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Baltic Dry Collapses To Worst Start To A Year On Record

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Prepare for the greatest financial/economic collapse in (known) world history.

– Baltic Dry Collapses To Worst Start To A Year On Record (ZeroHedge, April 9, 2014):

If you listen very carefully, you will still hear absolutely nothing from any talking-heads of the utter collapse that the last few weeks have witnessed in the Baltic Dry shipping index. The Baltic Dry has dropped 12 days in a row and plunged back to $1061 – its lowest since August 2013. This is the worst start to a year on record… must be the weather.

The Baltic Dry has dropped 12 days in a row and is now back to its lowest levels since August 2013… and almost post-crisis lows…

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Which is the worst start to a year since records began 30 years ago…

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The last time we saw a year start like this was 2012 which saw massive concerted co-ordinated central bank easing in Q3 to save us all… it seems that is not coming anytime soon this time…

Data: Bloomberg

Crony Congress: Rep. Mike Rogers Has Links To The Benghazi Scandal Yet Is In Charge Of The Investigation

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More info on benghazi here:

– Unclassified Navy Map Shows U.S. Military Had Multitude Of Forces In The Region During Benghazi Attack

– Crony Congress – Rep. Mike Rogers Has Links to the Benghazi Scandal Yet is in Charge of the Investigation (Liberty Blitzkrieg, April 9, 2014):

For those of you who don’t know Congressman Mike Rogers, he is the Representative hailing from Michigan’s Eighth District. He is also one of the biggest blowhard, chicken-hawk defenders of unconstitutional NSA spying in all of Washington D.C.

Back in 2012, he gave his support to internet spy bill CISPA by proclaiming: “Stand for America! Support this bill!” Naturally, this clown would also serve as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Rogers is notorious for being one of the staunchest critics of Glenn Greenwald. For example, earlier this year he made up all sort of lies about Greenwald in an attempt to smear the journalist. In response, Greenwald had the following to say about Rogers back in February:

Read moreCrony Congress: Rep. Mike Rogers Has Links To The Benghazi Scandal Yet Is In Charge Of The Investigation

An Iowa City With A Population Of 7,000 Will Receive Armored Military Vehicle

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– An Iowa City with a Population of 7,000 Will Receive Armored Military Vehicle (Liberty Blitzkrieg, April 9, 2014):

I’ve covered the militarization of the domestic police force on several occasions on this website. For those of you who need a refresher, I suggest reading the following:

There are Over 50,000 SWAT Team Raids Annually in America

Retired Marine Colonel to New Hampshire City Council: “We’re Building a Domestic Army”

Video of the Day – Thuggish Militarized Police Terrorize and SWAT Team Iowa Family.

Moving along to the subject of today’s absurdity, the tiny city of Washington, Iowa with a population of 7,000 and 11 police officers, will be receiving a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle. Yes, they will be employing one of these in the field:

MRAP1

These things normally cost $500,000, but will be given to Washington, Iowa for free under a Defense Department program that gives surplus military equipment to domestic law enforcement.

Matthew Byrd writes in the Daily Iowan that:

Read moreAn Iowa City With A Population Of 7,000 Will Receive Armored Military Vehicle

Ukraine Warns: Unrest Will Be Ended Within 48 Hours

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– Ukraine: Unrest will be ended within 2 days (KITV/CNN, April 9, 2014):

Western powers blame Russia for inciting separatist unrest

KIEV (CNN) —Ukrainian acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Wednesday that the separatist protests in Ukraine’s eastern region would be resolved within 48 hours — either through negotiations or the use of force.

At the same time, Russia insisted that the presence of its troops just over the border was no reason to worry.

The United States and others have accused Russia of fomenting the separatist unrest as a pretext for military intervention.

Read moreUkraine Warns: Unrest Will Be Ended Within 48 Hours

US Navy To Deploy ‘Game Changing’ Electromagnetic Railgun That Fires At Seven Times The Speed Of Sound

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railgun
The railgun uses speed rather than explosives to destroy its targets and comes equipped with the menacing Latin motto ‘I who am speed, eradicates’

– US to deploy ‘game changing’ electromagnetic railgun that fires at seven times the speed of sound (Independent, April 9, 2014):

The US Navy has announced plans to deploy its first ever electromagnetic railgun, a “game changing” device that fires projectiles without explosives over a distance of 100 miles and at seven times the speed of sound.

