Think Your Money is Safe in an Insured Bank Account? Think Again.

A trend to shift responsibility for bank losses onto blameless depositors lets banks gamble away your money.

When Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem told reporters on March 13, 2013, that the Cyprus deposit confiscation scheme would be the template for future European bank bailouts, the statement caused so much furor that he had to retract it. But the “bail in” of depositor funds is now being made official EU policy. On June 26, 2013, The New York Times reported that EU finance ministers have agreed on a plan that shifts the responsibility for bank losses from governments to bank investors, creditors and uninsured depositors.

Insured deposits (those under €100,000, or about $130,000) will allegedly be “fully protected.” But protected by whom? The national insurance funds designed to protect them are inadequate to cover another system-wide banking crisis, and the court of the European Free Trade Association ruled in the case of Iceland that the insurance funds were not intended to cover that sort of systemic collapse.
Shifting the burden of a major bank collapse from the blameless taxpayer to the blameless depositor is another case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, while the real perpetrators carry on with their risky, speculative banking schemes.

Shuffling the Deck Chairs on the Titanic

Although the bail-in template did not hit the news until it was imposed on Cyprus in March 2013, it is a global model that goes back to a directive from the Financial Stability Board (an arm of the Bank for International Settlements) dated October 2011, endorsed at the G20 summit in December 2011. In 2009, the G20 nations agreed to be regulated by the Financial Stability Board; and bail-in policies have now been established for the US, UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, among other countries. (See earlier articles here and here.)
The EU bail-in plan, which still needs the approval of the European Parliament, would allow European leaders to dodge something they evidently regret having signed, the agreement known as the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who played a leading role in imposing the deposit confiscation plan on Cyprus, said on March 13 that “the aim is for the ESM never to have to be used.”
Passed with little publicity in January 2012, the ESM imposes an open-ended debt on EU member governments, putting taxpayers on the hook for whatever the ESM’s overseers demand. Two days before its ratification on July 1, 2012, the agreement was modified to make the permanent bailout fund cover the bailout of private banks. It was a bankers’ dream – a permanent, mandated bailout of private banks by governments.  But EU governments are now balking at that heavy commitment.
In Cyprus, the confiscation of depositor funds was not only approved but mandated by the EU, along with the European Central Bank (ECB) and the IMF. They told the Cypriots that deposits below €100,000 in two major bankrupt banks would be subject to a 6.75 percent levy or “haircut,” while those over €100,000 would be hit with a 9.99 percent “fine.” When the Cyprus national legislature overwhelming rejected the levy, the insured deposits under €100,000 were spared; but it was at the expense of the uninsured deposits, which took a much larger hit, estimated at about 60 percent of the deposited funds.

The Elusive Promise of Deposit Insurance

 While the insured depositors escaped in Cyprus, they might not fare so well in a bank collapse of the sort seen in 2008-09. As Anne Sibert, Professor of Economics at the University of London, observed in an April 2nd article on VOX:

Even though it wasn’t adopted, the extraordinary proposal that small depositors should lose a part of their savings – a proposal that had the approval of the Eurogroup, ECB and IMF policymakers – raises the question: Is there any credible protection for small-bank depositors in Europe?

She noted that members of the European Economic Area (EEA) – which includes the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland – are required to set up deposit-insurance schemes covering most depositors up to €100,000, and that these schemes are supposed to be funded with premiums from the individual country’s banks.  But the enforceability of the EEA insurance mandate came into question when the Icelandic bank Icesave failed in 2008. The matter was taken to the court of the European Free Trade Association, which said that Iceland did not breach EEA directives on deposit guarantees by not compensating U.K. and Dutch depositors holding Icesave accounts. The reason: “The court accepted Iceland’s argument that the EU directive was never meant to deal with the collapse of an entire banking system.” Sibert comments:

[T]he precedents set in Cyprus and Iceland show that deposit insurance is only a legal commitment for small bank failures. In systemic crises, these are more political than legal commitments, so the solvency of the insuring government matters.

The EU can mandate that governments arrange for deposit insurance, but if funding is inadequate to cover a systemic collapse, taxpayers will again be on the hook; and if they are unwilling or unable to cover the losses (as occurred in Cyprus and Iceland), we’re back to the unprotected deposits and routine bank failures and bank runs of the 19^th century.
In the US, deposit insurance faces similar funding problems. As of June 30, 2011, the FDIC deposit insurance fund had a balance of only $3.9 billion to provide loss protection on $6.54 trillion of insured deposits. That means every $10,000 in deposits was protected by only $6 in reserves. The FDIC fund could borrow from the Treasury, but the Dodd-Frank Act (Section 716) now bans taxpayer bailouts of most speculative derivatives activities; and these would be the likely trigger of a 2008-style collapse.
Derivatives claims have “super-priority” in bankruptcy, meaning they take before all other claims. In the event of a major derivatives bust at JPMorgan Chase or Bank of America, both of which hold derivatives with notional values exceeding $70 trillion, the collateral is liable to be gone before either the FDIC or the other “secured” depositors (including state and local governments) get to the front of the line. (See here and here.)

Who Should Pay?

Who should bear the loss in the event of systemic collapse? The choices currently on the table are limited to taxpayers and bank creditors, including the largest class of creditor, the depositors. Imposing the losses on the profligate banks themselves would be more equitable , but if they have gambled away the money, they simply won’t have the funds. The rules need to be changed so that they cannot gamble the money away.
One possibility for achieving this is area-wide regulation. Sibert writes:

[I]t is unreasonable to expect the area as a whole to bail out a particular country’s banks unless it can also supervise that country’s banks. This is problematic for the EEA or even the EU, but it may be possible – at least in the Eurozone – when and if [a] single supervisory mechanism comes into being.

A single regulatory agency for all Eurozone banks is being negotiated; but even if it were agreed to, the US experience with the Dodd-Frank regulations imposed on US banks shows that regulation alone is inadequate to curb bank speculation and prevent systemic risk. In a July 2012 article in The New York Times titled “Wall Street Is Too Big to Regulate,” Gar Alperovitz observed:

With high-paid lobbyists contesting every proposed regulation, it is increasingly clear that big banks can never be effectively controlled as private businesses.  If an enterprise (or five of them) is so large and so concentrated that competition and regulation are impossible, the most market-friendly step is to nationalize its functions.

