The US needs to create approx. 150,000 new jobs every month just to keep pace with the new entrants into the labor force. Over eight million jobs have been lost during the recession. To get the levels of unemployment back to pre-recession levels, 300,000 new jobs would have to be created every month for the next forty eight months. Or over 200,000 new jobs created every month for the next 120 months to return to pre-recession levels
more:
"If you add in discouraged workers, the underemployed, and those working part time who would rather be working full time, the true number of unemployed is closer to 30 million, or about one in five working age Americans. Never mind the statistics that the government pumps out monthly are meaningless. They have been for decades.
The real problem is that the economy is obliterating jobs far faster than anyone realizes."
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/why-nonfarm-payroll-figures-are-meaningless
Fatboy sez: What. Me Worry?
2010-10-20
2010-10-19
Over $26 million paid to doctors in California alone by Big Pharma to promote their drugs
In an earlier post, I provided a link to an article by Dr. Carl Elliot titled "How to brand a disease, and sell a cure." ( http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/11/elliott.branding.disease/) Dr. Elliot laid out the tactics used by Big Pharma to create the conditions for their prescription meds to sell themselves. He compared these tactics to those made popular by Edward Bernays and used by Joesph Goebbels.
Today Pro Publica goes deeper into this subject and lists the amount paid by Big Pharma to states and MD's alike. Not only was $26 million to MD's in the state of California but, according to Pro Publica Dr. Firhaad Ismail of Nevada received $303,558.00 from Big Pharma in 2009 and early 2010 barely beating Dr. Stephen H. Landy from Tennessee who received $302,125.00 for the top spot.
Much more information in the article including a tool to enter your doctor's name to find out if he or she received compensation from Big Pharma to promote, sell their meds.
As Bernays said "In almost every aspect of our lives whether in the sphere of politics or business in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind."
http://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/
Today Pro Publica goes deeper into this subject and lists the amount paid by Big Pharma to states and MD's alike. Not only was $26 million to MD's in the state of California but, according to Pro Publica Dr. Firhaad Ismail of Nevada received $303,558.00 from Big Pharma in 2009 and early 2010 barely beating Dr. Stephen H. Landy from Tennessee who received $302,125.00 for the top spot.
Much more information in the article including a tool to enter your doctor's name to find out if he or she received compensation from Big Pharma to promote, sell their meds.
As Bernays said "In almost every aspect of our lives whether in the sphere of politics or business in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind."
http://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/
Treasury Secretary Geithner wins liar of the month. Congrats Timmy!
"Given all the problems with foreclosures, it might seem hard to pick a winner for the lie of the month contest. However, fraud and lies are not the same thing, but even if they were, Geithner is up to the task."
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/10/lie-of-month-geithner-says-us-will-not.html
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/10/lie-of-month-geithner-says-us-will-not.html
2010-10-18
Tim Geithner is a liar
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner vowed on Monday that the United States would not devalue the dollar for export advantage
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_usa_dollar_geithner;_ylt=As0Qok3eSsiIQD0d3N7_0Cys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNxcXJwcGJwBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAxMDE5L3VzX3VzYV9kb2xsYXJfZ2VpdGhuZXIEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM3BHBvcwM0BHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDZ2VpdGhuZXJ2b3dz
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_usa_dollar_geithner;_ylt=As0Qok3eSsiIQD0d3N7_0Cys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNxcXJwcGJwBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAxMDE5L3VzX3VzYV9kb2xsYXJfZ2VpdGhuZXIEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM3BHBvcwM0BHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDZ2VpdGhuZXJ2b3dz
2010-10-17
I'm a Chiquita banana and I've come to say, we stole the land from Guatemala with the help of the CIA
The last post I touched briefly on the CIA/Chiquita banana/Edward Bernays overthrow of the first democratically elected leader of Guatemala, Jacoba Arbenz Guzman who in 1951 was elected with 60% of the votes. Guzman pissed the Chiquita Banana's off with his program of land expropriation of only uncultivated portions of large plantations. Owners of expropriated land were compensated according to the worth of the land claimed in May 1952 tax assessments. Chiquita banana's had claimed on their 1952 tax statements their vast holdings of uncultivated land were worth $3 per acre. Guzman's government was prepared to pay Chiquita the $3 per acre when Chiquita said "wait a minute, that land is actually worth $75 an acre" but refused to explain the precipitous jump in its own determination of the land's value. Eisenhower, fresh off his successful coup/overthrow of Iran's Mossadegh was convinced by Chiquita and Bernays to aid in the overthrow of Guzman.
In 1954, Operation Washtub was launched by the CIA at the behest of the Chiquita banana's and the assistance of Edward Bernays. Operation Washtub was a plan to plant phony Soviet arms in Guatemala, linking the Guzman government to the commies to therefore show an imminent threat to the US southern borders from the Guzman government. But, a shipment from Czechoslovakia with a falsified manifesto containing WW II era, barely functional arms was discovered and Washtub was scrubbed. This was seen as the final proof of Guzman's Soviets contacts and the coup was implemented, Guzman fled and Chiquita Brands International has gone on make a fortune. Never buy Chiquita banana's again.
In 1954, Operation Washtub was launched by the CIA at the behest of the Chiquita banana's and the assistance of Edward Bernays. Operation Washtub was a plan to plant phony Soviet arms in Guatemala, linking the Guzman government to the commies to therefore show an imminent threat to the US southern borders from the Guzman government. But, a shipment from Czechoslovakia with a falsified manifesto containing WW II era, barely functional arms was discovered and Washtub was scrubbed. This was seen as the final proof of Guzman's Soviets contacts and the coup was implemented, Guzman fled and Chiquita Brands International has gone on make a fortune. Never buy Chiquita banana's again.
