Politics, Legislation and Economy News – Friday March 30th, 2012

Politics and Legislation

World Bank Nominee Tied to Monsanto Shareholder Bill Gates, Soros

By Tim McCoy
BlacklistedNews.com

Obama has nominated Dartmouth University president Jim Yong Kim, M.D. to head the United Nations World Bank. Most people think that UN agencies benefit poor people, but this is far from the truth.

The UN World Bank claims to fight poverty in developing nations by financing infrastructure projects. But the UN World Bank is really a tool used to acquire Third World natural resources through conditions on loans that are extremely difficult to repay. The raw resources are then privatized by insider multi-national corporations. The World Bank actually creates more poverty.

The nomination of Jim Yong Kim indicates that the World Bank may shift away from focusing on infrastructure and will instead turn toward providing healthcare in Third World countries. Jim Yong Kim’s areas of interest include vaccines for tuberculosis as well as drugs for HIV and AIDS……

Read Full Article Here

http://www.blacklistednews.com/World_Bank_Nominee_Tied_to_Monsanto_Shareholder_Bill_Gates%2C_Soros_/18683/0/0/0/Y/M.html

Barack Obama: I Have A “Moral Obligation” To Neuter America

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     The Author’s title not mine.  Used here because aside from the title it has some valid points

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Barack Obama actually plans to do it. He actually plans to neuter America by unilaterally dismantling most of the U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal. In fact, Barack Obama says that the United States has a “moral obligation” to disarm as we lead the way to “a world without nuclear weapons”. Sadly, a “world without nuclear weapons” is a fantasy that will not be possible any time soon. Nuclear weapons technology is getting into more hands with each passing year, and geopolitical tensions are rising all over the globe. If the United States did not have nuclear weapons, anyone with just a handful of nukes would constitute a massive threat to our national security. An overwhelming strategic nuclear arsenal helps keep us safe because every other nation on the planet knows that it would be national suicide to attack us. If you take that overwhelming strategic nuclear arsenal away, the entire calculation changes.

Many out there claim that even if the U.S. only has a few hundred nuclear warheads that it will be more than enough to be an effective deterrent.

Sadly, that simply is not true.

If an enemy knows that we only have a few hundred warheads, and if they know exactly where those warheads are located for verification purposes, then a first strike which would take out the vast majority of our operational warheads becomes very plausible.

That is why what Obama wants to do is so incredibly dangerous. If he reduces our strategic nuclear arsenal down to almost nothing, the odds of a nuclear first strike against the United States someday go up dramatically.

The following is what Fox News reported that Obama said during a speech in South Korea the other day….

“American leadership has been essential to progress in a second area — taking concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons,” Obama said yesterday during a speech in Korea. “I believe the United States has a unique responsibility to act — indeed, we have a moral obligation.”……….

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/barack-obama-it-is-a-moral-obligation-to-neuter-america

House approves 90-day highway bill, dares Senate to reject it

By Pete Kasperowicz

The House on Thursday morning approved a 90-day extension of federal highway programs over the objections of angry Democrats, a move that dares Senate Democrats to reject the bill just days before federal authorization expires.

The House approved its bill, H.R. 4281, in a 266-158 vote that saw 37 Democrats join all but 10 Republicans in passing it — a fair amount of bipartisanship given the bitter partisan debate heard in the House throughout much of the week.

With the House vote, the Senate must now decide whether to accept the bill, insist on changes, or continue to push for House passage of the Senate-approved two-year extension. That last option, however, appears to be more difficult, as the House plans to go out of session at the end of Thursday.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/219025-house-approves-90-day-highway-bill-dares-senate-to-reject-it

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Economy

Bernanke Claims That The Fed Has Averted A Second Great Depression By Bailing Out The Too Big To Fail Banks

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke claims that the Federal Reserve averted a second Great Depression by bailing out the big Wall Street banks during the last financial crisis, and he says that if a similar financial crisis comes along that the correct “policy response” will be to do the exact same thing again. This was the theme of the lecture that Bernanke delivered to students at George Washington University on Tuesday. In previous lectures Bernanke has defended the existence of the Fed and detailed the history of Fed activities, but on Tuesday he addressed things that have happened since he has been at the helm of the Fed. And according to Bernanke, he has been doing a great job. Bernanke told the students that the “threat of a second Great Depression was very real” and that the Federal Reserve did exactly what needed to be done to fix the financial system. Unfortunately, the truth is that all Bernanke did was kick the can a bit farther down the road. You can’t fix a debt problem with more debt, and the debt bubble we are living in today is far larger than it was in 2008. Will Bernanke still be trying to portray himself as a hero when this house of cards finally falls apart?……

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/bernanke-claims-that-the-fed-has-averted-a-second-great-depression-by-bailing-out-the-too-big-to-fail-banks

Senate again blocks Dem bid to nix ‘Big Oil’ tax breaks

By Ben Geman and Andrew Restuccia

The Senate on Thursday thwarted Democratic plans to strip billions of dollars in tax breaks from the largest oil companies, a vote that represented the latest skirmish in the election-year war over gasoline prices.

Lawmakers voted 51-47 to block Sen. Robert Menendez’s (D-N.J.) bill. Sixty votes were needed to advance the measure.

The vote occurred shortly after President Obama – seeking to cast Republicans as allies of big oil companies – used a Rose Garden speech to urge lawmakers to back the plan.

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/219015-draft-draft-senate-again-blocks-dems-bid-to-nix-big-oil-tax-breaks

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Wars and Rumors of War

Arabic broadcaster Al-Jazeera backs down over showing disturbing footage filmed by Toulouse gunman after pleas from Sarkozy

Memory stick with video montage was sent to Arabic TV office the day before Mohammed Merah was shot dead
Le Parisien newspaper had also seen footage sent by man who murdered seven people in three separate attacks

By Peter Allen

Arabic TV network Al-Jazeera has said it will not air disturbing footage of the Toulouse shootings after the video was sent to its office in Paris.

It appeared to have been recorded during Mohammed Merah’s deadly attacks on soldiers and a Jewish school earlier this month.

The station’s decision not to broadcast the video, which was sent on a USB memory stick along with a letter, came after French president Nicolas Sarkozy and family of the victims had asked for it not to be shown.

The video has been edited into a ‘montage’ accompanied by an Islamic war songs, and was sent in a package post-dated March 21 – the day before 23-year-old Merah was killed by French special forces in his home city.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2120909/Disturbing-video-footage-filmed-Toulouse-gunman-killed-victims-emerges.html#ixzz1qY0bLTDY

Rand Paul blocks Iran sanctions bill

Invokes The Constitution In Iran Sanctions Debate

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Environmental

Well from hell: Gas rig abandoned in North Sea after massive leak

Huge clouds of natural gas have forced the evacuation of several oil rigs in the area amid fears of an explosion

A desperate battle to plug an enormous gas leak in the North Sea is being waged tonight.

Huge clouds of natural gas have forced the evacuation of several oil rigs in the area amid fears of an explosion.

