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	<title>PLIGG_Visual_Name - PLIGG_Visual_RSS_Published</title>
	<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz</link>
	<description>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_Description</description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:12:52 NZDT</pubDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Ashcroft's plans for online media empire]]></title>
		<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Ashcrofts_plans_for_online_media_empire-1</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Ashcrofts_plans_for_online_media_empire-1</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:12:52 NZDT</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		<category>Commentary</category>
		<guid>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Ashcrofts_plans_for_online_media_empire-1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[According to weekend reports, Lord Ashcroft, the billionaire Tory backer, will stand down as deputy chairman of the Tory party after the election and plans to turn his attention to building up an online media empire.Although he is better known for his business interests in Belize and donations to the Conservative party, the peer has already quietly established a formidable foothold in the Tory blogosphere. In 2008 Ashcroft bought a 25% share in Total Politics, a non-partisan Westminster magazine, and last year added controlling stakes in PoliticsHome and ConservativeHome, two influential political websites.The acquisitions mean Ashcroft has commercial links with the two most influential Tory bloggers, Iain Dale and Tim Montgomerie.Ashdown's involvement has caused unease among a number of the contributors and editorial board members of the websites. Last night Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, said he would resign from the editorial board of Total Politics if there was any evidence that Ashcroft was attempting to interfere with its editorial policy.Ashdown said: &amp;quot;I am extremely alert to the fact that he might attempt to influence it, I have not seen any evidence that he has and therefore I do not believe in guilt by association and am not planning to leave. But if I saw any evidence that his stake in Total Politics in any way affected the editorial line I would leave immediately.&amp;quot;Ashcroft now owns controlling stakes in two powerful political new media outlets. In September, he took 57.5% stakes in ConservativeHome and PoliticsHome. As a result, 30 members of a consultative panel of PoliticsHome resigned. Ashcroft's investment is financing a relaunch of the site with plans for a paid-for media monitoring service. Stephan Shakespeare, chairman of PoliticsHome, insisted the site would remain independent and that he would have &amp;quot;a casting vote on a board of two&amp;quot;. But former board members believe there has been a subtle editorial shift since Ashcroft took over.Tom Watson, the Labour MP and blogger, who resigned from the political panel of PoliticsHome when Ashcroft bought it, said: &amp;quot;I resigned because it's simply not credible when the proprietor is the deputy chairman of the Tories and their biggest funder.&amp;quot;There will be an inevitable chilling effect on what stories they lead on. It's obvious. When the editors of the site sold out, they must have known that.&amp;quot; The editor of PoliticsHome, Freddie Sayers, insisted that Ashcroft had no editorial input into the site.After selling off ConservativeHome, founder Montgomerie said: &amp;quot;I have been given solid assurances by Michael that he does not wish to interfere with ConservativeHome's editorial policy in any way. I am completely satisfied with those assurances and am delighted that such a major figure in the Conservative party is willing to invest in the future of this website.&amp;quot;Ashcroft also owns 25% of Biteback Media, which publishes Dale's magazine Total Politics, and is the 85% owner of Biteback Publishing, which publishes political books.Total Politics, a cross-party journal whose editorial board includes the director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, Ashdown and the Green party leader, Caroline Lucas, is edited by Dale, one of the best-read Conservative political bloggers. Today there were suggestions that some of the members of the board of Total Politics were also reconsidering their position in light of last week's revelations. Ashdown said his position was dependent on Ashcroft maintaining the journal's editorial independence.Ashcroft's acquisitions put him at the heart of the rightwing political blogosphere but his publishing company boasts a more ecelectic catalogue: one of the books featured on its website is entitled Why vote Labour?. Biteback Publishing was also behind the brutal insider account of life inside the Labour party by former general secretary Peter Watt.A spokesman for Ashcroft could not deny or confirm reports over the weekend about his ambitions to expand his media empire.The journal Total Politics was hit by a separate controversy after the former minister Denis MacShane resigned from its editorial board overs plans to feature the BNP leader, Nick Griffin, ahead of the election. Lucas also resigned from the board, though she could not be reached for a comment.Dale responded that he regretted MacShane's decision. &amp;quot;I and my editorial colleagues deeply reject the inference that giving an elected politician an interview amounts to any sort of propaganda triumph,&amp;quot; he said. &nbsp;&#187;&nbsp;<a href='http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/09/michael-ashcroft-online-media-empire'>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews</a>]]></description>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Green opportunities far outweigh the costs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Green_opportunities_far_outweigh_the_costs-1</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Green_opportunities_far_outweigh_the_costs-1</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:21:41 NZDT</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		<category>Business</category>
