Friday, June 1, 2012
''The HOA Crisis''
From Housing Wire
''A mortgage servicer completes the foreclosure, eventually. And the bank has taken title to the home and arranged to sell it as an REO to a new buyer. The purchase contracts are even signed. So, take another home out of the however-many-millions there are in the shadow inventory. It's off to the next one.
But then the bank finds out there is a homeowners association or condo association past due amount. In each state it is different, but in Florida, it's a nightmare. A safe harbor rule under a legal statute declares the first-lien holder can pay the lesser of either the past 12 months in assessments or 1% of the original principal balance on the home.
So, if a homeowner is paying $250 per month in HOA fees for a home that originally cost $140,000, that would be roughly $1,400 owed to the association as 1% of the original principal balance, opposed to the $3,000 in past due fees.''
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''A mortgage servicer completes the foreclosure, eventually. And the bank has taken title to the home and arranged to sell it as an REO to a new buyer. The purchase contracts are even signed. So, take another home out of the however-many-millions there are in the shadow inventory. It's off to the next one.
But then the bank finds out there is a homeowners association or condo association past due amount. In each state it is different, but in Florida, it's a nightmare. A safe harbor rule under a legal statute declares the first-lien holder can pay the lesser of either the past 12 months in assessments or 1% of the original principal balance on the home.
So, if a homeowner is paying $250 per month in HOA fees for a home that originally cost $140,000, that would be roughly $1,400 owed to the association as 1% of the original principal balance, opposed to the $3,000 in past due fees.''
read more
''Dashed Hopes for Baghdad Breakthrough''
From Foreign Policy in Focus
''The recently concluded negotiations between Iran and the world powers, the so-called P5+1, was perhaps the first serious attempt at resolving the Iranian nuclear impasse since the 2009 botched negotiations. Both sides entered the talks with a strong sense of cautious optimism, thinking maybe this time would be different. Even former top American diplomats joined the euphoric run up to the Baghdad talks. According to the former lead U.S. negotiator on Iran, Nicholas Burns, “for the first time in 32 years, since the Iranian revolution, there is the possibility of serious, substantive and sustained talks with Iran.”
However, to everyone’s disappointment, the talks ended with a last-ditch agreement to hold more talks in the near future.''
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''The recently concluded negotiations between Iran and the world powers, the so-called P5+1, was perhaps the first serious attempt at resolving the Iranian nuclear impasse since the 2009 botched negotiations. Both sides entered the talks with a strong sense of cautious optimism, thinking maybe this time would be different. Even former top American diplomats joined the euphoric run up to the Baghdad talks. According to the former lead U.S. negotiator on Iran, Nicholas Burns, “for the first time in 32 years, since the Iranian revolution, there is the possibility of serious, substantive and sustained talks with Iran.”
However, to everyone’s disappointment, the talks ended with a last-ditch agreement to hold more talks in the near future.''
read more
''Jamie Dimon And The Fall Of Nations''
From Baseline Scenario
By Simon Johnson
''We need an independent inquiry into how exactly JPMorgan lost so much money so quickly on its London trading operations – which supposedly were just “hedging.” It would also be helpful to know how Jamie Dimon, widely regarded as a good risk manager, did not know what was happening in London until Bloomberg News brought it to his attention – and why even then he denied there was a serious issue. Is this is a systematic breakdown in management and risk control systems? What exactly went wrong with the relevant models? What can we learn that would help improve the safety of the financial system? Have the largest banks grown too big and too complex to be managed safely?''
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By Simon Johnson
''We need an independent inquiry into how exactly JPMorgan lost so much money so quickly on its London trading operations – which supposedly were just “hedging.” It would also be helpful to know how Jamie Dimon, widely regarded as a good risk manager, did not know what was happening in London until Bloomberg News brought it to his attention – and why even then he denied there was a serious issue. Is this is a systematic breakdown in management and risk control systems? What exactly went wrong with the relevant models? What can we learn that would help improve the safety of the financial system? Have the largest banks grown too big and too complex to be managed safely?''
read more
Alex Jones USTREAM @Bilderberg
Check It out
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/alex-jones---infowars-com---prisonplanet-tv#utm_campaign=t.co&utm_source=6106473&utm_medium=social
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''Billion Dollar Bait & Switch: States Divert Foreclosure Deal Funds''
From ProPublica
''States have diverted $974 million from this year’s landmark mortgage settlement to pay down budget deficits or fund programs unrelated to the foreclosure crisis, according to a ProPublica analysis. That’s nearly forty percent of the $2.5 billion in penalties paid to the states under the agreement.''
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''States have diverted $974 million from this year’s landmark mortgage settlement to pay down budget deficits or fund programs unrelated to the foreclosure crisis, according to a ProPublica analysis. That’s nearly forty percent of the $2.5 billion in penalties paid to the states under the agreement.''
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''Accusations of “systemic institutionalised fraud” at RBS fall on deaf ears''
From Ian Fraser Blog
''Yesterday, another shareholder stood up at the Royal Bank of Scotland’s annual general meeting and made some serious and credible* allegations of “systemic institutionalised fraud” inside the Edinburgh-based bank.
Neil Mitchell claimed that the wrongdoing has become rampant inside the bank’s multi-billion repository for “distressed assets”, the Global Restructuring Group (GRG), which is overseen by global head of restructuring Derek Sach and also includes West Register, a vast ‘warehouse’ for distressed commercial property assets. Mitchell also accused the bank’s board of acting “like Putin.''
