THE WORLD BAILS US OUT

NEWSWEEK (2008) 2/4/

(44) ZAKARIA

The world is beginning to bail us out. It is not defeatism, but it is math. The dollar continues to dwindle in the world market, so we are borrowing from one country to pay another. Further, countries are now looking at our major means of production. That includes banks, factories and related. Other countries can see that we are in bad shape or getting there so they can clean up. Their economies are sound and they do have the capital to purchase our property. This also means that if we oppose something that they are doing they can start dumping our dollars and property that we used to own.

However, that does not mean they want us to go under. We are the largest consumer of other countries goods. So they will continue to bail us out. However, it puts us in a more difficult position in the world. The economies that are now doing well appear to be in Asia and in surrounding areas.

BUSINESS WEEK (2008) 2/4

MANDEL (24-27)

HOW REAL WAS THE PROSPERITY? It may have been illusory and originates with credit induced frenzy. Buying a house was cheap because you could get an ARM on the house and with very little down. Personal spending increased because one could continue to roll over with credit cards, Consumer lending was made too easy to get. Corporate earnings may have been lower, because much profit came from workers salaries were stagnated. Productivity may have been lower, because it was boosted by excess borrowing.

FARZAD, LEVINSOWN, AND STEVERMAN (28-30)

CAN WE START MOVING BACK TO PROSPERITY?

The Federal Reserve Bank must be aggressive in cutting basic points to the lowest interest rate possible. Further foreign countries if they buy, can keep us afloat. However, if you do not let recession occur, your are faced with stagflation. That means that like the 70’s, you have increasing inflation but stagnant growth. It really hurts those that are on limited incomes. The last really big fall was in the early 80’s under President Reagan.

TOO BIG TO FALL (32-34)

HENRY   As such, the USA has the Fed, but does not have a public central bank like most countries. So it appears that taxpayers will have to keep the major banks alive. They are too big to fail. WE COULD TRIGGER A MAJOR WORLD RECESSION and therefore the banks need to be supported. Unfortunately, taxpayers must pay for ill conceived and greedy strategies that will not be punished.

COY (36) the stimulus package is a quick fix that will not help much economically, but will do much politically.

THE WEEK (2008) 2/1

Coming to your dinner table soon is cloned meat. It is the sons and daughters of the original cloned animal.

Those who pay more for cheap wine in nice bottles believe they are getting a better wine.

Columbus not only made an important discovery, but brought the worst case of syphilis and other STD’s that killed many Native Americans.

Bad air appears to be related to birth defects.

You can get serious diseases from paper money and coins.

TIME (2008) 2/4

CRAIG VENTER appears to be working with his own genome to create HUMANS. Okay, the may be an overstatement, but animals are in the planning stages.  Genomes

can be the origin of biofuels, drugs, vaccines, zoos of manmade creatures, as well as custom designed pets.