Four Horsement - Documentary - Notes Part 2

FOUR HORSEMEN DOCUMENTARY NOTES, part 2 - From:  44:22 - 1:38:53 ........................................................................... https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5fbvquHSPJU#t=319 ........................................................................... Democrats & Republicans beholden to corporate interests. Until this changes, we will never have a government for the public. See:  Top 100 Campaign Contributors [below is Politico's list, selected randomly.  However, this list did not appear in documentary.] Blue billionaires on top POLITICO’s list of Top 100 donors Source:  http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/blue-billionaires-on-top-114151.html ........................................................................... Terrorism see - political language / Orwell ... solidity to wind Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. George Orwell Military intervention in: > Iraq > Afghanistan > Pakistan justified as 'moral obligation' But who are the beneficiaries? 1.  Arms & Military Equipment Sales However, military intervention results in radicalisation. eg. Drone attacks (as opposed to surgical commando operations) seen as attacks on a sovereign Pakistan. 2.  Rebuilding of Infrastructure / Aid (ie loans) Beneficiaries of huge loans = own corporations Infrastructure built does not benefit the majority (benefits the elite); but majority/poor are left with a huge debt. Money goes to Western consultants and companies. Aid is a hindrance instead of a help.  ........................................................................... Is foreign policy based on altruism or in the benefit of corporations / money interests? US evangelicalisation of democracy is riddled with contradictions:  >democracy at the end of a gun >US opposing democratic regimes that aren't democratic in the way US wants them to be Promotion of free market capitalism riddled with contradictions: Countries on the cusp of change, structurally changing, not too free or transparent (opaque), is how the US companies make their money. Wall Street speculators (made billions 'riding the short' / massive short on housing market), but this does nothing to benefit the economy vs free market scenario: eg. benefit scenario = invention of, say, vehicle that is fuelled on grass clippings inventor makes money but society also benefits because of this needed invention  ...........................................................................   London, St Paul's Cathedral backdrop: Goldman Sachs Chairman & mouthpiece, Lord Griffiths, a devoted Christian, defended extortion and bonuses: "I am not a person of despair, I am a person of hope, and I think that we have to tolerate the inequality as a way of achieving greater prosperity and opportunity for all." [not in documentary] out of interest, note also:  Public Must Learn to 'Tolerate Inequality' of Bonuses - The Guardian Above is a self-serving argument. Financiers will twist the worlds of classical economists.  Adam Smith (philosopher, pioneer of political economy) mentioned. Will rely on arguments: 1.  Trickle down economics 2.  Horse & sparrow but by the time the money trickles down to the bottom of society, the money loses purchasing power. The political process is badly flawed (see lobbying), and requires restructure to give more voice to ordinary people and less influence to interest groups and lobby groups. Documentary tried to convey (I think) that terrorists see themselves as 'freedom fighters' and that they are motivated from positions of eg. loss of the farm or fishing waters (as result of Western corporate projects). Therefore, could this also be called 'terrorism': > Corporations > Speculators > Policy makers ........................................................................... Noam Chomsky was also interviewed. If I understand correctly, Latin Americans refer to US intervention in Chile as the 'First 9/11': Chile - 11 Sept 1973 Allende Coup Augusto Pinochet dictatorship installed (1973-1990) economists installed (driving worst conditions in history) Suppression of dissidents:  1,000s of political dissenters imprisoned & murdered Chomsky tried to convey that what was done in 9-11 was bad, but it could have been worse.  The Chile example was given:  as in, government could have been taken down, dictator could have been installed, economy could have been screwed by economists installed etc, but it wasn't. Chomsky: principle of ideology = never look at own crimes Instead:  exalt in crimes of others & our own nobility in opposing them. ........................................................................... [not in documentary] out of interest, note also:  Covert United States foreign regime change actions 1949  Syrian coup d'état 1953  Iranian coup d'état 1954  Guatemalan coup d'état 1959  Tibetan uprising 1961  Cuba, Bay of Pigs Invasion 1963  South Vietnamese coup 1964  Brazilian coup d'état 1973  Chilean coup d'état 1976  Argentine coup d'état 1979–89 Afghanistan, Operation Cyclone 1980  Turkish coup d'état 1981–87 Nicaragua, Contras List source: Wikipedia  ........................................................................... West will export injustice through