Wednesday, 09 February 2011 13:37
'Even the Washington Post describes it like something out of Orwell’s 1984. The FCC has approved a presidential alert system. Obama may soon appear on your television or call your cell phone to warn you about the next specious al-Qaeda underwear bombing event.
Commissioners voted last week to require television and radio stations, cable systems and satellite TV providers to participate in a test that would have them receive and transmit a live code that includes an alert message issued by the president. No date has been set for the test, according to the Post.'
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 13:21
'Harare came to a standstill on Monday when a ZANU PF mob engulfed the city in chaos, destroying property worth thousands of dollars, mainly belonging to foreign owned companies.
Our correspondent Simon Muchemwa told us that dozens of shops were looted when the ZANU PF militia went on a rampage, as police details stood by watching ordinary people and shop owners being abused and brutalised. Shops belonging to Zimbabweans were also caught up in the crossfire.'
Read more: Zimbabwe: Harare Descends Into Chaos As Ruling Party Militia Loot Shops
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 12:47
'New documents released under the Freedom of Information Act confirm that the FBI received a phone call the day before the Oklahoma City bombing warning that the attack was imminent, and that the feds tried to reach a deal with bomber Terry Nichols to take the death penalty off the table if he admitted making the call.
The documents were released to Salt Lake City lawyer Jesse Trentadue, who in the course of of a 15 year battle in trying to ascertain why his brother was tortured to death during an FBI interrogation related to the case, has all but proven the attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Building was an inside job run by FBI agents who were handling Timothy McVeigh.'
Read more: Confirmed: FBI Got Warning Day Before OKC Bombing
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 12:34
Trichet giving Ireland the 'finger'
'European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet has reiterated his opposition to any debt restructuring by Ireland, saying the terms of the EU-IMF bailout plan for the State have been approved by “the entire world.”
As top ECB officials closely observe the Irish election campaign, this was the second time in five days that Mr Trichet made the case against any restructuring of Ireland’s debt. He relayed the same message last Thursday immediately after the monthly meeting of the bank’s governing council.'
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 11:58
'Egypt's general prosecutor on Monday opened probe on former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly's reported role in the New Year's Eve bombing of al-Qiddissin Church in Alexandria in which 24 people were killed, an Egyptian lawyer told Al Arabiya.
Laywer Ramzi Mamdouh said he had presented a proclamation to Egyptian prosecutor Abd al-Majid Mahmud to investigate news media reports suggesting that the former interior ministry had masterminded the deadly church attack with the intent to blame it on Islamists, escalate government crackdown on them, and gain increased western support for the regime.'
Read more: Ex-Minister Suspected Behind Alexandria Church Bombing
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 11:07
'In his important 2006 book Nemesis, the Last Days of the American Republic, the third and concluding part of a trilogy, the late Chalmers Johnson, who was an expert on Japan and US foreign policy, writes that as much as 40% of the Pentagon budget is “black,” meaning hidden from public scrutiny.
If the figure is even approximately correct, and I believe it is, the number is alarming because it suggests that democratic oversight of US military research and development has broken down. In which case our democratic values and way of life are presently at risk; not from without, as there is no foreign enemy that can destroy the US Constitution, but from within.'
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 10:57
'In what is now being dubbed one of the most incoherent and nonsensical statements to be made by a politician in recent days concerning the "drug war", U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently told Mexican reporters that drugs like marijuana can never be legalized because "there is just too much money in it." Displaying a complete lack of understanding concerning basic economics and simple common sense, Clinton foolishly tried to claim that legalization would benefit criminal drug lords, despite the fact that simple supply and demand proves otherwise.'
Read more: Sec. Clinton Admits Fraudulent Drug War is All About Money
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 10:36
'Canada and the U.S. have officially launched negotiations on a trade and security agreement which would take continental integration to the next level. A declaration issued by the leaders follows months of secret preliminary talks. The deal would work towards facilitating the movement of travel and trade across the northern border.
This includes pursuing a perimeter approach to security in an effort to better address common threats. The agreement sets in motion an agenda with the aim of going beyond NAFTA and further expanding on the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), but in the context of a bilateral framework.'
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 10:10
'California is the model for all other states in UN Agenda 21, the overarching blueprint for depopulation and total control. California passed sweeping laws, the AB 32 Global Warming Solutions Act and companion bill SB 375, that claim the need for "sustainability" to reduce greenhouse gases and carbon, otherwise known as phony global warming. California's AB 32 law makes California the first state to commit to the Kyoto Treaty, a United Nations program.'
