Infinite

16 Signs That Most Americans Are NOT PREPARED For The Coming Economic Collapse

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– 16 Signs That Most Americans Are NOT PREPARED For The Coming Economic Collapse (Economic Collapse, April 8, 2014):

Sometimes I think that I sound like a broken record.  I am constantly using phrases such as “get prepared while you still can” and “time is running out”.  In fact, I use them so often that people are starting to criticize me for it.  But the truth is that only a small percentage of people out there are actively taking steps to get ready for what is coming.  Most of the country is not prepared at all.  In many ways, it is just like 2007 all over again.  There were many people that could see what was about to happen and were doing all they could to warn people, but most did not listen.  And then the great financial crisis of 2008 struck and millions of people lost their jobs and their homes.  Unfortunately, the next great wave of the economic collapse is going to be even more painful than the last one.  It is imperative that people get prepared for what is on the horizon, but for the most part it is just not happening.

Read more16 Signs That Most Americans Are NOT PREPARED For The Coming Economic Collapse

The Obama Administration Wants Gun Owners To Wear RFID Tracking Bracelets?

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– The Obama Administration Wants Gun Owners To Wear RFID Tracking Bracelets? (The American Dream, April 8, 2014):

Attorney General Eric Holder says that gun owners in the United States could eventually be forced to wear RFID tracking bracelets.  In fact, in recent testimony in front of Congress he gave the impression that this was something that the Obama administration has been thinking about for quite a long time.  Holder seems to think that this would advance the cause of “gun safety” and that gun owners wouldn’t mind having an RFID microchip tracking their every movement.  Apparently he does not know gun owners very well, because most of the gun owners that I know would be extremely resistant to the idea of being “chipped”.  But this is yet another example of how the Obama administration plans to erode Second Amendment rights.  They want to put up as many obstacles as possible to owning and using guns.

When I first came across the testimony by Eric Holder that I am about to share with you, I could hardly believe it.  This seemed like something that you would see on “The Onion” or on some other satire website.  But this is very, very real.  Eric Holder really does seem quite interested in having gun owners wear RFID tracking bracelets.

Read moreThe Obama Administration Wants Gun Owners To Wear RFID Tracking Bracelets?

What In The World Is Happening To The Nasdaq?

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– What In The World Is Happening To The Nasdaq? (Economic Collapse, April 7, 2014):

All of a sudden, the Nasdaq is absolutely tanking.  On Monday, it fell more than 1 percent after dropping 3.6 percent on Thursday and Friday combined.  At this point, the Nasdaq is off to the worst start to a year that we have seen since 2008, and we all remember what happened back then.  So why is this happening?  In recent years, the Nasdaq has been ground zero for “dotcom bubble 2.0”.  The hottest stocks in the entire world are on the Nasdaq – we are talking about stocks like Yahoo, Netflix, Apple, Tesla, Google and Facebook.  Those stocks have gone to absolutely incredible heights, but now they are starting to fall.  Some are blaming insider selling, and without a doubt the “smart money” is starting to flee the stock market.  Just check out this chart.  Others are blaming low expectations for first-quarter earnings or the tapering of quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve.  But whatever is causing this decline, it is starting to get alarming.  The Nasdaq just experienced its largest three day fall since November 2011.

No stock can resist gravity forever.  What goes up must eventually come down.  This is especially true for stock prices that become grotesquely distorted.

Read moreWhat In The World Is Happening To The Nasdaq?

The Air Force’s Secret Space Plane Has Been Up In Orbit For Nearly 500 Days … And The Pentagon Still Won’t Say What The X-37B Is Doing Up There

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– Secret Spaceplane, Mystery Mission (The Daily Beast, April 7, 2014):

The Air Force’s secret space plane has been up in orbit for nearly 500 days—a space endurance record. But nearly a year and a half into the mission, the Pentagon still won’t say what the X-37B is doing up there, or when it might come back.

The U.S. Air Force boosted the robotic X-37B atop the nose of an Atlas-5 rocket in December 2012. Since then it’s orbited the Earth thousands of times, overflying such interesting places as North Korea and Iran.