And workers warned there was a “clear and present danger” of a major gas blast.

A two-mile exclusion zone for shipping and three miles for aircraft have already been set up around Total’s Elgin platform, which has been leaking since Sunday.

Specialist engineers from Texas who tackled the devastating BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 have been flown in by the company to help stop the leak.

Safety boss David Hainsworth said: “We are mobilising experts from Houston and France to help us deal with this.”

But the Elgin platform – 150 miles off the coast of Aberdeen – has been dubbed “the well from hell” because of the particularly high pressure of the gas.

Wullie Wallace, of union Unite, said: “The incident cannot be underestimated in its seriousness. There is still a clear and present danger to our members.”……

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gas-rig-abandoned-in-north-sea-774258

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Radiation

1 of Japan’s damaged reactors has high radiation, no water, renewing doubts about stability

By Associated Press,

TOKYO — One of Japan’s crippled nuclear reactors still has fatally high radiation levels and hardly any water to cool it, according to an internal examination Tuesday that renews doubts about the plant’s stability.

A tool equipped with a tiny video camera, a thermometer, a dosimeter and a water gauge was used to assess damage inside the No. 2 reactor’s containment chamber for the second time since the tsunami swept into the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant a year ago. The probe done in January failed to find the water surface and provided only images showing steam, unidentified parts and rusty metal surfaces scarred by exposure to radiation, heat and humidity.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/new-probe-at-japans-crippled-nuke-plant-finds-fatally-high-radiation-little-water-in-reactor/2012/03/27/gIQA83d0dS_story.html

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Articles of Interest

John Pilger – The New rulers of The World

Suit: NYPD conducting illegal stops in private buildings

By Andrew Jones

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) filed a lawsuit against the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Wednesday, alleging that in addition to stopping primarily black and Latino residents in public spaces as part of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk program, officers are illegally searching people in private buildings.

According to a press release, the NYCLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of residents whose buildings are apart of “Operation Clean Halls,” an agreement by the NYPD and a landlord that grants officers permission to patrol inside a building at any time.

NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman cited how minorities have been largely affected by the NYPD’s program…..

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/28/suit-nypd-conducting-illegal-stops-in-private-buildings/

Politics, Legslation and Economy News – Sunday March 11th, 2012

Politics and Legislation

 

We Take Care of Our Own: Eric Holder and the End of Rights

Historians of the future, if they are not imprisoned for saying so, will trace the end of America’s democratic experiment to the fearful days immediately after 9/11, what Bruce Springsteen called the days of the empty sky, when frightened, small men named Bush and Cheney made the first decisions to abandon the Constitution in the name of freedom and created a new version of the security state with the Patriot Act, Guantanamo, secret prisons and sanctioned torture by the U.S. government. They proceeded carefully, making sure that lawyers in their employ sanctioned each dark act, much as kings in old Europe used the church to justify their own actions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-van-buren/anwar-al-awlaki-killing_b_1322528.html

 

Politicians Won’t Return Ponzi Payoffs

Michael Winship, Moyers & Co.:

“On Tuesday, Texas financier Robert Allen Stanford was convicted in a Houston federal court on 13 out of 14 criminal counts of fraud…. But what most of this week’s stories failed to mention was the large amount of his clients’ cash that was spent on campaign contributions, greasing the corrupt nexus of money and politics for personal gain. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were given to candidates,  Barack Obama, John McCain, John Boehner and Harry Reid; including Ponzi Payoffs; as well as national fundraising committees for the Republican and Democratic parties.”

http://www.truth-out.org/politicians-wont-return-ponzi-payoffs/1331400527

 

Confusion Surrounds Federal Review of Southern Leg of Keystone XL

Lisa Song, InsideClimate News:

“TransCanada’s decision last week to build the southern half of the rejected Keystone XL has raised a tricky question about who will regulate the project review … The process could be stickier at the federal level. The U.S. State Department was the lead agency on the original Keystone XL because it crossed an international boundary. But so far, no agency has stepped forward to take responsibility for the Gulf Coast Project.”

http://www.truth-out.org/confusion-surrounds-federal-review-southern-leg-keystone-xl/1331398833

 

A Field of Hawks

Eugene Robinson, Washington Post Writers Group:

“Unless Ron Paul somehow wins the nomination, it looks as if a vote for the Republican presidential candidate this fall will be a vote for war with Iran. No other conclusion can be drawn from parsing the candidates’ public remarks. Paul, of course, is basically an isolationist who believes it is none of our business if Iran wants to build nuclear weapons…. But Paul has about as much chance of winning the GOP nomination as I do.”

http://www.truth-out.org/field-hawks/1331398935

 

No Apocalypse Yet
Will Putin do what the oligarchs fear?

By ISRAEL SHAMIR

If he wants to survive politically, he will have to implement the national agenda, confront the oligarchs, curb the creative class, provide support to those who supported him.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30776.htm

 

Obama Signs Anti-protest Trespass Bill

By RT

US President Barack Obama signed his name to H.R. 347 on Thursday, officially making it a federal offense to cause a disturbance at certain political events – essentially criminalizing protest in the States.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30774.htm

 

‘War on Terror is War on Liberty’
Farage demands that the UK break treaty with US

By Nigel Farage: EU MP

“No British court has ever been allowed to examine the evidence against Mr Tappin and I believe this Treaty, signed in the wake of the September 11 attacks, needs to be amended and the British government needs to stand up for its own people.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30764.htm

 

Economy

Not So Fast On That Whole Economic Recovery Thing

Not so fast. Those that are publicly declaring that an economic recovery has arrived are ignoring a whole host of numbers that indicate that the U.S. economy is in absolutely horrendous shape. The truth is that the health of an economy should not be measured by how well the stock market is doing. Rather, the truth health of an economy should be evaluated by looking at numbers for things like jobs, housing, poverty and debt. Some of the latest economic statistics indicate that unemployment is getting a little bit worse, that the housing market continues to deteriorate, that poverty in America continues to soar and that our debt problem is worse than ever.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/not-so-fast-on-that-whole-economic-recovery-thing

 

TEXT-Moody’s: Greek sovereign credit rating remains at C

Moody’s Investors Service says that it considers Greece

to have defaulted per Moody’s default definitions further to the conclusion of an exchange of EUR177 billion of Greece’s debt that is governed by Greek law for bonds issued by the Greek government, GDP-linked securities, European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) notes. Foreign-law bonds are eligible for the same offer, and Moody’s expects a similar debt exchange to proceed with these bondholders, as well as the holders of state-owned enterprise debt that has been guaranteed by the state, in the coming weeks. The respective securities will enter our default statistics at the tender expiration date, which is was Thursday 8 March for the Greek law bonds and is currently expected to be 23 March for foreign law bonds. Greece’s government bond rating remains unchanged at C, the lowest rating on Moody’s rating scale.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/09/idUSWNA217120120309

 

Security: UK ‘must plan for euro collapse’

Ministers should draw up plans to deal with a break-up of the eurozone “as a matter of urgency”, a committee of MPs and peers has warned.

