Month: September 2013

Meanwhile In Italy …

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– Meanwhile In Italy… (ZeroHedge, Sep 30, 2013):

UPDATE: Reuters reports that 20 senators from Berlusconi’s party are preparing to create new party if Berlusconi does not soften stance against PM Letta – EUR and Italian Bonds are ramping.

*AS MANY AS 20 BERLUSCONI SENATORS MAY LEAVE PDL: REUTERS

Via Bloomberg,

Berlusconi faces demands from his lawmakers to back down on confrontation with Letta, Reuters reports citing party official.

We can’t help but feel this is well-placed Reuters propaganda as we saw in 2011 – later to be denied but for now it is having the desired effect…

Before this we noted:

Read moreMeanwhile In Italy …

T-Minus 15 Hours: The Complete Government Shutdown Summary

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Source: RanSquawk, Bloomberg

– T-Minus 15 Hours: The Complete Government Shutdown Summary (ZeroHedge, Sep 30, 2013):

Presenting the full summary about the only event the market is focused on today.

MAIN POINTS:

Today sees the Senate reconvene after yesterday saw the Republican-led House voted in favour of a modified continuing resolution (CR) which includes a one-year delay to Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act). The Senate is not scheduled to meet until 1400ET today meaning that if the new bill is rejected there is not enough time to create a new CR and pass it back to the Senate before the midnight deadline, leading to a government shutdown in which all non-essential government workers will stay at home. Expectations are now that it is likely there will be a temporary shutdown given that the White House signalled the new CR would be vetoed by President Barack Obama and Democrats in the Senate immediately said the legislation approved by the House yesterday is unacceptable.

Read moreT-Minus 15 Hours: The Complete Government Shutdown Summary

NSA Stores Metadata Of Millions Of Web Users For Up To A Year, Secret Files Show

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Any computer metadata picked up by NSA collection systems is routed to the Marina database, the guide explains. Photograph: Felix Clay

– NSA stores metadata of millions of web users for up to a year, secret files show (Guardian, Sep 30, 2013):

• Vast amounts of data kept in repository codenamed Marina
• Data retained regardless of whether person is NSA target
• Material used to build ‘pattern-of-life’ profiles of individuals
• What is metadata? Find out with our interactive guide

The National Security Agency is storing the online metadata of millions of internet users for up to a year, regardless of whether or not they are persons of interest to the agency, top secret documents reveal.

Metadata provides a record of almost anything a user does online, from browsing history – such as map searches and websites visited – to account details, email activity, and even some account passwords. This can be used to build a detailed picture of an individual’s life.

The Obama administration has repeatedly stated that the NSA keeps only the content of messages and communications of people it is intentionally targeting – but internal documents reveal the agency retains vast amounts of metadata.

Read moreNSA Stores Metadata Of Millions Of Web Users For Up To A Year, Secret Files Show

Ginger Selectively Kills Breast Cancer Cells

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“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
– Hippocrates

 

– Research: Ginger Selectively Kills Breast Cancer Cells (GreenMedInfo, Oct 1, 2013):

New research published in the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology found that “ginger may be a promising candidate for the treatment of breast carcinomas.”[i] This is a timely finding, insofar as breast cancer awareness month is only days away, and one of the primary fund-raising justifications is the false concept that a low-cost, safe and effective breast cancer treatment is not yet available. Could ginger provide the type of cure that conventional, FDA-approved treatments have yet to accomplish?

The new study was performed by researchers at the Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, who discovered that a crude extract derived from the medicinal plant ginger (Zingiber officinale) inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cells, without significantly affecting the viability of non-tumor breast cells — a highly promising property known as selective cytotoxicity, not found in conventional treatments.

Read moreGinger Selectively Kills Breast Cancer Cells

U.S. Senate Rejects House Amendments To Spending Bill As Shutdown Looms

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– Senate rejects House amendments to spending bill as shutdown looms (Washington Post, Sep 30, 2013):

The 54 to 46 party-line vote made good on a vow by Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) to reject a funding bill approved by the House early Sunday because it would delay Obama’s signature 2010 health-care law for one year and repeal a tax on medical devices.

Immediately after the Senate convened Monday afternoon, Reid moved to table the House amendments. That exercise required a simple majority and was accomplished solely with Democratic votes. The Senate later passed a bill that ensures that members of the armed forces will continue to get paid in the event of a shutdown.

