Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts

Monday, April 05, 2010

Obama's Private Army enforcement of biometric national identification number

Dear Friends,

I suggest you watch the following you-tube video:






More blatantly unconstitutional abuses of power… an army (starting at 6,000) that is accountable only to Obama, and which circumvents the governors of the “several states”, and which receives funding well beyond the constitutional appropriations requirement of every two years. This was contained in two pages of the 2,700 pages the bill. There isn’t a democrat or republican who read the entire bill. No, it wasn’t a transparent process, and no it wasn’t debated on C-Cpan as the usurper Obama promised. Obama lied. Language in the bill suggests that this army would be used in a national crisis, and pardon me, but now I have to ask “what kind of crisis might these folks gin up so they could fulfill their stated goals of hope and change?”. And, for what purpose would a military wing be needed for use on our own soil that has anything to do with health care?

I wonder if this “army” will be used to enforce the national id card (Page 58 of the bill) which may be biometrically applied to the human hand. After all, under the mandatory health plan, you must be properly identified…IT’S THE LAW. Will the i.d. requirement on page 58 be combined with the Schumer/Graham proposal of a biometric, fraud-proof national i.d? In my opinion, look in the near future for Obama’s special enforcement apparatchiks to enforce a new i.d. on you. Is this the hope and change you voted for? Maybe not, but this is what happens when an entire nation rejects God and develops a mainstream pop-culture that calls evil good and good evil. The law of sowing and reaping has not been repealed and God is still on the throne.

WORSHIP THE ONE TRUE LIVING GOD, NOT GOV! I reject Obama. I reject his law, and I reject his usurping government.

Even the Europeans are warning us of an emergent communism (notice I didn’t say socialism) on our own soil.

Read this article from The European Union Times:

http://www.eutimes.net/2010/03/world-mourns-as-communist-darkness-falls-upon-america/


Saturday, April 03, 2010

Reconciliation Act H.R.4872 Brings Microchipping to America (and other interesting info)

...and if you are not completely convinced about the utter evil coming out of this administration (and government for that matter), take a gander at this. My understanding is that there was not only this Reconciliation bill (H.R. 4872) passed, but the HIRE act (H.R. 2847) as well. So as everyone is arguing about "health care reform" our country is being taken down bit by bit, again, in stealth. Its just a coincidence that TIME magazine runs a story about the marvels of micro-chipping the population (yeah, biometric ID cards, to chips next, trust me).

Home of the sheep, land of the slave.

btw, oh yeah and the new Biometrics Agency is just for the military...It won't possibly be used against the American citizens some day.

Oh yeah, and James Lovelock wants "a few people with authority" to run the planet. This is the man Al Gore listens to, and John Holdren, and James Hansen from NASA.

Reconciliation Act H.R.4872 Brings Microchipping to America


SkyWatch Canada

Infowars.com
March 30, 2010

During the thorough coverage of H.R.3590 America thought it was free of a ‘Healthcare System’ that allowed a national medical registry to be created and the population to be tagged with implantable RFID chips. But a second heath care related bill called “The Reconciliation Act of 2010” (2300 pages) was recently passed by the Senate on March 25th after being passed by the House on March 21st. This bill has been cleared for the White House and awaits the signature of the Dictator and Chief. Buried in the text of the 2300 page monstrosity in section 2521, the creation of a National Medical Device Registry is enacted. This is portrayed as a registry to collect safety data on medical devices such as pacemakers and to put the safety data in a publicly accessible national electronic database.

But as usual the wording of this bill permits the creation of something entirely quite different. In 2004 the FDA approved the Verichip for use of storing medical records. This device was classified as a Class II medical device. This is most likely the Class II implantable device being referred to in this section of the bill. The bill allows the unique device identifier (Chip ID tag) to be linked to “postmarket safety patient outcome data” regarding the implantable device itself. In order “to facilitate the analyses of postmarket safety and patient outcomes” the health secretary will examine ways to gain access to Medicare health records, private sector health records and other data deemed necessary (including surveillance data) by the Health Secretary and then link it to the database and your RFID implant. Just to be accurate, section (3) defines “data” as “claims data, patient survey data, standardized analytic files that allow for the pooling and analysis of data from disparate data environments, electronic health records, and any other data deemed appropriate by the secretary.”

