Month: March 2014

Terrifying Helicopter Armada In Ukraine (Video)

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– This Helicopter Armada In Ukraine Is Absolutely Terrifying:

The situation in Ukraine right now is clearly terrible, and only getting worse, with gunmen seizing the airport and a coast guard station in the Crimea. What might not make it any better, though, is this veritable armada of helicopters flying overhead. Seriously, it’s bigger than most entire air forces.

The title of the video says that the choppers are headed to Bilbek, the colloquial name for Sevastapol Airport in the Crimea, though that’s probably just a guess. It’s entirely possible, though, seeing as how Ukraine may have already taken the airport back. It’s all a bit fluid right now.1

The comments circulating on the various Internets right now pin these as Russian helicopters, though I’m not willing to definitively say that just yet. Both the Ukrainian and the Russian air forces hold large fleets of Mil Mi-24 attack/transport helicopters, which these might be, and it’s difficult to make out the roundels.

Read moreTerrifying Helicopter Armada In Ukraine (Video)

Fukushima Fallout: Japanese Fishing Boats Catch Radioactive Rockfish

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– Fukushima fallout: Japanese fishing co-op catches radiated rockfish (Voice of Russia, Feb 28, 2014):

Japan’s agriculture minister on Friday said that fish caught off the coast of Fukushima prefecture showed radiation levels above the country’s accepted limit.

“The Yumekasago type of fish caught for testing purposes had radiation levels above the allowed limit. Simple tests showed the amount of caesium was 112 becquerels per kilogram and detailed analysis showed 110 becquerels (per kilogram),” said minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Yoshimasa Hayashi in a regular news conference.

Yumekasago is a type of rockfish found around the Far East, ranging from Japan to southern China. Japan’s limit is 100 becquerels per kilogram.

The fishing cooperative in Iwaki city, Fukushima prefecture was surprised as they did not expect to find radiation in the fish, according to a representative from the Japanese media. The cooperative has suspended all shipments of the rockfish.

Read moreFukushima Fallout: Japanese Fishing Boats Catch Radioactive Rockfish

Near-Bankrupt Rome Bailed Out As Italy Unemployment Rises To All Time High, Grows By Most On Record In 2013

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rome

– Near-Bankrupt Rome Bailed Out As Italy Unemployment Rises To All Time High, Grows By Most On Record In 2013 (ZeroHedge, March 1, 2014):

A few days ago, we reported that, seemingly out of the blue, the city of Rome was on the verge of a “Detroit-style bankruptcy.” In the article, Guido Guidesi, a parliamentarian from the Northern League, was quoted as saying “It’s time to stop the accounting tricks and declare Rome’s default.” Of course, that would be unthinkable: we said that if “if one stops the accounting tricks, not only Rome, but all of Europe, as well as the US and China would all be swept under a global bankruptcy tsunami. So it is safe to assume that the tricks will continue. Especially when one considers that as Mirko Coratti, head of Rome’s city council said on Wednesday, “A default of Italy’s capital city would trigger a chain reaction that could sweep across the national economy.” Well we can’t have that, especially not with everyone in Europe living with their head stuck in the sand of universal denial, assisted by the soothing lies of Mario Draghi and all the other European spin masters.” And just as expected, yesterday Rome was bailed out.

Read moreNear-Bankrupt Rome Bailed Out As Italy Unemployment Rises To All Time High, Grows By Most On Record In 2013

Britain Summons Russian Ambassador; Russian Ambassador To US May Be Recalled

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– Britain Summons Russian Ambassador; Russian Ambassador To US May Be Recalled (ZeroHedge, Mar 1, 2014):

While various organizations are scrambling to meet on short notice, or not so short if one is a European finance minister, the diplomatic fallout has begun with the summoning of the Russian Ambassador in Great Britain to the foreign office.

 

This was to be expected. More interest will be whether Russia will “summon” its ambassador to the US as the upper house of parliament has demanded of Putin:

Read moreBritain Summons Russian Ambassador; Russian Ambassador To US May Be Recalled

Connecticut Patriot Group Fights Back Against Confiscation Order: ‘We Are Armed… And Are Familiar With the Finer Points of Marksmanship’

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Patriots-Fight-Back

– Connecticut Patriot Group Fights Back Against Confiscation Order: ‘We Are Armed… And Are Familiar With the Finer Points of Marksmanship’ (SHTFplan, Feb 28, 2014):

The war on liberty is coming to a head in Connecticut, where tens of thousands of gun owners have refused to comply with their state government’s gun registration laws. Officials have literally ordered those who failed to meet the registration deadline to surrender their firearms or face arrest.