Similar to the Space Shuttle in appearance, the diminutive X-37B is about a quarter the size of the old shuttles. But there are major differences. Lacking a crew, the spacecraft has no cockpit windows. The X-37B has a payload bay about the size of a pickup truck bed.

Read moreThe Air Force’s Secret Space Plane Has Been Up In Orbit For Nearly 500 Days … And The Pentagon Still Won’t Say What The X-37B Is Doing Up There

Michelle Obama’s School Lunches In Pictures: ‘Is That Photo Taken From Death Row?’

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– Michelle Obama’s School Lunches In Pictures: “Is That Photo Taken From Death Row?” (Freedom Outpost, April 8, 2014)

Read moreMichelle Obama’s School Lunches In Pictures: ‘Is That Photo Taken From Death Row?’

US Border Patrol Agents Held At Gunpoint By Mexican Military Inside US Borders

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– US Border Patrol Agents Held at Gunpoint by Mexican Military Inside US Borders (Freedom Outpost, April 7, 2014):

Yes, you read the title correctly. The administration that refuses to seal the border, tells our Border Patrol agents to throw things, run and hide and above all else, don’t use their guns, which we are told they train with using millions of rounds each year, is finally seeing the fruit of their policies. On January 26 of this year, two heavily armed camouflaged soldiers from Mexico actually crossed 50 yards inside Arizona and held American Border Patrol agents at gunpoint in a tense confrontation.

Judicial Watch reports:

Armed with assault-style weapons, the Mexican soldiers retreated back south after a 35-minute standoff as if nothing ever happened and the Obama administration just let it slide. The unbelievable foray was made public by a mainstream newspaper that obtained government documents with alarming details of the January 26 incident. Specifically, the paper cites the Border Patrol Foreign Military Incursion report and a separate letter from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, an Obama appointee who was recently sworn in.

Read moreUS Border Patrol Agents Held At Gunpoint By Mexican Military Inside US Borders

Vatican Rejects ‘Chosen People’ Claim, Calls On Israel To End ‘Occupation’

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– Vatican rejects “chosen people” claim, calls on Israel to end “occupation” (RT, Oct 30, 2010):

A high-ranking Israeli official on Sunday slammed a statement from Catholic bishops, who called for international organizations to lead the cause of Palestinian statehood.

Greek-Melchite Archbishop Cyrille Bustros sparked an interreligious firestorm when he suggested that Israel was “using Scripture” to continue its occupation of Palestinian territory.

“The Holy Scriptures cannot be used to justify the return of Jews to Israel and the displacement of the Palestinians,” Bustros said at the close of a two-week conference in Rome, Italy, “to justify the occupation by Israel of Palestinian lands.”

The Archbishop then questioned the biblical idea of a “promised land” set aside by a specific group of people.

“We Christians cannot speak of the promised land as an exclusive right for a privileged Jewish people,” Bustros continued. “This promise was nullified by Christ. There is no longer a chosen people – all men and women of all countries have become the chosen people.”

Read moreVatican Rejects ‘Chosen People’ Claim, Calls On Israel To End ‘Occupation’

Fukushima Children Flee Radiation; ‘Getting Nosebleeds, Growing Pale And Lethargic’ – Father: ‘Cases Of Cancer Are Up … We Are Worried’ – Mother: Don’t Believe It’s As Safe As Gov’t Claims, Raising Questions Can Get You Branded A Troublemaker

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– AP: Fukushima children flee radiation; “Getting nosebleeds, growing pale and lethargic”; Mistrust of officials high — Father: “Cases of cancer are up… we are worried” — Mother: I don’t believe it’s as safe as gov’t claims, raising questions can get you branded a troublemaker (ENENews, April 9, 2014):