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''Yesterday, another shareholder stood up at the Royal Bank of Scotland’s annual general meeting and made some serious and credible* allegations of “systemic institutionalised fraud” inside the Edinburgh-based bank.
Neil Mitchell claimed that the wrongdoing has become rampant inside the bank’s multi-billion repository for “distressed assets”, the Global Restructuring Group (GRG), which is overseen by global head of restructuring Derek Sach and also includes West Register, a vast ‘warehouse’ for distressed commercial property assets. Mitchell also accused the bank’s board of acting “like Putin.''
read more
''Germany must not destroy the European order for a third time''
From 'There are no Sunglasses'
''Let’s not delude ourselves: If the euro falls apart, so will the European Union (the world’s largest economy), triggering a global economic crisis on a scale that most people alive today have never experienced. Europe is on the edge of an abyss, and will surely tumble into it unless Germany – and France – alters course.
The recent elections in France and Greece, together with local elections in Italy and continuing unrest in Spain and Ireland, have shown that the public has lost faith in the strict austerity forced upon them by Germany. Merkel’s kill-to-cure remedy has run up against reality – and democracy.''
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''Let’s not delude ourselves: If the euro falls apart, so will the European Union (the world’s largest economy), triggering a global economic crisis on a scale that most people alive today have never experienced. Europe is on the edge of an abyss, and will surely tumble into it unless Germany – and France – alters course.
The recent elections in France and Greece, together with local elections in Italy and continuing unrest in Spain and Ireland, have shown that the public has lost faith in the strict austerity forced upon them by Germany. Merkel’s kill-to-cure remedy has run up against reality – and democracy.''
read more
''Eurozone is 'unsustainable' warns Mario Draghi''
From The Telegraph
Amid escalating talk of a potential bail-out for Spain, the president of the ECB said the central bank was powerless to stop the debt tornado. "It's not our duty, it's not in our mandate" to "fill the vacuum left by the lack of action by national governments on the fiscal front," he said.''
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''Mario Draghi said the central bank could not "fill the vacuum" left by member states' lack of action as it was claimed the zone is on the point of "disintegration".
Amid escalating talk of a potential bail-out for Spain, the president of the ECB said the central bank was powerless to stop the debt tornado. "It's not our duty, it's not in our mandate" to "fill the vacuum left by the lack of action by national governments on the fiscal front," he said.''
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''MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: The Money Continues to Flow Like Wine: Defense Dept. Contracts for May 29, 2012''
check out all the contracts........From Huntington News
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ARMY
''Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nev., was awarded a $250,000,000 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the procurement of the Simple Key Loader - Panda, Foreign Military Sales kit, spares and repair and engineering support services. Work will be performed in Sparks, Nev.; Oakland, Calif.; Torrance, Calif.; Irvine, Calif; Murrieta, Calif.; Tampa, Fla.; Belcamp, Md.; and Columbia, Md., with an estimated completion date of May 10, 2017. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-12-D-0019).''read more
''Imperialism Redux: Canada Colonizes Honduras?''
From MR Zine
''Canada is presented as a model case of government upholding the values of transparency, efficiency, and fairness in private-sector development that Romer and his colleagues are promoting. So, for example, charter city judiciary and police for Honduras could be developed by Canadians, with institutions such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) assisting to set up an "honest and efficient" police force.''
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''Canada is presented as a model case of government upholding the values of transparency, efficiency, and fairness in private-sector development that Romer and his colleagues are promoting. So, for example, charter city judiciary and police for Honduras could be developed by Canadians, with institutions such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) assisting to set up an "honest and efficient" police force.''
read more
''India struggles with pipeline geopolitics''
From Asia Times Online
''India spends more than U$400 million each day on oil imports which account for 70% of its oil consumption. For a country facing such high dependence on outside sources so early in its growth trajectory one would expect securing reliable and long-term supplies would be at the forefront of the development and foreign policy agenda.
And yet, Delhi seems to be expending diplomatic and political resources in a direction that would baffle even the most optimistic observer. Last week, the union cabinet affirmed India's participation in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) 1,700-kilometer pipeline, which envisages a flow of gas from Central Asia into the Indian heartland.''
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''India spends more than U$400 million each day on oil imports which account for 70% of its oil consumption. For a country facing such high dependence on outside sources so early in its growth trajectory one would expect securing reliable and long-term supplies would be at the forefront of the development and foreign policy agenda.
And yet, Delhi seems to be expending diplomatic and political resources in a direction that would baffle even the most optimistic observer. Last week, the union cabinet affirmed India's participation in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) 1,700-kilometer pipeline, which envisages a flow of gas from Central Asia into the Indian heartland.''
read more
India: ''PM leaves for Myanmar, energy need and China in focus''
From Hindustan Times
''Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday left for Myanmar on a three-day trip that will see him unveil new initiatives in expanding trade and energy cooperation with the oil-rich country besides inking a pact on a bus service between Imphal and Mandalay. Singh said he hoped to focus on stronger trade and investment links, development of border areas and improving connectivity between India and Myanmar.
India remains "committed to a close, cooperative and mutually beneficial partnership with the government and people of Myanmar," Singh said in a statement before leaving for Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city.''
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''Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday left for Myanmar on a three-day trip that will see him unveil new initiatives in expanding trade and energy cooperation with the oil-rich country besides inking a pact on a bus service between Imphal and Mandalay. Singh said he hoped to focus on stronger trade and investment links, development of border areas and improving connectivity between India and Myanmar.
