Daily Musings

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The Bank Index

A network member points out that Don Coxe of BMO Financial Group, one of our favorite market analysts, has commented that we have now deleveraged everything that was doing well to help prop up the ban…

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An Anniversary Prayer — September 11, 2008

An Anniversary Prayer — September 11, 2008

Lord, we gather in prayer on the seventh anniversary of 9-11;
We thank you for the many blessings you have given us,
among them the gift of life;
Let our …

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Comments to Catherine on Coast-to-Coast

Dear Readers:

If you have comments to Catherine’s talk on Coast-to-Coast radio last night, please place them as a comment to this post.

Thanks!

Anais
Solari Web

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A List of the 20 Funniest Movies – Help!

I have a terrific friend who is coming home from the hospital tomorrow to recuperate from heart surgery. Her doctors say that this kind of surgery triggers feelings of sadness and depression. So I w…

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Going Green First Class

“Eco-Iconic”
At trendwatching.com

Bahrain World Trade Center

Dubai Wave Tower

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The 10 Most Affordable Housing Markets

Affordable Housing Exists, If You Know Where to Look
By Prashant Gopal – BusinessWeek (4 Sep 2008)

1. Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.
Median home price: $108,000
Median household income: $65,100
Share of h…

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A Solari Report – Independent Media Sustainability: A Review of Existing Media Capital Structures

Independent Media Sustainability: A Review of Existing Media Capital Structures

By Carolyn Betts, MBA/JD

Anyone who is focused on building wealth—whether personal financial wealth or  community …

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Simmons International

In our discussion on “Recommended,” there were several comments on Matt Simmons’ role in promoting the Peak Oil scenario. I thought it would be useful to point out that when Halliburton sold KBR stock…

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Deja Vu View 2

Only Convenient Caring Please
A YouTube video by Catherine Austin Fitts

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Recommended

I just finished James Norman’s new book: The Oil Card: Global Economic Warfare in the 21st Century.

Norman makes the case that a suppressed oil price was the most important strategic variable in brin…

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September 16-18 in Portland

Our very special ally Paul Levy is sponsoring his very special teachers, Tibetan Buddhist masters Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche, to teach three workshops in Portl…

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From Sam Smith at Prorev.com

DRINKING AGES IN SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Albania—No minimum age
Austria—14
Denmark—No minimum drinking age
Finland—No minimum drinking age
France—16 (beer, wine)
Germany—16 (beer, wine)
H…

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A New Word From Franklin Sanders

LUNATICKLE – noun. The thrill of fear, laughter, and incredulity that convulses your body when you read the financial news in the morning and realize that the lunatics have taken over not only the asy…

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Gold and Deflation

Now is a time when there is much discussion regarding the performance of gold in periods of deflation. A fine piece addressing some of these issues was written in 2005 by Bob Landis, Chairman of Amari…

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Let's Help the Next President Make Real Financial Choices for the People

I have been asked the question, “Why are you coming to Mill Valley, California to give such a significant speech and workshop in August on a Labor Day weekend?”

Here is why.

The 2008 Democratic Na…

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In Memorium: Stephen Mackendrick Thompson

Stephen Mackendrick Thompson – 1939 – 2008

Alastair Thompson, of New Zealand’s Scoop Independent News, writes of the passing of his father, Stephen, on 27 July 2008.

Whosoever cometh to me, and hear…

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Silver & Gold Payment Calculator

Place comments about Solari and the Moneychanger’s beta version of the Silver & Gold Payment Calculator here.

View previous comments here >>>

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Silver & Gold Payment Calculator

Place comments about Solari and the Moneychanger’s beta version of the Silver & Gold Payment Calculator here.

View previous comments here >>>

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Wilson

When my dog Forest died earlier this year, I was faced with the prospect of raising a new dog while traveling. I discussed my challenge with a farmer who lives nearby. She agreed to share one of her f…

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The Real Skinner on Puppy Linux

Computing For Everyone Who Can’t Afford Their Own Personal IT Department
By Court Skinner

Computers are a necessity for success in our modern era, but owning and using one has become increasingly c…

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Deeper Money

$4 trillion missing from the federal government, collateral fraud and 9-11. . .

Dead and Buried, But Not Forgotten by Rob Kirby

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A New Word

Triskaidekaphobia – A phobia of number 13

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Alexander Solzhenitsyn – In Memorium

Russian novelist, dramatist and historian, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn died of heart failure near Moscow on August 3, 2008 at, at the age of 89.

