Filthy Economics - Week of 4-7-08

Filthy Rich News - Week of 4-7-08 Price of corn Skyrocketing corn prices hit ethanol profits @ timesonline http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article3694554.ece

The price of a bushel of corn soared above $6 on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange last week, pushed higher by news that American farmers were planting less corn. Farmers planted a record 94 million acres of corn last year but the US Department of Agriculture forecasts only 86 million acres this year as farmers switch from corn to soya bean, another crop that is generating record profits. Expensive corn is hurting the livestock industry, which in turn will raise the price of meat, Rich Feltes, senior vice-president of commodity research for MF Global, said. “Hog producers are liquidating sows, the farmers are operating in the red,” he said.

World Bank sees food prices rising Says rise likely to persist for several years; demand, diets, biofuels blamed. http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/World_Bank_expects_more_high_food_p_04072008.html

OPEC - Over the weekend, the secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Abdullah al-Badri, rejected calls for an increase in the cartel's crude output, saying that non-fundamental factors were to blame for current high prices. "At the moment there is enough oil in the market and no need to change OPEC's output," al-Badri said in Tehran late Saturday. In recent weeks, oil prices have gained on the back of a weak US currency.

Oil prices breach 109 dollars after OPEC rejects output hike calls [07 Apr 2008] LONDON (AFP) http://www.servihoo.com/Aujourdhui/kinews/afp_details.php?id=196947&CategoryID=47

Over the weekend, the secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Abdullah al-Badri, rejected calls for an increase in the cartel's crude output, saying that non-fundamental factors were to blame for current high prices. "At the moment there is enough oil in the market and no need to change OPEC's output," al-Badri said in Tehran late Saturday. In recent weeks, oil prices have gained on the back of a weak US currency He blamed the "US economic recession, lack of refining capacity and depreciation of the dollar's value" for record oil prices.

IMF, World Bank say world is falling short of global economic goals set in 2000 @ Thomson Financial News via forbes http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2008/04/08/afx4867075.html

WASHINGTON (Thomson Financial) - Most countries will fall short of nutrition, health, education and other global development goals established in 2000 at the United Nations Millennium Summit, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) said today. ~snip~ Another barrier to global economic growth and development is higher prices for oil and food, especially since poor people in developing countries spend as much as half of their income on food.

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES? Anybody at WB or IMF buy eggs or gasoline in the US lately? Ah that wonderful IMF is just a wealth of good news! IMF says US recession could go global Radio Australia - Updated Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:53am AEST http://www.abc.net.au/ra/programguide/stories/200804/s2214106.htm In its second report in two days the International Monetary Fund has painted a grim picture for the world economy. The IMF says there's a one in four chance of the world slipping into recessioN. • TODAY'S LONDON GOLD FIX: $927.75 • TODAY'S LONDON SILVER FIX: $17.95 • Light, sweet crude for May delivery rose 3 cents to settle at $110.14 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. • Gas prices at the pump added 0.8 cent to $3.365 a gallon, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. THIS JUST IN: Brown calls for G8 action on food crisis Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:00am BST @ Reuters UK

In an April 8 letter, Brown asked Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, as chair of Group of Eight industrial nations, to request the international agencies develop a global strategy to address the problem of rising food costs. ~snip~ Brown also called for World Bank and IMF financial support for countries facing balance of payments difficulties because of the price hikes. He said market-based risk management instruments, including derivatives, could also be considered to avert food price volatility. THREE PAGES AT LINK!

ILWU to Shut Down West Coast Ports May 1 to Protest War @ indybay.org In a major step for the U.S. labor movement, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced that it will shut down West Coast ports on May 1, to demand an immediate end to the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Middle East.

In a major step for the U.S. labor movement, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced that it will shut down West Coast ports on May 1, to demand an immediate end to the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Middle East. In a February 22 letter to AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, ILWU International president Robert McEllrath reported that at a recent coast-wide union meeting, “One of the resolutions adopted by caucus delegates called on longshore workers to stop work during the day shift on May 1, 2008 to express their opposition to the war in Iraq.”