Read moreU.S. Senate Rejects House Amendments To Spending Bill As Shutdown Looms

Government Shutdown: The Next Step In The Collapse Of The Dollar?

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– Government Shutdown: The Next Step In The Collapse Of The Dollar? (ALT- MARKET, Sep 30, 3013):

There is a considerable amount of debate in alternative economic circles as to whether a federal government shutdown would be a “good thing” or a “bad thing”.  Frankly, even I am partially conflicted.  I love to read mainstream news stories about how a shutdown in the capital would be “horrible” because Barack Obama might have to reduce the White House cleaning staff and wash his own laundry:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-27/obama-stripped-to-skeleton-staff-in-a-government-shutdown.html

It’s about time that sellout bastard did something to clean up his own act.  I also love the idea of the federal government out of the picture and removed from the U.S. dynamic.  Americans need to learn again how to live without the nanny state, even if only for a few weeks, and what better way than to go cold turkey.  I can hear the tortured sobs of the socialists now, crying for their SNAP cards and low grade government healthcare.  It’s like…beautiful music…

That said, as much as centralized government needs to be erased from the face of the planet, there are, indeed, consequences that must be dealt with.  It is foolish to believe otherwise.  No social system, and I mean NO SOCIAL SYSTEM, changes without pain to the population.  I am not among those that cheer a federal shutdown, because I understand that the only people to ultimately feel suffering will be average citizens, not the establishment itself.  The sheeple may be ignorant and blind, but no one deserves the kind of unmitigated hellfire that could rain down upon our country if a shutdown continues for an extended period of time.  Call me a humanitarian…

As I write this, mainstream media projections estimate a 90% chance of government shutdown by midnight on September 30th.  Though technically, government funds will not run out until October 17th:

Read moreGovernment Shutdown: The Next Step In The Collapse Of The Dollar?

Greenwald, Scahill Vow To Unmask NSA’s ‘US Assassination Program’

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US journalists Jeremy Scahill (L) and Glenn Greenwald

– Greenwald, Scahill vow to unmask NSA’s ‘US assassination program’ (RT, Sep 30, 2013):

American investigative journalists Jeremy Scahill and Glenn Greenwald say they have teamed up to prepare a report on the National Security Agency’s role in what one of them described as the “US assassination program.”

“The connections between war and surveillance are clear. I don’t want to give too much away but Glenn and I are working on a project right now that has at its center how the National Security Agency plays a significant, central role in the US assassination program,” Scahill said in Rio de Janeiro, as cited by Associated Press.

Speaking to moviegoers at the Rio Film Festival, where an award-winning documentary based on his book was shown, Scahill said he will be working on the project with another journalist – Glenn Greenwald, who broke the story on the NSA leaker Edward Snowden in June.

Read moreGreenwald, Scahill Vow To Unmask NSA’s ‘US Assassination Program’

Russia’s Lavrov: Iran Behind Anti-WMD Rider In Chemical Watchdog’s Decision On Syria

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Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

– Iran behind anti-WMD rider in chemical watchdog’s decision on Syria – Lavrov (RT, Sep 30, 2013):

A small but far reaching clause in the chemical watchdog’s decision on Syria that urges all non-signatories of the Chemical Weapons Convention to join the treaty was actually proposed by Iran – and supported by the US – Russian FM Sergey Lavrov revealed.

Recalling the tense round of negotiations surrounding the issue of Syria’s chemical weapons, the Russian foreign minister said that it was Iran that “offered a very sound addition.” The insider revelation into the diplomatic process of avoiding yet another armed conflict in the Middle East was shared by Sergey Lavrov in an interview with Kommersant daily.

The Iranian proposal reflects Russia’s long standing belief that the Middle East should be free of weapons of mass destruction. The clause, submitted by Tehran was included in the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) decision on Friday ahead of the UNSC vote on a new Syrian resolution.

“It is very important that in the Hague, when there was a vote on the decision on the role of the OPCW in implementing the program of chemical weapons destruction in Syria, a special clause was inserted urging all countries which have not yet done so to sign the convention,” Lavrov said.

“I will reveal a little secret: this clause was introduced by Iran and supported by the United States. Iran in the past century, has twice suffered from chemical weapons. I think Iran offered a very sound addition,” the Russian foreign minister said.