So basically this bill creates a National Database of any type of data deemed appropriate by the executive branch of the US Federal Government. This could literally be anything. This could include anything you might have expected to find in an East German Stasi file. All of this data will then be linked to a “Class II implantable device” under your skin. There you have it, just like Lindsey Williams warned us. Forget the national ID card, implantable microchips are coming to a clinic near you no later than 36 months after the bill is signed into law.


•HR 4872 RH
1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 519 of the Federal
2 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360i) is
3 amended—
4 (A) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub
5 section (h); and
6 (B) by inserting after subsection (f) the
7 following:
8 ‘‘National Medical Device Registry
9 ‘‘(g)(1) The Secretary shall establish a national med
10 ical device registry (in this subsection referred to as the
11 ‘registry’) to facilitate analysis of postmarket safety and
12 outcomes data on each device that—
13 ‘‘(A) is or has been used in or on a patient; and
14 ‘‘(B) is—
15 ‘‘(i) a class III device; or
16 ‘‘(ii) a class II device that is implantable,
17 life-supporting, or life-sustaining.

18 ‘‘(2) In developing the registry, the Secretary shall,
19 in consultation with the Commissioner of Food and Drugs,
20 the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
21 Services, the head of the Office of the National Coordi
22 nator for Health Information Technology, and the Sec
23 retary of Veterans Affairs, determine the best methods
24 for—

1 ‘‘(A) including in the registry, in a manner con
2 sistent with subsection (f), appropriate information
3 to identify each device described in paragraph (1) by
4 type, model, and serial number or other unique iden
5 tifier;
6 ‘‘(B) validating methods for analyzing patient
7 safety and outcomes data from multiple sources and
8 for linking such data with the information included
9 in the registry as described in subparagraph (A), in
10 cluding, to the extent feasible, use of—
11 ‘‘(i) data provided to the Secretary under
12 other provisions of this chapter; and
13 ‘‘(ii) information from public and private
14 sources identified under paragraph (3);
15 ‘‘(C) integrating the activities described in this
16 subsection with—
17 ‘‘(i) activities under paragraph (3) of sec
18 tion 505(k) (relating to active postmarket risk
19 identification);
20 ‘‘(ii) activities under paragraph (4) of sec
21 tion 505(k) (relating to advanced analysis of
22 drug safety data); and
23 ‘‘(iii) other postmarket device surveillance
24 activities of the Secretary authorized by this
25 chapter; and

1 ‘‘(D) providing public access to the data and
2 analysis collected or developed through the registry
3 in a manner and form that protects patient privacy
4 and proprietary information and is comprehensive,
5 useful, and not misleading to patients, physicians,
6 and scientists.
7 ‘‘(3)(A) To facilitate analyses of postmarket safety
8 and patient outcomes for devices described in paragraph
9 (1), the Secretary shall, in collaboration with public, aca
10 demic, and private entities, develop methods to—
11 ‘‘(i) obtain access to disparate sources of
12 patient safety and outcomes data, including—
13 ‘‘(I) Federal health-related electronic
14 data (such as data from the Medicare pro
15 gram under title XVIII of the Social Secu
16 rity Act or from the health systems of the
17 Department of Veterans Affairs);
18 ‘‘(II) private sector health-related
19 electronic data (such as pharmaceutical
20 purchase data and health insurance claims
21 data); and
22 ‘‘(III) other data as the Secretary
23 deems necessary to permit postmarket as
24 sessment of device safety and effectiveness;
25 and