The Nationalization Option

Nationalization of bankrupt, systemically-important banks is not a new idea. It was done very successfully, for example, in Norway and Sweden in the 1990s. But having the government clean up the books and then sell the bank back to the private sector is an inadequate solution. Economist Michael Hudson maintains:
Real nationalization occurs when governments act in the public interest to take over private property. . . . Nationalizing the banks along these lines would mean that the government would supply the nation’s credit needs. The Treasury would become the source of new money, replacing commercial bank credit. Presumably this credit would be lent out for economically and socially productive purposes, not merely to inflate asset prices while loading down households and business with debt as has occurred under today’s commercial bank lending policies. 
Anne Sibert proposes another solution along those lines. Rather than imposing losses on either the taxpayers or the depositors, they could be absorbed by the central bank, which would have the power to simply write them off. As lender of last resort, the central bank (the ECB or the Federal Reserve) can create money with computer entries, without drawing it from elsewhere or paying it back to anyone.
That solution would allow the depositors to keep their deposits and would save the taxpayers from having to pay for a banking crisis they did not create. But there would remain the problem of “moral hazard” – the temptation of banks to take even greater risks when they know they can dodge responsibility for them. That problem could be avoided, however, by making the banks public utilities, mandated to operate in the public interest. And if they had been public utilities in the first place, the problems of bail-outs, bail-ins, and banking crises might have been averted altogether.
Ellen Brown is an attorney, president of the Public Banking Institute, and author of twelve books, including Web of Debt and its recently-published sequel The Public Bank Solution. Her websites are http://WebofDebt.com, http://PublicBankSolution.com, and http://PublicBankingInstitute.org.
Republished with permission from: Global Research

No Hope On The Jobs Front: Rising Unemployment in America

Do you remember the promise of the New Economy that was going to replace the lost “dirty fingernail” manufacturing jobs with innovative highly paid New Economy jobs? Well, the promise was just another deception from the elites who have stolen Americans’ future.
For the umpteenth consecutive month and year, the June BLS payroll jobs report (released on July 5) shows that the US economy has created no such jobs. The same old tired categories account for the same old lowly paid new domestic service jobs.
Of the 195,000 new private sector jobs alleged to have been created, 75,000 or 38% are accounted for by the category “leisure and hospitality.” Within this category there were 52,000 new waitresses and bartenders, and 19,000 jobs in “amusements gambling, and recreation.”
Retail trade added 37,000 employees. Is your local shopping center that busy?
Wholesale trade added 11,000.
Zero Hedge points out that the retail and wholesale jobs numbers seem inconsistent with the latest report from the Institute of Supply Management, which shows a sharp drop in new order components and business activity.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-07-03/non-manufacturing-ism-crashes-lowest-february-2010-new-orders-devastated-july-2009-l
Perhaps the New Economy’s inefficiency requires more people to sell less.
Professional and business services added, allegedly, 53,000 jobs, which are largely building management services, janitors, employment services, and temporary help.
Ambulatory health care services added 13,000 jobs.
Financial activities allegedly added 17,000 jobs despite the Bank of America moving its property appraisals to India.
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/morning-edition/2013/07/bank-of-america-routing-property.html?ana=lnk 
Local government, despite severe budget cuts, added 13,000 jobs.
The BLS news release points out that the number of involuntary part-time workers (the number of people who are unable to find full-time jobs or whose hours were cut back) increased by 322,000 in June to 8.2 million.
This deplorable report provided the cover for the market riggers to take the stock market up and the gold market down. Remember that economic theory about “rational markets”? Another deception.
Republished with permission from: Global Research

Is It Really “Anti-Faith” To Prepare For The Coming Economic Collapse?

Does being a prepper show a lack of faith in God?  Should good Christians reject prepping altogether?  Yesterday, someone actually accused me of being “anti-faith” because I am encouraging people to prepare for the coming economic collapse.  This person believes that if I had faith, then I would make “no provision” for what is ahead and simply trust “in God’s providence alone”.  So is that person right?  Is it really “anti-faith” to prepare for the coming economic collapse?  I spent quite a bit of time thinking about these questions today.
Those that visit my site on a regular basis know that I am a Christian and I am very open about that fact.  I am someone that places a very high value on faith.  The Scriptures tell us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”.  Without God, none of us has any hope.  In fact, without God I would probably be dead by now.
But faith is not about sitting on your couch and waiting for God to do everything for you.  Rather, faith is about taking action on what God has directed you to do.
What I don’t understand is why any of these Christians that are 100% against prepping continue to go to work.  If we are to make “no provision” for ourselves and simply trust “in God’s providence alone”, then why do they need to earn a paycheck?  Why can’t they just sit home and wait for God to fill up their bank accounts?
Yes, God can do mind blowing supernatural things that require absolutely no participation on our part.  I know, because it has happened to me.  But the vast majority of the time, God works with us.  He requires us to take steps of faith and obedience, and in the process He leads us, He guides us, He blesses us and He opens doors for us.

The story of Noah is a perfect example of this.  He was perhaps the very first “prepper”.  God could have kept Noah and his family safe from the flood by transporting them to some sort of very comfortable “heavenly waiting area” and brought them back when everything was dry, but He didn’t do that.  Instead, God warned Noah about what was coming and ordered him to build a boat.
So did Noah just sit back and wait for God to do everything for Him?  No, he exercised his faith by taking action.  He believed the warning and he built a giant boat.  In Hebrews 11:7, Noah is commended for his radical faith which produced radical action…

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

Faith almost always involves action.  God wants to see if we are going to believe Him and do what He has instructed us to do.
And the amount of faith that Noah exhibited was staggering.  The boat that he and his family built was approximately the size of a World War II aircraft carrier.  It took a very, very long time to build that boat and collect all of the food and supplies for his family and for all of the animals.
And surely Noah must have gotten very tired of all of the mocking as he warned everyone else about what was coming for decades.
But in the end, Noah’s prepping paid off.  He and his family were saved, and everyone else drowned.
Unfortunately, there are lots of Christians out there today that are 100% against preparing for what is ahead, even though they will admit that an economic collapse is coming.
The individual that accused me of being “anti-faith” is an example of this.  The following is an excerpt from the message that this person wrote to me…

Now, although I agree with you about the things you write about the corruption of the financial system, and that there will be a collapse, yet I do not agree with you in promoting people to be self-sufficient contrary to the Lord’s teaching. If you truly have God then no provision needs to be made at all for yourself, just trust in God’s providence alone.

This individual agrees that a collapse is coming, but insists that we should do absolutely nothing to prepare for it.
Is that really what God would have us do?
In Genesis 41, God revealed to Joseph that there would be seven good years followed by seven lean years.  So did Joseph party for seven years and “trust in God’s providence alone” for the lean years?
No, Joseph engaged in an “emergency food storage project” unlike anything that the world had ever seen up until that point.  By heeding God’s warning and taking action, he ended up saving the nation of Egypt and his entire family.
Some people believe that preparing for hard times means that you are “fearful”, but I don’t see it that way at all.
Rather, I believe that there is hope in understanding what is happening and that there is hope in getting prepared.
The people that stick their heads in the sand right now are going to get blindsided by what is coming.  Many of them will totally give in to despair when they realize that they have lost everything.
I think that we would all benefit greatly by taking advantage of the wisdom found in Proverbs 6:6-11…

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

You don’t prepare when the storm hits.  Rather, you prepare while the storm is still off in the distance.
Throughout the Scriptures, those that “prepare” are commended.
For example, just check out the following parable of Jesus that we find in Matthew 25…