India remains "committed to a close, cooperative and mutually beneficial partnership with the government and people of Myanmar," Singh said in a statement before leaving for Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city.''
read more
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Bilderberg Attendees Confronted
Great Job Luke!!
'This is one of the 12 videos you will see released on May 31st during our 12 hour Donation Drive broadcast at Bilderberg. Help WeAreChange reach our goal @ http://wearechange.org/donate watch live here http://ustream.tv'
ALBERT EDWARDS: ''The Stock Market Will Collapse And All Hope Will Be Lost''
From Business Insider
''As 30y German Bund yields slide below 2% and rapidly converge towards Japanese rates, we have a taster of what is to come in the US and UK in the months ahead. We still see US 10y yields – even now making new all-time lows – falling below 1% as hard landings occur in China and the US. The secular equity valuation bear market began in 2000 and renewed global recession will be the trigger to catalyze the third, and hopefully final, gut-wrenching phase of valuation de-rating. Expect the S&P500 to decline decisively below its March 2009, 666 intra-day low. All hope will be crushed.''
''As 30y German Bund yields slide below 2% and rapidly converge towards Japanese rates, we have a taster of what is to come in the US and UK in the months ahead. We still see US 10y yields – even now making new all-time lows – falling below 1% as hard landings occur in China and the US. The secular equity valuation bear market began in 2000 and renewed global recession will be the trigger to catalyze the third, and hopefully final, gut-wrenching phase of valuation de-rating. Expect the S&P500 to decline decisively below its March 2009, 666 intra-day low. All hope will be crushed.''
''Moscow pledges to block UN over foreign intervention in Syria''
''The Meaning of Occupy Bilderberg: The Elevation of The Shadow Into Public Consciousness''
From The Excavator
''The occupy movement is growing up and taking on the big boys at the 2012 Bilderberg conference, held in Chantilly, Virginia.
Bilderberg is the shadow G8 and G20. Its much more powerful and influential in global affairs than those public bodies. It is the invisible layer of skin under the thick public skin of national governments, global media, global banks, global charities, and global corporations.''
read more
''The occupy movement is growing up and taking on the big boys at the 2012 Bilderberg conference, held in Chantilly, Virginia.
Bilderberg is the shadow G8 and G20. Its much more powerful and influential in global affairs than those public bodies. It is the invisible layer of skin under the thick public skin of national governments, global media, global banks, global charities, and global corporations.''
read more
''Euro break-up ''could wipe 50pc off London house prices''
From The Telegraph
“Although fears about a messy end to the euro debt crisis may account for much of the gain in prime central London (PCL) prices that has taken place over the past two years, we find that a break-up of the single currency area is also the single greatest threat to PCL,” said researchers.''
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“Although fears about a messy end to the euro debt crisis may account for much of the gain in prime central London (PCL) prices that has taken place over the past two years, we find that a break-up of the single currency area is also the single greatest threat to PCL,” said researchers.''
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''Electronic Money The Real Conspiracy''
From Martin Armstrong
''The real goal is to eliminate even the paper dollars. They want everything electronic so they can capture every penny of taxes. In their mind, THEY are not the problem. I have had to listen so many times to people actually say on the Hill that if everyone paid their “fair share" there would be no problem. Well that is about $300,000 per person. It does not matter what they collect. They would still spend more.''
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''The real goal is to eliminate even the paper dollars. They want everything electronic so they can capture every penny of taxes. In their mind, THEY are not the problem. I have had to listen so many times to people actually say on the Hill that if everyone paid their “fair share" there would be no problem. Well that is about $300,000 per person. It does not matter what they collect. They would still spend more.''
read more
KEITH JUROW: ''Prepare For The Coming Housing Collapse''
recollapse??............From Business Insider
Why the Collapse is Coming
''Despite all the mortgage modifications, refinancings, and cutbacks in REOs for sale that have taken place in the past 2 ½ years, prices continue to decline. Will this change anytime soon?
Let’s take a look at potential buyers. It’s an undeniable fact that the trade-up buyer is gone in every major metro market. Most of those who would like to sell and buy another house are unable to do so. Their house is underwater and their equity is gone.
I talk to Phoenix broker Leif Swanson on a regular basis. He has explained that the few normal sales he closes are for sellers over 70 years old. Because they have owned the property for decades, they have equity. The trade-up buyer of the past – ages 30-60 -- has disappeared.
That leaves first-time buyers and investors. According to Inside Mortgage Finance, their survey of roughly 2,500 brokers nationwide finds that roughly 30 percent of all purchases nationwide are by investors, many paying all-cash. Some analysts have argued that this is a good thing for housing markets. This is rubbish. There aren’t enough potential all-cash investors to make-up for the collapse of the trade-up market.''
Why the Collapse is Coming
''Despite all the mortgage modifications, refinancings, and cutbacks in REOs for sale that have taken place in the past 2 ½ years, prices continue to decline. Will this change anytime soon?
Let’s take a look at potential buyers. It’s an undeniable fact that the trade-up buyer is gone in every major metro market. Most of those who would like to sell and buy another house are unable to do so. Their house is underwater and their equity is gone.
I talk to Phoenix broker Leif Swanson on a regular basis. He has explained that the few normal sales he closes are for sellers over 70 years old. Because they have owned the property for decades, they have equity. The trade-up buyer of the past – ages 30-60 -- has disappeared.