Associated Press, Apr. 7, 2014: Fukushima children start school, flee radiation — [Residents of Koriyama, 50 km west of Fukushima Daiichi,] Yukie Hashimoto and her husband sent their daughter 300 kilometers away […] mistrust of the authorities remains high […] eight students – seven in junior high school and one in elementary school – began their new lives this month […] The project is the brainchild of Mayor Akira Sugenoya, a medical doctor who performed more than 100 thyroid-cancer surgeries [after Chernobyl.] For those outside the largely off-limits 20-kilometer zone, taking such a drastic step is relatively rare [and] divided both their family and entire communities. Hashimoto was nervous about speaking to a reporter, because raising questions can get one branded as a troublemaker. She requested that her daughter remain anonymous […] Children are far more vulnerable to radiation than adults. The girl’s grandparents and her college-age brother find the fretting about radiation ridiculous. […] the girl started getting nosebleeds and growing pale and lethargic. That may have had nothing to do with radiation, but it made Hashimoto decide to get her out, and her husband relented. [Kokoro Kamiyama] is happy she can run around outdoors in Matsumoto without wearing a mask.

Read moreFukushima Children Flee Radiation; ‘Getting Nosebleeds, Growing Pale And Lethargic’ – Father: ‘Cases Of Cancer Are Up … We Are Worried’ – Mother: Don’t Believe It’s As Safe As Gov’t Claims, Raising Questions Can Get You Branded A Troublemaker

Ukraine Defense Ministry ‘Warns’ Of Imminent Russian Invasion

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– Ukraine Defense Ministry “Warns” Of Imminent Russian Invasion (ZeroHedge, April 8, 2014):

Ealier we learned that a great number of Americans don’t even know where the Ukraine is located. We also learned that those who actually were familiar with the location of the former USSR nation were the least interested in a US military intervention (as opposed to those who inexplicably thought Ukraine is right next to Omaha or in Alaska). And now, we learn that according to the Defense Ministry of the Ukraine, which is citing a “military expert”, one Dmitry Tymchuk whose pretty maps have graced these pages in the past, Ukraine is sounding the alarm on what it reports is an imminent invasion by Russia into east Ukraine, which could take place as soon as tonight.

From the ministry’s twitter account:

 

And from its Facebook page, where apparently in the social-networked age, military intelligence is distributed:

Invasion of Ukraine planned tonight, says Military Expert Dmitry Tymchuk:

Read moreUkraine Defense Ministry ‘Warns’ Of Imminent Russian Invasion

NATO Members Conduct False Flag Terror In Attempt To Whip Up War

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– NATO Members Conduct False Flag Terror In Attempt to Whip Up War (Washington’s Blog, April 8, 2014):

Turkey Busted for False Flag Terror

Pulitzer-prize winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh (who uncovered the Iraq prison torture scandal and the Mai Lai massacre in Vietnam) says that high-level American sources tell him that the Turkish government carried out the chemical weapons attacks blamed on the Syrian government.

Indeed, it’s long been known that sarin was coming through Turkey.

Turkey is a member of NATO. So we’re really talking about a NATO member launching a false flag attack against a non-NATO member, and then blaming it on the victim.

Indeed, a new tape recording of top Turkish officials planning a false flag attack to be blamed on Syria as a causus belli was just leaked a couple of weeks ago, and confirmed by Turkey as being authentic.

In other words, since the last big Turkish false flag didn’t succeed in launching war against Syria, they’re going to try again.

This is not the first false flag by NATO members. For example:

Read moreNATO Members Conduct False Flag Terror In Attempt To Whip Up War

Overwhelmed By Crime, Argentina Declares Emergency In Buenos Aires

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– Overwhelmed by crime, Argentina declares emergency in Buenos Aires (The Malay Mail, April 7, 2014):

BUENOS AIRES, April 7 — The governor of Buenos Aires, Argentina’s largest, richest and most populated province, has declared a 12-month state of emergency following an outbreak of lynching by furious citizens who feel defenceless and ‘overwhelmed’ by crime.

The situation has become a major political issue with magistrates and the Church calling for restrain.

“This is a fight to defend the most sacred, life” governor of Buenos Aires province Daniel Scioli said and called on “all political forces” to coordinate efforts in the battle against crime.