Read moreRussia’s Lavrov: Iran Behind Anti-WMD Rider In Chemical Watchdog’s Decision On Syria

CNN’s Hillary Clinton Documentary Scrapped

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– CNN’s Hillary Clinton film scrapped as director blames lack of co-operation (Guardian, Sep 30, 2013):

Charles Ferguson says he was met with a wall of silence from more than a hundred people who refused to be interviewed

The Oscar-winning film director Charles Ferguson has cancelled his CNN documentary on Hillary Clinton after what he described as a private campaign against the film by prominent Democrats.

Ferguson said he had decided to pull the plug after being met with a wall of silence from more than a hundred people who refused to be interviewed for the documentary.

He claimed that aides to the former secretary of state put pressure on CNN behind the scenes, and made clear that Clinton would only co-operate “over my dead body”. He also blamed a public campaign by Republicans, who claimed the film would be biased in favour of Clinton.

Read moreCNN’s Hillary Clinton Documentary Scrapped

Israel Starts Campaign To Boost U.S. Military Aid

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– Israel starts campaign to boost U.S. military aid (UPI, Sep 27, 2013):

TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 27 (UPI) — Israel’s military chiefs are pushing for a bump in the $3.1 billion a year the Jewish state receives in U.S. military aid even though the 10-year agreement doesn’t expire until 2017 and America is struggling with domestic economic issues.

Read moreIsrael Starts Campaign To Boost U.S. Military Aid

Netanyahu Heads To US To Tell Obama ‘Truth’ About Iran

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Flashback:

On record: Benjamin Netanyahu: ‘America is something that can easily be moved.’ ‘The world won’t say a thing.’ ‘The world will say we’re defending.’ (Video)

– Former PM Olmert: Netanyahu Wasted Billions On Iran ‘Hallucinations’

– Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu: I Don’t Care What UN Says About Settlement Activities

– Lunatic Netanyahu Exposed: What The Israelis Really Think Of Us (Video)

– Netanyahu heads to US to tell Obama ‘truth’ about Iran (RT, Sep 29, 2013):

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Barack Obama to discuss the “smokescreen” the Iranian president used to fool Western powers. The White House meeting will take place before Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

“I intend to tell the truth in the face of the sweet talk and charm offensive of Iran,” Netanyahu said before boarding the plane to New York.

“Telling the truth at this time is essential for world peace and security and, of course, for Israel’s security,” AFP cites him as saying.

After Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed the United Nations General Assembly last week, Netanyahu called the speech “cynical” and “full of hypocrisy,” saying it was aimed at fooling the Western powers while Iran continues advancing towards a nuclear weapons capability.

Read moreNetanyahu Heads To US To Tell Obama ‘Truth’ About Iran

U.S. Government Shutdown Looms: A Q&A On What Happens Next (And Who Stays At Home)

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– The Government Shutdown Looms: A Q&A On What Happens Next (And Who Stays At Home) (ZeroHedge, Sep 29, 2013):

With a government’s October 1 shut down – temporary of course – now seemingly inevitable, and more importantly with the peak debt ceiling negotiations due in just about a week after which point the Treasury will run out of money, many wonder what comes next. That this is happening just two short years after the dramatic August 2011 debt ceiling impasse, when the market tumbled 20% and likely slowed economic growth is still fresh in everyone’s mind, is hardly helping matters. Add a potential political crisis in Greece and Italy, and suddenly a whole lot of unexpected variables have to be “priced in.”

Courtesy of AP, here are questions and answers about how the two standoffs, now intertwined, could affect the economy and financial markets:

Q. What exactly will happen within the next days and weeks?

Read moreU.S. Government Shutdown Looms: A Q&A On What Happens Next (And Who Stays At Home)

Boehner: ‘House Votes To Keep Govt’ Running’; US Troops Will Be Paid During Government Shutdown

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– Boehner: “House Votes To Keep Govt’ Running”; US Troops Will Be Paid During Government Shutdown (ZeroHedge, Sep 29, 2013):

Just like that, we are back to square minus one, with the House again punting to the senate:

  • HOUSE VOTES 231 TO 192 TO DELAY OBAMACARE FOR ONE YEAR, AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
  • 2 DEMOCRATS VOTE YES, 2 REPUBLICANS VOTE NO
  • HOUSE UNANIMOUSLY VOTES 423-0 ON “PAY OUR MILITARY ACT” ENSURING TROOPS ARE PAID DURING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Boehner promptly took to Twitter to be social-network(ally) hip:

As reported earlier, the Senate will promptly squash said bill once again as it did with the defunding CR, in effect leaving essentially no time to cobble a deal together ahead of the the October 1 government shutdown.