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Do we want to be like the wise virgins or the foolish virgins?
Yes, we never want to become obsessed with material things.  We need to keep our priorities in order and focus on the things that are really important.
But that doesn’t mean that we can all just sit on our couches, eat chips, and wait for God to do everything for us.
In my opinion, we have been warned about the coming economic collapse in a multitude of different ways.  At this point, what is coming should be glaringly obvious to anyone with half a brain.
On my site, I have shared thousands upon thousands of facts and statistics that show that a horrific economic collapse is coming.  If you are new to all of this, the following are just a couple of articles that can get you started…
-”40 Statistics About The Fall Of The U.S. Economy That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe“
-”Show This To Anyone That Believes That Things Are Getting Better In America“
I am trying to do my best to warn people about what is coming from my little spot on the wall.  In the Scriptures, those that are aware that a threat is coming are responsible for warning others about it.  The following is a short excerpt from Ezekiel 33…

Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’

Are you a watchman on the wall?
Are you blowing your trumpet?
That is one of the reasons why I work so hard on my articles.  I hope that people will use them as a tool to help warn others about what is coming.
My goal is never to create fear.  Rather, my goal is to wake people up and give them hope.
Yes, very, very painful economic times are coming.
Those that heed the warnings and diligently prepare will have a good chance of weathering the coming storm.
I honestly don’t know what those that have made absolutely no preparations are going to do.
Republished with permission from: The Economic Collapse

Egyptian Troops On 'Maximum Alert" At Suez Sends Oil Over $102

After a few hours of calm yesterday, crude oil prices are once again surging back over $102 as the commander of the Third Field Army stated that troops deployed in Suez and South Sinai saw their "state of readiness" raised to "Maximum Alert." The announcement came after Cairo's airspace was closed for 40 minutes and flights were diverted to other airports because of air force drills. The 'state of emergency' has sent stocks sliding and put a modest bid into precious metals amid a call by Islamist allies of ousted Egyptian Prwsident Morsi to "take to the streets" and express their outrage.

Via Reuters,

Islamist allies of Egypt's ousted president, Mohamed Mursi, called on people to protest on Friday to express outrage at his overthrow by the army and to reject a planned interim government backed by their liberal opponents.

July 4th BBQ from Hell: Are We Eating Beef Hanmburgers, Horsemeat or Mystery Meat?

No Hope On The Jobs Front

Dees Illustration

Paul Craig Roberts

Activist Post

After reading my account of today’s payroll jobs report, please proceed to today’s main article, “Lawlessness Is The New Normal.”

Do you remember the promise of the New Economy that was going to replace the lost “dirty fingernail” manufacturing jobs with innovative highly paid New Economy jobs? Well, the promise was just another deception from the elites who have stolen Americans’ future.

For the umpteenth consecutive month and year, the June BLS payroll jobs report (released on July 5) shows that the US economy has created no such jobs. The same old tired categories account for the same old lowly paid new domestic service jobs.

Of the 195,000 new private sector jobs alleged to have been created, 75,000 or 38% are accounted for by the category “leisure and hospitality.” Within this category there were 52,000 new waitresses and bartenders, and 19,000 jobs in “amusements gambling, and recreation.”

Retail trade added 37,000 employees. Is your local shopping center that busy?

Wholesale trade added 11,000.

Zero Hedge points out that the retail and wholesale jobs numbers seem inconsistent with the latest report from the Institute of Supply Management, which shows a sharp drop in new order components and business activity. Perhaps the New Economy’s inefficiency requires more people to sell less.


Professional and business services added, allegedly, 53,000 jobs, which are largely building management services, janitors, employment services, and temporary help.

Ambulatory health care services added 13,000 jobs.

Financial activities allegedly added 17,000 jobs despite the Bank of America moving its property appraisals to India. (Source)

Local government, despite severe budget cuts, added 13,000 jobs.

The BLS news release points out that the number of involuntary part-time workers (the number of people who are unable to find full-time jobs or whose hours were cut back) increased by 322,000 in June to 8.2 million.

This deplorable report provided the cover for the market riggers to take the stock market up and the gold market down. Remember that economic theory about “rational markets”? Another deception.

This article first appeared at Paul Craig Roberts' new website Institute For Political Economy.  Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His Internet columns have attracted a worldwide following.

No Manufacturing Jobs But More Waiters And Bartenders Than Ever

The New Abnormal is turning out to be quite an embarrassment for Obama's "manufacturing renaissance" agenda not to mention high paying, manufacturing jobs but at least it explains why Bernanke doesn't mind sending the USD surging when all other central banks are now talking their currencies down (especially if it means fresh S&P records benefiting the 0.1%): after all, if you have nothing to export, who cares what the relative value of your currency is.
There is good news however. Even as the manufacturing jobs continue to collapse, posting their fourth consecutive monthly drop in June to 11.964 million jobs, minimum wage waiters and bartenders have never been happier. In June Restaurant and Bar employees just hit a new all time high of 10,339,800 workers, increasing by a whopping 51,700 in one month. 

Summarizing the "economy" of Bernanke and Obama: in 2013 239,000 minimum wage restaurant and bar jobs have been created. As for manufacturing jobs: 13,000.
New Abnormal indeed.
Behold an economy dominated by waiters and bartenders.

Libya’s Gold Reserves of 100+ Tons Have Been Stolen by Bankers

As stated repeatedly, there are only three methods by which a government’s central bank (all, but a handful now in private banking cartels) can get custody of gold:

1. By Exchange for paper Substitutes
2. By Confiscation of private citizens
3. By Conquest

Knowing those alternatives which one are you going with?
Was the Libyan’s people’s gold being held in ‘safe custody’ with the US Fed, too? “So sollie my Libyan friends, you’re broke now.” Bye-bye.
Could some of the gold be backing Al Qaeda? Afterall, there is this report: Libyan Convoy with gold, cash crossed to Niger. With AFRICOM now solidly entrenched in Nigeria that satrapy can be safely relied upon to do the wishes of the NWO.
And, as the report originated from the “National Transitional Council” (NTC), a reasonable person must conclude Libya’s gold was stolen and now in the hands of international bankers – most likely the US Fed or UK.

Rick Santelli: 'The Markets Are On Fire' - 7/5/13

How US corporations don’t pay their taxes

Approaching the End Game: “A Domestic Hyperinflationary Environment Should Evolve… Before the End of Next Year”

That the US economy is in turmoil and the dollar’s world reserve status is under unprecedented threat is a given.
What’s not clear is where the machinations of government and global banking cartels will lead, and when.
But we know the breaking point is coming.
According to Shadow Stats founder John Williams, who has taken a unique approach to analyzing fundamental economic data well beyond official government statistics, we will soon begin to see the fruits of the monetary and financial games taking place behind the scenes.
Unfortunately, the end result is not going to be recovery. Far from it.  As Williams notes in his latest report, what we should expect is continued degradation throughout this year and into 2014, at which point a hyperinflationary environment will take hold.

