Dominique Strauss-Kahn with his American born wife Anne Sinclair, a TV journalist in France, Bob Edme AP photo

Monday Morning EDT/
Monday Evening Japan Time
Feet of Clay Update
Scandal! Scandal at the IMF!


"There is nothing safe about sex. There never will be."- Norman Mailer


"The dirty little secret is that both houses of Congress are irrelevant.... America's domestic policy is now being run by Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve, and America's foreign policy is now being run by the International Monetary Fund [IMF]. ...when the president decides to go to war, he no longer needs a declaration of war from Congress."- Robert Reich, 1999

IMF may mean insane mad .. oh, you get it. It is interesting to note managing director of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn's problem in New York. In case you hadn't noticed by now, he is accused of sexual assault on a female house staffer in his suite at the luxury hotel Sofitel New York in Times Square. He was arrested yesterday in first class on his plane at John F. Kennedy Airport. He must have been in a hurry since he left his cell phone and personal effects in his room. He is accused of forcing the woman to provide oral sex apparently thinking it was part of the hotel services.
[Vous m'apportez des serviettes fraîches et sucer ma bite. Vous faites cela, bien sûr, il est nécessaire. N'avez-vous pas?]

DSK was denied bail today by Judge Melissa Jackson who deemed him a flight risk.

The New York City Police Department denied that DSK's behavior was protected by diplomatic immunity. The IMF has been awarded diplomatic immunity for its agents only for actions taken during the performance of  their duties. But demanding a blow job from a Argentine Ghanaian  maid may be an excellent metaphor for  official IMF activities.

In the Huffington Post we are given details from a recent interview:

Business Insider has uncovered an interview Strauss-Kahn gave to the French publication Liberation in which the IMF's chief cites "the money, women, and my Jewishness" as the three challenges to his potential bid for France's presidency.
Published just weeks ago, Strauss-Kahn's own words provide an intriguing twist on the developments of the past few days.
When pressed to elaborate, Strauss-Kahn offered the following explanation: "Yes, I love women, so what? ... For years we talk about giant pictures of orgies, but I've never seen anything out ... Let's show them!"
He imagined a scenario in which a woman is paid off to play the role of a victim of a purported assault: "A woman that he would have raped in a parking lot and to whom half a million or a million euros would be promised to make up such a story."

DSK actually seems to foresee the pickle he now is in and proactively refutes it!

Today the IMF temporarily replaced DSK with first deputy managing director John Lipsky. Lipsky is a former U.S. Treasury manager and a former banker at JP Morgan. He was probably the one making the calls at the IMF whilst Dominique was out doing his randy gamboling.

The supposed socialist Strauss-Kahn was previously noted in this blog back in April for his arrogant dismissal of the possibility that the IMF could ever take human rights issues into consideration when making loans to countries that may not have as enlightened leadership as La Belle France.
The International Labor Group's concerns were communicated to the IMF and rejected by Strauss-Kahn as follows:

"I don't believe I'm going to turn the IMF into an institution with a lot of expertise on this question," he told an audience at the Brookings Institution.
"I don't see these topics becoming defined targets for IMF programs," 
-Dominique Strauss-Kahn, April 2011


The New York Times reports that Strauss-Kahn's presidential election campaign in France may be in trouble.
Earlier this month French socialists were enraged when DSK was photographed getting into a Porsche.

I admit the possibility that this is a set up. Even Mr. Strauss-Kahn could not be this stupid; could he?
And the fact that he is a Jew is causing the extreme right wing (read neo-Nazis) extreme agita.

I do believe Americans tend to over-react to normal sexual peccadilloes. But forced oral sex on a housekeeper is generating outrage even in France. Dominique must have some enemies as head of the IMF. Indeed, he richly deserves his enemies. And more stories about his insatiability are now surfacing.
But wait. Here is the NYPD's official complaint against Mr. Strauss-Kahn. It is not pretty reading.

The Business Insider today gives us the story of his affair with Piroska Nagy, Senior Adviser to the Chief Economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The affair began when she was an economist at the IMF. Piroska was married to former Argentine central bank President, Mario Blejer at the time. Mario was furious. The marriage ended. Dominique stated when the incident became public at the time:
"It was an incident in my private life and at no time did I abuse my position as the fund's managing director."
The story also lists other missteps by DSK:

-- An unnamed actress who said Strauss acted 'like a gorilla' after inviting her back to a Paris flat.
-- Tristane Banon, a French journalist, who Strauss allegedly tried to rape, or at least sexually assault.