That leaves first-time buyers and investors. According to Inside Mortgage Finance, their survey of roughly 2,500 brokers nationwide finds that roughly 30 percent of all purchases nationwide are by investors, many paying all-cash. Some analysts have argued that this is a good thing for housing markets. This is rubbish. There aren’t enough potential all-cash investors to make-up for the collapse of the trade-up market.''
''The Pentagon Seeks to Regain the Initiative in South America''
just remember this when they tell you that we are 'BROKE'...................From Upside Down World
''Panetta made three stopovers: in Colombia he reaffirmed the mission of Plan Colombia, to export security to the countries of the region, in particular to Central America and Mexico; in Brazil he attempted to lure the country with promises, to bring the world's sixth-largest economy closer to Washington's orbit; and finally, in Chile his visit coincided with the opening of the first military base of the Southern Command in that country, specializing in urban warfare.''
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''Panetta made three stopovers: in Colombia he reaffirmed the mission of Plan Colombia, to export security to the countries of the region, in particular to Central America and Mexico; in Brazil he attempted to lure the country with promises, to bring the world's sixth-largest economy closer to Washington's orbit; and finally, in Chile his visit coincided with the opening of the first military base of the Southern Command in that country, specializing in urban warfare.''
read more
''Beijing arrests hundreds of Tibetans to stop self-immolations''
From AsiaNews.It
''Chinese authorities have arrested hundreds of people in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), in response to the self-immolation of two young men - on May 27th - in protest against Beijing's Imperialism and the lack of religious freedom. According to the U.S. based website Radio Free Asia (RFA), security forces have taken at least 600 Tibetans and also ordered the expulsion of all the pilgrims and tourists from outside the TAR. The self-immolation of the two young men, the first in the capital of Tibet, and the subsequent wave of arrests is the first "significant" protest in Lhasa, since the March 2008 monks revolt violently repressed by the government in Beijing.''
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''Chinese authorities have arrested hundreds of people in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), in response to the self-immolation of two young men - on May 27th - in protest against Beijing's Imperialism and the lack of religious freedom. According to the U.S. based website Radio Free Asia (RFA), security forces have taken at least 600 Tibetans and also ordered the expulsion of all the pilgrims and tourists from outside the TAR. The self-immolation of the two young men, the first in the capital of Tibet, and the subsequent wave of arrests is the first "significant" protest in Lhasa, since the March 2008 monks revolt violently repressed by the government in Beijing.''
read more
''The Prospect of Western Europe Collapsing Like Eastern Europe''
From Wired
By Ivan Krastev
''How real is the risk of disintegration? The lessons of the Soviet collapse
Soviet disintegration was perceived as unthinkable in 1985 and declared to have been inevitable in 1995. This leap from the ‘unthinkable’ to the ‘inevitable’ makes it a useful footnote to the current discussions on the future of Europe.
“In 1992, the world woke up without the Soviet Union on the map. One of the world’s two superpowers had collapsed without a war, invasion or any other catastrophic development. Although the Soviets had been in irreversible decline since the 1970s nothing had predetermined their collapse at the end of the 20th century.''
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By Ivan Krastev
''How real is the risk of disintegration? The lessons of the Soviet collapse
Soviet disintegration was perceived as unthinkable in 1985 and declared to have been inevitable in 1995. This leap from the ‘unthinkable’ to the ‘inevitable’ makes it a useful footnote to the current discussions on the future of Europe.
“In 1992, the world woke up without the Soviet Union on the map. One of the world’s two superpowers had collapsed without a war, invasion or any other catastrophic development. Although the Soviets had been in irreversible decline since the 1970s nothing had predetermined their collapse at the end of the 20th century.''
read more
''Woman Who Couldn’t Be Intimidated by Citigroup Wins $31 Million''
whistle blower story.......must read...From Bloomberg
''Citigroup behaving badly as late as 2012 shows how a big bank hasn’t yet absorbed the lessons of the credit crisis despite billions of dollars in bailouts, says Neil Barofsky, former special inspector general of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
''Citigroup behaving badly as late as 2012 shows how a big bank hasn’t yet absorbed the lessons of the credit crisis despite billions of dollars in bailouts, says Neil Barofsky, former special inspector general of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
“This case demonstrates that the notion that the bailed-out banks have somehow found God and have reformed their ways in the aftermath of the financial crisis is pure myth,” he says.''
Matt Taibbi: ''SEC: Taking on Big Firms is 'Tempting,' But We Prefer Whaling on Little Guys''
From Rolling Stone
''It’s by now been well-established that the S.E.C.’s performance in policing Wall Street before, after, and during the crash has been comically inept. It would be putting it generously to say that the top cop on the financial services beat has demonstrated particular incompetence with regard to investigations of high-profile targets at powerhouse banks and financial companies. A less generous interpretation would be that the agency is simply too afraid, too unwilling, or too corrupt to take on the really dangerous animals in this particular jungle.''
''It’s by now been well-established that the S.E.C.’s performance in policing Wall Street before, after, and during the crash has been comically inept. It would be putting it generously to say that the top cop on the financial services beat has demonstrated particular incompetence with regard to investigations of high-profile targets at powerhouse banks and financial companies. A less generous interpretation would be that the agency is simply too afraid, too unwilling, or too corrupt to take on the really dangerous animals in this particular jungle.''
