
The Farm Blog Up
thefarmblog.org
News and views from The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee

Event – October 2008: “Financial Permaculture”
Financial Permaculture: Greening a Rural American Community
October 24-28, 2008
Hohenwald, Tennessee
Attend this 5-day regenerative business and community development course and design simulation wi…

Event – October 2008: "Financial Permaculture"
Financial Permaculture: Greening a Rural American Community
October 24-28, 2008
Hohenwald, Tennessee
Attend this 5-day regenerative business and community development course and design simulation wi…

Fannie and Freddie Become Penny Stocks – Part I
~ Click here to view the full Freddie and Fannie Become Penny Stocks article.
Overwhelming American communities with mortgage, auto and credit card debt as we shift manufacturing and research capacit…

Erie, Pennsylvania Sues JP Morgan Chase
Facing Federal Probe, JPMorgan Exits Municipal Swaps
Business Standard (5 Sep 2008)
“JPMorgan Chase & Co will stop selling interest-rate swaps to government borrowers in the $2.6 trillion US munic…

Welcome to the Solari Invention Room!
At Solari, the invention room is a place in our imagination where we go to collaborate on creating and developing great ideas. There are several protocols that apply in the invention room.
1. We st…

Money & Markets – Week of 9.08.08
Computer Glitch Derails London Stock Exchange
By Julia Werdigier – International Herald Tribune (8 Sep 2008)
FTSE Rally Supported By Banks
By Simon Falush – Reuters.uk (8 Sep 2008)
China’s Central B…

Money & Markets – Week of 9.08.08
Computer Glitch Derails London Stock Exchange
By Julia Werdigier – International Herald Tribune (8 Sep 2008)
FTSE Rally Supported By Banks
By Simon Falush – Reuters.uk (8 Sep 2008)
China’s Central B…

Precious Metals – Week of 9.08.08
U.S. Must Buy More Assets To Prevent ‘Tsunami,’ Bond Manager Gross Says
By Jody Shenn – Bloomberg News (4 Sep 2008)
Rosen Special Update
By Ronald Rosen & Alistair Gilbert – Kitco (4 Sep 2008)
D…

A Comment On Our Election Coverage
My focus during the presidential elections — as it has been for the last three elections — is on helping you understand what you can do to protect your assets before, during and after the election, …

Geopolitical – Week of 9.08.08
America’s Best Days
Rasmussen Report (28 Aug 2008)
Early Security Issues Tarnish Google’s Chrome Browser
By Nancy Gohring – ITWorld.com (3 Sep 2008)
Rense.com Now Under Severe, Routine Attack
At Ren…

Mortgage Markets – Week of 9.08.08
U.S. Takeover of Fannie, Freddie Offers ‘Stopgap’
By Rebecca Christie & John Brinsley – Bloomberg.com (8 Sep 2008)
Treasury Statement on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
Reuters (7 Sep 2008)
In Rescue to…

Food & Health – Week of 9.08.08
Huge Rise In The Price of Food in Britain
By Jon Swaine – London Telegraph (5 Sep 2008)

Food & Health – Week of 9.08.08
Huge Rise In The Price of Food in Britain
By Jon Swaine – London Telegraph (5 Sep 2008)

Life – Week of 9.08.08
The Genetic Early Adopters
By Emily Singer – Technology Review (8 Sep 2008)
Turner Adds New Concert Dates To Tour
By Mitchell Peters – Reuters (4 Sep 2008)
Microwave News
A Report on Non-Ionizing Ra…

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…

Going Green First Class
“Eco-Iconic”
At trendwatching.com
Bahrain World Trade Center
Dubai Wave Tower

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…

September Slow Burn
If it is bothering you that the price of everything that is losing value is up and the price of everything that is increasing in value is down, Eric Sprott’s latest may help you stay grounded.
The Ph…

Thank Heavens For Honest Judges
Fighting Foreclosure: Subprime Borrowers Battle (and Beat) Lenders in Court
By Amanda Stutt – Village Voice (3 Sep 2008)
Excerpt: “If the paperwork is garbage I deny it”
More and more Judges have dem…

Quote du Jour
Thanks to Bill Murphy and his Midas Report at LeMetropole Café for this one.