Read more: Epic Fail: Global Warming Solutions
Tuesday, 08 February 2011 12:07
Tuesday, 08 February 2011 11:47
'According to some experts, the world’s weather is about to get even more chaotic as a result of natural climate change that we can do absolutely nothing to prevent – and even though global warming alarmists may exploit the consequences to advance their own political agenda, paying a carbon tax to Al Gore will not lessen the impact of a potentially catastrophic magnetic polar shift.
In layman’s terms, the most apocalyptic outcome of a polar shift would come as a result of the the poles flipping, with the south pole becoming the north pole and vice versa. The good news is that on average this only happens every half a million years, but the bad news is that it hasn’t happened in roughly 780,000 years, with some experts warning that the planet is overdue. Pole flips have been known to happen only 50,000 years apart.'
Tuesday, 08 February 2011 10:50
'It would appear that a judge in Orlando, Florida, Belvin Perry, Jr. , likes his juries not to know that they have the option to nullify the law. He has put out an administrative order "GOVERNING EXPRESSIVE CONDUCT TOWARD SUMMONED JURORS". The order may be read in its entirety here.
Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA) activists have been tireless in their efforts to educate Florida juries of their power to nullify the law if they disagree with it or its application. Otherwise juries would be reduced to mere rubber stamps with the government able to convict anyone of anything they choose to make illegal. This is an established principle of law.'
Read more: Judge Bans Info to Jurors Informing Them of Their Power
Tuesday, 08 February 2011 10:43
'E.L. Rothschild LLC, a private investment company led by Chairman Sir Evelyn de Rothschild and CEO Lynn Forester de Rothschild, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire a 70% interest in Weather Central, LP (www.wxc.com).
The world's leading provider of interactive weather graphics and data services for television, web, and mobile, Weather Central's highly accurate and personalized forecasting offers businesses and consumers a truly unique suite of science-driven weather information products. The company will continue to operate under CEO and founder, Terry Kelly, as well as current management. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.'
Tuesday, 08 February 2011 10:27
'It may turn out to be the most important bank you've never heard of.
Amagerbanken was taken over by the Danish government today. As with the Irish banks, Amagerbanken suffered huge losses on loans to property developers and investors in commercial real estate. But the rescue comes under new regulations which stipulate steep losses for bondholders. According to Bloomberg, senior bondholders and depositors over the insured limit will face losses of approximately 41%.
Some bondholders, however, still fall under a government guarantee, but expect Amagerbanken to be held up as an example by those who favor haircuts for bondholders rather than bailouts. In particular, we can expect Ireland's Fine Gael party (pronounced feena gail) to point to Denmark when they make their own case for unilaterally restructuring Ireland's bank debt. And when they do, the cat will be out of the bag.'
Read more: AMAGERBANKEN - $2.8 Billion Bank Failure In Denmark: Senior Bondholders Whacked 41%
Tuesday, 08 February 2011 10:04
'According to Reuters, the USDA has said it would take at least two years to develop new regulations in response to the overall ban issued last month by U.S. District Court Judge White.
But it seems there was little victory to enjoy because according to Minnesota Public Radio, the USDA most recently announced that farmers will be allowed to grow genetically modified sugar beets this season, "while it finishes work on a full environmental impact statement on the beets' effect on other crops and the environment." What? If you even think there may be a problem, why would you continue to make it worse?'
Read more: USDA Allows GMO Sugar Beet Planting Even After a Landmark Court Decision Says No
Tuesday, 08 February 2011 06:25
'No, it's not possible for student debtors to escape financial devastation by declaring bankruptcy. This most fundamental of consumer protections would have been available to student debtors were it not for legislation explicitly designed to withhold a whole range of basic protections from student borrowers.
I'm not talking only about bankruptcy protection, but also truth in lending requirements, statutes of limitations, refinancing rights and even state usury laws – Congress has rendered all these protections inapplicable to federally guaranteed student loans. The same legislation also gave collection agencies hitherto unimaginable powers, for example to garnish wages, tax returns, Social Security benefits and -believe it or not- Disability income.
Twisting the knife, legislators made the suspension of state-issued professional licenses, termination of public employment and denial of security clearances legitimate measures to enable collection companies to wring financial blood from bankrupt student-loan borrowers. Student loan debt is the most punishable of all forms of debt - most of those draconian measures are unavailable to credit card companies.'
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