Month: July 2012

Greece Runs Out Of Money. AGAIN

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– Greece Runs Out Of Money. Again (ZeroHedge, July 31, 2012):

While we are not certain how many times we have used the above headline in the past we know it is not the first time. Nor the fifth. Yet here we are again, reporting that Greece is out of money again. “Near-bankrupt Greece is fast running out of cash while it waits for its next installment of aid from international lenders, a deputy finance minister said on Tuesday, sounding the alarm on the country’s precarious financial position. Greece’s European partners have repeatedly promised the country will be funded through August, when it must repay a 3.2 billion euro bond, but the details of the funding have yet to be disclosed. In the absence of that money, Greece would run out of funds to pay everyday public expenses ranging from police and other public service wages to pensions and social benefits. “Cash reserves are almost zero. It is risky to say until when (they will last) as it always depends on the budget execution, revenues and expenditure,” Deputy Finance Minister Christos Staikouras told state NET television” In other words just like the US yesterday, Greece has also overestimated its revenues and underestimated its expenditures; also Greece in August is what the US itself will be in about 3-4 months, when the debt ceiling is hit. Luckily, the political environment in D.C. is open and cordial, and a prompt resolution to both the debt ceiling issue and the fiscal cliff, especially as they all coincide just in time for the presidential election is guaranteed.

The tragic Greek lament continues via Reuters:

“[W]e are certainly on the brink, we did not receive the aid tranche we were supposed to and we have the pending issue of an ECB bond maturing on Aug. 20.”

Read moreGreece Runs Out Of Money. AGAIN

Food Industry Refuses To Take Out Harmful BPAs

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Related info:

– WAR ON HEALTH – The FDA’s Cult of Tyranny (Documentary):

– Food Industry Won’t Take out Harmful BPAs (Natural Society, July 30, 2012):

What do latchkey kids, college students, and busy parents have in common?  Well, one thing is that they save valuable time and money by cooking with canned foods. The bad news? Tagging along with these foods is a hefty dose of bisphenol A.

According to a past study conducted by the nonprofit Consumers Union, 18 of 19 canned foods contained 22 micrograms of BPA per serving—116 times more than the ‘daily recommended limit.’ Progresso, Del Monte, Campbell’s, Annie’s, and Hormel soups took the BPA lead. Unfortunately, BPA still continues to taint food cans today.

BPA Affects Fertility

Researchers have linked BPA consumption to hyperactivity, aggression, depression, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, various cancers, and reproductive difficulties including Anogenital distance. Males with short AGD have been found to have 7 times the chance of being sub-fertile. This is a troubling statistic given that prenatal BPA exposure through parental consumption is associated with shortened AGD.

Read moreFood Industry Refuses To Take Out Harmful BPAs

Ireland Allows Iconic Potato To Be Genetically Modified

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– Ireland Allows Iconic Potato to be Genetically Modified (Natural Society, July 30, 2012):

In a monumental move that signifies the truly terminal state of the international food supply, Ireland’s government officials have given the green light to begin genetically modifying the iconic potato. Met with severe resistance from both citizens, watchdog organizations, and political figures, the decision allows for the genetically modified potatoes to be planted within Ireland by the Irish food development authority Teagasc.

Starting off with a trial within the nation’s borders, Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has authorized Teagasc to plant the GMO crops throughout a two hectare land plot. While supports continue to assert that the relatively small size makes the process ‘safe,’ experts from within the Emerald Isle say otherwise. In response to the idea that starting the trial with a ‘small’ land plot is safe, The Organic Trust in Dublin explains that once you unleash genetically modified seeds into the environment, the consequences that may follow do not depend on how many acres of land is modified — only the fact that genetically modified seeds have been planted.

Spokesperson Gavin Lynch stated:

It is only a two hectare trial, but that’s like saying you’re only a little bit pregnant, there are no grey areas with GM…. Organic Trust calls on Teagasc not to act on the approval granted but to adhere to the wishes of the vast majority of Irish citizens not to pollute our precious land. Not one single solitary benefit will accrue to Ireland as a result of this trial. So why it is going ahead?”