''Challenges of Eurasian integration''
From Russia & India Report
''The prospects of the emerging structure, where the main axis will obviously be the cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, were outlined in the article by V. Putin "The New Integration Project for Eurasia: the Future in the Making", published on October 4, 2011 in the newspaper "Izvestia". He pointed out, in particular, that this alliance will be one of the centers of the world economy and policy and “will ensure sustainability of global development” alongside with the EU, U.S., China and APEC. Putin also pointed out the possibility of expanding cooperation of the Eurasian Union and the EU.''
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''The prospects of the emerging structure, where the main axis will obviously be the cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, were outlined in the article by V. Putin "The New Integration Project for Eurasia: the Future in the Making", published on October 4, 2011 in the newspaper "Izvestia". He pointed out, in particular, that this alliance will be one of the centers of the world economy and policy and “will ensure sustainability of global development” alongside with the EU, U.S., China and APEC. Putin also pointed out the possibility of expanding cooperation of the Eurasian Union and the EU.''
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''Importance of India joining as a full member of the SCO''
From Russia & India Report
''New Delhi has already been knocking at the grouping’s door for the last three years as it sought a greater role in the SCO, in the light of fast changing geo-political situation in the region, in particular, in view of the planned US withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The possibility of an increase in the number of prospective partners of the SCO in the near future, India’s admission into the organization has rather gained an imperative importance.
However, the statement made by Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping on Wednesday in Beijing ruled out any decision on admitting India along with other observer members in the SCO at the summit in Beijing, stressing that there was no fixed timeframe for the expansion of the membership.''
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''New Delhi has already been knocking at the grouping’s door for the last three years as it sought a greater role in the SCO, in the light of fast changing geo-political situation in the region, in particular, in view of the planned US withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The possibility of an increase in the number of prospective partners of the SCO in the near future, India’s admission into the organization has rather gained an imperative importance.
However, the statement made by Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping on Wednesday in Beijing ruled out any decision on admitting India along with other observer members in the SCO at the summit in Beijing, stressing that there was no fixed timeframe for the expansion of the membership.''
read more
''Balochistan: Crossroads of Proxy War''
another must read..........From Stop Imperialism
''The current unrest in Balochistan centers around forced disappearances, kidnappings, targeted killings, assassinations and terrorism. However, these are merely the tactics of a much broader, more geopolitically complex war in which the United States and its Western allies are engaged. Though seemingly insignificant against the backdrop of all the regional and international crises affecting our world, Balochistan is, in fact, a nexus: the point at which diametrically opposing strategic interests converge.
The United States views Balochistan, an area that encompasses western Pakistan, eastern Iran, and a piece of southern Afghanistan, as critical to the maintenance of US hegemony in the Middle East and Central and South Asia. Conversely, China regards the region as necessary for its own economic and political evolution into a world superpower. Seen in this way, Balochistan becomes central to the development of geopolitical power in the 21st Century.''
''Stabilising Balochistan: Six-member body formed to talk to Baloch dissidents''
From Tribune Express
''The country’s top political and military leaders met on Tuesday in an effort to urgently kick start new initiatives in Balochistan to tame what some participants called an active insurgency similar to the one that caused Pakistan’s disintegration in 1971.''
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''The country’s top political and military leaders met on Tuesday in an effort to urgently kick start new initiatives in Balochistan to tame what some participants called an active insurgency similar to the one that caused Pakistan’s disintegration in 1971.''
read more
''The Second Act Of The JPM CIO Fiasco Has Arrived - Mismarking Hundreds Of Billions In Credit Default Swaps''
From ZeroHedge
''Bottom line: Jamie Dimon's "tempest in a teapot" just became a fully-formed, perfect storm which suddenly threatens his very position, and could potentially lead to billions more in losses for his firm.''
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''Bottom line: Jamie Dimon's "tempest in a teapot" just became a fully-formed, perfect storm which suddenly threatens his very position, and could potentially lead to billions more in losses for his firm.''
read more
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
''We need a stronger Glass-Steagall Act to regulate financial firms''
From LATimes
"Bring back Glass-Steagall!" That's the cry you hear most often for restoring regulatory stringency to our misbehaving financial sector.
The 1933 law, which barred commercial banks from underwriting or investing in stocks — in effect, from owning investment banks — was repealed in 1999, and reinstating it is a good proposal for several reasons. But what the 2008 financial crash and misadventures such as JPMorgan Chase's multibillion-dollar derivatives loss tell us is that reinstatement of the old law isn't enough. What we really need is a sort of 21st-century Glass-Steagall Act with a laser focus on the activities that threaten the financial system in the modern era.''
read more
"Bring back Glass-Steagall!" That's the cry you hear most often for restoring regulatory stringency to our misbehaving financial sector.
The 1933 law, which barred commercial banks from underwriting or investing in stocks — in effect, from owning investment banks — was repealed in 1999, and reinstating it is a good proposal for several reasons. But what the 2008 financial crash and misadventures such as JPMorgan Chase's multibillion-dollar derivatives loss tell us is that reinstatement of the old law isn't enough. What we really need is a sort of 21st-century Glass-Steagall Act with a laser focus on the activities that threaten the financial system in the modern era.''
read more
''California Note Sale May Top $10 Billion, Chiang Says''
From Bloomberg
''California, the most indebted state, may need to sell more than $10 billion in short-term securities in order to pay bills through the fiscal year that begins in July, Controller John Chiang said.
