RECOVERY: The Number Of Private Sector Jobs Fell By 278,000 Last Month

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– The Number Of Private Sector Jobs Fell By 278,000 Last Month But The Economy Is Getting Better? (Economic Collapse, Sep 7, 2013):

Have you heard about the “wonderful” employment numbers that were just released?  Last month, the unemployment rate declined to 7.3 percent.  Somehow this happened even though the percentage of working age Americans with a job actually declined and the number of private sector workers fell by 278,000.  So how did the federal government magically produce a drop in the unemployment rate even though less people have jobs?  Well, they did it by pretending that more than half a million Americans “dropped out of the labor force” last month.  If the government is to be believed, the number of Americans that want to work dropped by an astounding 516,000 in a single month even though the population of our country is constantly increasing.  The federal government continues to feed us absolutely absurd numbers month after month, and at this point “the official unemployment rate” is essentially meaningless.

But that doesn’t mean that Barack Obama is about to drop the charade.  In fact, he continues to insist that the economy is getting better.  The following is an excerpt from one of Obama’s recent weekly radio addresses…

Over the past four and a half years, we’ve fought our way back from the worst recession of our lifetimes. And thanks to the grit and resilience of the American people, we’ve begun to lay a foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth.

Oh really?

Does he actually believe that anyone is still buying what he is saying?

Read moreRECOVERY: The Number Of Private Sector Jobs Fell By 278,000 Last Month

‘We Say No War’: Protesters Across The World Rally Against Military Strike On Syria

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– ‘We say no war’: Protesters across the world rally against military strike on Syria (RT, Sep 6, 2013):

Protests were held across the globe on Saturday to speak out against a US-led strike on Syria, as world leaders ask Washington to wait for the results of a UN report before taking military action.

Around 200 people gathered outside the White House on Saturday to voice their opposition against a military strike on Syria and demand that Congress votes “no” on the issue.

Demonstrators chanted, “They say more war; we say no war” and carried signs stating that war on Syria would be “Built on a Lie.”

“There is a grass-roots uprising against the Democrats and the Republicans,” founder of the anti-war group Code Pink, Medea Benjamin, told AP. “We do not want another war,” she said, pointing to a broad anti-war feeling in the US.

Read more‘We Say No War’: Protesters Across The World Rally Against Military Strike On Syria

Why I think The NSA Is Lying

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FYI.

– Why I think the NSA is lying (Sovereign Man, Sep 6, 2013):

“At what point do we just start calling these guys the Stasi,” asked a friend of mine over coffee today.He was, of course, referring to the latest news out of the Guardian– the same British paper that published Edward Snowden’s original whistleblowing interview.

First the world learning that the NSA’s PRISM program monitors almost ALL Internet traffic, worldwide. Now the Guardian reports that the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ have ‘cracked codes’ across the Internet that were once thought uncrackable.

Read moreWhy I think The NSA Is Lying

U.S. Veteran Intelligence Professionals Warn Obama On Syrian Intel

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– Veteran Intelligence Professionals Warn Obama on Syrian Intel (Antiwar, Sep 6, 2013):

Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, September 06, 2013

Despite the Obama administration’s supposedly “high confidence” regarding Syrian government guilt over the Aug. 21 chemical attack near Damascus, a dozen former U.S. military and intelligence officials are telling President Obama that they are picking up information that undercuts the Official Story.

MEMORANDUM FOR: The President
FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS)
SUBJECT: Is Syria a Trap?
Precedence: IMMEDIATE

We regret to inform you that some of our former co-workers are telling us, categorically, that contrary to the claims of your administration, the most reliable intelligence shows that Bashar al-Assad was NOT responsible for the chemical incident that killed and injured Syrian civilians on August 21, and that British intelligence officials also know this. In writing this brief report, we choose to assume that you have not been fully informed because your advisers decided to afford you the opportunity for what is commonly known as “plausible denial.”