1 ‘‘(ii) link data obtained under clause (i)
2 with information in the registry.
3 ‘‘(B) In this paragraph, the term ‘data’ refers to in
4 formation respecting a device described in paragraph (1),
5 including claims data, patient survey data, standardized
6 analytic files that allow for the pooling and analysis of
7 data from disparate data environments, electronic health
8 records, and any other data deemed appropriate by the
9 Secretary.
10 ‘‘(4) Not later than 36 months after the date of the
11 enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall promul
12 gate regulations for establishment and operation of the
13 registry under paragraph (1). Such regulations—

14 ‘‘(A)(i) in the case of devices that are described
15 in paragraph (1) and sold on or after the date of the
16 enactment of this subsection, shall require manufac
17 turers of such devices to submit information to the
18 registry, including, for each such device, the type,
19 model, and serial number or, if required under sub
20 section (f), other unique device identifier; and
21 ‘‘(ii) in the case of devices that are described in
22 paragraph (1) and sold before such date, may re
23 quire manufacturers of such devices to submit such
24 information to the registry, if deemed necessary by
25 the Secretary to protect the public health;

1 ‘‘(B) shall establish procedures—
2 ‘‘(i) to permit linkage of information sub
3 mitted pursuant to subparagraph (A) with pa
4 tient safety and outcomes data obtained under
5 paragraph (3); and

6 ‘‘(ii) to permit analyses of linked data;
7 ‘‘(C) may require device manufacturers to sub
8 mit such other information as is necessary to facili
9 tate postmarket assessments of device safety and ef
10 fectiveness and notification of device risks;
11 ‘‘(D) shall establish requirements for regular
12 and timely reports to the Secretary, which shall be
13 included in the registry, concerning adverse event
14 trends, adverse event patterns, incidence and preva
15 lence of adverse events, and other information the
16 Secretary determines appropriate, which may include
17 data on comparative safety and outcomes trends;
18 and
19 ‘‘(E) shall establish procedures to permit public
20 access to the information in the registry in a manner
21 and form that protects patient privacy and propri
22 etary information and is comprehensive, useful, and
23 not misleading to patients, physicians, and sci
24 entists.

1 ‘‘(5) To carry out this subsection, there are author
2 ized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary
3 for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.’’.

4 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The Secretary of
5 Health and Human Services shall establish and
6 begin implementation of the registry under section
7 519(g) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
8 Act, as added by paragraph (1), by not later than
9 the date that is 36 months after the date of the en
10 actment of this Act, without regard to whether or
11 not final regulations to establish and operate the
12 registry have been promulgated by such date.
13 (3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section
14 303(f)(1)(B)(ii) of the Federal Food, Drug, and
15 Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 333(f)(1)(B)(ii)) is amend
16 ed by striking ‘‘519(g)’’ and inserting ‘‘519(h)’’.
17 (b) ELECTRONIC EXCHANGE AND USE IN CERTIFIED
18 ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS OF UNIQUE DEVICE
19 IDENTIFIERS.—


THEY WANT TO CONTROL YOU
THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU DO
THEY WANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU GO
THEY WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH YOU SPEND...
...AND ON WHAT
THEY WANT TO KNOW WHO YOU TALK TO
THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE...
...BEFORE YOU HAVE THEM
THEY WANT YOU TO LINK YOUR FRIENDS TOGETHER SO...
THEY CAN TRACK YOUR RELATIONSHIPS...
...NO MATTER HOW DIVERSE

ALL IN THE NAME OF PROTECTION

I FEEL SAFER ALREADY

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Health and Financial Freedom

I wanted to jot down some notes on how to quickly get yourself healthier. The following health information will put you on the right track. The financial research information is to show you another side to the mainstream financial people out there. I also have a preparedness/survival section coming as well.

I will update all sections until I think they are complete.

Health and Diet


READ THIS
first, it talks about how to cure most "diseases" like diabetes, allergies, etc, in 60 days. All diet plans require ongoing maintenance and there are no "magic" cures.

THIS is the magical diet which puts all this stuff together.

HERE is the supplements page

You basically need all these supplements, ask about the Collogen.

The Expel is the soft colon cleanse, and VERY important. Take exactly as prescribed.