The size of the revenue-anticipation note sale may exceed previous estimates as tax collections have trailed projections and the state exhausted most of its internal borrowing ability, Chiang said in an interview yesterday in Bloomberg’s San Francisco office.''
read more
''California, the most indebted state, may need to sell more than $10 billion in short-term securities in order to pay bills through the fiscal year that begins in July, Controller John Chiang said.
The size of the revenue-anticipation note sale may exceed previous estimates as tax collections have trailed projections and the state exhausted most of its internal borrowing ability, Chiang said in an interview yesterday in Bloomberg’s San Francisco office.''
read more
''9/11 Truth Spring And Bilderberg Spring''
From Truth Excavator
''Bilderberg apologists in the media still claim that nothing special goes on inside Bilderberg's annual global symposium. But then why the secrecy? Why was knowledge of the elitist group's existence suppressed for so long from the global public by the mass media?
They have something to hide, and it isn't pretty. They destroyed the Western democratic experiment in the shadows, while pretending all these years that they never existed.
"Clearly, they run countries around the world, not voting citizens," writes Adrian Salbuchi.
The Bilderberg Titans are afraid that the mortals of the world are waking up and protesting their illegal and destructive activities. They're not the gods that they thought they were. They're re-discovering the reality that the world can't be controlled by a few forever, and they realize they will face the wrath of the world for secretly plotting against the growth and development of all of humanity.''
read more
''Bilderberg apologists in the media still claim that nothing special goes on inside Bilderberg's annual global symposium. But then why the secrecy? Why was knowledge of the elitist group's existence suppressed for so long from the global public by the mass media?
They have something to hide, and it isn't pretty. They destroyed the Western democratic experiment in the shadows, while pretending all these years that they never existed.
"Clearly, they run countries around the world, not voting citizens," writes Adrian Salbuchi.
The Bilderberg Titans are afraid that the mortals of the world are waking up and protesting their illegal and destructive activities. They're not the gods that they thought they were. They're re-discovering the reality that the world can't be controlled by a few forever, and they realize they will face the wrath of the world for secretly plotting against the growth and development of all of humanity.''
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''Global Control Matrix Revealed''
From Cosmic Convergence 2012
''Isn’t it amazing that in 2012 the Illuminati, the New World Order, the Rothschilds have literally become household words?! Virtually any website that is not considered mainstream media (MSM) may have at least one reference to one of these mysterious entities which comprise the Global Control Matrix.
Truly, the internet has encouraged the widespread and rapid dissemination of what was once considered either secret or highly privileged information. Even the US Federal Government is now known to be completely subservient to and under the command of an international crime syndicate and ultra-secret cabal which functions as a Shadow Government.''
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''Isn’t it amazing that in 2012 the Illuminati, the New World Order, the Rothschilds have literally become household words?! Virtually any website that is not considered mainstream media (MSM) may have at least one reference to one of these mysterious entities which comprise the Global Control Matrix.
Truly, the internet has encouraged the widespread and rapid dissemination of what was once considered either secret or highly privileged information. Even the US Federal Government is now known to be completely subservient to and under the command of an international crime syndicate and ultra-secret cabal which functions as a Shadow Government.''
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''The Three Rogue Nations–Producing Order Out Of Chaos''
a must read........From 'There are no Sunglasses'
Intro By Peter Chamberlain
''We know that their plans for a New World Order faithfully rely upon these beliefs to bring "order out of the chaos" which they create. We know that they are acting upon those beliefs, when they try in so many ways to bend the people of the world, to recondition their minds into conformity to the masters' wills. We know that one of their primary beliefs is that "thoughts create reality," so we also know that the world of chaos which they are shaping around us is but a reflection of the sick, demented fantasy worlds which exists inside their own big heads. Is it possible to dream a new reality and then watch it take shape? Can the conscious mind really be redirected by tampering with the sub-conscious?''
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http://cosmicconvergence.org/
Intro By Peter Chamberlain
''We know that their plans for a New World Order faithfully rely upon these beliefs to bring "order out of the chaos" which they create. We know that they are acting upon those beliefs, when they try in so many ways to bend the people of the world, to recondition their minds into conformity to the masters' wills. We know that one of their primary beliefs is that "thoughts create reality," so we also know that the world of chaos which they are shaping around us is but a reflection of the sick, demented fantasy worlds which exists inside their own big heads. Is it possible to dream a new reality and then watch it take shape? Can the conscious mind really be redirected by tampering with the sub-conscious?''
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http://cosmicconvergence.org/
IntelHub Coverage of Bilderberg
Check out the coverage From IntelHub
http://theintelhub.com/bilderberg-2012/
http://theintelhub.com/bilderberg-2012/
InfoWars: "Expose Bilderberg 2012 Itinerary''
InfoWars coverage of Bilderberg...........From InfoWars
''Bilderberg 2012 is set to be the scene of the biggest ever protest against the secretive organization. Listed below are the details and meet-up times for what promises to be a momentous occasion.''
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''Bilderberg 2012 is set to be the scene of the biggest ever protest against the secretive organization. Listed below are the details and meet-up times for what promises to be a momentous occasion.''
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'Bilderberg 2012 LIVE coverage from Chantilly, VA'
Live streaming from Bilderberg........From Mark Dice
''Frackin’ Reserve – What is Money?''
part 2 of a 6 part series.......From Activist Post
''For the purpose of discussing fractional reserve banking, the following is roughly how we need to answer the question, "what is money?" There are plenty of perspectives for a more general answer, but for fractional reserve, we need to choose an appropriate way to view money. The reasons for this view will become clear in parts 3, 4 and 5.''
