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dixiegrrrrl
dixiegrrrrl's Journal
dixiegrrrrl's Journal
July 31, 2014
Speaking of current headlines--A brief history of the land called Israel/Palestine/Canaan/the Levant
This is a rather different way of looking at things:
3 minutes.
http://vimeo.com/50531435
July 26, 2014
Very good short article on the problems facing Isis' "Caliphate" goals.
By Gwynne Dyer,Author, Historian & Independent Journalist, who is very familiar with the Middle East.
So much for the fantasy. What’s the reality? A group of jihadis have seized a big chunk of eastern Syria and western Iraq, erased the border between them, and declared an Islamic State. As little as ten thousand strong only a month ago, they have been rapidly growing in numbers as ISIS’s success attracts new recruits – but they are obviously never going to reconquer India, Spain or Siberia.
They aren’t going to make a dent in the two powerful states to the north of their Islamic State either. Iran, being overwhelmingly Shia, is immune to their charms and far too big to take by force. Turkey, although now governed by an Islamic party, is still a modern, secular state that is much too strong to attack.
To the west and east ISIS is already at war with regimes that are either very tough (Bashar al- Assad’s war-hardened dictatorship in western and central Syria) or very Shia (the south-eastern slice of Iraq, densely populated and with a large Shia majority). The Islamic State’s central position between its two enemies gives it a strategic advantage, but not a decisive one.
To the south are desert frontiers with more promising territory. Jordan’s population is about two-thirds Palestinian, and even among the Bedouin tribes that are the mainstay of King Abdullah’s rule there was some enthusiasm for ISIS’s victory in Iraq. If Jordan fell, the Islamic State would reach right up to Israel’s borders, with incalculable consequences.
http://gwynnedyer.com/tag/iraq/
They aren’t going to make a dent in the two powerful states to the north of their Islamic State either. Iran, being overwhelmingly Shia, is immune to their charms and far too big to take by force. Turkey, although now governed by an Islamic party, is still a modern, secular state that is much too strong to attack.
To the west and east ISIS is already at war with regimes that are either very tough (Bashar al- Assad’s war-hardened dictatorship in western and central Syria) or very Shia (the south-eastern slice of Iraq, densely populated and with a large Shia majority). The Islamic State’s central position between its two enemies gives it a strategic advantage, but not a decisive one.
To the south are desert frontiers with more promising territory. Jordan’s population is about two-thirds Palestinian, and even among the Bedouin tribes that are the mainstay of King Abdullah’s rule there was some enthusiasm for ISIS’s victory in Iraq. If Jordan fell, the Islamic State would reach right up to Israel’s borders, with incalculable consequences.
July 22, 2014
another bubble being created.
Meet the newest fraudulent sub-prime market: car loans
This market is EXACTLY the same game as the sub-prime housing fraud.
Auto loans to people with tarnished credit have risen more than 130 percent in the five years since the immediate aftermath of the financial crisis, with roughly one in four new auto loans last year going to borrowers considered subprime — people with credit scores at or below 640.
The explosive growth is being driven by some of the same dynamics that were at work in subprime mortgages. A wave of money is pouring into subprime autos, as the high rates and steady profits of the loans attract investors. Just as Wall Street stoked the boom in mortgages, some of the nation’s biggest banks and private equity firms are feeding the growth in subprime auto loans by investing in lenders and making money available for loans.
And, like subprime mortgages before the financial crisis, many subprime auto loans are bundled into complex bonds and sold as securities by banks to insurance companies, mutual funds and public pension funds — a process that creates ever-greater demand for loans.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/07/19/in-a-subprime-bubble-for-used-cars-unfit-borrowers-pay-sky-high-rates/
The explosive growth is being driven by some of the same dynamics that were at work in subprime mortgages. A wave of money is pouring into subprime autos, as the high rates and steady profits of the loans attract investors. Just as Wall Street stoked the boom in mortgages, some of the nation’s biggest banks and private equity firms are feeding the growth in subprime auto loans by investing in lenders and making money available for loans.
And, like subprime mortgages before the financial crisis, many subprime auto loans are bundled into complex bonds and sold as securities by banks to insurance companies, mutual funds and public pension funds — a process that creates ever-greater demand for loans.
another bubble being created.
July 21, 2014
to DU's ms. smiler:
News of his arrest,was posted by Don Viejo last week. The details of bribery re: BOA is new info, it seems.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014846698
Utah Attorney General charged for taking bribe to dismiss Bank of American lawsuit.
to DU's ms. smiler:
Then-Attorney General Mark Shurtleff interviewed for a job with a law firm that represents Bank of America just two months before he personally signed a settlement of a lawsuit against the financial giant over whether it was illegally foreclosing on homes in Utah.
He subsequently was hired for the post.
The disclosure of the two days of job interviews was included in criminal charges filed Tuesday against Shurtleff and his handpicked successor, John Swallow, who resigned in December in the wake of investigations that engulfed the two.
By agreeing at the end of 2012 to dismiss the federal lawsuit against Bank of America, Shurtleff scuttled what attorneys in his own office believed was the strongest case that the bank’s foreclosure arm, ReconTrust, had been illegally foreclosing on thousands of Utah homes. One estimate put the possible loss to Utah homeowners from the dismissal at tens of millions of dollars.
http://m.sltrib.com/sltrib/mobile3/58188015-219/shurtleff-bank-america-attorney.html.csp
He subsequently was hired for the post.
The disclosure of the two days of job interviews was included in criminal charges filed Tuesday against Shurtleff and his handpicked successor, John Swallow, who resigned in December in the wake of investigations that engulfed the two.