The Oral Chelation needs to be followed exactly as specified. These guys are over in Walnut Creek, so you may be able to get a better price there.

The Chelated minerals is your multi-vitamin

The Florabiotics, Digest-A-Meal, and Megahydrate help your body digest food better, and should be bought even after your diet. These simply help when you need to eat foods that are not raw and/or organicly prepared.

You can then supplement your foods with raw good treats from Whole Foods, including raw dairy which is extremely important for the diet. You have to stay away from pasteurized products of any sort during the diet. You have to stop drinking coffee during the diet, VERY important. You can have cold-pressed, organic fair trade coffee, filtered but NOT boiled. Boiled coffee created acid, and destroys the vitamins. You can't eat any processed meats, sandwiches, or at most restaurants. Check out Whole Foods or Trader Joes organic and uncured meats. Only restaurants which are raw food shops are allowed, like Cafe Gratitude. Stay away from artificial everything, including sweeteners. Stay away from white sugar and white flour products.

HERE is the multi-vitamin from Mercola, if you want to try something else after the diet

Cardio Renew is another chelation product recommended

DONT FORGET EXERCISE LIKE WALKING, ETC.

Did I mention that YOU NEED TO STOP SMOKING!! I know there are smokers out there, and if you are not one then don't worry about it. This is a very important aspect of the diet. Smoking causes problems with the vitamins and absorption. If you have migraines the smoking will aggravate things too. If you have any physical problem inside your brain, the migraines may never go away, but there are naturopathic remedies to ease your suffering. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Go see a doctor, get some blood tests, see if there are any blood problems. Have them do a full panel, lipids, chems, everything.

Get a referral to an allergy specialist and see if you have any allergies. Use the blood test version, and have them check for everything including casein, wheat, soy, peanuts etc.

---
Health Subscriptions

GET this subscription, and you get his books too.

You probably want to browse through THIS website, and check out the books and papers that can be purchased.

---
Financial and News Subscriptions to invest in

Gerald Celente's Trends Journal
online only required

PeopleNomics, very important abstract journal

The International Forecaster newsletter, online subscription, twice weekly
You may be able to get this free, by buying gold from Midas Research

The Financial Times newspaper, online and paper subscription

Fortune Magazine, online and magazine subscription

Psychology Today magazine

Rock Creek Press subscription

WND Red Alert

CFR Foreign Affairs Magazine

Criminal Politics newsletter.
This guy is a little out there, but has solid information and a good investment history.
See if they have a multi-subscription version. These are really easy to pass out, just like Republic Magazine.

American Free Press
1 year subscription print edition + Bilderberg book + Online edition free upgrade

The Economist magazine
print and online

Vantage Economics newsletter

Joel Skousen's World Affairs Brief

Republic Magazine
50 copy subscription to hand out

The New American
print+online

Freedom Force International Subscription
Get yourself one of these at $50/month or something

The Shape of Things to Come by Half Past Human
there are a total of 4 of these, and we should get all 4.

The ALTA report by Half Past Human
this is located at the same place. I was told these reports are usually only purchased by very serious investors and those people who have oodles of money to spend in not only reading the report, but want to place their money in places which will gather significant return.


Investment Category

The Weiss Elite Research newsletters (lifetime)

The Skousen High Income Alert



---
Supplemental Subscription I already carry and are good to have

Euro Pac Global Investor, free

Science and Technology Review LLNL
free

Wired Magazine
Really important to keep track of technology trends
damn, that bag looks nice!

2600 Journal (lifetime subscription)

Policy Analysis from CATO

Washington Technology Magazine

RAND Review magazine and online subscription
free

Saudi Aramco World Magazine

Reality Zone Newsletter

International Business Times (free)

---
Mainstream press
good to have to see what the sheeple get to read. I don't have any of these.
I just pickup at store when I can, but its sporadic.

