statism

Name That Black Swan

"You might argue that a black swan event could occur at any time. That's true. But our current fiscal, monetary, and economic circumstances are so tenuous that the possibility of a black swan event hitting our economy is greater than usual. Indeed, the number of anomalous events that could take place is large enough that collectively they represent a high probability. And since we all live and work within an economic system and use money every day, the impact to us as individuals could be severe. So the question is this: what data are available now that show where we are most vulnerable to experiencing a black swan event?" Continue reading →

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Rotting, Decaying And Bankrupt – If You Want To See The Future Of America Just Look At Detroit

"Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr has submitted a proposal that would pay unsecured creditors about 10 cents on the dollar. Similar haircuts would be made to underfunded pension and health benefits for retirees. Orr concedes that there is still a '50-50 chance' that the city of Detroit will be forced to formally file for bankruptcy. But what Detroit is facing is not really that unique. In fact, Detroit is a perfect example of what the future of America is going to look like. We live in a nation that is rotting, decaying, drowning in debt and racing toward insolvency. So don't look down on Detroit. They just got there before the rest of us." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRotting, Decaying And Bankrupt – If You Want To See The Future Of America Just Look At Detroit

How The USA Captures Whistleblowers And Other Political Enemies

"Snowden’s case would likely fall under the political crime statute of the U.S.-Hong Kong extradition treaty. Any extradition request would be difficult, complicated, and probably ultimately unsuccessful. However, if Snowden succeeds in fighting extradition from Hong Kong, the United States can revoke his passport. It’s also possible that because of the likely difficulty of extradition, U.S. authorities will simply revoke Snowden’s passport and demand his return, and bypass the extradition option entirely. Notice of the revocation, meaning that the suspect would then be illegally in the country, would be sent to Hong Kong authorities who could then deport Snowden." Continue reading →

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Obama on prosecuting Edward Snowden: I will leave it up to the Department of Justice

"Barack Obama addressed what he described as the public 'ruckus' over the leaked National Security Agency surveillance documents on Monday, indicating that the US authorities would pursue extradition from Hong Kong of the whistleblower Edward Snowden. Obama did not offer any more details about the process in his PBS interview. Instead, he addressed criticism that he has shifted a long way from the liberal positions he championed during his 2008 White House race. Obama said: 'My concern has always been not that we shouldn’t do intelligence gathering to prevent terrorism, but rather are we setting up a system of checks and balances.'" Continue reading →

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Turks invent new form of ‘standing’ protest to get around ban on gatherings

"A man stood still in Istanbul’s Taksim Square: silent, staring straight ahead, he had not moved for hours. His peaceful action, on the square that police cleared of protesters on Saturday and where the Turkish authorities have banned gatherings, was a new form of protest. He arrived Monday evening as night was falling and took up position in the middle of the square, just a stone’s throw from Gezi Park. Five hours on, the man was still there, hands in his pockets, a bag and some bottles of water at his feet." Continue reading →

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German Government Takes Off Mask, Emerges As Fascist Dictatorship

"The Greek national broadcaster was taken off air in the middle of a programme on Tuesday night without warning, without a public debate or a debate in parliament. A brave group of journalists have rebelled and keep a skeleton service going as a pirate station cheered on by supporters in scenes worthy of a fascist dictatorship. A poll shows two thirds of the Greeks oppose the closure of their national broadcaster, paid for by their taxes. The ERT was shut down by the police following a decree — considered illegal by many — by the EU/ECB/IMF Troika puppet, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. The move was greeted with applause by the German government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGerman Government Takes Off Mask, Emerges As Fascist Dictatorship

Diary of WWII German teenager reveals young lives untroubled by Nazi Holocaust in wartime Berlin

"The 15-year-old Berlin schoolgirl, nicknamed 'Gitti', started keeping a diary in December 1942, when the German capital was being bombed nightly and the Nazi Holocaust was killing thousands. As a trainee secretary, she recorded her daily experiences to improve her stenography skills. Now, some 70 years on, her diary has been published for the first time in Germany and is being hailed as remarkable documentary evidence of how millions of Germans relied on collective indifference to endure the horrors of war and ignore the brutality of the Nazi rule." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDiary of WWII German teenager reveals young lives untroubled by Nazi Holocaust in wartime Berlin

US Treasury denies it is trying to torpedo Bitcoin

"Bitcoin itself is nearly impossible to regulate. And the government at least seems to understand this point. But that doesn’t mean they can’t spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt. In this short 4-page speech, the Director twice made a connection between Bitcoin and (you guessed it) terrorism. Twice more connected Bitcoin to those who would exploit children. And four times linked digital currency to ‘criminals’ in general. And, even though they cannot control Bitcoin, FinCEN is obviously laying the foundation to regulate every business that touches Bitcoin, from exchange houses to swap websites to digital wallet providers." Continue reading →

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Louisiana: Cops Used Red Light Cameras For Personal Profit

"Police officers in New Orleans, Louisiana filled their own pockets with red light camera cash by setting up a private company to 'review' photo citations off the official clock. The city's inspector general, E. R. Quatrevaux, on Friday released a report documenting how Edwin Hosli, the New Orleans Police Department's (NOPD) 8th District commander, formed his own limited liability company called Anytime Solutions to take advantage of the lucrative business opportunity. Hosli pulled down $7420 from the arrangement for himself. Hosli and several other officers overbilled ACS by $9075. Hosli's share of that was $2055, according to the documents." Continue reading →

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Rio police tear gas thousands at protest demanding health care and education

"Police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse around 3,000 protestors from outside Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium ahead of the Confederations Cup match between Italy and Mexico on Sunday. The demonstrators were attempting to enter the stadium in protest at the vast sums of money spent on the organisation of the tournament and next year’s World Cup, which Brazil is also hosting. 'I don’t care about the World Cup — I want health and education!' chanted protestors. The start of the competition has been marked by protests over the huge cost of preparations to host the World Cup, which is expected to reach $15 million (11 billion euros)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRio police tear gas thousands at protest demanding health care and education