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The American Empire in a Changing World



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Friday, March 2, 2012

''Google's Eric Schmidt Warns New UN Treaty Will be a Disaster''

"The United Nations is considering handing over control of regulation of the Internet to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and ZDNET reports that Eric Schmidt made it clear that this is a bad idea:
"That would be a disaster... To some, the openness and interoperability is one of the greatest achievements of mankind in our lifetime. Do not give that up easily. You will regret it. You will hate it, because all of a sudden all that freedom, all that flexibility, you'll find it shipped away for one good reason after another," Schmidt said."
from technorati...



''U.S. Busts 29 Over $325 Million in Counterfeit Chinese Goods''

''U.S. authorities charged 29 people with smuggling $325 million in counterfeit consumer goods from China, including phony Nike sneakers and Coach handbags, through a New Jersey port.

The bust was one of the largest counterfeiting probes in U.S. history, and it involved smuggling cigarettes, handbags and sneakers through the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal as U.S. agents secretly watched and listened, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said. Agents infiltrated two overlapping criminal rings and lured them to use a front company run by the government.''



''The Fight for Amazonia''

"In the Brazilian Amazon, environmentalists, scientists and politicians are facing one of the most difficult challenges of our time. If the earth's lungs collapse, the planet itself will collapse. This three-part series,The Fight for Amazonia, looks at the efforts being made to save the rainforest - not simply revealing how bleak the prospects are, but documenting the avenues that raise hope."


video and text from aljazeera..

''Currency Wars as Speculation of BOJ Easing – Yen Weakness Continues''

"Whilst the BOJ has set this inflation “goal”, it does two things firstly, it means the BOJ are setting themselves up for the obvious failure of achieving the stated “goal” as the Japanese economy for 18 plus years has been fighting deflation. Secondly, which is the more likely reason for this action is this is just a proxy for the BOJ to carry out QE as their official interest rate is 0.1% that leaves no room to move official rates- only option is QE for Japan. The currency wars are bound to heat up. The BOJ currently looks as if they are trying to jawbone the Yen weakness further and arm themselves with reasons to go to QE.  All is fair in currency wars!"

''The dismantling of Greece''

............."In this month’s podcast for Le Monde diplomatique, George Miller speak to Noëlle Burgi about the heavy toll that austerity measures are exacting in her homeland, Greece.
Noëlle, who is a researcher at the Centre Européen de Sociologie et de Sciences Politique (CESSP), Sorbonne University, Paris, describes Athens and Thessaloniki as “dying cities”, in which drug use, mental health problems, domestic violence and prostitution are all on the increase.
Not least of the Greeks’ problems is a feeling of powerlessness as their welfare state becomes hollowed out and their household incomes plummet."

''The Foreclosure-to-Rental Boondoggle''

"The reason that housing prices have dipped only 33.6 percent in the United States instead of 60 percent as they have in Ireland, is because the big banks have been keeping inventory off the market. If the millions of homes–that are presently headed for foreclosure–were suddenly dumped onto the market, prices would plunge and the biggest banks in the country would be declared insolvent. That’s why the banks have slowed the flow of foreclosures. According to Amherst Securities Group’s Laurie Goodman, “….2.8 million borrowers haven’t made a payment in over a year. Add that to the over 450,000 real estate owned (REO) units and you have approximately 3.2 million that are in the shadows."


from counter punch....

''Netanyahu warns against diplomatic path with Iran''


"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ruled out the idea of international talks to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons, just as the United States is pursuing a diplomatic tack.
Netanyahu will meet President Barack Obama on Monday to address growing differences between the two leaders over what Washington fears could be an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites."

''The Fabric of Our Power-Hungry Lives''

"A new fabric being developed at Wake Forest’s Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, however, has the potential to make Gore-Tex seem about as high-tech as sackcloth. Called Power Felt, it generates electricity from heat. Wrap your cell phone in Power Felt and it could feed off your body heat to recharge while it’s in your pocket. Line the inside of a roof with it and, especially in the summer, it could power a household’s appliances. "


from business week...