We have been down this road before – with President George W. Bush, to whom we addressed our first VIPS memorandum immediately after Colin Powell’s Feb. 5, 2003 U.N. speech, in which he peddled fraudulent “intelligence” to support attacking Iraq. Then, also, we chose to give President Bush the benefit of the doubt, thinking he was being misled – or, at the least, very poorly advised.

Read moreU.S. Veteran Intelligence Professionals Warn Obama On Syrian Intel

Mother Agnes (A Catholic Nun Living In Syria For 20 Years): Footage Of Chemical Attack In Syria Is Fraud

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An image grab taken from a video uploaded on YouTube by the Arbeen unified press office on August 21, 2013 shows a man comforting a Syrian girl in shock as she screams in Arabic “I am alive” following an attack in which Syrian opposition claim the regime used chemical weapons in eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus (AFP Photo)

– Footage of chemical attack in Syria is fraud (RT, Sep 6, 2013):

There is proof the footage of the alleged chemical attack in Syria was fabricated, Mother Agnes Mariam el-Salib, mother superior of St. James Monastery in Qara, Syria, told RT. She says she is about to submit her findings to the UN.

Read moreMother Agnes (A Catholic Nun Living In Syria For 20 Years): Footage Of Chemical Attack In Syria Is Fraud

Russia Sends Warship With ‘Special Cargo’ To Syria (AFP)

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– Russia sends warship with ‘special cargo’ to Syria (AFP, Sep 6, 2013):

A Russian warship carrying “special cargo” will be dispatched toward Syria, a navy source said on Friday, as the Kremlin beefs up its presence in the region ahead of possible US strikes against the Damascus regime.

The large landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov will on Friday leave the Ukrainian port city of Sevastopol for the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, from where it will head to Syria’s coast, the Interfax news agency quoted a source from the Saint Petersburg-based central naval command as saying.

“The ship will make call in Novorossiisk, where it will take on board special cargo and set off for the designated area of its combat duty in the eastern Mediterranean,” the source said.

Read moreRussia Sends Warship With ‘Special Cargo’ To Syria (AFP)

Senator John McCain On Syria: ‘We’re Not Going To Be Intimidated By Russia And China’ – ‘I Guarantee You That Russia, China And Iran Will Not Act’ If The U.S. Attacks Syria (Video)

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YouTube Added: 06.09.2013

And Putin obviously does not know what he is talking about, right Mr. McCain?

– Putin: ‘Will We Help Syria? We Will’ – ‘I Do Not Want To Think That Any Other Country Will Be Subjected To Any External Aggression’

– Russia Sends The Flagship Of The Baltic Fleet To Syria

– Standoff In The Mediterranean: The US Vs Russian Navies

– Putin: Russia Doesn’t Defend Assad, We Defend International Law (Video)

– Russia Warns Of Nuclear Disaster If Syria Is Hit (RT)

– ‘We Have Our Plans’: Vladimir Putin Warns U.S. Against Syria Military Action

– Putin Warns Against ‘Illegal’ Military Action In Syria, Bypassing U.N. Security Council (Video)

Read moreSenator John McCain On Syria: ‘We’re Not Going To Be Intimidated By Russia And China’ – ‘I Guarantee You That Russia, China And Iran Will Not Act’ If The U.S. Attacks Syria (Video)

Obama’s Missing Link: No Direct Connection Between Assad And Gas Attack

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– Obama’s Missing Link: No Direct Connection Between Assad And Gas Attack (ZeroHedge, Sep 7, 2013):