Money & Markets – Week of 9.01.08
Judge Considers Pretrial Release in Tax-Fraud Case
By Sanne Spect – MailTribune.com (3 Sep 2008)
BP Loosens TNK-BP Grip to End Fight With Oligarchs
By Tom Bergin & Melissa Akin – Reuters.uk (4 Se…

Money & Markets – Week of 9.01.08
Judge Considers Pretrial Release in Tax-Fraud Case
By Sanne Spect – MailTribune.com (3 Sep 2008)
BP Loosens TNK-BP Grip to End Fight With Oligarchs
By Tom Bergin & Melissa Akin – Reuters.uk (4 Se…

Mortgage Markets – Week of 9.01.08
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Bailout Near
TheStreet.com (5 Sep 2008)
Freddie, Fannie Shareholders To Be Wiped Out
U.S. Rescue Seen at Hand for 2 Mortgage Giants
By Stephen Labaton & Andrew Ross Sorkin…

Geopolitical – Week of 9.01.08
Amy Goodman Arrested at RNC
A YouTube Video (1 Sep 2008)
Supercomputer Weather: Super Hurricane Gustav
By Alastair Thompson & David Mclellan – Scoop Independent News (31 Aug 2008)
Oil, Gas Fall …

Life – Week of 9.01.08
The Weekend Wake-up
A series of FREE multi-generational community events
Sun Makes History: First Spotless Month in a Century
By Michael Asher – DailyTech.com (1 Sep 2008)
All Swiss Animals Are Equa…

Food & Health – Week of 9.01.08
Scientists Use Particle Accelerator to Date Wine
By Claude Canellas – Reuters.uk (3 Sep 2008)
Qatar and Vietnam Set Up Agriculture Fund
Reuters.uk (3 Sep 2008)

Food & Health – Week of 9.01.08
Scientists Use Particle Accelerator to Date Wine
By Claude Canellas – Reuters.uk (3 Sep 2008)
Qatar and Vietnam Set Up Agriculture Fund
Reuters.uk (3 Sep 2008)

Precious Metals – Week of 9.01.08
Uptrends Continue for Gold and Silver
By James Turk – GoldMoney.com (1 Sep 2008)

Deja Vu View
“Deja Vu View” is our title to revive things we have written in the past that are worth revisiting given current events.
The federal government having to assume another $5 trillion in liabilities fo…

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 …

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…

Deja Vu View 2
Only Convenient Caring Please
A YouTube video by Catherine Austin Fitts

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…

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…

Freddie and Fannie Hammer Regional and Small Banks
Moody’s ratings downgrades of Freddie and Fannie preferred last week are going to be bad news for insurance companies and regional and small banks who are believed to have large holdings in approximat…

Money & Markets – Week of 8.25.08
Dollar Rescue Plan Was Drawn in March, Japanese Paper Says
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss – Reuters (27 Aug 2008)
ECB Slammed by Nobel Economist as European Slump Deepens
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard – Lo…

Money & Markets – Week of 8.25.08
Dollar Rescue Plan Was Drawn in March, Japanese Paper Says
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss – Reuters (27 Aug 2008)
ECB Slammed by Nobel Economist as European Slump Deepens
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard – Lo…

Precious Metals – Week of 8.25.08
U.S. Appeals Court Validates Gold Clause in Rental Contract
By Lisa Cornwell – Associated Press (28 Aug 2008)
Let Them Mint Paper: Now They’re Out of Krugerrands Too
By Claudia Carpenter – Bloomberg …

Mortgage Markets – Week of 8.25.08
Three Fannie Mae Execs Out, Shares Rally Earlier
By Al Yon – Reuters (27 Aug 2008)
Fannie, Freddie Capital Can Absorb Losses: Report
By Al Yoon – Reuters.uk (26 Aug 2008)
China Warns U.S. Against Fa…

Geopolitical – Week of 8.25.08
Russia May Cut Off Oil and Gas to Europe
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard – London Telegraph (28 Aug 2008)
Steve Jobs Obituary Published by Bloomberg
By Matthew Moore – London Telegraph (28 Aug 2008)
Tran…

Food & Health – Week of 8.25.08
FDA Unleashes Mass Irradiation of Spinach, Lettuce and Other Vegetables
NaturalNews.com (22 Aug 2008)

Food & Health – Week of 8.25.08
FDA Unleashes Mass Irradiation of Spinach, Lettuce and Other Vegetables
NaturalNews.com (22 Aug 2008)

Life – Week of 8.25.08
Where Cell Phones Go To Die
By Kate Greene – TechnologyReview.com (Sept/Oct 2008)
Virus-Assembled Microbatteries
By Lauren Rugani – TechnologyReview.com (21 Aug 2008)
Cosmic Blast 7.5 Billion Years …

The Financial Permaculture Blog Launches
Financial Permaculture Blog:
a resource for gathering information and conversations about financial permaculture
Also see: The Farm Blog

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…


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…

Financial Permaculture
In 1989, I was serving as Assistant Secretary of Housing. The housing bubble of the 1980’s had burst, and foreclosures were rising. The mortgage insurance funds of the Federal Housing Administration…