''Chinese Imports Invade India''

"In the fiscal year ending March 2011, China exported $43.5 billion in goods to India, up from $10.9 billion in 2006, according to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. India’s exports to China were only $19.6 billion, up from $6.8 billion in 2006. Cheap Firefox bicycles are ubiquitous in New Delhi. Technically, it is an Indian brand—except the bikes are made almost entirely of Chinese components. Chinese-made phones and telecom equipment “have flooded the Indian market,” says Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor at the Centre for East Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. “There is no reciprocity for Indian products.”


from business week...

''Silicon Valley companies grapple with rising costs in China''

"The price to make Silicon Valley gadgets and computers in China -- the assembly line for the global tech industry -- is going up, forcing tech companies to rejigger supply chains to contain costs and to consider charging more for electronic devices.
With millions of Americans out of work, some hope the soaring salaries and other rising costs across the Pacific will trigger a renaissance in low-cost manufacturing in the United States. That is not expected to happen any time soon, experts say. But there is mounting concern among tech executives in the fiercely competitive gadget and PC markets."

Uganda: ''Why 'Made in China' Is a Cause for Worry''

"Products are made in China, imported by Chinese traders in Uganda, through an efficient export machinery and are now directly sold in Uganda by Chinese retailers! If you have shopped at any local supermarket in any town in Uganda, you will be forgiven for thinking that everything is 'made in China' these days. Chinese products have an irresistible lure. They are quite cheap.
They typically cost less than any other similar product (including Ugandan-made ones). But there is definitely a catch. Chinese industry has made many products seem cheap and affordable and many Ugandans have bought their first TV set or electric fan because cheap Chinese products have made it possible, but this may very well be coming at the expense of the local manufacturing sector."

Pat Buchanan on Baldy & the Blonde Radio Show

Pat talks about MSNBC and his new book.......good stuff

http://www.baldyandtheblonde.com/

Bruce Krasting: "On Israel and Iran"

"A very big question mark hanging over the global table is what the hell is going to happen between Iran and Israel. I spoke with a fellow in Europe I know who has an informed opinion. There were no secrets discussed, but his thoughts on some of the variables including Syria, bunker bombs and timing were interesting. "


http://brucekrasting.blogspot.com/

''Russia and Azerbaijan in tough talks over radar base''

"Russia’s early warning anti-missile system could develop a potential hole as the country has reportedly failed to agree on a new price for the Azerbaijan-based Gabala Radar Station’s lease.
The negotiations between the two former Soviet republics over the lease prolongation have reportedly been stuck in a deadlock after the Caucasian country raised the fee by from $7 million to $300 million."

''Brazil slams rich countries over "currency war"

"Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff slammed rich nations on Thursday for unleashing a "tsunami" of cheap money that threatened to "cannibalize" poorer countries such as her own, forcing them to act to protect struggling local industries.
Rousseff's words amounted to some of the highest-profile criticism to date of efforts by the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan and others to spur their economies through low interest rates and cheap loans."

''Russia is not obligated to provide military assistance to Syria in the case of foreign invasion''

"Russia under existing treaties are not obliged to provide military assistance to Syria in the event of an invasion of its territory. This is the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Alexander Lukashevich .
Thus he commented on the question of whether Russia as the successor to the Soviet Union to provide military aid to Damascus, in accordance with the contract in 1980, the Soviet-Syrian Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. It provides, inter alia, states that "if a third party make the invasion of Syria, the Soviet Union will be involved in the events."
translated.....from expert.ru....

''Balochistan and geopolitics''

"Recently, a resolution was passed in the US Congress to divide Pakistan and carve out an ‘independent Balochistan’. With this, an old neocon dream was revived. This time the so-called globalists and propagandists, masquerading as human right activists, are the cheerleaders. Against this backdrop, Colonel Ralph Peter’s map of the ‘New Middle East’ truncating, balkanising every country - Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan - was reproduced. "


from pakistan the nation...

"DID THE SOVIET UNION DRINK ITSELF TO DEATH?"