While one can speculate if the sarin gas attack on August 22 was ordered and orchestrated by Saudi/Qatari petrodollar interests, with the assistance of the CIA and the funding of al Qaeda, and executed by the Syrian “rebels” (there is much circumstantial evidence pointing in the false flag direction: here, here, here and here), the reality is that since the narrative behind Obama’s offensive Syrian air strikes has been staged as punishment for Assad, the onus is on the affirmative proof, namely clear and unequivocal evidence that it was Assad who ordered the attack. So far, despite repeated vows and promises that such proof exists, none has been presented, aside from numerous YouTube clips which show an attack did take place (and even that is in question). When it comes to the actual perpetrator, John Kerry and company are reduced to emotional pleadings to the audience to look at pictures of dead children redirecting from the most important question of all: did Assad actually do it. The reason for such Copperfieldian tactics is that there simply is no link – Reuters reports that  “No direct link to President Bashar al-Assad or his inner circle has been publicly demonstrated, and some U.S. sources say intelligence experts are not sure whether the Syrian leader knew of the attack before it was launched or was only informed about it afterward.”

And yet Obama’s entire publicly stated motive is to punish Assad… for something there is zero evidence he did.

The excerpt below from Reuters is how far the mainstream media will go of accusing Obama of conducting a false flag without actually “accusing” him.

While U.S. officials say Assad is responsible for the chemical weapons strike even if he did not directly order it, they have not been able to fully describe a chain of command for the August 21 attack in the Ghouta area east of the Syrian capital.

It is one of the biggest gaps in U.S. understanding of the incident, even as Congress debates whether to launch limited strikes on Assad’s forces in retaliation.

Read moreObama’s Missing Link: No Direct Connection Between Assad And Gas Attack

HUMOR: G20 Ends Abruptly As Obama Calls Putin A Jackass

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– G20 Ends Abruptly As Obama Calls Putin A Jackass (The New Yorker/The Borowitz Report, Sep 7, 2013):

ST. PETERSBURG (The Borowitz Report)—Hopes for a positive G20 summit crumbled today as President Obama blurted to Russia’s Vladimir Putin at a joint press appearance, “Everyone here thinks you’re a jackass.”

The press corps appeared stunned by the uncharacteristic outburst from Mr. Obama, who then unleashed a ten-minute tirade at the stone-faced Russian President.

“Look, I’m not just talking about Snowden and Syria,” Mr. Obama said. “What about Pussy Riot? What about your anti-gay laws? Total jackass moves, my friend.”

As Mr. Putin narrowed his eyes in frosty silence, Mr. Obama seemed to warm to his topic.

“If you think I’m the only one who feels this way, you’re kidding yourself,” Mr. Obama said, jabbing his finger in the direction of the Russian President’s face. “Ask Angela Merkel. Ask David Cameron. Ask the Turkish guy. Every last one of them thinks you’re a dick.”

Shortly after Mr. Obama’s volcanic performance, Mr. Putin released a terse official statement, reading, “I should be afraid of this skinny man? I wrestle bears.”

After one day of meetings, the G20 nations voted unanimously on a resolution that said maybe everyone should just go home.

Tokyo To Host 2020 Summer Olympics … And Here’s Why This Is Complete Madness

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Related info:

– Japan Government To Spend Almost $500 MILLION In Attempt To Contain Fukushima Leaks:

The decision is widely seen as a safety appeal just days before the International Olympic Committee chooses between Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid on which city will host the 2020 Olympics.

– Tokyo To Host 2020 Summer Olympics (ZeroHedge, Sep 7, 2013):

Despite Mariano Rajoy’s solemn promises that awarding the 2020 Olympics to Madrid would boost the Spanish GDP by 1.8% and lead to the creation of anywhere between 168,000 and a few hundred million new jobs (the latter number is a joke but since it comes from Rajoy, both are equally credible), the Olympic committee cut the Spanish contender before the final, which pitted Tokyo vs Istanbul. And when the final votes were tallied it was not even a contest: with 60 to 36 votes, the 2020 Olympics Games will be held in Tokyo: the city that was supposed to host the event in 1940 but due to the break out of World War II the event was delayed until 1964 (when it was almost cancelled again, permanently, following a modest escalation in nuclear deterrence between the US and USSR surrounding Cuba). Let’s hope history does not rhyme.

