Abkhazia - Tells EU "inspectors" to get out and go guard Georgia.
Australia - Launches war on animals and bravely kills 30K foxes.
- Mass gun repo in progress.
Bolivia - Morales manages to extend prez term limits.
- A plot to assassinate Morales is foiled. EUnuchs found among the caught and killed. Irish officials, no doubt very concerned, are on their way to Bolivia right now.
Brazil - Chatting up Colombia, one of USA's last drug vassals, to go off d0llar and join Brazil-Argentina-Uruguay no-d0llar trade zone.
China - Growth at over 6%/Q1.
- Foreign reserves reach 2T USD.
- The long west-feared dump of d0llar underway. Given away by steadily rising prices of metals like zinc, aluminium, nickle, and copper, China's monthly import of some 350K tonnes of the resources has been revealed. So much for the USA pathetic ceding of USA prolapsed realty to China and so much for the ongoing USA media delusions how China needs them.
- Begins investing in Caspian Reserves via Russia and Kazakhstan -- now that Central Asia is getting clean from west.
EU - Car sales shrivel 17% in Q1, 1-yr low record. It's gotta cost the market dictators more to store the cars than give them away by now.
- Has a great idea to put chips in every sheep found in EU.
France - Air France jettisons 2,5K jobs.
- State bank admits 1,5B EUR loss for 2008. This banks is the dominant crutch of the Paris stocks.
- Energy sector workers on strike for 24hrs, 16Apr.
- Northwest shootout leaves 2 dead.
- Biz federation tells French bosses not to agree to any terms if nabbed. Governance vowing to end "bossnabbing". Watch unions declared another enemy of west.
- As west war cabals bicker among themselves, Sarkozy is heard on Obama: "not up to standard on decision making", on Zapatero/Spain: "perhaps not very intelligent", and on Merkel/Germany: "no choice but to come around my view".
Georgia - Ongoing protests against Saakashvili's governance. Saakashvili cries that "west has abandoned him".
- 14Apr, 5th day of protests.
- Georgia is split 3 ways. Econ is prolapsed. Protests have no end. So what's Saakashvili do about it? He launches NATO war games. Notice the sensible priorities of west slave nations.
Rumsfeld, the butcher of Baghdad, and Hussein best of pals in the 80s. Imagine the brain capacity of those who still fall for the USA sweet talk?
Germany - German Woolworth bankrupt. 320 stores with 11K employees on the line.
Greece - 13Apr, 4 cop cars burnt up and 7 bank cars destroyed in Thessaloniki.
India - Redefines mass suicides. 1500 kill themselves over debt. One farmer killed himself over 400 GBP debt. Every single person, including newborns, in USA are 30K in debt and operate on a budget that's missing 2T/yr. Though suicides and shootouts are on the evident rise in west, USA maintains it's still only 4/hr.
Iraq - Russian Lukoil shopping in Iraq for oil. Yes, while USA is bloodlet in Iraq by Russian weapons, Russia is scoping out war spoils. Strangely, Obama has missed this. Sideline: This is classic Stalingrad. While west puts all its might into bullying Russia over on sanctions against N Korea to save Obama further int'l embarrassment, Russia slices one of west's claws off.
Israel - Murdered 437 children, maimed 1872 children, and 1500 orphaned during Gaza massacres.
- Gaza genocide continues as Israel air-destroys another home in Gaza.
Japan - Sony zapping 2K jobs.
- Toyota sales 36% down/Q1 in USA and 31% down at home.
- GDP shriveled over 12% in Q1.
- Econ shriveled over 10% in Q1. Japan's own comment best sums up the island's prolapse: "While in a severe situation, the economy is worsening rapidly." And it's no wonder Tokyo is sidling up to Venezuela.
Moldova - Election recount confirms earlier results raining on the west colour revolution parade.
North Korea - Kicks out UN "inspector" goons. Russia says: "it's no surprise" yet it's "disappointing". What's the west to think about Russia's stand here?
Pakistan - NATO occupiers attacked in northern Pakistan.
- USA kills 4 civilians in 2 drone strikes.
Poland - Crawls to IMF for 20B USD aid like Iceland. Sideline: Not long ago, IMF was sucking cash from the whole planet like a fat parasitic leech. Now, this cash Dracula is relegated to incest and cannibalism slurping the gangrened bits of west.
Russia - Gazprom moves on USA at last. USA is becoming a Moscow gas dependency like EU.
Saudi Arabia - Going shopping for 500K hectares (bigger than S Ossetia) of land in Madagascar, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, and thereabouts. Is west war junta buying a quaint little hideaway nation in Africa?
Somalia - Continues fighting west nuke rubbish dumping in its waters. Sideline: Barrels of west nuke rubbish have been found in Somalia. 300 have been killed by the radiation. Sideline: In the diseased west view: protect your land and become an insurgent, terrorist, and a pirate, yet murder children and get promoted and zillions in "bailouts".
South Ossetia - Russian tanks are guarding border against Georgia now and her west war-fiend mates. West media whores spin it as "occupation by Russia".
Spain - Bush II torture henchmen case at its end. Spain wants the whole case dismissed now. There's a shock, isn't there?
Sri Lanka - Governance, evidently bent on eliminating everyone in the north, rejects both LTTE ceasefire and UN truce appeal. 100K civilians, though fleeing by thousands, are caught in the massacre. Demonstration in Switzerland and Australia.
Switzerland - USB zaps 7,5K jobs.
- Credit Suisse shuts down accounts for USA, due to the USA/UK pillage of secret banking, the very basis of Swiss econ. Some 3B SWF on the run from Swiss. Vatican v west kings war is inevitable now.
Thailand - In state of emergency after unrelenting protests turn violent riots.
UK - Follows USA to impose community service on all. PM says "community service" will be "normal part of life in Britain". This, of course, harks back to Hitler Jugend, the org that reared west's chief religious czar, the pope.
- London 100K protest demands end of Tamil slaughter in Sri Lanka.
- UK brave troops after gang-raping a 15 yr old girl in North Yorkshire may be charged with "unlawful sex act", since the victim is underage. Now, how is this not a rape, kidnapping, breach of duty, and antisocial behaviour? Yes, west is the disease!
- Pouring 2000 more of these gang-rapist state-hired murderers into Afghanistan to slaughter civilians there. That's some 25K west troops added to Afghanistan/Q1.
- 15% of homes have negative equity. This means that the debt exceeds the dropping value of the home.
Ukraine - Crimean protest, 11Apr, demands joining Russia/Belarus union.
- Fined 530M by Gazprom for sundry failures over gas delivery.
- Yuschenko hated by 97% of nation. Even for west where all governances made up of rabid liars and war psychos enjoy no more than 20% approval levels, this is somewhat of a noteworthy record.
- GDP shrivels 25% in Q1.
- Pumps 5B EUR into its prolapsed elite bank.
UN - Finds Obama's flip on not prosecuting USA hangmen for torture illegal, but, as is customary for this impotent USA raped org, takes zero action against USA's clear violation of int'l treaties including the UN charter.
So why exactly is it that the UN cannot put a stop to this? They've got the data. They've got the evidence. They've got the laws. They've got the means. Sideline: UN was created by USA in 1945, largely by Mr Dulles (yes, that's the airport in USA that lent itself to 911), to carry out USA int'l policy or rather perpetual war. Not once since its inception has the UN so much as rebuked USA though between 1945 and 2000, USA had attacked 68 nations murdering some ~30M civilians.
USA - 3M zaps 3600 jobs or 11% of workforce.
- Admits to over 6M on unemployment benefits. Sideline: USA makes some 700K/mo of unemployed now but only counts and admits to those actively receiving aid. Once the aid runs out, they're forgotten by the statistic. So when USA claims it has 6M unemployed, you can bet it's 3X worse if not more.
- Mall vacancy grows by 10%/1Q09. One of the largest mall owner bankrupt with ~30B debt.
- Foreclosures 50% up in March/yr2yr basis.
- Illinois unemployment at 9%. Foreclosures backlogged till Sep.
- 1 in 9 homes is vacant due to foreclosures. West media whores create another euphemism to cover this up. They call it "overproduction of homes". Sideline: This, of course, is a lie since the homes weren't vacant before the foreclosure proceedings.
- The clever minds of USA strapped governances are busy creating new revenue sources. Among them are: car-idle penalty, slaughterhouse tax, streetlight fees, emergency response fees -- as if this isn't already covered by USA tax. However, they seem to be completely failing to understand that USA is already 2T in the red for 2009 and no amount of fee insanity can change USA fate today.
- Fed deficit near 200B in March alone.
- Family suicide, parents and 3 kids in Maryland.
- Cops murder 16 yr old in Michigan. That was enough for Greece to rise off its knees.
- 17Apr, 2 more banks go belly up joining 25 in Q1. Consolidation of war junta assets going as per plan.
- Obama gives self the right to shut down internet, after all, truth is west's biggest enemy.
- Media bailout and attack on web in the works. They're so stupid they actually think they're gonna force people back to drink the TV sewage.
Venezuela - Pumps 1M bpd of oil to China. This means that USA export can be unplugged.
Chavez: "Move over Washington, it's China's turn."
...to be cont'd as it all piles up
108 comments:
Gladdens the heart to read in this the 15th edition of NbyN the kinds of shit happening in west-dominated parts of the globe. Laughed over Tokyo siddling up to Venezuela, raised an eyebrow over SArabia buying up land estate where it has no business to be. Send them all to Oblast or Tasmania and then we'll have a bit of peace to recuperate.
Sony Ericsson to cut 2,000 jobs
Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson is to cut a further 2,000 jobs as it seeks to make 400m euros of savings. It comes as the firm revealed a pre-tax loss of 358m euros ($469m; £316m) in the first three months of this year.
First Nokia, now S.E. Things are looking up on the mobile phone market.
The stuff you say about US in Nation by Nation makes the head swim. And still it doesn't capture the whole picture.
All the federal government’s offensive and defensive mechanisms are being put in place while the lowly sheep await the slaughter. More economic tensions with more unemployment along with over-zealous police thugs bent on revenue creation; what will be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back? What will it take before civil unrest is not just discussed on talk shows, but is evident in the streets of America? How much unrest will be tolerated by the now fully armed military-type police before they become physical?
If you want to continue to hide your head in the sand, don’t dare connect these dots! We now have militarized police, combat soldiers on our streets, war-zone materials and weaponry in the hands of domestic government agents, FEMA camps, and a neutered rule of law. These atrocious changes have happened quickly, and at a time of civil restlessness. Is this a coincidence? I think not. Everything happens for a reason, and this time that reason is easy to spot. Are you looking Amis? If not, you had better open your eyes soon!
Today's FFF blog indicates 163 days to go until US faces armed resistance. Trend forecaster Gerald Celente talks about a violent revolution coming soon to the States. And our poiuytr gives us a view of the preliminory tremors now shaking the land before the big one comes. The MM talk of Pakistan on the verge of disintegration practically daily. From the signs I've been seeing, they're right, only they got the name of the country wrong, no surprise.
Gerald Celente isn't into telling you what you want to hear,he is telling you the truth.If you can't see this slow-motion train wreck for what it is,I don't know what else he can say. We live in an "Everything Now!" society today,where everyone expects things to happen overnight.The stock market crash of '29 didn't morph into the Great Depression until 1933.
N.B. Along with the "fee insanity" mentioned above, ten major states are raising their taxes. At this rate, one will start feeling sorry even for the baboons.
"Vatican v west kings war is inevitable now." Highly interesting statement and what connexion with the right to issue global currency presently being disputed between the IMF with its SDRs and the Bank of International Settlement, also poised to take on the same role (see Ellen Brown's informative piece: The Tower of Basel on Alex Jones' Infowars blog)?
Could the above point about war between Vatican and war kings be developed, please? Also, thanks for several new and exciting links.
