U.S. Inflation Rate More Than Doubles Between Jan-Sep

Between January and September of 2001, the U.S. inflation rate has more than doubled from 1.6% in January to 3.9%. Gasoline and food prices seem to be leading the way to the higher inflation figures. However, Federal Reserve Bank M1 and M2 figures also prove the money supply is growing as well, proving that the government is printing money to cover debts and to pay for costs beyond what tax dollars are able to generate.

Although some of the food price inflation rates seem very serious right now, with many hefty price increases or even downsizing of some products. Some ice cream products for example have downsized by 2oz. such as products distributed by Nestle's Northwest distributor, while other brands such as Ben & Jerry's instead raised their wholesale prices as commodities such as dairy products crept up to high price levels.

The current recession is a strange one, because it is also characterized by high inflation. During many periods of economic recession or depression, prices actually tend to decrease and go down. Prices are supposed to be somewhat influenced by supply and demand, however other factors such as war spending, the Federal Reserve Bank growing the money supply all help to create conditions that can spur inflation.

As serious as the economic problems are right now, the 1980-1982 inflation and resulting recession were far more serious yet. The inflation rate peaked at an annual rate of 14.8% in March of 1980, and the Federal Reserve Board acted to tighten the money supply and raised interest rates, which only allowed that nation to slip into a more serious recession that last until 1982.

Although, the current wave of inflation and economic problems seem serious enough to many Americans, helping to spur economic protests such as the Occupy Wall Street movement recently, many Americans fail to grasp that these current economic problems are not as serious as past recessions or that the current economic problems are far more complicated than most can comprehend. But, that's probably of little consolation to an angry public caught in rapid price increases, joblessness or a feeling of a lacking empowerment over their lives. It also doesn't act as a good omen for the current administration seeking to be re-elected. It becomes an easy solution for the public to fire the chief executive during economic bad times, hoping for a better economy from another chief executive.

The Black Eyed Peas Breaking Up?

Rumors have been swirling that The Black Eyed Peas might be breaking up, however according to at least one report over at TMZ, singer Fergie claims that the band members are taking a break as a group and not breaking up. The band has tried controversial things before and always changed course. As a good example, the group released an album, THE E.N.D. , which they claimed was to be their final physical cd, with all future releases on music downloads instead. However, the group quickly changed their minds, and a new album, their latest was forthcoming after all.

The Black Eyed Peas are one of modern hip hop music's greatest recording acts of all time. It would be a shame for such a talented act to call it quits. They still have lots of great music in them.

The Great Hammer Films Horror TV Show Pilot You Never Saw

The British masters of horror movies, Hammer Film Productions, produced a rare unsold TV pilot in 1958 called TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN. It was a great half hour horror film of true Hammer quality, yet no network wanted to purchase the series. The story was indeed a horrifying mix of grave robbing and the creation of a truly horrifying looking Frankenstein. Actor Don Megowan stood six foot six, and made for a intimidating presence in his Frankenstein makeup and boots. He made for a very good Frankenstein's monster, perhaps one of the best since either Boris Karloff or Glen Strange.

Network TV executives might have been skittish about the violence and dark themes in Hammer's TV pilot, but it was far better than some TV shows which were actually sold and aired. TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN was a real classic that never saw the light of day. Fortunately, in recent years this rare pilot has now made it on to some DVDs. Get a copy if you can.

NBC's New GRIMM Looks Like Great Halloween Fun!

NBC's brand new horror movie influenced police drama, GRIMM sure looks like great fun. While the show is intended to somewhat be NBC's answer to darker cable TV entries such as THE WALKING DEAD, the show should provide some great Friday night fun by being the most unusual police drama the network ever aired. Based somewhat off the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, the show uses some very impressive special effects and twisted story-lines to capture audience attention.

Set in Portland, Oregon, with the cooperation of the Portland Police, the show follows the adventure of the last Grimm family decedent who works as a homicide detective who is able to see people as beasts or monsters. It's a very unusual script, but a fascinating little show. While I like the show personally, I'm not sure whether the show will click with audiences and may become a fast cancellation. So enjoy this new show while it's around. It premieres on Friday October 28, for the Halloween weekend.

GRIMM promises to be perhaps the darkest Friday night network TV entry since FOX's critically acclaimed MILLENNIUM. You ought to give this new show a try. It's a perfect Halloween weekend type of show for sure, as NBC airs some special Halloween-themed episodes this week.