Read moreOverwhelmed By Crime, Argentina Declares Emergency In Buenos Aires

Edward Snowden: US Government Spied On Human Rights Workers

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– Edward Snowden: US government spied on human rights workers (Guardian April 8, 2014):

Whistleblower tells Council of Europe NSA deliberately snooped on groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International

The US has spied on the staff of prominent human rights organisations, Edward Snowden has told the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Europe’s top human rights body.

Giving evidence via a videolink from Moscow, Snowden said the National Security Agency – for which he worked as a contractor – had deliberately snooped on bodies like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

He told council members: “The NSA has specifically targeted either leaders or staff members in a number of civil and non-governmental organisations … including domestically within the borders of the United States.” Snowden did not reveal which groups the NSA had bugged.

Read moreEdward Snowden: US Government Spied On Human Rights Workers

Ukraine Crisis: NATO Warns Russia Against Further Intervention

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FYI.

– Ukraine crisis: Nato warns Russia against further intervention (BBC News, April 8, 2014):

Nato has warned Russia that further intervention in Ukraine would be a “historic mistake” with grave consequences.

Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Moscow must pull back troops it has massed on the Ukrainian border.

On Tuesday, Ukraine regained control of one of the government buildings occupied by pro-Russian activists in the east of the country.

Moscow has said that using force to end the protests could lead to civil war.

Read moreUkraine Crisis: NATO Warns Russia Against Further Intervention

Retiring SEC Lawyer Crucifies His Employer: ‘It’s A Cancer’ Working On Behalf Of The ‘Bankster Turnpike’

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– Retiring SEC Lawyer Crucifies His Employer: “It’s A Cancer” Working On Behalf Of The “Bankster Turnpike” (ZeroHedge, April 8, 2014):

We wonder: why does the truth about the broken system, as witnessed and experienced by individual employees, always wait until said employee is about to depart their employer or just after? Obviously that is rhetorical. However, it is worth mentioning, because in the latest such revelation, a retiring SEC trail attorney veteran, James Kidney, who had been with the agency since 1986 and retired this month, just crucified his now former employer for doing precisely all those thing that outside critics – notably Zero Hedge – have accused the most co-opted, clueless, corrupt and criminal regulators of doing. Only he said it in a way that not even we could have phrased.

From Bloomberg:

The SEC has become “an agency that polices the broken windows on the street level and rarely goes to the penthouse floors,” Kidney said, according to a copy of his remarks obtained by Bloomberg News. “On the rare occasions when enforcement does go to the penthouse, good manners are paramount. Tough enforcement, risky enforcement, is subject to extensive negotiation and weakening.”

Kidney said his superiors were more focused on getting high-paying jobs after their government service than on bringing difficult cases. The agency’s penalties, Kidney said, have become “at most a tollbooth on the bankster turnpike.”

Wow: another “erudite” former cog in the systemic wheel goes off the reservation and gets all tinfoil bloggy on us. He goes on:

Read moreRetiring SEC Lawyer Crucifies His Employer: ‘It’s A Cancer’ Working On Behalf Of The ‘Bankster Turnpike’

Gov’t Model Shows Radioactive Plume Covering Entire West Coast On March 22, 2011 … 10 Times More Radioactive Than Plume Coming From Fukushima Plant On Same Day

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– Gov’t model shows airborne radioactive plume covering entire west coast of US & Canada on Mar 22, 2011… 10 times more radioactive than plume coming from Fukushima plant on same day — Radiation levels in some plumes had no discernible decrease after crossing Pacific (VIDEO) (ENENews, April 8, 2014):

Fukushima Radioactive Aerosol Dispersion, NOAA: The [HYSPLIT] model was developed by NOAA to follow the transport and dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere. In HYSPLIT, the computation is composed of four components: transport by the mean wind, turbulent dispersion, scavenging and decay. A large number of pollutant particles, which by convention are called “particles” but are just computational “points” (particles or gases), are released at the source location and passively follow the wind. […] March 11th […] by 16:36 a nuclear emergency was reported. By the early morning hours of March 12th, radioactive emissions were occurring […] the simulation from NOAA’s HYSPLIT model shows a continuous release of tracer particles from 12-31 March at a rate of 100 per hour representing the Cesium-137 emitted from Fukushima Daiichi. Each change in particle color represents a decrease in radioactivity by a factor of 10.