finance. Root causes of terrorism will not be solved by increasing inequality. If government is serious about combating terrorism, must start with real structural reform on domestic front. "As long as banking empires chase infrastructure and debt deals in pursuit of profit, the West will continue to export injustice through finance, millions more will be displaced, terrorism will thrive, and neocolonialism will continue to end more and more lives around the world." ........................................................................... Resources World is being filled with more and more things: >more people (population growing at rapid rate, eg trippling in lifetime of speaker). >more and more man-made objects. The world is full of man-made capital. But the more we grow the more poverty we create. Royal Dutch Shell view of the future (ending year 2075): 1.  Blueprint view.  Bloody. 2.  Scramble view.  Substantially more bloody struggle for depleted resources. Oil supplies are dwindling.  Deep sea drilling for oil is taking place because most easily accessible oil has been found and consumed. Metal resources - new major discoveries are increasingly rare. 40% of worlds agricultural land is seriously degraded, causing volatile yields. Exhaustion of world's resources coming our way. Billions of Earth's population require farming lands; fossil fuels; water. Options (a) sharing resources or (b) combat/struggle/scramble. Shell's bettering on option (b) vs sharing. Antidote is moving from globalisation to localisation, promoting fellowship, responsibility, purpose (ie production vs consumption driven economies). In the growth economy, consumption is a way of life. Growth economy associated with: * military * production of what is not needed Documentary is saying that individual achievement without incorporating the needs of the vulnerable is a myth.  Human affection is missing.  Humans are propelled by affections.  Purpose of life is outside of oneself. [Not certain if I have understood this correctly.  This caring/sharing bit of the documentary was lost on me.] ........................................................................... Progress Systemic problem is being ignored.  Clearing out a few bad apples will not cleans systemic flaws in the heart of the Western economic system. Four Horsemen 1.      Rapacious financial system 2. Escalating organised violence 3. Abject poverty for billions 4. Exhaustion of Earth’s resources The Four Horsemen gallop unchallenged because the cognitive map (shaped by schools, universities and the media) does not encourage us to question norms.  Instead, there is apathy and people take the depressive point of view that nothing can be done and that it's a dog-eat-dog world. We can, however, reach a more equitable society. Disinformation of the neo-classical school of economics is advanced by academia and the media. Education can be a form of mind control.  Banks often fund universities, educational foundations and think tanks.  Ivy league universities only teach neo-classical economics. Learn also about: 1.  Classical economics. 2.  System of money. The money system requires reform as we cannot function on the fiat money system, or it will spell the end of industrial civilisation. The fiat money system is governed by man-made law which is abused. Contrast:  gold standard @ growth of about 1.75% per annum, which is in approximate balance with supply/demand and average population growth, and is beyond the control of politicians. Fiat = chronic debt build-up.  Debt = form of slavery. Refer to German debt cancellations of 1947 to clean the slate, which would involve wiping debt & wiping savings. Taxation reform required.  Taxation based on consumption, not income. Classical economists - tax reform on resources / consumption. Wage labour (seen as 'temporary) is no different to slavery. Inequity in wages:  those at top 500-1,000 times more than those at bottom.  Commonality of interest is lost in this vast class difference. Hubert Spencer (classical liberal political theorist):  'survival of the fittest' does not apply; monopolists have too much because the system is rigged. Reforms: 1.  independent money system 2.  taxation reform - resources/consumption. 3.  employee ownership of means of production Boundaries can be withdrawn:  eg in the past, selling any chemical as pharmaceuticals, child labour, slavery. Same thing will be true of active money management. Breakdown seen in Depression and again at beginning of 21st Century, occurred because in the name of growth much was taken out of the system by those that contribute very little.  Multi-national corporates and banks will always want to grow without having to compensate the people who actually do the work to produce the surplus. In the past, every time too much was taken by those who contributed little, people rose up to halt the violent practice. Central banks unregulated cheap money, pumped up land values, which created an unsustainable 'asset bubble', in a world that once again operates a rigged tax system that enriches entrenched privilege. Neo-classical economics have ruined life for the bottom billions, tempted everyone into inter-generational conflict and created massive suffering that has no limits. There is a formless Wall Street enemy pervading every element of economic and democratic process: The following have trashed the economy: > central banking > rigged capitalism > land speculation > income taxation > neo-classical economics and have corporatised democracy, stunted progress, perverted the course of human destiny, and compromised the future of this planet. Status quo can be challenged. Essence of American democracy is the repeated confrontation / showdown: 1830s Andrew Jackson beat the Second Bank of United States. 