"Overly reliant on commodities and energy exports, and grossly out of balance on the agricultural front, Russia’s Soviet-era economy was doomed to collapse, argues Hungarian historian György Dalos. It didn't help that the USSR kept boosting alcohol production."


from world crunch...

''Pakistan digs in over Iran gas pipeline''

"All of these projects are in Pakistan’s national interest and will be pursued and completed irrespective of any extraneous considerations,” said Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar while addressing a news conference at the Foreign Office."


from pakistan today....

"US lets down the Indian quislings"

"Why is it that the Pakistanis have got such spunk that our Indian lords lack? Within a day of the United States secretary of state Hillary Clinton threatening it might be “destructive” for Pakistan to go ahead with a gas pipeline project with Iran, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar shot back that it is not Uncle Sam’s business which country Pakistan cooperates with or how it defines its national interests."


from indian punchline...

''FY13 Federal budget would cut National parks staffing, maintenance''

"America's national parks would hire fewer seasonal staffers and put off all but the most pressing maintenance work under President Barack Obama's fiscal 2013 budget, advocates say.

The president's $2.6 billion request for the National Park Service is $13.5 million higher than what Congress gave the agency in fiscal 2012.

But the increase would be eaten up by costlier insurance premiums, higher rents and other costs of doing business, according to park service spokesman Jeffrey Olson."

how about closing overseas military bases instead?.......from federal times....

''Number of underwater homeowners grows''

"The number of underwater homeowners grew to 11.1 million, or 22.8% of all mortgaged properties, during the fourth quarter,CoreLogic said Thursday.
The real estate data firm said the number of borrowers in negative equity is back to third-quarter 2009 levels, suggesting more homeowners are struggling with loans that are worth more than their properties."

''The Death of the Great American Middle Class''

"Ronald Reagan, the conquering hero of American conservative mythology, was born in 1911.  He came of age during the Great Depression.  People of his generation had it tough.  They worked hard to make ends meet, but their hard work was rewarded with ever-increasing standards of living.  For Americans of their generation, things started out hard but got better and better as time went on.  They were perpetual optimists, because living in America they could always be sure of one thing: life would be better for their children than it was for them.
That’s simply not true anymore."

Google is following you..

"This morning, if you opened your browser and went to NYTimes.com, an amazing thing happened in the milliseconds between your click and when the news about North Korea and James Murdoch appeared on your screen. Data from this single visit was sent to 10 different companies, including Microsoft and Google subsidiaries, a gaggle of traffic-logging sites, and other, smaller ad firms. Nearly instantaneously, these companies can log your visit, place ads tailored for your eyes specifically, and add to the ever-growing online file about you."


from the atlantic...

''The Costs of American Interventionism''

"In a New York Times op-ed published on February 2, 1981, Henry S. Bienen, then an Africa specialist at Princeton University, discussed how “globalists” and “regionalists” advocated differing foreign-policy approaches for the United States. “Globalists,” Bienen noted, “believe that weakening military positions will lead ineluctably to weakening economic ones and that, in any case, security interests, defined first in military terms, must be paramount in any discussion of United States policy."


from national interest...

''Arizona fuel experts: Brace for $5 gallon''

"Arizona gasoline prices are rising at a faster pace than last year, and some fuel experts say a gallon of gas could cost metro Phoenix residents $5 this summer.

A few of the most expensive gas stations in metro Phoenix are selling fuel for $3.99 a gallon, and the price has topped $4 in some places this week."



''California poses rail risk for China''

"The California High Speed Rail Authority (CHRSA) would be happy to consider investment by the People's Republic of China's sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corporation (CIC), in the state's proposed high-speed rail link between Los Angeles and San Francisco, China Daily reported last month." 

from asia times...

''Coast Guard plans first-ever Arctic Ocean patrols off Alaska''

''A driving factor is Shell Oil Co.'s drilling plans in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off Alaska's coast. Papp said the company plans to bring 33 ships and 500 people to the North Slope, with some 250 people shuttled weekly in helicopters to drilling platforms.'' 


us taxpayer again protecting the 1%..........from alaska dispatch...