Anon 16:58 - Liked the rhyming couplets, but wouldn't it have been better had stasi been replaced by "zio"? And also closer to reality.
There’s a lot of powerful people who are pushing for a global bank and they will without question be of the “Kosher” variety.
No other group will be permitted to run and prosper from this creation.
As far as gold goes,it will always be valued by all humanity as it has been for 5,000 years.
Paper currencies are worth their weight in paper and dried ink.
Dave
Dave, Do you know what? The Ancient Egyptians, the Mayas, Incas and Aztecs, to name only a few, throughly despised the gold stuff. It took other cultures with different agendas to launch gold worship.
For 21:07
High school dropout poetry
Fucking zio head
want to kick you dead
But I'd probably fail
and wind up in jail
Before givin it a try
gonna have a good cry
truth is on my side
for the coming bumpy ride
Whadya know dropouts have feelings too.
Excellent!Better than much of the effete ornate stuff passing for poetry today. It has point and balabce. And of course dropouts have feelings too and tremendous strength because they are free of academe's dictates and so have nothing to lose. Just as soon we'll all have nothing to lose, the whole damned world collectivity, and can hit the streets in our rage, nation by nation.
Oops, sorry. That should be "point and balance". The hand slipped and the eyes were lazy.
As many as 13 US soldier suicides in March
That would bring 2009’s total to 56, Army reports
By Michelle Tan - Apr 19, 2009
As many as 13 soldiers are believed to have killed themselves in March, bringing the number of reported soldier suicides this year to 56, officials announced April 10.
Not only on the battlefield, by their own hand too. In their place, no question, we'd be committing suicide each time we could.
Behold the Anglo West's Pipe Dream of Russia. The headlines read like a script straight out of a US colour revolution playbook.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
http://mat-rodina.blogspot.com/2009/04/behold-anglo-wests-pipe-dream-of-russia.html
The headlines read like a script straight out of a US colour revolution playbook "Mass Protests in Vladivostok", Protesters Clash with Police in Moscow", "Rallies Across Russia", "Protesters Seize Putin's Party Offices in St. Petersburg.
If one did not know it, one would expect pictures of Russian cities burning, tanks rolling in the streets and mass rioting and clashes. The Western, primarily Anglo-, press is on a roll, more startling even, then their attempts to paint the Beslan terrorists as misunderstood komsomol scouts. Every day or two, more headlines proclaiming Russia's imminent revolution, death, destruction or upcoming absolute tyranny: take your choice.
This is of course, in stark contrast from how the Western media played down these very happenings, when it was the Western puppet Yeltsin massacring a parliment unwilling to surrender Russia's wealth to the Western backed interest and oligarchs.
Of course the media is not totally lying, because when one starts reading deep enough, usually the last paragraph, the truth comes out. The rallies are 200 or 300 people at best, the clashes with the police are Limonov's Nazis, the mass protests in Vladivostok are free trade communists willing to tear down Russia's automotive industry for quick cash and the rampage in Putin's party offices were 3 of Limonov's brainless drones quickly stopped and arrested.
Now, dear reader, compare that to how the American oligarch press covered their own mass anti-tax, tyranny and corruption protests, just two days ago. All but one media channel, the Russian hating Fox News, either ignored it outright or ridiculed the protestors. They were called traitors, fanatics, Nazis (a favorite term used often in America on one's enemies), extremists, cave men, Neanderthals, mindless zombies, unintelligent or illiterate country trash. Of course, most of the protestors were middle and upper class, educated people, professionals and business owners, who are being destroyed by the One Party Two Branch system of America, the same system that threatens us with possible short range nuclear silos in Poland and NATO bases in our kitchens.
As usual, the stench of hypocrisy that is the dying Anglo-Saxon world, is so pungent that it may reach the very nose of the Almighty.
The Almighty is displeased.
The moronic mainstream media has grown wholly irrelevant. See devasting placard towards the end of NbyN. Says it all.
UN racism talks in Geneva. US, Germany, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Italy expected to boycott the conference because President Ahmedinejad to address it as well. LOL, man, LOL.
How dare Islamic leaders attack Israel, that is verbally, not with the weapons they actually deserve! The zioentity tripping over its hubris on its way out.
Recession has hit the bottom, but no upturn until spring 2010
GDP will contract by 3.9 per cent this year but the end is in sight. MM shite.
You believe this, I have the Eiffel Tower to sell you.
X here: Hey, everyone, have a look at this.
Hawaii foreclosures soar 503 percent (WRH)
Hawaii's foreclosure activity rose a staggering 503 percent in March, the ninth consecutive month of double-digit increases for the state, according to RealtyTrac. Made my day for me, this did.
X
Remember 162 days to go till the USans stampede. Baboonland get a hold on yourself.
Free Gaza
Liberate Palestine
Thanks poiuytr for clearing up a few points which one hadn´t quite grasped. About he US breakdown counter, I think it comes from FutureFastForward and is based on the Panarin predictions. Although of late Panarin seems to be hedging his bets. Another of the same camp is Gerald Celente, though I don´t think he´s mentioned any precise date. The new global currency might well be a basket of commodities. Seems a good enough way of solving that tricky question. Excellent point made about the soldier "suicides". Any suicides today should be taken with a caution. And specially when it comes to my invented favourite group, the "suicide bombers."
Sorry Nake, You might find this a bit too much. Not only Reuters, but Bloomberg as well.
But if even parts of this are true, it gives us food for thought.
Putin’s Tariffs Stall Russian Growth for Caterpillar - By Melita Marie Garza and Paul Abelsky
April 20 (Bloomberg) — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s trade measures are starting to keep Deere & Co. combines and Caterpillar Inc. trucks out of Russian wheat fields and coal mines, dimming the companies’ prospects for expansion abroad.
Deere and Caterpillar, reeling from the longest U.S. recession in a quarter century, were the companies most affected by loan restrictions and tariffs of as much as 25 percent that Putin imposed this year, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey of the top 50 American businesses operating in Russia.
Putin is trying to boost Russian industries with tariffs on everything from drugs to farm equipment as declining oil revenue saps the nation’s economy. The policies are hurting sales by Caterpillar, Deere and Agco Corp. in a market where revenue was forecast to rise as much as sixfold in the next decade.
Nice juicy red figures for the borse this evening, friends, like bits of undercooked steak.
President Ahmadinejad was right to speak the truth. But as poiuytr says and repeats, the truth is the deadliest enemy of west.
King
Worst of economic crisis over for Dubai
Dubai's ruler: Gulf emirate succeeded in containing risks of global financial crisis in record time. By Mohamed Hasni - DUBAI
Dubai's ruler insists his Gulf emirate has recovered from the worst of the fallout from the global economic crisis and has also defended the grandiose vision of the formerly booming city state.
"We have overcome the crisis with the least amount of losses," Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum, who is also United Arab Emirates prime minister, told Dubai's first e-press conference.
"For us in the United Arab Emirates, I can safely say that we have succeeded in containing the risks of the global financial crisis in record time," said Sheikh Mohammad.
His answers to journalists' questions were posted on the website www.uaepm.ae on Saturday.
Sheikh Mohammad put the recovery down to "the additional liquidity that the Abu Dhabi government pumped into the Emirates' banks" and the bond issuance of 20 billion dollars.
However, Sheikh Mohammad acknowledged that economic growth in the UAE would probably fall to around three percent in 2009, down from 7.4 percent last year. But he ruled out introducing income tax.
On the world crisis, he said: "I think the panic phase is over now, especially after the intervention of governments in many major countries to regulate financial and banking sectors, and the allocation of large sums of money to revitalise their economies."
As for Dubai itself, Sheikh Mohammad shrugged off comments that "the bubble" had burst on its dazzlingly rapid development.
"I keep hearing the expression of 'the bubble' for the past couple of decades. In my opinion, this bubble is found only in the minds of those who often keep repeating it and do not know its meaning," he said.
Sheikh Mohammad also brushed aside a spate of negative articles in the international media.
"The stereotypes are being brought up. It seems that any successful Arab model in economic development invites such negative treatment in the international media," he said.
The architect of Dubai's emergence on the world stage as a regional business, IT and leisure hub defended the emirate's achievements.
"We are not growing in order to be a model for its highest building in the world, best airport, and most luxurious hotel, and the largest seaport and man-made islands," he said.
"The Dubai model is beyond that... Dubai is an Arab city with scarce natural resources but with a clear vision of comprehensive development and social needs," he said.
It has "succeeded through investments in human resources, its unique geographical location and trade expertise."
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=31564
Dubai is the weapon trader for the Zionist and for most areas in crisis. Besides that, who wants to go there?
In case anyone is interested, Poland was also among the absentees at the Geneva Conf. Wide, wide they apread their nets and catch nothing but puny slave west areas. They don´t merit the name of nations any longer.
One is the enemy
Diverse its many defeats.
This is the reality
So pay close attention.
Munkar & Nakir
from "Afghanistan: Caravan of the fool-saints"
RE Dubai:
This is one big PR. Don't put your money in Dubai.
The stupid desert balloon has popped. What population or industry in Dubai can support office buildings that are the highest in the world?
These poor sheikhs were conned by the Zios. Its obvious. Artificial Islands in the shape of the National Palm Tree Flag? Desert 50°C as retirement heavens?
One big scam.
Have you heard of the thousands of abandoned cars at the Dubai airport?
The cars were abandoned by fleeing blue and white collar workmen who lost their jobs. Thousands! And Dubai hired a ZioBrit PR agency to con iraqwar guys into buying apartments...
informatron
Russia to dominate LatAm arms market - Russia's SU-35 fighters - 20 Apr 2009
Russia's recent success in a recent arms show reportedly points to a pending surge in the country's exports of weaponry to Latin America.
Buoyed by the satisfactory presentation of the Russian-manufactured arms at a recent weapons exhibition in Brazil, the country's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport forecast an increase in the volume of arms trade with the Latin American states.
"The results of working consultations and talks held in Rio de Janeiro confirm the trend for strengthening relations between Russia and Latin American countries, including in the sphere of military-technical cooperation," said Sergei Svechnikov, who headed the company's delegation to the April 14-18 Latin America Aero and Defense (LAAD) exposition, RIA Novosti reported on Monday.
The official, who also directs the Analysis and Advanced Planning Department, added that "the countries of the region showed an increased interest in Russian aircraft and helicopters, armored vehicles, technical means for military training, and other military equipment including air defense systems."
Latin America is also depended on Russia for means of military training that "allow considerable cost reductions in military specialist education," the Defense Professionals daily reported on Tuesday.
The maximum range of Russian arms exports is carried out through Rosoboronexport which represents Moscow in the international market. The company boasts nearly USD 27 billion worth of orders on the record.
Among its total of 80 arms trade partners, Iran, Syria, Libya, China, India, Algeria, Venezuela, Malaysia and Serbia make the most demand on the Russian arms manufactures.
Russia's comparatively affordable armament and its timely provision of the hardware have turned many countries off the Western suppliers. Moscow's success is to such an extent that even Iraq has announced it is mulling over turning to Russia for its arms supplies.
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=92029§ionid=351020602
Russia Deploys the Black Sea Fleet
By: informationdissemination.blogspot on: 20.04.2009
Russia has sent an official notification to NATO’s general secretary, Hoop Scheffer, proposing that "all upcoming military exercises planned in Georgia should be postponed or canceled.”
On any other day of the year, I would read news article discussing a disagreement between NATO and Russia regarding Black Sea naval activity and dismiss it, but this isn't an average day. Earlier this week, as per the agreement between Russia and the Ukraine, Russian officials notified the Ukraine that 22 of its Black Sea Fleet vessels will leave Sevastopol for military maneuvers. Those ships were expected to depart earlier this week, but it was noteworthy when all of the amphibious ships deployed first rather than all of the ships at once.