The State of Connecticut is now demanding that gun owners across the state turn in all newly-banned, unregistered firearms and magazines or face felony arrest.

Read moreConnecticut Patriot Group Fights Back Against Confiscation Order: ‘We Are Armed… And Are Familiar With the Finer Points of Marksmanship’

Ukraine Ultranationalist Leader Vows To Hang New Interior Minister ‘Like A Dog’ (Video)

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YouTube Added: Mar 1, 2014

Description:

Some of those who helped the current Kiev government into power, are already vowing to turn against the new authorities. Radical militant leader Aleksadndr Muzychko is seen in the video reacting to the Interior Minister’s pledge to investigate his recent actions. Muzyuchko is known for his anti-semitic and neo-nazi views, as well as for fighting against Russian troops in the Chechen campaign in the 1990s.

Officers Of 76th Russian Shock Troops Division Operating In Ukraine

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– Officers Of 76th Russian Shock Troops Division Operating In Ukraine (ZeroHedge, Feb 28, 2014):

Everyone is curious who those unmarked men in unforms that have been seen in youtube clips from the Crimea are. Courtesy of Russian blogger Lev Shlosberg who writes for the newspaper Pskovskaya Guberniya, we now have an answer: according to him they are the officers of the 76th Chernihov (Pskov) Storm Troops Division and have slowly dispersed across key choke points in Ukraine.

From his post, translated by Interpretermag.com

Read moreOfficers Of 76th Russian Shock Troops Division Operating In Ukraine

Ukraine’s Acting President Puts All Armed Forces On Full Combat Alert

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– Ukraine’s Acting President Puts All Armed Forces On Full Combat Alert (ZeroHedge, Mar 1, 2014):

In a stunning 24 hours, it now appears that Russia and the Ukraine are one formal announcement away from a state of war. From moments ago, as reported by Bloomberg:

  • UKRAINE ACTING PRESIDENT PUTS ALL FORCES ON FULL COMBAT ALERT

And this, as reported by the NYT, virtually assures the escalation to a hot war, as some provocation, somewhere will certainly take place: “a Ukrainian military official in Crimea said Ukrainian soldiers had been told to “open fire” if they came under attack by Russia troops or others.”

From Reuters:

Ukraine put its armed forces on full combat alert on Saturday and warned Russia that any military intervention in the country would lead to war.

Read moreUkraine’s Acting President Puts All Armed Forces On Full Combat Alert

The Invasion So Far: Visual Summary Of Russian Forces And Movements

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– The Invasion So Far: Visual Summary Of Russian Forces And Movements (ZeroHedge, March 1, 2014):

Moments ago Interfax reported that two Russian anti-submarine warships have appeared off the coast of Ukraine’s Crimea region, violating an agreement on Moscow’s lease of a naval base, according to a Ukrainian military source as saying. Then again what else would a Ukrainian military source say. The source added that the two vessels, part of Russia’s Baltic Fleet, had been sighted in a bay at Sevastopol, where Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet has a base.

So imagine two extra anti-sub ships off Sevastopol in the map below which until this latest update from Contemporary Issues and Geography, was keeping an accurate running update of all the most recent developments in the staggered Russian invasion of the Ukraine.

Russian Invasion so far_1_0

Obama Cautions Putin As Russia OKs Use Of Military Force In Ukraine – United Nations Security Council Emergency Meeting In New York

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Armed servicemen wait in Russian army vehicles outside a Ukranian border guard post in the Crimean town of Balaclava
Armed servicemen wait in Russian army vehicles outside a Ukranian border guard post in the Crimean town of Balaclava March

– Obama cautions Putin as Russia OKs use of military force in Ukraine (Al Jazeera, March 1, 2013):

United Nations Security Council holds emergency meeting in New York; European foreign ministers to meet in Brussels

Russia’s upper house of parliament Saturday approved President Vladimir Putin’s request to send troops into Ukraine, escalating geopolitical tensions a week after Ukrainian protesters forced out pro-Russian president, Victor Yanukovich, and established an interim government.