The joint committee on the government’s National Security Strategy (NSS) said the full or partial collapse of the single currency was “plausible”.

It said political unrest and a rise in economic migrant numbers could result.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17295461

 

Wall Street up on jobs data, brushes off Greek default

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks advanced on Friday as investors brushed off the technical default by Greece and focused instead on another strong monthly jobs report.

Trading was choppy in late afternoon trade after the International Swaps and Derivatives Association said Greece has triggered an insurance payment on credit default contracts.

Investors took the Greek news largely in stride because the event was widely expected. Still, it is a declaration of default following the biggest sovereign debt-restructuring deal in history, and the specter of trouble in other euro-zone countries remains.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock-futures-edge-lower-focus-092318186.html;_ylt=Ar1tpMPx1ZCXLOapElzdCaqiuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTNyMnNyMmVwBG1pdANGUCBUb3AgU3RvcnkgTGVmdARwa2cDNGYxODJlZGQtM2NlOC0zZDJlLThlY2MtMTUxYWU5NzcwZTQ4BHBvcwMxBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzI3OTQ0YjMwLTZhMzAtMTFlMS1hZmZmLTEzMTljMGYwZTE4NA–;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

 

Bernanke Is Giving Us the Recovery He Wants, Not the Recovery We Need

With the latest round of monetary stimulus, the Federal Reserve is boldly going where it has already been. Big, big news from the Federal Reserve. They are considering doing something they are already doing, but calling it something else.

This “new” operation, carried out under the rather gross-sounding moniker of “sterilized quantitative easing,” is just another way to reduce long-term interest rates. The specifics aren’t terribly important — although if you want all the gory details about bond-buying and reverse repos, check out Jon Hilsenrath — but the result should be identical to the so-called “Operation Twist” the Fed did last fall.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/bernanke-giving-us-recovery-wants-170846352.html;_ylt=AnYAn2zURi8MrFLRZ_Hep_SiuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTRiOGw4a3B0BG1pdANGUCBDb21tZW50YXJ5IGFuZCBBbmFseXNpcwRwa2cDMmQ2YTVlYjMtZGYwYy0zZGU0LWFmNjktMjFkN2EwODU4NTBiBHBvcwMzBHNlYwNNZWRpYVNlY3Rpb25MaXN0BHZlcgNmNmIyODFiMC02OTQxLTExZTEtYmZmYy01NTAxNmVjYTk3MGQ-;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

 

UPDATE 6-Oil up on jobs data even as dollar rallies

By Robert Gibbons

NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) – Oil prices rose a third straight day on Friday as data showing rising U.S. employment countered any pressure from a stronger dollar and faded euphoria after Greece’s debt swap deal.
U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose by 227,000 in February, above expectations and marking the third straight month that gains topped 200,000, though the unemployment rate held at a three-year low of 8.3 percent.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/6-oil-jobs-data-even-170225610.html;_ylt=ArtF491iXjMK0Eqas1EzJrWiuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTN0bGRlZWpmBG1pdANOZXdzIFRvcGljIDIEcGtnAzBlMGE5M2UyLTAwMDEtMzJmMy05M2ExLTA1NDk4MDM2ZDllMwRwb3MDMgRzZWMDTWVkaWFTZWN0aW9uTGlzdAR2ZXIDZTA2MzljYTAtNmEwOS0xMWUxLWFlZmYtYjcyZGRjMWIwZDU2;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

 

PRECIOUS-Gold turns higher on US jobs data, oil gains

By Frank Tang and Amanda Cooper

NEW YORK/LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) – Gold rose above
$1,700 an ounce in heavy trade on Friday, reversing early sharp losses as the metal took heart from gains in crude oil and U.S. equities’ after an encouraging U.S. nonfarm payrolls report.
Bullion, which has taken to following riskier assets, rose in the face of a dollar rally and fading hopes of further U.S. monetary stimulus after U.S. employment grew strongly for a third straight month.
Also lifting the metal was Greece’s averting an immediate default after its bond swap offer to private creditors. Technical buying also helped after prices rebounded off its key 200-day moving average.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/precious-gold-turns-higher-us-165030879.html;_ylt=AmeSDy3YM97ycn01LvBnaVaiuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTN0OTRtMzFzBG1pdANOZXdzIFRvcGljIDIEcGtnA2EzYTkxNGFlLTdjMGMtM2ZmOS04ZDE2LTJjYmQ4ZWQwMzI2YgRwb3MDMwRzZWMDTWVkaWFTZWN0aW9uTGlzdAR2ZXIDYTczNjQ0YTAtNmExMy0xMWUxLWI5ZmYtYjAxMDViZmYwZjJj;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

 

Public-Sector Banks: From Black Sheep to Global Leaders

Once the black sheep of high finance, government owned banks can reassure depositors about the safety of their savings and can help maintain a focus on productive investment in a world in which effective financial regulation remains more of an aspiration than a reality.

http://www.truth-out.org/public-sector-banks-black-sheep-global-leaders/1331147316

 

Welcome to the One Percent Recovery

Mike Konczal, New Deal 2.0:

“As the one percent reap 93 percent of the income gains from the recovery, we’re rapidly returning to pre-New Deal levels of inequality … It’s important to remember that a series of choices were made during the New Deal to react to runaway inequality, including changes to progressive taxation, financial regulation, monetary policy, labor unionization, and the provisioning of public goods and guaranteed social insurance. A battle will be fought over the next decade on all these fronts.”

http://www.truth-out.org/welcome-1-percent-recovery/1331396893

 

Jeffrey Sachs’ Reform Candidacy for World Bank President

Staff, Center for Economic and Policy Research:

“Economist and health expert Jeffrey Sachs’ reported candidacy for World Bank president is welcome news for the two-and-a-half billion people around the world living in poverty, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Co-Director Mark Weisbrot said today. ‘If Sachs were to get the job, he would be the first World Bank president with this kind of experience and knowledge of economic development … All of the others have been bankers, politicians, or political appointees.'”

http://www.truth-out.org/mark-weisbrot-jeffrey-sachs-reform-candidacy-world-bank-president/1331311919

 

China posts Feb. trade deficit

For the first time in a year, China recorded a trade deficit of 31.48 billion U.S. dollars in February, as import growth far outpaced exports.

Exports rose 18.4 percent from a year earlier to 114.47 billion U.S. dollars in February, while imports were up 39.6 percent to 145.96 billion U.S. dollars, customs data showed Saturday.

The fast trade expansion was fueled by the lower comparative base for last February, when the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday cut working days from the month and skewed trade data, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said. The week-long holiday fell in January this year.