Thursday, March 1, 2012

''Euroland will pay for this monetary madness''

"When something looks dangerous, it generally is. And few things look quite so high-wire right now as the European Central Bank’s efforts to hold the euro together by flooding the banking system with free money.
This week, the ECB injected a further 529.5 billion euros via “long-term refinancing operations”, or LTROs, bringing the tally to more than 1 trillion euros."

Main Stream Media Coddles "House of Saud" over possible 9/11 Involvement


from moxnews....


listen to these aszholes......talk about wanting to throw up!! we fricking went to war with the wrong countries......

''Steve Keen on the transmutation of Zombie Banking into Zombie Government!''


from rt.com....

''Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities last year — Wikileaks''

"Israel attacked nuclear facilities in Iran last year, according to emails Wikileaks released this week. The discovery was contained in emails from the U.S. security/intelligence firm Stratfor that were hacked by the group Anonymous and made available by Wikileaks on Monday."


from mondo weiss...

''Senate May Have Faulty Aim at Indefinite Detention Law''

"Reflection on the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II should compel Congress to reform the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), U.S. senators warned at a hearing Wednesday.
     A lawyer who is suing the NDAA's architects told Courthouse News, however, that the senators' proposed remedy, the so-called Due Process Guarantee Act, is a "farcical" bill that would actually "validate" the indefinite detention provisions."


from courthouse news...

Zero Hedge: "Greek Economy Suffers Record Collapse In February"

"There are those who recall that not ten days ago, according to the IMF's Greek (un)sustainability analysis, worst case scenario no less, Greek GDP would somehow miraculously post just a 1% drop in 2013. Unfortunately this won't happen. According to the overnight PMI update out of Europe (where was saw the jobless rate at the highest since 1997), the Greek economy just imploded at a record pace." 


from zero hedge...

''What is really going on in Syria ?''

''Two informed analysts from two sources weigh in on a very complicated situation in Syria. Both Webster Tarpley… and Elaine Hagopian’s analysis is accurate… the Syrians are caught between a rock and a hard spot.''


video and text.....from veterans today...

"China's $22 trillion time-bomb"

"China's growth model is based on the oldest rapid economic growth hormone available: debt"



"For years, a wispy, gossamer dream has been spun by economists working for Wall Street investment banks about how China has managed the impossible: high growth with a very low debt-to-GDP ratio. The dream has been so aggressively sold that almost everybody believes it, including editors of this newspaper who have written glowingly about China’s growth, how far ahead it is of India, how India should give up this race once and for all and so on.

Like all things churned out by Wall Street, this romantic story is also complete rubbish. Regardless of the level of education, we all behave the same way when we analyse countries: we land at the airport, see multi-lane highways, gleaming skyscrapers in the city centre, massive infrastructure development, teeming shopping malls, tall apartment blocks and golf courses. And immediately jump to the conclusion that this country has done it. It has made it. If you are an Indian, you say this country has left India behind by 100 or 200 years."

an absolute must read.....from business standard...

''The United States is all out to bring a “Regime Change in Sri Lanka”

"This was whispered in the corridors of UN Geneva, where the 19th session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission Conference took off last Monday, on the 27th of this month.
Asian Tribune speaking to a cross section of Ambassadors who doubles as UN Permanent Representatives from various countries and a few Foreign Ministers, they said that United States has already tasted its first victory in the little Maldives Island, by getting rid of Mohamed Nasheed – a champion of Democracy and managed to install the vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan as country’s new President."

''One in 10 Scots ‘to be jobless’ by end of year''

"ONE IN ten working-age people in Scotland will be on the dole by the end of the year, according to a major new report painting a bleak two years ahead for families across the country.
Amid further evidence of the weakness in the economy, Strathclyde University’s Fraser of Allander Institute has markedly revised upwards its estimates on unemployment this year, saying it expects 265,250 people to be searching for a job by the end of 2012."