Read moreBoehner: ‘House Votes To Keep Govt’ Running’; US Troops Will Be Paid During Government Shutdown

Berlusconi Has Last Laugh As Italy Scrambles To Contain Fallout From Government Collapse

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– Berlusconi Has Last Laugh As Italy Scrambles To Contain Fallout From Government Collapse (ZeroHedge, Sep 29, 2013):

Following yesterday’s unexpected (if not shocking) news that ministers from Berlusconi’s PDL have resigned en masse in order to push for new elections, leading to the latest Italian government crisis (in a long and distinguished series), Italy’s premier Letta and president Napolitano are scrambling to preserve some stability, and not only they but moments ago Ansa reported that the management and supervisory boards of Italian megabank Intesa are set to meet at 6 pm, as not even the most optimistic see an easy way out of the political dead end Italy has found itself in now.

Read moreBerlusconi Has Last Laugh As Italy Scrambles To Contain Fallout From Government Collapse

House Votes To Delay Obamacare By One Year; Checks To Senate Democrats – Shutdown ‘Inevitable’?

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– House Votes To Delay Obamacare By One Year; Checks To Senate Democrats – Shutdown ‘Inevitable’? (ZeroHedge, Sep 29, 2013):

On a rare Saturday session (now Sunday); in a not-too-surprising vote down party lines, the House has voted in favor of the continued-military-funding, medical-device-tax-repealing, Obamacare-delaying continuing resolution that keeps the government paid until December 15th…

  • *HOUSE PASSES 231-192 OBAMACARE DELAY IN U.S. SPENDING BILL
  • *HOUSE VOTES 423-0 TO FUND TROOPS IF GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN

Now it’s off to the Senate and Harry Reid’s ‘over-my-dead-body’ as the White House prepares for Government Shutdown.. (and/or veto) with little (or no) time to cobble together a last-minute deal.

Read moreHouse Votes To Delay Obamacare By One Year; Checks To Senate Democrats – Shutdown ‘Inevitable’?

Thanks To Obamacare, Employer-Based Health Insurance Is Becoming An Endangered Species

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– Thanks To Obamacare, Employer-Based Health Insurance Is Becoming An Endangered Species (Economic Colapse, Sep 28, 2013):

Barack Obama promised to fundamentally transform America, and when it comes to health care he has definitely kept his promise.  Thanks to Obamacare, health care spending is up, health insurance premiums are up, the number of hours Americans are working is down and employer-based health insurance is becoming an endangered species.  Of course employer-based health insurance will not disappear completely any time soon, but it has been steadily shrinking for over a decade, and Obamacare will greatly accelerate that decline.  If you go back to 1999, 64.1 percent of all Americans were covered by employment-based health insurance.  That was pretty good.  Today, only 54.9 percent of all Americans are covered by employment-based health insurance, and now thousands upon thousands of U.S. employers are considering reducing the scope of the health plans they offer to employees or eliminating them altogether due to Obamacare.  If you are thinking that this sounds like a potential nightmare for millions of Americans families, you would be exactly right.

Read moreThanks To Obamacare, Employer-Based Health Insurance Is Becoming An Endangered Species

Bashing Syria And Iran (Veterans Today)

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– Bashing Iran and Syria (Veterans Today, Sep 28, 2013):

A previous article called Iran bashing longstanding. It’s been ongoing for nearly 35 years. It’s unrelenting. Lies substitute for truth and full disclosure.

The same holds for Syria. Assad’s defending his country responsibly. He’s doing so against foreign invaders. He’s wrongfully blamed for Western-enlisted death squad crimes.

It doesn’t matter what’s true of false. Lying for power is longstanding major media practice.

Read moreBashing Syria And Iran (Veterans Today)

No. 2 U.S. Nuke Commander Tim Giardina Suspended & Under Investigation

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– Tim Giardina Suspended: No. 2 U.S. Nuke Commander Under Investigation (Huffington Post, Sep 28, 2013):

WASHINGTON — The No. 2 officer at the military command in charge of all U.S. nuclear war-fighting forces is suspected in a case involving counterfeit gambling chips at a western Iowa casino and has been suspended from his duties, officials said.

Navy Vice Adm. Tim Giardina has not been arrested or charged, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation special agent David Dales said Saturday. The state investigation is ongoing.

Giardina, deputy commander at U.S. Strategic Command, was suspended on Sept. 3 and is under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a Strategic Command spokeswoman said.