		<guid>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Green_opportunities_far_outweigh_the_costs-1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Phillip Mills looks at a low carbon future based on switching the dialogue from costs to opportunities. The opportunities are those inherent in the clean technology boom and they are huge. &nbsp;&#187;&nbsp;<a href='http://www.celsias.co.nz/article/green-opportunities-far-outweigh-costs/'>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews</a>]]></description>
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		<title><![CDATA[John Key: Part 1, the attack on the NZ dollar in 1987]]></title>
		<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=John_Key_Part_1_the_attack_on_the_NZ_dollar_in_1987-1</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=John_Key_Part_1_the_attack_on_the_NZ_dollar_in_1987-1</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:00:37 NZDT</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		<category>Politics</category>
		<guid>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=John_Key_Part_1_the_attack_on_the_NZ_dollar_in_1987-1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[John Key and the things he does not want you to know: Part 1, the attack on the NZ dollar in 1987 &nbsp;&#187;&nbsp;<a href='http://aotearoaawiderperspective.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/john-key-and-the-things-he-does-not-want-you-to-know-part-1-the-attack-on-the-nz-dollar-in-1987/#more-1998'>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews</a>]]></description>
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		<title><![CDATA[Iceland: 93% vote against debt repayment]]></title>
		<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Iceland_93_vote_against_debt_repayment-1</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Iceland_93_vote_against_debt_repayment-1</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:53:29 NZDT</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		<category>Commentary</category>
		<guid>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Iceland_93_vote_against_debt_repayment-1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Voters in Iceland have overwhelmingly rejected proposals to pay the UK and the Netherlands in the wake of collapse of the Icesave bank.With a third of results counted, 93% of voters said &amp;quot;No&amp;quot; in a referendum.Iceland's prime minister says her government will remain in office and continue to seek a repayment deal.The British and Dutch governments want reimbursement for the 3.8bn euros (£3.4bn; $5.2bn) they paid out in compensation to customers in 2008.Talks between Iceland, the UK and the Netherlands three countries broke down on Friday without agreement.Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir said she would not vote in Saturday's poll as her government was seeking to continue the negotiations. .. snip .. &nbsp;&#187;&nbsp;<a href='http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8553979.stm'>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews</a>]]></description>
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		<title><![CDATA[Saudi Aramco Drills Too Many Wells In Ghawar]]></title>
		<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Saudi_Aramco_Drills_Too_Many_Wells_In_Ghawar-1</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Saudi_Aramco_Drills_Too_Many_Wells_In_Ghawar-1</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:23:11 NZDT</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		<category>Commentary</category>
		<guid>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Saudi_Aramco_Drills_Too_Many_Wells_In_Ghawar-1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Haradh III development at the southern tip of the Ghawar oil field in Saudi Arabia, completed in 2006, has been portrayed by the national oil company Saudi Aramco as the turning point in the battle between geological adversity and engineering prowess. The poorest reservoir rock in Ghawar has succumbed to the latest in well and drilling technology. Aided by 3D Seismic images showing fracture locations, well sites were optimized and drills were guided by remote control from Dhahran. Smart completions were standard (did they ever call them &amp;quot;dumb&amp;quot; completions?), and something called an &amp;quot;iField&amp;quot; was set up. Maximum-reservoir-connectivity wells (MRCs) were fitted with monitoring electronics and valves on individual laterals such that they could be throttled back as needed to minimize water encroachment. Testing was done, adjustments were made as needed, and everything rolled out ahead of schedule. Goals for individual well productivity of 10,000 barrels/day were met, and projections indicated smooth sailing for ten years or more. Lots of glowing articles were published, and the man in charge eventually rode off in glory to solve the rest of the world's oil production problems.Funny thing, though. When you look at a satellite photo and count the number of producer wells they ended up drilling, it adds up to quite a few more than they have been claiming -- about 60% more.There must be a reasonable explanation. Perhaps they simply miscounted... snip .. &nbsp;&#187;&nbsp;<a href='http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6248'>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews</a>]]></description>