Quotes from Dominique Strauss-Kahn


"In Spain you have a lot of rigidities, the labour market doesn't work for numerous reasons, and I think the labour unions, the government, business everybody understands this and knows what should be done...Even in good times you have a lot of people unemployed and also a lot of people on short term or transitority contracts. All these are matters which show the labor market does not work...[The labour market] has to be greater effective, .. the way people are hired, or sometime are fired, are to be done the way it is done in remainder of Europe, no greater no less." -  in Spain, May 2010

"Greek citizens shouldn't fear the IMF; we are there to try to help them." -message to the Greeks, April 24, 2010

"the money, women, and my Jewishness"- DSK's reply to the question about the three greatest challenges to his bid for the French Presidency in Liberation, a French periodical

«Oui, j’aime les femmes, et alors ?» 

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, created 1885-1892

Thursday Morning EDT/

Thursday Evening Japan Time

Catastrophic Something is Wrong With This Catastrophe Update

"I believe there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those doing the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the system of exploitation. I believe that there will be that kind of clash, but I dont think it will be based on the colour of the skin." - Malcolm X

I must admit that much of the most interesting news from Japan is coming from Bloomberg. The bank lobby in Japan has urged the government to take half the responsibility for claims of compensation against TEPCO for the devastation caused by their fragile nuclear plant complex. Masayuki Oku, head of the Japanese Bankers Association also urged that the Japanese government not nationalize TEPCO. My advice is that the government should act in the best interests of the people and not the banks or TEPCO. Bad companies deserve to die. 

"Life is beautiful. Let future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full."- Leon Trotsky

No one on Wall Street has yet to go to jail for the events surrounding the economic implosion of 2007-2009. Senator Carl Levin's committee investigating Goldman Sachs yesterday said Goldman's representatives lied to Congress in hearings under oath soon after those events. The committee forwarded that information to the Attorney General's office for action. Attorney General Holder has not shown any inclination to pursue wrong doing by the investor class. I predict Roger Clemens will be punished far more than any banker for lying to Congress.

"All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind." -Adam Smith

Reuters tells us that International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn insisted yesterday that the IMF's lending programs will not include targets to ameliorate unfair distribution of income or improve wages for workers in projects funded by the loans or demand improved working conditions in countries getting these loans. In other words, the IMF is  pleased that the sheep are going to continue to get screwed. Strauss-Kahn said that the IMF will continue to work with labor groups but that the IMF does not have the expertise to do anything about imbalances in income or worry about airy fairy considerations. 

"I don't believe I'm going to turn the IMF into an institution with a lot of expertise on this question. I don't see these topics becoming defined targets for IMF programs." Dominique Strauss-Kahn to an audience at the Brookings Institution

"I spent 33 years in the Marines. Most of my time being a high-classed muscle man for Big business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenue in. I helped in the rape of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street...." 

- Smedley D. Butler (1881-1940) Major General (U.S. Marine Corps)
Twice awarded the Medal of Honor
"War is a Racket" (Please read this link. General Butler tells it like it is.)


I say to the anarchists: government is not so much the problem as the demon corporations which have literally possessed government. These invisible and  powerful creatures which have been imagined into existence by truly evil men who lust for power, must be exorcised. Until the corporations have been discorporated there will be no personal freedom. And that goes for the "charitable foundations" too.

The corporate banks are pirates who have taken possession of whole countries through crooked loans for projects that seldom benefit the people.
The weapons corporations have turned the American people and their leaders into de facto war mongers who have directed their government's military forces into hundreds of countries to "defend" them and is making war in several countries on the guidance of their possessors. The present and future wealth of the people has been stolen in advance to finance these destructive and oppressive activities.

Governments become corrupt through the actions of corrupt people who hide behind the artificial construct of the corporation. Men must stop using legal unreal entities such as "think tanks", trusts, foundations, and corporations as masks to wear while committing crimes and forcing people to do what they are not interested in doing. These legal fictions must be abolished.

Freedom is for human beings and human beings must be responsible for what they do with their freedom.

I have no problem with entrepreneurs who, through honest enterprise, want to amass some wealth. I understand that some men are greedy and desire riches beyond their ability to use. The good person in society can avoid such men. Their reputation precedes them. But when such brigands band together behind the mask of the corporation the world must tremble. I would prefer that they war amongst themselves as individuals. They would  harm each other more and hurt the people less. The damage they do is self-limiting if they cannot mobilize together against the general population. Ending the corporate system would bring the concept of real  competition and "survival of the fittest" to the protected capitalist class for the first time in generations.

If corporations are people, let's start putting them on trial, and then in jail and finally applying capital punishment. Killing a corporation sheds no blood, which is better than Goldman Sachs, General Electric or whatever Halliburton calls itself now, can say.

It is necessary to simply declare these creatures enemies of mankind, Hostis humani generis, and take from them their patents, their property and their wealth as ill-gotten gains.
The officers and executives of these corporations must be held accountable for the method they used to gather their riches.