We’re Beginning to Approach the End Game. 
Nothing is normal: not the economy, not the financial system, not the financial markets and not the political system.  The financial system still remains in the throes and aftershocks of the 2008 panic and near-systemic collapse, and from the ongoing responses to same by the Federal Reserve and federal government.  Further panic is possible and hyperinflation remains inevitable.
Typical of an approaching, major turning point in the domestic- and global-market perceptions, bouts of extreme volatility and instability have been seen with increasing frequency in the financial markets, including equities, currencies and the monetary precious metals (gold and silver).  Consensus market expectations on the economy and Federal Reserve policy also have been in increasing flux.  The FOMC and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have put forth a plan for reducing and eventually ending quantitative easing in the form of QE3.  The tapering or cessation of QE3 is contingent upon the U.S. economy performing in line with overly-optimistic economic projections provided by the Fed.  Initially, market reaction pummeled stocks, bonds and gold.
Underlying economic reality remains much weaker than Fed projections.  As actual economic conditions gain broader recognition, market sentiment should shift quickly towards no imminent end to QE3, and then to expansion of QE3.  The markets and the Fed are stuck with underlying economic reality, and, eventually, they will have to recognize same.  Business activity remains in continued and deepening trouble, and the Federal Reserve—despite currency-market platitudes to the contrary—is locked into quantitative easing by persistent problems now well beyond its control.  Specifically, banking-system solvency and liquidity remain the primary concerns for the Fed, driving the quantitative easing.  Economic issues are secondary concerns for the Fed; they are used as political cover for QE3.  That cover will continue for as long as the Fed needs it.
At the same time, rapidly deteriorating expectations for domestic political stability reflect widening government scandals, in addition to the dominant global-financial-market concern of there being no viable prospect of those controlling the U.S. government addressing the long-range sovereign-solvency issues of the United States government. 
All these factors, in combination, show the end game to be nearing.
The most visible and vulnerable financial element to suffer early in this crisis likely will be the U.S. dollar in the currency markets (all dollar references here are to the U.S. dollar, unless otherwise stated).  Heavy dollar selling should evolve into massive dumping of the dollar and dollar-denominated paper assets.
Dollar-based commodity prices, such as oil, should soar, accelerating the pace of domestic inflation.  In turn, that circumstance likely will trigger some removal of the U.S. dollar from its present global-reserve-currency status, which would further exacerbate the currency and inflation problems tied to the dollar.
This still-forming great financial tempest has cleared the horizon; its impact on the United States and those living in a dollar-based world will dominate and overtake the continuing economic and systemic-solvency crises of the last eight years.  The issues that never were resolved in the 2008 panic and its aftermath are about to be exacerbated.  Based on the precedents established in 2008, likely reactions from the government and the Fed would be to throw increasingly worthless money at the intensifying crises.  Attempts to save the system all have inflationary implications.  A domestic hyperinflationary environment should evolve from something akin to these crises before the end of next year (2014).
Excerpted by King World News via Steve Quayle
Originally published by ShadowStats.com

Such an environment, as has been previously noted by John Williams, will not just involve increased prices at our grocery stores or gas stations. It will be much more severe than that and have serious implications across our entire system of commerce.

There’s strong evidence that we’re going to see an intensified downturn ahead, but it won’t become a great depression until a hyper-inflation kicks in. That is because hyper-inflation will be very disruptive to the normal flow of commerce and will take you to really low levels of activity that we haven’t seen probably in the history of the Republic.
…
As the dollar breaks down, you’ll also likely see disruptions in supply chains, including shipments of food to grocery stores. People should consider maintaining stockpiles of basic goods needed for living, much as they would for a natural disaster.

The end result of our current trajectory is inevitable.
The target date according to Williams is somewhere around the end of 2014. This will be just the beginning and it won’t be a short-term event.
What we’re talking about here is a shift so drastic that life for the average American will change significantly, with some theorists suggesting it will be so severe we may not be able to survive it.
If hyperinflation is the end game of this financial crisis, then it’s time to consider what becomes money when the US dollar collapses.
Look first to preparing yourself for an unavoidable disaster. This takes a focused plan that includes the stockpiling of essential goods like food and other supplies to get you through the initial breakdown. Furthermore, if hyperinflation is the end result, then you should be planning for a longer-duration crisis where traditional services and transportation will break down, which means you need to have barterable assets, worthwhile labor skills, precious metals as a mechanism of exchange, a safe location, and a security plan to ensure your safety.
Time is running out. The mathematics of this is clear. The system is wholly unsustainable and we will soon understand what this really means.

Obama Spends $100M on African Trip But Cancels Marines' July 4th Fireworks

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Fourth of July won't have a patriotic boom in the sky over some military bases because budget cuts and furloughed workers also mean furloughed fireworks.
Independence Day celebrations have been canceled at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base and at the Army's Fort Bragg, both in North Carolina. The annual July Fourth celebration also has been scrapped at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Ga.
The reason is money — namely the lack of it.
The failure in Washington to follow up a 2011 budget pact with additional spending cuts meant $85 billion across-the-board cuts that began in March. Budgets tightened, the military took a major hit and many federal workers absorbed pay cuts through forced furloughs.
When the decision was made to forgo fireworks at Camp Lejeune, the commanding general, Brig. Gen. Thomas Gorry, said the cancellation would "ensure that we can mitigate the fiscal challenges we are currently facing."
Last year's Independence Day at the base cost about $100,000, including $25,000 for the fireworks. The big issue is paying the overtime to personnel for security, transportation, logistics and safety. Base officials said they couldn't justify paying overtime when federal workers are losing pay while furloughed.
Brandy Rhoad Stowe says the fireworks at Camp Lejeune always were spectacular, and she said that she and her kids, ages 3 and 9, will miss them this year.
"I know fireworks might seem silly to other people," Stowe said in an interview. "But what is the Fourth of July without fireworks?"