Read moreNo. 2 U.S. Nuke Commander Tim Giardina Suspended & Under Investigation

U.S. Bans Agricultural And Fishery Products From Japan Due To Radionuclide Contamination

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– FDA Import Alert: U.S. bans agricultural and fishery products from 14 prefectures in Japan due to Fukushima radionuclides — Top Newspaper: Concern over contamination is spreading to most countries around Pacific (ENENews, Sep 28, 2013):

Dong-A Ilbo, Sept. 28, 2013 (Korea’s top newspaper): […] Concerns over Japan’s radioactive contamination and its seafood is spreading to most countries in the Pacific basin. The United States has recently banned agricultural and fishery imports from 14 prefectures in Japan, up from eight. South Korea puts a similar ban on fishery imports from eight prefectures, while China and Taiwan does so for 10 and five prefectures, respectively. [… The IAEA’s] upcoming probe needs to shed light on the cause and situation of soil and sea water contamination. […] It would be much better if experts from South Korea, the United States and China participate in the investigation. It is natural for a global organization to intervene in an international issue. […]

FDA Import Alert 99-33, Sept. 9, 2013: Detention Without Physical Examination of Products from Japan Due to Radionuclide Contamination […] NOTE: Revision to this Import Alert dated September 9, 2013 adds multiple products to the list of products restricted by the Government of Japan […] Previous revisions to this Import Alert dated March 23, April 12, April 14, April 20, April 21, May 9, June 13, July 6, October 21, 2011, February 1, 2012 and July 25, 2012 provided updates to the products and/or prefectures subject to detention without physical examination. […] The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant houses several nuclear reactors that have posed signs of a potential threat of radiological contamination to the surrounding areas. Due to the public health concerns that are associated with radiation and nuclear contamination, FDA has increased surveillance of regulated products from Japan. […] Guidance: Districts may detain, without physical examination, the specified products from firms in the ***Fukushima, Aomori, Chiba, Gumna, Ibaraki, Iwate, Miyagi, Nagano, Niigata, Saitama Shizuoka, Tochigig, Yamagata and Yamanashi prefectures.*** […] FDA will continue monitoring the public health risks due to radionuclide contamination, and when appropriate will remove the Import Alert and resume routine coverage of entries. […]

The FBI Has Been Using Drones Domestically Since 2006

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– The FBI Has Been Using Drones Domestically Since 2006 (Liberty Blitzkrieg, Sep 28, 2013):

So about that whole drone debate in the USA…

It seems the feds decided to simply skip over such a quaint notion and deploy them without telling anyone. Back in December of last year, I highlighted a press release from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) about current drone flights in the U.S. They disclosed that:

Today EFF posted several thousand pages of new drone license records and a new map that tracks the location of drone flights across the United States.

These records, received as a result of EFF’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), come from state and local law enforcement agencies, universities and—for the first time—three branches of the U.S. military: the Air Force, Marine Corps, and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

That story was big news to me at the time, and it was particularly disturbing in light of the fact that Congress has cleared the way for the Federal Aviation Administration to allow 30,000 drones in the nation’s skies by 2020. Well it appears that the whole drone debate was over before it even began, with the FBI having used drones domestically for at least seven years.

From the LA Times:

WASHINGTON – Operating with almost no public notice, the FBI has spent more than $3 million to operate a fleet of small drone aircraft in domestic investigations, according to a report released Thursday by a federal watchdog agency.

Senator Ron Wyden: NSA ‘Repeatedly Deceived The American People’

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– Sen. Ron Wyden: NSA ‘repeatedly deceived the American people’ (Guardian, Sep 27, 2013):

About the Snowden disclosures, the Oregon Democrat told the NSA chief: ‘the truth always manages to come out’

(updated below – Update II [Sat.])

The Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday held a hearing, ostensibly to investigate various issues raised about the NSA’s activities. What the hearing primarily achieved instead was to underscore what a farce the notion of Congressional oversight over the NSA is.

In particular, the current chair of the Senate Committee created in the mid-1970s to oversee the intelligence community just so happens to be one of the nation’s most steadfast and blind loyalists of and apologists for the National Security State: Dianne Feinstein. For years she has abused her position to shield and defend the NSA and related agencies rather than provide any meaningful oversight over it, which is a primary reason why it has grown into such an out-of-control and totally unaccountable behemoth.

Read moreSenator Ron Wyden: NSA ‘Repeatedly Deceived The American People’