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ECB Says May Buy Gold, Stocks Next, Admits “Not Sure If Japan’s QE Has Worked”

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gold_bars

– ECB Says May Buy Gold, Stocks Next, Admits “Not Sure If Japan’s QE Has Worked” (ZeroHedge, Nov 17, 2014):

While it remains to be seen if a majority of the Swiss population want their central bank to purchase a whopping 1,500 tons of gold in the coming years, perhaps the most notable event for gold overnight (aside from news that while India exports fell 5% in October, gold and silver imports soared by 280% and 136% Y/Y, respectively), came from ECB Executive Board member Yves Mersch who in a speech in Frankfurt said that the ECB balance-sheet expansion is “neither an end in itself nor a fetish.” As quoted by Bloomberg, the ECB member said that  “the effect on rates that comes along with it is at best a collateral benefit.”

Nothing new here: we have discussed why unlike Japan and the US, the biggest gating factor for Europe is the presence of freely-available, unencumbered collateral that could, at least in theory, be purchased by the ECB. Which brings us to the Mersch punchline: “Theoretically the ECB could purchase other assets such as gold, shares, ETFs to fulfill its promise of adopting further unconventional measures to counter a longer period of low inflation.”

Read moreECB Says May Buy Gold, Stocks Next, Admits “Not Sure If Japan’s QE Has Worked”

Boise boasts biggest November snowfall on record

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– Boise boasts biggest November snowfall on record (Ice Age Now, Nov 16, 2014):

At 3 p.m. on November 14, the National Weather Service reported that Boise’s snowfall total for the storm reached 7.6 inches – a new November record.

That surpassed the previous record snowfall for Boise (Idaho) in November of 7.4 inches in 1935.

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/boise/2014/nov/14/another-record-broken-now-biggest-november-snowfall-record/

Vladimir Putin Claims He Is leaving G20 Early Because He Needs More Sleep

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Related info:

– Putin Arrived At G-20 Meeting Escorted By 4 Warships; Sent Clear ‘Message’ By World Leaders

putin-cameron
Vladimir Putin leaving G20 early “to get some sleep”

– Vladimir Putin claims he is leaving G20 early because he needs more sleep (Telegraph, Nov 16, 2014):

Vladimir Putin rejects claims that he is leaving the G20 early because of tense meetings with David Cameron and other western leaders

Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, claims he has left the G20 early because he is tired and needs more sleep before returning to work on Monday.

Mr Putin flew out of Brisbane in Australia amid intense criticism from other Western leaders over Russia’s intervention in the Ukraine.

However, Mr Putin claimed that his decision to leave was nothing to do with the tense meetings he has held with leaders including David Cameron and Francois Hollande, the French President.

Read moreVladimir Putin Claims He Is leaving G20 Early Because He Needs More Sleep

Ukraine Bank Runs Begin As Poroshenko Plans To Sever Socio-Economic Ties With Separatist-Held Regions

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– Ukraine Bank Runs Begin As Poroshenko Plans To Sever Socio-Economic Ties With Separatist-Held Regions (ZeroHedge, Nov 16, 2014):

In what the pro-Russian separatists call “an act of genocide,” Ukraine’s President Poroshenko signed a decree Friday that will explicitly withdraw state support for the regions within a month. While appearing to implicitly recognize the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as autonomous, the decree means that the central bank will no longer service bank accounts, prisoners will be transferred (inmates with minor offences will be released), and perhaps most troubling as the cold winter begins, the order covers all public services, including crucial ones, such as schools, hospitals, and emergency services; and local heating and power plants will be subject to new laws that could involve cutting energy supplies altogether to the plants that don’t pay. Luhansk’s leader exclaimed, “the total socio-economic blockade of Donbass is de facto an act on genocide and devastation of our people,” and as the images below show, bank runs have already begun across the region with long lines forming at ATMs.

Read moreUkraine Bank Runs Begin As Poroshenko Plans To Sever Socio-Economic Ties With Separatist-Held Regions

WTF: Cops Burst Into School, Weapons Drawn, In Surprise ‘Active Shooter Drill’

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Cops burst into school, weapons drawn, in surprise active shooter drill

– Cops burst into school, weapons drawn, in surprise ‘active shooter drill’ (RT, Nov 16, 2014):

Teachers and students at a Florida middle school got the shock of their lives as an unannounced ‘lockdown active shooter drill’ sparked panic as police burst into classrooms with weapons drawn, drawing sharp criticism from the community.Students at Jewett Middle Academy in Winter Haven, Florida, spoke of the terror they experienced as police officers carried out their ‘active shooter drill’ inside classrooms – without informing teachers ahead of time about the exercise.