Read moreIreland Allows Iconic Potato To Be Genetically Modified

Portrait Of An American Drone Killer: ‘I Have a Duty, And I Execute My Duty’

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– Portrait of a Drone Killer: ‘I Have a Duty, and I Execute My Duty’ (Lew Rockwell, July 30, 2012):

One wonders if drone pilot Col. D. Scott Brenton listens to Louis Armstrong in the suburban Air National Guard Base in Syracuse from which he murders people 7,000 miles away.

“I see mothers with children, I see fathers with children, I see fathers with mothers, I see kids playing soccer,” Brenton tells the New York Times. Drone operators see their intended targets “wake up in the morning, do their work, go to sleep at night,” explains Dave, another high-tech murderer who killed from an office cockpit at Nevada’s Creech Air Force Base and who now trains new recruits to the cyber-killer corps at New Mexico’s Holloman Air Force Base.

When instructed to kill someone he has stalked from the air for a prolonged period, “I feel no emotional attachment to the enemy,” Brenton insists. I have a duty, and I execute my duty.” When the deed is done, he points out, nobody “in my immediate environment is aware of anything that has occurred.”

Read morePortrait Of An American Drone Killer: ‘I Have a Duty, And I Execute My Duty’

The Obamikado – I’ve Got A Little List (Video)

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YouTube Added: 28.07.2012

Description:

In celebration of America’s Lord High Executioner and his program of targeting and killing people without due process of law. Read on for lyrics, source files and key articles about the issues covered in the song. Like and Share far and wide!

Read moreThe Obamikado – I’ve Got A Little List (Video)

Money-Laundering: ‘Shamed HSBC Takes $2 BILLION Hit For U.S., UK Scandals’ (Reuters)

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And who is going to jail?

– Shamed HSBC takes $2 bln hit for U.S., UK scandals (Reuters, July 30, 2012):

* $700 mln provision for U.S. anti-money laundering failures

* Cost of U.S. fine, charges may be “significantly higher” -CEO

* $1.3 billion set aside to compensate UK customers for mis-selling

* Shares up 1.9 percent

LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) – Revelations of lax anti-money laundering controls at HSBC are “shameful and embarrassing” for Europe’s biggest bank, its boss said on Monday, and it may have to pay out well over $2 billion for the scandal and in compensation for UK mis-selling.

HSBC set aside $700 million to cover fines and other costs after a U.S. Senate report criticised it this month for letting clients shift funds from dangerous and secretive countries, notably Mexico.

Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver told reporters the ultimate cost could be “significantly higher”.

“What happened in Mexico and the U.S. is shameful, it’s embarrassing, it’s very painful for all of us in the firm,” he said on a conference call. “We need to execute on the compliance changes and then prove ourselves worthy and rebuild this over a number of years. There are no quick and easy fixes.”

The Senate report criticised a “pervasively polluted” culture at the bank and said HSBC’s Mexican operations had moved $7 billion into its U.S. operations between 2007 and 2008.

“The firm clearly lost its way in this regard and it’s right that we apologise,” said Gulliver. “Colleagues internally have been aware that this is the backdrop of why we had to change the firm.”

Read moreMoney-Laundering: ‘Shamed HSBC Takes $2 BILLION Hit For U.S., UK Scandals’ (Reuters)

Troika’s Athens Demand: More Axe, And More Tax

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– Troika’s Athens demand: More axe, and more tax (The Slog, July 29, 2012):

TROIKA READS RIOT ACT TO GREEK COALITION


Evangelo Venizelos more Friar Tuck than Robin Hood

But Privatisation demands may produce stalemate today

I’ve been getting some irate emails from Greek Sloggers of late – especially those who earn a living suplying goods to the Athens Government. Their bitch is simple: while the new Coalition is very happy to suck up to the Troika, monies it owes to its own citizens can go hang. As one correspondent remarked last Thursday, “It’s easy to balance the books if you don’t pay any bills”.

The day before, the Troikanauts came to town with a very clear message: no more backsliding, or no more money. But it all depends on how you define ‘backsliding’. If a Vesuvius of debt just erupted and you’re on the side of the mountain, chances are you’ll backslide. In fact, the reality is, you’ll perish.