Putin Says Solzhenitsyn Death is Loss For Russia
By Maria Go…

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Pacifica Station Blacklists Commentator on Business & Economics

Pacifica Station Blacklists Commentator on Business & Economics
By Sam Smith – The Progressive Review (1 Aug 2008)

Admittedly Catherine Austin Fitts has a pretty unusual background for a commenta…

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Pacifica Station Blacklists Commentator on Business & Economics

Pacifica Station Blacklists Commentator on Business & Economics
By Sam Smith – The Progressive Review (1 Aug 2008)

Admittedly Catherine Austin Fitts has a pretty unusual background for a commenta…

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Message to KPFA Listeners

My being censored (1) (2) (3) is your financial opportunity.

KPFA was going to provide our 2-CD audio seminar Positioning Your Assets for Growth in Uncertain Times as a premium for donations of $120….

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Falling Real Estate Values

Let me repeat something I said many times when I was Assistant Secretary of Housing – Federal Housing Commissioner during Bush I, lead financial advisor to FHA during the Clinton Administration, an in…

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Denial Bliss

Sometimes it pays to NOT understand what is going on. Can you imagine being the person who had to write the current announcement on the Bear Stearns website if you were fully educated to the real deal…

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Webstats

Reading the Solari webstats is always a fascinating prospect.

Ever since the sub-prime meltdown last August, the big mystery when I fire up my systems each morning is guessing who will be the larges…

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KPFA’s Small Business Blacklist

For those of you following the censorship of Community Business on Flashpoints by KPFA and the finances of KPFA and Pacifica Foundation including their tax-exempt status, federal government funding, b…

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KPFA's Small Business Blacklist

For those of you following the censorship of Community Business on Flashpoints by KPFA and the finances of KPFA and Pacifica Foundation including their tax-exempt status, federal government funding, b…

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The Military Holds the Dollar Up

John:

My assessment is that 90% of the value of the U.S. dollar comes from the U.S. military. After we had our satellite systems in place, Cheney said “deficits don’t matter.” The US debt and defic…

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Positioning Your Assets

In our new audio seminar, Positioning Your Assets for Growth in Uncertain Times, among the many issues we address are one of the risks of holding your savings in a currency that is falling in value re…

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How Does the Money Work at KPFA Radio and the Pacifica Network?

Given the suspension of Community Business – a segment I have been doing on Flashpoints on Wednesday night with Dennis Bernstein, I thought I would take a look at KPFA Radio’s financial informati…

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Who Needs the Lottery?

Imagine if hundreds of student associations globally formed syndicates. Two hundred student associations at $5,000 each would create a $1MM in winnings.

AUSA Offers $5000 for Citizen’s Arrest of Rice…

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Censored

Sasha Lilley
Interim Program Director
ipd@kpfa.org

Lemlem Rijio
Interim General Manager for KPFA
igm@kpfa.org

Dear Lemlem and Sasha:

I learned from e-mail which was cc:ed to me yesterday that:

1. …

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Predatory Gentrification

I just got a call this morning from another tenant in a HUD affordable building that a large developer would like to control and tear down. These calls trickle in.

If you think predatory lending is …

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Financial Orwell Unpacked

Spin #1: The problem has been unregulated markets.

Real Deal: The problem was a debt bubble engineered by the Federal Reserve and the U.S. government with massive amounts of government guaranteed deb…

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Solar Cycle Variations

For a number of years I have been interested in the impact of the solar cycle on weather, mood and other aspects of our lives that impact the economy and markets. I am convinced that understanding our…

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John Templeton Dies – July 8, 2008

“Sir John Templeton was an investor and mutual fund pioneer who dedicated much of his fortune to religion and science. Templeton was born in the town of Winchester, Tennessee. He attended Yale Univers…

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Jim Rouse

One of my favorite stories about community development was told to me by Jim Rouse and his colleagues about what happened at the charrette sponsored by the Rouse Company to design the planned city of …

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Mortgage Market Musing

Sometimes, it helps to step back and see the big picture.

Let’s say that I serve as the depository for a large government and I also own the central bank. I get my partners appointed to run the gover…

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Deja Vu View – No Accident

Our evaporating mortgage bubble represents the culmination of a long evolution of systemic mortgage fraud in the United States. If you want to understand the deeper story, here is the the update we wr…

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McMarvelous

Here is the heartwarming story of two British activists, Helen Steel and David Morris, achieving the impossible by rewarding McDonald’s lawsuit against them with a PR nightmare, a watchdog website “Mc…

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Community Wizards

I grew up in a community where all the kids freely used the “F” word. Then I went to work on Wall Street, where the “F” word was quite common. If you want a taste of the Wall Street culture multivaria…

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History's Actors

“In the summer of 2002, after I had written an article in Esquire that the White House didn’t like about Bush’s former communications director, Karen Hughes, I had a meeting with a senior adviser to B…

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History’s Actors

“In the summer of 2002, after I had written an article in Esquire that the White House didn’t like about Bush’s former communications director, Karen Hughes, I had a meeting with a senior adviser to B…

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Fourth of July Mystery

We had our July 4th Parade this morning. We had our three fire trucks, lots of ATVs brimming with kids and flags and a procession of beautiful, polished tractors and farm equipment. One mysterious gen…

