THE POPE, THE LAPD, THE GRAMMY'S AND OTHER THINGS THAT SUCK

Last night the Grammy's aired which had some great moments (the Bob Marley Tribute, Clarkson and Underwood with solid performances, and The Black Keys with Dr. John), dull moments (some of the telecast was dreadful) and the just awful (LL Cool J was a terrible host, some of the bands performing were just as bad). The worst moment was the ending which, instead of some star studded spectacular with great people gathered, was LL Cool J desperately trying to recapture his youth by signing very poorly to songs nobody has ever heard of. Really, you couldn't do Mama's Gonna Knock You Out? By the way, much like Timberlake, your new stuff sucks. Also, at your age, it's real hard to pull off the cool rapper image without looking like someone's dad boogieing down to music from the eighties. And he licked his lips a record 28 times during the telecast which makes me think he is part lizard. Some critics really liked it, meaning that A.O. Scott must be busy in other venues as well because that performances SUCKED. It was embarrassing. Half the people out there at the end belong to the AARP, and I have feeling, nobody knew who most of them were.

Then came this news today that Pope Joey Ratz, aka Benedict 17th, was stepping down due to "health reasons." I put that in quotes because I find it ironic that the documentary, Mea Maxima Culpa, just aired, which proved that the current Pope knew much more about the pedo scandals than he had previously admitted as he was the guy in charge of all allegations. All charges world wide landed on his desk only. Interviews given since then have shown a man denying any allegations that he had foreknowledge of these scandals, which is odd as he WAS THE FUCKING GUY IN CHARGE! So much for papal infallibility and for that reason alone, he may have been instructed to leave. At least they didn't kill him like some popes.

According to the prophecies of St. Malachi, the next pope will take the name Peter 2, a name not used since the first pope. It will also start the end of the world as this is the final pope on the list, at least according to Malachi. There is some debate as to whether the last entry is even from St. Malachi and, while his prophecies over the centuries have all come true, there is the distinct possibility that all of them were self fulfilling as every pope elected would know about the list before hand and could make sure the prophecy fit them before taking office. We all know that for the most part, prophecies never come true. We all witnessed the Mayan one eat it just a few months back.

Talk of who the successor is already in the air including a Hispanic or Black pope which is not out of the questions as those are the only areas where Christianity is growing. In Ireland, which once had a 96% Catholicism rate and huge Church attendance has dropped dramatically and Church attendance is down to 4% capacity in many places. That is a free fall, almost all of it fallout from the pedo scandals that ripped through Europe recently. Much like the US, Europe watched their faith fall apart and now most are left with nothing. Way to go Vatican. If the next Pope can't make any headway in updating the clergy, they will not be around much longer and St. Malachi may be right about this being the final pope.

The LAPD shot up another truck wounding the white driver who in no way, shape or form, looked like alleged cop killed Chris Dorner nor was the truck he was driving the right make or color. The other incident yesterday, which contained two Hispanic women not Asian as had been reported, shows that the cops sprayed ammo everywhere, including nearby houses and trees. This reminds me of the NYC case where cops fired wildly into a crowd of people injuring eight. Crack shots these guys aren't which makes me nervous as many are ex-military.

Recently I read Dorner's manifesto which paints a very different picture from what the LAPD is telling us. His work is intelligent, thoughtful and not deranged. I've read many manifestos from many psychos and trust me, a lot of them go off the rails in the first sentence. This was not the case. He describes a culture of racism within the ranks where blacks hate the Hispanics and whites, Hispanics hate the blacks, whites hate everyone, the lesbians hate men and the Asians try not to get involved. Sounds like everywhere. He also spells out corruption charges and seems to be telling the truth. Because of this fact, the LAPD has decided to reopen the case but I expect them not to find out anything they will be telling the public anytime soon. An independent investigation is needed and stat. I, and apparently many others, don't trust the LAPD or police in general. Dorner is coming across as a hero while the LAPD is looking worse by the minute.

It has also turned out that the officer he accused of assault has a history of brutality charges including one by an elderly woman. She sounds like a peach. There is currently a 1 million dollar award for his capture but, from all looks, they intend to kill this guy on sight. He so far has led them on a false trail to San Diego and Big Bear and I am shocked he hasn't struck again. That will probably change at any minute as this guy appears to have every right to be pissed at the people who destroyed his life. He recently called the police captain to taunt him about the death of his daughter. That is some cold shit. This guy is going to strike again, which for once, civilians don't have to worry. If you are a cop though, you better sleep in your bullet proof vest.

DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS

Another stellar week for the traditional losers on this posting with a few new wrinkles to make it interesting. Let's see those runner ups,

1)Bill O'Reilly- It's bad enough that this blowhard has two best selling books about historical figures (Lincoln and Kennedy), but to label them non fiction is a stretch at best. His earliest one, Killing Lincoln, is being made into a movie that I am sure will rival Spielberg's in all areas (insert heavy sarcasm here). His Kennedy book is a travesty of a novel ignoring facts that don't fit his theory and making stuff up that does, like insisting that Oswald was a crack shot in the military. Unfortunately for O'Reilly, the statements by his fellow soldiers and scores in shooting exercises paint a very different picture of a below average individual. And how does O'Reilly back up his "facts?" He doesn't. But this dick ate ate crow this week when he asked sleepy house liberal Bob Becker why NBC hadn't done any stories about the drone program. He must have missed all the stories on both NBC and MSNBC that broke the story about Obama's questionable memo concerning the drone program. Bill O'Reilly is the worst fact checker since Dick Morris and Karl Rove.

2)Barack Obama- Proving once again he is nothing more than Bush in blackface, a memo was leaked this week that explains why the President has the power to literally kill anyone he wants. Yes, it is intended for those that join terrorist groups that fight against the country and in some instances I support it, like the assassination of al-Awlaki. However, both the left and right are up in arms about this and with good reason. In the memo the words "imminent threat" appear, but clarification of that term later state that if the government even thinks you are about to commit a dangerous act, with zero proof, they can still act. There are no checks and balances and gives the President enormous power. And while I doubt that Obama will misuse this against the people, he could, as could any future president. What is the qualifications for being labeled a terrorist? Could the cyber group Anonymous fall into this category? What about Occupy Wall St.? Even the Tea Party? Where does it stop?

3)Fox and Friends- Again proving they are easily the stupidest morning show on the planet, and I am including "Sun Up with Kim Jun Un and Comrades," "Cuba Libra with Dane Castro," and, of course "The Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotbe," Fox and Friends hit a new low this week. In a segment, two of the three stooges, Douchey and The Bimbo, were discussing solar power with Fox Business news advisor, Shibani Joshi. As expected, the two house retards were ridiculing Obama's "failed" solar policy, when the questions was raised over why Germany has a booming solar infrastructure. The response from Joshi was jaw dropping.

"They're a smaller country, and they've got lots of sun. Right? They've got a lot more sun than we do. The problem is it's a cloudy day and it's raining, you're not gonna have it. Sure, California might get sun now and then, but here on the East Coast, it's just not going to work."

Really? That is your response? It's also not true. Other than the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, the rest of the country gets more sun than Germany. This stupid bitch apparently hasn't been to Arizona or Florida ever in her life which, as we all know, has been plunged into eternal darkness since the 15th century. Right? It must be because I heard it on Fox News. Solar power is the way of the future and these assholes are determined to never let us get off of oil.

4)Venezuela- In a story I guarantee won't be heard about anywhere on TV and perhaps in a small paragraph on page A13 in major newspapers, Venezuela devalued their currency today, sending off panic buying throughout the country as prices are expected to rise as a result. It is also the first domino in a currency war being fought throughout the world, especially in the US and Japan. This could lead to major instability in the markets which are already looking rattled. Word is top investors are selling stock nine times more than their regular counterparts, including Buffet, Paulson and Soros, and some large put options are being levied against the Dow falling at least 5% over the next sixty days. You have been warned so if you own stock be careful.

5)The Post Office- The Post Master General has decided on his own to end Saturday delivery. I hate this plan as the main reason the Post Office is in trouble is due to the fact they have to prefund 75 years worth of pension and health care costs, which is bankrupting them. The Republicans want to kill the post office, the military and even schools and privatize everything as it will be "cheaper and more effective," which past experience says neither is true. Things will be much more expensive and even more poorly run as profits takes precedent over everything else. Privatization is a road to hell. I am hoping the Democrats figure out a way to save Saturday mail which is more important than you think as this will kill many jobs and further destabilize our mail delivery. This madness has to stop or else we will be a third world nation soon.

6)LAPD- This week a disgruntled former cop killed three people after they may or may not have screwed him over for some reason like he was black, as the accused shooter Chris Dorner alleges, or more likely, fired over snitching on a fellow police officer for police brutality. The story sounded fishy from day one and I for one believe Dorner, as the person who was beaten repeats the same story as Dorner, as does the victim's father. Three witnesses say differently, but without knowing who or what they said, there is possibility they didn't see what they said they saw, either through coercion or mistake. What is not in question is these trigger happy morons keep shooting at cars that do not belong to Dorner. Two officers in question fired multiple rounds into a truck that was the wrong color, wrong make and, instead of a large black man driving, there were two small Asian women. Unbelievable as these two idiots are still in uniform and not fired for almost killing two innocent people. Dorner, on the other hand, was fired for making a false report against a police officer. So reporting a case of brutality will get you fired but firing wildly at a car that looks nothing like the one you are looking for doesn't? Right. Dorner's life was ruined by this and he is pissed. Not a good time to be in the LAPD.