Wall Street Journal Newspaper

TIME Magazine
US Edition

TIME Magazine
Europe Edition, if it can be delievered to US location

National Geographic Magazine + DVD subscription
highly controlled CIA publication, but important to read

Newsweek Magazine
US Edition

Newsweek Europe Magazine
Hopefully they let a US address subscribe

US News and World Report

AWAKE! The watchtower magazine by the Jehovah Witness crowd
online news, free

Meridian Morman Newsletter

LDS Living Magazine
keeping up with the Utah, food and disaster preparedness experts

Christianity Today Magazine


---
DVD Subscriptions

One Dollar DVD project
9 DVD's a month, or more


---
More supplemental world affairs magazines
I saw these at the magazine rack, and I am sure they contain things like policy papers these nut jobs all read

Infinite Energy magazine

Journal of International Affairs

World Policy Journal

Homeland Security Today magazine

Brown Journal of World Affairs

Journal of International Security Affairs

World Affairs magazine

Edutopia
No idea how to subscribe

National Review magazine

The New Republic magazine

The National Interest

Journal of Democracy



---
Preparedness Resarch
Preparedness Research comes next, after some sleep

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

List of Constitutional Violations in Healthcare bill

Posted on March 22, 2010 6:04:02 PM PDT by JimWayne


Article 1, Section 7 - All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.


First Amendment
(Establishment Clause) and Fourteenth Amendment (Equal Protection Clause) - [Quote: "Exempts from the coverage requirement individuals who object to health care coverage on religious grounds"]: Although the courts allowed the Amish not to pay Social Security tax, this bill would be different if it exempts the Amish and Muslims from participating in the system while forcing the Catholics to participate in it.


Article 1, sections 1 and 8
(Powers of the Congress) and Article 5 (Procedure to Amend the Constitution) - [Quote: "It shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection."] - The quoted text effectively amends the Constitution and abridges the law-making authority of Congress. This has been done without two-thirds majority.


Article 1, Section 8 (Commerce Clause)
- The commerce clause grants rights to regulate interstate commerce, not intrastate commerce (health insurance is not interstate commerce since you cannot buy it across state lines). Secondly, not buying insurance is not commerce.


Fourth Amendment
- The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated


Fifth Amendment
- nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.


Tenth Amendment
- The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

[]

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

When faith is frayed - Financial Review time

Everyone, this news is one of the latest truthful mainstream articles out today. Those of you over 55 (check rules on accounts), you have far greater control over your retirement funds now. Many analysts who are being truthful, are telling people to get into gold and precious metals. I mean pull a majority if not all of it out, and buy gold and silver coins. Get yourself a big enough gun safe and stash your money, and get a shotgun.

Those under 55, you will want to re-invest your retirement funds into diversity accounts including oversees currency and commodities. Stocks and bonds are going to die, but gold will be around forever. A lot of fund managers can now dip into gold reserves to invest clients money. Either that, or transfer money into Euros and/or Francs. Some analysts are saying just take the 10% hit and pull the money out now, and after gold takes off during the depression you will have doubled your money, or more. There is a 20% backside tax, but several analysts are talking about gold going upwards of $2000 to $4000, and you could be holding a pretty good nest egg.

I am going to list some websites. I hope you will not just listen to me, but listen to the experts I have been listening to. I wish I would have played my hand better back on 2002-2005, or maybe I would have some money to protect now. Unforunately, I don't. I will feel really awful if I don't warn you much more fervently on the coming economic collapse. I am reading many books, and listening to many financial experts on what to do in the coming year. Please, please, please take action. I did not listen to anyone back in 2005 when the housing crisis was hitting, and I paid for it. I am no longer sticking my head in the sand, but listening to experts on the web and local brokers. I will personally not be making the same mistakes twice.

Its great if you have a garden, because that is where its going to get interesting over the next year. I will most likely be starting my own garden here shortly. We have to grow our own food to stay healthy. I recommend taking a look at www.efoodsdirect.com as they sell many products which are just very prudent to have around, especially during economic downturns, depressions, and collapses. Storable foods, emergency supplies, 3-day packs, water purification, solar panels are all good things to invest in for many different reasons.