Notable Features

Read moreGov’t Model Shows Radioactive Plume Covering Entire West Coast On March 22, 2011 … 10 Times More Radioactive Than Plume Coming From Fukushima Plant On Same Day

Study Finds Deformities ‘Significantly Higher’ In Fukushima Insects – ‘Such Deformations Haven’t Been Reported’ In Species Before

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– PHOTOS: Study finds deformities “significantly higher” in Fukushima insects — “To my knowledge, such deformations haven’t been reported” in species before — Lower body split in half, 2 tail-like appendages — 1,000% higher death rate in young than other Japan area — Urgent investigations called for (ENENews, April 7, 2014):

Ecology and Evolution (Journal), Morphological abnormalities in gall-forming aphids in a radiation-contaminated area near Fukushima Daiichi: selective impact of fallout?, Shin-ichi Akimoto, Graduate School of Agriculture at Hokkaido University, 2014:

Excerpts from Abstract: “This study compared the morphology and viability of gall-forming aphids between the Fukushima population and control populations […] proportions of abnormalities and mortality were significantly higher in Fukushima [and] suggests that radioactive contamination had deleterious effects”

Read moreStudy Finds Deformities ‘Significantly Higher’ In Fukushima Insects – ‘Such Deformations Haven’t Been Reported’ In Species Before

Where’s Ukraine? Only 1 Out Of 6 Americans Correctly Locates The Ukraine On A World Map

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– Where’s Ukraine? (ZeroHedge, April 8, 2014):

Only one out of six Americans could correctly locate Ukraine on a map of the world, but perhaps even more disconcerting, as The Washington Post reports, the farther their guesses were from Ukraine’s actual location, the more they wanted the US to intervene with military force…

Where is Ukraine

As The Washington Post reports,

Accuracy varies across demographic groups. In general, younger Americans tended to provide more accurate responses than their older counterparts: 27 percent of 18-24 year olds correctly identified Ukraine, compared with 14 percent of 65+ year-olds. Men tended to do better than women, with 20 percent of men correctly identifying Ukraine and 13 percent  of women.

Read moreWhere’s Ukraine? Only 1 Out Of 6 Americans Correctly Locates The Ukraine On A World Map

The ‘Crackdown’ Begins: Ukraine Launches “Anti-Terrorist” Operations In Eastern Ukraine, Arrests 70

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– The ‘Crackdown’ Begins: Ukraine Launches “Anti-Terrorist” Operations In Eastern Ukraine, Arrests 70 (ZeroHedge, April 8, 2014):

Despite Russia’s veiled threat that any ongoing action against pro-Russian demonstrators had the potential to instigate civil war and bring action by the Russian forces, Ukraine’s interior minister Arsen Avakov has announced, Reuters reports, that Ukraine has launched an “anti-terrorist” operation in the eastern city of Kharkiv and about 70 “separatists” have been arrested for seizing the regional administration building. Is this the red-line that Putin laid down last night?

As Russia made clear last night, as ITAR-TASS reports,

Read moreThe ‘Crackdown’ Begins: Ukraine Launches “Anti-Terrorist” Operations In Eastern Ukraine, Arrests 70

Murdered Liechtenstein Bank Chief Had Sued Suspect For Extortion

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The headquarters of Bank Frick & Co. AG stands in Balzers near Vaduz, Liechtenstein
The headquarters of Bank Frick & Co. AG stands in Balzers near Vaduz, Liechtenstein

– Murdered Liechtenstein Bank Chief Had Sued Suspect for Extortion (Bloomberg, April 8, 2014):

The murdered chief executive officer of Bank Frick & Co. AG had sued his alleged killer for extortion three years ago, according to the Liechtenstein private bank.

Juergen Frick, 48, was shot yesterday in the firm’s underground garage in the town of Balzers. The suspect, Juergen Hermann, fled the scene and appears to have later committed suicide, according to a police statement.