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''For the purpose of discussing fractional reserve banking, the following is roughly how we need to answer the question, "what is money?" There are plenty of perspectives for a more general answer, but for fractional reserve, we need to choose an appropriate way to view money. The reasons for this view will become clear in parts 3, 4 and 5.''
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Pakistan: "Singapore, others to sell their stakes in Gwadar port to China''
From News International
''The Gwadar Port is envisioned to become a major trans-shipment port and a shipping hub for the landlocked Central Asian States (CAS), Afghanistan and Western China. The Gwadar deep seaport is strategically located at the crossroads of the increasing important regions of the world that is the oil rich Middle East, resource-rich Central Asian Republics and populated South Asia.
It may be pointed out that China not only constructed the Gwadar Port but also provided 80 percent of the initial funds worth $248 million for the construction. Out of $248 million extended by China, $50million was given as grant to mark the 50-year of Pak-China friendship while $198 million was given as a soft loan. The port construction got started in 2002 and was completed in 2007. However, the port is yet to become fully operational.''
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''The Gwadar Port is envisioned to become a major trans-shipment port and a shipping hub for the landlocked Central Asian States (CAS), Afghanistan and Western China. The Gwadar deep seaport is strategically located at the crossroads of the increasing important regions of the world that is the oil rich Middle East, resource-rich Central Asian Republics and populated South Asia.
It may be pointed out that China not only constructed the Gwadar Port but also provided 80 percent of the initial funds worth $248 million for the construction. Out of $248 million extended by China, $50million was given as grant to mark the 50-year of Pak-China friendship while $198 million was given as a soft loan. The port construction got started in 2002 and was completed in 2007. However, the port is yet to become fully operational.''
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Dahlia Wasfi: ''Ain’t Nothin’ Green About the Green Zone''
Another video from Dahlia Wasfi....very educational.......
Syria: "Sentenced to Extermination''
From Strategic Culture
''Syria has great role in the US plans. There are only three out of twenty Mediterranean states that are not NATO members and are not tied to the Alliance by “partnership programs". They are Libya, Lebanon and Syria. Libya has already fallen down under the NATO’s strikes, now it’s the turn of Syria and Lebanon... So, NATO and its Arab allies have already sentenced Syria to dismemberment.''
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''Syria has great role in the US plans. There are only three out of twenty Mediterranean states that are not NATO members and are not tied to the Alliance by “partnership programs". They are Libya, Lebanon and Syria. Libya has already fallen down under the NATO’s strikes, now it’s the turn of Syria and Lebanon... So, NATO and its Arab allies have already sentenced Syria to dismemberment.''
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Pepe Escobar: "Got war if you want it''
From Asia Times Online
"Iran's Central Bank Governor Mahmoud Bahmani said that Tehran has already activated an alternative payment clearing system to SWIFT - thus foiling another vector of Washington's relentless economic war. What this means is that Iran, BRICS members Russia, India and China, plus Iran's trading partners in the developing world are moving one step beyond in their flight from the US dollar as global reserve currency.''
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"Iran's Central Bank Governor Mahmoud Bahmani said that Tehran has already activated an alternative payment clearing system to SWIFT - thus foiling another vector of Washington's relentless economic war. What this means is that Iran, BRICS members Russia, India and China, plus Iran's trading partners in the developing world are moving one step beyond in their flight from the US dollar as global reserve currency.''
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''The Bilderberg Group: Origins''
a must read.........From The Real Agenda
''Just a few days from now, the world’s economic, political and scientific elites (not to mention top media kingpins) will gather near Chantilly, Virginia to fine-tune an agenda that’s been long in the making. Its roots reach so far down in the soil of history, we’ll have to roll up our sleeves before we descend.''
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''Just a few days from now, the world’s economic, political and scientific elites (not to mention top media kingpins) will gather near Chantilly, Virginia to fine-tune an agenda that’s been long in the making. Its roots reach so far down in the soil of history, we’ll have to roll up our sleeves before we descend.''
read more
Zimbabwe: "Cheap Chinese imports killing us''
From News Day
''He said a lot of Asian imports were being dumped into the country through unofficial channels and at cheaper prices, thus crippling the Zimbabwean manufacturing industry. “We need government to get involved and give lines of credit because our industry dwindled four to five years ago and the dollarisation issue opened up competition from outside the borders,” he said.''
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''He said a lot of Asian imports were being dumped into the country through unofficial channels and at cheaper prices, thus crippling the Zimbabwean manufacturing industry. “We need government to get involved and give lines of credit because our industry dwindled four to five years ago and the dollarisation issue opened up competition from outside the borders,” he said.''
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Kill List: ''Obama – judge, jury, and executioner''
From Voice of Russia
''The strikes take place over a vast territory from Somali and Yemen to Afghanistan and Pakistan. And the number of strikes has intensified in the last year. Only since April this year, there have been 14 such strikes in Yemen, and 6 in Pakistan.
Most of the people targeted for such strikes are foreign nationals, but occasionally there are American citizens among them, who are "brought to justice" in this extrajudicial procedure. And commentators say that Barack Obama is the first U.S. president who has acquired the right to single-handedly decide to be "judge, jury, and executioner.''
''Anti-Missile Deployment and the Senkaku-Daioyu Islands''
From SNA News
''The announcement by North Korea of the launching of a rocket prompted Japan to deploy Aegis-equipped warships and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor missile launchers to a number of islands in southern Okinawa Prefecture. Furthermore, the Defense Ministry hinted that the SDF deployment on Ishigaki and Miyako islands may become permanent.