By agreeing at the end of 2012 to dismiss the federal lawsuit against Bank of America, Shurtleff scuttled what attorneys in his own office believed was the strongest case that the bank’s foreclosure arm, ReconTrust, had been illegally foreclosing on thousands of Utah homes. One estimate put the possible loss to Utah homeowners from the dismissal at tens of millions of dollars.
News of his arrest,was posted by Don Viejo last week. The details of bribery re: BOA is new info, it seems.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014846698
July 15, 2014
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/04/spain-tax-deposits-idUSL6N0PF2SF20140704
Note what Spain did...it first made a regulation of ZERO tax rate.
So everyone accepted that, left their money in the banks.
Then it notified people that their money in the banks was subject to a now increased tax regulation.
This is what a bail-in looks like in Spain:
(Reuters) - Spain on Friday said it would introduce a blanket taxation rate of 0.03 percent on all bank account deposits, in a move aimed at harmonising regional tax regimes and generating revenues for the country's cash-strapped autonomous communities.
The regulation, which could bring around 400 million euros ($546 million) to the state coffers based on total deposits worth 1.4 trillion euros, had been tipped as a possible sweetener for the regions days after tough deficit limits for this year and next were set by the central government.
Snip.....The government had last year fixed a zero percent tax rate on deposits across the 17 autonomous communities to prevent some of them charging their own rates, but never ruled out raising the taxation level.
The regulation, which could bring around 400 million euros ($546 million) to the state coffers based on total deposits worth 1.4 trillion euros, had been tipped as a possible sweetener for the regions days after tough deficit limits for this year and next were set by the central government.
Snip.....The government had last year fixed a zero percent tax rate on deposits across the 17 autonomous communities to prevent some of them charging their own rates, but never ruled out raising the taxation level.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/04/spain-tax-deposits-idUSL6N0PF2SF20140704
Note what Spain did...it first made a regulation of ZERO tax rate.
So everyone accepted that, left their money in the banks.
Then it notified people that their money in the banks was subject to a now increased tax regulation.
July 11, 2014
Arkansas...see why it is the worst place in the US to be a renter.
Arkansas is the only state in America with "no implied warrenty of habitability"
which means
landlords are not required to make repairs or maintain their properties
you can be prosecuted, fined and jailed for not paying rent on time
The landlord can begin eviction process if you are even 1 day late with rent.
This law was passed last century.
Betcha can guess who the target renters are.
More in the video.
July 6, 2014
Can someone help me with a Bible question?
Adam and Eve, it says, had 3 sons....Cain.Abel, and Seth.
What happened to Seth?
OK..TWO questions.
Bible says...Cain had descendants.
Who with? 
Not looking to start an interpretation war here or anything, just seriously curious.
July 6, 2014
Here's the fun part:
In a letter he wrote in response to a shopper complaint that month, Potter described contraceptives as “lifestyle drugs” akin to “Viagra, smoking cessation, weight-loss” tools and other medications. (He also compared birth control to “Jack Daniels” in a contemporaneous interview with Salon.)
More:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/07/03/hobby-lobby-fallout-catholic-soy-milk-mogul-wont-cover-drugs-that-prevent-procreation/
Good luck with a boycott of that busienss....the brand is HUGE in places like Whole Foods.
Eden Foods following in Hobby Lobby footsteps..
Eden Foods bills itself as the oldest natural foods company in America. Founder Michael Potter started the business as a co-op in 1960s Michigan, long before terms like “macrobiotics” and “clean eating” were commonplace.
snip....
devout Catholic (and sole Eden Foods shareholder) Potter has taken on a new mission: blocking his 150-strong workforce from accessing birth control as part of their Eden Foods insurance plan.
snip....
devout Catholic (and sole Eden Foods shareholder) Potter has taken on a new mission: blocking his 150-strong workforce from accessing birth control as part of their Eden Foods insurance plan.
Here's the fun part:
In a letter he wrote in response to a shopper complaint that month, Potter described contraceptives as “lifestyle drugs” akin to “Viagra, smoking cessation, weight-loss” tools and other medications. (He also compared birth control to “Jack Daniels” in a contemporaneous interview with Salon.)
More:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/07/03/hobby-lobby-fallout-catholic-soy-milk-mogul-wont-cover-drugs-that-prevent-procreation/
Good luck with a boycott of that busienss....the brand is HUGE in places like Whole Foods.
July 4, 2014
Guess what they are calling today, down here in Alabama?????
Freedom Fest.
Our lil town held a Freedom Fest, completel with a beauty pageant.
Contestants ranged from infants ( I kid you not) on up to 18 year olds.
A 2 year old won "Lil Miss Firecracker" first place, in "infant to 4 year old " age group.
a 9 month baby girl got a prize for "most photogenic".
"Let FREEDOM ring" signs all over the place, including the paperbag with my prescriptions from the local pharmacy.
Not a mention of "4th of July".
Newspaper ads for the grocery stores used the word "Holiday". with lots of red white and blue designs.
I am up to here with "Freedom"....
July 3, 2014
Breaking News story.....................
Hear that? "pre-positioned" staff into the area.
Maybe we will see FEMA work the way it is supposed to.
Unlike dumbass Bush, Pres. Obama shows how FEMA is supposed to work in hurricane preparation.
FEMA has deployed a coordination team to North Carolina and prepositioned staff in North Carolina and South Carolina ahead of Hurricane Arthur, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest says.
Breaking News story.....................
Hear that? "pre-positioned" staff into the area.
Maybe we will see FEMA work the way it is supposed to.
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: Washington state, for half my life
Home country: USA
Current location: SW Alabama. for the rest of my life
Member since: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 02:09 PM
Number of posts: 60,010
