A History of Gold Confiscation
"Here are some of the more noteworthy events that might make gold investors sweat." Continue reading →
Scam City – 2012 TV Series
"Every year, hundreds of millions of tourists head off in pursuit of adventure in foreign lands - and each year, millions of them get a little more adventure than they bargained for. Anyone can be a victim of a crime but it seems to come naturally to tourists. But while you try to avoid the thieves and con artists, economist and author Conor Woodman actively seeks them out. Travelling to the world’s great cities with an undercover team and hidden cameras, Conor exposes the ruthless ploys used to steal your hard-earned holiday cash by getting himself scammed, robbed and conned so you won’t." Continue reading →
Air Force erases drone strike data amid criticisms
"Quietly and without much notice, the Air Force has reversed its policy of publishing statistics on drone strikes in Afghanistan as the debate about drone warfare hits a fever pitch in Washington. In addition, it has erased previously published drone strike statistics from its website." Continue reading →
Cheney Admits that He Lied about 9/11; What Else Did He Lie About?
"Cheney pretended that Bush had authorized a shoot-down order, but Cheney now admits that he never did. In fact, Cheney acted as if he was the president on 9/11. Cheney lied about numerous other facts related to 9/11 as well." Continue reading →
With Italy’s Election, the EU Chasm Grows
"Italians went to the polls and rejected the EU's faux austerity program but former premier Mario Monti doesn't accept the new course and has proposed new elections instead. This has happened before. When Ireland voted against the wishes of the Eurocrats, Ireland was made to vote again. Now perhaps it is Italy's turn. The European experiment was supposed to bring peace to Europe. How ironic if it would be responsible instead for a rise in political intolerance, authoritarianism and even, eventually, renewed nationalism and militarization." Continue reading →
French and Italian debt chiefs warn on EU Tobin Tax
"The proposal - now in the hands of working groups - is to come into force in early 2014. It will raise a fee of 0.1pc for shares and bonds, and 0.01pc for derivatives. These rates are far higher than the Swedish tax in 1989 that led to an 85pc crash in bond sales, a 98pc fall in bond futures, and shut-down of options trading, before the experiment was abandoned. The Chancellor, George Osborne, said the FTT scheme would amount to a tax on pensioners and cost up to 1m jobs across the EU 'without costing bankers a penny'. The traders would migrate to the US or Asia, taking the financial industry with them." Continue reading →
‘Troika’ offers Cyprus bailout in exchange for tax hikes
"Cyprus needs up to 17 billion euros - almost as much as its annual gross domestic product - in emergency loans, mostly to recapitalise its oversized banking sector, hit by a Greek debt restructuring, but also to service debt and government expenses. The capital gains tax could be introduced only temporarily, for three years, and provide the government with an extra revenue of 200-300 million euros. The nominal corporate tax, which now stands at 10 percent, could be raised to 12.5 percent. The introduction of the financial transaction tax would be set at 0.01 percent of the value of trades for derivatives and 0.1 percent for stocks and bonds." Continue reading →
Man spends 2 years forgotten about in solitary after DWI arrest
"A New Mexico man who said he was forced to pull his own tooth while in solitary confinement because he was denied access to a dentist has been awarded $22 million due to inhumane treatment by New Mexico's Dona Ana County Jail. Stephen Slevin was arrested in August of 2005 for driving while intoxicated, then thrown in jail for two years. He was in solitary at Dona Ana County Jail for his entire sentence and basically forgotten about and never given a trial, he told NBC station KOB.com Tuesday night." Continue reading →
Undercover agent sneaks past TSA at Newark Airport with ‘bomb’ in pants
"Despite undergoing a pat-down search, a federal agent was able to sneak past Transportation Security Administration agents at Newark Airport last month with a simulated explosive device in his pant, an unnamed source told The New York Post. 'This episode once again demonstrates how Newark Airport is the Ground Zero of TSA failures,' the source reportedly said. The TSA did not confirm whether the incident took place, telling the Post that it 'regularly conducts covert testing' of security and does not disclose details about those operations." Continue reading →
Rodmania in North Korea
"The evidence only goes to show that the U.S. government rarely looks at itself in the mirror when pillorying and pummeling foreign countries. The United States does not need to befriend Kim Jong Un and the North Koreans—Dennis Rodman can do that. What it needs to do is disengage from the South Korean peninsula and let the now rich South Korea defend itself. North Korea will be much less prone to threaten the U.S. if it is not defending South Korea." Continue reading →