1900s Teddy Roosevelt beat JP Morgan & JD Rockefeller. 1930s Franklin Delano Roosevelt beat everybody on Wall Street. If this Four Horsemen scenario not addressed, the next implosion will be on a scale unimagined. COMMENT I really enjoyed this documentary, but I'm not certain I've understood it all.   The 'caring and sharing' section is where I got lost.  Also, I'm not that clear on how a different taxation system makes a difference, but I know nothing about economic theory so it's not surprising I don't quite get that bit. I've provided links of look-ups within the notes about the documentary, for ease of reference (for my own benefit).  Found this interesting, while doing my look ups: [Look-Ups, not in documentary] Marshall Plan (refused by Soviet Union & its allies, to avoid US control over economies) Noam Chomsky wrote that the amount of American dollars given to France and the Netherlands equaled the funds these countries used to finance their military actions against their colonial subjects in East Asia, in French Indochina and the Netherlands East Indies respectively. The Marshall Plan was said to have "set the stage for large amounts of private U.S. investment in Europe, establishing the basis for modern transnational corporations". [Wikipedia] Germany's debt restructuring (London Debt Agreement 1953) mentioned here: Germany's post-war economic miracle Only 16pc of polled Germans currently think Greece should be the recipient of some form of debt cancellation from the eurozone. The irony of Berlin's obstinancy on debt relief may well be lost on some. Following the end of WWII, the London Debt Agreement of 1953 saw the abolition of all of Germany's external debt. The total forgiveness amounted to around 280pc of GDP from 1947-53, according to historian Albrecht Ritschl. The cancellation, along with an extension of its repayment schedule, allowed Germany to return to the financial markets, and become part of the IMF and World Bank. The London agreement also helped set in motion the country's incredible export performance as Germany was required to service its debt through money earned from foreign trade. In the words of historian Ursula Rombeck-Jaschinski, Germany's "economic miracle would have been impossible without the debt agreement." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11383374/The-biggest-debt-write-offs-in-the-history-of-the-world.html From what I've read elsewhere, it looks like Germany was being screwed by those giving Germany a 'helping hand', so the debt restructure can't have been much of a miracle: The Marshall-Plan Hoax Marshall Plan vs. Robbery, Murder and Destruction? An Eternal Mockery of the German People! http://www.wintersonnenwende.com/scriptorium/english/archives/articles/marshallhoax.html This is just a quick skim of the Chilean coup, the Marshall Plan (and the Marshall-Plan Hoax) etc.  An initial look and skim that will need to be followed up by some more reading. Need to also keep looking for Teddy Roosevelt the 'trust buster'. In the meantime, I've come upon this really cool summary of a book: American Oligarchy, J.P. Morgan, Bankers' Coup Creates Federal Reserve, Morgan's Fed Finances World War I excerpted from the book Gods of Money Wall Street and the Death of the American Century by F. William Engdahl http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Engdahl_F_William/American_Oligarchy_GOM.html SUMMARY - PART 2 - HERE.

Ukraine Bail-Out - Expect Hardship

UKRAINE Article http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2015/02/ukraines-new-bail-out-0?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/ukrainebailout #Ukraine Hryvnia, Ukraine’s currency, fell today. Now worth 1/3 less than it was a few days ago. [economist] #Ukraine For IMF bail-out advance, IMF wants change: > Naftogaz cheap household GAS, price to INCREASE FIVEFOLD in 4 years. [Economist] #Ukraine For IMF bail-out, IMF wants change: Inflation @ 30% ... about to get a WHOLE LOT HIGHER, since hryvnia plunge. [Economist] #UKRAINE #IMF Central bank has already raised interest rates to 20% from just 7% a year ago. #Ukraine IMF bail-out: Propping up collapsed hryvnia means HIGHER INTEREST RATES = more difficult for Ukrainians to repay debt [Economist] #Ukraine Non-repayment of debt will hit banking sector / banking collapsing. Big interest hikes = deep economic recession. #Ukraine IMF bail-out: Expect SIGNIFICANTLY DROP to PUBLIC SPENDING over next 5 years. > So PUBLIC SERVICES will be screwed! /economist #Ukraine IMF bail-out >program inadequate/insufficient >Ukraine’s economic situation will GET WORSE!!!! [Economist] LOOK-UPS Source:  Google Ukrainian hryvnia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_hryvnia COMMENT Not looking good.  So much for that bail-out.