The Russian parliament also recommended that Putin recall the country’s ambassador to the United States. Russia has objected to what it sees as U.S. support of the pro-European protests and recent U.S. statements cautioning Moscow against intervention in Ukraine.

President Barack Obama warned Russia Friday against military action in Ukraine. There was no immediate reaction from the White House on the possible recall of the Russian ambassador.

Read moreObama Cautions Putin As Russia OKs Use Of Military Force In Ukraine – United Nations Security Council Emergency Meeting In New York

Putin To Use Military In Ukraine

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– Putin To Use Military In Ukraine (ZeroHedge, Mar 1, 2014):

Current US foreign policy in a nutshell: Barack Obama tells Vladimir Putin “there will be costs” if Russia invades Ukraine. What does Putin do? He invades Ukraine. Only this time it’s official: AP reports that the Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked parliament for permission to use the country’s military in Ukraine. Putin says the move is needed to protect ethnic Russians and the personnel of a Russian military base in Ukraine’s strategic region of Crimea.

Read morePutin To Use Military In Ukraine

Obama And Putin Held Phone Conversation

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obama-putin

– Obama And Putin Held Phone Conversation (ZeroHedge, Mar 1, 2014):

Just out from the Kremlin:

On the initiative of the US, a phone call took place between Vladimir Putin and the President of the US, Barack Obama.

Read moreObama And Putin Held Phone Conversation

Pro-Russian Protesters Storm Kharkiv City Administration Building; Russian Flags Hoisted Across East Ukraine

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– Pro-Russian Protesters Storm Kharkiv City Administration Building; Russian Flags Hoisted Across East Ukraine (ZeroHedge, Mar 1, 2014):

Even as Russia has officially deployed its military to the Ukraine, its unofficial involvement in The Crimean was well known for days. A much more notable development would be if protesters in the pro-Russian eastern part of the country were to seize control of the second largest city in the Ukraine, Kharkiv, located just miles from the Russian border as this would quickly give Russia a foothold into the east of the nation with the tactical escalation abilities such a takeover would entail. Which is why the following clip of pro-Russian protesters storming the city administration in Kharkiv is of importance: should Ukraine lose control of the city, or is forced to use troops against the people, it would be just the pretext Russia needs to “defend” citizens in this part of the country, the same argument it used for military intervention in the Crimean.

The UNIAN news agency said thousands of people had gathered outside the building during a protest against the country’s new leaders who ousted President Viktor Yanukovich a week ago.The violence signalled that Ukraine’s new leaders could face a challenge in mainly Russian-speaking regions that oppose the largely pro-Western course charted by the newly installed government.

Kharkiv is not the only place where Pro-Russian forces are finally speaking up.

Read morePro-Russian Protesters Storm Kharkiv City Administration Building; Russian Flags Hoisted Across East Ukraine

Ukraine Acting President Calls Emergency Meeting Of Security Chiefs; Russia Threatens To Cut Off The Gas

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– Ukraine Acting President Calls Emergncy Meeting Of Security Chiefs; Russia Threatens To Cut Off The Gas (ZeroHedge, March 1, 2014):

All the dominoes are tumbling now. Moments after the Russian upper house of parliament approved the decision to use Russian troops in the Ukraine as expected, Ukraine’s acting president called an emergency meeting of security chiefs according to his spokeswoman. Oleksander Turchinov summoned his Security Council after Russian President Vladimir Putin sought parliamentary approval to deploy Russian forces in the Ukrainian region of Crimea. At this point the biggest and perhaps final wildcard is whether NATO does or does not get involved. If it does, and if Russia does not back off – which it has clearly telegraphed it won’t – futures may be looking at a limit down open on Sunday.

Read moreUkraine Acting President Calls Emergency Meeting Of Security Chiefs; Russia Threatens To Cut Off The Gas

Russia vs Ukraine: The Infographic

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– Russia vs Ukraine: The Infographic (ZeroHedge, Mar 1, 2014):

Curious how Ukraine, which with its population of 44 million and size of 603,628 square km makes it the largest single country entirely in Europe, stacks up against Russia? The following infographic should answer some questions regarding the (im)balance of power.

Russia-v-Ukraine

And as a follow up, here is a map showing the location of the various sites of the Russian Navy in the Crimea. These will be the first sites to see a surge in Russian troop presence.

