SAR #12026

Pick one: War is peace. Slavery is freedom. Ignorance is strength.

Perspective: Apple made $13.6 billion in iProfits.  Human costs are built into iStuff; 13 year-olds working for 70 cents an hour is just the start. Enjoy.

Apostasy: IMF director Christine Lagaard has suggested that the public sector (for which read 'Germany') should absorb at least some of the pending losses on Greek bonds if a way can't be found to force the private sector to accept 70% haircuts. This seems to be tacit recognition that the hedgies have absolutely no interest in anything short of a total Greek default. But Greece will be just the first  to default on sovereign debts once the precedent for massive forgiveness is set in Athens.

Down Is The New Up: Pending home sales in December declined 3.5%, reversing a November's 7.3% surge. But the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that house prices increased 1.0%, after a 0.7% decline in October.

You Are Here: In a world where a third of the people are poor, a gathering of the rich to bellyache about the global burdens of inequality sticks in the throat is nauseating. They realize "it's time to stave off disaster," for "survival is the most important thing,” according to George Soros, who foresees riots in the streets that will lead to a brutal clampdown curtailing civil liberties in the US and a global economic system descending into chaos and conflict.

Extra, Extra: Thirty of the largest US companies spend more lobbying congress than they pay in taxes. And they're getting their money's worth, too.

Exactly: “TSA airport security has nothing to do with security, and everything to do with making sure that every human being who transits within or through a US commercial airport knows exactly who is in charge. The idea is to desensitize people to government intrusion.”

Where's Mine? Obama plans on giving "every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates." Responsible seems to mean those who bought more house than they can pay for or paid far more for a house than it is worth. What about those of us who were irresponsible and bought houses we can afford in areas that avoided the bubble mania? Will I get $3,000, too? As always it's a question of who gets the cream and who gets creamed.

Runaways: Under cover of a storm, 300,000 salmon ran away from their caged homes off Scotland. The fear is that they'll start partying with the wild bunch and upset the gene pool.

Street Scene: The LAPD is cordoning off streets and providing "support" for the US military to conduct training exercises in urban environments "without negatively impacting the citizens." The aim, of course, is to ready the military for real deployments which would be designed to negatively impact the citizens.

Object Lesson: Do not criticize Israel. Do not criticize Israel for its treatment of those who were brushed aside to make room for Israel. Do not criticize Israel's manipulation of the US political process. Do not criticize AIPAC. Or else.

Bravado: Nancy Pelosi assures us that Newt's "not going to be President of the United States. That's not going to happen... There is something I know." Cue the suspense-building music.

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff: Airbus says that the small cracks in the wings of its A380 jumbo planes are not dangerous, insisting that “The cracks do not compromise the airworthiness of the aircraft." So, they're a design feature?

Porn O'Graph: Hey big spenders...