After seasonal adjustments, the annual growth of exports slowed to 4 percent in February while that of imports was cut down to 9.4 percent.

http://www.china.org.cn/business/2012-03/10/content_24859840.htm

Life in America on Two Dollars a Day
Or Why American Poverty Will Soon Match That of the Third World

By CanSpeccy

The latest poverty statistics that show the number of American families with an income of less than two dollars per person per day more than doubled between 1996 and 201.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30765.htm

 

China to export yuan to BRICS:

China is reportedly to begin extending loans in yuan to BRICS countries in another step towards internationalizing the national currency and diversifying from the US dollar.

http://rt.com/business/news/china-us-dollar-currency-129/

 

Iceland calls its former PM to account for financial crash:

Geir Haarde, whose trial began this week, could face up to two years in jail if convicted over country’s 2008 economic collapse

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/09/iceland-former-pm-financial-crash

 

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Set to Default on $5.27 Million GO Bond Payments:

The city, carrying a debt load of more than five times its general-fund budget, will miss $5.27 million in bond payments due March 15 on $51.5 million of bonds issued in 1997.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-09/harrisburg-pennsylvania-set-to-default-on-5-27-million-go-bond-payments.html

 

Wars and Rumors of War

 

The Kazakhstan Massacre: Killing Hope to Benefit US Geopolitical Interests

Steve Horn and Allen Ruff, Truthout: “December 16, 2011, should have been, at minimum, a fairly bright day for the people of Kazakhstan marking the country’s Independence Day and 20th birthday. But rather than being a moment of celebration, it became a day of brutal repression and death, a bloody scene in the regional center of Zhanaozen paralleling those that occurred at the hands of US-supported dictatorial regimes during the uprisings now commonly referred to as the Arab Spring.”

http://www.truth-out.org/kazakhstan-massacre-killing-hope-benefit-us-geopolitical-interests/1331142602

 

Russia says 15,000 foreign “terrorists” in Syria

(Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is battling al Qaeda-backed “terrorists” including at least 15,000 foreign fighters who will seize towns across Syria if government troops withdraw, a Russian diplomat said on Thursday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/08/us-syria-russia-idUSBRE82714E20120308

 

After a Decade, Afghan Forces Don’t Trust Americans

Jon Stephenson and Ali Safi, McClatchy Newspapers:

“Afghan soldiers and police say the recent burning of Qurans by U.S. personnel has seriously undermined their trust in their American counterparts, suggesting that the decade-long campaign to win hearts and minds has not only failed but also threatens the Obama administration’s exit strategy. ‘We are tired of the Americans here,’ said Mohammad Aziz, 20, a Kabul police officer. ‘We don’t want them to stay because they keep insulting our religion.'”

http://www.truth-out.org/after-decade-afghan-forces-dont-trust-americans/1331392048

 

Fresh barrage of Gaza rockets strike Israel’s south

Iron Dome intercepts a number of rockets over Be’er Sheva on Saturday morning; 12 Palestinians reportedly killed in IAF strikes in Gaza since Friday.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/fresh-barrage-of-gaza-rockets-strike-israel-s-south-1.417622

 

Obama has partially left his delusions about Iran: Leader

TEHRAN – Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says that U.S. President Barack Obama has partially left his delusions about Iran.

The Leader made the remarks during a meeting with the members of the Assembly of Experts in Tehran on Thursday.

“Two days ago, we heard that the U.S. president said, ‘We do not think of war against Iran.’ Well, this is good. This is a logical remark. This is an exit from delusion. In addition, he said, ‘We will bring the Iranian people to their knees through sanctions.’ This is a delusion. The exit from delusion in the first part is good, but remaining in delusion in the second part will harm them. When one’s calculations are based on delusion, it is obvious that the planning he makes based on those calculations will end in failure,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/96228-obama-has-partially-left-his-delusions-about-iran-leader

 

The Bloody Road to Damascus
The Triple Alliance’s War on a Sovereign State

By James Petras

There is clear and overwhelming evidence that the uprising to overthrow President Assad of Syria is a violent, power grab led by foreign-supported fighters.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30769.htm

 

10 Myths about Iran Driving the Insane Push for War
And Why They’re Dead Wrong

By Jasmin Ramsey

Israeli officials and GOP candidates spout nonsense about Iran. Here’s the truth.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30772.htm

 

Weapons Financed By US Kill Unarmed Palestinians and U.S. Citizens.

By David Elkins

“U.S. weapons provided to Israel at taxpayer expense make the U.S. complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses of Palestinians living under Israel’s 44-year military occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip”

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30767.htm

 

Kofi Annan’s calls for talks spark anger:

Syrian opposition activists have angrily rejected calls by Kofi Annan, the UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, for dialogue with the government.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17312040

 

Assad Tells Kofi Annan He’s Open To ‘Honest Effort To Find Solution’:

 

Assad warned the envoy that dialogue was unlikely to succeed while “armed terrorist groups” remained.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/03/10/syria-crisis-assad-annan-kofi-homs-idlib-_n_1336534.html?ref=uk

 

Russia threatens to veto U.S. resolution on Syria:

Russia will not support a new U.S.-drafted resolution on Syria because it fails to urge both the government and the rebels to halt violence, said a top Russian diplomat.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2978397.ece

 

No military solution in Syria: EU ministers:

As Qatar called in Cairo for the dispatch of Arab and international peacekeeping troops to Syria, Juppe joined his counterparts in saying that for the EU “military action is not on the agenda.”

http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/syria-politics.fml

 

US officials: Loyal army, inner circle back Assad:

Despite the Obama administration’s predictions that the Syrian government’s days are numbered, recent U.S. intelligence reports suggest President Bashar Assad commands a formidable army that is unlikely to turn on him, an inner circle that has stayed loyal and an elite class that still supports his rule.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20145482/us-officials-syrian-regime-holding-under-fire

 

Controversy surrounds CNN footage from Syrian activist:

Video footage broadcast by CNN purporting to depict Syrian government violence was staged by the journalist reporting on camera, recent reports have claimed.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/controversy-surrounds-cnn-footage-from-syrian-activist-.aspx?pageID=238&nid=15628&NewsCatID=359

 

If Iran attacked it will launch 11,000 missiles at Israel, US: envoy:

Tehran’s ambassador to Lebanon says Iran has prepared itself to launch about 11,000 missiles at Israel and U.S. bases in the region if they do a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Lebanese media reported.

http://www.mehrnews.com/en/newsdetail.aspx?NewsID=1556104

 

Environmental

 

The Problem With the Environment Is Not Too Many People

Eleanor J. Bader, Truthout:

“We’ve all heard the claim repeatedly: humans pollute, so if we just reduce the number of people – both the number being born and the number immigrating from point A to point B – the despoiling will cease and Eden will be restored. If only it could be so simple…. ‘Too Many People?’ is a clear and convincing challenge to the idea of population control as political necessity.”

http://www.truth-out.org/problem-environment-not-too-many-people/1331163575

 

Fracking Likely Caused Series of Ohio Quakes, Officials Say

Michael Muskal and Neela Banerjee , News Report:

Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources issued new regulations for transporting and disposing of brine wastewater, a fracking byproduct, making for the nation’s toughest disposal regulations, state officials said. Though the quake damage was minor – the largest was a 4.0 magnitude – environmental groups questioned whether the state’s safety rules were strong enough to protect the area from disasters they attributed to hydraulic fracturing.

http://www.nationofchange.org/fracking-likely-caused-series-ohio-quakes-officials-say-1331394148

 

Misc

 

New York Times CEO Robinson’s Exit Compensation Package Tops $23 Million

Janet Robinson, the New York Times Co. chief executive officer who was pushed out in December, received an exit package, including stock options and retirement benefits, of $23.7 million.

