Saturday, April 3, 2010

Fried Breakfast Is Good For Your Health. Really.

If you want to avoid ObamaCare, in addition to Bill Sardi's recommendation (natural medicine cabinet) the other day, eat fried breakfast.

Now that's more to my liking. I always liked solid English Breakfast whenever I stayed in England. I hope this is not a April Fool's joke...

Fried breakfast is healthiest start to day, say scientists (4/1/2010 Telegraph UK)

"A breakfast of bacon, sausages, eggs, and beans could be the healthiest start to the day, according to new research.

"Scientists believe that breakfast programmes the metabolism for the rest of the day, and a fatty meal will help the body break down fat later on.

"Carbohydrate rich foods in contrast appear mainly to prepare the body to break down only carbohydrates, the International Journal of Obesity reports.

"Dr Martin Young, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said: “The first meal you have appears to programme your metabolism for the rest of the day.

"“This study suggests that if you ate a carbohydrate-rich breakfast it would promote carbohydrate utilisation throughout the rest of the day, whereas if you have a fat-rich breakfast, you (can) transfer your energy utilisation between carbohydrate and fat.”

"The team of researchers found there may be some truth in the old saying “'eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper' – may be the key to a healthy body and mind.”" [The article continues. Emphasis is mine.]


(Ohhhh Nooooo Google AdSense is feeding my site with Carly Fiorina's campaign banner. Ugghh.)

Friday, April 2, 2010

OT: Congressman Fears 25,000 Marines Will Capsize Guam

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) thinks additional 25,000 Marines will capsize the island of Guam. (If Youtube video below doesn't load, follow this link to watch it at Youtube site.)



His office said later that the Congressman was "obviously" joking.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

What Is the Federal Reserve Up To?

Something is brewing at the Federal Reserve, that much seems certain.

The Fed's buying of agency bonds and MBS backed by agencies was supposed to have ended as of March 31. Then, why does the Federal Reserve need money now, to the tune of $125 billion?

There were Treasury auctions in March whose only purpose was to raise necessary funds for the use by the Federal Reserve. (My other blog, treasuryauctionwatch.blogspot.com, tracks Treasury auctions. I noticed them as I created the posts. All in all, Treasury sold a boatload of short-term bills in March.)

In March, Treasury Department auctioned $125 billion worth of CMB (Cash Management Bill) specifically for SFP (Special Financing Program) for the Federal Reserve:

  • March 3: 56-day CMB, $25 billion
  • March 10: 56-day CMB, $25 billion
  • March 17: 56-day CMB, $25 billion
  • March 24: 56-day CMB, $25 billion
  • March 31: 56-day CMB, $25 billion
Every single week in March, Treasury raised money for the Fed. The last time this happened was from March to August, but at most it was 3 special CMB auctions per month.

(Hmmm. March to August, 2009. Wasn't that when the stock market kept going up and up for no good fundamental reason, when every trader shorted or wanted to short the market and got burned?)

If the various lending programs at the Fed are winding down or have wound down already, why does Bernanke need $125 billion now?

In another peculiar movement, New York Fed decided yesterday to unilaterally disclose what was held in Maiden Lane (created to hold garbage from Bear Stearns), Maiden Lane II and III (created to hold garbage from AIG). These "investments" total about $65 billion.

The Fed also has about $81 billion in credit extended by NY Fed to "eligible borrowers" including AIG.

Bill Sardi: How to Survive ObamaCare

is to practice self preventive care to stay healthy, and never have to go to the doctors.

In an article written exclusively for Lewrockwell.com, Bill Sardi shares his natural medicine chest.

How To Prepare For Obamacare: Create Your Own Natural Medicine Chest (Bill Sardi, 4/1/2010 Lewrockwell.com)

"This article provides a list of proven home remedies and self-help strategies that readers can begin utilizing today to maintain health while avoiding costly medical care.