The Black Sea Fleet has now deployed all 22 ships, which is getting some attention in the region because regional news reports have noted the Russian military exercises taking place in the Caucasus since the political turmoil and protests began last week in Georgia. There has been a lot of discussion over the past several days, mostly unverified hearsay and internet chatter, of movement of Russian troops towards the Russian-Georgian border and into Abkhazia as part of those exercises. Those rumors were confirmed today when an EU monitor told Reuters "it had registered Russian reinforcements at the boundaries between Georgian-controlled territory and South Ossetia and Abkhazia."
A confidential assessment compiled by EU diplomats in Georgia and seen by Reuters said the Russian reinforcements included tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery and "Grad" multiple-rocket launchers.
Russia baring its teeth at long last?
Housing Bust Comes Roaring Back, Worse Than Ever - 20.4.09
Due to the lifting of the foreclosure moratorium at the end of March, the downward slide in housing is gaining speed. The moratorium was initiated in January to give Obama's anti-foreclosure program -- a combination of mortgage modifications and refinancing -- a chance to succeed. The goal of the plan was to keep up to 9 million struggling homeowners in their homes. But it's clear now that the program will fall well-short of its objective.
Add to this that Monsanto GM seeds are playing havoc with cotton and soybean crops in US and one has further cause to think that in spite of all that posturing the end is nigh.
Ahmadinejad snubs Kouchner threats: Durban II
Mon, 20 Apr 2009 - Addressing a UN anti-racism confab Iran's president minces no words in calling Israel 'a totally racist government' formed on the back of 'military aggression'.
Snubbing Monday warnings by the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the post-World War II military invasions on Palestine which preceded the propping up of the entity, were explained by 'Jewish suffering'.
"They resorted to military aggression to make an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Jewish," he said.
"They sent migrants from Europe, the United States and other parts of the world in order to establish a totally racist government in the occupied Palestine."
Kouchner had earlier warned that all European envoys would leave the UN anti-racism summit, should Ahmadinejad level 'racist or anti-Semitic accusations' against Israel.
Ahmadinejad's comments were followed by the walking out of the delegates from several European supporters of Israel. Ahmadinejad, however, continued his speech and was applauded by the audience.
France, which had sent its representative to the event, also reportedly condemned the presentation as a 'hate speech'.
A Protesting European official was quoted by DPA as saying that the delegations were offended by the "inflammatory remarks".
As the president was walking up to the podium, some three clown impersonators attempted at obstruction shouting "racist, racist."
They were ejected by the guards and Ahmadinejad commenced his presentation saying "I would like to ask the respected audience to forgive these people. They are misinformed."
ht\tp://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=92008§ionid=351020101
So true, so accurate, bravo Ahmadinejad.
You have said that what all of the world is thinking and knowing. Zionists cry "antisemitism" while they are murdering 1,500 semites, crippling 15,000, most of them children, SEMITIC CHILDREN! Zionists are starving to death 1.5 million Gaza semites, in a cruel concentration camp they have created for them, and they cry that Adolf Hitkler had them put in the camps 60 years ago. What a disgraceful bunch of hypocrites rthese Zionists and those who supported them are!
these click trio Iran Israel and USA working hand in hand, creating a smokescreen.
USA invaded Iraq and Iran collaborated with USA , USA invaded afghanistan and Iran collaborated with USA in afghanistan too !! Who benefitted the most in the middle east after US invasion of Iraq ? Its Iran and thats why they have been working hand in hand with the USA and Israel all along . Not very long ago the Iranian fundamentalist president went to Iraq and got a RED CARPET welcome by the US installed Puppet government in Iraq and the Iraqi sky and land were patrolled by the US helicopters and tank inorder to give the highest security to the Iranian president.
USA or Israel will never attack Iran because they have strategical Interest and Inran is fulfilling the need of both USA and Israel. Iran is the first country who recognize Israel in the middle east and since then Iran is the top costomer of buying Israely weapon. USA built the Newclear power plant in Tehran where Iran is developing the nuke bomb. Iran had a joint collaboration project with Israel for a surface to air missile project with nuke war head called ´Operation flower´. Dont be fooled with their occasional stunning words like wiping out Israel from the map , and US threat to attack Iran. Imagine USA or Israel attack Iran and the consequences..... The government in Iraq which is shia dominated pro Iranian and Pro US will turn their back on USA and that will be a huge Blow for USA and Israel. You can only dream about it by falling into their smokescreen. They are enemies of Islam and the Iraqi resistance will deal with this click Trio.
Anon 22:33 - Several things you point out correspond to the truth. But like with Russia or China, Iran often acts in mysterious ways the meaning of which will come to light much later on. Never underestimate the people of Iran. Also, even granted there is a three-way alliance between the seemingly arch-enemies, it does not lessen the fact that Ahmedinejad´s speech today in Geneva was worth its weight in gold. Everything he said was palpably true. So for that at least let us stand up and applaud.
The ‘India Shining’ Delusion
By: Times of India on: 21.04.2009
The Indian economy grew fast in the last five years, but remained far behind China’s. India’s big population makes its GDP look big, but also means it has the largest number of poor people, infant deaths, maternal deaths in childbirth, and highest child malnutrition in the world. India cannot end Maoist violence in 160 of its 600 districts or insurrections in Kashmir and the North-East. The Indian state looks weak and incompetent even as the Chinese state looks strong and competent.
The gap between China and India has become glaring in the current global financial crisis. China has become a major global player, second only to the US, while India is barely on the radar screen. Many blame the US for financial excesses that triggered the meltdown. But the US says the problem originated in the massive trade surpluses of China, which accumulated foreign exchange reserves of $2 trillion, eight times as big as India’s.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Columnists/S-A-Aiyar-Bye-Chindia--hi-Chimerica/articleshow/4419231.cms
King
Poverty in India
The Indian economy is way ahead of Pakistan but the class division in India is much greater than Pakistan. In India you will find gaunt cycle rickshaw pullers (human horse). You will see people on the street with torn clothes no shoes and 0% body fat. Thousands of these people live in the streets and die every year from cold and minor treatable diseases.
You can go in Pakistan you will see that economically backwar. Yet the people are healthier. Even the poorest of the poor have untorn clothes. They have shoes or sandals and people look physically healthier rather that the gaunt look in India. I believe it is Islam and its requirement to help feed the needy is what makes the difference between Hindu dominated India and Muslim dominated Pakistan.
wt
Nanga bhuka Hindustan
Jan se pyara Pakistan
Naked, hungry Hindustan
Dearer than life Pakistan
Slogan of the Kashmiri militants
BTW: During the 2000 dotcom crash, people lost TEN TRILLIONS and caused a recessionette. Now with the real estate speculations and many financial collapses around the world people have lost so far FIFTY TRILLIONS and it is causing so far serious recessions everywhere. We still are far from DIGESTING THE ONE THOUSAND PLUS TRILLIONS IN DERIVATIVES AND OTHER BANKING SCAMS. So prepare, World War III or IV started with 9-11. This self-made attack was created to trigger “the war on terrorism” with the AIM FOR NATO FORCES TO INVADE ANY COUNTRY THAT IS RICH IN NATURAL RESOURCES AND POSE A MILITARY CHALLENGE TO THE BLACK NOBILITY RUNNING EUROPE, USA and many other nations.
- Asia stockmarkets also low mirroring Monday´s borse failure on Wall St and Europe.
- Usans begin to call for Revolution and/or Secession at their tea parties. Also taken to wearing red shirts. You dirty your hands, you get the dishes washed. No Rev without fearlessness. Cowardice maintains you in hell forever.
- Spain in early stages of deflation.
- Criminal Europe moving about head held high. They walked out of that damned truth conference, didn´t they? Never forget the euro bastards in your definition of the enemy.
Not to forget as well the Georgia uproar and Russia getting seriously riled for once. Let´s say if they´ll manage to say boo to a goose this time.
there are times when I find myself in a state of abject panic. What if we´ve only been feeding ourselves fairytales and the world will never get better in my lfetime? Then I remind myself, we´re at war. What can you expect? poiuytr´s feeling Amis are preparing some kind of coup against SouthAm, starting with Mexico, might explain the stories we´re hearing of Russian supply of arms to various countries there. As for the euro fiends, I´ve watched the doddering pops, clutching freesheets to their breasts and the thought occurs: population cull. Wars for the Muslims (and Southams if our feeling is right), biofuels and all the rest for Africa, and this for west. The zoombie life inevitably coming to an end because they couldn´t find the pill of immortaliy.And now in any case it´s too late. LOL.
Yuan trade move 'far reaching'
By Olivia Chung - 21.4.09
HONG KONG - The Chinese government's decision this month to let exporters in a small number of cities settle their overseas trade in yuan rather than in US dollars has far-reaching implications, according to economists, even though the immediate impact is minimal.
The trading hubs of Shanghai at the mouth of the Yangtze River and Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Dongguan in the Pearl River Delta further south can use the yuan in overseas trade settlement, a State Council, or cabinet, meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao said. The two deltas are the base for most of China's export-oriented industry.
The settlement scheme is voluntary and of benefit to relatively small groups, said Pauline Loong, senior vice president in charge of China policy and risk research at CIMB-GK Securities (HK) Ltd, but "the implication is far-reaching. The scheme extends the use of the Chinese currency outside of the mainland. We see this as the first step on the road to full liberalization of China's capital account and full convertibility for the renminbi," one term for the Chinese currency, also known as the yuan.
Most international trade is carried out in US dollars. The Chinese scheme is aimed at reducing the risk from exchange-rate fluctuations and giving impetus to declining overseas trade, a statement posted on the Chinese government website said. Further details of related regulations will be released as early as possible, the statement said.
China's exports plunged 25.7% year-on-year in February as overseas consumer demand fell away amid the deepening global financial and economic crisis.
Housing Bubble Smackdown: Bigger Crash Ahead
21.4.09
"We believe there are in the neighborhood of 600,000 properties nationwide that banks have repossessed but not put on the market," said Rick Sharga, vice president of RealtyTrac, which compiles nationwide statistics on foreclosures. "California probably represents 80,000 of those homes. It could be disastrous if the banks suddenly flooded the market with those distressed properties. You'd have further depreciation and carnage."
Don´t know anything about the Chinese yuan trade, but signs are the Chinese are quite busy hacking through the Pentagon computers. If trend continues, expect to see some dramatic changes in coming weeks and months.
Computer Spies Breach Fighter-Jet Project
By SIOBHAN GORMAN, AUGUST COLE and YOCHI DREAZEN - 21.4.09
WASHINGTON — Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon's $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project — the Defense Department's costliest weapons program ever — according to current and former government officials familiar with the attacks.
Similar incidents have also breached the Air Force's air-traffic-control system in recent months, these people say. In the case of the fighter-jet program, the intruders were able to copy and siphon off several terabytes of data related to design and electronics systems, officials say, potentially making it easier to defend against the craft.
The latest intrusions provide new evidence that a battle is heating up between the U.S. and potential adversaries over the data networks that tie the world together. The revelations follow a recent Wall Street Journal report that computers used to control the U.S. electrical-distribution system, as well as other infrastructure, have also been infiltrated by spies abroad.
Spies are said to have stolen data on the F-35 Lightning II fighter. Here, the plane undergoes flight testing over Texas.
Attacks like these — or U.S. awareness of them — appear to have escalated in the past six months, said one former official briefed on the matter. "There's never been anything like it," this person said, adding that other military and civilian agencies as well as private companies are affected. "It's everything that keeps this country going."
Many details couldn't be learned, including the specific identity of the attackers, and the scope of the damage to the U.S. defense program, either in financial or security terms. In addition, while the spies were able to download sizable amounts of data related to the jet-fighter, they weren't able to access the most sensitive material, which is stored on computers not connected to the Internet.
Former U.S. officials say the attacks appear to have originated in China. However it can be extremely difficult to determine the true origin because it is easy to mask identities online.