Read moreWTF: Cops Burst Into School, Weapons Drawn, In Surprise ‘Active Shooter Drill’

What A Difference A Week Makes In International Diplomacy

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Putin-G20

– What A Difference A Week Makes In International Diplomacy (ZeroHedge, Nov 16, 2014):

It is often said that a picture paints a thousand words, so here are 3000 words on the state of international diplomacy.

Last week’s APEC Summit… Putin between China’s Xi and Brunei’s Hassanal Bolkiah with Obama positioned with the wives…

APEC 2014 big

This week’s G-20 Meeting… Obama front-and-center between China’s Xi and Brazil’s Rousseff (just in front of Britain’s Cameron) with Putin almost out of shot

Read moreWhat A Difference A Week Makes In International Diplomacy

U.S. State Department Hacked, Shuts Down Worldwide Email System

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– State Department Hacked, Shuts Down Worldwide Email System (ZeroHedge, Nov 16, 2014):

As the G-20 meeting comes to a ‘successful’ end with back-patting congratulations having agreed to create $2 trillion more GDP out of thin air (or maybe hookers and blow), it appears that someone – or more than one – among these nations was less than diplomatic towards every nations’ best friend – America. As AP reports, The State Department has taken the unprecedented step of shutting down its entire unclassified email system as technicians repair possible damage from a suspected hacker attack. Earlier attacks have been blamed on Russian or Chinese attackers, although their origin has never been publicly confirmed.

Read moreU.S. State Department Hacked, Shuts Down Worldwide Email System

The Real Reason Why Germany Halted Its Gold Repatriation From The NY Fed

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– The Real Reason Why Germany Halted Its Gold Repatriation From The NY Fed (ZeroHedge, Nov 16, 2014):

Following the stunning announcement in January 2013 that the Bundesbank would repatriate 674 tons of gold from the NY Fed and the French Central Bank, a year later the Bundesbank followed up with a just as stunning revelation that of the 84 tons the bank was supposed to bring back home, it had managed to obtain just a paltry 37 tons, with only 5 tons originating from the NY Fed.

The reason given for this disappointing amount was as follows:

Read moreThe Real Reason Why Germany Halted Its Gold Repatriation From The NY Fed

Obama Comments On Grubergate: “I Did Not Mislead Americans” Even As Gruber Pocketed Millions

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– Obama Comments On Grubergate: “I Did Not Mislead Americans” Even As Gruber Pocketed Millions (ZeroHedge, Nov 16, 2014):

The last thing Obama needed brought up during the just concluded G-20 conference, where world leaders generously agreed to boost global GDP by $2 trillion (let’s all hold our breath while they “just go find a cash machine“) while bashing Putin pretty much non-stop for 48 hours to the point where the Russian leader left early (due to “lack of sleep“), was the whole “Gruber thing”, i.e., the recent revelations that the architect of the “Affordable” Care Act, Jonathan Gruber, relied on the “stupidity of American voters” to pass Obamacare. Sadly for the American president, not even halfway around the world could he get away from the humiliation that has clouded his one and only domestic policy “success” in his 6 year tenure.

Read moreObama Comments On Grubergate: “I Did Not Mislead Americans” Even As Gruber Pocketed Millions

ISIS video shows beheading of US hostage Peter Kassig

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FYI.

ISIS-1

– ISIS video shows beheading of US hostage Peter Kassig (RT, Nov 16, 2014):

US President Obama has confirmed the beheading of US aid worker Peter Kassig by Islamic State militants, after a video on social media purported to show his death. The militant group has further threatened to kill other US citizens “on your streets.”

“Today we offer our prayers and condolences to the parents and family of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known to us as Peter,” Obama told reporters on Air Force One during his homeward bound trip from Australia.

Obama went on to praise Kassig, labeling the act in which he was killed as one of “pure evil.”

Read moreISIS video shows beheading of US hostage Peter Kassig

Jihadis Using Cruise Ships to Reach Middle East (Not Satire)

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H/t reader squodgy:

“You really cannot make this up……..Next they’re going to be setting up road blocks everywhere because they think terrorists are hiding in our fuel tanks.”

Cruising to Jihad
Cruising to Jihad

– Jihadis Using Cruise Ships to Reach Middle East (Not Satire) (The Dissenter, Nov 13, 2014):

Ho ho, this is just hilarious. But serious.

You know what cruises are, right? A couple of days at sea, a day or two in some cheesy port, mostly time spent eating madly at buffets, sucking down booze, laying in the sun in between turns at the buffet and the bar, that kind of thing. Other than regular occurrences of alcohol poisoning, heart attacks on the massage tables and the occasional passenger overboard, cruises are pretty laid back vacations.

(Cue ominous music) Until. Now.