Four Horsemen - Documentary - Part 1

FOUR HORSEMEN - DOCUMENTARY NOTES - To:  44:22 Ruling elites seek to maintain power by controlling the 'cognitive map' / what we think. What matters is what is left undebated.  1971 USA off Gold Standard adopted: fiat = So Be It  {Latin} $, £ + € = govt fiat >only govt has power to issue fiat currency >Banks 'create' it thru lending Fiat money = currency that derives its value from government regulation or law. Adoption of fiat currency = greatest growth of supply of money in HISTORY. Who benefits: 1>those that issue $$ (govt) 2>banks 3>Also benefit: >companies & individuals who get this money early b/c spend it prior increase in prices by $$ in circulation inflated prices = increase gains for asset holders (real estate or shares) - WITHOUT improvements > 'speculative bubble' Fiat currency system just redistributes money from the BOTTOM to the TOP (the monied elite). Gulf b/w rich & poor widens. Fiat currency system + fractional-reserve banking system = compounding DEBT faster than you can produce to support debt = DEBT SLAVERY Result: > for every $1 of GDP in #USA, create something like $5.50 debt Of all the money in the WORLD today, 97% of it is DEBT!!!!!!!!!!  America has existed on the assumption that resources can be expanded. But resources limited. Cannot expand pie (like you could in early American history); must divide pie.  America not prepared. Last 40 years, capitalism has taken an extreme form. Goes back to economist Milton Friedman (Chicago School), Ronald Reagan, Thatcher etc. encouraged: >HUGE amounts of debt >privatisation >smaller 'govt' >bigger military (so bigger spending) >deregulation (esp. corporations = Gods) Milton Friedman (Chicago School) neo-classical approach beat the classical approach to economics & became framework for today's capitalism. Classical = favours less govt interference, more personal autonomy & recognition that cannot function w/out natural resources neo-classical = >dismissive of natural resources >govt to rule economy & solve social probs >free market to distribute wealth neo-classical school emerged about 100 years ago, due to vested interests desire to protect assets neo-classical mathematical models & assumptions divorced from reality vs classical models, based on what actually *is* Neo-classical models of economics, championed by Reagan & Thatcher, have been used to legitimise financialisation of the global economy. 1932 aftermath of stockmarket crash Glass–Steagall Act protection intro'd to separate ordinary high street banking from investment banking. Glass–Steagall Act http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass%E2%80%93Steagall_Legislation 1999 Clinton repealed Glass–Steagall Act Banks could take ordinary depositors money & speculate on it = 'casino' Unfettered banker gambling resulting from 1999 Glass–Steagall Act repeal pushed global financial system to near collapse. Banks with balances & debt obligations larger than GDP of entire countries, banks had become too big to fail. West unprepared for financial meltdown. Govts reeling. Banks: you have to bail us out. What are you to do with tens of millions of ppl who have lost everything in bank accounts. Bank to govt: cautions you'll have revolution on your hands.  Urged:  borrow money. Create it out of nothing & give it back to us. $700-b needed from US Congress. 2008 banking crisis exposed Western economic system divided as: >socialism for the rich (ie govt bailing banks ...( & therefore obligating the taxpayer to pay off this borrowing to bail out banks)) & >capitalism for the poor. Taxpayer paying 4 misplaced speculation of bankers = economy not serving human = human in perpetual service 2 amoral financial organisations. $8.5 trillion bail-out. Post 9-11 Federal Reserve Head, Alan Greenspan slashed interest rates to encourage lending / bankers needed cash flowing into global pyramid scheme Newly created money entered housing market, creating unprecedented inflation. Huge home loans. Double-income a necessity. #USA Banks got together to exploit minorities /charge more for loans. Wells Fargo targeted urban minorities. Predatory lending. *Not about race; it's about PROFIT. #USA Lobbyists for banking industry amount to x5 per Congress-person, to persuade them to pass legislation favourable to financial industry. Democracy = uneven playing field: the devastated poor cannot afford lobbying equal to that of the