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…

Pebble Mine
The financial permaculture conversation continues . . .
Pebble Mine
At Gaiapoiesis – 19 Aug 2008)
Pebble Mine – at Wikipedia

Money & Markets – Week of 8.18.08
Eat the Rich: Investment Banks Can’t Afford to Bail Out Wealthy Clients
By Heidi N. Moore – Wall Street Journal (22 Aug 2008)
A Few Speculators Dominate Vast Market for Oil Trading
By David Cho – Was…

Money & Markets – Week of 8.18.08
Eat the Rich: Investment Banks Can’t Afford to Bail Out Wealthy Clients
By Heidi N. Moore – Wall Street Journal (22 Aug 2008)
A Few Speculators Dominate Vast Market for Oil Trading
By David Cho – Was…

Precious Metals – Week of 8.18.08
Congressman Extracts Statement From Mint on Gold Coin Shortage
By Chris Powell – GATA
Gold Derivatives: Moving Up Again
Goldsextant.com Commentary (1 Jun 2008)
Paper Prices No Longer Rule The Precio…

Mortgage Markets – Week of 8.18.08
Still Bleeding – Fannie, Freddie and Lehman Ensure August is Anything But Quiet
From The Economist (20 Aug 2008)
Russia Will Not Dump Fannie, Freddie Debt: FinMin
By Toni Vorobyova – Reuters.uk (21 A…

Geopolitical – Week of 8.18.08
Who Started Cold War II?
By Patrick J. Buchanan – AntiWar.com (19 Aug 2008)
Scott Forbes 9/11 Power Down: The Elephant in The Room
A YouTube video
There’s A Law That Takes Away Money If You Leave U….

Life – Week of 8.18.08
Lucid Dreaming
By Paul Levy – awakeinthedream.com (Aug 2008)
A Blueprint to Regenerate Limbs
By Emily Singer – Technology Review (18 Aug 2008)
Liver Problems? Paging Dr. Cuervo!
By Alexis Madrigal -…

Fannie and Freddie 1-Year Chart
This weekend, Barrons published a piece on Fannie and Freddie indicating the chances for nationalization were rising. Today, the stocks dropped like a stone.
Bailout Concerns Slam Freddie, Fannie Sha…

Food & Health – Week of 8.18.08
The Smell of Cancer
By Corinna Wu – TechnologyReview.com (20 Aug 2008)

Food & Health – Week of 8.18.08
The Smell of Cancer
By Corinna Wu – TechnologyReview.com (20 Aug 2008)
The Oxygen Crisis by Peter Tatchell
Guardian | 13 August 2008
Knock-on effects…

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…

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…

Thank you, Prince Charles
Charles Warns GM Farming Will End in Ecological Disaster
By Robert Booth – The Guardian (13 Aug 2008)

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…

Another Remarkable Coincidence
Bohemian Grove 2008 – July 11-27
Wikileaks: Bohemian Grove 2008 Guest List
Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 was passed by the United States Congress on July 24, 2008 and signed by Preside…

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 >>>

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 >>>

There Must Be a Story Here
On August 12, Maureen Dowd writes in the New York Times that Hillary Clinton is planning on staging a commotion at the Democratic convention at the end of August. During the day, I keep hearing rumors…

Money & Markets – Week of 8.11.08
Dollar Intervention
At Silicon Investor
U.S. Dollar Rallies as Extent of Worldwide Recession Becomes Clearer
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard – London Telegraph (8 Aug 2008)
Paulson Says Won’t Stay at Tr…

Money & Markets – Week of 8.11.08
Dollar Intervention
At Silicon Investor
U.S. Dollar Rallies as Extent of Worldwide Recession Becomes Clearer
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard – London Telegraph (8 Aug 2008)
Paulson Says Won’t Stay at Tr…

Mortgage Markets – Week of 8.11.08
Articles Relating to Mortgage Servicing Fraud
Stop the Housing Bailout
At stopthehousingbailout.com (30 Jul 2008)

Precious Metals – Week of 8.11.08
Gold Near a Bottom? Ask the Western Central Banks
By Chris Powell – GATA (11 Aug 2008)
Undaunted Gold Bug Murphy Looks to East
By Peter Brimelow – MarketWatch.com (11 Aug 2008)

Geopolitical – Week of 8.11.08
Householders to be Hit by £1,000 Water Bill With Prices Set to Soar 60%
BY Sean Poulter – DailyMail.co.uk (12 Aug 2008)
Waste Management Raises Bid for Republic
By Helen Chernikoff – Reuters.uk (11 …

Oh Boy, More on the Bear
Even Bloomberg is saying something stinks on the Bear Stearns option trading:
Bringing Down Bear Began as $1.7 Million of Options
By Gary Matsumoto – Bloomberg.com (11 Aug 2008)

