“Condoleezza Rice forces deal on Georgia to end the war” says the headline. Except, she hasn’t forced anything because the Russians have no intention of leaving nor are they signatories on the deal.

Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, warned Russia that it must withdraw its troops behind the boundaries of two disputed Georgian enclaves as she secured a ceasefire agreement that leaves open the possibility of continued incursions.

How can you have a ceasefire when incursions continue? In other words, this is no deal at all. Just meowing by the apparently toothless and clawless US paper tiger.

Russian convoy moves deeper inside Georgia: witness.

Russia: Poland risks attack because of US missiles.

Lest you think I’m somehow cheerleading for Putin, not hardly. He’s as thuggish as it gets. The real change though is that the US has little influence or leverage here, something the ruling class is just now becoming dimly aware of. The chances of a wider war grow daily.

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Ford’s expects their new three-row Lincoln MKT behemoth to only have annual sales of 20,000 or so. Putting a boat car like this into production now is akin to a junkie saying he really does want to quit but needs to “taper off” by shooting up occasionally.

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I had to read that 17% number several times to make sure I had it right. More than 750,000 homes foreclosed homes are for sale now. One plan is to bundle them to deep pocket long-term investors at big discounts.

Vultures, the birds, clean up rotting carcasses and play an important ecological role in doing so. The process may not be pretty but it is important. Perhaps vulture investors can do the same here. No one else is buying those properties. Maybe they can both provide a floor for pricing and take some messy abandoned properties off the market, fix them up, then hold them for several years.

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George Bush told Russia today that ‘”bullying and intimidation” is not an acceptable way to conduct foreign policy.’

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Donald Trump has bought Ed McMahon’s house, saving him from foreclosure, and will lease it back to him at a reduced price.

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Producers of a new film about Vladimir Lenin hope Leonardo DiCaprio could play the role because he looks so much like a young Lenin he wouldn’t even need makeup.

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Each will be ten times larger than any existing solar installation. One of the plants “alone will have as much photovoltaic capacity as was installed worldwide during the past year.”

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Denver is getting ready to greet you with new just-built detention centers that among other things, appear to have no water or toilets. How thoughtful. Subtopia has the details.

(image from CBS4 video, more on Subtopia)

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