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		<title><![CDATA[Past cattle breeds will be preferred tomorrow]]></title>
		<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Past_cattle_breeds_will_be_preferred_tomorrow</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Past_cattle_breeds_will_be_preferred_tomorrow</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:22:52 NZDT</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		<category>Food &amp; Wine</category>
		<guid>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Past_cattle_breeds_will_be_preferred_tomorrow</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The cattle breeds from the past will be the breeds preferred tomorrow. The three cattle breeds featured in today's commentary are breeds which I have admired over time for the following reasons:    * Miniature cattle are practical and efficient and perfect for the rapidly growing number of smaller farms.    * I have eaten Piedmontese meat and have been absolutely amazed with the tender quality of this grass-fed beef.    * When I visited Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa I learned about the ancient White Park Cattle breed and what they were doing to use and preserve these &amp;quot;feral&amp;quot; genetics.With small and local farms gaining rapidly in number and with the eat-local interests, I can guarantee that each of these breeds will continue to increase in popularity and be desired for cross-breeding purposes. The pendulum has swung way too far in one direction, and it is swinging back.Miniature cattle come in Hereford, Lowline Angus, Dexter, Zebu, and Jersey breeds. They are as charming as the above photo depicts. They are half to a third the size of a normal cow, but produce 50-75% of the rib-eyes and fillets. They are only 3-4 feet tall and weigh 500-700 pounds. One mini will feed a family of four for six months. Their genetics stem from breeds brought to America in the 1800's which weren't so large as today's giants. Minicow numbers quadrupled in this past decade in the U.S. to over 20,000. An acre of grass will support 1-2 minicows. They mature faster and are easier to handle than the larger breeds.Piedmontese Cattlethe Myostatin Beef BreedThis breed comes from the scenic Italian Alps Piemonte region. Piedmontese cattle originated from an ancient migration of cattle from Pakistan which interbred with the native Italian Aurochs. The breed is known for its consistent tenderness. They produce superior low cholesterol, low fat, high protein, low calorie beef.The animal is light boned, has double muscling, long bodies, thinner hides, and smaller heads, minimizing waste. The term &amp;quot;double muscling&amp;quot; is misleading, as it means that a desirable mutation causes a disfunctional myostatin gene to remove a &amp;quot;growth governor&amp;quot;, allowing these cattle to produce more muscle mass, but with low connective tissue between the muscle fibers making it extra-tender... snip .. &nbsp;&#187;&nbsp;<a href='http://financialnewsexpress.blogspot.com/2010/02/agricultural-economic-news-february-26.html'>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews</a>]]></description>
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		<title><![CDATA[Arctic Shelf Leaking Potent Greenhouse Gas]]></title>
		<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Arctic_Shelf_Leaking_Potent_Greenhouse_Gas-1</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Arctic_Shelf_Leaking_Potent_Greenhouse_Gas-1</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:15:08 NZDT</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		<category>Commentary</category>
		<guid>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Arctic_Shelf_Leaking_Potent_Greenhouse_Gas-1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The frozen cap trapping billions of tonnes of methane under the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean is leaking and venting the powerful greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, new research shows.It is not known if this may be one of the first indicators of a feedback loop accelerating global warming.Researchers estimate that eight million tonnes in annual methane emissions are being released from the shallow East Siberian Arctic Shelf, which is equivalent to all the methane released from the world's oceans, covering 71 percent of the planet.On a global scale of methane emissions from the land-based sources - animals, rice paddies, rotting vegetation - the newly measured emissions from the Siberian seabed are less than two percent.&amp;quot;That's still very significant,&amp;quot; Natalia Shakhova, a researcher at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, told IPS. &amp;quot;Before, it was assumed that this region had zero emissions.&amp;quot;Methane concentrations measured over the oceans are currently about 0.6 to 0.7 parts per million (ppm), but they are now 1.85 in the Arctic Ocean generally, and between 2.6 and 8.2 ppm in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, an area roughly two million square kilometres in size, said Shakhova.Shakhova, and her University of Alaska colleague Igor Semiletov, led eight international expeditions to one of the world's most remote and desolate regions and published their results in the Mar. 5 edition of the journal Science.Global methane levels have risen each year since 2007 after being constant for a decade, reports Ed Dlugokencky of the Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, which is run by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).