A Pentagon report issued last month said that the Chinese military has made "steady progress" in developing online-warfare techniques. China hopes its computer skills can help it compensate for an underdeveloped military, the report said.
The Chinese Embassy said in a statement that China "opposes and forbids all forms of cyber crimes." It called the Pentagon's report "a product of the Cold War mentality" and said the allegations of cyber espionage are "intentionally fabricated to fan up China threat sensations."
Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies
04/08/09The U.S. has no single government or military office responsible for cyber security. The Obama administration is likely to soon propose creating a senior White House computer-security post to coordinate policy and a new military command that would take the lead in protecting key computer networks from intrusions, according to senior officials.
The Bush administration planned to spend about $17 billion over several years on a new online-security initiative and the Obama administration has indicated it could expand on that. Spending on this scale would represent a potential windfall for government agencies and private contractors at a time of falling budgets. While specialists broadly agree that the threat is growing, there is debate about how much to spend in defending against attacks.
The Joint Strike Fighter, also known as the F-35 Lightning II, is the costliest and most technically challenging weapons program the Pentagon has ever attempted. The plane, led by Lockheed Martin Corp., relies on 7.5 million lines of computer code, which the Government Accountability Office said is more than triple the amount used in the current top Air Force fighter.
Six current and former officials familiar with the matter confirmed that the fighter program had been repeatedly broken into. The Air Force has launched an investigation.
Pentagon officials declined to comment directly on the Joint Strike Fighter compromises. Pentagon systems "are probed daily," said Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Butterbaugh, a Pentagon spokesman. "We aggressively monitor our networks for intrusions and have appropriate procedures to address these threats." U.S. counterintelligence chief Joel Brenner, speaking earlier this month to a business audience in Austin, Texas, warned that fighter-jet programs have been compromised.
Foreign allies are helping develop the aircraft, which opens up other avenues of attack for spies online. At least one breach appears to have occurred in Turkey and another country that is a U.S. ally, according to people familiar with the matter.
Joint Strike Fighter test aircraft are already flying, and money to build the jet is included in the Pentagon's budget for this year and next.
Computer systems involved with the program appear to have been infiltrated at least as far back as 2007, according to people familiar with the matter. Evidence of penetrations continued to be discovered at least into 2008. The intruders appear to have been interested in data about the design of the plane, its performance statistics and its electronic systems, former officials said.
The intruders compromised the system responsible for diagnosing a plane's maintenance problems during flight, according to officials familiar with the matter. However, the plane's most vital systems — such as flight controls and sensors — are physically isolated from the publicly accessible Internet, they said.
The intruders entered through vulnerabilities in the networks of two or three contractors helping to build the high-tech fighter jet, according to people who have been briefed on the matter. Lockheed Martin is the lead contractor on the program, and Northrop Grumman Corp. and BAE Systems PLC also play major roles in its development.
Lockheed Martin and BAE declined to comment. Northrop referred questions to Lockheed.
The spies inserted technology that encrypts the data as it's being stolen; as a result, investigators can't tell exactly what data has been taken. A former Pentagon official said the military carried out a thorough cleanup.
Fighting online attacks like these is particularly difficult because defense contractors may have uneven network security, but the Pentagon is reliant on them to perform sensitive work. In the past year, the Pentagon has stepped up efforts to work with contractors to improve computer security.
Investigators traced the penetrations back with a "high level of certainty" to known Chinese Internet protocol, or IP, addresses and digital fingerprints that had been used for attacks in the past, said a person briefed on the matter.
As for the intrusion into the Air Force's air-traffic control systems, three current and former officials familiar with the incident said it occurred in recent months. It alarmed U.S. national security officials, particularly at the National Security Agency, because the access the spies gained could have allowed them to interfere with the system, said one former official. The danger is that intruders might find weaknesses that could be exploited to confuse or damage U.S. military craft.
Military officials declined to comment on the incident.
In his speech in Austin, Mr. Brenner, the U.S. counterintelligence chief, issued a veiled warning about threats to air traffic in the context of Chinese infiltration of U.S. networks. He spoke of his concerns about the vulnerability of U.S. air traffic control systems to cyber infiltration, adding "our networks are being mapped." He went on to warn of a potential situation where "a fighter pilot can't trust his radar."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124027491029837401.html
Tiens, sounds good to me. With a little help from our friends we can get them this way too.
Reckoning nears for the US and Israel
By Rami G. Khouri
Daily Star staff
Saturday, April 18, 2009
The moment of reckoning in US-Israeli relations is approaching much more quickly than could have been anticipated months ago, due to two related developments: the hard-line position of the new Israeli government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the obvious, but undeclared, linkages between progress in US-Iranian relations and progress in Arab-Israeli peace-making.
The friction between the American and Israeli positions on how to proceed in Arab-Israeli peace-making was on stark display in Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem on Thursday. The US Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell re-stated the American commitment to a two-state solution, while Israel's prime minister, as well as the interior and foreign ministers, took positions clearly designed to sidetrack any serious negotiations.
The experiment failed. JAO here we come.
RE: Cyber Attacks - In the beginning there was the bureaucracy.
WASHINGTON: The United States will create a new military command to coordinate the defence of Pentagon computer networks and improve offensive capabilities in cyberwarfare, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The initiative will reshape the military's efforts to protect its networks from attacks by hackers, especially those from countries such as China and Russia, the influential daily said citing unnamed "current and former officials familiar with the plans.
Moscow criticizes Ahmadinejad's statements in Geneva - 21/ 04/ 2009
MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday criticized a speech made by Iran's outspoken President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the UN World Conference Against Racism in Geneva.
The conference was boycotted by the U.S., Israel and a number of European countries, including Germany, over fears that the Iranian leader would launch a verbal attack on Israel. Ahmadinejad's subsequent speech, during which he described Israel as a "most cruel and racist regime," sparked a mass walkout by those Western diplomats who attended.
"Unfortunately, harsh and unbalanced statements were voiced on the first day of the conference, particularly in the speech of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," the ministry said adding that such statements had nothing to do with the conference's main topic.
The Russian ministry also expressed its regret that some states had refused to take part in the conference, while others walked out midway.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon also criticized Ahmadinejad's speech on Monday, calling it an attempt "to accuse, divide and even incite."
http://en.rian.ru/world/20090421/121236695.html
Lavrov, we hope you know what you´re saying. We might be tempted to call you a nice west ass like all the others. Beyond that no comment.
Day to day:
- WWII casualty figures:
Russia: 14.500.000 military dead. With civilian deaths = 17-18 million dead in all. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Germany: 2.800.000, US: 406.000, Brits: 400.000.
- Election gyrations in SAfrica.
- Russia advances troops along SOssetia-Georgia border.
- Asian markets flat today, Jap exports halved in March over March 08, but house market sales jumped 40% in March announce the Brits as IMF counter-announces: Britain faces biggest losses as crunch costs spiral, then takes it back. Go figure.
What did China have to mumble about the Racism Conf? Anyone know? Cosying up to US in their G2 bid for global power or taking their rightful place among the leaders of this world?
Martial Law US-Style
Former presidential candidate Alan Keyes has given perhaps his most dire warning yet, saying that the Obama administration is preparing to stage terror attacks, declare martial law and cancel the 2012 elections, which is why they are demonizing their political enemies as criminals and terrorists. (Alex Jones blog)
2012, heck, the Banana Rep will have it long before that.
The latest ha-ha bits from the econ: Profits bubbling up again for Am banks, 1st quarter, 09
Wells Fargo 3 billion $
Bank of A - 2.81 billion $
JP Morgan C - 2.14 billion $
Goldmann Sachs - 1.70 billion $
Citigeoup - -0.97 billion $ (losses lessened = profit).
Rampageous imaginaton, what!
Russian Journalist Blasts 'Big Brother Britain'
22.4.09 - 'Russian journalist believes the level of surveillance is worse in 'Big Brother Britain' than it was in Russia during the Soviet era. Irada Zeinalova, who is based in London, said she felt she was being constantly spied on by security cameras. She highlighted how in the UK the level of monitoring is such that even rubbish bins have computer chips fitted so councils can check what householders are throwing out. 'Security has got absurd,' she said. 'I don't like that level of intrusion into my private life.' (D. Icke blog)
The latest Big Brother tricks. The sheeple adore`em. Feel protected and safe.
If you were looking up the Icke site, you may have spotted this frightening item too:
European Open Internet Under Imminent Threat
22.4.09 - 'The internet as we know it is at risk because of proposed new EU rules going through end of April. Under the proposed new rules, broadband providers will be legally able to limit the number of websites you can look at, and to tell you whether or not you are allowed to use particular services. It will be dressed up as 'new consumer options' which people can choose from. People will be offered TV-like packages - with a limited number of options for you to access.'
Once again we´ll be called upon to exercise all the ingenuity we can to get round shit like this.
Zionism is not racism, claims Israel:
Everyone knows that the Zionist project aims to create a Jewish state from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Euphrates to the Nile by ethnically cleansing the Arab population from their homeland, stealing their lands and resources at gunpoint, and effectively wiping Palestine off the map. If that isn't naked racism, what is it? Haven’t Mr. Gooderham and his colleagues read the manifestoes of the Likud and Kadima parties?
The question is, why do supposedly moral and civilized people support it and seek to perpetuate it?
Right on cue David Miliband, Britain's foreign secretary, condemned President Ahmadinejad's remarks about Israel being a 'racist government' as “offensive, inflammatory and utterly unacceptable." He didn't say why.
Indeed, nobody has explained what was offensive about the Iranian president's speech. He presented the unvarnished truth. The offence was refusing to listen. But truth has been a major casualty at the UN for 60 years. It doesn't help when its Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, whines about "this august platform" being used "to accuse, divide and even incite. This is the opposite of what this conference seeks to achieve." And what exactly are the powers-that-be seeking to achieve, if not to whitewash the truth as usual?
Last November's Bulletin Board of the Board of Deputies of British Jews - the equivalent in Britain of AIPAC - announced that Elizabeth Harris, their Director of Public Affairs, attended the “preparatory committee” meeting in Geneva for the Anti-racism Conference and used the opportunity to have "constructive" meetings with the British Ambassador and representatives of other European countries. No doubt that's when the stooges received their orders.
So the walkout at the UN had long been premeditated and pre-planned. It was a stupid stunt.
The biggest disgrace is that racist thugs in Tel Aviv are able orchestrate such a thing. It is now self-evident that Zionists have infiltrated and embedded themselves in the political, financial, economic and social fabric of the western world to everyone else’s detriment.
- Stuart Littlewood is author of the book Radio Free Palestine, which tells the plight of the Palestinians under occupation. For further information please visit www.radiofreepalestine.co.uk
Norwegian lawyers to accuse Israeli leaders of war crimes
Israel's former prime minister Ehud Olmert and other top officials could face legal action in Norway over the Gaza offensive after six Norwegian lawyers said Tuesday they would accuse them of war crimes.
West face-saving efforts. Who believes in them now. I for one don´t.
I like the story about Big Brother lording it over Britland. Brits have at least begun to realise something is amiss. Rest of Europe as fast asleep as ever. The difference between zionism and racism was a delectable piece of hypocrisy. We all know what´s what, we all behave as if we´ve never heard the name of the enemy. Well, why should we deprive ourselves of our illusions? As for Norway, if it´s not simply talk, they´ll promptly land on my very very short list of countries which have earned my respect.
Big bank profits bogus. Stockmarket rallies are a dead cat bounce. And the death of the chief financial officer of Freddy Mae is as much a suicide as the death of say a Dr Kelly or a Robin Cook. We go beyond outrage into a coma of revulsion.
Re "dead cat bounce" and latest ha-ha bits from the economy:
And then there is this idea of "Mark to Market" relaxation which allows Banks to value toxic assets on their books to more than the are worth.