Government’s Conflict Of Interest

As I was going through my emails, I got yet another request from someone who wanted me to sign a petition to send to my political “representative” in office, asking politely to stop funding big oil companies. I sighed in disillusionment, trying to think of a way to make people understand that this form of political action is absolutely useless in a corporate government.
I am so saddened as of late that these types of “petitions” are the focus of so much wasted energy. Writing, calling, and even worse… emailing your “representative” in this kind of futile effort is the worst part of our mutually controlled opposition. The sense of satisfaction and patriotism that is felt by these actions is indeed exactly the desired effect of these actions. They accomplish nothing, and yet makes whole groups feel a sense of accomplishment. A petition has NO legal jurisdiction. A letter is scanned and then filed in the trash, while emails are dumped into a folder on a digital archive never to be seen again.
What a game we play – pawns moving around exactly as we are lead, never changing anything, begging our masters to do what’s right and to start representing us. It’s pathetic!
Don’t you understand? The government owns Exxon Mobile. It has controlling stock interest in the company. It owns British Petroleum, Chevron, and any other petroleum based companies you can think of. If it didn’t have a major or controlling financial interest in BP, that gulf oil spill would have been immediately cleaned up! It wouldn’t have cost the government anything to force this corporation to clean up its mess.
Don’t you Understand? Of course the government gives billions and billions in R&D grants to Pharmaceuticals and medical companies. Government owns those as well, both national and international. It hands these subsidies to these companies because it is profitable for government!!! It must do this to justify its tax collections.
Don’t you understand? They wont stop giving their own profitable businesses subsidies (taxpayer money) just because you say pretty please. They wont stop making a profit to save a few square miles of farmland or housing. And they certainly wont change anything just because a bunch of pussified patriots sign a piece of paper demanding it.
And so, I have compiled this list of just the New York State Retirement Fund’s holdings in Pharmaceuticals, oil companies, the media, and other industries. This is only one out of over 200,000 governments, Federal, state, and local. And if just one single government owns this much in these companies, the answers to the following questions should be as clear as day… government owns and profits from these corporations, and passes the laws which regulate them and to guarantee those profits, regardless of what the public wants. The answer to all questions is simple… it’s just business.
Why are pharmaceuticals and medical companies out of control and killing people? Why is cancer the number one most profitable business, despite proven cures? Why are vaccines soon to be mandatory without one shred of evidence as to them being medically sound? Why are banks allowed to charge practically unlimited interest despite usury laws? Why are banks allowed to foreclose on millions and millions of homes? Why are banks allowed to ignore state laws in lieu of federal laws? Why are products made in China all over the stinking place? Why are dangerous and poisonous products being imported into America? Why is the American market so saturated with foreign products? Why was Exxon and BP not required to clean up their historical oil spills? Why is oil still being used when such vast and wonderful alternatives are all around us? Why is the media lying and misinforming us at every turn, supporting government in every way?
All of these questions are answered by this simple realization…
Government owns it all!!!
Government is in a direct conflict of interest by being major majority shareholder (owner) of all significant corporations, both foreign and domestic.
The following is the New York Pension System holdings in major corporations around the world in 2009. This incomplete list and a 2010 list can be downloaded here:
http://www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/about_us/annual_report_2010/index.php
I challenge you to find a company this government doesn’t own stock in!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Company                                   # of shares            Market Value 2009

–Oil and Energy–

Exxon Mobil Corp                           18,125,534              1,234,348,865
Chevron Corp                                    7,698,784                  517,666,219
ConocoPhillips                                 6,003,030                 235,078,655
Schlumberger Ltd                            4,624,733                  187,856,654
BP plc – Sponsored ADR                   202,055                      8,102,406
Royal Dutch Shell plc – A                1,816,523                   40,904,335
Royal Dutch Shell plc – A               2,842,162                   63,886,007
Royal Dutch Shell plc – A                    84,900                      3,761,070
Royal Dutch Shell plc – B                     35,812                       1,561,761
Royal Dutch Shell plc – B                1,553,412                   34,088,987
American Electric Power Co Inc    1,785,207                   45,094,329
PG&E Corp                                         1,249,975                    47,774,045
Questar Corp                                        802,950                   23,630,819
Occidental Petroleum Corp             2,913,414                  162,131,489
Walter Energy Inc                                188,400                    4,308,708
Rio Tinto Ltd                                         136,488                     5,364,638
Rio Tinto plc                                          352,517                    11,874,086
Praxair Inc                                           1,153,745                   77,635,501
Marathon Oil Corp                           2,683,221                   70,541,880
Southwest Gas Corp                            129,220                     2,722,665
Southwestern Energy Company    1,532,452                   45,498,500
National Oilwell Varco Inc             1,757,094                   50,446,169
National Fuel Gas Company             290,140                     8,898,594
Murphy Oil Corp                                 849,129                    38,015,505
Petro-Canada                                        315,730                     8,499,603
Petro-Canada                                         49,900                      1,326,342
Petrohawk Energy Corp                       60,100                       1,155,723
Petrol Ofisi A.S.                                   268,128                          612,205
Petroleo Brasileiro – ADR                     2,330                            70,995
Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. – ADR          88,940                      2,179,030
El Paso Corp                                     2,900,913                    18,130,706
El Paso Electric Company                 104,540                      1,472,969
Petroleum Development Corp            32,465                         383,412
Petroplus Holdings AG                       118,882                     1,673,894
Petroquest Energy Inc                         88,900                         213,360
FirstEnergy Corp                               1,146,792                   44,266,171
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc         324,678                  20,409,259
Frontier Oil Corp                                  721,302                     9,225,453
Forest Laboratories Inc                   1,580,235                   34,701,961
Forest Oil Corp                                     367,300                    4,829,995
Gulfmark Offshore Inc                         28,900                        689,554
Gulfport Energy Corp                            11,000                          25,520
Gas Natural SDG                                   116,361                     1,589,728
OGE Energy Corp                                385,853                      9,191,018
Oil & Natural Gas Corp Ltd                547,011                      8,411,905
Oil Search Ltd                                    2,186,952                    7,992,540
Cairn Energy plc                                   475,999                  14,839,441
Oil States International Inc               188,040                    2,523,497
Electricite De France (EDF)              505,068                  19,805,545
Gaz De France                                       863,514                  29,636,703
Scottish & Southern Energy plc          511,473                    8,130,299
Tokyo Electric Power Company         359,150                    8,945,115
Tokyo Electron Ltd                               363,650                  13,401,701
Tokyo Gas Company                         2,375,746                    8,298,394
China Petroleum Chemical             3,982,000                   2,548,480
China Power Int Dvlp Ltd               6,012,000                     1,194,643
China Coal Energy Company             416,000                       307,035
China Oilfield Services                        212,000                        167,685
China Shenhua Energy Co                  341,000                       768,240
Chiyoda Chemical Engineering         935,400                    4,962,535
Chubu Electric Power Co Inc              241,917                     5,314,973
Shanghai Electric Grp Co Ltd      12,052,000                    3,467,866
Shinsei Bank Ltd                               1,450,154                      1,453,531
Nissan Chemical Industries Ltd          41,500                        344,958
China Coal Energy Company – H     416,000                        307,035
Hong Kong & China Gas Co Ltd    5,485,330                     8,649,127
Hong Kong Electric Holds Ltd      3,200,500                   18,996,516
Mitsubishi Electric Corp                 3,036,548                   13,557,939
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical CO Inc          4,000                          17,009

–Automobile Industry–

General Motors Corp                       1,869,290                    3,626,423
Ford Motor Company                      7,547,012                   19,848,642
Toyota Motor Company                  1,764,412                    55,735,197
Toyota Industries Corp                       177,163                      3,757,786
Toyota Tsusho Corp                           143,200                       1,371,542
Honda Motor – ADR                         188,000                     4,455,600
Honda Motor Company                 1,297,926                    30,421,167
Mazda Motor Corp                             715,000                       1,187,203
Nissan Motors Japanese Ord       4,282,864                     15,176,697
Mitsubishi Corp                                  859,769                     11,185,615
Mitsubishi Motors Corp                    271,000                         342,969
Hyundai Motor Company Ltd           30,860                      1,238,193
Volvo AB – A Shares                             81,950                         434,170
Volvo AB – B Shares                           183,135                         968,031
Volkswagen AG                                     21,483                     6,560,285
Volkswagen AG – Preferred               16,006                         921,026
Harley-Davidson Inc                          796,512                   10,665,296
Yamaha Corp                                         42,813                         414,823
Yamaha Motor Company Ltd          184,000                     1,630,050
CarMax Inc                                       1,128,900                    14,043,516
Advance Auto Parts Inc                    492,883                   20,247,634

–Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare–

Abbott Laboratories                      5,864,256                  279,725,011
Baxter International Inc               2,975,728                  152,416,788
Bayer AG                                             799,730                   38,861,936
Pfizer Inc                                      26,880,813                  366,116,673
Eli Lilly & Company                     3,904,933                  130,463,812
Merck & Company Inc                  7,814,727                 209,043,947
Merck KGaA                                       159,294                    14,041,129
Teva Pharmaceutical Ind Ltd         613,430                   27,635,022
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company 8,358,967                 183,228,557
Metlife Inc                                        3,135,011                   71,384,200
Colgate-Palmolive Company        1,968,159                 116,082,018
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co              8,358,967                 183,228,557
Roche Holding AG – Genuss          930,152                   127,777,796
Roche Holdings Ltd – ADR              49,000                      1,682,807
Gilead Sciences Inc                       3,936,647                 182,345,489
Glaxosmithkline plc                      6,465,941                 100,789,027
Glaxosmithkline plc – ADR              32,400                     1,006,668
Novartis AG – ADR                           145,280                     5,495,942
Novartis AG – Regular                 2,664,079                 100,935,336
Noven Pharmaceuticals Inc            452,987                      4,294,317
Amgen Inc                                       4,272,238                  211,561,226
Sanofi-Aventis                                2,421,930                 136,276,979
Sanofi-Aventis – ADR                        81,400                     2,273,502
Astrazeneca                                          22,055                         773,644
Astrazeneca plc                               1,833,135                   64,400,614
Astrazeneca plc – Spons. ADR         123,711                      4,385,555
3M Company                                   2,536,317                  126,105,681
UnitedHealth Group Inc              4,777,620                   99,995,587
Tenet Healthcare Corp                 2,636,132                      3,057,913
Pharmaceutical Prod Dvlpmt Inc  678,871                    16,102,820
Pharmerica Corp                                 98,534                      1,639,606
Humana Inc                                       930,895                   24,277,742
St Jude Medical Inc                        1,575,296                  57,230,504
AMN Healthcare Services                125,274                        638,897
American Medical Sys Holds. Inc  259,590                    2,894,429
American Physicians Capital Inc     26,420                     1,081,106
Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc          470,779                   14,645,935
RehabCare Group Inc                         92,232                    1,608,526
Reinsurance Grp of America Inc    522,133                   16,911,888
Univ Health Serv Inc – Class B       203,950                    7,819,443
Basilea Pharmaceutica                       48,480                    3,027,202
Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc             91,058                        450,737
Nationwide Health Propts Inc        375,204                    8,325,777
National Health Investors Inc           12,700                        341,249
Natus Medical Inc                                77,400                       658,674
Chugai Pharmaceutical Co Ltd       290,158                    4,876,605
Shire Pharmaceuticals Group         277,100                    9,958,974
Health Care Reit Inc                         393,735                  12,044,354
Health Mangmnt Asc Inc – Cls A   797,100                    2,056,518
Health Net Inc                                   409,340                    5,927,243
Healthcare Realty Trust Inc              28,015                        419,945
Healthcare Services Group Inc       194,790                    2,916,006
HealthSpring Inc                               309,519                    2,590,674
Healthways Inc                                  233,425                    2,047,137
MedCath Corp                                      41,245                        299,851
Medco Health Solutions Inc       2,204,279                   91,124,894
Medical Properties Trust Inc          125,700                       458,805
Mediceo Holdings Company Ltd     56,700                       603,338
Medicines Company                             5,400                         58,536
Medicis Pharma Corp – Class A    370,640                    4,584,817
Medtronic Inc                                4,208,522                124,025,143

–Banks and Investments–

Morgan Stanley                              4,301,770                   97,951,303
Goldman Sachs Group Inc/The   1,961,585                207,967,242
Goldman Sachs Ssga Em Mrkts  8,934,287                102,501,423
Wells Fargo & Company             16,257,120                 231,501,389
Bank of America Corp                 23,819,237                 162,447,196
Citigroup Inc                                 18,601,505                  47,061,808
Citigroup Inc Depository Shares    199,368                    3,046,343
American Express Company       4,249,664                  57,922,920
American Financial Group Inc       492,854                    7,910,307
Visa Inc – Class A                              390,400                 21,706,240
Mastercard Inc – Class A                 306,830                 51,387,888
Zions BanCorp                                   558,029                   5,485,425
Fifth Third Bancorp                       2,678,672                    7,821,722
Fannie Mae                                             6,000                           4,200
Freddie Mac                                            6,100                            4,636
Hartford Financ Serv Grp Inc      1,099,070                   8,627,700
Hudson City Bancorp Inc             2,946,851                 34,448,688
Western Union Company             2,656,147                  33,387,768
Siemens AG                                         757,252                  43,473,647
Experian Group Ltd                        1,034,174                    6,474,091
Equifax Inc                                           626,161                  15,309,636
Equinix Inc                                             13,800                       774,870
State Street Corp                             1,867,120                  57,469,954
People’s United Financial Inc      1,234,207                  22,178,700
Fidelity Nat Financial Inc – Cls A  839,867                  16,385,805
Fidelity Nat Info Services Inc          657,748                   11,971,014
Westpac Banking Corp                     298,305                   3,956,638
Axis Bank Ltd                                      191,458                     1,565,891
Discover Financial Services          1,874,548                  11,828,398
Softbank Corp                                 3,664,300                 46,596,748
Solera Holdings Inc                           556,652                  13,793,837
Signature Bank                                   210,333                    5,937,701
HSBC Holdings plc                        8,349,382                  47,271,967
HSBC Holdings plc                        1,389,200                    7,645,081
HSBC Holdings plc – Rights            893,766                   1,806,322
Royal Bank of Canada                       169,300                   4,949,214
Royal Bank of Scotland                 6,330,271                   2,223,006
Royal Bank of Scotland, Rights   6,427,941                                 -0-
Allied Irish Banks                            1,216,447                      969,046
National Australia Bank                1,406,252                 19,638,984
Aust & New Zealand Bank Group   701,045                    7,671,606
Commonwealth Bank of Australia    19,794                       477,637
National Bank of Canada                  161,300                    5,161,497
National Bank of Greece                  102,386                     1,551,051
Deutsche Bank AG – ADR                    9,800                      398,370
Deutsche Bank AG – Registered     654,969                26,888,105
Credit Suisse Group                        1,174,244                 35,793,762
Credit Suisse Group – Spons ADR         300                           9,147
Bank Montreal Quebec                     428,291                  11,230,235
Bank Mutual Corp                               94,860                       859,432
Bank of Baroda                                   542,734                   2,506,942
Bank of Communications             1,376,000                       955,210
Bank of Cyprus Ltd                              51,909                        157,826
Bank of East Asia                           2,605,019                    5,028,527
Bank of Hawaii Corp                         192,499                    6,348,617
Bank of India                                      934,270                   4,040,186
Bank of New York Mellon Corp  4,420,585                124,881,526
Credit Agricole S.A.                            311,625                    3,439,044
Credit Saison Company                       14,918                        144,241
Bank of Nova Scotia                          149,900                     3,701,779
First Bancorp Puerto Rico                143,010                       609,223
Bank Yokohama Ltd Japan Ord     903,100                    3,821,968
Hiroshima Bank Ltd/The                   13,000                         49,357
Bank of Kyoto Ltd/The                       73,000                       614,924
Osaka Gas Company Ltd               2,035,146                   6,346,309
Bank of China Ltd – H                   8,527,000                   2,827,663
Ind Comm Bank of China Ltd      4,464,000                   2,321,280
China Citic Bank – H                        484,000                       182,983
China Construction Bank – H      4,331,000                   2,458,890
China Merchants Bank – H             283,000                      494,428
Shizuoka Bank                                    183,000                    1,637,866
Shinsei Bank Ltd                             1,450,154                     1,453,531
Chiba Bank                                          176,500                       866,685
Cheung Kong (Holdings)              3,376,000                  29,077,161
Hang Seng Bank Ltd                         328,500                    3,308,313
Hanmi Financial Corp                        55,300                           71,890
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Grp     6,409,847                 30,890,829
Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Fin Co Ltd    1,600                          33,370
Bangkok Bank                                    554,400                      1,172,424
Bangkok Bank Public Co Ltd          446,200                         937,316
Siam Comm Bank Public Co Ltd    376,900                         579,192
Malayan Banking Berhad                802,525                         849,745
Malayan Banking Berhad – Rights  361,136                                 -0-
Blackrock Inc                                           7,135                         927,835
Blackstone Group Lp/The             1,289,215                     9,346,809
Zurich Financial Services                      9,387                     1,486,829
Aetna Inc                                           1,881,924                   45,787,211
Cincinnati Financial Corp                 736,150                   16,835,751
First American Corp                           496,770                  13,169,373
First Bancorp Puerto Rico                 143,010                       609,223
First Cash Financial Services Inc      48,800                       728,096
First Commonwealth Finan Corp   394,940                     3,503,118
First Financial – 144A GDR                 48,113                       444,083
First Financial Bancorp                        62,100                       591,813
First Financial Bankshares Inc           54,475                    2,624,061
First Financial Holding Company   978,455                        451,546
First Financial Holdings Inc               23,950                       183,218
First Horizon National Corp              766,191                  8,228,888
First Mercury Financial Corp            213,900                  3,088,716
First Midwest Bancorp Inc                280,825                   2,412,287
First Niagara Financial Group Inc   414,400                   4,516,960
First Potomac Realty Trust                  75,284                      553,337
First Quantum Minerals Ltd                 6,400                      180,583
First Solar Inc                                        39,400                   5,228,380
Discover Financial Services            1,874,548                 11,828,398