''Anonymous hackers ratted out by infiltrators''

"A law enforcement operation that ended with the arrest of 25 hackers in Europe and South America was not the result of police intelligence but rather an informers’ job within the hacker community, claims Anonymous.
As well as launching a cyber-assault on Interpol’s website, the hacker group appears to be conducting its own investigation in order to find out how police managed to break through its veil of anonymity."

''US-based Iranian analyst: Iran is unlikely to take any action against Azerbaijan unless Baku allows its territory to be used for attacks against Iran''

"Alireza Nader, Iran analyst at the RAND Corporation’s Washington Office believes that the Iranian regime’s distrust of Azerbaijan is deep-rooted. 

“The Azerbaijan’s government is secular, though most of the population is Shi’a. Iran is of course a Shi’a theocracy. In addition, millions of Iranians are ethnic Azeris; this population is often restive, as was demonstrated by recent protests over Iran’s drying Lake Urumia."


from apa...

''More than 69,000 Iraqis killed between "2004-2011"

"More than 69,000 Iraqis have been killed as a result of terrorism and acts of violence since 2004 until 2011, official spokesperson of the Iraqi government said on Wednesday. 
 
"The number of Iraqis' who have been killed since April 5, 2004 until the end of 2011, reached 69,263, as well as 239,133 woundedaccording to government's reports," Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency."



''US doubts Pakistan’s use of aid''

''US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and several other congressmen have expressed concerns over the diversion of its aid money by Pakistan for other purposes, even as the United States has tried to build a firewall in this regard.


“Well, we certainly have constructed one,” Clinton told lawmakers at a Congressional hearing on Tuesday when Senator Jim Webb asked if the US had developed a firewall for the financial aid going into Pakistan to avoid chances of US money going into the expansion of the country’s nuclear programme. ''


from pakistan today...

''Resetting the Debt Mountian''

''Gone are the days when cash-strapped banks had to be nationalised because they were out of cash, now they just ask for more liquidity from the Central Bank and get it. They have become the conduit for the economic re-inflation that is the road ahead for Europe and the US.

The current strategy for economic rescue is to lend back money for nothing. The banks then lend that money to governments by buying bonds, which keeps interest rates low. Low interest rates mean governments can sustain their titanic borrowings".

''Russian Leaders May Be Pissed-Off Enough To Close the Afghan Trap''

"[If Obama keeps refusing to meet Russian demands to attack the opium problem inside Afghanistan, head-on, the decision may be taken to keep American "trainers" from abandoning the Afghans to the mess that we have created.]"


a must read blog.........from "there are no sunglasses"

''The Sorry State of Japan’s Public Finances''

"Japan’s public finances had already taken a turn for the worse before the March 11 earthquake, but the situation is likely to become even direr as a result of the disaster. Nariai Osamu, a professor and former government official, considers whether Japan can sort out its fiscal mess while paying for its recovery."


from nippon.com...

Spain: ''Municipality relies on cannabis to get out of crisis''

"Last night, the Town Council of Rasquera (Tarragona), in Catalonia, passed a provision regarding concession of the municipality's lands to the Barcelona Association of Marijuana Consumers (ABCDA), which will plant marijuana in exchange of employment of approximately 40 people and EUR 1.336 mln in two years to cover the Municipality's funds deficit."


from ansamed....

''WikiLeaks: Russia gave Israel Iranian codes''

"Russia provided Israel security codes to access Iran’s Tor- M1 air-defense systems in exchange for an Israeli handover of codes to “hack” drones sold to Georgia, according to a leaked email from a private American intelligence company.
An employee for Stratfor wrote the report, dated February 2009, and cited a “Mexican source,” described as a former police officer and a current military analyst."

''What Future Does Nuclear Power Have in Japan?''

''Almost a year after the Fukushima disaster, 52 of Japan's 54 nuclear power plants have been shut down. The reactor explosion destroyed the population's trust in nuclear energy. But the atomic lobby -- and the country's industrial needs -- could block a possible phase-out.''


from spiegel....

''Over 2 million say no to (ACTA) anti-counterfeit treaty''

"Two and a half million people signed a petition this week urging the European Parliament to say 'no' to the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement, Acta. The multinational treaty - which among other things aims to protect artists' rights to remuneration - has been met with protests all over the European Union. According to critics, the agreement will result in censorship of the internet and restrict access to life-saving medicines in developing countries."


from eu observer...