This should be forwarded to the remainder of the family. Let everyone get online and do their own research. I am providing initial links, but nobody should be sitting idly by right now and "hope" our government will bail them out. Its our money they are playing with and the bankers have done a really bad job at taking care of our business. They have just been looking out after their own butts, and even some of them got burned.

I don't want this to be gloom and doom. If a house is on fire, its a bad thing, but the best thing to do is warn people about it. We can all live another day once its been put out. The problems right now are because of the bankers (the big ones in New York), the Federal Reserve and the dollar devaluation. Housing, food prices, gas and commodities are all affected because of this.

for more information contact me at rhawk301-at-gmail.com

http://www.ft.com/home/uk

http://www.kitco.com/ (but look at the 5 year charts, and when gold is supposed to jump and slump)
http://www.goldseek.com/

http://www.theinternationalforecaster.com/ (very good site, Bob Chapman has been in this business for 35+ years)

http://zfacts.com/p/461.html (National debt information)

Listen to Jim Rogers on Bloomberg

Bloomberg has been pretty straight on news as well http://www.bloomberg.com/index.html?Intro=intro3

Here is a PCWorld article of all things about dollar devaluation

Here is the CIO forrester article it mentions

Forbes article talking about smart investing during inflationary times, and the devaluation of the dollar.

The buck doesn't stop here; it just keeps falling

Speculation, weak dollar add $45 to oil prices: OPEC

Geopolitics and Geoeconmics by F. William Engdahl

U.S. dollar devaluation not the only currency bet in town

Here is an Indian newspaper talking about the dollar collapse

Jerome Corsi's RedAlert newsletter
Subscription only, but good to look at the blurbs and headlines to do further research

Prediction of market downturn hitting target

Google News Search on Dollar devaluation

Infowars news archive of financial articles



KEY POINTS (not from me, from smart investors)

1) Favor those countries with strong external balance sheets and high savings rates (JPY, SGD, KRW, CHF, TWD). Note that these are the anti-carry trade currencies from this cycle.

2) Favor those countries that have/make stuff that the world wants (kind of an offshoot of point 1, but more geared to commodity producers that will continue to experience favorable terms-of-trade shocks). This means CAD, NOK, AUD, and maybe NZD. I am less hot on AUD and NZD because of their massive current account deficits.

3) Stay away from the big borrowers (USD, GBP).

4) Buy gold - it's the only real currency.

Tom Petruno
Market Beat

When faith is frayed

Blows to the banking system are raising unsettling questions in an already turbulent economy.
Tom Petruno, Market Beat
July 12, 2008
In a modern financial system, nothing is more frightening than a run on the bank.

The U.S. now has suffered through a series of them, and they are escalating in size and scope -- posing a serious threat to the already reeling economy.

On Friday, rumors swamped financial markets that the federal government would be forced to step in to aid mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together own or guarantee $5 trillion in U.S. home loans.

In Wall Street's version of a bank run, investors drove shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to 17-year lows, signaling a gnawing lack of faith in the companies' ability to survive rising mortgage defaults without government help.

Later in the day, regulators took over IndyMac Bank of Pasadena, saying the $32-billion lender had collapsed under the weight of bad home loans and withdrawals by spooked depositors. It was the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history.

Friday's events were felt around the world, knocking the battered U.S. dollar lower and driving up interest rates.

"This is a flare-up in the financial forest fire that is far beyond anything we've seen before," said Christopher Low, chief economist at investment firm FTN Financial in New York.

And it is triggering worries that would have been unthinkable even a year ago -- including that the U.S. Treasury's debt might lose its AAA credit grade because of heavy blows to the nation's fiscal health from the housing mess.

Just four months ago, many on Wall Street believed they had seen the worst of the credit crisis rooted in the housing market's woes. The collapse in March of brokerage Bear Stearns Cos., a key player in the business of packaging dicey mortgages for sale to investors, was the kind of high-profile calamity that historically has marked the end of financial crises.

Bear Stearns, too, was a victim of a devastating run on the bank, as many of its creditors suddenly stopped lending to the firm and investors dumped the company's stock.

