POLITICAL: Gold, Iran, and the US defeat

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

http://dailyreckoning.com/how-gold-helped-iran-avoid-defeat-by-the-u-s/

How Gold Helped Iran Avoid Defeat by the U.S.
by Addison Wiggin.
Posted May 22, 2014. 

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By July 2013, the U.S. Treasury had figured that out… and so began stepping up enforcement of a ban on gold sales to Iran — “a tacit recognition by the United States that gold is money,” Rickards adds dryly.

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By late last year, Iran and the United States agreed to resume negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. As part of that tentative agreement, President Obama removed the sanctions on gold purchases by Iran — one of the few ways he could ease Iranian sanctions without the say-so of Congress.

“For the time being,” Rickards concludes, “Iran had fought the United States to a standstill in its financial war, despite enormous disruption to the Iranian economy. The U.S.-Iranian financial war of 2012–13 illustrates how nations that could not stand up to the United States militarily could prove a tough match when the battlefield is financial or electronic.”

“Iran,” Rickards writes, “also demonstrated how financial warfare and cyberwarfare could be combined in a hybrid asymmetric attack.”

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Not so, says former Ambassador William Miller, who was stationed in Iran during the 1960s and is in contact with the current regime. “Sanctions only made them more defiant,” he tells the Los Angeles Times.

Want proof? Iran put the same offer on the table in 2003 — only to be spurned by the United States. Actually, it was a better offer from Washington’s perspective. Back then, Iran had only 164 nuclear centrifuges; by 2013, it had 19,000. That’s a heck of a lot more bargaining chips to hold once negotiations begin in earnest.

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It’s well know that Sadam wanted to paid for “his” oil in gold just before the USA took over.

Now, Iran exposes that the dollar monopoly could be broken. 

I’m sure this lesson will not go unnoticed around the world.

And China is buying gold by the “dump truck”.

No secret — “stuff” is better than Washington’s paper IOUs.

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RANT: Good for NewEgg.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

http://blog.newegg.com/patent-trolls-learn-mess-newegg/

When Will Patent Trolls Learn Not to Mess with Newegg?
By Ivan B. on May 22, 2014 in Newegg News
Lee Cheng wins again.

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Lee Cheng wins again.

It’s no secret that Newegg is adamantly against patent trolls and everything they stand for. Not only are we not shy in proclaiming this to the world, we even sell t-shirts that show our disgust for these “companies” that think it’s OK to extort legitimate businesses. You would think that patent trolls would take the hint, yet there are still those that want to mess with Newegg.

*** and ***

“At Newegg, we’ve always believed paying off extortionists only encourages more extortion, and there had to be a negative consequence of suing Newegg without just cause. We insisted on seeking a return of our legal fees from Site Update Solutions.

*** and ***

We care too much about our loyal customers to subject them to paying these trolls.

Don’t settle.

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Good for NewEgg.

Everyone should stop “settling”.

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VETERANS: Memorial Day sullied by the VA

Monday, May 26, 2014

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2014/05/waiting-to-die-on-governments-watch.html

FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014
Waiting to Die on the Government’s WatchBy Ilana Mercer

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Why would a talented, dedicated cardiologist choose to be coffined in a medical gulag, weighed down by incompetents, his wages capped; his rewards incommensurate with his drive and dedication? He wouldn’t. Surprising as this seems to some, the best and brightest do not work for the state. Increasingly, government workers are carefully selected forthe color of their complexion, for their sex and sexual or political orientation, not for their competence. 

In a policy statement, the VA commissioner for Connecticut, a woman of course, crowed that applicants to her department are screened to ascertain “minimum qualifications.” “Maximum qualifications” are not required in this killer of a system. “Applicants who meet the essential level of preparation,” writes the woman, “are not excluded. The Human Resources Administrator must work to bring as many protected members into the system.” Her words. Once recruited, the needs of these precious, “protected-group members” are jealously guarded. 

If “diversity” trumps talent in government hiring; so too is job security a legislated article of faith. In order to set in motion a termination or two—pursuant to public outrage over the scandal in the Phoenix Veterans Affairs facility, where as many as 40 gravely ill veterans died while waiting to be treated—Congress has had to convene to pass “The VA Accountability Bill.” In the unlikely event of a layoff, seniority is given priority over the quality of the worker. A good healthcare provider will be terminated before a tenured provider.

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Close the VA!

Send the patients to for-profit facilities.

Bring the girls and boys home.

And start to downsize the Gooferment!

Argh!

On Memorial Day, it’s a national disgrace.

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RANT: War in the Middle East

Monday, May 26, 2014

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2014/05/war-is-peace-freedom-is-slavery-and-ignorance-is-strength/

War Is Peace, Freedom Is Slavery, and Ignorance Is Strength
by Washingtons Blog – May 14th, 2014, 1:30am

American Public Turns Anti-War … Warmongers Desperately Reply, “But War Is GOOD for Us!”

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In reality, security experts – conservative hawks and liberal doves alike – agree that waging war in the Middle East weakens national security and increases terrorism. See this, this, this, this, this, this and this. So it doesn’t make us safer.

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So when do the Sheeple wake up?

Never!

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: The Gooferment can’t commit a crime?