''Syria’s crops sheltered in Arctic doomsday seed vault''

"Chickpeas, fava beans and other seeds from a facility in Syria are among the 25,000 new samples being deposited this week in an Arctic seed vault built to protect food crops from wars and natural disasters, officials said on Tuesday.
The latest additions mean that the Svalbard Global Seed Vault — a master backup to the world’s other seed banks — has now secured more than 740,000 samples since it opened in a remote Norwegian archipelago in 2008."

''A ‘Kosovo plan’ for Syria''

"The West is counting on isolating Russia among the P-5, by wooing China. The western media is circulating reports that China may merely abstain apropos another resolution on Syria. According to a AFP report from Beijing, Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi has personally held out the assuranceto the Arab League states that Beijing would not block a humanitarian mission being mounted. 

On the constitutional referendum in Syria, Moscow has backed the referendum unequivocally. Beijing is yet to comment. However, an early Xinhua commentary replete with ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, broadly is supportive of the referendum. The Global Times was more explicit: “China should stand by Russia and support the vote [in Syria]… China and Russia should support and urge Assad’s regime to reform…”

''China locked out of Russia's far east''

"While China is a logical source of investment needed to reverse the economic decline of Russia's far east, Moscow's recent plan to lease huge agricultural territories excluded China in favor of Japan and South Korea. The Kremlin sees its own past in Beijing - a semi-totalitarian society using state-controlled funds to expand - and is wary of Vladivostok's increasingly Asian orientation."


from asia times...



Pepe Escobar: "What's at stake in Iran's elections"

"Khamenei-Ahmadinejad is now a cage match. Stripped to the bone, it's the fight between the ayatollah and the man with a halo over his head that will set the stage for the next presidential election, in June 2013 - when in the best of possible worlds there will be an Obama II, and the specter of war might have been averted. 

Whenever lazy, prejudiced and nuance-adverse Western corporate media refer to Iran, it's all about "the mullahs". No; it's infinitely more complicated than that. 

Khamenei is betting on an "epic event" of an election involving a turnout of at least 60%. That's far from a given - and that's why the regime is pulling no punches." 


from atimes...

''US threatens Pakistan with sanctions over Iran gasline''

"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday warned that Pakistan could face US sanctions if it pressed ahead with its proposed gas pipeline project with Iran.
“We have been very clear in pointing out the consequences of building this pipeline,” she said, adding that sanctions could be triggered if the pipeline is constructed either as an Iranian project or a joint project with Islamabad."

''Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery''

text and video's...from radio free asia...

''MFGlobal White Knight blows the lid off of the JP Morgan Shadow Banking Mafia''


from rt.com...

''Japan banks won't be target of U.S. sanctions against Iran''

''Japanese banks are not at risk of being subject to U.S. sanctions against Iran as Japan is ready to further cut its dependence on Iranian crude oil, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said Wednesday.''


from mainichi....

Bank of Japan: "Europe must build larger 'firewall' quickly"

"European leaders must make efforts to expand as soon as possible the region's financial "firewall" to help prevent further deterioration amid the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, a Bank of Japan policymaker said Wednesday.
Hidetoshi Kamezaki, a member of the BOJ's Policy Board, also expressed concern that a rise in electricity charges, being considered by Japanese utilities, as well as possible power supply shortages in the country could weaken potential economic growth."

''US shuts down Canadian gambling site with Verisign's help''

"The Department of Homeland Security has seized a domain name registered outside of the US, by individuals who are not American citizens, and who registered with a Canadian registrar.

What is unique about this case is that the American authorities did not get the domain's registrar - a Canadian company - to pull the domain. Instead they went to Verisign, which operates the entirety of .com, and had them pull the glue records, the warrant states. Verisign hasn't returned El Reg's request for comment on its role."

''Enough is Enough!' Spanish & Greeks unite in austerity rage''



from rt.com...