Read moreMurdered Liechtenstein Bank Chief Had Sued Suspect For Extortion

Russia Accuses US Mercenaries Of Inciting Civil War In Ukraine

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Greystone is a subsidiary of Blackwater (= Xe = Academi).

Related info:

– Ukrainian Authorities To Tame Eastern Regions With Mercenaries From Blackwater Subsidiary

Flashback:

– Blackwater’s Black Ops (The Nation, Oct 4, 2010, by Jeremy Scahill):

…

One of the most incendiary details in the documents is that Blackwater, through Total Intelligence, sought to become the “intel arm” of Monsanto, offering to provide operatives to infiltrate activist groups organizing against the multinational biotech firm.

…

GREYSTONE

– Russia Accuses US Mercenaries Of Inciting Civil War In Ukraine (ZeroHedge, April 7, 2014):

In response to claims by the Ukraine government (and the west) that Russia provoking trouble in Eastern Europe – with The White House’s Jary Carney even suggesting that pro-Russia demonstrators were paid – Russia’s foreign ministry has responded. Posting via their Facebook page, Russia urged Ukraine to halt any interior military preparations which could instigate a civil war. But the kicker, for which we anxiously await a rebuttal, is Russia’s comment that they “are particularly concerned that the operation involves some 150 American mercenaries.”

The US administration perspective… (via WaPo)

In Washington, the Obama administration expressed deep skepticism that the scattered uprisings and building takeovers in cities such as Donetsk and Kharkiv have been spontaneous. “There is strong evidence suggesting some of these demonstrators were paid,” said Jay Carney, the White House spokesman.

“If Russia moves into eastern Ukraine, either overtly or covertly, this would be a very serious escalation,” Carney said.

The Ukrainian perspective…

Read moreRussia Accuses US Mercenaries Of Inciting Civil War In Ukraine

The Father Of High Speed Trading Speaks: ‘The Market We Created Is A Casino; A Complete Mess; A Rigged Game’

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– The Father Of High Speed Trading Speaks: “The Market We Created Is A Casino; A Complete Mess; A Rigged Game” (Zerohedge, April 7, 2014):

While simplistic economist hacks and conflicted industry practitioners who stand to lose their entire revenue stream should HFT be liquidated, not to mention pagreview trolling journos, are suddenly not only experts in HFT, but are convinced allegations that high frequency trading rigs markets are blown out of proportion, here is what one of the actual pioneers of, and erstwhile legends in, computerized trading – the billionaire founder of Timber Hill and Interactive Brokers Thomas Peterffy – the man NPR dubbed the “father of high-speed trading” has to say.

The following excerpt is courtesy of Scott Patterson’s book Dark Pools: The Rise of the Machine Traders and the Rigging of the U.S. Stock Market, which largely covers the same subject matter as Michael Lewis (and well before), and which has been profiled here previously.

Read moreThe Father Of High Speed Trading Speaks: ‘The Market We Created Is A Casino; A Complete Mess; A Rigged Game’

Federal Snipers Train Guns On Family For Filming Cattle – Man Arrested For Expressing Free Speech Outside Of Designated ‘First Amendment Area’

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(Pictured: Cliven Bundy walks by a first amendment area set up by the Bureau of Land Management near Bunkerville, Nev.)

– Federal Snipers Train Guns on Family For Filming Cattle (Infowars, April 7, 2014):

Man arrested for expressing free speech outside of designated “First Amendment Area”

Federal snipers with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) trained guns on members of a family yesterday after they dared to stop and take video footage of cattle outside the bounds of a designated “First Amendment Area,” before arresting one of the men for non-compliance.

sniper training
Image: Sniper Training (YouTube).

The cattle were being rounded up by BLM officers as part of a crackdown on Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who has refused to pay “grazing fees” demanded by the feds as a result of a re-classification of 600,000 acres of federal land in northeastern Clark County which Bundy claims has been in his family for generations.

Some fear the dispute could turn into a Ruby Ridge-style violent standoff because Bundy has said he is prepared to become a martyr for what he perceives as a constitutional stance against tyranny.