&amp;quot;We saw an increase in CH4 (methane) growth rate in 2007 in the Arctic... but it did not increase in 2008,&amp;quot; Dlugokencky, an expert on atmospheric methane told IPS via email.He suspects Siberia's subsea emissions are not new but have been underway for some time, and he also says Shakhova's estimate of eight million tonnes needs to be verified by other means. However, he acknowledges this study represents the first direct measurements ever done in the region and stresses the urgency for more investigation.In the last few years, researchers have been shocked to see Arctic Ocean &amp;quot;on the boil&amp;quot; in places as gases from deep below come bubbling to the surface. Large parts of the Arctic Ocean floor along coastal areas is actually permafrost that was flooded thousands of years ago after the big melt from the last ice age.Permafrost is frozen soil and contains very large amounts of carbon and methane. The extremely cold waters of the Arctic and its ice cover kept the subsea permafrost cold enough so it has been melting extremely slowly. Until now.Surface temperatures over much of the Arctic landscape and the Siberian landscape, particularly in summer, have jumped six to 10 degrees C above normal in recent years. That has lead to a massive increase in the flows of the many rivers that terminate in the Arctic Ocean.Shakhova and colleagues believe this substantial increase of warmer water into the shallow East Siberian Shelf has accelerated the melting of the subsea permafrost, in effect fracturing the frozen cap and allowing methane to escape into the atmosphere. &amp;quot;Our concern is that the subsea permafrost has been showing signs of destabilisation already,&amp;quot; she said in a release.&amp;quot;If it further destabilises, the methane emissions may not be teragrammes, it would be significantly larger,&amp;quot; she said. A teragramme is a trillion grammes, or one million tonnes.Methane - a greenhouse gas approximately 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide - is commonly called methane hydrates when it is frozen in permafrost or under the sea. The total volumes are unknown.&amp;quot;The release to the atmosphere of only one percent of the methane assumed to be stored in shallow hydrate deposits might alter the current atmospheric burden of methane up to three to four times,&amp;quot; Shakhova said in a release.&amp;quot;The climatic consequences of this are hard to predict,&amp;quot; she said.Shakhova's study is just one of at least a dozen others that clearly show the Arctic region is not only melting but also emitting more carbon and methane.Permafrost spans 13 million square kilometres of the land in Alaska, Canada, Siberia and parts of Europe. A new Canadian study documented that the southernmost permafrost limit has retreated 130 kilometres over the past 50 years ago in Quebec's James Bay region.Another Canadian study released last year showed that the region was getting darker and absorbing more heat in the summer because of a significant shift in plant growth from grasses and lichen to larger shrubs over the past 30 years due to warmer temperatures.A permafrost &amp;quot;retreat&amp;quot; has been observed over much of the southern fringe of the permafrost zone and could result in emissions a billion tonnes of carbon per year - human emissions are seven to eight billion tonnes - by mid-century, a University of Florida study estimated.Without major reductions in those human emissions, mainly burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, the top two to three metres of permafrost across the entire Arctic region could thaw by the end of this century, warned a major report, &amp;quot;Arctic Climate Feedbacks: Global Implications&amp;quot;, released by the World Wildlife Fund last September.Should that happen, the volumes of carbon and methane released could be many times higher than what is presently in the atmosphere, driving up the global average temperatures by six, eight, or even 10 degrees C. The consequences are unimaginable.&amp;quot;The changes we are (currently) seeing are not entirely unexpected, they are just happening far sooner,&amp;quot; said Mark Serreze, senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in the U.S. state of Colorado and co-author of Arctic Climate Feedbacks report.If the methane hydrates start to melt or large areas of permafrost &amp;quot;that will be very bad news for humanity&amp;quot;, Serreze told IPS in September.&amp;quot;The world is a very small place and we have not been good stewards. Climate change is symptom of this poor stewardship,&amp;quot; he said.&amp;quot;The way we're going right now, I'm not optimistic that we will avoid some kind of tipping point.&amp;quot; &nbsp;&#187;&nbsp;<a href='http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50565'>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews</a>]]></description>
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		<title><![CDATA[GR: Fears of A Second Financial Crash Are Real]]></title>
		<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=GR_Fears_of_A_Second_Financial_Crash_Are_Real-1</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=GR_Fears_of_A_Second_Financial_Crash_Are_Real-1</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:39:33 NZDT</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		<category>Commentary</category>