Railguns use an electromagnetic force known as the Lorentz Force to rapidly accelerate projectiles between a pair of conductive rails, firing them at a velocity greater than can be achieved by traditional guns and artillery.

This increased velocity means that projectiles do not need to have any explosive payload. Instead, the railgun simply fires a solid lump of metal, relying on the speed of its impact to transfer massive amounts of heat and kinetic energy to the target.

Read moreUS Navy To Deploy ‘Game Changing’ Electromagnetic Railgun That Fires At Seven Times The Speed Of Sound

Organic Wine Producer Nearly Imprisoned For Refusing To Spray Pesticides

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Emmanuel-Giboulot

– Organic Wine Producer Nearly Imprisoned for Refusing to Spray Pesticides (Activist Post, April 8, 2014):

I still don’t feel guilty. It’s intolerable today to be forced to hide and to be frightened for taking a stand. –Emmanuel Giboulot

Last year I wrote about a major pesticide problem in French wines. One that had unfortunate results. For instance, 90% of those wines, even vintage, were contaminated with unsafe pesticide chemical levels. One farmer died from exposure, and wine farmers there were shown to have much higher rates of brain cancer and dementia.

One would think organic wines would be the way to go. French labels depict organic with the words Vin Biologique. But now, with a new directive that completely undermines “organic” – it is uncertain. That is, if this normally very American, Canadian and English trend on choking out organic small farm freedom continues in France.

Read moreOrganic Wine Producer Nearly Imprisoned For Refusing To Spray Pesticides

Another Week, Another Chinese Default

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– Another Chinese High Yield Bond Issuer Declares Bankruptcy (ZeroHedge, April 9, 2014):

Another week, another Chinese default.

A month after Chaori Solar’s default turned on its head a long-held assumption that even high-yielding debt carried an implicit state guarantee, another Chinese firm has succumbed to the inevitable outcome resulting from a lack of cash flows. As a reminder, a technical default late last month by a small construction materials firm, Xuzhou Zhongsen Tonghao New Board Co Ltd, was the first in China’s high-yield bond market. However, in that case the guarantor of that bond eventually agreed to fund the required interest payment, resulting in the first bailout of the first high yield default. Still if Xuzhou didn’t want the distinction of the first Chinese HY default, many are lining up for that particular prize – such as a small manufacturer of polyester yarn based in China’s wealthy Zhejiang province has declared bankruptcy, threatening its ability to meet an interest payment on a high-yield bond due in July.

According to Reuters, the firm sold 60 million yuan ($9.7 million) in bonds in a private placement in January 2013 at an interest rate of 11 percent. The next interest payment is due on July 23, while the bond matures in January next year.

Read moreAnother Week, Another Chinese Default

Are Tensions About To Flare Up Between The U.S., Iran And Russia Over Oil Barter Deal?

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– Are Tensions About to Flare Up Between the U.S., Iran and Russia Over Oil Barter Deal? (Liberty Blitzkrieg, April 8, 2014):

While people remain focused on Russia’s annexation of Crimea and fears that Putin may make aggressive moves in eastern Ukraine, it may be a barter deal between Russia and Iran for oil that takes tensions between the U.S. and Russia to a whole other level.

For example The Washington Post reports that:

As Russia seems poised to extend its land grab into eastern Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is also edging toward a deal with Iran that would make a mockery of the P5+1 interim agreement with Iran. News reports confirm that ”Russia could exchange non-monetary goods for up to 500,000 barrels of Iranian petroleum each day under the possible arrangement, which may ultimately pave the way for as much as $20 billion in trade, insiders told [Reuters] for a Wednesday report.” Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a sanctions guru, is quoted as saying, “If Washington can’t stop this deal, it could serve as a signal to other countries that the United States won’t risk major diplomatic disputes at the expense of the sanctions regime.” Even the State Department acknowledges that the deal would violate the interim deal.

