Melting down the intellectual smoke signals.

Meltdown – A “ticking time bomb”?
Gabriel Kolko sent out a second expanded version of an earlier article in Counterpunch. Detailed and bizarre (pay attention to the Boca Rotan swim party) the story reads deeply into an imminent hedge fund crisis and other crunchers in world investment. The headline subject “bankers” seems secondary since the “meltdown” is “uncontrollable.”

I do not pretend to understand all this insider economics, but encourage all readers to check it out.

No internet conspiracy theory about Freemasons and Catholics here, click - Bankers Fear World Economic Meltdown.


Intellectuals & Survival
The prolific professor writes of a “Great Soul of Power” and the contradictory motivations of intellectuals, anarchy and survival of the ones who want “excessive democracy.” Noam Chomsky writes directly to the important Information Clearinghouse site with: GREAT SOUL OF POWER.

Smoke signals from the battle of Bint Jbeil send a warning to Israel
Also from Information Clearinghouse a link to the Independent’s latest from Robert Fisk. He writes clearly from the hills in Southern Lebanon and asks the obviously controversial, but historically consistent theme concerning what others call “People’s War”.

He leads with, “Is it possible - is it conceivable - that Israel is losing its war in Lebanon?”

Historical context and great scenic descriptions of Lebanon this is classical reporting at it’s best. Great stuff ahead if you click: SEND A WARNING TO ISRAEL.

It’s the Oil, Stupid!
Greg Palast writes:

“I’m not an expert on Palestine nor Lebanon and I’d rather not pretend to be one. If you want to know what’s going on, read Robert Fisk. He lives there. He speaks Arabic. Stay away from pundits whose only connection to the Middle East is the local falafel stand.”

I do and that is what brought up the link listing Fisk’s latest above.

Thank you, Greg.

The entertaining Greg Palast writes from a different angle making a point that it is in the interests of the Iranians, Saudis Royals and the Bush administration to have higher oil prices. I think Greg overlooks the propensity of the powerful to cruelly engage in “demand destruction” whenever it must.

Check out his latest at: Blood in Beirut: $75.05 a Barrel