Read moreJihadis Using Cruise Ships to Reach Middle East (Not Satire)

‘Anyone with a pulse’: British Army to recruit over 50s as reserves dwindle

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Britains Minister for Reserves, Julian Brazier
Britains Minister for Reserves, Julian Brazier

– ‘Anyone with a pulse’: British Army to recruit over 50s as reserves dwindle (RT, Nov 14, 2014):

Britons over the age of 50 will soon be able to join the UK’s Army Reserve in a Ministry of Defence (MoD) drive to bolster the force’s recruitment rate.

The strategy was sparked by recent attacks on the nation’s recruitment figures for part-time soldiers. Critics condemned the reserve battalion’s dwindling numbers as “embarrassing” and “shocking” in the wake of a failed coalition drive to attract thousands of new recruits.

Senior army officers have been accused of “Dad’s army desperation,” with one retired commander warning The Times “they will take anyone with a pulse.”

Read more‘Anyone with a pulse’: British Army to recruit over 50s as reserves dwindle

Putin Arrived At G-20 Meeting Escorted By 4 Warships; Sent Clear ‘Message’ By World Leaders

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– Putin Arrives At G-20 Meeting Escorted By 4 Warships; Sent Clear ‘Message’ By World Leaders (ZeroHedge, Nov 15, 2014):

Having been ‘guest-of-honor’ at the APEC Summit the previous week, it appears Russian President Vladimir Putin is getting the ‘Obama-at-APEC’ treatment at the G-20 meeting in Brisbane. Following his ‘odd’ shaped convoy of protection last week, The Independent reports Putin chose a different type of entourage this week as he headed to meet the world’s leaders. Putin has stationed four warships close to Australian waters as he arrived in Australia. Having drawn ridicule from no lesser wit than Britain’s David Cameron who sarcastically bleeted, “I didn’t feel it necessary to bring a warship myself to keep myself safe at this G20, and I’m sure that Putin won’t be in any danger,” when it came time for the team photo, it was clear what ‘message’ was being sent…

…

 

Missouri KKK: We will use ‘lethal force’ against Ferguson protesters

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kkk

– Missouri KKK: We will use ‘lethal force’ against Ferguson protesters (RT, Nov 15, 2014):

The Missouri chapter of the Ku Klux Klan is threatening to use “lethal force” against protesters in Ferguson who threaten their safety, equating some demonstrators to “terrorists.”

Frank Ancona, leader of the KKK’s Missouri operations, has been distributing fliers in the metropolitan St. Louis area warning protesters in Ferguson that those who have threatened police officers and their families will be met with violence themselves.

The flier, obtained by Vice News, is addressed to “the terrorists masquerading as peaceful protesters.” It also states that they have “awakened a sleeping giant.”

“You have been warned by the Klu Klux Klan!” it continues. “There will be consequences for your actions against the peaceful, law abiding citizens of Missouri.”

Read moreMissouri KKK: We will use ‘lethal force’ against Ferguson protesters

$420 MILLION in U.S. Weapons, ‘Sensitive Items’ Go Missing in Afghanistan

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Flashback:

– Pentagon Cannot Account For 2,3 TRILLION Dollars (Video)

US-Special-Forces-Military-Opium-Heroin

– Report: $420M in U.S. Weapons, ‘Sensitive Items’ Go Missing in Afghanistan (Washington Free Beacon, Nov 13, 2014):

Internal Pentagon report highlights ongoing mismanagement 

Nearly $420 million in weapons and other “sensitive items” have gone missing from U.S. Army bases in Afghanistan and are not likely to be recovered due to mismanagement and improper accounting, according to an internal report by the Pentagon’s inspector general obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Some 15,600 pieces of equipment—including “weapons, weapons systems, and sensitive items”—went missing in the past year from Army facilities in Bagram and Kandahar, accounting for around $419.5 million in losses, according to the report, which was issued in late October and marked “for official use only.”

Read more$420 MILLION in U.S. Weapons, ‘Sensitive Items’ Go Missing in Afghanistan

‘Syrian hero boy’ is a FAKE: Norwegian director admits that footage of youngster dodging sniper fire to rescue girl was actually shot on Gladiator film set using professional actors

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Gladiator

– ‘Syrian hero boy’ is a FAKE: Norwegian director admits that footage of youngster dodging sniper fire to rescue girl was actually shot on Gladiator film set using professional actors (Daily Mail, Nov 15, 2014):

  • Video appeared to show boy dodging bullets in streets of countryside town
  • One-minute clip was viewed more than 3.6 million times in just five days
  • But Norwegian director has revealed that it was shot in Malta this summer
  • Explained he wanted to spark a debate about children living in war zones 
  • Lars Klevberg said he did not feel uncomfortable about deceiving viewers 

A video that appeared to show a young Syrian boy running through sniper fire to rescue a young girl is a fake, it has emerged.