Robinson gets pension and supplemental retirement income valued at $11.4 million, performance awards of $5.39 million, restricted stock units worth $1.07 million and stock options worth $694,164, according to the company’s proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today. She will also earn $4.5 million in consulting fees for this year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-09/new-york-times-s-robinson-s-exit-package-tops-23-million.html

 

NSA whistle-blower: Obama “worse than Bush”

Thomas Drake on life inside the National Security Agency and the price of truth telling

Thomas Drake, the whistle-blower whom the Obama administration tried and failed to prosecute for leaking information about waste, fraud and abuse at the National Security Agency, now works at an Apple store in Maryland. In an interview with Salon, Drake laughed about the time he confronted Attorney General Eric Holder at his store while Holder perused the gadgetry on display with his security detail around him. When Drake started asking Holder questions about his case, America’s chief law enforcement officer turned and fled the store.

http://www.salon.com/2012/03/07/nsa_whistle_blower_obama_worse_than_bush/singleton/

 

Mass pro-democracy protest rocks Bahrain

(Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Bahrainis demonstrated on Friday to demand democratic reforms, stepping up pressure on the U.S.-allied government with the biggest protest yet in a year of unrest.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/09/us-bahrain-protest-idUSBRE8280TI20120309

 

Three Ways to Beat Corporate Giants

Jim Shultz, Op-Ed:

From insurance companies lording over our health care to global conglomerates taking control of our water, corporate giants wield more and more influence over our lives and our environment. So how do we fight back? How do we take on corporate power and actually win? The Democracy Center recently published a new citizen’s resource that looks up close at the strategies that people and communities are using worldwide to successfully tackle corporate giants.

http://www.nationofchange.org/three-ways-beat-corporate-giants-1331390970

 

Don’t Look Away from Bahrain’s Revolution

By Ala’a Shehabi

Over the past year, as cameras turned away, the Bahraini regime carried out some of the worst atrocities in its history.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30773.htm

 

Bahraini forces kill 21-year-old protester in capital Manama:

Activists say the protester, named Fadhel Mirza, was killed on Saturday when regime forces attacked a group of demonstrators struggling to reach Pearl Square.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/230916.html

 

CyberSpace

 

Stratfor: Blood On Their Hands
And it gets worse.

By Khadija Sharife

With their emails, Stratfor appears to advocate for a world where polluters and murderers, circumvent accountability by obtaining information to pre-empt – and in the process destroy – their opposition.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30777.htm

 

The Crime of Truth:
Obama’s Persecution of the Peacemaker

By Chris Floyd

Bradley Manning will spend the rest of his life in a federal prison for the unforgiveable crime of telling the truth to people who don’t want to hear it.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30771.htm

 

The Dirty War on WikiLeaks

By John Pilger

Media smears suggest Swedish complicity in a Washington-driven push to punish Julian Assange.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30770.htm

 

Politics, Legislation and Economy News – riday March 9th, 2012

Politics  and  Legislation

House passes JOBS act

By Pete Kasperowicz

The House Thursday afternoon overwhelmingly approved legislation aimed at easing the rules for capital formation for small companies, which Republicans hailed as a major job-creation bill but Democrats said is just a minor fix for the economy.

Members approved the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) act in a 390-23 vote that saw 158 Democrats join every voting Republican in support of the bill. All “no” votes were Democrats.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/214979-house-passes-jobs-act-sends-to-senate

Senate blocks Keystone pipeline approval plan

By Ben Geman

The Senate has rejected a GOP plan to approve construction of the Keystone oil pipeline after President Obama made personal calls to Democrats urging them to oppose it.

The 56-42 vote staves of an election-year rebuke of Obama, but will give political ammunition to backers of TransCanada Corp.’s plan to build a pipeline connecting Alberta’s massive tar sands projects to Gulf Coast refineries.

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/215051-senate-blocks-keystone-pipeline-approval-plan

The Bipartisan Force Behind the For-Profit College Scam: Big Money
Zaid Jilani, Republic Report:

“As we head into an election year, we’re going to increasingly hear that Democrats and Republicans fight like cats and dogs, that there is a civil war in Washington. This describes the state of play on some issues, but on others there is bipartisan agreement to do the wrong thing: Both parties do what the money tells them to do.”

http://www.truth-out.org/bipartisan-force-behind-profit-college-scam-big-money/1331141403

 

Economy

Asia Buys Gold After Massive Single Trade Sell Off During Bernanke’s Testimony

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/asia-buys-gold-after-massive-single-trade-sell-during-bernanke%E2%80%99s-testimony

China faces huge employment pressure: minister

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) — China faces huge employment challenges in 2012 brought by a large number of job seekers and unbalanced job market, Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security, said Wednesday.

Chinese cities and towns will see 25 million more people join the workforce this year, half of whom will be university and college graduates, while another 9 to 10 million rural residents will seek jobs away from home, Yin said at a press conference during the ongoing parliamentary session.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012npc/2012-03/07/content_14782010.htm

Financial Survival Network: Darryl Schoon Sees the Mother of All Crashes Coming Soon–02-28-2012

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1840/261/Financial_Survival_Network:_Darryl_Schoon_Sees_the_Mother_of_All_Crashes_Coming_Soon02-28-2012.html

Economic Recovery for Whom?

Richard D. Wolff, Truthout:

“The truth about ‘economic recovery’ is that, for the mass of people, it is untrue. For the top 10 percent and especially the top 1 percent – those who brought global capitalism into crisis in 2007 – recovery has been real…. ‘Recovery’ is the go-to word when business and government impose conditions to make the US more profitable especially for big business. ‘Recovery,’ in this capitalist economy, refers to profits, not to people.”

http://www.truth-out.org/economic-recovery-whom/1331043859

Fractal Analysis: Gold to $3,500 this year still likely despite crash

http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page103855?oid=146416&sn=Detail&pid=102055

 

On the News With Thom Hartmann: A New Study Shows That Extreme Poverty in America Has Doubled in the Last 15 Years, and More

In today’s On the News segment: A new study shows that extreme poverty in America has doubled in the last 15 years, a new front has opened up in the battle against Citizens United, European austerity continues to take its toll, and more.

http://www.truth-out.org/news-thom-hartmann-new-study-shows-extreme-poverty-america-has-doubled-last-15-years-and-more/1331-0

 

U.S. jobs data lift world stocks

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. and European stocks advanced on Wednesday after promising U.S. jobs data, and the euro rebounded after hitting a three-week low on renewed optimism that Greek will complete its debt restructuring after major banks and pension funds pledged their support.