While congratulations are certainly in order to the country which already has JPY1 quadrillion in debt so what is a few extra trillion here and there: it’s not like any of it will ever be paid back, we do have some questions:

Read moreTokyo To Host 2020 Summer Olympics … And Here’s Why This Is Complete Madness

Rolling Stone Profiles Barrett Brown: Journalist, Activist And American Political Prisoner

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– Rolling Stone Profiles Barrett Brown: Journalist, Activist and American Political Prisoner (Liberty Blitzkrieg, Sep 7, 2013):

“I mean Texans and indictments…it’s like a Texas Bar Mitzvah.  My dad was indicted, you know, I have friends that have been indicted, have gone to prison…it happens.“
– Barret Brown during an RT Interview, a year before being raided by the FBI and subsequently incarcerated.

Barrett Brown is one of those figures that immediately captured my attention after first learning about him while watching the Anonymous documentary We are Legion. I soon realized that he had been incarcerated a mere three months prior to me serendipitously stumbling upon the film. It wasn’t difficult to see that he must have been onto something very, very big for the Feds to go after him so aggressively. You don’t charge a person with 105 years in prison merely as revenge for a youtube video in which you threaten an FBI agent. No, there was something much deeper going on here.

Read moreRolling Stone Profiles Barrett Brown: Journalist, Activist And American Political Prisoner

Who Is Going To Buy Our Debt If This War Causes China, Russia And The Rest Of The World To Turn On Us?

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John McCain is an elite puppet like Bush, Obama, Clinton etc.

If this lady would know what kind of criminal McCain really is, then she would  be in a state of shock and it would be very difficult to get her out of it anytime soon.

– Who Is Going To Buy Our Debt If This War Causes China, Russia And The Rest Of The World To Turn On Us? (Economic Collapse, Sep 6, 2013):

Can the U.S. really afford to greatly anger the rest of the world when they are the ones that are paying our bills?  What is going to happen if China, Russia and many other large nations stop buying our debt and start rapidly dumping U.S. debt that they already own?  If the United States is not very careful, it is going to pay a tremendous economic price for taking military action in Syria.  At this point, survey after survey has shown that the American people are overwhelmingly against an attack on Syria, people around the globe are overwhelmingly against an attack on Syria, and it looks like the U.S. Congress is even going to reject it.  But Barack Obama is not backing down.  In fact, ABC News is reporting that plans are now being made for a “significantly larger” strike on Syria than most experts had expected.

If Obama insists on going forward with this, it will be the greatest foreign policy disaster in modern American history.

Read moreWho Is Going To Buy Our Debt If This War Causes China, Russia And The Rest Of The World To Turn On Us?

How Many U.S. Treasurys Do Russia And China Own?

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– How Many Treasurys Do Russia And China Own? (ZeroHedge, Sep 6, 2013):

Between the two of them, this much: $1,414 billion, or 25% of all foreign held US Treasury paper.

Now the question is – if the military escalation begins, would one or both dump without regard for price, crush the carefully manicured rate-driven recovery, and punch the ultimate decision-maker behind the Syrian war, the Federal Reserve and the banker uberclass, where it really hurts?

Source: TIC

U.S. Senate-Crafted Syria Resolution Riddled With Loopholes For Obama

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– Senate-crafted Syria resolution riddled with loopholes for Obama (Washington Post, Sep 6, 2013):

Senators on Wednesday tried to write a tight resolution authorizing President Obama to strike Syria under very specific circumstances, but analysts and lawmakers said the language still has plenty of holes the White House could use to expand military action well beyond what Congress appears to intend.

“Wiggle room? Plenty of that,” said Louis Fisher, scholar in residence at the Constitution Project and former long-time expert for the Congressional Research Service on separation of powers issues.

Read moreU.S. Senate-Crafted Syria Resolution Riddled With Loopholes For Obama

Germany: Homeschooling Family’s Children Seized In Shocking Raid

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HSLDA Founder and Chairman Mike Farris meets with the Wunderlich family during the Global Home Education Conference held in Berlin, Germany in October 2012. Farris is asking homeschoolers to contact German officials on behalf of the Wunderlichs.