"While I have written articles in the past at LR that have addressed heart disease, cancer and other maladies, I hadn’t yet addressed every-day and emergent health problems that cause Americans to run to the doctor.

"Americans can begin to stock their home medicine chest with items that will avert or forestall a visit to the doctor. Many of the most common reasons to visit a doctor, stomach pains, chest pains, fever, cough, headaches, sore throats, infections, toothaches, back aches, can be handled with low-cost remedies at home." [The article continues.]

Here's part of his natural medicine chest. For more details, please visit the link above.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Wheel of Fortune Host Ridicules Frank Rich, Theater Critic

Pat Sajak is best known as the host of long-running TV game show "Wheel of Fortune". In the article appeared in Human Events, he pokes fun at erstwhile Broadway theater critic turned political analyst Frank Rich.

Frank Rich's most recent Op-Ed column in New York Times smears anyone who opposes ObamaCare [that's more than half of Americans] as "right-wing extremist" [so anyone who opposes left-wing extremist policy must be right-wing extremist?], Glenn Beck's "tea party" [huh?], and of course racist who dare oppose a black president [never mind he's half white and was elected by whites] and a female speaker of the house. Oh and a Latina in Supreme Court.

And here's the host, Pat Sajak ...

Opposed to Obamacare? Then You Must Be a Racist
(3/29/2010 Pat Sajak, Human Events)

"Frank Rich spent many years as the theater critic for the New York Times, where, at worst, his venom could cause a Broadway production or two to close down.

"Now, however, Mr. Rich opines on political and social issues for the Times, and, while the results are usually mildly amusing (even if unintentionally so), his reach has grown a bit, so the damage he causes can travel beyond the footlights. I’m not sure why anyone turns to Rich for political analysis—heck, you might as well read the rantings of a TV game show host—but the Gray Lady continues to pay him for his weekly column, and, at the rate she’s bleeding money, that’s no small sacrifice.

"Anyway, Mr. Rich has apparently been able to get to the bottom of the vocal opposition to the “healthcare reform” bill that was recently gently shepherded through Congress.

"It turns out, according to his well-crafted analysis, that it’s not the bill that’s got people in an uproar; rather, what we’re facing is the death rattle of a dwindling cadre of white, racist, sexist, homophobic males terrified by the ascent of people of color, women and gays.

"As the ever-tolerant Rich reasons: “The conjunction of a black President and a female speaker of the House — topped off by a wise Latina on the Supreme Court and a powerful gay congressional committee chairman — would sow fears of disenfranchisement among a dwindling and threatened minority in the country no matter what policies were in play.”

"So that’s it. It’s just a bunch of scared, white males who would yelp about anything this gang came up with. As Rich makes clear, this is merely a replay of the opposition to the Voting Rights Act of 1964. You get it? If you express opposition to the bill, you’re a racist, sexist homophobe.

"Mr. Rich is shocked by the level of anger in the land, and he fears for the safety of our elected officials, much as I’m sure he did during the George W. Bush administration. He calls on Republican leaders to distance themselves from the more radical voices among them, echoing the demands I’m sure he made of the Democrats during the last campaign.

"Welcome to post-racial America, where those who oppose a piece of legislation must defend themselves against the scurrilous charges of a man who seems much better suited to reviewing “Cats”. (He liked it, by the way.) This was a particularly shameful column, and the millions of Americans who oppose this legislation are owed an apology. Are they right? Are they wrong? Let’s discuss it. Let’s debate it. Let’s yell and scream if we want to. But would it be too much to ask that we approach the matter based on its merits and leave the psychobabble to Dr. Phil?" [Emphasis is mine.]

Ouch.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Student Loan Industry Nationalization Tacked onto Health Bill

Did you know that? I didn't, although I reported on the student loan nationalization in my past blog posts.

Starting July 1st, anyone who wants federal student loans will have to deal directly with the federal government. (Good luck with that.) It is of course touted as reducing deficit and wasteful subsidies. (Here I thought deficit and wasteful subsidies are two hallmarks of the government.)