7)Lindsay Lohan- Lohan had another bad week as her Long Island home is being foreclosed on and she has moved back in with her Mom because she can't afford rent. That is a long fall baby. As the IRS has frozen her accounts due to lack of payment and acting roles all but gone, she is really screwed. It is too bad because, once upon a time, she had it all. Now she is back home, broke and lonely. I almost feel bad. Almost.

8)Justin Beiber- I watched the Beib on SNL last night and let me tell you, Lindsay Lohan was better when she hosted last and that was no great shakes. His music has an appeal to the tweens and at least he wasn't using autotune but when his music is the highlight of the show, you know you've stepped into the ninth circle of hell. SNL is always hit or miss but this last night's episode was painful.

9)House Republicans-In 1994, Congress passed the Violence against Women Act. Since then, domestic violence against women has fallen fifty percent. It is up for renewal now and should be an easy pass right? Nope, not since he have the Puritan House who refuses to even bring it up for a vote. Eric Cantor has since received 127,000 calls to his office telling him what a dick he is resulting in him going to the House floor and declaring he supports ending violence against women but, not by passing a law, or anything. Words, mere words.

10)Mother Nature-We got walloped here this week as a blizzard, Nemo, dumped more than two feet of snow on the Northeast. Governors shut down the roads in CT and MA, calling many to label them "fascists" and this was "the road to martial law." They did it dumbasses to keep morons, like you, off the streets which were impassable by 4 PM Friday. This isn't fascism. It's common sense.

11)Climate Change Deniers- Ahh they were out in force again this week as everyone kept saying how can the Earth be getting warmed if we still have blizzards? This is common misconception among people who have no background in environmental sciences. I, on other other hand, do and while the storm cannot be blamed on global warming per say, it does demonstrate a trend that has been going on for years. The world is getting warmer, unless you listen to some like George Will, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, who keep using data that is always wrong and convince those that believe everything they hear from these idiots as gospel. There is too much to go into here and we will look into that in a future column but the oceans are warming, the planet is warming, Arctic ice is melting, Greenland is melting and parts of Antarctica is melting. Glaciers are disappearing faster than at any time in history. This is not trivial information but solid facts. The data is being subverted by those who want to, oil and gas companies, just like Big Tobacco did for years about the dangers of cigarettes and those that don't know any better are buying into it. We face a catastrophe soon and it is highly unlikely we will do anything about it before it is too late. And when it is, I hope you all remember the idiots that made it happen. So congratulations Climate Change Deniers, you are indeed douchebag of the week.

THE REAL UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS EXPLAINED, THE COMING CURRENCY WAR AND OTHER STORIES THE MSM IS IGNORING

When the jobs report came out right before the election, Republicans cried foul and screamed that the unemployment numbers were rigged. Unfortunately for them, they were NOT rigged the way the GOP said, in that Obama cannot rig the numbers as they stand. Only by changing the way we calculate the numbers, as both Reagan and Clinton did during their term, is this possible. If the GOP had gone after that aspect, they would have had a case. But by blaming Obama, as they do for everything, they became a laughing stock because the president cannot change the numbers without changing the way they are counted and he hasn't done that yet. The Republican party is always a day late to the party it seems.

However, if we look the real numbers, we see a much different number than the ones being touted by the media and government. On rare occasions, the media will report that the real unemployment number is around 15% and even that number is low, as they use the Clinton adjusted numbers but fail to incorporate the Reagan changes as well. If we get rid of all the Hollywood math (that is math that is totally subjective to the actual numbers at hand to screw people out of royalties), we find that the unemployment rate is 23% and has remained steady there for the past four years. This is the same way calculations were done during the Great Depression which we have now surpassed as the longest stretch of high unemployment ever in US history, if we use actual math.

The media and government reported that in January, 157,000 jobs were added which helped propel the stock market to over 14,000. However, this is a statistical lie that falls apart under greater scrutiny. If we take away seasonal jobs, the number decreased by 1,446,000 between December and January when all the holiday temp workers lost their job. Funny how that never made the news isn't it?

In 2007, 146 million people had jobs. Today it's 141.6 million. We keep hearing about this mysterious "recovery" that is right around the corner for the average person which has been vomited forth by the media since 2009. Anybody out there know a majority of people killing it at their job right now? Only one person I know in the last year found a great job that pays almost six figures and she was currently employed at the time. Every single person I know laid off over the last few years has found a job that pays around $20,000 a year from the $50-70,000 they used to make. Try to live off that money any see how far it gets you.

These numbers from the Bureau Of Labor Statistics show a steady fall in employment since 2006.
 

2006: 63.1

2007: 63.0

2008: 62.2

2009: 59.3

2010: 58.5

2011: 58.4

 

So, according to these numbers, compiled by our own government say that only 58% of the population is employed. That is terrible. Now some of the labor force left over are retired, disabled or imprisoned, but even eliminating that, the numbers still won't reach the 7.9% the media and government is telling us.