Completion of the debt restructuring is crucial for Greece to secure 130 billion euros in international rescue funds needed so it can avert a chaotic default.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/world-markets-fall-over-greece-003835021.html;_ylt=AgHLLR6iqbYbhHOWakoVR2miuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTNyMzByb2Z2BG1pdANGUCBUb3AgU3RvcnkgTGVmdARwa2cDMjE2YzM2MDItYmFmYy0zNTEyLTk0NzItMjEyZTE2MWNlOTRkBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzY5N2MwOTQwLTY4YTMtMTFlMS1iOGZmLThmYmExODlkMzgzZA–;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

 

Banks and Congress Grapple With Stubborn, Stupid Facts
Michael Winship, Moyers & Co.:

“Facts are stubborn things, said founding father John Adams, a basic truth Ronald Reagan famously mangled at the Republican National Convention in 1988, when he tried to quote Adams and declared, ‘Facts are stupid things,’ before correcting himself…. Witness the resistance on the part of banking institutions and certain members of the congressional leadership, despite regulations demanding that they allow facts and figures to be reported, information that could keep us from the edge of yet another economic meltdown.”

http://www.truth-out.org/banks-and-congress-grapple-stubborn-stupid-facts/1331148612

 

U.S. Consumers Stronger Than Expected: Barry Ritholtz Isn’t Buying It

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/u-consumers-stronger-expected-barry-ritholtz-isn-t-142319259.html;_ylt=AkbDaUHVXt18IkWPqd7LdiCiuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTQ0NXRmOGwzBG1pdANGaW5hbmNlIEZQIFRvcCBTdG9yeSBSaWdodARwa2cDYTJmODViODItMmNmZS0zMzNjLTlhMDMtMTI2NTQyZThmYzY3BHBvcwM2BHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzE4NTlhNGIwLTY4NjEtMTFlMS1hZmJmLWY2NWQ5NzMyMDc5ZQ–;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

 

In Troubled Europe, Agonizing Options
Paul Krugman, Krugman & Co.:

“It’s not too hard to see what Europe as a whole should be doing: less in terms of demands for austerity, much more general reflation … And you can make the case that austerity, at least at this level of harshness, is actually counterproductive even in fiscal terms: it depresses growth, so that the debt position becomes worse even if the current budget deficit is reduced. It’s much harder, however, to say what the leaders of such peripheral economies should do.”

http://www.truth-out.org/troubled-europe-agonizing-options/1331147478

 

Illinois state ‘on brink of collapse’

Source: FT

Illinois’ financial problems are forcing it to choose between its pensions and its teeth.

Governor Pat Quinn says the state needs to face its “rendezvous with reality” and tackle its dysfunctional budget habits. Top of the list, Mr Quinn says, is to slash spending on Medicaid, a federal programme that provides healthcare to poor Americans.

To save a system he says is “on the brink of collapse”, Mr Quinn proposes cutting $2.7bn from Illinois’ $11.5bn Medicaid bill. Few would dispute that the state needs to change its behaviour. Last year, Illinois underfunded Medicaid by $2bn as it struggled with debts totalling more than $280bn, an $86bn hole in its public pension funds and a $9bn backlog of unpaid bills.

http://stratrisks.com/geostrat/4494

 

OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Chu, White House rebut gas price claims

State of play: Energy Secretary Steven Chu will appear before a House Energy and Commerce Committee panel Wednesday to defend the Obama administration’s fiscal 2013 budget request.

As with previous budget hearings, expect Republican lawmakers to pepper Chu with questions about gasoline prices and the administration’s $535 million loan guarantee to failed solar panel firm Solyndra. Chu has become a top target for Republicans over the issues.

Republicans have pounced on Chu’s recent comments to allege that the administration wants higher gas prices, a claim both the Energy Department and the White House have strongly denied.

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/213695-overnight-energy

Obama Phone: Gov to Spend $2.4 Billion On Millions of Free Phones In 2012

One of the complaints about the U.S. Constitution recently, being as outdated as it is, is that it fails to guarantee certain unalienable rights such as free medical care, housing , food, and of course, the right to bear cell phones. And, although the founders failed to specifically cite social programs as a necessary element for promoting the general welfare, the living nature of our founding document has been interpreted by political and legal scholars alike to allow for the seizure of assets by force from one group of people in order to redistribute those assets in a fair and responsible manner to those less fortunate.

As such, if you’re one of the 100 million Americans living below or at the edge of the poverty line, you’ll be happy to know that you more than likely qualify for a free cellular phone, also known as the Obama Phone, from the US government:

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/free-obamaphone-gov-to-spend-2-4-billion-on-millions-of-free-phones-in-2012_02092012

 

Wars and Rumors of War

 

Attacking Iran: Just Because We Can, Doesn’t Mean We Should
Camillo “Mac” Bica, Truthout:

“The debate regarding Iran’s nuclear program has focused upon pragmatic, tactical, strategic and economic issues regarding the feasibility and consequences of continuing and/or escalating military action against Iran…. While such discussions may have media and political appeal, they are premature and miss the point entirely. They either take for granted or completely ignore the more fundamental question of whether continuing/escalating a war with Iran is the right thing to do, not militarily or pragmatically, but legally and morally.”

http://www.truthout.org/attacking-iran-just-because-we-can-doesnt-mean-we-should/1330726438

 

By conjuring the Holocaust, Netanyahu brought Israel closer to war with Iran

Haaretz’s editor-in-chief says that the Prime Minister publicly booby-trapped himself to war with Iran by comparing the need to strike its nuclear program with the Jewish request to bomb Auschwitz.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/by-conjuring-the-holocaust-netanyahu-brought-israel-closer-to-war-with-iran-1.416847

 

Netanyahu, Obama divided on price of Israeli strike against Iran

Netanyahu considers missiles on Tel Aviv preferable to nukes in Iran, says senior Israeli official.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/netanyahu-obama-divided-on-price-of-israeli-strike-against-iran-1.416909

 

Stratfor leaks: NATO commandos in illegal special ops in Syria

Wikileaks is a part of the covert operations, a part of the perception management, a part of the forged agenda to have you psychologically prepared for the coming war. When the times comes and you turn on the radio or TV with news that Israel/US have initiated airstrikes in Syria and/or Iran you will not even think twice about it and go about your day not giving a shit about what the hell is really going on in the Middle East .