–The Media–

Walt Disney Company/The             7,975,404               144,833,337
News Corp – Class A                          7,746,798                 51,283,803
Time Warner Cable Inc                     1,476,825                 36,625,251
Time Warner Inc                               4,885,448                 94,289,152
CBS Corp – Class B                            3,518,760                 13,512,038
General Electric Company              39,551,471              399,865,372
Sony Corp                                                811,290                 16,411,435
Sony Financial Holdings Inc                         24                       63,906
Vivendi Universal                               2,414,568               63,876,002
Viacom Inc – Class B                         2,363,387                41,075,666
Discovery Commun Inc – Series A       79,244                  1,269,489
Discovery Commun Inc – Series C       78,831                   1,154,874
Marvel Entertainment Inc                    175,800                 4,667,490
Comcast Corp – Class A                   10,473,672             142,860,886
Comcast Corp – Special Class A            20,259                     260,733
DreamWorks Anim SKG Inc – A        285,700                  6,182,548
DISH Network Corp – Class A             475,200                 5,279,472
DIRECTV Group Inc/The                 2,048,939               46,695,320
Dolby Laboratories Inc – Class A         419,110                14,295,842
British Sky Broadcasting                   3,626,650               22,534,452
Deluxe Corp                                            263,202                  2,534,635
Warner Music Group Corp                     16,700                       39,245
Virgin Media Inc                                    280,696                  1,347,341
New York Times Company/The          356,178                  1,609,925
Cinemark Holdings Inc                         373,718                  3,509,212
Hitachi Ltd                                           5,368,600               14,458,313
Fujifilm Holdings Corp                         378,094                  8,134,553
Netflix Inc                                                225,586                  9,682,151
NETGEAR Inc                                           68,745                     828,377
Gamestop Corp – Class A                      913,536                25,597,279
Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc           74,000                    273,060
Tokyo Broadcasting System Hold Inc  18,900                     247,612

–Food and Beverage–

Monsanto Company                           2,280,249            189,488,692
General Mills Inc                                  1,369,515               68,311,408
H.J. Heinz Company                            1,255,221               41,497,606
Hershey Company/The                          609,148               21,167,893
ConAgra Foods Inc                               1,997,457               33,697,100
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc              865,369               14,633,390
Coca-Cola West Japan                               3,500                       55,847
Coca-Cola Amatil                                      42,075                     253,456
Coca-Cola Company/The                   7,633,116              335,475,448
Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc                  1,613,637                21,283,872
Pepsi Bottling Group Inc/The              756,262                16,743,641
PepsiAmericas Inc                                  349,239                 6,024,373
Pepsico Inc                                            6,512,462             335,261,544
Groupe Danone                                       231,868                11,285,823
Nutrisystem Inc                                        59,400                     847,638
AES Corp/The                                      2,510,794                14,587,713
Cracker Barrel Old Cntry Store Inc       50,067                  1,433,919
McDonald’s Corp                                4,406,583             240,467,234
Wendys/Arbys Group Inc – Class A 1,743,327                 8,768,935
Safeway Inc                                           2,981,340              60,193,255
Cosco Corp Singapore Ltd                    320,000                    172,609
Cosco Pacific Ltd                                  1,704,000                1,682,013
Smiths Group plc                                  1,327,512               12,729,661
Tesco                                                     12,932,819              61,803,212
Smithfield Foods Inc                              489,493                4,630,604
Smucker (J M) Company/The              545,201               20,319,641
Darden Restaurants Inc                         527,787               18,081,983
Yum! Brands Inc                                   2,110,315               57,991,456