Read moreRussia vs Ukraine: The Infographic

One-Third Of California Town’s Police Force Arrested For Scheming Cars From Poor Hispanics

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One-third of California towns police force arrested for scheming cars from poor Hispanics

– One-third of California town’s police force arrested for scheming cars from poor Hispanics (RT, Feb 27, 2014):

A six-month-long investigation in Central California culminated this week with the arrests of five members of the King City Police Department, the former police chief and the owner of a local towing company.

According to the Monterey County district attorney, for at least three-and-a-half years the city’s top police officers participated in a scheme that took advantage of poor area Hispanics by essentially stealing their cars for profit.

Investigators say King City police ordered hundreds of vehicles to be impounded — most often those driven by Hispanic immigrants — and then either kept the cars for themselves or re-sold them for profit.

Read moreOne-Third Of California Town’s Police Force Arrested For Scheming Cars From Poor Hispanics

Massive Die-Off Of Oysters And Scallops In Pacific Northwest: ‘Millions Of Shellfish Dying’ – ‘By July Mortality Hit 95 To 100 Percent’

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– Massive die-off of oysters and scallops in Pacific Northwest: “Millions of shellfish dying” — Never seen anything like it — “By July mortality hit 95 to 100 per cent” — “Deformed shells, smaller in size” — “Cause is unknown, but ocean acidification is main suspect” (AUDIO) (ENENews,Feb 28, 2014):

Globe and Mail, Feb. 27, 2014: Mystery surrounds massive die-off of oysters and scallops off B.C. coast […] Something is killing oysters and scallops in dramatic numbers […] The cause is unknown, but ocean acidification is the main suspect. […] last year, nearby Pendrell Sound had a massive die-off of wild oysters. […] [Rob Saunders, CEO of Island Scallops] has lost 10 million scallops over the past two years, and smaller companies have had similar problems. Mr. Saunders is pushing for a research project to find out what’s happening. […] one of BC’s biggest suppliers of fresh seafood, said the scallop die-off has rung alarm bells.

CBC, Feb. 25, 2014: The deteriorating health of B.C.’s oceans […] Millions of shellfish are dying off before they can be harvested at Island Scallops […] researchers will try to determine if acidification is to blame or if other factors are at play.

Read moreMassive Die-Off Of Oysters And Scallops In Pacific Northwest: ‘Millions Of Shellfish Dying’ – ‘By July Mortality Hit 95 To 100 Percent’

PBS special on Fukushima starts tonight with rare look inside plant – Correspondent loses arm after filming in Japan – ‘Amputated after an apparently minor injury’

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– PBS special on Fukushima starts tonight with rare look inside plant — Correspondent loses arm after filming in Japan — “Amputated after an apparently minor injury” (VIDEO) (ENENews, Feb 28, 2014):

PBS NewsHour, Feb. 27, 2014: Three years after a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, PBS NewsHour Science Correspondent Miles O’Brien returned to Japan for an update on clean-up efforts and the continuing impact of the radioactive spill. Friday, February 28: Inside Fukushima: Covered head to toe in protective gear and wearing a respiration mask, Miles O’Brien offers NewsHour viewers a rare look inside one of the most dangerous places on earth […]

Media Bistro, Feb. 28, 2014: The first of Miles O’Brien‘s reports from Japan airs tonight on “PBS NewsHour.” O’Brien, the program’s science correspondent, was packing up from the reporting trip on Feb. 12 when one of the equipment cases fell on his left arm. A seemingly innocuous accident resulted two days later in the amputation of his arm, above the elbow.

Read morePBS special on Fukushima starts tonight with rare look inside plant – Correspondent loses arm after filming in Japan – ‘Amputated after an apparently minor injury’

Gundersen: ‘Nuclear Core Has Disintegrated’ At Fukushima Unit 3

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– Gundersen: “Nuclear core has disintegrated” at Fukushima Unit 3 — Japan Energy Expert: Location of melted fuel for 3 reactors is unknown, this has never happened anywhere before (VIDEO) (ENENews, Feb 28, 2014):

Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, Feb. 21, 2014 (at 39:30 in) — Question: What is your assessment of what is going on right now inside the cores of the nuclear reactors? […] Give us your analysis of what the situation of the nuclear core is now. — Hisayo Takada, energy expert at Greenpeace Japan:  Nobody knows, we cannot go into that to look at what it looks like. So that’s the magnitude of this disaster, it is a triple meltdown. Any people never experienced this kind of nuclear disaster and it is still going on.