banking industry. Ideological control, the cornerstone of Washington-Wall Street corridor: >finance good >more finance better >unregulated finance is best Q. Who controls Washington? > Lehman Bros collapse - 80% population against bail-out > Notwithstanding, Congress passed bail-out A. Banking. Not good reflection on democracy when a group of companies says 'our interests are more important than national interests'. How can corporations control Washington in a democracy? >Campaign contributions >Lobbying >American political structure = flawed democracy Fed Reserve to regulate Wall Street but ... >Wall Street has veto over who is head of Fed Reserve  >Regulators are from banking industry itself As long as this stands, this is not regulation. It is *deregulation* (but called 'regulation', using Orwellian doublethink) Democracy is 'government by the people' Plutocracy is 'government by the rich' Equal voting rights movement early 20thC abolished system where rich have more votes than poor, but lobbying negates that. Lobbying has reduced American political system to mere clearing house for the concerns of the rich. Goldman Sachs machine = >use profits to buy influence in WA >to change laws / easier to make money on Wall Street >use to buy influence WA Famous for claiming it did God's work, Goldman Sachs = one of most influential investment banks in world.  Golden sachs alumni often occupy positions of great influence in governments and central banks. 2008, 1mth prior collapse, Goldman changed GS status from investment to commercial (meaning eliglble for state protection). = socialism for the rich Riding the 'big short' (selling soured securities) in 2008, Goldman Sachs made BILLIONS of dollars & they're back BIGGER & RICHER. ***  Don't think I really know what a 'big short' is. Short selling & collecting insurance might not be the whole story? *** Short selling explained: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/shortselling.asp   Money also made on insurance; so it's a WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN etc http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/24/goldman-sachs-emails-big-short_n_550547.html LINK TO DOCUMENTARY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5fbvquHSPJU#t=319 COMMENT Other (non-banking) example lobbying: *********  Sheldon Adelson & wife spent around $70 million in 2012 trying to defeat #Obama. http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/02/cory_booker_biggest_democratic_recipient_of_pro-is.html  *********  While the world was in financial meltdown in 2008, I barely noticed.  It just didn't interest me. Watching this documentary has been a catch-up for me. Got through only about three-quarters of a hour, so I'll have to make the time to watch the rest while it's still fresh in my mind. The link to the political lobbying article above (Senator Corey Booker, Democrat with the biggest pro-Israel donation -- that mentioned $70-million spent by the Adelsons in effort to prevent Obama gaining the Presidential seat -- was just a random article that was topical today.  But it's a good fit on the subject matter of democracy, money and lobbying (even though it is outside of the banking subject). Was blown away by the amount of money the Adelsons spent. The term 'big short' isn't clear to me.  All I know is there's money to be made from lending and selling and insuring (I think).  And no matter what, it's a win-win for the banker ... especially if when it all goes belly-up, the banker is covered by a government bail-out. An article I read yesterday fits in with this capitalism gone rogue theme: The Root of all Evil "The world's richest person (Bill Gates) has a personal wealth of $78.7 billion. This is higher than the (nominal) GDP of 130 countries ..." LINK:  http://99998271.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-root-of-all-evil.html?spref=tw The details about how much the wealthy few have compared to the rest of the world are sobering. Will revisit the article and have another read, as it takes me a while to absorb information. Looked at a heap of other odds and ends, but I think this is it in relation to capitalism, currency and banking. ***** Just did a quick edit, as the lobbying link I'd placed in the documentary summary could maybe have been confused for having appeared in the documentary (it didn't).  Anyway, it's been shifted to avoid confusion. SUMMARY - PART 2 - HERE.