"This month's safety slogan: Be sure to check everything and do a risk assessment. Zero disasters for this year." A sign still posted outside the gate of the Fukushima Daiishi Nuclear Complex 
Related articles

• "Carl Levin To Refer Goldman To Justice Department, SEC For Misleading Investors And Committing Perjury" and related posts (zerohedge.com)
• Senate Panel Slams Goldman Sachs (huffingtonpost.com)

Samuel Beckett in Paris

Wednesday Morning EDT/
Wednesday Evening Japan Time
We Must Cater To The Rich Update

With The Help of Samuel Barclay Beckett 
13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989

"My mistakes are my life."–How It Is

TEPCO admitted today that they have no plan on how they are going to solve the problems presented by the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi complex and that they have basically been pulling ideas out of their ass as they go along as we read in the Telegraph.UK today.


"As instructed by Prime Minister (Naoto) Kan, we are working out the specific details of how to handle the situation so they can be disclosed as soon as possible. We are making the utmost effort to bring the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi to a cold shutdown and halt the spread of radiation."-Masataka Shimizu, the president of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) yesterday

Reuters gives us the nuts and bolts of the state of the site today. They are still dealing with the endless problem of dealing with the radioactive water that is constantly being produced by their efforts to prevent meltdowns and the ignition of radioactive waste.

“Humanity is a well with two buckets,” said Wylie, “one going down to be filled, the other coming up to be emptied.”–Murphy, Chapter 4

Meanwhile in the United States nuclear operators are on a public relations blitz to reassure the public that it can't happen here. This article from The State, South Carolina's Newspaper titled "'Nothing to Hide' Tour of Jenkinsville Nuclear Plant" is a perfect example.

"Stephen Byrne, SCE&G’s chief operating officer and head of generation and transmission of power, noted that Jenkinsville, in Fairfield County about 25 miles northwest of Columbia, was about 150 miles from the South Carolina coast and not located near the intersection of planetary tectonic plates where the world’s most intense earthquakes and tsunamis, such as the ones that struck Japan, occur.

“Jenkinsville is not a tsunami zone,” he told the media Tuesday. He said the tour was arranged to counter the public’s “fear of the unknown.”
“We have nothing to hide,” he said. “The plants are safe.”

Perhaps Mr. Byrne has missed the point. In the universe there is an infinity of unknown and unforeseen events that can happen. When just one of these events happens to damage your plant, Mr. Byrne, you still will be able to say that it is safe from tsunamis and earthquakes.  


"How agreeable it is to be confirmed, after a more or less long period of vacillation, in one’s first impressions. Perhaps this is what tempers the pangs of death."–Molloy, Part I

There was another fire at plant 4 yesterday as another aftershock knocked out power for a time to Fukushima Daiishi. It is unknown if the two events were related. TEPCO's stock price has fallen 75% since the earthquake. Their stock is still overvalued unless the government bails them out further, but that is what governments do to the people. They take their money and give it to incompetent corporations.

Bloomberg reported today that Japanese Bonds rose on lowered government assessments of the economy due to effects of the earthquake. 

Toyota's problems in Japan are interrupting supplies of parts to plants in the United States, Europe and the Philippines. 

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that losses to insurers could reach $34 billion as a result of the events in Japan. 

"We are all born mad. Some remain so."–Waiting for Godot

Kirstie Alley said someone tampered with her shoe in the dressing room prior to her fall on Dancing With the Stars Monday night but she was only joking says People Magazine.
The many deals are going down at the IMF meetings this week in Washington.
The plans that are not going down are just as interesting.
Serbia seeks "precautionary loans".
The IMF is warning the USA and other advanced economies to cut  budget deficits. The USA has the biggest deficit and the IMF would rather see it dealt with now rather than later. Of course, dealing with budget deficits will hurt the "recovery" but that really doesn't matter. A US recovery is just not in the cards. The IMF is also said to be whining about the mortgage interest and home tax deductions in US law. It has called the mortgage tax break "expensive and regressive" in the past.
Ireland and Greece were left on the rack when the IMF informed them they will not have their debt loads restructured.
The IMF is doing a "technical assessment" of Portugal this week.
The IMF made reassuring noises to Spain after they made positive moves to "overhaul" their pension system.
The IMF is giving Egypt $500 billion in "soft loans". Egypt is planning to build a huge superhighway and water pipelines with the money.
No doubt the IMF has plans for these assets when Egypt ultimately fails to make payments on the "soft loans".

NELL: One mustn’t laugh at those things, Nagg. Why must you always laugh at them?
NAGG: Not so loud!
NELL (without lowering her voice): Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, I grant you that. But–
NAGG (shocked): Oh!
NELL: Yes, yes, it’s the most comic thing in the world. And we laugh, we laugh, with a will, in the beginning. But it’s always the same thing. Yes, it’s like the funny story we have heard too often, we still find it funny, but we don’t laugh any more.
–Endgame

Example of  'superflat' art by Takashi Murakami

More on Takashi Murakami here: https://www.artsy.net/artist/takashi-murakami/works