Read moreAre Tensions About To Flare Up Between The U.S., Iran And Russia Over Oil Barter Deal?

40 Central Banks Are Betting This Will Be The Next Reserve Currency

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– 40 Central Banks Are Betting This Will Be The Next Reserve Currency (ZeroHedge, April 8, 2014):

As we have discussed numerous times, nothing lasts forever – especially reserve currencies – no matter how much one hopes that the status-quo remains so, in the end the exuberant previlege is extorted just one too many times. Headline after headlines shows nations declaring ‘interest’ or direct discussions in diversifying away from the US dollar… and as SCMP reports, Standard Chartered notes that at least 40 central banks have invested in the Yuan and several more are preparing to do so. The trend is occurring across both emerging markets and developed nation central banks diversifiying into ‘other currencies’ and “a great number of central banks are in the process of adding yuan to their portfolios.” Perhaps most ominously, for king dollar, is the former-IMF manager’s warning that “The Yuan may become a de facto reserve currency before it is fully convertible.”

The infamous chart that shows nothing lasts forever…

Nothing lasts forever… (especially in light of China’s recent comments)

Reserve Currency Status

As The South China Morning Post reports, Jukka Pihlman, Standard Chartered’s Singapore-based global head of central banks and sovereign wealth funds (who formerly worked at the International Monetary Fund advising central banks on asset-management issues), notes that:

At least 40 central banks have invested in the yuan and several others are preparing to do so, putting the mainland currency on the path to reserve status even before full convertibility

The US dollar remains in charge (for now)…but

Read more40 Central Banks Are Betting This Will Be The Next Reserve Currency

More Americans Go Hungry Than All But 2 European Nations

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– More Americans Go Hungry Than All But 2 European Nations (ZeroHedge, April 8, 2014):

Since 2007, when the financial crisis touched down across the world, the proportion of people going hungry in Europe has soared, according to the OECD. As Bloomberg’s Niraj Shah notes, the number has doubled in Greece alone from 8.9% in 2007 to almost 18% currently unable to afford food. Across the European Union, the proportion of people going hungry ranges from 4.6% in Germany to over 30% in (ironically) Hungary. However, before one gloats at the weakness in Europe and the cleanest dirty shirt the US pretends to be, at 21.1% of Americans unable to afford food, only Hungary and Estonia are in worst shape…

USA USA USA…

population-unable-to-afford-food

Source: @economistniraj via Bloomberg Briefs

 

Volcanoes All Over The Ring Of Fire Are Erupting Right Now – Is The U.S. Next?

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– Volcanoes All Over The Ring Of Fire Are Erupting Right Now – Is The U.S. Next? (Economic Collapse, April 8, 2014):

All of a sudden, the Ring of Fire is starting to tremble violently.  Last month, we had a whole bunch of major earthquakes along the Ring of Fire, and this month volcanoes all over the Ring of Fire are erupting.  Of course there has always been seismic activity within this giant band that stretches around the Pacific Ocean.  After all, approximately 75 percent of all volcanoes are located in the Ring of Fire and approximately 90 percent of all global earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire.  But what is alarming is that the level of activity appears to be rising.  Chile is experiencing almost constant shaking by earthquakes, a volcano in Peru just awakened for the first time in 40 years, and major volcanic eruptions have just taken place in Ecuador, the Kamchatka peninsula and off the coast of Japan.  The west coast of the United States also lies along the Ring of Fire, but so far it has gotten off easy.  Yes, there has been a little bit of shaking in southern California in recent weeks, but it hasn’t been too bad.  But scientists assure us that will change.  At some point, there will be a major seismic event along the west coast.  It is only a matter of time.

Unfortunately, the mainstream media in the United States pays very little attention to seismic activity around the rest of the world unless it happens in a heavily populated area.  But the truth is that we have been witnessing some very unusual things lately.

Read moreVolcanoes All Over The Ring Of Fire Are Erupting Right Now – Is The U.S. Next?

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