Brilliant Peter Schiff explains:
"Blame the Thermometer for your fever":
http://article19-videoblog.tumblr.com/post/92519064/g20-is-toxic-intox-blame-thermometer-for-your
As for deaths: Expect more of them, as the gangsters fight each other over the loot.
informatron
Right, informatron, P. Schiff is good and it´s true about the thermometer. Break them all and then you´ll be pleased as punch you have no fever, after all. The deaths are saddening, even if they are no more than gangsters. But then we live in an era of sudden, unnecessary death, those on the battlefields of Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq, those encountered on the wealth-laden streets of the west. So, yes, I do expect more of those to take place and mourn in advance.
Mandolin
GM DEFAULTS
22.4.09
This was only a matter of time. Everyone from inside and outside GM assumed that the company would default on its debt and likely go bankrupt barring some miracle. But now it's official. The company's CFO says the firm will not make its June 1, $1 billion debt payment reports WSJ. The announcement comes as smaller rival Chrysler appears headed for liquidiation.
And all that bailout money was just good taxpayer dollars poured after bad, and the baboons are stuck with the bills.
Pleast to take note:
Japan officially announces the setting up of its own stockmarket Plunge Protection Team (PPT). These capis never get it, do they?
Russia sends its troops closer to the Georgian capital. Game or serious, who´s to say?
Mandolin: I have a good one for you, re: those encountered on the wealth-laden streets of the west.
An eight part doc called One Percent.
Brilliant 2006 intimate documentary about America’s wealthy elite. Created by Jamie Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune, and produced by Jamie Johnson and Nick Kurzon. The film’s title refers to the top one percent of Americans in terms of wealth. Very intimate very good.
http://article19-videoblog.tumblr.com/post/98951090/one-percent-is-a-brilliant-2006-intimate
Thanks Anonymous 20.30. One Percent is one I´m not likely to miss.
Mandolin
The biggest tax increases on the poor ever?
"No one making less than $250,000 under Barack Obama's plan will see one single penny of their tax raised," Joe Biden said, "whether it's their capital gains tax, their income tax, investment tax, any tax."
Having already broken that promise, it's on to the next scheme for bleeding the poor and the middle class. That scheme would be cap and trade. I keep telling you; Global Warming is just a scam to extract more money from you.
(WRH)
17:37 -- "nations"
i agree, west nations aren't nations. they're not sovereigns. they're all slags, they're all guilty scum. and they agree too. hence the erasing of the borders and EU insane adoption of constitution and the NAU plans. they know it too and have been ready to drop the political border map charade.
besides, EUnuchs are the exact same creature USA baboon devolved from and all the SouthAm, Middle East, Aussia, NorthAm, African genocides are made of.
like Howard (Aussie) clearly said that he isn't gonna pull Aussie troops out of Iraq because it would embarrass Bush. so Aussies are risking life and limb, not to mention pissing away cash for the embarrassment of a "foreigner".
all west nations are absurd. absurd in their pretense of sovereignty. absurd in their pretense of democracy. absurd in their pretense of peace-guarding. absurd in their pretense of not prolapsing to oblivion.
everything they state is a laugh, at best. none of them have any spine.
let's be clear, it's all trash. west is the disease.
there's no point separating the sick from the deranged and working out who's more to blame. they all are!
down from the street little white whore shuffling off to his cubicle claiming mortgage plea upon and thus deliberately and willfully enabling the greatest human transgressions.
and all the way to the very top who planned and executed 911, Iraq wars, tortures, and those who paid for it now whinging over their war accounts, renaming them to 'derivatives' and 'toxic assets', all layers of the west misculture and quickly devolving herd are diseased beyond cure now.
-------------------------------
15:28 -- Norway and respect
someone said here that Norway is earning his respect. i'd like to agree but i'm willing to bet the case's gonna peter out or get blocked like the one in spain, in Germany a few years ago, and so on, in Spain. again, all west "nations" are no more than indebted slags of the chief saxon child butcher on this planet. if there seems to be something positive in the west, it's orchestrated and only designed to let off some of the pent up steam. the baboons and eunuchs swallow these games hook, line, sinker, rod, fisherman, boat...everytime.
---------------------------------
22:14 -- USA foreclosure moratorium
there is NO cure for west prolapse. NONE! it stems from the death of the petrodollar and thus the current dying of our precious vomit greenish dollar. nothing can be done to revive the prolapsing currency of west. nothing short of bending China and chiefly Russia to west's aberrantly putrid will. and that means nothing can be done.
the obama charlatanism is nothing more than the continuation of the bailout theft. they're squeezing cash, rinsing coins out of the baboon populations under all sorts of ridiculous pretexes while consolidating their war elite assets; dumping redundancies; and annihilating the west middle class into obedient castrates.
moratorium on foreclosures does nothing. if obama wanted to truly help, he'd say enough you naughty bankers. no more theft, but that's not the case, is it?
all it means is that the elite banks agree to postpone the proceedings for getting more baboon free cash.
ultimately it's gonna require more cash out of the baboon idiots because while there's artificial eviction slowdown, the evicted folks are stripping the houses of everything they can recycle including plumbing copper piping and wiring.
all west attempts to HALT their end are comical. and all response to the west mounting woes by the Freeworld are like the sweetest and most tenderly orchestrated symphonies.
the only thing about west now is to remember that they're all guilty.
...that little kid with chest torn by west bullets; that kid burnt beyond recognition by USA phosphorous bombs; the little orphan who watched his parents murdered for the fun of the UK/USA hired psychos; that 6 yr old kid with ripped off limbs coming out of a coma finding out that the attack murdered his mom and dad; that 15 yr old girl that watched her family slaughtered by the ugly USA bored pigs and then get gang raped by the apes and then burnt alive; that guy whose clutching torn up flesh that seconds before the insidious evil USA attack was his kid; that 6 yr old girl that got shot in the head by USA sniper who made a beer bet whether he can hit her at 100m distance... and all the other 2,2M sickening murders, 6M maimed, and tens of millions displaced and terrorised... it must be remembered all this and there can be no mercy with the evil saxonic DNA sickness that's plagued this planet for 2000 yrs.
it must be remembered that this is no ordinary time.
in 2000, USA/UK set out to wipe out half the planet and enslave the rest.
the war is not over until, as they say, the last fat white cow adorned with African diamond trinkets, wearing crocodile boots shot by the brave west "explorers", driving a child-labour built car fueled from the wounds and genocide of Arab children, stuffing her disgusting west blabbing surgically lifted snout with bananas and mangos and swigging it down with Indian tea...
well, anyway, until this last west cow squeels this war that USA/UK launched on the planet isn't over.
i now humbly apologise to the gentle readership for my rant and hope that not too many have walked out the conference in protest of my harsh and senselessly baseless accusations.
btw, Lavrov did the right thing! it's great to condemn Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad did his job. he exposed the west cabal provoking them to react like little pouting brats. no need to add to that. on the contrary, it's better to whiplash them again with contradicting rhetoric. this way west has no chance of untangling whence the blows come.
------------------------------------
13:32 -- on Mexico...
just a clarification here. i'm not necessarily making any predictions here.
it's impossible to predict the behaviour of a totally deranged psychopathic serial killer.
but looking back at evidence, the way the west monster works is along the lines of exploiting any and all natural tensions and by artificially seeding natural fissures with false ops. this is standard UK/USA procedure.
along these lines, it appears that southwest USA has been taken over by Mexican influx. the influx has been created by USA's open border policy. no other way about that.
now considering that USA has been, as it claims, at terror war after 911, it makes no sense whatever for USA to have kept Mexico border open while everyone else has to prance through x-rays naked and get felt up by the gruesome sexually ambiguous USA border fiends.
yet there it's been... open border by design allowing millions of migrants to enter USA from Mexico.
why? oversight? inability to print cash to build a fence? dependency of USA manual econ on Mexican migration? drug supply routes? it could be the introduction of a different culture into USA, couldn't it? very much like EU migration. look at France test trials with flaring and fanning the racial tension there leading to martial law.
second dot to connect would be obama's claim that Hezbollah operates in Mexico. that's some strange claim, isn't it? for a country that's supposed to be ripped apart by a drug war, this makes little sense, but there it is. Mexico has been added on the west list of "terrists" harbouring nations.
now, if USA attacked Mexico under whatever pretext, say they're hunting down terrorists, exactly like in Palestine, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, then there's a slight possibility this could activate the Mexican majority in southwest USA.
that's all! no predictions. just following the bloody tracks of the chief murderer.
plus, the idea of USA racist war isn't so ludicrous either. it already happened in the 90s, didn't it? and it didn't take a whole lot to spark it.
-----------------------------------
13:22 -- bank losses list
great list! btw, venture capital is dead in USA as well. the new biz funding in 2008 was down to 26M... 8 yrs ago that ran at a near billion for NEW ventures. so USA is prolapsed even in hightech, their erstwhile forte, so to speak.
i can't wait for someone to make a computer that WORKS and get rid of this god damn microsoft virus and google bullshit with youtube censorship. west is only making technology now to spy and corrupt existing technologies.
-----------------------------------
22:33 -- Iran/Israel/USA in a threesome?
that's quite a scifi scenario.
USA sicced Iran on Iraq and vice versa with kissinger slapping his fat knees going "when they kill each other, we'll finish them both off".
the 80s west-run war cost the 2 nations over 1M people and some 1T in damages. hardly the basis of a happy intercourse under the blankets.
in fact there's quite a lot of bad blood twixt Iranians and Iraqis still today although they're bound by the facing the same threat.
this claim that it's all synched up is a bit too tall cuz then you could claim that Bush/Blair in 2000, when they drew up their terror war on a napkin, basically set out to flush the whole west down the bog.
it does appear, based on tangible data, that the biggest enemy of west was in fact bush and blair but i doubt that was their intent.
if anyone today from the Freeworld seems to be kowtowing to the west it's only for reasons of avoiding a nuke war. it's senseless to have it out with west in nuke capacity today, when everyday part of west disappears on its own without anyone having to confront the nuke armed unpredictable psycho.
Mandolin:
i finally get WHY you asked about deflation v inflation. i've finally registered the trend. spain, germany, and UK are all forecasting deflation now.
deflation is purely academic concept. they're claiming deflation because it sounds less alarming than depression. the symptoms are the same: product price falling, low profit margins, layoffs.
it's just another dirty handed euphemism trick by the same voodoo witches that have blamed Bin Laden for 911 and yet forgotten completely about him. remember, these scumbags have been claiming that dropping steel onto concrete can melt it like in 911. they call murdering kids war on terror. they're sending 20K more troops in and yet ask for truce. they call war investment going belly up 'toxic asset' or 'derivatives'. they call for the murder of Chavez on their TV and send boys to hit Morales, yet won't show documentary from Gaza. they call those who defend their nation and family 'insurgents'. they call locking up in dungeons those who don't buy the west canonised history democracy. they call printing cash 'bailout' and 'stimulus'. they call Merkel and Bush II 'elected'. they call torture 'rendition'. they call Iran's nuke plant a violation while they all not only have nuke plants but nuke arsenal. they dare tell the world not to have nukes while they're the only ones that have used them, deliberately on civilians only, and twice! they call hiding bush II torture and war secrets a "change you can believe in". they call keeping 50K troops in Iraq permanently a "pull out". they call foreclosures "home overproduction". they call genocide of Gaza, theft of West Bank, "creation of Palestinian state". they protection of a nation against dumping nuke rubbish into its waters "piracy". they call the read on unemployed benefits the stats on unemployment. etc etc... they're totally psychotic.
they're not above to create another lunatic spin to hide bit of the ugliness from the increasingly chaffed crowds.
anyway, deflation means smaller cash reserves and therefore higher value of each coin. this has never ever happened in the west. in reality, west is hyperinflated or rather extremely hyperinflated.
consider that a deal for 10 yrs supplying Airbus with aluminium is worth today some 5B EUR. notice it's a lot of long term work, yet the money seems pifly compared the monthlies west prints to keep itself afloat in banks and war. BoE is printing 200B GBP just for UK to tie them over a few months. USA top banks got a near trillion and it didn't last them more than 14 months. this is so off scale that extreme hyperinflation doesn't do justice to the reality. it's survival war now.
in academic terms i'd opt for deflation since if you had some savings, they'd buy more with time, if you could make it. so by the time you retire, you'd be richer.
this alone would void the whole west loan usury slavery scam obsolete. west system requires artificial inflation to keep usury in biz.
in deflation, one coin would buy more so that would academically result in product overstock and then in price fall and then profit loss and then layoffs and depression.
but what's west experiencing is just depression. overstock is there but not because everyone has bought it already but because no one's buying for the buying power is gone.
so west has to lower prices, call it elasticity of rape/profiteering, and then it lowers their profits and causes mall prolapses and gigantic layoffs.
while it symptomatically feels like the same woe, the cause is dramatically different.
but trust the west media mindrapist to own up on any subject, much less on econ, which includes numbers and nonsensical codewords even the authors don't grasp.