We are human beings, not consumers.
“We must shift America from a needs to a desires culture. People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have been entirely consumed. Man’s desires must overshadow his needs.”
Paul Mazer, a Wall Street banker 1933
"We must remember that in time of war what is said on the enemy’s side of the front is always propaganda, and what is said on our side of the front is truth and righteousness, the cause of humanity and a crusade for peace."
Walter Lippman
Most if not all of you have heard of Sigmund Freud. Many of you have heard of his nephew Edward Bernays. In his obituary Edward Bernays was referred to as "the father of public relations". Bernays felt that the public's democratic judgment was "not to be relied upon" and he feared that "they [the American public] could very easily vote for the wrong man or want the wrong thing, so that they had to be guided from above". He felt this manipulation was necessary in society, which he regarded as irrational and dangerous. Sounds like a paranoid control freak to me. An extremely wealthy paranoid, control freak.
One of Bernays' most extreme political propaganda activities were said to be conducted on behalf of the Chiquita Brands International company and the US govt. to facilitate the successful overthrow of the democratically elected president of Guatemala, Jacob Guzman. Bernays propaganda labelling Guzman as a communist was published in major US media creating public support among US citizens for the overthrow of the democratically elected Guzman. With Guzman out of the picture, this allowed Chiquita Brands to exploit the virtual slave labor in Guatemala in order to produce cheap bananas for the lucrative U.S. market. Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Paul Joesph Goebbels used Bernays' book Crystallizing Public Opinion as a basis for his destructive campaign against the Jews of Germany. In a recent article by Dr. Carl Elliot, Dr. Elliot states that the methods of propaganda used by Bernays and Goebbels are now being used by the pharmaceutical industry in what is known as "disease branding." http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/11/elliott.branding.disease/
Branding bacon and eggs as a "healthy" American breakfast and encouraging women to smoke cigarettes often and openly in public overcoming a then social taboo are more of Bernays' accomplishments. Following are some selected quotes of Bernays' (and you thought it was George Bush who coined the phrase "make the world safe for democracy") and links to the award winning 2002 documentary series "The Century of the Self" by Adam Curtis, which I'm sure many of you are familiar with. If not, please take the time to view this fascinating four part documentary series each running approximately sixty minutes. As you're watching, or if you choose not to watch, remember, we are human beings, not consumers. As always, thanks for reading.
"When I came back to the United States, I decided that if you could use propaganda for war, you could certainly use it for peace. And 'propaganda' got to be a bad word because of the Germans using it, so what I did was to try and find some other words so we found the words 'public relations'."
"I was at the 1926 Paris Peace conference. Make the world safe for democracy was the big slogan"
"Those who manipulate the unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested largely by men we have never heard of… In almost every act of our lives whether in the sphere of politics or business in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind."
-Edward Bernays-
Part 1 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1122532358497501036#docid=6718420906413643126
Part 2 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-678466363224520614#
Part 3 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4059451562019895635#
Part 4 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1122532358497501036#
Paul Mazer, a Wall Street banker 1933
"We must remember that in time of war what is said on the enemy’s side of the front is always propaganda, and what is said on our side of the front is truth and righteousness, the cause of humanity and a crusade for peace."
Walter Lippman
Most if not all of you have heard of Sigmund Freud. Many of you have heard of his nephew Edward Bernays. In his obituary Edward Bernays was referred to as "the father of public relations". Bernays felt that the public's democratic judgment was "not to be relied upon" and he feared that "they [the American public] could very easily vote for the wrong man or want the wrong thing, so that they had to be guided from above". He felt this manipulation was necessary in society, which he regarded as irrational and dangerous. Sounds like a paranoid control freak to me. An extremely wealthy paranoid, control freak.
One of Bernays' most extreme political propaganda activities were said to be conducted on behalf of the Chiquita Brands International company and the US govt. to facilitate the successful overthrow of the democratically elected president of Guatemala, Jacob Guzman. Bernays propaganda labelling Guzman as a communist was published in major US media creating public support among US citizens for the overthrow of the democratically elected Guzman. With Guzman out of the picture, this allowed Chiquita Brands to exploit the virtual slave labor in Guatemala in order to produce cheap bananas for the lucrative U.S. market. Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Paul Joesph Goebbels used Bernays' book Crystallizing Public Opinion as a basis for his destructive campaign against the Jews of Germany. In a recent article by Dr. Carl Elliot, Dr. Elliot states that the methods of propaganda used by Bernays and Goebbels are now being used by the pharmaceutical industry in what is known as "disease branding." http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/11/elliott.branding.disease/
Branding bacon and eggs as a "healthy" American breakfast and encouraging women to smoke cigarettes often and openly in public overcoming a then social taboo are more of Bernays' accomplishments. Following are some selected quotes of Bernays' (and you thought it was George Bush who coined the phrase "make the world safe for democracy") and links to the award winning 2002 documentary series "The Century of the Self" by Adam Curtis, which I'm sure many of you are familiar with. If not, please take the time to view this fascinating four part documentary series each running approximately sixty minutes. As you're watching, or if you choose not to watch, remember, we are human beings, not consumers. As always, thanks for reading.
"When I came back to the United States, I decided that if you could use propaganda for war, you could certainly use it for peace. And 'propaganda' got to be a bad word because of the Germans using it, so what I did was to try and find some other words so we found the words 'public relations'."
"I was at the 1926 Paris Peace conference. Make the world safe for democracy was the big slogan"
"Those who manipulate the unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested largely by men we have never heard of… In almost every act of our lives whether in the sphere of politics or business in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind."
-Edward Bernays-
Part 1 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1122532358497501036#docid=6718420906413643126
Part 2 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-678466363224520614#
Part 3 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4059451562019895635#
Part 4 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1122532358497501036#