–Telecom/Cellphone–

AT&T Inc                                             22,256,707            560,869,016
Verizon Communications Inc          10,831,468            327,110,334
Sprint Nextel Corp                                9,777,244             34,904,759
Motorola Inc                                          9,547,354             40,385,307
Qwest Communications Int Inc         4,735,734              16,196,210
Vodafone Group plc – Spons ADR        109,595                1,909,145
Vodafone Group plc New                 56,080,988            98,670,972
Samsung Electronics Company Ltd          4,489               1,843,305
Ericsson LM Tele Co – Spons ADR       126,820               1,025,974
Ericsson LM Tele Co – B Shares         7,402,571            60,439,750
Nokia Oyj                                               2,005,360             23,643,146
Nokia Oyj Corp – Sponsored ADR         151,200               1,764,504
Manitoba Telecom Services Inc              38,800                  985,304
Singapore Telecommun Ltd             23,712,699              39,463,971
France Telecom S.A.                             4,161,013              94,746,495
Deutsche Telekom AG – Registered 5,484,668             68,232,281
Tele Norte Leste Part – ADR                   770,711             10,666,640
Tele2 AB – B Shares                                   66,884                  562,268
Telecom Corp of New Zealand           3,833,489               4,988,558
Telecom Egypt                                          133,000                   350,087
Telecom Italia – RNC                           1,380,285                1,404,691
Telecom Italia S.p.A.                           11,019,457              14,206,248
Telecommunication Sys Inc – Class A  411,900                 3,777,123
Teleflex Inc                                                144,400                5,644,596
Telefonica S.A.                                      5,056,407            100,835,142
Telefonos De Mexico                            1,746,900                1,326,618
Telefonos De Mexico S.A. – ADR         294,600               4,430,784
Telekom Austria                                    1,067,724              16,160,836
Telekom Malaysia Berhad                   1,383,000               1,335,389
Telekomunikacja Polska S.A.                   48,243                   257,585
Telekomunikasi Tbk PT                       1,385,900                  905,543
Telemig Celular Participacoes – ADR       1,959                     69,819
Telenor ASA                                           3,379,464              19,269,466
Telephone & Data Systems Inc             392,880              10,415,249
Teletech Holdings Inc                             533,062               5,805,045
Television Francaise (T.F.1)                     42,095                  329,804
Teliasonera AB                                      1,050,823               5,033,396
Telkom South Africa                                  74,690                  828,501

–Other Corporations of Note–

Diebold Inc                                        234,830              5,013,621
Halliburton Company                          3,077,890              47,614,958
Raytheon Company                               1,727,827              67,281,583
Hewlett-Packard Company                9,304,769            298,310,894
Home Depot Inc/The                          7,208,920             169,842,155
Fedex Corp                                             1,230,967               54,765,722
Allstate Corp/The                                 2,187,843               41,897,193
Amazon.Com Inc                                   1,316,841              96,708,803
Macy’s Inc                                              1,568,938               13,963,548
Sears Holdings Corp                                213,759                 9,770,924
Procter & Gamble Company/The   10,837,108              510,319,416
Johnson & Johnson                           10,447,583             549,542,866
Du Pont (E I) De Nemours & Co       3,521,463               78,634,269
Dow Chemical Company/The          4,280,075                36,081,032
Dun & Bradstreet Corp/The                 207,093                15,946,161
Staples Inc                                              2,512,085               45,493,859
Alcoa Inc                                                  3,117,832              22,884,887
Canon Inc                                              2,236,920               63,866,704
Canon Marketing Japan Inc                   35,500                     498,157
Hitachi Ltd                                           5,368,600                14,458,313
Caterpillar Inc                                       2,111,648                59,041,678
H&R Block Inc                                      1,177,370                 21,416,360

–Computers and Internet–

Microsoft Corp                                  28,680,246              526,856,119
Apple Inc                                               3,324,449             349,466,079
Texas Instruments Inc                       5,083,728                83,932,349
Google Inc – Class A                               974,378              339,142,007
Yahoo! Inc                                              5,126,172                65,666,263
Yahoo! Japan Corp                                      4,716                   1,235,222
Intel Corp                                            22,345,858             336,305,163
Dell Inc                                                    7,713,130                73,120,472
International Business Mach Corp  5,099,897              494,129,020
McAfee Inc                                                758,725                 25,417,288
Palm Inc                                                    401,500                  3,460,930
Oracle Corp                                         13,566,613               245,148,697
Oracle Corp Japan                                  192,600                   7,253,944
NVIDIA Corp                                        2,001,337                 19,733,183
Advanced Micro Devices Inc             1,847,932                   5,636,193
Cisco Systems Inc                             23,320,806              391,089,917
Intuit Inc                                               1,339,099                 36,155,673
Microchip Technology Inc                    756,250                16,024,938
Micron Technology Inc                      3,774,261                  15,323,500
Micros Systems Inc                                235,060                  4,407,375
Casio Computer Japanese Ordinary     91,200                      639,887
Electronic Arts Inc                               1,162,420                 21,144,420
Activision Blizzard Inc                           961,705                 10,059,434
THQ Inc                                                     123,910                      376,686

–Alcohol, Coffee, and Cigarettes–

Starbucks Corp                                     2,453,460                 27,257,941
Peet’s Coffee & Tea Inc                             23,620                      510,664
Green Mntain Coffee Roasters Inc      272,425                 13,076,400
Imperial Tobacco Group plc              1,426,448                32,038,870
Philip Morris International Inc         6,731,683               239,513,281
British American Tobacco                   1,137,258                 26,293,331
Lorillard Inc                                             568,189                 35,079,989
Reynolds American Inc                         582,000                20,858,880
Altria Group Inc                                   6,925,183                110,941,432
Molson Coors Brewing Co – Class B   568,782                 19,497,847
Anheuser-Busch InBev Npv                  709,929                 19,553,671
Anheuser-Busch InBev – Strip VVPR 225,008                             896
Seagrams (is owned by Vivendi Universal)  (See Media Listing)
Boston Beer Co Inc/The – Class A          21,950                     457,877
Brown-Forman Corp – Class B              391,530               15,203,110
Castle A. M. & Company                          39,400                     351,448
Constellation Brands Inc – Class A      768,209                  9,141,687
Diageo plc                                                  907,367               10,229,018
Fortune Brands Inc                                  715,098               17,555,656
Heineken Holding Nv – Class A            386,719                9,390,942
Heineken Nv                                            206,448                 5,865,762
Pernod Ricard S.A.                                  353,388               19,694,387

–The Stock Market (corporations)–

NYSE Euronext                                     1,044,464                 18,695,906
NASDAQ OMX Group Inc                     539,840                 10,570,067
Moody’s Corp                                            769,534                  17,637,719
Barclays plc                                             1,278,276                    2,711,681

–Airlines–

Continental Airlines – Class B                313,800                 2,764,578
Southwest Airlines Company              3,345,891                21,179,490
Delta Air Lines Inc                                      16,000                      90,080
JetBlue Airways Corp                               745,342                 2,720,498
Airtran Holdings Inc                                470,680                  2,141,594
Alaska Air Group Inc                                 191,600                3,366,412
All Nippon Airways                                      11,000                      42,989
British Airways                                          398,483                    804,201
Air China Ltd – H                                     446,000                     143,871
Japan Airlines Corp                                  176,000                     356,384
Singapore Airlines Ltd                             347,540                  2,286,147
Cathay Pacific Airways                            702,000                      697,471
Qantas Airways Ltd                                  220,300                     267,097
Ryanair Holdings plc – Spons ADR      298,400                6,896,024
Auckland International Airport Ltd         34,621                       33,789
Priceline.Com Inc                                       231,150               18,209,997
.
For more information on the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, government wealth through investment, and this complete conflict of interest of government, please visit the following sites:
http://thecorporationnation.com/
http://realitybloger.wordpress.com/
http://cafr1.com/
http://cafrman.com/
.
Clint Richardson (realitybloger.wordpress.com)