SAR #11332

At some point the dawn may come, but first the darkest hour.

Psst, Let's Make A Deal: Mr. Bernanke's Fed not only lent the US financial industry $7.7 trillion at 0.01% interest, it also handed out $10 trillion to international institutions. But, hey, they're a privately owned bank and can do whatever they want.

Fair Warning: The crisis in the euro area is turning into a panic, the leadership is planning to plan one day soon, and there is considerable risk that the euro will begin to disintegrate within a few weeks. The eurozone economies are either in or on the edge of a recession and the concentrated effort of European governments to cut spending will only feed the downward spiral. There will be a number of rumors, plans & promises, none of which will be credible.

Seems Like Only Yesterday: A spontaneous mob in Tehran spontaneously stormed the British Embassy, smashed windows, and spontaneously took a few Brits hostage as they spontaneously protested sanctions imposed by Great Britain on the Iranian government.

Where two or more are gathered... Hundreds of cops in rot gear and hazmat suits simultaneously quashed unauthorized public expressions of opinion in LA and Philly overnight. Must be doing something right.

Democracy Now! The US continues to supply the Egyptian military dictatorship with tear gas to use on protesters in Tahrir Square - 21 tons of it are on the way. Don't worry, us storm troopers have sufficient pepper spray to keep pacifists off the grass.

Definition: Technocrat, an 'expert' appointed by Goldman Sachs to replace the elected leaders of various nations. See also: Puppetry, US Government.

Boring: The September Case-Shiller house price index was down 3.9% y/y. That's five months in a row, and house prices are now back to April 2003 levels.

Everybody Knows: Fraud, insider dealing, outright theft and of course lying have become the essential elements of financial business practice in the US. When senior government officials meet secretly with the heads of investment banks and hedge funds and give them advance notice of the governments intentions, how can anyone pretend that free markets and capitalism exist, much less that they work? Obviously the only reason any of the big banks and investment houses still exist is because the US taxpayer was fleeced to save them. They are, by right, bought and paid for and should be nationalized.

DIY: Go to your local craft store, get a fabric marker, come home and cut the words "Eat More (your favorite veggie)" out of a stencil, then color the message onto a plain T-shirt. Wear it to the mall until Chick-fil-A's lawyers tell you that you look too much like a cow.

As Long As The Grass Grows and Rivers Run... VP Joe Biden is in Iraq, trying to weasel out of the treaty agreement that calls for the US to have all its troops out of the country by December 31st. You can forgive the Iraqis for being dumbfounded; they haven't had the benefit the education the American Indians got from their treaty dealings with the White Father in Washington.

You've Been Poked: That nice young man at Facebook had his hand firmly slapped and he was made to promise that henceforth the social network giant would not be quite so blatant about breaking various privacy laws. Part of the agreement was that they would actually delete privacy and security information after they sold it when the user "deletes" it.

On Getting With The Program: The Australian government has told those parents who do not have their children fully immunized that they will lose their family tax benefits (up to $2,100 per child) if they do not comply with the immunization schedule.

Porn O'Graph: Majority rules, discreetly.