Read moreFederal Snipers Train Guns On Family For Filming Cattle – Man Arrested For Expressing Free Speech Outside Of Designated ‘First Amendment Area’

Russia Tells Ukrainians: ‘Referendum’ Or We Can’t Protect You As Ukraine Proposes State Of Emergency

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– Russia Tells Ukrainians: ‘Referendum’ Or We Can’t Protect You As Ukraine Proposes State Of Emegency (ZeroHedge, April 7, 2014):

The relative calm of the last two weeks as US talking-heads proclaim Ukraine ‘fixed’, Russia ‘under control’, and Europe ‘recovering’ is being obliterated this morning. The storming of various non-Crimean Ukrainian city government buildings suggest round two of the push is beginning and Russia is wasting no time explaining how this will go down. Russian Senator Viktor Ozerov stated that “Russia has no right to [send peacekeepers] unilaterally” to Eastern and Southern Ukraine (unless the UN agrees)… but… “Russia is interested in stability in Ukraine. At the same time, the will of the people must be documented. A referendum is the most democratic way of expressing one’s will.” In other words, “we can’t help you unless you hold a referendum to annex.” Stage 2 is beginning… and it seems Ukraine is getting it as they are preparing to issue a state of emergency.

Read moreRussia Tells Ukrainians: ‘Referendum’ Or We Can’t Protect You As Ukraine Proposes State Of Emergency

Peter Schiff: Meet ‘LOWFLATION’: Deflation’s Scary Pal

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– Meet ‘lowflation’: Deflation’s scary pal (RT, April 7, 2014):

Peter Schiff
By Peter Schiff

In recent years a good part of the monetary debate has become a simple war of words, with much of the conflict focused on the definition for the word “inflation.”

Whereas economists up until the 1960’s or 1970’s mostly defined inflation as an expansion of the money supply, the vast majority now see it as simply rising prices. Since then the “experts” have gone further and devised variations on the word “inflation” (such as “deflation,” “disinflation,” and “stagflation”). And while past central banking policy usually focused on “inflation fighting,” now bankers talk about “inflation ceilings” and more recently “inflation targets”. The latest front in this campaign came this week when Bloomberg News unveiled a brand new word: “lowflation” which it defines as a situation where prices are rising, but not fast enough to offer the economic benefits that are apparently delivered by higher inflation. Although the article was printed on April Fool’s Day, sadly I do not believe it was meant as a joke.

Read morePeter Schiff: Meet ‘LOWFLATION’: Deflation’s Scary Pal

Ex-ABN Amro CEO Killed Family Before Hanging Himself

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– Ex-ABN Amro CEO Killed Family Before Hanging Himself (ZeroHedge, April 7, 2014):

Sadly, as suspected – and in line with his CFO in 2009 – the reported death of Jan Peter Schmittmann was indeed suicide. The ex-CEO of ABN Amro hanged himself, but only after murdering his wife, Nally, and 22 year-ol daughter Babette. As Bloomberg reports, a farewell letter was found in the house, but authorities declined further comment on its contents. Schmittmann’s family was cited as saying in the statement that “we knew Jan Peter struggled with severe depression,” and added that their “first concern now is supporting the remaining daughter in coping with this indescribable grief.” Aweful…

As Bloomberg reports,

De Telegraaf reported today that Schmittmann hanged himself, citing two people it didn’t identify.

Bloomberg explains Schmittmann’s history:

Schmittmann joined ABN Amro Holding NV, once among Europe’s biggest banks, in 1983 as an assistant relationship manager and was named head of the lender’s Dutch unit in 2003. As a member of the bank’s executive board, he was responsible for restructuring it along the lines agreed by Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, Fortis and Banco Santander SA in their three-way takeover of the lender in 2007.

A year after the biggest financial-services takeover in history, the credit crunch drove Fortis to the verge of collapse, forcing the Netherlands to take over its Dutch banking and insurance units, including assets of the former ABN Amro in 2008. The Dutch asked Gerrit Zalm to lead the company now called ABN Amro Group NV.

Read moreEx-ABN Amro CEO Killed Family Before Hanging Himself