Here is the numbers for people not in the labor force, also from Labor Board.

 

2006: 77,387,000

2007: 78,743,000

2008: 79,501,000

2009: 81,659,000

2010: 83,941,000

2011: 86,001,000

The numbers are growing rapidly as you can see and again, 86 million people out of work does not add up to 7.9% unemployment but closer to the 23% sites like shadowstats.com and this blog have demonstrated.

And what about those that have jobs? Most are making terrible money as two thirds of this country now makes less than $41,000 a year and whopping forty percent of them make less than $20,000. This is unsustainable for a nation and will lead to very bad things down the road. 146 million people in this country are poor or low income. That's half the nation. And trust me, those making  the "enormous sum" of $41,000 may not be poor but they aren't having an easy time either. A rapidly dwindling number are making all the money and letting the rest of us starve.

All of this is leading to another crash, one that will make 2008 look like a small speed bump in the economy compared to what is going to occur. We have massive instability throughout Europe, a currency war is forming and Wall St seems to be selling huge sums of stock over the last few weeks, perhaps knowing that a crash is coming again.

First off, let's explore the currency wars being fought right now between Japan and the US. Japan's new government has adapted a grow at any cost mentality with ultra low interest rates and money printing. If it sounds familiar it is because it exactly the same thing going on here. These kinds of manipulations when attempted throughout history have failed every time and this will be no different. Instead of doing what Iceland did like arresting the bankers and politicians that caused the problems and changing the laws so that it can't happen again, the US, Europe and Asia slapped a band aid on and said "all fixed," ignoring the gaping wound gushing blood everywhere.

Economists are warning that a currency war between the dollar and the yen may echo the same Depression that followed in the 1930's when similar actions happened with the fall of the Weimar Republican and the World War that followed.

This and other factors are making Wall St very nervous. This week, some unnamed investor bet over $11 million dollars in put options that the economy will tank in the next 60 days. Another bought 100,000 in put options against the economy that expire in April. I will point out that this happened before in  the fall of 2010 when all signs pointed to disaster and then nothing. Some investors put over several billion dollars in put options for a crash that never occurred. It is entirely possible that those rumors were spread to trick fools into selling off stock and betting big on a crash that was never going to happen while the elites with inside information bet big the other way, that the market would rise, and made a killing instead. I have no proof of any of that but it is an interesting theory.


However, it is telling that corporations and rich people are selling stock right now like it's on fire. Sell orders have risen to nine time the buy options over the last few weeks. Plus, many recognized economists are saying that the debt bubble is about to burst and the after effects could be catastrophic in ways never see before.

Second terms for re-elected Presidents rarely go well. This could be Obama's cross to bear as the economy goes belly up because neither he nor anyone else with power in Washington wanted to fix anything and instead we have gone back to the very policies that got us into this mess in the first place. Gold may be your best investment as stock may plummet 5-20% in the coming weeks. Or it could be 2010 all over again, where nothing happens. I am not betting on the latter.

IRAN, THE ECONOMY, THE CHINA/JAPAN FLARE UP AND OTHER SIGNS OF THE END OF THE WORLD

Today was a really bad day for news. Iran claims nuclear capacity, China and Japan may be on the verge of war over some uninhabited islands, mail will soon stop on Saturdays (and totally fucking up my Netflix cue), the economy looks headed for disaster and Paul Walker will now take over in the new Hitman film reboot. Joy.

Let's start with Iran. An article has appeared in an Egyptian newspaper with current Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad quoted saying this:

Ahmadinejad said the world must now treat Iran as a nuclear country. “They want Iran to go back to what it was in the past, but they won’t succeed. They assume we’ll give in to pressure; such thoughts are misguided. We’re already an industrial and nuclear country, a country that has conquered space. For years we have been thinking about sending a human being into space, and we will do that, with Allah’s help. We must ensure development and growth and bring them to pass, and the world must acknowledge our progress,”

The main problem with this statement is that is almost certainly false. While it is possible that they may have enough material for a nuke, there has been no information that they have achieved the capacity for a bomb of missile yet, with yet being the optimum word. They will soon reach that threshhold but, knowing what I do about the nuclear program, they are still months away from achieving that goal. I would almost certainly guarantee this to be grandstanding and I base this on the sentence from the above quote: "A country that has conquered space." On what planet is sending a monkey into orbit, something we achieved sixty years ago, conquering space? Then there's the fact that, if photos are any indication, the monkey they sent up died. Here's the photo they released:



Tell me that's the same monkey because it isn't. The hair is a different color, the nose is a different shape, the eyes are wrong. How dumb do they think we are? Do they really think that all monkeys look alike? If they are lying about their achievement in space travel, it's not that much of a stretch to say they are lying about their nuclear program too.