– Children Seized in Shocking Raid (HSLDA, Aug 30, 2013):

At 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 29, 2013, in what has been called a “brutal and vicious act,” a team of 20 social workers, police officers, and special agents stormed a homeschooling family’s residence near Darmstadt, Germany, forcibly removing all four of the family’s children (ages 7-14). The sole grounds for removal were that the parents, Dirk and Petra Wunderlich, continued to homeschool their children in defiance of a German ban on home education.

The children were taken to unknown locations. Officials ominously promised the parents that they would not be seeing their children “anytime soon.”

HSLDA obtained and translated the court documents that authorized this use of force to seize the children. The only legal grounds for removal were the family’s continuation of homeschooling their children. The papers contain no other allegations of abuse or neglect. Moreover, Germany has not even alleged educational neglect for failing to provide an adequate education. The law ignores the educational progress of the child; attendance—and not learning—is the object of the German law.

Read moreGermany: Homeschooling Family’s Children Seized In Shocking Raid

Move Over, Obamacare. Here Comes Obamaschool

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– Move Over, Obamacare. Here Comes Obamaschool (Ludwig von Mises Institute, Aug 30, 2013):

The president gave a speech on August 22 in Buffalo outlining his proposal to “reform” the student loan program. He acknowledged that the program has some problems, but assured the audience they are easily fixed. Just take the principles behind Obamacare and apply them to education. The president personally “guaranteed” that his proposals would make college more affordable.

Read moreMove Over, Obamacare. Here Comes Obamaschool

USDA: Rural Population Needed Not For Farming But For Cannon Fodder

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Flashback:

– Obama’s Secretary Of Agriculture Tom Vilsack: ‘Food Stamps Are A Stimulus And Creating Jobs’


U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack values rural people less as farmers than as soldiers, says Joel Salatin.

– USDA: Rural population needed not for farming but for cannon fodder (Transition Voice, Aug 21, 2013):

Joel Salatin recently posted this piece on the Polyface Farms Facebook page and we repost it here with Joel’s permission. — Ed

Why do we need more farmers? What is the driving force behind U.S. Department of Agriculture policy?

In an infuriating epiphany I have yet to metabolize, I found out last Wednesday in a private policy-generation meeting with Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. I did and still do consider it a distinct honor for his staff to invite me as one of the 25 dignitaries in Virginia agriculture for this think-tank session in Richmond.

It was a who’s who of Virginia agriculture: Farm Bureau, Va. Agribusiness Council, Va. Forestry Association, Va. Poultry Federation, Va. Cattlemen’s Association., deans from Virginia Tech and Virginia State — you get the picture.

It was the first meeting of this kind I’ve ever attended that offered no water. The only thing to drink were soft drinks. Lunch was served in styrofoam clam shells — Lay’s potato chips, sandwiches, potato salad and chocolate chip cookie. It didn’t look very safe to me, so I didn’t partake. But I’d have liked a drink of water. In another circumstance, I might eat this stuff, but with these folks, felt it important to make a point. Why do they all assume nobody wants water, nobody cares about styrofoam, everybody wants potato chips and we all want industrial meat-like slabs on white bread?

But I digress. The big surprise occurred a few minutes into the meeting: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack walked in. He was in Terry McAuliffe love-in mode. And here is what he told us: in 2012, for the first time ever — rural America lost population in real numbers — not as a percentage but in real numbers. It’s down to 16 percent of total population.

Read moreUSDA: Rural Population Needed Not For Farming But For Cannon Fodder

Pentagon Ordered To Expand Potential Targets In Syria

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FYI.

– Pentagon Is Ordered to Expand Potential Targets in Syria With a Focus on Forces (The New York Times, Sep 5, 2013):

WASHINGTON — President Obama has directed the Pentagon to develop an expanded list of potential targets in Syria in response to intelligence suggesting that the government of President Bashar al-Assad has been moving troops and equipment used to employ chemical weapons while Congress debates whether to authorize military action.