Russia China sign oil deal start new pipeline branch. The west pushes Russia into Communist China arms. Big Mistake.
Global Research, April 22, 2009
RIA Novosti
Russia and China signed an intergovernmental agreement on oil cooperation in Beijing on Tuesday, under which a new branch from the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline will be built toward China.
The agreement sets out terms for oil cooperation between the countries, in particular on the laying of a pipeline from the Skovorodino refinery in Russia's Far East to Mohe County in China's Heilongjiang province. Under the deal, the pipeline must be completed by the end of next year.
After signing the deal, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, who chairs the state oil company Rosneft, said the agreement "creates a new foundation for developing our energy cooperation."
"This is a unique agreement of a long-term nature, which is accompanied by financial agreements, and to implement it we have already begun building a branch from the main pipeline toward China," he said.
Vice Premier Wang Qishan, who signed the deal on behalf of China, said the deal brings into force "a packet of agreements and contracts on building the pipeline, buying and selling crude, and providing of credit between the companies of our two countries, which represents a significant breakthrough in bilateral energy relations."
The Skovorodino-Mohe pipeline will pass under the Amur River, and will have throughput capacity of 15 million metric tons of oil per year. The pipeline is part of Russian efforts to diversify export routes from Western and East Siberia.
The deal was signed after the fourth round of Russian Chinese energy dialogue meetings.
Under the intergovernmental deal, China agreed to provide $25 billion in loans to Rosneft and pipeline operator Transneft.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13303
Russian cruiser to lead foreign ships in China naval parade 22/ 04/ 2009
VLADIVOSTOK, April 22 (RIA Novosti) - The missile cruiser Varyag, the flagship of Russia's Pacific Fleet, will lead a fleet of foreign warships participating in a parade to mark the 60th anniversary of China's Navy.
The China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) kicked off the grand maritime ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of its navy on Monday off the coast of the eastern city of Qingdao, Shandong province, the People's Daily reported.
The paper said PLA Navy Commander Adm. Wu Shengli announced the start of the four-day festivities, which would include seminars, a sampan race and a fleet review, due to take place on Thursday.
A total of 21 naval vessels from 14 other countries and delegations from 29 foreign countries will join the parade.
The PLA Navy was founded on April 23, 1949 with nine warships and 17 boats obtained when a unit of the Kuomintang's second coastal defense fleet defected to the PLA.
The Varyag is a Slava-class missile cruiser built in 1989 which has been operating in the Russian Pacific Fleet since 1990.
The fleet review will also feature Chinese nuclear-powered submarines. Xinhua cited the PLA Navy Vice Adm. Ding Yiping as saying, "It is not a secret that China has nuclear submarines, which are key to safeguarding our country's national security."
A decoupling feat:
Overall, Mideast nations are poised to see growth rates of about 2.5 percent this year, down from 6 percent in 2008, the IMF said. That level is still higher than overall global estimates, with the IMF projecting that world output would decline by 1.3 percent this year.
But the Middle East faces other challenges, including slumping oil prices, plus declining tourism revenues, exports and tightening liquidity and access to credit.
IMF (does anyone take these guys seriously?) just spewed out its latest predictions. Slump will be deeper than feared, they bleat. Prolapse in fact, in poiuytrean terms, if I may put it that way. A quick look:
Worldwide econ shrinking = 1.3%
US = 2.8%
Britain = 4.1%
Germany = 5.6%
France = 3%
As for preceding news item, also IMF shit, the prices of oil are bound to rise in coming days. All this brings a grim smile to the lips, but doesn´t lessen in anyway the cocoon of depression one has been living in since the west set out to destroy the world.
First rate poiuytr in his latest comments. On the econ, for instance, defining deflation as depression most convincingly, pointing out the plunge of venture capitalin US, their high tech prolapse, confirmed again this morning by Norton antivirus which can´t stand up to free programmes anymore. The whole business about Mexico gives one much food for thought. Lovely little piece about the "fat white cow". And if people want to follow the fashion and get up and leave, they weren´t worth much to start off with. I am grateful when poiuytr strengthens our backbone about the Freeworld when our own faith threatens to falter. So for all this and more, many heartfelt thanks.
Hello poiuytr, Thanks for the answer to the deflation-inflation conundrum. Actually it wasn´t me, it was X who asked the question. But we are equally interested, I´m sure, in hearing the answer. And now you´ve given us cutglass clarity on the matter. Better it couldn´t have been. So thank you very much on all our behalf.
Mandolin
6 NATO oil tankers torched in Pakistan
Thu, 23 Apr 2009
A man gazes at NATO oil tankers destroyed after an attacked by militants near Peshawar, April 10, 2009.
Six NATO oil-supply tankers have been torched in Pakistan following an attack by local militant armed with guns and petrol bombs.
The predawn assault on Thursday took place in the Chamkani area of Peshawar, the capital of the North-West Frontier Province, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Fire engulfed the NATO terminal which was filled with at least 50 tankers. Six tankers were destroyed and another seven were damaged in the attack.
NATO forces frequently use the main land routes through Peshawar to ferry supplies meant for troops fighting in war-torn Afghanistan and insurgents are mounting attacks on the lines used by the coalition's vehicles.
Police cordoned off the area and were searching for the gunmen, as five fire brigade vehicles struggle to bring the flames under control.
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=92313§ionid=351020401
News from the battlefield livening up somewhat.
RE IMF - Why is IMF selling gold? And why is the IMF holding 4000 tons of gold??? Who are the buyers of the gold sold?? The whole zioIMF is nothing but a corrupted entty being used to manipulate gold prices and keep the printers running. However, production of real goods and services cannot be run through financial instruments.
X here. Got it finally what the bas, eh I mean people want to say by waving inflation-deflation in our faces. Answer in gold by which I don´t refer to the shit metal the IMF is suppesedly holding and/or selling, the bastards. Genuine 24-carat is what p. does.
X
What can one add that others have'nt? www.Kunstler.com
Opening paragraphs are interesting and one wouldn't necessarily call out the author out as a bristler... or would they?
Cheers,
Pvt. Bill Carson
American humor
By: chillyphantom
A big earthquake with the strength of 8.1 on the Richter scale has hit Israel.
Two million Israelis have died and over a million are injured.
The country is totally ruined and the government doesn't know where to start with providing help to rebuild.
The rest of the world is in shock.
The UK is sending troops to help.
Saudi Arabia is sending oil.
Latin American countries are sending supplies.
New Zealand is sending sheep, cattle and food crops.
The Asian continents are sending labor to assist in rebuilding infrastructure.
Australia is sending medical teams and supplies.
The US , not to be outdone, is sending two million replacement Israelis (dual citizens).
God Bless American generosity.
Second Pvt. Bill Carson´s choice of site to be added to present list, namely www.kunstler.com. Good approach to USans and their fantasy policies.
Red figures for the euro markets today. PPT must have taken time off. Furthermore, on this site at least the blogmaster(s) get back regularly to us and set us right on matters which might leave us wondering, not to say worried. I am impressed.
War criminal says: Force must be an option - Tony Blair has said the case for using military force to topple oppressive regimes is as strong as it ever was - despite events in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tony Blair called on world to wage war on militant Islam.
Any of us who may happen o be Muslims read this and think this man is Satan´s right hand.
Peres: China key to struggle against Iran nuclear ambitions - 23.4.09
By Haaretz Service
President Shimon Peres on Thursday told visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi that his country was essential to efforts against Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"China has a central role in the struggle against Iran's nuclear development. At the head of the Iranian state stands fanatical religious leader who supports terror, war and blood shedding," Peres said.
"The efforts of Iran, a poor nation, to develop long-range missiles should cause every responsible leader to lose sleep."
The pair met at Peres' official residence in Jerusalem, where in addition to Iran they discussed the Middle East peace process and ways to further Israeli-Chinese economic and technological cooperation.
Jiechi, for his part, told Peres that it was Israel's right to protect its security and that the Holocaust was the reason why there is no debate over its right to exist, according to a statement released by the president's office.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1080556.html
Apologies for posting this, but now China is being dragged into the bomb Iran sotry. It´s so disgusting, only throwing up several times helps.
US weekly jobless claims up more than expected: The Labor Department said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment compensation rose to a seasonally adjusted 640,000, up from a revised 613,000 the previous week. That was slightly above analysts’ expectations of 635,000.
Don´t lose any sleep over Haaretz and its blathering. Concentrate on the econ. That´s what will bring them down.
Communists' Ranks Swell as Japanese Economy Tanks - 23.4.09
This is great news and very promising for the world as it's not just happening in Japan, but also in the US. I can't really speak about Europe, but my guess is that similar things are happening.
BY ERIC TALMADGE
TOKYO — Under a big red flag, the headquarters of the Communist Party of Japan are the center of the most vibrant grassroots movement in the country. The party's ranks are swelling, it has 24,000 branch offices and more than 1 million people read its newspaper. Only one party — the one that runs the country — beats it at fund-raising.
As Japan's economy withers, communism is coming to life.
Dormant in the boom years and marginalized even as Japan more recently clawed its way out of recession, the party's litany of capitalist evils is now resonating deeply with many Japanese — especially the young — who are feeling the pain of an economic downturn that some say has reached depression dimensions.
While the Communist Party — which is the fourth-largest party in parliament but has only 16 of the total 722 seats — is not likely to take over anytime soon, it is making itself felt.
On college campuses, in particular, Karl Marx is popular again.
Let´s start the day - and blessed may it be - with the Panarin Predictions revisted by a Pakistani journalist:
Prof. Panarin doesn’t say that America’s collapse is a forgone conclusion. “There’s a 55-45 percent chance right now that disintegration will occur,” he says. But if it comes it will be driven by three factors “mass immigration, economic decline and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the US will break into six pieces. He predicts that economic, financial and demographic trends will provoke a political and social crisis in the US. When the going gets tough, he says, wealthier states will withhold funds from the federal government and effectively secede from the Union. Social unrest up to and including a civil war will follow. The US will then split along ethnic lines, and foreign powers will move in.” All we Pakistanis thus have to do is hang in there and soon America will not be meddling in our affairs any more, what to talk of General Patraeus’s adviser David Kilcullen saying that Pakistan could fall apart in five or six months.
It’s not easy to comprehend the collapse of an empire or a superpower. When termites are eating away at their vitals for years one cannot see it. People are too much in thrall of their power, wealth and panoply. Thus when the collapse comes it seems sudden, and takes people by surprise. “I went to sleep last night and when I woke up next morning the Soviet Union was gone.” The most powerful war machine ever built couldn’t save it. Remember the British Empire on which “the sun would never set”? It set so firmly that only six decades later Britain is not only bankrupt, it has become America’s appendage, a third rate power and could itself disintegrate soon with Scotland seceding. The history of the world is replete with the demise of civilizations, empires and superpowers. The graveyards of nations are full of their bones.