		<guid>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=GR_Fears_of_A_Second_Financial_Crash_Are_Real-1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What will it take?  What are they waiting for? What part of the reality of a systemic crisis that will get worse don't they get? How is it possible that after near three years of economic turmoil, with possibly hundreds of TRILLIONs down the rabbit hole-not that anyone is counting or apparently can count-that the geniuses who run our economy still don't &amp;quot;get&amp;quot; that the sh*t has already hit the fan? How many more jobs and homes have to be lost? Michael Moore is not the only one predicting a second crash. Paul Krugman is all out words excoriating the Administration for its tepidness. Nouriel Roubini, who forecast the first meltdown, now says we are in serious danger of a &amp;quot;double-dip,&amp;quot; a lethal combo of rising inflation and deeper recession. Woe to us if we can't see the handwriting on so many walls. The people in the know know that nothing has been fixed, know that all the stimuli have barely stimulated, that the new jobs bill will never generate the number of jobs that are needed, and that the banks have obscenely been raking in oodles of money thanks to all the financing taxpayers pumped into their coffers. Even as the Obamaites finally get around to proposing a measure to break up the big banks and erode the notion of financial institutions being too big to fail, we have the New York Times telling us that Congress does not have the &amp;quot;appetite&amp;quot;-that's the word they use-to tackle even modest financial reforms. The &amp;quot;appetite&amp;quot; is missing. In the real world of appetites, food companies are recalling unsafe products every day because the food we eat is subjected to federal inspections. Not so for financial products. The reason? Politics of course, but also the jillions that the financial services industry  has &amp;quot;invested&amp;quot; in bill killing, compromise-making, and just plain corrupting the legislative process. This past week, the Roosevelt Institute sponsored a conference over at the Time Warner Center called Make Markets Be Markets (Makemarketsbemarkets.org) , published a book of essays and heard from a who's who in the world of influential economists and analysts who gave high powered presentations, one after another, each more lucid than the next.There was enough brainpower in the room to save the economy but, alas, no one seems to be listening. Some business media was there collecting sound bites but the urgency of the warnings did not transcend  the limits of the bubble of financial journalism.For a long time, I wined about being ignored in not getting heard on the economic collapse, which of course, I am, but here were people with Nobel Prizes and PhDs and track records of making millions also being dissed and pissed.Setting the stage was Joe Stiglitz who won a Nobel Prize for his work, and who left the World Bank with disgust over what they do. Stiglitz should be in Obama's cabinet. Instead he is one of its critics.The presentations started off with Simon Johnson, the former chief economist the IMF taking about the DOOM CYCLE-how we are just going around in cycles without really addressing the system nature of the crisis. He writes in the NY Times and on BaselineScenario.com which you should read every day. He calls the cycle &amp;quot;unsustainable and crazy&amp;quot; and says that &amp;quot;the destructive power of the down-cycle will overwhelm the restorative ability of government like  it did in 1929-31.&amp;quot;Translation: Here we go again.And then there was the super-articulate Raj Date who says we have to get rid of Frannie Mae and Freddy Mac before they get rid of our housing market. His analysis was detailed and textured. His conclusion simple: &amp;quot;they must be eliminated.&amp;quot; What is the Obama Administration doing about this? Nada. It got better when the only woman on the panel, Harvard's Elizabeth Warren mesmerized the room. She has become a TV fixture because of how charming, honest and forthright she has been in defending consumers from the rip offs that we are all menaced by. She is the chairperson of the House oversight committee on TARP and a leading advocate of an independent consumer protection agency. She is now watching as Senator Dodd and some of his GOP cronies try to bury it in the Federal Reserve Bank, a move that many of the conference criticized in light of the Fed's history of doing so little to protect the rights of consumers.After all the speakers presented their arguments, there were comments by George Soros, who also criticized the economics profession for missing the crisis, and businessman Jim Chanos who finally brought the discussion around to the presence of massive fraud and criminality in our financial markets. I spoke to that issue which I have just written a book on and made a film about when I got a chance to ask a question.All too quietly, Wall Street firms are being sued for their many transgressions. A study by Gary Null found that over $430 billion has been paid to victimized parties by Wall Street firms in over 1500 cases.Some examples:     *  Bank of America has spent $14.9 billion to settle 15 cases alleging various charges such as securities violations and mismanagement;     * Citigroup has spent over $13.9 billion to settle 12 cases alleging various charges including abusive lending practices and involvement in fraudulent activities;     * Merrill Lynch has spent $12.2 billion to settle cases involving various allegations including negligence and