Millionaire Senator Orrin Hatch Wants Police Crackdown On Peaceful Occupy Wall Street Protests

Claiming that the peaceful and legal Occupy Wall Street protests are going to turn into riots, ultraconservative Senator Orrin Hatch urged government and police crackdowns on the protests. This is hardly the first time that the Utah Republican senator has urged the Bill Of Rights to be suspended. While the protests tend to be heavily disorganized with few common themes, they are at least legal and allow the public to peacefully vent their frustrations at the nation's growing economic problems.

Hatch is also concerned the way that President Obama is loaning some sympathy to the protests by feeling the economic pain of the country, urging senators like Hatch to support his Jobs Bill. But Hatch seems unimpressed, and out of touch with the economic hardship that many Americans now face. The millionaire senator has a net worth of about $2.42 million dollars not counting homes and automobiles he owns.

The millionaire senator made attempts over some Republican presidential administrations to be considered for nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court so that he could curtail civil liberties in the country and roll back portions of the Bill Of Rights that he objects to such as free speech protections under the First Amendment.

Major League WTF?:The Porn Film From Orrin Hatch's Office

Moral Watchdog U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) once had a real porn problem on his hands. While this former Mormon Church Bishop wants to go on record as one of Congress's most vocal opponents of adult entertainment, it actually turns out that one of his staffers quit work at his office just so that she could play the lead role in the 1986 pornographic film, BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR: THE SEQUEL, Born as Elisa Florez from Salt Lake City, Utah, Florez used the stage name, Missy Manners, starring as the lead performer to the 1973 smash hit film by the Mitchell Brothers, BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR, which made former Ivory Soap box model Marilyn Chambers into a big name celebrity.

As funny as the connection to very socially conservative Senator Orrin Hatch is, the story grows even funnier as Florez was also the daughter of the Undersecretary Of Education from the first Bush Administration as well.

The movie itself wasn't really a big hit like the original BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR film because it was made to address the new AIDS crisis and involved the use of condoms, dental dams and exam gloves, leaving the fans of bareback sex in adult films feeling pretty unsatisfied.

No one seems to be quite sure why someone so connected to so many social conservatives would decide to do something as wild and controversial as this movie was, but it was certainly a very surprising career choice move for Elisa Florez to make. And because of very conservative laws and social views in Utah, likely few of Orrin Hatch's voters ever got to see the senator's own staffer rolling around in front of an x-rated camera. Utah used to be so conservative that the state once only had just one adult video rental store zoned way out in one remote Utah county, and bus-loads of Mormons would board buses to picket just this one store demanding that it be closed by law enforcement.

From 2001-2003 Utah also had a 41 year old virgin, Paula Houston, who acted as a "Porn Czar" for the state, and was paid part of a $150,000 a year budget, to police primarily just this one single adult video rental business. By 2003, even the dumbest of social conservatives in the state legislature began to see the idiocy of establishing a whole new state commission just to police one small business in the state, and budget cuts eventually closed this waste of taxpayer money.

As silly as it sounds for a legislature to create an entire new state agency just to regulate one single small business in a state, it has been done elsewhere as well. The Oregon Legislature once established the Oregon State Wrestling Commission just to regulate one single small wrestling league created by a local Portland promoter when some former disenchanted figure in the local wrestling community lobbied the legislature to give him a job and create this new state agency after he complained that a few wrestlers were "juicing". "Juicing" is a practice where some wrestlers hide a sharp object and cut their foreheads during a match to draw blood to make the carefully choreographed match look more violent and authentic. Professional wrestling is unfortunately entirely fake with predetermined winners of each bout. Oregon's Wrestling Commissioner soon put this only business under his watch out of business for some very minor violations of rules he set, and soon found himself also without a job as you can't draw a salary regulating businesses that don't even exist.

Likely, Orrin Hatch hasn't ever seen his staffer's work, or if he has, he's not telling anyone. But, it had to be a classic of political embarassment at one time.

Lindsay Lohan Turned Away From Morgue After Arriving Late

After troubled actress Lindsay Lohan was ordered by Judge Stephanie Sautner to do 16 hours of community service at the Los Angeles County Morgue, she showed up a good 40 minutes late and was turned away from her 8:00am deadline. Likely, the judge won't throw her in jail for just this, yet it's another problem for the actress that may influence her sentence when she has to appear at a November 2, hearing that could send her to jail for up to one and a half years.

Way to go, Lindsay! You certainly know how to screw up big time if even given half the opportunity.