This is also incredibly stupid as the Iranians must have missed that part of history when Saddam Hussein said he had weapons of mass destruction and then got killed for it. Israel and the US will not react well to this and ups the ante for a giant miscalculation.

Speaking of miscalculations, the Asian Pacific area is headed for a confrontation if what China, Japan and North Korea are all doing keeps occuring. North Korea is allegedly preparing for a nuclear test in blatant violation to the UN treaty. For someone unknown reason we give tons of food to this rouge nation in exchange for them NOT doing this kind of thing. If NK detonates nuke, all food MUST be cut off immediately. I'm sorry if the public starves but I'd rather have that than a North Korea armed with nukes that can hit the US. We are still at war with them for God's sake. This is what happens when countries who shouldn't have nukes get them: the chances for the world to end rise dramatically. Just to stick their finger in our eye, their media there released a video that showed NYC destroyed. Good times.

Meanwhile, China and Japan are inching closer to war over some controversial islands that both claim as theirs. Yesterday, Chinese warships aimed their radar at Japanese naval forces. This is the kind of acts that can lead to a massive war, and one in which US interests will be affected immediately.

And then there is the economy, which despite what the government and MSM keeps touting like a broken record, which is spiraling downward again. Economists Marc Faber and Nouriel Roubini have both said that the debt bubble will burst soon and that the entire world economy may crash. And everyone points to one factor that is killing us: profits. That's all anyone cares about. Not the workers, not the government, not even the company itself which vulture capitalists are buying up, loading with debt and bailing with all their stolen assets. It is this mad drive for profit that is the reason salaries haven't risen for forty years now, why benefits are being slashed and, as a direct result, more and more of us are being driven into poverty and governments are starving for tax revenue that is no longer flowing in but out.

But like any bubble, this one will burst soon. You can't have two thirds of the country making less than $41,000 a year and expect things to be fine. People need to buy things. As they have no money, they put it all on credit. But when you can't pay the credit, and millions just like you, credit card companies go out of business as they have no cash flow just bankruptcy after bankruptcy. Add to that the out of control tuition costs that can't be paid back because new graduates can't find a job, and you have what Roubini says is a "perfect storm."

There is also the housing market which isn't nearly as stable as everyone wants you to believe, an unemployment rate that is masking the true desperation in the country right now (more on that in a future article), and a currency war being fought. There is danger around every corner and the news talks about none of it. It took NBC news three days to talk about the Syria/Israeli conflict and that aired opposite the Super Bowl. The media can no longer be trusted. The government can no longer be trusted. That is a dangerous combination.

Countries like Japan and the US have used ultra-low interest rates and money printing to help stimulate the economies. The unintended consequence of this action is that no one is making any money off their investments anymore, unless you have a high speed computer or inside information. Japan has lost 10% of it's value against the dollar since their new government has tried a growth at any cost attempt which is not succeeding, as growth and cuts are necessary. Grow new business and cut old ones that don't work. That plan is never implemented anywhere. If it was, we would have legal weed here and a defense budget half the size it is.

Because so many people are printing their way out of the world depression, eventually the entire system will collapse and hyperinflation will result. How do I know this? Because everytime this has been attempted in human history, that has been the end result. Look at the Wiemar Republic or even Zimbabwe for how printing money devalues the currency to worthlessness.

Nations have taken noticed as many are dumping treasury bonds and stocks for gold. China has gone from the largest owner of US bonds to the biggest seller and are investing in gold instead, with some saying they are now they second largest holder of gold, just behind the US and now ahead of Germany.

Greed is killing us. Religion is killing us. Stupidity is killing us. And now, thanks to the idiot Republicans who hate the Post Office by saddling them with unsustainable debt, Saturday mail will stop come August. Congress has yet to weigh in on this proposal, as technically they need Congressional action to change anything, so this may still not happen, but if it does, that will suck for anyone who gets magazines, bills, or DVD's in the mail as they will all be delayed now. It may actually put DVD or game by mail service in jeopardy as this will constitute a price hike as the average consumer will get less DVD's per month and may lead to record cancellations as people move to VOD or Redbox. Way to go GOP, you may have cost thousands of people their jobs. Assholes.

IS A STOCK MARKET CRASH IMMINENT? WHY IS THE US STOCK MARKET THE ONLY ONE NOT FALLING APART?

If you live anywhere else but the US, the world stock exchanges have taken a beating over the last few days. As Asian markets tumbled around 2% on average this morning on fears of a European stock slide, our Dow Jones average has risen 125 points as of this writing. WTF? Investors world wide are sounding the alarm that things do not look good for any market and the US is behaving as if they are Kevin Bacon at the end of Animal House screaming, "All is well!" until he gets trampled.