mismanagement of funds;     * Morgan Stanley has spent over $5 billion to settle 11 cases involving various allegations including failure to disclose material information to customers;     * Wachovia has spent over $9.5 billion to resolve allegations including misleading investors and conflicts of interest; UBS has spent $19.5 billion to settle 6 cases with various charges including misleading investors. So much information is now out there but to what effect? What more do we need to know? There is a time for research and a time for advocacy, a time to try to lobby in the suites and a time for marching in the streets. Students on US campuses and workers in Greece have been battling the effects of the crisis.It is now time to go after the causes.The public is open to acting. The most recent Zogby poll reports: &amp;quot;# 32% of U.S. adults say they have &amp;quot;considered moving some or all of (their) banking from a large national bank to a community bank or credit union because (they) are unhappy with the policies or behavior of large national banks.&amp;quot; # 14% have moved some of their banking in the past year from a large national bank to a community bank or credit union. # 9% of all U.S. adults have moved some of their business from large national banks as a protest.People are pissed, far angrier than the media lets on. The lines are being drawn. That hard rain is going to fall. &nbsp;&#187;&nbsp;<a href='http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&amp;code=SCH20100305&amp;articleId=17960'>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews</a>]]></description>
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		<title><![CDATA[Auck Mortgagee Sales Rise - graphic]]></title>
		<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Auck_Mortgagee_Sales_Rise_-_graphic-1</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Auck_Mortgagee_Sales_Rise_-_graphic-1</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:39:06 NZDT</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		<category>Commentary</category>
		<guid>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Auck_Mortgagee_Sales_Rise_-_graphic-1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[the number of mortgagee sales - where a borrower's property is sold by the [bank] - reached the highest levels since records beganThey've only been keeping records since 1994 though :)At the end of the article there are some numbers, which I made a graph of [Image]Manukau (orange line) is pretty extraordinary - in 2007 there were less forced sales than Waitakere.The graph is a bit misleading - in percentage terms, Auckland City had less of an increase than most. Manukau is still clearly the stand-out, with a 1242% increase.	2007 	2008 	2009 	% increaseAuckland City 	86 	161 	387 	450.00%Manukau 	26 	147 	323 	1242.31%North Shore 	20 	65 	173 	865.00%Rodney 	19 	56 	155 	815.79%Waitakere 	31 	54 	135 	435.48%Papakura 	7 	19 	53 	757.14%Franklin 	8 	17 	48 	600.00%Does anyone have figures for earlier than 2007? &nbsp;&#187;&nbsp;<a href='http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/04/mortgagee-sales-in-auckland-graph/'>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews</a>]]></description>
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	<item>
		<title><![CDATA[Republic Debate Goes Public]]></title>
		<link>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Republic_Debate_Goes_Public-1</link>
		<comments>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Republic_Debate_Goes_Public-1</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:38:54 NZDT</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
		<category>Commentary</category>
		<guid>http://www.scoopit.co.nz/story.php?title=Republic_Debate_Goes_Public-1</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[University debating societies up and down the country are holding debates with the Republican Movement in March, taking Keith Locke's Head of State Referenda Bill to the public.&amp;quot;The Prime Minister does not want to give the public a say on whether to have a referendum this time round, so we're taking the debate to where it matters - the people of New Zealand&amp;quot; said Lewis Holden, chair of the Republican Movement.Debates will be held in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, New Zealand's three main centres:- 11 March - Canterbury University- 15 March - Victoria University of Wellington- 24 March - Auckland University&amp;quot;A republic is a chance to improve our democratic traditions. We want to empower ordinary New Zealanders and remind our elected representatives that power comes from the people, not from Buckingham Palace. That's exactly why the Republican Movement encourages as many New Zealanders to engage in the debate as possible&amp;quot; concluded Mr Holden.More details on the debates can be found at www.republic.org.nz/eventsENDSMedia contact: Lewis Holden 027 699 1350 (m)The Republican Movement is a network of New Zealanders who want our head of state to be elected by New Zealanders - either directly or indirectly.We are committed to:    * involving all New Zealanders in the republic debate;    * providing relevant and reliable information;    * focusing on ideas, not personalities;    * winning a referendum to establish the republic;Creating a republic does not require any change to the Treaty of Waitangi, flag or Commonwealth membership. For more information, see our website:www.republic.org.nz &nbsp;&#187;&nbsp;<a href='http://www.republic.org.nz/node/1255'>PLIGG_Visual_RSS_OriginalNews</a>]]></description>
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