Read morePentagon Ordered To Expand Potential Targets In Syria

Israel Backs Limited Strike Against Syria

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FYI.

– Israel Backs Limited Strike Against Syria (The New York Times, Sep 5, 2013):

JERUSALEM — President Obama’s position on Syria — punish President Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons without seeking to force him from power — has been called “half-pregnant” by critics at home and abroad who prefer a more decisive American intervention to end Syria’s civil war.

But Mr. Obama’s limited strike proposal has one crucial foreign ally: Israel.

Israeli officials have consistently made the case that enforcing Mr. Obama’s narrow “red line” on Syria is essential to halting the nuclear ambitions of Israel’s archenemy, Iran. More quietly, Israelis have increasingly argued that the best outcome for Syria’s two-and-a-half-year-old civil war, at least for the moment, is no outcome.

…

Related info:

– Putin: ‘Will We Help Syria? We Will’ – ‘I Do Not Want To Think That Any Other Country Will Be Subjected To Any External Aggression’

– Russia Sends The Flagship Of The Baltic Fleet To Syria

 

Russia Sends The Flagship Of The Baltic Fleet To Syria

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As predicted here:

Our prediction: the next ship to be dispatched in direction Syria will be the missile cruiser Moskva, the “flag ship of the Black Sea fleet” and more of its affiliated warships, which was last deployed in November of 2012 during the 8 day escalation between Israel and Gaza which culminated in Operation Pillar of Defense. That, and a whole lot of submarines.

See also:

– Putin: ‘Will We Help Syria? We Will’ (Itar Tass, Sep 6, 2013):

‘I Do Not Want To Think That Any Other Country Will Be Subjected To Any External Aggression’

Flashback:

– Russia could destroy NATO ships in Black Sea within 20 minutes:

MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is capable of destroying NATO’s naval strike group currently deployed in the sea within 20 minutes, a former fleet commander said on Friday. (Russian Navy modernized – Image gallery)

…

“Despite the apparent strength, the NATO naval group in the Black Sea is not battle-worthy,” Admiral Eduard Baltin said. “If necessary, a single missile salvo from the Moskva missile cruiser and two or three missile boats would be enough to annihilate the entire group.”

“Within 20 minutes the waters would be clear,” he said, stressing that despite major reductions, the Black Sea Fleet (Image gallery) still has a formidable missile arsenal.

– Russia Boosts Mediterranean Force as U.S. Mulls Syria Strike (Bloomberg, Sep 4, 2013):

Russia is sending three more ships to the eastern Mediterranean to bolster its fleet there as a U.S. Senate panel will consider President Barack Obama’s request for authority to conduct a military strike on Syria.

Russia is sending two destroyers, including the Nastoichivy, the flagship of the Baltic Fleet, and the Moskva missile cruiser to the region, Interfax reported today, citing an unidentified Navy official. That follows last week’s dispatch of a reconnaissance ship to the eastern Mediterranean, four days after the deployment of an anti-submarine ship and a missile cruiser to the area, which were reported by Interfax. Syria hosts Russia’s only military facility outside the former Soviet Union, at the port of Tartus.

…

– Russia Says It’s Sending Warships To Med For Evacuations From Syria (Infowars, Sep 5, 2013):

Flagship of the Baltic Fleet on its way toward Syria

Following several reports of Russia sending warships to the Mediterranean Sea over the past week, The Kremlin’s chief of staff has officially told reporters that the intention is to prepare to evacuate Russian citizens from Syria.

AP reports that Russian news agencies on Thursday quoted senior official Sergei Ivanov as saying that Russia is upping a naval presence in the region to “primarily” be prepared to rescue Russians should a US military bombardment take place.

Yesterday it was reported that Russia is sending three more ships to the eastern Mediterranean to bolster its fleet. The additional deployments include two destroyers, one of which is the flagship of the Baltic Fleet, as well as another missile cruiser.