Not that anyone in this country has heard anything from the increasingly worthless MSM about two major corruption scandals in Europe that threaten the world markets because hey, we need to know what Kim Kardashian had for breakfast and who Oprah plans on interviewing next.

Meanwhile, Spain's PM Mariano Rajoy is allegedly receiving illegal cash payments and calls for his resignation are growing louder by the day. The other involves a derivative scandal at the third largest bank in Italy. Again, allegedly, an investigation into Monti Pasche Bank is suggesting that Deutsche Bank (a super shady bank with alleged ties to CIA slush funds, drug lords and terror groups) helped cover up a $367 million loss on the derivative market in 2008, making the bank look more stable than it was just before it was bailed out by taxpayers, shades of what happened here as well. US banks like JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs have also been mentioned in the investigation which shouldn't be that big a surprise as they both have a history with illegal deals that were conveniently swept under the rug by our worthless SEC and Justice Department. This is from Bloomberg.com, the only organization running stories about this scandal:

The Italian papers followed Bloomberg’s scoop days later with news that Nomura had structured a derivative for Monte Paschi along similar lines. The Italian central bank then disclosed Monte Paschi executives had concealed documents on the trades from them. Reuters reported that JPMorgan also did a sketchy derivative for the bank.

But the scandal only continued to grow. So far, the bank may have lost a billion dollars on the deals, and it turns out that the Bank of Italy knew about the allegedly fraudulent deals back in 2010, when Mario Draghi was its chief. Draghi is now head of the European Central Bank, and has been critical in tamping down the euro crisis in the last several months.

Now, the scandal threatens to change the course of Italian national elections being held later this month, giving a leg up to Silvio Berlusconi. Meantime, the political upheaval is helping cause the temperature to rise in the euro crisis again. The story has gotten relatively short shrift in The Wall Street Journal, though The New York Times weighed in last week with 1,600 words.


This scandal threatens banks world wide and, with it, the economy. This has also shaken up the upcoming elections in Italy with former PM and convicted felon, Silvio Berlusconi, rising in the polls, raising further uncertainty into an area that hardly needs it. The anti-austerity measures have proven a dismal failure, but much like the Republicans here, politicans are still demanding harsher cuts and the people have had it. Berlusconi is running as a populist, anti-austerity candidate and it's working. Should he win, Italy may prove to be ungovernable as a coalition may be impossible to form and send the entire country into a tailspin and ultimately Europe and the US.

Here's how bank stocks in Europe did yesterday:

UniCredit SpA: -8.3 percent
Commerzbank AG: -5.9 percent
Santander: -5.7 percent
Intesa Sanpaolo SpA: -5.4 percent
Credit Agricole SA: -5.4 percent
Société Générale SA: -4.8 percent
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA: -4.7 percent


That is not good news. And the news in this country is hardly much better. We found out this week that two thirds of this country makes less than $41,000 a year, meaning our middle class is officially dead. Our true employment stands around 23% which hasn't budged now in four years. More and more companies are switching to part time workers because of "Obamacare," but the reality is many companies have doing this for years. I saw it first hand when I worked as an editor for a CBS affiliate nearly a decade ago and soon discovered my chances of getting full time work amytime soon in this field was really nil. I would have to work part time, graveyard shift hours in the hopes that a union job would open that wouldn't be filled by someone with better connections than me. My take home pay for that entire time would be around $250 a week. As I couldn't survive on that kind of pay with zero benefits, I soon quit. This is the reality facing all workers in which Obamacare is a convenient excuse to further destabilize working families.

Most jobs being created are low paying, part time jobs with no benefits and being filled by people who once made $70,000 a year. Now they make $20,000. That is not a job. It's a slave position. And we here in the US are taking it on the chin. Keep it up people and soon you won't even be making that. Start fighting for what is right and stop being sheep. Or dig a ditch and lie down in it because that will be your new home if this crap continues.

THE GOP, SYRIA, THE ECONOMY AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE DOOMED

The news today was not good as world markets fell due to horrific economic news and the possible end to the bull market. Unemployment numbers world wide are terrible and US futures have opened at .5%, which is not exactly a ringing endorsement of what investors see coming down the road.

Several experts are saying a downturn is overdue with a probably correction of 5-7%, possibly sometime around Obama's State of the Union Address, which will be filled with untruths and outright lies that many are going to see through. Our government is fixing the unemployment numbers, just not in the way the Republicans have said. The numbers were first fixed by Reagan back in the early eighties and then by Clinton in the 90's by simply changing the way the CPI is looked at. Obama and the GOP have both made claims to a "chained" CPI which, if enacted, would destroy our lousy economy. Luckily, the democrats have been firmly against such a plan and thank God for that. This was the worst plan Obama ever had to make the GOP take a budget deal, but morons that they are, threw it back it in his face and now have little chance of getting anything.