-Phantom Report

http://www.phantomreport.com/stratfor-leaks-nato-commandos-in-illegal-special-ops-in-syria

 

Environmental

 

Amy Goodman | The Bipartisan Nuclear Bailout

Amy Goodman, Op-Ed: While the Republican candidates attack Barack Obama daily for the high cost of gasoline, both sides are traveling down the same perilous road in their support of nuclear power. This is mind-boggling, on the first anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, with the chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission warning that lessons from Fukushima have not been implemented in this country.

http://www.nationofchange.org/bipartisan-nuclear-bailout-1331216800

 

Misc

 

Despite Risks, Undocumented Immigrants Stage “Coming Out of the Shadows” Week
Yana Kunichoff, Truthout:

“Despite a year of record deportations and little movement on a progressive immigration policy, undocumented people are coming out and publicly declaring their immigration status for the third year in a row, telling American society that they are ‘undocumented, unafraid and unapologetic.’ March 10 will be the first day of a weeklong set of actions by a coalition of groups in Illinois to highlight the continuing crisis caused by enforcement and lack of rights in immigrant communities.”

http://www.truth-out.org/despite-risks-undocumented-immigrants-stage-coming-out-shadows-week/1331146237

 

Reclaiming the Commons (Graphic Journalism)

Susie Cagle, Truthout:

“Founded by squatters more than 150 years ago, full of foreclosed buildings, and shrinking by thousands per year, Oakland in many ways presents as a tremendously attractive target for occupation. But it’s been a bumpy road since the first camps were cleared on October 26.”

http://www.truth-out.org/occupied-oakland/1331135674

UN top torture official denounces Bradley Manning’s detention

In December, 2010, the U.N.’s special rapporteur on torture announced a formal investigation into the conditions of Bradley Manning’s detention that endured for the eight months he was held at a Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia. The Army Private has been detained since May, 2010, on charges that he leaked classified documents to WikiLeaks, but has not yet been tried. Yesterday, the U.N. official overseeing the investigation pronounced that “Bradley Manning was subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in the excessive and prolonged isolation“ to which he was subjected at Quantico. That official, Juan Ernesto Mendez, heads the U.N. office created by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, bestowed with the mandate “to examine questions relevant to torture.”

http://www.salon.com/2012/03/07/un_top_torture_official_denounces_bradley_mannings_detention/?source=newsletter

 

Two Murdoch journalists reportedly attempt suicide as pressure mounts

By msnbc.com staff and news services

Two senior journalists working for Rupert Murdoch’s News International have attempted suicide as pressure mounts at the scandal-hit publisher of the now-defunct News of the World, according to media reports.

The suicide attempts follow weeks of intense scrutiny of the role of The Sun, another Murdoch paper, in the phone-hacking scandal and police bribery case.

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/06/10594806-two-murdoch-journalists-reportedly-attempt-suicide-as-pressure-mounts

 

High- end Madam for running upper East Side brothel is a suburban mom with four children
Arrest was culmination of five-year investigation by Manhattan DA’s office

A high-end madam who boasted she used cops as security and made millions by peddling flesh — including underage girls — to rich and powerful clients has been busted after a five-year probe, prosecutors said.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office indicted petite, blond, green-eyed Anna Gristina, 44, in a corruption investigation that amassed 50 to 100 hours of audio and video recordings, some showing prostitutes doing the deed, according to court records.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan-madam-busted-running-upper-east-side-brothel-catering-wealthy-clients-court-records-article-1.1033622#ixzz1oacGeC5L

 

“Journalist” Paul Conroy is MI6 operative

Portrayed as a photojournalist for The Sunday Times, Paul Conroy, who has recently escaped from the Islamic Emirate of Baba Amr, is a British MI6 agent.

http://www.voltairenet.org/a173025

 

Engineer reveals shockingly simple method to defeat any airport body scanner and smuggle guns, explosives onto airplanes without being detected

By Mike Adams, March 7 2012
(NaturalNews) The following is an article by Steve Watson, an in-house reporter for InfoWars (www.InfoWars.com). Steve covered the astonishing breaking news of an engineer who revealed a shockingly simple loophole that completely defeats the TSA’s “naked body scanners” and would allow anyone to smuggle guns, explosives, box cutters or practically any metallic objects directly onto airplanes. Even more astonishingly, as this story reports, YouTube immediately censored the video of this engineer…

http://www.naturalnews.com/035175_naked_body_scanners_defeated_engineer.html

155 resignations from global banks, investment houses, and money funds

155 RESIGNATIONS FROM WORLD BANKS, INVESTMENT HOUSES, MONEY FUNDS
I don’t mind if you re-blog this listing. Save yourself the wear and tear on your karma and do me the favor of including http://americankabuki.blogspot.com in your reposting. Thanks to all who have caught minor errors. Special thank to Gabriel at Facebook Global Mass Resignations for some resignations I did not find in my searches.

From:
American Kabuki
Updated 3/7/12 Huge amount of resignations today. Special thanks to Gabriel of Facebook GLOBAL MASS RESIGNATIONS for the heads up on a number of new banking resignations that I missed. Gabriel will be tracking Insurance, Government and Healthcare Resignations. There’s been a large number of Healthcare resignations lately.

█▓▒░ End of list as of 3/7/12 ░▒▓█
Addendum:
It is not known under what circumstances these individuals have left their positions, I make no judgement on that. I find the timing of so many resignations extremely curious and a temporal marker in history of high significance. No one should assume I make any judgement about the character of these people. I frankly don’t know their reputations except for a few rather famous ones.
This list includes Banks, Investment Houses, Sovereign Wealth Funds, Equity Funds, Savings Retirement Funds and other shadow banking organizations. The line is very blurry between these entities, some are owned by banks some are banks, some invest in banks as well as owning entire industries (common in Hong Kong and Japan).

http://americankabuki.blogspot.com

Politics, Legislation and Enonomy News – Friday March 2nd, 2012

Politics and  Legislation

Senate rejects Blunt amendment to limit birth-control mandate

By Josiah Ryan and Sam Baker – 03/01/12 03:18 PM ET

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/213615-senate-rejects-blunt-amendment-to-kill-birth-control-mandate

Punchy Obama hits Republicans over auto bailout

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=379091

Amid rising gas prices, Obama to call for vote on killing oil tax breaks

By Ben Geman – 03/01/12 06:08 AM ET

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/213527-obama-to-demand-capitol-hill-vote-on-killing-oil-tax-breaks

Israel legalizes unsanctioned settler enclave

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article581707.ece

Defense Ministry clarifies presence of Iran warships in Jeddah

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article579690.ece

Economy

GDP Records 3 Percent Annual Increase in Fourth Quarter

http://www.newsroomamerica.com/story/220743/gdp_records_3_percent_annual_increase_in_fourth_quarter_.html

Stop Starving Public Universities and Shrinking the Middle Class

http://www.nationofchange.org/stop-starving-public-universities-and-shrinking-middle-class-1330615050

The Keystone XL Flim-Flam

http://www.nationofchange.org/keystone-xl-flim-flam-1330611946

Financial Firm Fined for Misleading Investors on Magnetar Bets

http://www.nationofchange.org/financial-firm-fined-misleading-investors-magnetar-bets-1330621789

On Regaining a Spirit of Defiance: “I’m Worried Now But I Won’t Be Worried Long”

http://www.nationofchange.org/regaining-spirit-defiance-i-m-worried-now-i-won-t-be-worried-long-1330620411

China Dumps $100+ Billion In USTs In December Per Revised TIC Data; UK Is Now Russia’s Shadow Buyer