That there may be something to what Prof. Panarin says is borne out by the fact that the late Bush administration made contingency plans to impose martial law in case of economic collapse or massive and violent social unrest with blood on the streets. His predictions seem plausible, even probable, if all the dire scenarios come right, as they have thus far. According to Rand Clifford the US has already made plans to “round up insurgent US citizens” and detain them in what are called “Rex 84″ camps. Plus they have made “safe facilities” for members of Congress and their families. A report by the Phoenix Business Journal says that, “A new report by the US Army and War College talks about the possibility of Pentagon resources and troops being used should the economic crisis lead to civil unrest, such as protests against businesses and government or runs on beleaguered banks.” The Journal’s story quote from the War College report: “Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security.” It needs saying that the military regularly makes plans for the most dire of situations, however seemingly unlikely.
Let Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter and an early supporter of Barack Obama have the last word. The US is “going to have millions and millions of unemployed people really facing dire straits. And we’re going to be having that for some period of time before things hopefully improve. And at the same time there’s public awareness of this extraordinary wealth that was transferred to a few individuals at levels without historical precedent in Americahell there could even be riots.”
humayun.gauhar@gmail.com
Hateful reminder, doubtless, but we are all at war although only the Muslims are being killed:
Al-Qaeda Chief In Iraq: Captured, Killed, Never Actually Existed, Now Captured Again Back story of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi betrays meaninglessness of “war on terror.” (Alex Jones). Meaninglessness of all wars, don´t you mean, man?
Apr 25, 2009
West traps Russia in its own backyard
By M K Bhadrakumar - 25.4.09
In the normal case, pushing the reset button should not be a difficult thing to do. Yet, it is almost two months since United States Vice President Joseph Biden offered to do just that.
When he addressed the Munich security conference in February, Biden offered to reset the button in US-Russia relations. However, despite many positive signals and an overall lowering of rhetoric, the moves so far have been by and large symbolic. Across Eurasia, the signs are to the contrary. The Great Game is picking up momentum. The sharp fall in oil prices has complicated Russia's economic recovery, which in turn would disrupt the dynamics of the integration processes under Moscow's leadership - political, military and economic - in the post-Soviet space.
US diplomats are scouring the region for chance to drive wedges in the ties between Moscow and the regional capitals. Tajikistan, one of Russia's staunchest allies, has distinctly warmed up to the US. Uzbekistan is once again ducking, which suggests it is open to the highest bidder. But Turkmenistan could be the jewel in the crown of the US's regional diplomacy.
A concerted US effort has begun to somehow detach Ashgabat from the Russian sphere of influence and thereby kill the prospects of Russia's plans for laying new gas pipelines for the European market. Alongside, there is also a determined bid to develop a northern supply route to Afghanistan via the Caucasus and the Caspian that would bypass Russia. While Russian cooperation is welcome, the US will not want its vulnerability in Afghanistan to be exploited for a reciprocal accommodation of Russian interests in Europe.
As of now, Moscow is keeping cool. Any excitement would only play into the hands of the hardliners in Washington. It reacted calmly in early April in the face of the attempt to stage a "color revolution" in Moldova to replace the democratically elected government friendly toward Moscow. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cautioned that the US and Russia should not "force" former Soviet republics to choose between an alliance with Washington or Moscow, nor should there be any "hidden agendas" in US-Russia relations. "It is inadmissible to try to place a false choice before them former Soviet republics, either you are with us or against us. Otherwise, this will lead to a whole struggle for spheres of influence," Lavrov pointed out.
Attention at the moment is on the so-called Cooperative Longbow 09/Cooperative Lancer military exercise that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) proposes to hold from May 6 through June 1 in Georgia. The drill aims to improve "interoperability" between NATO and its partner countries. But, clearly, the US choreographed the initiative as a reiteration of the West's security commitments to the Georgian regime. In the event, the US had a hard time persuading its NATO partners to participate. Germany and France, which are opposed to NATO needlessly provoking Russia, declined.
A NATO military exercise in the highly combustible security environment in the Caucasus is indeed controversial. Russia sees it as a "back-door" attempt by Washington to involve NATO with Georgia's security and as a creeping expansion by the alliance into the Caucasus. Indeed, the geopolitical consequences of the conflict last August are yet to be assimilated.
Moscow reacted by calling off a meeting of Russian and NATO chiefs of the general staff, scheduled for May 7. The mild reaction disappointed hardliners in the US. Russian analysts have underscored that the military exercise constitutes a deliberate attempt to vitiate the atmosphere ahead of the expected visit by US President Barack Obama to Moscow in June.
President Dmitry Medvedev gave a measured reaction. He said, "This is a mistaken and dangerous decision ... which creates the danger of all sorts of complications arising ... because these sorts of actions are clearly about muscle-flexing and military build-up, and with the situation in the Caucasus tense as it is, this decision looks short-sighted ... We will follow developments closely and make decisions if necessary."
Moscow's preference, therefore, will be to keep the matter strictly at the level of Russia-NATO ties. Whether Lavrov will choose to discus the subject with his US counterpart Hillary Clinton when they meet on May 7 to prepare the agenda of Obama's visit to Moscow is an open question.
Meanwhile, Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, has gone on record that Moscow's response will not affect the transit of supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan via Russian territory. "I do not believe it will be among any possible retaliatory measures. We have never questioned the importance of NATO cargo transits, even during the war in the Caucasus last August. It is an issue of strategic interests in which we share a common enemy," Rogozin said.
Moscow's stance takes care that Washington has no excuse to complain about Russian cooperation over Afghanistan. This comes at a time when the US is making a determined bid to firm up a transit route to Afghanistan from the Black Sea via Georgia and Azerbaijan to Turkmenistan, which bypasses Russia. Cargo arriving in Turkmenistan can be sent across the border to western Afghanistan or can be trans-shipped to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, which also enjoy a border with Afghanistan. Thus, US diplomacy has been focusing on the three Central Asian countries - Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - which can be accessed from the Black Sea, bypassing Russia altogether.
The US signed a transit agreement with Tajikistan this week. A similar agreement was signed with Uzbekistan last month while consultations are going on with Turkmenistan. US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher discussed the possibility of overland cargo transit and overflights at a meeting with Turkmen President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat on April 15.
These developments are unfolding against the backdrop of an overall weakening of the Russian position lately in Central Asia. The fall in oil prices and the overall economic crisis in Russia arguably hamper Moscow's capacity to assert its leadership role in the region.
US diplomacy has succeeded to some extent in loosening Russia's ties with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Uzbekistan did not participate in two important regional meetings which were important events for Russia's integration processes: last week's foreign ministers meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Yerevan and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference on Afghanistan last month in Moscow.
Indeed, if Tashkent "defects", that will be a prize catch for Washington and it will resurrect the "Great Central Asia" strategy that aims at whittling down Russian (and Chinese) influence in the region.
At the moment, however, US diplomacy is pinning great hopes on Turkmenistan. Washington sees a window of opportunity insofar as Russian-Turkmen energy cooperation, which forms the backbone of the relationship between the two countries, has run into difficulties. Essentially, the US hopes to break Russia's control over Turkmen gas exports and to somehow scuttle Russian plans to feed its planned South Stream pipeline to southern Europe with Turkmen gas supplies. The US seeks to cajole Ashgabat to come on board the rival the Nabucco gas pipeline project that bypasses Russia and will help diversify Europe's energy supplies.
Whether the Turkmen leadership will heed the US's entreaties is another matter. Turkmen people have sharp bazaar instincts and they must be relishing the accelerating US-Russia rivalry, which they will unfailingly exploit to extract the most favorable terms from Russia (and China). All the same, the relentless US hammering is eroding Russia's position.
Only a year ago, Russia offered to pay European prices for Central Asia's gas-producing countries. These purchase contracts are hardly affordable for Gazprom today, given a combination of factors, such as the decline in European energy demand due to the economic recession and the drop in energy prices.
Gazprom is caught in a bind. With demand dropping in Europe, import of Turkmen gas begins not to make sense. But Russia cannot halt Turkmen supplies either. When demand picks up eventually - as it will - Russia will badly need Turkmen gas all over again. Kommersant newspaper commented, "In a mid-term perspective, Ashgabat has no alternate buyer or transiter to Gazprom ... Obviously, some kind of compromise will be reached to find a way out. But whatever the outcome, Moscow-Ashgabat relations will never be the same again."
United States diplomats are doing all they can to portray that it is unwise for Central Asian energy producers to place faith in Russia and that gaining direct access to the international market without the Russian middle man would be the right thing to do. The argument seems to increasingly carry weight in Ashgabat. The signing of a memorandum of understanding on April 16 between Turkmenistan and Germany's Rheinisch-Westfaelische Elektrizitaetswerk (RWE) energy holding on the transportation of Turkmen gas to Europe and the development of the Caspian shelf shows a new vector in Turkmen thinking.
RWE is Germany's largest energy producer and supplier and the second-largest gas supplier. It is a partner in the international consortium hoping to build the Nabucco pipeline, which will bypass Russia by transporting gas from Azerbaijan via Turkey to Europe. The agreement with RWE is Turkmenistan's first ever with a major Western energy company. Under the agreement, RWE will be a consultant for identifying the options for export of Turkmen gas to Germany and Europe. Besides, RWE will also explore and develop gas resources on Turkmenistan's continental shelf in the Caspian Sea.
From the Western perspective, the timing of the RWE-Turkmen agreement couldn't have come at a better time. The Turkmen decision doubtless enhances the prospects for Nabucco, which Russia has been rubbishing as a mere pipedream. The European Union summit meeting in Prague on May 7 is expected to take a conclusive view on the implementation of the Nabucco project. With the emerging possibility of Turkmen gas supplies for Nabucco, if the EU summit formalizes the project, Europe will have taken a big step towards diversifying its energy sources and reducing its energy dependence on Russia. Therefore, Nabucco holds far-reaching significance for Russia's relations with the West.
The May 7 EU meeting is expected to transform the geopolitics of Eurasia in certain other directions as well. The summit will launch the EU's new "Eastern partnership" policy involving six former Soviet republics - Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia - with the barely disguised intention to increase Brussels' influence in these countries at the expense of Moscow. The EU has no plans to offer the former Soviet republics membership, but at the same time would like to take them under its wings politically.
The "Eastern partnership" policy is crafted most ingeniously in such a way that through trade, travel and aid, the EU will work for greater integration of the former Soviet republics without having to actually accept them as full-fledged members.
The EU remains confident that the former Soviet republics will find Brussels' overtures decisively more attractive than the integration processes conceived in Moscow. In strategic terms, the raison d'etre of the EU's "Eastern partnership" policy is to counter Russia's influence in its "near abroad" and, therefore, it effectively works in tandem with NATO's eastward expansion.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/KD25Ag02.html
Each one free to form their own opinion. I personally see a lot of PR spin in this article.
All these efforts to isolate Russia are laughable. Russia is not Egypt or Jordan, and it will fight back.
UK economy slumps even further than expected
Economy contracted 1.9pc in first three months of the year, far more than expected, as UK braces for decades of austerity. (Telegraph) - 24.4.09
Germany's slump risks 'explosive' mood as second banking crisis looms
A clutch of political and labour leaders in Germany have raised the spectre of civil unrest after the country's leading institutes forecast a 6pc contraction of gross domestic product this year, a slump reminiscent of 1931 and bad enough to drive unemployment to 4.7m by 2010.
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard - 24 Apr 2009
Michael Sommer, leader of the DGB trade union federation, called the latest wave of sackings a "declaration of war" against Germany's workers. "Social unrest can no longer be ruled out," he said.