Many people, like myself, see a stock market as an unregulated casino where the Big Boys have unfettered access to information and computers that the rest is us don't and are scamming the markets in doing so. The stock market is reaching record highs, but the fact that two thirds of this country is making less than $41,000 a year is a travesty that, sooner or later, will crash the economy. Our middle class is officially dead now and the assholes out there putting people into office on both sides of the aisle from Nancy Pelosi to John Boehner should be ashamed of the damage they have done by voting these morons into office.

The election in Italy is casing problems as convicted felon and former PM Silvio Berlusconi is running for a fourth term and might actually win, meaning Italians are the stupidest mother fuckers on the fact of the Earth. He is currently in second place. This is sending the markets throughout Europe downward as NO ONE outside of the country thinks this is good thing. The only good news is that some polls say that a third of the country doesn't like anybody for PM meaning they get same elections we get: idiots voting for people who have no business running for office.

As stocks continue to drop, another reason is the deadly flare up between Israel and the Syria/Iran/Lebanon Axis of Stupidity. The Axis is saying Lebanon will get those SA-17 missiles come hell or high water with Israel responding that a no fly zone may be implemented to prevent such a thing from happening. Good times. As predicted, everyone shouted loudly but did nothing. No one wants a wider war, especially if you know you will get flattened in the process. But if they follow through with their threat to move missiles again, Israel will strike and the Axis will eventually be forced to respond, if no other reason, then to save face. This could go nuclear in a heartbeat if things spiral out of control as wars have a tendency to do.

Iran is telling the IEAE to come on back and inspect all the sites they want, to which the UN has responded, thanks but no thanks. They have been invited several times to do just that, and once they arrive, the parameters change and the inspectors get nothing done. Talks have broken down between all sides and things look bleak for a peaceful resolution that had little chance of success. Iran wants nukes, period. Israel will destroy the country to prevent that from happening. What do you think the end result will be in that scenario?

Meanwhile, the Republican party is refusing to acknowledge they lost the last election and are currently figuring out new and inventive ways to lose in upcoming elections. The best story I heard today was the the GOP was courting Ann Romney to run for the interm Senate position here in MA. And if not her, how about her son Tagg. Does the GOP really think that if either of these two run, the end result will not be a rout for the republicans? Mitt lost badly here in the Presidential race and anyone even attached to his name is going to have a rough ride running for dogcatcher let alone the Senate.  The GOP is unlikely to change their ways, meaning ultimately, the Republican party is doomed with no chance of winning future elections unless they cheat because they philosophy is not one that a majority of this country has anymore and their key supporters are dying out.

So things look bleak again as they always do right before spring. The only difference is that this year could be catastrophic.

DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: THE GOVERNMENT

With terrible economic news this week, you'd think none of it was happening considering the stock market is hitting record highs and rich people are dancing in the streets as otherse all around starve. Let's see those runner ups.

1)Bouncers at The Brazilian Nightclub That Burned To the Ground- It has come to light that, much like the blaze at The Station in Providence, bouncers prevented people from leaving as the structure was engulfed in flames. The reason was they were worried people were leaving without paying for the drinks, like that was their biggest concern at the moment. Let me give a word of advice to anyone standing between me and an exit where my life is in danger: Don't. Because you won't get two words out before I literally kill you  I may be old and crippled, but once upon time I studied martial arts for years and still know enough to smash a windpipe or two. This is idiocy at it's stupidest and the only glad thing I take away from this is knowing that dumb people are not just here in this country.

2)Lindsay Lohan- Take a quick look at the above picture and tell me that Lindsay isn't aging badly as it's not readily apparent who is the mother and who is the daughter. The Terrible Twosome was turned away from two posh hotels this past weekend; one she was banned from for doing thousands of dollars in damage previously to a penthouse suite, the other because it was "full." Lindsay was also banned from the Chateau Marmont for failure to pay an outstanding balance of $46,000. Hotels have not been kind to Lindsay as in the past she has hit people with her car while leaving Dream Downtown Hotel in NYC and she accused a Congressional staffer of sexual assault at the W also in NYC, an act that never happened. You'd think she'd be getting her act together but recently turned down a stint on DWTS for $500,000 and has few projects lined up even though she is drowning in debt. What a loser.

3)Oprah-I have never disguised my dislike for Oprah Winfrey. She may do good things for people and is a very good interviewer, but privately she as ego the size of, well, her ass and constantly seems to look down on anyone not of her status. That irks me more than anything else in a star. Recently her network faces a bad lawsuit after firing a woman who had the audacity to get pregnant and needed time off. When she returned, they gave her less and less to do and eventually fired her. She is now suing and will probably win. I hope she soaks the struggling OWN network.