Jan van de Putte, radiation safety expert at Greenpeace, Feb. 21, 2014 (at 43:00 in): We have […] very little information of the actual situation of the fuel […] exactly where it is, in what state it is, and in what location it is.

Arnie Gundersen interview on Radio New Zealand, Jan. 26, 2014 (at 7:30 in): The worst problem is at the bottom of [Fukushima] Unit 3, the water is much more radioactive than where this leak was. So what that tells me is that the nuclear core has disintegrated and it’s basically a powder. Almost like one of those glass balls you shake up and it makes snow. […] That bodes very poorly for nuclear decommissioning.

Read moreGundersen: ‘Nuclear Core Has Disintegrated’ At Fukushima Unit 3

Japanese Prime Minister Had to Fly In to Fukushima In the Middle of the Night to Get the Scoop from Low-Level Nuclear Workers … Because Tepco Wouldn’t Tell Him the Truth

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– Japanese Prime Minister Had to Fly In to Fukushima In the Middle of the Night to Get the Scoop from Low-Level Nuclear Workers … Because Tepco Wouldn’t Tell Him the Truth (Washington’s Blog, Feb 28, 2014):

Tepco Wouldn’t Even Tell the Truth to the Japanese Leader

In this 27-second video, Amy Goodman summarizes her interview with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan:

We just came from Tokyo. We broadcast for three days from Japan. And we’re going to play the interview I did with the former prime minister, the one in charge at the time [of the Fukushima disaster], Naoto Kan. He said it was extremely difficult to get a straight answer from TEPCO, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, that ran the plants, and he had to fly in. He figured the only place he could get a straight, nonpolitical answer—he flew in the middle of the night to the plant to talk to the workers to figure out whether he had to evacuate 50 million people in Tokyo.

This is not the first time Tepco has been less than honest:

Read moreJapanese Prime Minister Had to Fly In to Fukushima In the Middle of the Night to Get the Scoop from Low-Level Nuclear Workers … Because Tepco Wouldn’t Tell Him the Truth

Japan Orders Killing Of Wild Animals Around Fukushima Nuclear Plant

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– Japan orders killing of wild animals around Fukushima nuclear plant (Voice of Russia, Feb 27, 2014):

The area of four settlements near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has been covered by wild boars, pigs and raccoons. The Ministry of the Environment is drafting a decision to kill the animals that are currently roaming the settlements whence the population has been moved out due to high radiation levels.

Experts believe that a person’s accidental meeting with a wild animal may end in a tragedy, so wild animals should not be allowed to wander about randomly over the area, the Interfax news agency reports.

Read moreJapan Orders Killing Of Wild Animals Around Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Ukraine Acting President Says Russia Has Invaded Ukraine, As 2000 Russian Troops, Military Jets Arrive

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– Ukraine Acting President Says Russia Has Invaded Ukraine, As 2000 Russian Troops, Military Jets Arrive  (ZeroHedge, Feb 28, 2014):

Here we go:

  • UKRAINE ACTING PRESIDENT TURCHYNOV STARTS BRIEFING
  • UKRAINE LEADER SAYS RUSSIA STARTS AGGRESSION AGAINST COUNTRY
  • UKRAINE SAYS RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE UNDER GUISE OF EXERCISE
  • UKRAINE LEADER SAYS RUSSIA TRYING TO PROVOKE CONFLICT
  • UKRAINE LEADER SAYS RUSSIA SEEKING TO ANNEX CRIMEA
  • UKRAINE’S TURCHYNOV SAYS WILL DEFEND ITS INDEPENDENCE
  • UKRAINE ACTING PRESIDENT ACCUSES RUSSIA OF WORKING ON A SCENARIO LIKE BEFORE WAR WITH GEORGIA

From AFP:

Russia has sent “several hundred” troops into Ukraine’s Crimea region, US defense officials said Friday, after Kiev called on Moscow to withdraw its forces from the peninsula.

“It looks like they’ve moved several hundred troops there (into Crimea),” a senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

Read moreUkraine Acting President Says Russia Has Invaded Ukraine, As 2000 Russian Troops, Military Jets Arrive