Reminds me of the "Battle of The Body" joke among the Brain, Heart and Anus.

TAX DAY on BRICK TEEVEE!

Brick TeeVee is a preview of the Sunday Talking Head Shows beamed across America by Corporate Media, plus some good progressive radio and who will be on which show. If you have other Sunday Talkie shows' guest lists we don't have, please share below. Post your comments while you watch! It's fun, it's healthy and doggonit at least we'll know others can also see through the media manipulation that blankets our public airwaves. DEBUNK HERE!

So, with no further ado, I present to you This Week's Brick TeeVee entry!

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ALL LINKS OPEN A NEW WINDOW!!!

Tax day is around the corner and so is the Pennsylvania primary and its attendent debate. (Rumor has it that JOHN MCCAIN will be debating himself on who is supporting AQ in Iraq.) The dynamic disfunctional duo MATLIN & CARVILE and their respective party counterparts SHRUM & MURPHY will clog your NBC channel on Meet the Tim. The Brick TeeVee crew recommends skipping this one unless you're into this kind of self-flagellation. This George has JIMMY CARTER on from Nepal and STEPHEN HADLEY continues his part to rewrite history. Former Iran-Contra figure and current SoD ROBERT GATES spins happy stories about "The Surge" on Face the Bob and MADAME SPEAKER PELOSI shoots holes in his double-speak. U-Boat Captain Blitzer has grudge matches between JOE BIDEN & RICHARD LUGAR and BOB CASEY & EVAN BAYH. Save your bricks for prime target JOE "my servers were hacked" LIEBERMAN also on Late Rendition. TOM DASCHLE goes to the Dark Side on that "fair and imbalanced" network. Watch Steve Croft explain where your tax dollars go in Iraq on 60 Minutes. Seder is TBA on the guest list and Massa in the Morning will keep your sanity. Don't forget Part Two of Ring of Fire's interview with CHALMERS JOHNSON and talks with HOWARD ZINN and ROBERT RIECH. The Brick TeeVee crew continues to stare blankly at the piles of Schedule A's, Schedule C's, 1099's and the 1040 long form amid piles of various receipts, bills, charges and empty pizza boxes hoping they would all just fall on the forms themselves. We wish there were boxes where you can check what programs your tax dollars can be assigned to. If the IRS did THAT the Pentagon wouldn't be able to pay its light bill much less garrison the planet!

BRICK TEEVEE ALERTS!

RANDI RHODES ON NOVA M RADIO Top prog radio talker severs her ties with Air America and joins Mike Malloy on Original Air America Founder Shelly Drobny's Nova M Radio Network! Catch her first show on Nova M Flagship KPHX www.1480kphx.com Monday at 3 pm et

FRONTLINE presents SICK AROUND THE WORLD Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS - check your local listings http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/

TAX DAY APRIL 15 2008 Don't forget to get your tax forms filed and POSTMARKED by midnight! And if you plan on sending in an EXTENSION, make sure you include an ESTIMATED PAYMENT! Otherwise you're looking at 10% FINES! See www.irs.gov for more details and info.

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16th at 8 PM ET/PT ABC News, the National Constitution Center and WPVI-TV will host a Democratic Presidential Candidate debate in Philadelphia on Wednesday, April 16th. The live 90-minute debate, moderated by ABC News anchors Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, will air from 8-10 PM ET/PT on the ABC Television Network. Any volunteers for a Debate Blog?

B R I C K T E E V E E
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282 days until our national nightmare is over
4033 Military Dead as of April 3, 2008
1,809 days since "Mission Accomplished"

• This Week (ABC) • Former Pres. Jimmy Carter from Nepal
  • National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley on Iraq
  • Roundtable: Time Magazine's Mark Halperin, ABC News consultants Donna Brazile and Torie Clarke, and ABC News' George Will

• Face The Nation (CBS)TOPIC: Iraq, Olympics, and Presidential Politics
  • Robert Gates - Secretary of Defense
  • Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. - Speaker of the House

• 60 Minutes (CBS)
  • State Of Corruption - Corruption in Iraq is so entrenched that militia groups known to target U.S. troops control some of Iraq’s ministries and have used those government funds and resources to kill Americans. Steve Kroft reports.
  • The Kanzius Machine - Leukemia patient John Kanzius wants to see the promising machine he invented that kills cancer cells go into clinical trials and maybe help other people beat a disease he probably won’t. Lesley Stahl reports.
  • El Sistema - Through a system of early training and local orchestras, Venezuela has not only provided an uplifting musical experience for its at-risk youth, but also developed an orchestra that is world famous. Bob Simon reports.