4)Pat McCrory- This week, NC Govenor McCrory wants to put strict limitations on courses public colleges offer as many don't have any chance of getting a job in things like "liberal arts classes," because the "educational elite" had take over colleges, otherwise known as not Republicans. He went on to say this :

"So I’m going to adjust my education curriculum to what business and commerce needs to get our kids jobs as opposed to moving back in with their parents after they graduate with debt," McCrory said, adding, "What are we teaching these courses for if they're not going to help get a job?"

This is the same thinking that is destroying our public schools as common thinking is "why teach art, history or music and let's just focus on the basics." This has shown to produce terribly stupid people who know nothing about anything and now you want college people to do the exact same thing. In other words, Republicans are saying "we don't want you teaching our kids things that will make them realize that almost everything we stand for is bullshit." McCrory also seems not to realize that right now, there are few jobs for business majors, nursing and others that we keep being told will guarantee us a job. Imagine what would happen if EVERYONE graduated with those kind of degrees. Unemployment will skyrocket, you ass. Similar proposals by regular douchebags to this column Rick Scott and Scott Walker have been met with derision. What a bunch of idiots.

5)Critics Who Said Zero Dark Thirty Scenes of Torture Never Happened- Many, many people have come forth since the movie was released and said no torture was used to get information in the death of Osama Bin Laden. That has been turned on it's ass when departing Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, admitted that waterboarding was used to collect information after all. So all those naysayers were wrong and may have done enough damage to hurt it's former front running chances for Oscars, now being run away with from Argo, which was fantastic. I am tired of people opening their mouth just to hear the voice.

6)Sandy Hook Truthers- I'll say this again from the cheap seats: THERE IS NO CONSPIRACY HERE! My god, for some people everything is a conspiracy. I have read the dumbest blogs this week about this non story which holds as much weight as the Birther crap that still isn't going away. Real conspiracies are ones with proven flaws in the official story like 9/11, TWA 800, Pan Am 103(which has been proven real), and the assignations of JFK, RFK and MLK. This is hogwash. Get a life people.

7)Syria/Iran/Lebanon- Yes the Axis of Stupid strikes again with Israel blowing up a research site and a convoy of missiles being delivered to Hezbollah. The reaction was swift and immediate and, so far, full of hot air. The Iranians and Syrians have been belligerent but all bluster so far. The Russians are the US and not on high alert anymore but it is a region where everyone is on edge. This is a place where a single match could light up the world.

8)North Korea-Determined to piss off everyone, the North Koreans have signaled that they are getting ready for a third underground nuke test, in violation to UN charters and agreements with the US. This threatens more embargoes and even China has said publicly they are losing patience with the one trading partner NK has. If NK goes through with this, expect major repercussions.

9)Fox News- This week was a sad, sad spectacle as Fox News has given up reporting the news and is now actively flinging their poo everywhere. This week saw the triumphant return of the same temper tantrum like style of past days where President Blackenstein must be stopped at all costs programming. This week it was Skeetgate which now officially makes putting gate on the end of any scandal passe and lame. After the president says he goes skeet shooting all the time, Fox News pounced on it like a hungry cat on a mouse. They questioned it skeptically, asking where are the photos and why has no one mentioned it before. The White House quickly released a picture which, of course, has been photo shopped to death. On and in answer to your question, that's why they didn't want to release a picture of a black man you hate holding a gun.

10)Government- It has not been a good week for the government. There was an embarrassing sting gone bad with the ATF, which of course was not mentioned at all, on any major news network or national paper. Republicans hounded Chuck Hagel for the crime of standing too close to a n%*ger. John McCain has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that this country would be radioactive wasteland if he and his unbelievable unqualified VP had somehow won after his shameless questioning during the hearings. The biggest punch to the American people is a report issued by the Social Security Administration, also not covered anywhere, they says roughly 66% of this country makes less than $41,000 a year, 50% make less than the median average of $26,000 (which is also $15,000 LESS than you would have made in 1970) and 40% make less than $20,000 a year. These are not sustainable numbers and are the NUMBER ONE reason we are still in a depression. We haven't had a raise in over forty years, our unemployment stands at 23% and has remained unchanged now for four years, and the only houses being bought aren't from regular people but by the rich who are renting them out. No money loans, you know the thing that crashed the economy the first time, are back but only for "qualified" people, ie rich people. However, even though the housing market is up, it is an illusion. And again, once too many houses are bought and the rental market is played out, the system will crash again regardless of money in hand. And then the real trouble starts all over. Business everywhere are laying off individuals left and right and no, it is not because of Obamacare. Stores like Best Buy, Radio Shack and JC Penny's have been run badly for years and are hemorrhaging because if it. And none of this is being reported by the media or the government that both keep telling us everything is good. Even though the rest of us struggle to make ends meet in a  world that no longer pays their slaves anything. And that it what we are. Slaves. And until we wake up and demand better from our employers, our government and even ourselves, nothing will change. So congratulation US government you are indeed Douchebag of the week.