Prior to the meeting, the key Greek Party leaders –  Antonis Samaras, Fotis Kouvelis and Evangelos Venizelos – had pledged to stand firm on ‘no further cuts, and no further taxes’. At the meeting, the Coalition presented further spending, pension and salary cuts, with an update on the progress of tax collection following the recent elections. Together they totalled just under €13bn

The Slog can reveal that the tax situation is dire. It is 20% won’t pay, and 80% can’t pay. The savings are impressive, but the Athens regime is miles off target. (As any government faced with this mad Troika fantasy Herculean task would be). However, in the context of an economy at close to standstill, Coalition leaders put their case for no further attacks on the populace.

Read moreTroika’s Athens Demand: More Axe, And More Tax

GREECE EXCLUSIVE: Geithner Envoy ‘Assured Athens Of US Support On Return To Drachma’ – Sources

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– GREECE EXCLUSIVE: Geithner envoy ‘assured Athens of US support on return to drachma’ – sources (The Slog, July 29, 2012):

Meanwhile, the EFSF robs Petros to pay Pavlos

The US Treasury’s Assistant Secretary for International Finance Charles Collyns had a meeting with Greek Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras in Athens on Wednesday morning. The official Greek media version was that Collyns ‘expressed the support of US-Finance Secretary Tomothy Geithner to Greece and his confidence in Greek efforts. Yinannis Stournas briefed Collyns on the situation of the Greek fiscal condition, and the key challenges of the Greek economy’.

In fact, Washington sources told The Slog last night BST that Collyns – a confidante of both Geithner and Stournas – was on a specific mission to impress on Greek Finance bosses the US Treasury’s sincerity in offering Greece “almost unqualified support in the event of a return to the drachma”. The White House is betting on the strong likelihood of Greece becoming formally insolvent before any more bailout monies are available from Berlin-am-Brussels.

Read moreGREECE EXCLUSIVE: Geithner Envoy ‘Assured Athens Of US Support On Return To Drachma’ – Sources

Overwhelming Evidence Mounts Indicating Colorado Shooting Staged

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FYI.

See also:

– Batman Shooter James Holmes Sent Notebook Full Of Planned Massacre Details To University Psychiatrist Before Rampage

– Several Links Between Batman Shooter James Holmes And US Government Research (DARPA & Mind-Control)

– Batman Shooter James Holmes’ Father, Robert Holmes, Set To Provide Crippling Information On Libor And Other Banking Scandals

– Overwhelming Evidence Mounts Indicating Colorado Shooting Staged (Infowars, July 28, 2012):

It is now clear the Colorado shooting is a staged event. It mirrors previous shootings, including the assassination of Robert Kennedy blamed on the drugged patsy Sirhan Sirhan.


YouTube

Recently produced evidence reveals that Sirhan was not the shooter and he was framed. In a federal court last November, lawyers argued that Sirhan “was an involuntary participant in the crimes being committed because he was subjected to sophisticated hypno programming and memory implantation techniques which rendered him unable to consciously control his thoughts and actions at the time the crimes were being committed,” according to court papers.

Holmes’ Psychiatrist Worked for Pentagon

New damning details on the Colorado shooting now surface on a daily basis. The latest is that the highest honors neuroscience student James Holmes was seeing a psychiatrist. Holmes was a patient of Dr. Lynne Fenton at the University of Colorado. Fenton worked for the Air Force in Texas and was known for dispensing dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, according to the Washington Post.

Read moreOverwhelming Evidence Mounts Indicating Colorado Shooting Staged

UK Economic Outlook Slumps – UK May Lose Triple-A Rating If GDP Growth Continues To Disappoint, Warns Moody’s

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– UK economic outlook slumps on eurozone crisis (Guardian, July 31, 2012):
UK may lose triple-A rating if GDP growth continues to disappoint, Moody’s ratings agency warns

The UK’s economic outlook has weakened as a result of the eurozone debt crisis, Moody’s has said in a fresh blow to the chancellor George Osborne.

The ratings agency cut its forecasts for GDP growth, after figures last week showed the UK economy shrank by 0.7% in the second quarter – far more than expected.