Around the World

AROUND THE WORLD Sea Piracy Presumed #Indonesia pirates rob #Vietnam vessel - 1/3 cargo (of 5k tonnes of oil & goods) release crew - http://tinyurl.com/nn29wna >> Hijacking is 12th in South China Sea since APRIL !!! Piracy costs shipping est. $8bn per annum. ---------------------------------------------------------- US Banking Piracy NY banking regulator still screwing BNP Paribas >dollar clearing ban in energy trade fin. for 2015 (+ $9 bil fine) http://tinyurl.com/m4nhoxw >Cannot operate energy trade div. w/out clearance >asks JPMorgan, BAML & Citi clearance help > unlikely b/c risks. No comment. >> If other banks agree to do clearing for them ... hey, they can CHARGE extortionate risk rates ... lol .. win/win USA - 2 main payment systems foreign trade in dollars  - CHIPS (owned by 23 comm.banks, overseen Central Bank + Fed) & FedWire (Fed Reserve) ---------------------------------------------------------- Immigration UNHCR- 330,700 ppl sought refugee status during the first 6mths 2014 - http://tinyurl.com/odnavxl  - Syria, Iraq, Afghan + Eritrea >> 2/3 claims in Germany, USA, France, Sweden, Turkey + Italy >> Germany rec'd largest no. of claims @ 65,700 ---------------------------------------------------------- Nuclear - South Africa #SouthAfrica + #Russia nuclear co-op agreement - merits questioned - http://www.iol.co.za/news/disquiet-over-nuclear-deal-with-russia-1.1756743 … ---------------------------------------------------------- Russia Nuclear - Turkey, Finland, Jordan + Hungary >> #Russia's Rosatom also has agreements to build nuclear power stations in Turkey, Finland, Jordan + Hungary ---------------------------------------------------------- Arms Smuggling Arms-smuggling #Taiwan duo snared in FBI sting plead guilty > high-grade military technology to mainland #China - http://tinyurl.com/kewve29 ----------------------------------------------------------  Ted Belman Article - Middle East #Libya >> US has gone from being a world power to dealing w/ ISIS. And you know who has facilitated that ... http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/15710 … >> #Obama undermined: Qaddafi, Mubarak & Assad & worked in concert w/ Qatar, Turkey & the Muslim Brotherhood. [inn] >> Arab Spring >> US democracy-building campaigns played a bigger role in fomenting protests than known /US NGO training + $ It is the job of the CIA to stir up rebellion in countries the US govt want to make unstable (or unseat the govt in power) [src Ted Belman] #Syria - plan for deposing Assad started when Bush Jr. admin decided 2 align with Sunni states to challenge Iran’s hegemony>[src Ted Belman] #Iraq most insurgent violence directed at American military has come from Sunni forces, & not from Shiites. http://tinyurl.com/p2rlotq  / belman US >> most profound—& unintended—strategic consequence of #Iraq war is the empowerment of Iran. >>> [Ted Belman] >> Saudis shared this concern >joined with US to reduce Iranian influence in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. [Ted Belman] ---------------------------------------------------------- US Gets Cosy with Malaysia #USA - #Malaysia - immigration hand-holding - investors, tourists and students - 4 profit - http://tinyurl.com/p4pkcdn  - US Visa Waiver Programme #USA - #Malaysia - CIA hand-holding >> Dr Ahmad Zahid met Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director John Brennan - http://tinyurl.com/p4pkcdn  #Malaysia - Dr Ahmad Zahid - Home Affairs min - crack down opposition leaders & dissents - sedition laws 2 suppress opposition – wikipedia #Malaysia /Dr Ahmad Zahid>NY Pol Dept chief Charles V. Campisi on collaboration b/w Malaysia police & dept. "on enhancing police integrity" ---------------------------------------------------------- India-US Relations #India - PM Modi denied US visa until now b/c 2002 Gujarat riots (Hindu vs Muslim) - Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party - Modi party /saudigaz. #India - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - most likely spied on by CIA - b/c 'concerns' re 'extremist' elements >> http://tinyurl.com/mfq7cbt  #India - now US wants to cosy up to India for profit & strategic reasons .. tradit. India avoids Big Bloc commitments / Piss off, USA ..lol ---------------------------------------------------------- UK Role Undermining Syria #Syria - Free Syrian Army (FSA), umbrella group of ‘moderate’ opposition fighters .. receiving training Jordan - CIA-funded sec. Contractors #UK - involved training FSA in Jordan - http://tinyurl.com/p2jk5tm  - Pentagon drawing up plans 4 training bases or. countries, FSA + Peshmerga #UK - no parliamentary approval required/ FSA