Read moreRussia Sends The Flagship Of The Baltic Fleet To Syria

Putin: ‘Will We Help Syria? We Will’ – ‘I Do Not Want To Think That Any Other Country Will Be Subjected To Any External Aggression’

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– Russia will help Syria in case of external aggression (Itar Tass, Sep 6, 2013):

The United States, Turkey, Canada, France, Saudi Arabia and Britain back the strike on Syria at the G20 summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

Speaking at a final press conference, Putin said Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa and Italy came against military actions in Syria.

Read morePutin: ‘Will We Help Syria? We Will’ – ‘I Do Not Want To Think That Any Other Country Will Be Subjected To Any External Aggression’

Poland Confiscates Half Of Private Pension Funds To Cut Sovereign Debt Load

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– Poland Confiscates Half Of Private Pension Funds To Cut Sovereign Debt Load (ZeroHedge Sep 6, 2013):

While the world was glued to the developments in the Mediterranean in the past week, Poland took a page straight out of Rahm Emanuel’s playbook and in order to not let a crisis go to waste, announced quietly that it would transfer to the state – i.e., confiscate – the bulk of assets owned by the country’s private pension funds (many of them owned by such foreign firms as PIMCO parent Allianz, AXA, Generali, ING and Aviva), without offering any compensation. In effect, the state just nationalized roughly half of the private sector pension fund assets, although it had a more politically correct name for it: pension overhaul.

By way of background, Poland has a hybrid pension system: as Reuters explains, mandatory contributions are made into both the state pension vehicle, known as ZUS, and the private funds, which are collectively known by the Polish acronym OFE. Bonds make up roughly half the private funds’ portfolios, with the rest company stocks.

And while a change to state-pension funds was long awaited – an overhaul if you will – nobody expected that this would entail a literal pillage of private sector assets.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said private funds within the state-guaranteed system would have their bond holdings transferred to a state pension vehicle, but keep their equity holdings. The funds would effectively be left with only the equities portions of their assets, even this would be depleted, and there will be uncertainty about the number of new savers joining.

Read morePoland Confiscates Half Of Private Pension Funds To Cut Sovereign Debt Load

Matt Taibbi: 16 Major Firms May Have Received Early Data From Thomson Reuters

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The Thomson Reuters headquarters building in New York City.

– 16 Major Firms May Have Received Early Data From Thomson Reuters (Rolling Stone, Sep 5, 2013):

Readers may recall an ugly story that broke earlier this summer, when New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman rebuked the news/business information firm Thomson Reuters for selling access to key economic survey data two seconds early to high-frequency algorithmic traders. The story strongly suggested that some Thomson Reuters customers were using their two-second head start (an eternity in the modern world of computerized trading) to front-run the markets.

“The early release of market-moving survey data undermines fair play in the markets,” Schneiderman said, back in the second week of July. Thomson Reuters suspended the practice of selling two-second head starts after Schneiderman insisted upon a change. Still, the firm defiantly refused to declare the change permanent and insisted that it had the right to “legally distribute non-governmental data” to “fee-paying subscribers.”

It turns out that there’s more to the story.

Read moreMatt Taibbi: 16 Major Firms May Have Received Early Data From Thomson Reuters

China Sides With Russia In Opposing Military Strikes On Syria

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– China sides with Russia in opposing military strikes on Syria (RT, Sep 5, 2013):

China joined Russia in its opposition against military strikes on Syria ahead of the G20 summit on Thursday. Beijing said the use of force would cause a swing in oil prices, thereby hurting the global economy.

“Military action would have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on the oil price – it will cause a hike in the oil price,” China’s vice finance minister, Zhu Guangyao, said at a pre-G20 briefing in St. Petersburg.

The remark was echoed by other members of the BRICS bloc, Reuters reported. Aside from China, the bloc consists of emerging economies including Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa.

Read moreChina Sides With Russia In Opposing Military Strikes On Syria