Moody’s expects GDP to grow by just 0.4% this year and 1.8% in 2013, which is considerably more optimistic than many economists, who expect the economy to contract this year. Gerard Lyons at Standard Chartered said after the GDP figures were published: “I think it’s inconceivable that there will be positive growth this year.”

Moody’s warned on Tuesday that Britain could lose its triple-A rating if economic growth did not meet expectations, and if the country’s debt burden increased. It said the weaker economic environment could challenge the government’s efforts to reduce debt in the coming years.

Read moreUK Economic Outlook Slumps – UK May Lose Triple-A Rating If GDP Growth Continues To Disappoint, Warns Moody’s

Is Facebook’s Ad Model a Scam? … ‘This Is Why We Need To Delete This Page And Move Away From Facebook. They’re Scumbags And We Just Don’t Have The Patience For Scumbags’

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FLASHBACK:

– Facebook founder called trusting users ‘DUMB FUCKS’

– Is Facebook’s Ad Model a Scam? (Naked Capitalism, July 30, 2012):

I’ve watched the Facebook phenomenon with considerable skepticism, and have refrained from commenting on it, save linking to stories such as GM canceling all of its Facebook ads because they didn’t see the benefit.

But this item via reader Chuck L was a real eye-opener. It suggests that Facebook may be a large-scale fraud. If not Facebook, who would be running the bots in question? Their second complaint, about the cost of a name change, is merely tacky customer-gouging, but the first suggests that the Facebook business model is a complete fail, whether the clicks are from Facebook bots or other bots.

I’ve snapshotted this page in case it disappears, but this is on Facebook now, from Limited Run:

Read moreIs Facebook’s Ad Model a Scam? … ‘This Is Why We Need To Delete This Page And Move Away From Facebook. They’re Scumbags And We Just Don’t Have The Patience For Scumbags’

India: 620 MILLION Without Power After 3 Power Grids Fail

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– 600 million without power in India after 3 power grids fail (USA Today, July 31, 2012):

NEW DELHI (AP) – India’s energy crisis cascaded over half the country Tuesday when three of its regional grids collapsed, leaving 620 million people without government-supplied electricity in one of the world’s biggest-ever blackouts.

Hundreds of trains stalled across the country and traffic lights went out, causing widespread traffic jams in New Delhi. Electric crematoria stopped operating, some with bodies half burnt, power officials said. Emergency workers rushed generators to coal mines to rescue miners trapped underground.

Read moreIndia: 620 MILLION Without Power After 3 Power Grids Fail

Four Sentenced To Death Over $2.6 BILLION Iran Bank Fraud

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– Four sentenced to death over $2.6bn Iran bank fraud (BBC News, July 30, 2012):

Four people have been sentenced to death for their roles in Iran’s biggest-ever bank fraud scandal.

Two other defendants received life sentences, while 33 more will spend up to 25 years in jail, the chief prosecutor was quoted as saying.

The scandal involved forged documents reportedly used by an investment company to secure loans worth $2.6bn.

Read moreFour Sentenced To Death Over $2.6 BILLION Iran Bank Fraud

Factbox: A brief history of Israeli espionage scandals (Reuters)

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– Factbox: A brief history of Israeli espionage scandals (Reuters, Feb 17, 2012):

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday there was no proof that the Mossad spy agency assassinated a Hamas commander in Dubai, despite the suspected hit squad’s use of the identities of foreign-born Israelis.

Few Israeli commentators, however, appeared to doubt the Mossad had a role in the January 20 death of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, which became a cause celebre after Hamas demanded a murder investigation.

Here are some previous international scandals involving Mossad and other Israeli intelligence agencies.

Read moreFactbox: A brief history of Israeli espionage scandals (Reuters)

US Army Orders Riot Gear As Build Up For Civil Unrest And Eventual Martial Law Continues

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– US Army Orders Riot Gear As Build Up For Civil Unrest and Eventual Martial Law Continues (The Intel Hub, July 30, 2012):

An early June 2012 solicitation posted on the FedBizOpps.gov website details the US Armies need and eventual purchase of a wide variety of riot control gear including riot shields, batons, and body armor.

The contract, eventually awarded to A2Z Supply Corp, lines up directly with a long line of reports, drills, purchases, and statements that indicate that the federal government is preparing for an eventual large scale confrontation or civil war with the American people.