• Meet the Press (NBC)
  
  “It’s a TV show. If you can’t handle TV questions, how are you going to stand up to Iran, and North Korea, and the rest of the world?”
  • JAMES CARVILLE - Democratic Strategist
  • MARY MATALIN - Republican Strategist
  • MIKE MURPHY - Republican Strategist
  • BOB SHRUM - Democratic Strategist

• Late Edition (CNN) Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker deliver key testimony on Capitol Hill this week. Wolf sits down with Senators Joe Biden and Richard Lugar, two key members of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. Plus the latest on the campaign trail with two members of the Clinton and Obama campaigns.
  • Sen. Joe Biden, (D) Delaware
  • Sen. Richard Luger, (R) Indianar
  • Sen. Bob Casey, (D) Pennsylvania, Obama supporter
  • Sen. Evan Bayh, (D) Indiana, Clinton supporter
  • Sen. Joe Lieberman, (I) Connecticut
  • Hoshar Zebari, Iraqi Foreign Minster

• Seder on Sunday! (Air America Radio 2.0)
  Seder on Sunday! airs LIVE at 4 pm et - 1 pm pt on many Air America affiliates, including
  • KPHX www.1480kphx.com in Phoenix
  • KPTK www.am1090seattle.com in Seattle (archives there, too)
  For more affiliates check out Sam Seder blogger Fernando's Open Mic for
  SAM SEDER RADIO OUTLETS.
  • Weekend Watchdog with Bill Scher
  • Sam explains his fill-in roll on AAR Where it stands
  • Guests and Roundtable TBA
  • Live Blogging, SammyCam and YOUR CALLS at 866-303-2270!

• Ring of Fire Radio
  
  Find us at http://www.ringoffireradio.com/ and http://goleft.tv/ David Bender will be filling in for Bobby Kennedy this week. • We’ve got a great show in store this week, as we welcome the legendary Howard Zinn, who’s going to tell us about the last hope for democracy – the citizens.
  • Renowned author and historian Chalmers Johnson will be back to continue his discussion about America’s military industrial complex, as detailed in his book “Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic.”
  • Former Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert Reich will be joining us to talk about the dangers of capitalism that he outlines in his new book “Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life.
  • Paul Waldman of the Media Matters Action Network will be here to tell us all about the mainstream media’s love affair with John McCain
  • And author and blogger Maggie Mahar (www.HealthBeatBlog.org) will stop by to tell us about the sad state of the Food and Drug Administration.
  Ring of Fire Radio hosted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mike Papantonio: Saturdays at 3 o’clock Eastern, rebroadcasts Sunday nights at 8 pm Eastern

• "Massa In The Morning"
  "Massa In The Morning" is quick, topical, smart, sometimes hilarious, and ALWAYS kind.
  With co-host Bill Berry, EVERY Sunday morning from 10am til noon Eastern time!
  
  WHHO-AM 1320 Streaming ON-LINE at http://www.hornellradio.com
  (you do have to register, so go register now if you want to listen tomorrow.)
  CALL IN! 607-324-2000 (yer cell phone minutes are FREE on the weekends!)

• fauxnews
  • Obama supporter and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle
  • top Clinton supporter Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter
  • National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek on the China Olympics
  

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NOTE FROM JOSH MARSHALL

Are you going to brave the Sunday shows?
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So if you're going to be watching, jot down which show you're watching,and how many minutes in it was from the beginning of the show. We'll have every moment of every show recorded. And please include the subject line "Sunday Shows" on any email tip you send in. Send tips to talk@talkingpointsmemo.com
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