Although this has not yet taken place, such a step may affect the possible scenarios for a final settlement of the sovereignty dispute over the Senkaku-Diaoyu Islands, claimed by Beijing. Something similar could be said about the proposal by Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara to buy these islands.''
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''The announcement by North Korea of the launching of a rocket prompted Japan to deploy Aegis-equipped warships and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor missile launchers to a number of islands in southern Okinawa Prefecture. Furthermore, the Defense Ministry hinted that the SDF deployment on Ishigaki and Miyako islands may become permanent.
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''Bipartisan Assault on Middle East Peace''
From Foreign Policy in Focus
''Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed a dangerous piece of legislation (H.R. 4133) which would undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, weaken Israeli moderates and peace advocates, undercut international law, further militarize the Middle East, and make Israel ever more dependent on the United States.
The margin was an overwhelming 411-2, with eight abstentions.''
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''Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed a dangerous piece of legislation (H.R. 4133) which would undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, weaken Israeli moderates and peace advocates, undercut international law, further militarize the Middle East, and make Israel ever more dependent on the United States.
The margin was an overwhelming 411-2, with eight abstentions.''
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''Pentagon flexing muscles at Pyongyang: B-52 bombers take part in largest U.S. exercise in Korea for the first time''
my favorite new blog......From The Aviatoinist
''Even if the news that U.S. Special Forces have already parachuted into North Korea to perform surveillance operations on Pyongyang activities, reportedly (accidentally?) disclosed by Army Brig. Gen. Neil Tolley, commander of U.S. Special Operations Forces in South Korea, was (awkwardly) denied by U.S. Forces Korea, an official PACAF press release leaves no room for interpretations.
According to the news release, two B-52 Bombers from Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, took part in exercise Max Thunder 12-1 at Gwangji Air Base, Republic of Korea, on May 17, 2012.''
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''Even if the news that U.S. Special Forces have already parachuted into North Korea to perform surveillance operations on Pyongyang activities, reportedly (accidentally?) disclosed by Army Brig. Gen. Neil Tolley, commander of U.S. Special Operations Forces in South Korea, was (awkwardly) denied by U.S. Forces Korea, an official PACAF press release leaves no room for interpretations.
According to the news release, two B-52 Bombers from Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, took part in exercise Max Thunder 12-1 at Gwangji Air Base, Republic of Korea, on May 17, 2012.''
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''Would an independent agency fix the Federal Reserve’s ‘governance problem’?''
From Current TV
''Simon Johnson, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, explains why he thinks the U.S. should establish a watchdog agency to oversee Wall Street along the lines of the National Transportation Safety Board, asking “Where else in American society do we allow the regulated companies to sit on the governing structure on the board of the organization overlooking them?''
''Simon Johnson, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, explains why he thinks the U.S. should establish a watchdog agency to oversee Wall Street along the lines of the National Transportation Safety Board, asking “Where else in American society do we allow the regulated companies to sit on the governing structure on the board of the organization overlooking them?''
''In Escape From Japan Doomsday, Capital Takes Flight''
From Jakarta Globe
''Hiroshi Kosaka has an unorthodox pitch for his realty business: instead of pictures of swanky condominiums his website features Japanese debt statistics and budget meltdown scenarios usually left to credit rating agencies.
His firm is part of a cottage industry that has sprung up to help worry-prone Japanese savers get out of the yen and find property overseas that could serve as a safe haven in a financial disaster. The trend comes against the backdrop of a deepening pessimism about Japan’s economic future that has made “Escape from Japan” a hot-selling business book and helped drive sales of second homes from New Zealand to Malaysia.''
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''Hiroshi Kosaka has an unorthodox pitch for his realty business: instead of pictures of swanky condominiums his website features Japanese debt statistics and budget meltdown scenarios usually left to credit rating agencies.
His firm is part of a cottage industry that has sprung up to help worry-prone Japanese savers get out of the yen and find property overseas that could serve as a safe haven in a financial disaster. The trend comes against the backdrop of a deepening pessimism about Japan’s economic future that has made “Escape from Japan” a hot-selling business book and helped drive sales of second homes from New Zealand to Malaysia.''
read more
''World War II - The Dual Struggle''
From New Left Project
''Churchill was always very clear that his mission in the war was to defend the British empire, not promote the interests of ordinary citizens. He was not ideologically committed to destroy fascism. He made statements such as the following when he met Mussolini in 1927: ‘If I had been an Italian I would have been with you from the start in your struggle against the bestial passions of Leninism’. During the Spanish civil war he backed Franco (whose survival depended on Hitler and Mussolini’s massive material support), and afterwards he defended Franco when some argued that his regime was the unfinished business of WWII. Churchill also backed the Japanese invasion of Manchuria before the war.''
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''Churchill was always very clear that his mission in the war was to defend the British empire, not promote the interests of ordinary citizens. He was not ideologically committed to destroy fascism. He made statements such as the following when he met Mussolini in 1927: ‘If I had been an Italian I would have been with you from the start in your struggle against the bestial passions of Leninism’. During the Spanish civil war he backed Franco (whose survival depended on Hitler and Mussolini’s massive material support), and afterwards he defended Franco when some argued that his regime was the unfinished business of WWII. Churchill also backed the Japanese invasion of Manchuria before the war.''
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