Read moreUS Army Orders Riot Gear As Build Up For Civil Unrest And Eventual Martial Law Continues

Keiser Report: Hang ‘Em High! (Video)

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YouTube Added: 28.07.2012

Description:

In this episode, Max Keiser presents a double header with co-host, Stacy Herbert, to discuss crime and punishment in the financial sector. In London, JP Morgan banker, Tony Blair, has responded to the Keiser Report with his claim that hanging 20 bankers will not help and that, in fact, he asserts, public anger with the financial crisis is wrong. They also discuss the ‘blazer over cuffs look’ being the new black this season as Sean Fitzpatrick is arrested in Dublin, while over in Pennsylvania, Joe Paterno’s statue is draped in blue tarpaulin and hauled away as bond investors punish the university with higher rates and Moody’s threatens a downgrade. Finally, in Los Angeles, victims of vandalism are shocked to discover that it was a senior UBS banker who was smashing windows with a slingshot.

Michel Chossudovsky: ‘Panetta Has Blood On His Hands For Supporting Syria Rebels’ (Video)

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YouTube Added: 30.07.2012

Description:

The U.S. military chief says the fighting in Syria’s largest city of Aleppo will ultimately be ‘a nail in President Assad’s coffin’. Leon Panetta is currently on a Middle East tour, promising to continue to push for Assad’s departure. RT spoke to Michel Chossudovsky from the Centre for Research on Globalization. He believes there are indications that NATO states may soon move from war mongering against the Syrian regime to real action.

Related info:

– William Engdahl: ‘World Being Readied For Aggression Against Syria’

– Webster Tarpley: NATO’s Al-Qaeda Wing Clipped In Syria (Video)

Read moreMichel Chossudovsky: ‘Panetta Has Blood On His Hands For Supporting Syria Rebels’ (Video)

Whistleblocking: Obama Regime Spends Record Amounts To Keep Secrets Out – Former Senior NSA Executive: ‘Extraordinary Chilling Message’; ‘Power Elites Don’t Like Dirty Linen Being Aired’ (Video)

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YouTube Added: 30.07.2012

Description:

US security agencies have acquired even more powers under president Obama – that’s despite his pre-election pledges to make the government more open to ordinary citizens. Instead, his administration is spending record amounts to keep its secrets – and is cracking down on whistleblowers.

New Wave Of Anaheim Protests: 9 Arrested As Police Disperse Crowds (Video)

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YouTube

– New wave of Anaheim protests: 9 arrested as police disperse crowds (PHOTOS, VIDEO) (RT, July 30, 2012):

At least nine people have been arrested by Orange County Police as they pushed protesters back during a street rally in outrage over the recent officer-involved shootings that left two locals dead.

­More than 200 people have gathered outside Anaheim police headquarters chanting slogans condemning the police and taking over a parking lot, where they drew outlines of bodies.

“The whole system is guilty” and “Am I next?” the angry crowds were chanting in rage, says the LA Times.

Read moreNew Wave Of Anaheim Protests: 9 Arrested As Police Disperse Crowds (Video)

September: Crunchtime For Europe And Germany

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So get your popcorn ready!

Related info:

– CDU’s Michael Fuchs: ‘Greece Cannot Be Saved, That Is Simple Mathematics’

– Greece To Run Out Of Money And Go Bankrupt By August 20

– Spain Is Out Of Money In 40 Days … And ‘Spain Has No Plan B’ (FAZ)

– September: Crunchtime For Europe And Germany (ZeroHedge, July 30, 2012):

“September will undoubtedly be the crunch time,” one senior euro zone policymaker said. “In nearly 20 years of dealing with EU issues, I’ve never known a state of affairs like we are in now,” one euro zone diplomat said this week. “It really is a very, very difficult fix and it’s far from certain that we’ll be able to find the right way out of it.”