Sunday, May 25, 2014

http://idle.slashdot.org/story/14/05/19/1623215/ohio-prison-shows-pirated-movies-to-inmates?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

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An anonymous reader writes”Richard Humphrey was sentenced to 29 months in prison for selling pirated copies of movies through the subscription-based USAWAREZ.com. He was later sent to the Lorain County prison in February for a parole violation and while he was a prisoner, he says guards showed inmates Ride Along and The Wolf of Wall Street before they were released on DVD. A spokesperson for Lorain County Correctional Institution Warden Kimberly Clipper said prison officials are aware that pirated movies are being shown to prisoners and the issue is being investigated. But she said she couldn’t comment further because the investigation is ongoing.”

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What a laugh!

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TINFOILHAT: The already controversial shooting of Boston Bombing figure

Saturday, May 24, 2014

http://whowhatwhy.com/2014/05/17/todashevs-killer-no-wonder-his-identify-was-secret/

Todashev’s Killer: No Wonder His Identity Was Secret
By Christian Stork on May 17, 2014

Doubts about the already controversial shooting of Boston Bombing figure Ibragim Todashev in Florida last year are sure to grow with new revelations about the FBI agent who shot him.

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As WhoWhatWhy previously reported, the case is full of anomalies and part of a larger pattern of harassment against Chechen-Americans who knew accused bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Like everything related to the bombing, Todashev’s killing is swaddled in official secrecy and the U.S. government’s latest report about the Boston tragedy shows there was plenty to be secretive about.

Officials refused to identify anyone present during the May 22, 2013, shooting of Todashev, a 27-year-old mixed martial arts fighter, in his Orlando apartment. But Florida State Attorney Jeffrey L. Ashton’s report on the shooting did so—inadvertently—despite the FBI’s request to remove any identifying information.

On May 14, 2014, the Boston Globe identified Aaron McFarlane, 41, as the agent who emptied half his ammunition clip into Todashev. It uncovered his name by “removing improperly created redactions” in PDF files from the Florida report.

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Why is it that everything the Gooferment does have spin, lies, and cover ups?

Yet, the Sheeple still believe in the Gooferment as the “Tooth Fairy”!

I just don’t understand.

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POLITICAL: Term Limits

Friday, May 23, 2014

http://termlimits.org/

About Term Limits

Term Limits is still known as the largest grassroots movement in American history, and US Term Limits (USTL) was, and still is, the leader of that …

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Overdue! 

One thing the Dead Old White Guys got wrong.

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CLOUD: eBay demo’s your risks

Thursday, May 22, 2014

http://www.cnet.com/news/ebay-hacked-requests-all-users-change-passwords/?tag=nl.e404&s_cid=e404&ttag=e404&ftag=CAD1acfa04

eBay hacked, requests all users change passwords
eBay confirms users’ passwords were compromised but says there’s no evidence any financial information was accessed.

by Don Reisinger  @donreisinger May 21, 2014 5:30 AM PDT

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eBay’s morning just went from bad to worse. The e-commerce site confirmed Wednesday that its corporate network was hacked and a database with users’ passwords was compromised. While eBay says there is no evidence that users’ financial information was accessed in the hack, the company is telling all users to change their passwords.

*** end quote ***

Sigh!

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RANT: Gooferment is a walking disaster

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/05/20/are-all-veterans-now/

We are all veterans now
By Wayne Allyn RootPublished May 20, 2014FoxNews.com

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We didn’t know government employees kept secret waiting lists to cover up the long delays — even though they knew patients had life-threatening illnesses. That sounds like murder to me.

What a surprise! Conservatives like Sarah Palin and I screamed about “death panels” and “death by rationing” under ObamaCare years ago.

Government is a walking disaster. Government screws up everything it touches, while losing billions of dollars in other people’s money.

How could putting government in charge of health care for 330 million Americans possibly work out?

All the wars in America’s history have cost about $7 trillion. Yet the war on poverty has cost $20 trillion and counting (adjusted for inflation)…and poverty is still at a record high. What a massive failure and waste of taxpayer money.

The Federal Reserve has one main job — to protect the value of our dollar. Yet the dollar has lost 98% of its value since the Fed was founded.

The same government that brought you failing post offices, failing trains, and pretty much failing everything else is now in charge of your health care (as well as 17% of the U.S. economy).

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What can I possibly say or do to wake people up?

Argh!

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MONEY: It already IS bankrupt

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-14/what-happens-when-america-goes-bankrupt

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‘Buddy,’ I remember thinking, ‘America isn’t going bankrupt. It already IS bankrupt.’

Just so that we don’t mince words, my dictionary defines ‘bankrupt’ as “any insolvent debtor,” i.e. a debtor whose liabilities exceeds assets.

That’s the US government, by its own admission.

As we’ve discussed before, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) publishes financial statements each year in which they list all official government assets and liabilities.

The liabilities far exceed the assets. Big time. And the hole is getting deeper each year.

At this point the government’s net worth is roughly NEGATIVE $17 trillion, about 110% of GDP. That’s textbook insolvency.

The only reason the US government is still able to service its debts is because they are borrowing money just to pay interest… and because the Federal Reserve keeps printing money to buy up US debt.

*** end quote ***

Some very ugly chickens are coming home to roost.

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