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/china-dumps-100-billion-usts-december-revised-tic-data-uk-now-russias-shadow-buyer

Fed officials flag soft economy but mum on easing

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fed-officials-flag-soft-economy-235647241.html;_ylt=Ar6NA7DNLmIaxADmLEx3TkuiuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTQ0c3J1czEyBG1pdANGaW5hbmNlIEZQIFRvcCBTdG9yeSBSaWdodARwa2cDYzZkZTYyMGYtMTllNy0zNWU3LWFiZjktMmFhMDc3MjhhNDg4BHBvcwMyBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyA2QzNzI2OTUwLTYzZmEtMTFlMS1iOWZjLWI1NThhNTkwZTI1Zg–;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

Factory growth cools, spending stagnant

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/factory-income-data-support-growth-075906195.html;_ylt=AmDI1doYqhA.Da7ntekvURaiuYdG;_ylu=X3oDMTQ0Nm5vaWc2BG1pdANGaW5hbmNlIEZQIFRvcCBTdG9yeSBSaWdodARwa2cDZWEyNzkwMmQtOTc0Mi0zNWY4LTk3OGQtZDM3ZDdkOTY4ZDg2BHBvcwMzBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzczNTQ1ZTUwLTYzZjItMTFlMS1iY2E3LTc0YmU1MjllZDU3Ng–;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

Inflation Is A Tax And The Federal Reserve Is Taxing The Living Daylights Out Of Us

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/inflation-is-a-tax-and-the-federal-reserve-is-taxing-the-living-daylights-out-of-us

Nasdaq cracks 3,000; stocks dip as Bernanke speaks

http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2012/02/nasdaq-cracks-3000-stocks-dip-bernanke-speaks/323556

IRS battling conservatives over tax-exempt status

http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2012/03/irs-battling-conservatives-over-tax-exempt-status/327396

Kingdom’s foreign trade jumps to $358 billion

http://arabnews.com/economy/article581881.ece

New Exposé Tracks ALEC-Private Prison Industry Effort to Replace Unionized Workers with Prison Labor

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/8/5/new_expos_tracks_alec_private_prison

 

Oil price jumps to 43-month high on Saudi blast reports

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17229025

 

Wars  and  Rumors of War

Pentagon prepares “aerial refueling” for Israeli planes striking Iran

http://www.debka.com/article/21780/

Israel unveils sophisticated bomb shelters in Tel Aviv

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Israel-unveils-sophisticated-bomb-shelters-in-Tel-Aviv/articleshow/12100497.cms

US confirms placement of US forces at a radar site in Malatya

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=379120

Russia Upgrades Air Defense Radar; Iranian Underground Nuke Facilities Vulnerable

http://www.newsroomamerica.com/story/221099/russia_upgrades_air_defense_radar;_iranian_underground_nuke_facilities_vulnerable.html

Senators Concerned About Risk to U.S. Forces over Syrian Chemical Weapons

http://www.newsroomamerica.com/story/220848/senators_concerned_about_risk_to_u.s._forces_over_syrian_chemical_weapons.html

Creator Explains Message Behind “Bomb Iran” Billboard

http://www.bombiran.org/

Counter-terrorism: US special forces stationed in India, reveals Pentagon

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Counter-terrorism-US-special-forces-stationed-in-India-reveals-Pentagon/articleshow/12107378.cms

Misc

Fracking Bans that Can Stand

http://www.nationofchange.org/fracking-bans-can-stand-1330618484

Occupy Education: Teachers, Students Fight School Closings, Privatization, Layoffs, Rankings

Politics,Legislation and Economic News – Thursday March 1st, 2012

Politics / Legislation

Rules Chairman Dreier announces retirement after 16 House terms

By Pete Kasperowicz – 02/29/12 10:13 AM ET

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/213273-rep-dreier-announces-retirement-on-house-floor

House votes to overturn Supreme Court decision on eminent domain

By Pete Kasperowicz – 02/28/12 05:19 PM ET

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/213129-house-votes-to-overturn-supreme-court-property-rights-decision

Utah asks for repeal of NDAA’s indefinite detention provisions

http://rt.com/usa/news/utah-ndaa-legislation-act-435/

How Much is That Politician in the Window?

http://blip.tv/play/hexkguz5KQI.html?p=1http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#hexkguz5KQI

$744,000 Buys Cooperative Guantanamo Captives a New Soccer Field

http://www.nationofchange.org/744000-buys-cooperative-guantanamo-captives-new-soccer-field-1330536310

AIPAC Undermines Democracy at Home and in the Middle East

http://www.nationofchange.org/aipac-undermines-democracy-home-and-middle-east-1330533329

Goodbye, First Amendment: ‘Trespass Bill’ will make protest illegal

http://rt.com/usa/news/348-act-tresspass-buildings-437/

Barack Obama Waives Rule Allowing Indefinite Military Detention Of Americans

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/28/indefinite-military-deten_n_1308129.html

View Video

 

Napolitano defends U.S. drug war in face of legalization debate

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/27/us-mexico-drugs-idUSTRE81Q2CA20120227

Justice on the High Seas

The Supreme Court says corporations have a right to free speech. But can they get away with murder?

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/supreme_court_dispatches/2012/02/the_supreme_court_considers_whether_royal_dutch_shell_is_immune_from_liability_for_human_rights_abuses_because_it_is_a_corporation_.html

NDAA Nullification Passes Virginia Senate by a Veto-Proof 39-1 Vote

NDAA Nullification Passes Virginia Senate by a Veto-Proof 39-1 Vote

Economy

US deficit a serious threat, says IIF

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/business/27-Feb-2012/us-deficit-a-serious-threat-says-iif

http://www.democracynow.org/embed/story/2011/8/5/new_expos_tracks_alec_private_prison

Worried Dems pressing Obama on gas prices

By Alexander Bolton – 02/28/12 09:45 PM ET

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/213195-worried-dems-pressing-obama-on-gas-prices

Clinton: No timeline yet for new Keystone pipeline decision

By Ben Geman – 02/28/12 03:54 PM ET

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/213093-clinton-no-timeline-yet-for-new-keystone-pipeline-decision

Banks post most profitable year since 2006

By Vicki Needham – 02/28/12 04:34 PM ET

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/banking-financial-institutions/213137-banks-post-most-profitable-year-since-2006

Bernanke warns lawmakers nation headed for ‘massive fiscal cliff’

By Peter Schroeder – 02/29/12 01:26 PM ET

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/801-economy/213351-fed-boss-warns-of-massive-fiscal-cliff

Robert Reich | No Longer Home Sweet Home

http://www.nationofchange.org/no-longer-home-sweet-home-ongoing-housing-crisis-and-end-era-1330529255

Obama’s 2013 Budget Slashes Aid for Working Families

http://www.nationofchange.org/obama-s-2013-budget-slashes-aid-working-families-1330536986

 

Wars and Rumors of War

U.S. drawing up new UN resolution on Syria

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/02/29/u-s-drawing-up-new-un-resolution-on-syria/