Goodies buried in this government takeover includes:

"New borrowers who assume loans after July 1, 2014, will be able to cap their student loan repayments at 10 percent of their discretionary income and, if they keep up with their payments over time, will have the balance forgiven after 20 years."

But wait! There's more. If the borrowers find employment in the public sectors, the balance will be forgiven after only 10 years!

And of course there's much more for institutions that cater to "minorities" - $2.55 billion more.

You can read all about it in the White House statement. If you are brave, you can dig into the health care bill itself (H.R.3590). (Good luck.)

It looks to me like this is another job bill - take away the jobs from private industry and shift them to the government. The government only takes away, but gives you an illusion that it creates.

So, Americans who will be forced to buy health insurance and to pay added taxes for medical products and services with the threat of fine and jail time will also be paying for the student loans that will be forgiven by the government.

Do you wonder what else is buried in that monstrosity of the health care insurance "reform" bill? If you don't, you should.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Capital Control Provisions Tacked on to the Job Bill

and no one in the mainstream media has reported on it. Now the U.S. is ever getting closer to Zimbabwe before everything collapsed.

It is buried under Title V (last one in the bill H.R. 2847 which has just been signed into law by Obama) Offset Provisions. It is stupid enough to think businesses will hire people just to get a puny tax credit. But what does capital control has to do with job creation?

(Oh I get it. Duh. More job creation at the federal government, of course, just like the recently-passed health care insurance "reform" bill is a huge job bill for foreign countries as well as for the feds.)

Here's from Zero Hedge:

It's Official - America Now Enforces Capital Controls
(3/28/2010 Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge)

"It couldn't have happened to a nicer country. On March 18, with very little pomp and circumstance, president Obama passed the most recent stimulus act, the $17.5 billion Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (H.R. 2487 [it is 2847; Tyler might be dyslexic]), brilliantly goalseeked by the administration's millionaire cronies to abbreviate as HIRE. As it was merely the latest in an endless stream of acts destined to expand the government payroll to infinity, nobody cared about it, or actually read it. Because if anyone had read it, the act would have been known as the Capital Controls Act, as one of the lesser, but infinitely more important provisions on page 27, known as Offset Provisions - Subtitle A—Foreign Account Tax Compliance, institutes just that. In brief, the Provision requires that foreign banks not only withhold 30% of all outgoing capital flows (likely remitting the collection promptly back to the US Treasury) but also disclose the full details of non-exempt account-holders to the US and the IRS. And should this provision be deemed illegal by a given foreign nation's domestic laws (think Switzerland), well the foreign financial institution is required to close the account. It's the law. If you thought you could move your capital to the non-sequestration safety of non-US financial institutions, sorry you lose - the law now says so. Capital Controls are now here and are now fully enforced by the law." [The article continues. Emphasis is original.]

Please go read the whole article at Zero Hedge. It cites the actual sections in the bill. The Zero Hedge article ends with:

"And so the noose on capital mobility tightens, as very soon the only option US citizens have when it comes to investing their money, will be in government mandated retirement annuities, which will likely be the next step in the capital control escalation, which will culminate with every single free dollar required to be reinvested into the US, likely in the form of purchasing US Treasury emissions such as Treasuries, TIPS and other worthless pieces of paper.

"Congratulations bankrupt America - you are now one step closer to a thoroughly non-free market." [Emphasis is original.]

First they discourage the formation of capital by encouraging debt. Then they severely restrict the capital flow. In a free society, money (capital) and information flow freely.

At this point, I can only laugh. Under this bill, our tax-cheating Treasury Secretary can decide who is a low risk for tax evasion.

Ron Paul on Health Care Insurance "Reform"

He continues to say health care is NOT a right, just like having a car or owning a home is NOT a right. He says the bill would drive the U.S. into bankruptcy.