Gesine Swann, presidential candidate for the Social Democrats, said "the mood could turn explosive" over the next three months unless the government takes drastic action.
While authorities have belatedly agreed to create a "bad bank" to absorb toxic loans and stabilise the credit system, further financial troubles are almost certainly in the pipeline.
Swiss risk advisers Independent Credit View said a "second wave" of debt stress is likely to hit the UK and Europe this year as the turmoil moves from mortgage securities to old-fashioned bank loans. A detailed "stress test" of 17 lenders worldwide found that European banks have much lower reserve cushions than US banks, leaving them acutely vulnerable to the coming phase of rising defaults. "The biggest risk is in Europe," said Peter Jeggli, Credit View's founder.
Deutsche Bank has reserves to cover a default rate of 0.7pc, against non-performing assets (NPAs) of 1.67pc; RBS has 1.23pc against NPAs of 2.43pc, and Credit Agricole has 2.63pc against NPAs 3.64pc. None have put aside enough money.
By contrast, Citigroup has reserves of 4pc against NPAs of 3.22pc; and JP Morgan has 3.11pc against NPAs of 1.95pc.
"The Americans are ahead of the curve. European banks are exposed to US commercial real estate and to problems in Eastern Europe and Spain, where the situation is turning dramatic. We think the Spanish savings banks are basically bust and will need a government bail-out," said Mr Jeggli.
The IMF said European banks have so far written down $154bn (£105bn) of bad debts, or just 17pc of likely losses of $900bn by 2010. US banks have written down $510bn, 48pc of the expected damage.
Analysts say America's quicker response has given the impression that US banks are in worse shape, but this is a matter of timing and "transparency illusion". Europe risks repeating the errors made by Japan in the 1990s when banks concealed losses, delaying a recovery.
Europe's banks are exposed to a hydra-headed set of bubbles. They not only face heavy losses from US property, they also face collapsing credit booms in their own backyard and fallout from high levels of corporate debt in the eurozone.
Mr Jeggli said the financial crisis was "front-loaded" in the Anglo-Saxon countries and Switzerland because their banks invested heavily in credit securities. As tradeable instruments, these suffered a cliff-edge fall when trouble began, forcing harsh write-downs under mark-to-market rules.
It takes longer for damage to surface with Europe's traditional bank loans, which buckle later in the cycle as defaults rise. The ferocity of Europe's recession leaves no doubt that losses will be huge this time.
www.telegraph.co.uk
What a sorry mess. But as alwys with the Telegraph's Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, the scoundrels across the Atlantic are doing it better than the socundrels at home.
Mexico flu deaths raise worries of global epidemic^- 24.4.09 (WRH)
Scientists were trying to determine if the deaths involved the same new strain of swine flu that sickened seven people in Texas and California — a disturbing disease that combines pig, bird and human viruses in a way that researchers have not seen before.
Oh? CDC was talking about recombinant viruses back in 2005.
Back in 2004, we were being propagandized that Bird Flu was the next pandemic.
Gene studies showed that so-called Bird Flu appeared to be nearly identical with the 1918 Spanish Flu
Which is rather nerve-wracking because in 2005 it was admitted that scientists were intentionally recreating the 1918 Spanish Flu virus!
But the predicted pandemic didn't happen because Bird Flu isn't that contagious. It needed to be blended with a more infectious form of flu, like swine flu (Used as a bio-weapon by the CIA against Cuba), to became a real slate-wiper!
And wonder of wonders, here it is!
In 2006, it was reported that scientists were intentionally creating bird flu and swine flu hybrids in the labs!
Which leads to asking how it is that this new flu epidemic explodes into view right after Fort Detrick admits that some of the nasty little beasties they have been working on went missing!
Designer diseases the west is so fond of propagating. The role of Mexico in it is also interesting.
G-8's first bankruptcy
By Chan Akya - 25.4.09
I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest.
- Winston Churchill, October 1939.
It is ironic that from a strictly economic point of view, the United Kingdom today appears more akin to the Russia of Joseph Stalin that was described by British statesman Winston Churchill in his memorable quote in 1939. Its economy is in the throes of its greatest financial crisis in over two generations, yet the UK shows unmatchable resolve in trying to crash and burn itself faster and with greater impact than any other political economy appears to be even contemplating.
From the beginning of the current financial crisis in mid-2007, the UK has been in the forefront of disclosing poor performance from its financial institutions, admitting to significant policy errors, and embarking on reckless monetary expansion.
Even forgetting the factors that led the economy into the crisis, it is the combination of factors being put into place today that will ensure that the economy stays down and finally lead to a sovereign bankruptcy; in most likelihood the first one of the Group of Eight countries. Russia brought the number in this select club of so-called leading industrialized nations up to eight when it joined the Group of Seven - the others being the US, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Canada.
The UK has a higher chance of busting through its debt financing requirements, and so being rejected by the international financial community, than any other G-8 nation.
The most recent provocation came from the government's budget announcement for the next fiscal year. London's Financial Times issued the following report on Friday morning in Asia:
Gilts prices fell for a second day in a row on Thursday amid increasing alarm over the country's rising debt levels. Investors took fright after the government's annual Budget on Wednesday revealed borrowing would soar to levels not seen since the second world war, with a debt to gross domestic product ratio rising close to 80% from today's 50% .
Investors also questioned the credibility of the UK government's growth forecasts, which are far more optimistic than International Monetary Fund estimates. Benchmark 10-year gilt yields, which have an inverse relationship with prices, have risen about a quarter of a point since Alistair Darling, the UK chancellor, unveiled the annual Budget on Wednesday.
Ten-year gilt yields rose to 3.51% at the London close - up from 3.31% at the market close on Tuesday - as fears have risen that investors may start to sell because they believe the UK economy is likely to deteriorate further. Rising debt levels and a record amount of government bond issuance at ฃ220 billion this financial year - a 50% increase on last year - have also sparked fears the UK could lose its prized triple A credit status.
If this were to happen, it would represent a disaster for the gilts market that needs the top-notch rating to attract international investors and domestic pension funds.
The UK leads the pack in terms of other G-8 countries in many ways. It was among the first to have a failed bank, Northern Rock collapsing just a few weeks after Germany's IKB Deutsche and Saschen LB in the late summer of 2007 (see Rocking the land of Poppins, Asia Times Online, September 22, 2007) and the first economy to go into an actual recession in this cycle. Its central bank was the first to directly support banks' interbank borrowings, the country was the first to aggressively cut rates and, lastly, it was the first country to go in for quantitative easing (QE). Interestingly, putting the notion forward that bond investors aren't all that stupid, the Financial Times continued this morning as follows:
Significantly, 10-year yields are now higher than at any time since the Bank of England announced quantitative easing plans to buy up to ฃ75bn of gilts to increase the money supply and get the economy moving again. Ten-year gilt yields were 3.64% at the London close on March 4 - the day before QE was announced.
With yields rising to close to pre-QE levels, the effectiveness of the Bank's policy is now being questioned. The Bank has so far bought ฃ38bn in gilts as part of the programme.
It was following the Bank of England's lead that the US Fed embarked on similar measures to protect its own banking system, and even unveiled its version of quantitative easing recently. As with the UK experience, the US initiatives are also likely to fail.
Taxing the useful, bailing out the useless
In recent articles, I have questioned the wisdom of Keynesian policies being followed by G-8 governments and in particular the notion that spending can be financed by higher taxes on richer people, as is being suggested by both Barack Obama's America and Gordon Brown's Britain.
In the United Kingdom, the idea of bailing out "important" sectors of the economy is now so deeply enshrined that one barely needs to talk about job losses than the government quickly comes out with a policy to direct lending.
I made a big deal of the fact that China is directing bank lending into and out of its property market (see China's unreal estate, Asia Times Online), but perhaps given the relatively early stages of development in China today those policy errors can be excused.
In comparison, what is going on with the UK appears downright Marxist. Consider the following: The government requires its major banks to highlight their lending to troubled sectors such as commercial property but mainly with a view to showing greater willingness to lend.
Cutting lines to any industrial activity such as making cars now appears forbidden for the legion of government-controlled banks.
Banks are expected to show "understanding" in dealing with the problems of excessively leveraged customers.
Pension funds are being forced to buy and hold greater amounts of UK corporate bonds than at any other point in their history.
Not being composed of complete imbeciles, the UK government also recognizes that its actions will cause significant financial hardship. Additional borrowing that doubles last year's total will fill the gaping hole of 220 billion pounds (US$323 billion) in this year's budget. Mind you, this from a country that has already had the ignominy of a failed bond auction, and perhaps a whole lot more to come its way once the rating downgrades are baked into the cake.
How does it choose to counter the costs of bailing out: does it suggest a means of wiping out government waste (if you will pardon the tautology) or does it plan to provide greater incentives for savings? Neither, as it turns out: the government's magic bullet is to increase the top tax rate in the country from 40% to 50% in a move designed to raise a further 6 billion pounds in taxes (a piffling 3% of the government deficit).
So let me get this right. You are the finance minister of a country where the number of people making a decent disposable income, say over US$100,000 per year, has sharply declined over the past year. You have already spent hundreds of billions on bailing out your sick banks and even sicker industrial companies. Now, facing a deep recession, you choose to further reduce the disposable income of your most productive citizens to drive home a political point?
To paraphrase Churchill, the UK economy is now a disaster, wrapped in a catastrophe inside a calamity. And someone just flushed the key down the proverbial bog.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/KD25Dj03.html
Highly convincing exposition of facts. Akya rests his case and we eagerly await the verdict and then sentencing.
X here: Yes, all right, the article was OK, but what's it with this prized triple A rating referred to which will determine all. I mean I thought we'd seen through the dreadful shenanigans of the credit rating agencies, stalwart defenders of west and a leading instrument of torture and injustice for econs of poorer countries. Russia even said new ones should be set in place, the old ones having proved so unreliable. So how can we declare bankruptcy or not on their say-so?
X
Pandemic fear as flu virus outbreak in Mexico kills 70 (25.4.09). The head of the World Health Organisation arrived in Geneva for an emergency meeting as concern grow over a frightening new flu strain.
B.O.'s first hundred days over. What do we think? A george w. with a black face. Change so astoundingly superficial, our hair falls out.
"BOA CONSTRICTION: Post-Modern Debt and the tasks ahead." by Chow Yaen-fat
Good book by Mr Chow on the long march coming up and the kind of tasks they see us doing...
People dancing at the polls in India, SAfrica and now Indonesia. Every day that passes some country or other is subjected to ballot-box scam. The only people making somewhat good use of this so-called democratic tool ar the SAms, even if Paraguay got itself an ex-Bishop president with 3 paternity suits slapped on to his name. Whatever else it might do, these elections do not bring peace, social justice, integrity and tolerance any the closer. First we worshipped as our master the Brit Emp. Then our master was Amerikka. Now we stand desperately in need of a new master and he can be no other than a spiritual entity.
King
A man is needed to catch the scent.
After all,
the world is full
of the east wind's fragrance.
Sufi
Thank you, Sufi, for words of ancient wisdom, far, far beyond the pettiness of daily politics. Reminds us both of our littleness and the necessary interaction between ourselves and the world.
re: West traps Russia in its own backyard.
America is using the same tactic as their Nazi idols: The Drang Nach Osten or "March to the East" to colonize Eurasia.
Aggressive Expansionism is a fundamental "moral value" of America as a nation and as a people--just ask the Native Indians whose land America occupies to this very day.
And American bioterrorism (like Swing Flu) and genetic engineering are legacies of the USA's support of the Nazi eugenics programs of Mengele.
You could say that Nazism is just Americanism with a more open and honest face.
http://www.waragainsttheweak.com/
Thanks above for excellent comment; "Nazism is just Americanism with a (seemingly)more open and honest face." As you can see, we seem to have misplaced our poiuytr. But we're still looking hard. If you have any news...
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