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Jessie Helms Dies – July 4, 2008

Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was a five-term United States Senator from North Carolina, and a member of the Republican Party. He served as chairman of the Senate Fore…

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Y'All Are Welcome

I don’t know which is more nourishing – getting to know my cousin Jane or getting some of the Powell Farm’s sweet corn grown by her husband Billy and son Bob. You can do both this Saturday at the Farm…

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Y’All Are Welcome

I don’t know which is more nourishing – getting to know my cousin Jane or getting some of the Powell Farm’s sweet corn grown by her husband Billy and son Bob. You can do both this Saturday at the Farm…

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Deja Vu View – $59 Billion Missing from HUD

Inspired by an insight from our attorney, Carolyn Betts, and the practice of one of our favorite journalists, Sam Smith at Progressive Review, we are going to republish bits and pieces of previous art…

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Vanity Fair on Bear Stearns

Bringing Down Bear Stearns
By Bryan Burrough – Vanity Fair (Aug 2008)

On Monday, March 10, the rumor started: Bear Stearns was having liquidity problems. In fact, the maverick investment bank had aro…

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Ohio Does Sex and Mortgage Fraud

Mark Dann was the attorney general of Ohio. In January, Ohio Attorney General Mark Dann sued Freddie Mac and the members of its board:

Ohio Pension Fund Sues Freddie Mac

That was right after Clevela…

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In From a Network Member

A Letter to My Stockbroker
February 2008

Dear John:

I sent you the article on Bill Gross of PIMCO because I was interested in someone who feels as I do—that the U.S. and the dollar are moving in t…

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Request for Prayer and Financial Action

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision on Valdez, I would like to ask for prayers for all the people and living things harmed by the Valdez spill and for the people of Alaska. I would also reque…

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How McCain’s Money Works

For those of you who do not typically use financial filings, I thought I would make it easy for you to access information on how the Presidential candidates’ money works. Once you see how to access …

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How McCain's Money Works

For those of you who do not typically use financial filings, I thought I would make it easy for you to access information on how the Presidential candidates’ money works. Once you see how to access …

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Shock Doctrine

I finally finished The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein. What a fine piece of investigative journalism. Klein nails Milton Friedman, Jeff Sachs and the line of economist…

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Book Review: Shock Doctrine

I finally finished The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein. What a fine piece of investigative journalism. Klein nails Milton Friedman, Jeff Sachs and the line of economists…

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Court Skinner Hot Tip

The coolest techie we know, Court Skinner of Computers for Everyone, in Palo Alto says Puppy Linux is going to resurrect antique computers (that is, more than ten years old). New computers can use it…

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Another Unanswered Question

When Jim Johnson announced his resignation, the first uncensored thought that came to mind was “I wonder if Andrew Cuomo and Jack Kemp where in cahoots on this one?” It was just intuition, but with Ke…

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How Obama's Money Works

For those of you who do not typically use financial filings, I thought I would make it easy for you to access information on how the Presidential candidates’ money works. Once you see how to access …

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How Obama’s Money Works

For those of you who do not typically use financial filings, I thought I would make it easy for you to access information on how the Presidential candidates’ money works. Once you see how to access …

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Alcohol Can Be a Gas

I just saw a fascinating presentation. David Blume explained ethanol and its economics in the context of reviving communities at the Sonnenschien Festival in Hohenwald, Tennessee. Here are links for h…

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A Must Read

The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination
Harvard University Commencement Address
By J.K. Rowling – Harvard University Gazette Online (Jun 2008)

View a live video recording or…

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In Memorium

Let’s take a moment and give thanks for the life and work of one excellent man.

Utah Phillips passed away on May 23rd. Described as the “Golden Voice of the Great Southwest,” you can learn more about…

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Let's Help the New President

I have been asked to start a list of things that the President could do to improve the economy. I thought I would start this list and invite you into the invention room to add. Remember, we are in bra…

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Let’s Help the New President

I have been asked to start a list of things that the President could do to improve the economy. I thought I would start this list and invite you into the invention room to add. Remember, we are in bra…

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Comment on Bishop Jake's Blog

Bishop:

Thank you so much for your words on this topic Negative Press Distracts Church from Mission and for offering us the opportunity to access your leadership and inspiration through your blog.

I…

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Comment on Bishop Jake’s Blog

Bishop:

Thank you so much for your words on this topic Negative Press Distracts Church from Mission and for offering us the opportunity to access your leadership and inspiration through your blog.

I…

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Advice to a University Student

Miss Catherine,

It is a pleasure to be introduced to you. I have been on Solari.com and read many of your papers. Your Narco Dollars series was particularly interesting/upsetting. I never realized ho…

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Opening This Weekend

John Cusack’s latest . . .