The boy was hailed a hero after the one-minute clip, thought to be filmed in Yabroud, a countryside town 50 miles from Damascus, was posted online earlier this week.

But a group of Norwegian filmmakers have today revealed that the footage was in fact shot on location in Malta using professional actors.

Read more‘Syrian hero boy’ is a FAKE: Norwegian director admits that footage of youngster dodging sniper fire to rescue girl was actually shot on Gladiator film set using professional actors

SIMON HEFFER: ‘Savage cuts’? You ain’t seen nothing yet

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FYI.

– SIMON HEFFER: ‘Savage cuts’? You ain’t seen nothing yet (Daily Mail, Nov 15, 2014):

The hysterical complaints from the Left have not ceased in four years. The Government’s cuts are ‘savage’; they are betraying the poor, cruelly cutting welfare, imposing an unfair ‘bedroom tax’ and slashing public sector jobs.

Well, if the Guardian-reading classes think we’ve suffered an excess of austerity since 2010, I have a message for them, and indeed the rest of the country: you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Read moreSIMON HEFFER: ‘Savage cuts’? You ain’t seen nothing yet

What really happened in Beijing: Putin, Obama, Xi — and the back story the media won’t tell you

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apec-us-china-russia-obama-putin-xi

– What really happened in Beijing: Putin, Obama, Xi — and the back story the media won’t tell you (Salon, Nov 14, 2014):

Ukraine, Iran’s nukes, the price of oil: There are ties worthy of a Bourne film, if the media connected the dots

By way of events on the foreign side, the past few weeks start to resemble some once-in-a-while event in the heavens when everyone is supposed to go out and watch as the sun, moon and stars align. There are lots of things happening, and if we put them all together, the way Greek shepherds imagined constellations, a picture emerges. Time to draw the picture.

Read moreWhat really happened in Beijing: Putin, Obama, Xi — and the back story the media won’t tell you

Meet the Warmongering Billionaires Who Will Spend a Fortune to Influence the Next President

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– Meet the Warmongering Billionaires Who Will Spend a Fortune to Influence the Next President (Alternet, Nov 13, 2014):

Clinton has given backers like Saban ample reason for thinking of her as the perfect candidate for Israel. During the 2008 presidential election, Clinton was asked by ABC’s “Good Morning America” what she would do if Iran used a nuclear weapon on Israel. “In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them,” she said. This year, in an interview with the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, she doubled down on her pro-Israel agenda. “If I were the prime minister of Israel, you’re damn right I would expect to have control over security [in the West Bank],” she said.

Read moreMeet the Warmongering Billionaires Who Will Spend a Fortune to Influence the Next President

‘Outraged’ French union urges Hollande to honor Mistral deal, 2,500 jobs at stake

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–  ‘Outraged’ French union urges Hollande to honor Mistral deal, 2,500 jobs at stake (RT, Nov 16, 2014):

One of the French biggest union federations, Workers’ Force, has urged Paris to fulfill the Mistral deal and deliver the two warships to Russia, otherwise 2,500 shipyard employees may lose their jobs.

The union expressed “shock and outrage,” Le Figaro reports, after Paris postponed the delivery on the Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia due to pressure from the US and EU, which imposed several waves of sanctions against Moscow after Crimea joined Russia over the Ukraine crisis.

President Francois Hollande’s decision has put 2,500 workers at risk of redundancy, which is absolutely unacceptable, Workers’ Force representatives told Le Figaro newspaper.

Read more‘Outraged’ French union urges Hollande to honor Mistral deal, 2,500 jobs at stake

And The Biggest Winner From The Oil Price Plunge Is …

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– And The Biggest Winner From The Oil Price Plunge Is… (ZeroHedge, Nov 15, 2014):

“The Chinese, among others, seem to be responding to the lower oil price with additional demand,” notes one tanker executive as Bloomberg reports the number of supertankers sailing toward China’s ports matched a record on Oct. 17 and is still close to that level now. The plunge in price has enabled China to add 35 million barrels to its inventories in the past three months as the nation fills its strategic petroleum reserves, OPEC said yesterday. Furthermore, though the oil slide is hurting nations from Venezuela to Iran – that depend on energy for revenues – ship owners serving the industry’s benchmark Middle East-to-Asia trade routes are reaping the best returns from charters in years as the slump drives down the industry’s single biggest expense. As one analyst notes, “we’ve seen the Chinese buying a lot from the Middle East and that’s really let rates cook.” So it appears the Chinese, in the face of the worst growth and economy in years, are rational enough to buy more at lower prices (as opposed to the buy-more-because-stocks-are-at-all-time-highs Western investors).

A near-record 113 tankers are destined for China…

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As Bloomberg reports,

Read moreAnd The Biggest Winner From The Oil Price Plunge Is …