Incredibly Good News for Local Ownership Advocates
Nestlé to renegotiate McCloud Deal
By David Benda – Redding News (6 Aug 2008)
“Nestle Waters North America announced Tuesday it’s pulling out of its original contract with McCloud Community Services …

The Housing & Economic Recovery Act of 2008
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008:
An Analysis by Catherine Austin Fitts
~ Click here for the full article.
If there is to be any blessing in this housing bill, perhaps it will be to so …

The Housing & Economic Recovery Act of 2008
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008:
An Analysis by Catherine Austin Fitts
~ Click here for the full article.
If there is to be any blessing in this housing bill, perhaps it will be to so …

Housing Bill, Part IX
In the Destruction of the Old, Let There Be the Creation of the New
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation is now marketing a new documentary called I.O.U.S.A. I have only seen the trailer. Based on readin…

Gas prices. Job cuts. Inflation. Everything’s going up, except the Popsicle Index.
Gauging life by the Koolee Index
by Micheal Overall – Tulsa World.com (11 Aug 2008

Gas prices. Job cuts. Inflation. Everything's going up, except the Popsicle Index.
Gauging life by the Koolee Index
by Micheal Overall – Tulsa World.com (11 Aug 2008

Housing Bill, Part VIII
The Two Great Financial Mysteries of Our Time: Missing Money and Collateral Fraud
There are two great financial mysteries in America:
where is all the missing money and how do we get it back?
…

Tapeworm Keeps Billions in Missing Money
Excerpt:
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth … later was removed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which said he had lost his objectivity. The government had asked t…

Housing Bill, Part VII
Andrew Cuomo Owes Us $5 Trillion
It is not easy to engineer the bankrupting of the American middle class and the U.S. government.
Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve banks and their members can p…

Housing Bill, Part VI
The Tapeworm Corporation Comes Out of the Closet
(Comparison Chart: Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and the DOW, 1989-2008)
Eisenhower warned us about a military industrial complex. I have read that he had …

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…

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…

Deeper Money
$4 trillion missing from the federal government, collateral fraud and 9-11. . .
Dead and Buried, But Not Forgotten by Rob Kirby

Withholding Taxes
Withholding Taxes Chart – Current through the Daily Treasury Statement dated August 4, 2008
From Matt Trivisonno’s Blog
~ Thanks to The King Report for pointing this out.

A New Word
Triskaidekaphobia – A phobia of number 13

Money & Markets – Week of 8.04.08
Storms on the Horizon
By Richard W. Fisher – Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (28 May 2008)
Citigroup and Merrill to Buy Back Auction-rate Debt
By Grant McCool & Jonathan Stempel – Reuters.uk (8 Au…

Money & Markets – Week of 8.04.08
Storms on the Horizon
By Richard W. Fisher – Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (28 May 2008)
Citigroup and Merrill to Buy Back Auction-rate Debt
By Grant McCool & Jonathan Stempel – Reuters.uk (8 Au…

Geopolitical – Week of 8.04.08
U.S. Attorney Scandal Probe Enters White House Circle
By Murray Waas – The Huffington Post (7 Aug 2008)
Libraries Step Into The Age of iPod
By Paul Thomasch – Reuters.uk (7 Aug 2008)
Major Internet …

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…

Mortgage Markets – Week of 8.04.08
Pending Home Resales in U.S. Unexpectedly Rose 5.3%
By Timothy R. Homan – Bloomberg.com (7 Aug 2008)
Record Foreclosures Sweep CA in July – Breaking News
Mr. Mortgage (7 Aug 2008)
Covered Bonds Offe…


Quote du Jour
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Life – Week of 8.04.08
How to Be Positive During Tough Times
By Liz Wolgemuth – U.S. News (7 Aug 2008)
Blow-up Church Looks to Lure Italian Beachgoers
By Olivia Scarlett & Phil Stewart – Reuters.uk (5 Aug 2008)
Ho’o P…

Precious Metals – Week of 8.04.08
Thai Gold Shops Fear Pretend Gold Will Suppress Real Gold
By Darana Chudasri – Bankok Post, Thailand (7 Aug 2008)
Consumer Prices Rise Fastest in 25 Years — and Gold Plunges
By Glenn Somerville – Re…

What’s In a Number?
It looks like Royal Dutch Shell will end up paying about $600 million in connection with global class action lawsuits and enforcement that were triggered by its reclassifications of its oil and gas re…

What's In a Number?
It looks like Royal Dutch Shell will end up paying about $600 million in connection with global class action lawsuits and enforcement that were triggered by its reclassifications of its oil and gas re…