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A New Version of "Survivor"

And You Thought It Could Never Happen
By Sharon Astyk – Casaubon’s Book Blog (14 May 2008)

On Television, the new version of “Survivor” takes over with a new theme – participants must create a fu…

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Man From Plains

I am a great admirer of patience and fearlessness combined in a persistent person. I got a chance to see Man from Plains which chronicles President Jimmy Carter’s book tour across America to publicize…

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You Can't Take It With You

I just saw an excellent presentation by Kathryn W. Mirree, J.D, called The Top Ten Charitable Planning Ideas for 2008. The seminar was presented by the Planned Giving Council of Greater Memphis and Co…

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You Can’t Take It With You

I just saw an excellent presentation by Kathryn W. Mirree, J.D, called The Top Ten Charitable Planning Ideas for 2008. The seminar was presented by the Planned Giving Council of Greater Memphis and Co…

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It Is That Simple

I just listened to a wonderful David Icke interview in which he says that solutions are simple. Right now, everyone pretty much acts by asking and answering “What’s right for me?” If we all just start…

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Correction

For some reason (groan) a very old article is circulating on the internet. It includes an estimate of presidential campaign contributions from the largest states that is too high. I calculated it with…

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Did We Mention Bashing Gold?

Special Thanks to Rob Kirby of Kirby Analytics and LeMetropole Café.

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Real Solutions vs. the Status Quo

The challenge with all real solutions is that they require telling the truth.
The problem is that maintaining the status quo requires never telling the truth.

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Tons of Useful Stuff

One of the challenges of building a map of reality is knowing what you don’t know. For years, I have subscribed to a service called United Readers, which allows me to try many different magazines, dip…

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Book Review: The Franklin Cover Up & More on Mortgage Fraud and Sex

For those who want to understand the relationship of sex to mortgage fraud, The Franklin Cover-Up by Nebraska Senator John DeCamp is a must read. This is because it is essential to understand what Ell…

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Recent Reads

I finished up some good reads this weekend.

The first read: In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan is a good well, written summary of everything you probably already know about fo…

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Coming Clean!

To sign up to receive Updates, click on “Sign Up for E-Mail Updates” in the “Pages Section” (right-hand column) of this blog.

 

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Letter to the Editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer

Ladies And Gentlemen:

Thank you for your excellent article “Hungry Times For Area Food Banks” by Alfred Lubrano, Mari A. Schaefer and Joseph Dolan.

The authors state that the reasons for the current…

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More on the Missing Money

There is $4 trillion missing from the US government. On Coast to Coast last week, I referred to Rumsfeld’s testimony before Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney on the missing money and sex slave traffick…

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Improving My Gas Mileage

For the last year, several members of the Solari network have been lobbying me to try Fuel Freedom International’s MPG-CAPSâ„¢. These are small caplets that are added to my gas which improve milea…

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Winter Wonderland

I drove up through Vermont to New Hampshire to visit my aunt and uncle.
They were just plowing out from three large snowfalls. The trees and ground are covered with snow. The air is clear and crisp. …

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Winter Solstice

From Wikipedia: The winter solstice occurs the instant when the Sun’s position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane as the observer. Depending on th…

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New Forum is Percolating

We are in the process of developing a new forum that will be part of a subscription service we will launch next year. We will be shutting down http://www.solariactionnetwork.com as we bring up the pr…

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Time to do it again?

Here is a picture from the Monitor-Herald in Calhoun City, Mississippi during my bicycle trip through the Southern states in 1978. I just got a new bicycle and keep thinking about doing another trip.

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Multi-Purpose Trampoline

One reason why trampolines may be dangerous.

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Oldie, but Goodie

From November 2004 Interview in Optionetics —

Interview ~ Part I

Interview ~ Part II

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Circulating on the Internet ~ 911 Truth

I was depressed last night so I called Lifeline.

I got a call center in Pakistan.

I told them I was suicidal.

They got all excited and asked if I could fly a plane.

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Sontag on the Slow Burn

Susan Sontag was someone who had astonishing insights into our collective situations. Here is one that I read recently.

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Fresh Food: Take Action

I just installed a freezer, bought my first lamb and quarter calf from
two local farmers, and joined the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund
through the Weston Price Foundation where Solari is already…

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Study on Financial Returns of Angel Investors

Largest study on angel investing is released by the Kauffman Foundation and Angel Capital Education Foundation.

From the Press Release:

The largest study on the financial returns of angel investors…

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More Documentaries

I have just added Micheal Moore’s documentary Sicko to my list of favorite recent documentaries.Sicko is a home run.

Thanks, Mike.

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Just in From a Member of the Solari Action Network…

They were laying new power cables which were strung on the ground for miles. The moose are rutting right now and very agitated. He was thrashing around and got his antlers stuck in the cables. When t…