training /free to act over borders also - citing 'humanitarian' + hostages scenario [guardian] --------------------------------------------------------- US Warfare Middle East #USA drone attacks in Yemen, Somalia + Pakistan are carried by CIA or, in Yemen + Somalia, by military's Joint Special Operations Command. Bombing in #Iraq + #Syria not being held to the near-certainty standard that no civilians will be killed or injured, http://tinyurl.com/p7847ta  #Iraq + #Syria, US Air Force & Navy using cruise missiles & conventional guided bombs to destroy buildings and other infrastructure/DailyStar >> Allies, including Britain, France & Arab countries, are also using conventional bombs" [dailystar] Human rights groups said 2 dozen civilians killed by US & allied bombings in #Iraq & #Syria. [dailystar] Civilian casualties #Iraq + #Syria >US says inter'l law no 'near certainty' - not deemed "action outside areas of active hostilities" - {DS} Obama: "Conventional airpower or missiles are far less precise than drones" but using "conventional military air campaign" ---------------------------------------------------------- US Plans for Afghanistan #USA - Brookings Institution - takes in retired CIA - who presumably provide 'benign expert' advice along with Brookings - ref ArabNews #USA - CFR + Brookings lobbying US presence #Afghanistan for building & institutionalizing a national Afghan army - http://tinyurl.com/q69y646 ---------------------------------------------------------- Iran - Anti-Zionist Conference   #Iran #Teheran “New Hori­zon Con­fer­ence” 3-day conference for anti-Zionists / dubbed anti-semites by ADL / http://tinyurl.com/pn4l962 ---------------------------------------------------------- US Throwing Weight Around Threatens Zimbabwe Sanctions (re $3 billion Russia mine deal)  #Zimbabwe US threatening sanctions against Zimbabwe over their #Russia US$3billion platinum mine deal / [allafrica] "It (Zimbabwe) should not proceed or else we are under sanctions." --- http://allafrica.com/stories/201410040017.html … ---------------------------------------------------------- People's Voice Article Lavrov Counters Irresponsible Western Policies   The evil that is US imperialism >>> the Lies, the Hypocrisy & drive for Unchallenged World Domination >>> http://tinyurl.com/lfa5yeo  Lavrov Counters Irresponsible Western Policies - http://tinyurl.com/lfa5yeo  - West's lies .. enlist popular support for imperial lawlessness UN envoy Samantha Power calls genocidal imperial interventions stunning successes / destroying one country after another No nation deplores peace more than America. None cause more harm to more people. None more mass destruction. Washington's killing machine gets wholehearted support. Americans are systematically lied to. Everything .. is suppressed. Big Lies reflect long-standing US tradition. They launch wars. They're weapons of mass deception. http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/2014/10/03/lavrov-counters-irresponsible-western-po ---------------------------------------------------------- UK Govt Lobbying to Ditch European Court Human Rights #UK ditching European Court of Human Rights in Britain (ECHR) proposal - http://tinyurl.com/qgpnb4h  - former Att-Gen unimpressed #UK Dave & his buddy Chris Grayling's Bill of Rights looks a joke: http://tinyurl.com/kdwysry  > Check out the limitations > #UKpolitics ... Rights & *Responsibilities* / limitations / caveats / triviality test / change definition / limit on reach / >>> Philip Hammond, Theresa May & David Cameron are onboard with this. ---------------------------------------------------------- Greenland Govt Shake-up Protests force #Greenland premier (Aleqa Hammond, Siumut Party) out of office >> misuse $20k (repaid) -- http://tinyurl.com/qbduslp On 1 Oct x4 govt ministers resigned -- shaking coalition govt formed March 2013 - ELECTION new govt = Nov. 28   ---------------------------------------------------------- European anti ISIL Campaigners Europeans involved in US ISIL campaign: France, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium & Britain [PressTV] >> Let me guess, assets in Middle East? ---------------------------------------------------------  Another Cost of EU Membership Countries getting ripped off by #EU membership: UK , Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia & Netherlands - http://tinyurl.com/kfoucps  - money overseas --------------------------------------------------------- Kenya - President Uhuru Kenyatta - International Criminal Court Hearing Internat. Criminal Crt hearing, Hague Wed. - President Uhuru Kenyatta - http://tinyurl.com/plt6fce  / #Kenya - cannot accomm. Attendees --------------------------------------------------------- Taiwan #Taiwan - bids to enter US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) & Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) / [wantchinatimes] ---------------------------------------------------------- Russia Gas | Fracking | Environment    #Baltic - Estonia, Finland, Latvia & Lithuania get 100% of their natural gas from #Russia - [townhall] > Czech Republic (57%), Poland (59%), Ukraine (60%), Hungary (80%), Slovakia (84%) & Bulgaria (89%) - [ibid] >> #Russia 60% of its exports are oil + natural gas [ibid] - Hey, here's part of REAL AGENDA: they could import more natural gas from the US & other countries besides Russia" !! LOL > "Europe needs to allow fracking. Right now" ... says mouthpiece of US NGO lobbying group, posing as benign experts 'Benign' NGO mouthpiece proposes EU needs to devise incentives 4 landowners & residents / stake in #fracking rape of Europe >> Congress & #Obama "should also fast-track US natural gas exports to Europe" - 'benign' NGO lobby mouthpiece says. #EU nations ban #fracking >> #Poland & #UK are sell-outs who have embraced destruction of environment for profit Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) lobby for destruction of environment for profit / http://tinyurl.com/o8lwcl4  -- http://tinyurl.com/nsl8q3d  --------------------------------------------------- Ambassador - New Appointment - Russia / Hungary #Russia's Vladimir Sergeyev is new ambassador to #Hungary - new guy has lots of experience. Soros NGOs Many most powerful NGOs are connected to network of American billionaire George Soros / last year he spent $1 bil on civil assocs. [HunTod] --------------------------------------------------- Turkey Rivalry with Egypt #Egypt - President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi - UN GA - PR coup / has finally emerged from the cold / http://tinyurl.com/krran2d  /al-arabiya article -- BUT .. #Turkey boycotted his speech + Pres Recip Tayyip Erdogan condemned the #UN for “legitimizing” Sisi !! --------------------------------------------------- G.U.A.M Protocol (US Puppets) GUAM -organization for colluding against Russians, HQ Kiev, another US strategy in region .. adopted protocol in NY / http://tinyurl.com/ohns2xs GUAM Members: Georgia Ukraine Azerbaijan Moldova   /   Observers: Turkey Latvia --------------------------------------------------- Ben Gurion on Israel / Palestine David Ben Gurion >>"If I were an Arab leader, I would never make terms with Israel ... we have ... stolen their country...” [Gulf News] >> Checked. It's a real quote. Said to Nahum Goldmann, President of World Jewish Congress. -------------------------------------------------- US Imperialism - Norman Pollock Article #Putin KGB -VERSUS- #Obama's personally authorized drone assassinations, air-strikes, world-encircling military bases, CIA ops & NSA spying #Obama is more capitalist than patriotic ... he favours JPMorgan Chase, Boeing, banking firms & corporations / http://tinyurl.com/na4tbwd  Naked US capitalism = massive surveillance, hostile climate re labour, vast wealth-disparity, foreign war, intervention for global hegemony. US capitalism = aggressive-expansive system of global annexation Crony capitalism in both #Russia & the West, yet West criticises the same ideological framework that holds true for US & Russia / fm Pollack #USA - Crony capitalism is SYSTEMIC ... advancing the wide cleavage in US wealth distribution / http://tinyurl.com/na4tbwd  / Pollack #Obama serves as a shill for US business abroad, esp. in the Far East --- Norman Pollack --- http://tinyurl.com/na4tbwd   Sanctions on #Russia = to contain, isolate & weaken Russia ... as US desperately strives to return to unilateral pre-eminence / Pollack  Wow, I really liked the Norman Pollack article ... got a bit lost on types of socialism & nearly gave up ... but it was a great read.   --------------------------------------------------- ICSID - Corporations Violate National Sovereignty International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) - means for trans-national corporations to violate sovereignty - http://tinyurl.com/oocrsng >>HQ Washington - receives its funding from the World Bank - Case studies involve lawsuits against governments by corps /wikipedia --------------------------------------------------- COMMENT Random information that I looked at.  Links are available for follow-up. It was all very interesting at the time.   Doubt I'll remember all this information.  But even if I remember some of it, it helps form a larger picture. The buzz is in eventually linking bits of information together to make more sense of the whole.