophetic Word of God in all of this, I am sure they will soon - but maybe far too late? For God's Word is very clear, Zechariah 12:9 "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Zechariah 12:2-3 "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it".

It is said that a people "get the government they deserve". It has been a total amazement to me that Obama could have been elected as President of the USA - yet when we look back with 20/20 hindsight we now see who is in control. My heart goes out to the believers who will now see things come to pass that I have spoken of many times. They have been warned by this Messenger, and many others, to prepare for their loved ones and to be a witness - for there are many who can still be saved.

As for this Ministry we have our calling, and we move forward knowing that God is with us, Regardless of the many dangers around you, God would have you look out to bless others in Yeshua's name. Perhaps God has called you to stand alongside this Ministry? [Gen. 12:3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Zechariah 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem for our son Joel and all the IDF soldiers. Pray for this Ministry and your part in it.

Shalom, Jerry Golden

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The Golden Reort
http://www.thegoldenreport.com/