Reacting quickly, the Federal Reserve took unprecedented steps after Bear Stearns' demise to make cheap loans available to loss-ridden banks and, for the first time, to securities firms. The Fed's moves helped restore calm to markets by April.

But by May, investors' focus had returned to the slumping housing market and the likelihood that banks and brokerages would face more losses on mortgage-related debt. Confidence in the stock market, and in financial institutions large and small, eroded anew.

Worse, the price of oil began a stunning climb in April that still hasn't relented. Crude prices closed at $145.08 a barrel Friday, up from $100 as April began.

Record energy costs, coupled with surging food prices, raise the risk that more beleaguered consumers could fall behind on their mortgage payments.

"These prices for oil and food, in an economy 70% driven by consumers, are just adding more strains to the financial system," said Tom Atteberry, a fund manager at First Pacific Advisors in Los Angeles.

As worries about the economy mounted in June, stocks went into another tailspin that has continued in July. Wall Street now is officially in a bear market -- meaning a drop of at least 20% in key stock indexes -- for the first time since the plunge of 2000-02.

The Dow Jones index, which fell 128.48 points to 11,100.54 on Friday, now is down 21.6% from its record high last year.

That's still a long way from the 38% dive the Dow took from its peak in early 2000 to its low in October 2002.

But there are some parallels between the 2000-02 period and the current one that hint at worse to come.

The stock market's crash in 2000 began with the bust in highflying dot-com stocks. This time, the decline began with the bust in home prices and its disastrous effects on every industry tied to housing.

In 2002, weary investors were hit by a wave of corporate accounting scandals that began with fabled Enron Corp. By the summer of that year, an extraordinary crisis of confidence had developed: Investors simply felt that they couldn't trust what many companies were telling them about their sales or earnings. Share prices dived further.

This time, the crisis of confidence is in the U.S. banking system. Because so many banks and brokerages lent heavily to fund the housing boom, the losses from the housing bust permeate the financial system to a degree few analysts had predicted.

As home prices keep falling, "anything tied to U.S. residential real estate is seen at risk," said Allen Sinai at Decision Economics in New York.

Fearing more severe losses than they've already suffered, investors in recent weeks have fled stocks of some of the nation's biggest financial institutions at a pace that has stunned Wall Street.

This week, investors turned on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with a vengeance.

Despite the companies' assurances that they have adequate capital cushions against surging defaults on the mortgages they own or guarantee, the market doesn't believe them.

For the federal government, that poses a quandary. Because of their size and importance to the mortgage market, it's inconceivable that Fannie and Freddie would be allowed to fail. But an outright takeover of the companies by the government, as some experts have suggested, could frighten foreign investors -- who are big lenders to the Treasury -- by, in effect, adding the companies' $5-trillion debt load to the Treasury's massive debt of $9.5 trillion.

Nationalizing the companies "would put the full faith and credit of the Treasury at risk," Sinai said. "It would make foreign investors think hard about buying U.S. Treasury debt."

The way you stop a bank run is to restore confidence. For Uncle Sam, the challenge isn't just to restore confidence among Americans, but also to make sure it doesn't evaporate among our foreign creditors.

tom.petruno@latimes.com

Monday, December 10, 2007

RE: Flu shots

Our pediatrician does not recommend Thimerosal based vaccines. He does give us options, and suggests waiting between shots. The other important thing we found out is that kids should be really healthy when getting any vaccination, and not have like colds or be “under the weather” of any sort. This gives them better chances on bouncing back from the vaccine itself. Jake for instance has allergies, including peanuts, which gives him a disadvantage to certain medicines as we have found out.

Even though there is conflicting information, most of it is coming from the government and the big pharma industries. I keep asking people if they believe big pharma is looking out for the safety of the kids or for profits? The CDC and FDA are simply wanting to stem the tide of millions of families if in fact bad information is revealed like in the case of Merck Viox, or the Bayer Hemophiliac disaster.

We are being cautious none-the-less.