As Europe’s fight with the twin demons of logic and math continues, time is running out. And as eurocrats take their mandatory vacations for a job well done and spend the next two weeks lounging on some Mediterranean island or listening to opera, Europe will enter hibernation mode, courtesy of a slow down in sovereign bond issuance, all of which however will change very quickly once September rolls in which as Reuters describes, “is shaping up as a “make-or-break” month as policymakers run desperately short of options to save the common currency.” It is then that we will find if all that money spent on newsletter promoting active prayer to push the hands of central planners in that direction or the other, was well spent, or just thrown in the same cash black hole which is the final restring place for hundreds of billions in “bailout money” which has achieved nothing but perpetuating the same destructive behavior that it was meant to change.

Reuters explains why September will also be known as the popcorn month:

Read moreSeptember: Crunchtime For Europe And Germany

Eurogroup Head Confirms ‘It Has Become Serious’, As He Is Back To Lying

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– Eurogroup Head Confirms “It Has Become Serious”, As He Is Back To Lying (ZeroHedge, July 30, 2012):

The insolvent banana continent is back. Recall back in May 2011:

“When it becomes serious, you have to lie.” –Jean Claude Juncker

Ergo, things in Europe are very serious again because the Eurogroup’s head, who until recently promised he was quitting his post because “he had gotten tired of the Franco-German interference in managing the region’s debt crisis”, only to spoil the fun and say he was lying about that too, is back to doing what he does best – lying. To wit: “the euro countries are preparing together with the bailout fund EFSF and the European Central Bank to buy government bonds if necessary clip euro countries.” And now cue Schauble: “Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has rejected speculation about impending purchases of government bonds by Spanish EFSF and ECB.”

From Suddeutsche Zeitung:

“No time to lose”: The chairman of the €-group sees a crucial point of the debt crisis has arrived. Jean-Claude Juncker supports plans by ECB chief Draghi for the purchase of government bonds – and Germany are partly to blame for the crisis. Berlin treats the euro area “as a branch.” Also called “chatter on the withdrawal of Greece” is not helpful.

Juncker confirmed that the euro countries are preparing together with the bailout fund EFSF and the European Central Bank to buy government bonds if necessary clip euro countries. Because there is no doubt, he said. “It is still necessary to decide exactly what we will do and when.” This depended “on the developments of the next few days and from reacting as fast as we need.”

And to think only yesterday the only person whose opinion matters, Germany’s Finance Minister,  “denied plans for a new aid program for Spain, according to newspaper Welt am Sonntag, after the media reported European Union leaders aim for Spanish government bond purchases by the European rescue fund and the European Central Bank.”

We leave it up to readers to figure out which of the above two is telling the truth, but in the meantime, here are some other soundbites from the man who is back to desperation pleading with markets:

Read moreEurogroup Head Confirms ‘It Has Become Serious’, As He Is Back To Lying

Austerity At The London Olympics: Each ‘Gold’ Medal Contains 1.34% Gold

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– Austerity At The Olympics: Each “Gold” Medal Contains 1.34% Gold (ZeroHedge, July 30, 2012):

As every Olympic athlete knows, size matters. The London 2012 medals are the largest ever in terms of both weight and diameter – almost double the medals from Beijing. However, just as equally well-known is that quality beats quantity and that is where the current global austerity, coin-clipping, devaluation-fest begins. The 2012 gold is 92.5 percent silver, 6.16 copper and… 1.34 percent gold, with IOC rules specifying that it must contain 550 grams of high-quality silver and a whopping 6 grams of gold. The resulting medallion is worth about $500. For the silver medal, the gold is replaced with more copper, for a $260 bill of materials. The bronze medal is 97 percent copper, 2.5 percent zinc and 0.5 percent tin. Valued at about $3, you might be able to trade one for a bag of chips in Olympic park if you skip the fish.

Size Matters…(via BBC)

Though Olympic gold is no longer 100 percent gold, a medal can still fetch big money. In 2010, a gold medal worn by Mark Wells, a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. men’s hockey team, was auctioned off for $310,700. Several years before that, Wells had sold his medal to cover medical expenses. Just before the auction, the medal was valued at $100,000 but it earned three times that amount. Heritage Auctions of Dallas identified the 2010 buyer as a rancher from the western U.S.

The question remains – with the minimum 103 medals expected to be won by US athletes, will Bernanke be forced to reduce the size of NEW QE as ‘all that precious metal is horded and repatriated back to the USA’?

Source: Dillon Gage