Japan: Food Contamination Worse Than Previously Thought
March 21st, 2011I thought that the information out of Japan would get clearer as the days passed, but it just seems to be getting blurrier.
So, it’s more of the familiar serious-not-dangerous shuffle.
Via: Reuters:
The World Health Organization said on Monday that the detection of radiation in food after an earthquake damaged a Japanese nuclear plant was a more serious problem than it had first expected.
“Quite clearly it’s a serious situation,” Peter Cordingley, Manila-based spokesman for WHO’s regional office for the Western Pacific, told Reuters in a telephone interview.
“It’s a lot more serious than anybody thought in the early days when we thought that this kind of problem can be limited to 20 to 30 kilometers,” he said.
Cases of contaminated vegetables, dust, milk and water are already stoking regional anxieties despite Japanese officials’ assurances the levels are not dangerous.
Japan’s government has prohibited the sale of raw milk from Fukushima prefecture and spinach from another nearby area. It said more restrictions on food may be announced later on Monday.
Cordingley said the WHO had no evidence of contaminated food from Fukushima prefecture, where the damaged Daiichi plant is located, reaching other countries.
“We can’t make any link between Daiichi and the export market. But it’s safe to suppose that some contaminated produce got out of the contamination zone,” he said.
Large German Fund Freezes Accounts Because Tokyo Real Estate ‘Now Impossible to Value’
March 21st, 2011Via: eFinancial News / Dow Jones:
Fears of a nuclear crisis in Japan have spilled into the commercial property sector with a large German institution suspending a €2.2bn fund as it said its holdings in Tokyo were now impossible to value.
Union Investment, one of the largest German fund managers with €177bn under management, said that the nuclear fallout in Japan has made valuation of its properties too difficult as its surveyors had never had to deal with the threat of nuclear contamination before.
It said that while there is no physical damage to any of Union’s Tokyo properties, the threat of nuclear contamination is unknowable.
It said that it therefore had “no option” but to freeze all buying and selling of units in its Unilmmo Global fund. This means investors can neither withdraw their money nor put any extra in.
In a statement yesterday, the fund manager – which has €19bn of its assets in real estate – said: “With the impact of the nuclear incidents in Japan still unclear, especially at the Fukushima plant, and the economic consequences impossible to predict at present, Union Investment Real Estate GmbH contacted its external experts to request a revaluation of its properties in Tokyo.
“The corresponding expert committee has today informed us that valuation is not possible at the present time given the exceptional circumstances prevailing in the area. Consequently, proper calculation of the UniImmo Global unit price is currently not possible.”
If a daily price of a fund is unavailable, German market rules set by Bafin, the financial regulator, state that an open-ended real estate fund needs to be suspended, Union said.
Secret Libya Psyops, Caught by Online Sleuths
March 21st, 2011I wonder if the U.S. has enabled the “Internet” for people on the ground there.
Via: Wired:
The U.S. military has dispatched one of its secret propaganda planes to the skies around Libya. And that “Commando Solo” aircraft is telling Libyan ships to remain in port – or risk NATO retaliation.
We know this, not because some Pentagon official said so, but because one Dutch radio geek is monitoring the airwaves for information about Operation Odyssey Dawn — and tweeting the surprisingly-detailed results. On Sunday alone, “Huub” has identified the tail numbers, call signs, and movements of dozens of NATO aircraft: Italian fighter jets, American tankers, British aerial spies, U.S. bombers, and the Commando Solo psyops plane (pictured).
“If you attempt to leave port, you will be attacked and destroyed immediately,” the aircraft broadcasted late Sunday night.
As U.S. Regime Fights Three Wars, Obama Pushes F-18 Fighter Jets on Brazil
March 20th, 2011Hope.
Flashback: Obama Awarded 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
Via: Reuters:
President Barack Obama made a strong pitch for the Boeing F-18 jet fighter in a meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, but she did not indicate if her government had decided to buy the U.S.-made plane, the White House said on Sunday.
“The F-18 issue did come up. President Rousseff raised it,” White House aide Dan Restrepo told reporters in Rio de Janeiro, referring to the leaders’ bilateral meeting in Brasilia on Saturday that kicked off Obama’s five-day Latin American tour.
Brazil is weighing a multi-billion dollar bid to modernize its air force, and Obama has made promoting exports to boost U.S. jobs back home a central part of his trip to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador.
“President Obama underscored that the F-18 is the best plane on offer … in that the technology transfer package … is equivalent to the packages that are offered to partners and allies around the world,” said Restrepo, Obama’s top Latin American adviser.
Research Credit: anothernut
Oil Spill Reported Near Deepwater Drilling Site in Gulf of Mexico
March 20th, 2011Via: Huffington Post:
The Coast Guard is investigating reports of a potentially large oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico not far from the Deepwater Horizon site. According to a knowledgeable source, the slick was sighted by a helicopter pilot on Friday and is about 100 miles long. A fishing boat captain said he went through the slick yesterday and it was strong enough to make his eyes burn.
According to the Times Picayune, the Coast Guard has confirmed they are investigating a potentially large 100 mile slick about 30 miles offshore. They are going to a site near the Matterhorn well site about 20 miles north of the BP Deepwater Horizon site, according to the paper. The Matterhorn field includes includes a deepwater drilling platform owned by W&T Technology. It was acquired last year from TotalFinaElf E&P.
Research Credit: afterhours
Attempts to Replace Confetti Currency Federal Reserve Notes with Precious Metals Are, ‘A Unique Form of Domestic Terrorism’
March 20th, 2011The source for all the quotes in this post is a U.S. Department of Justice Press Release that appears on the web site of the Charlotte field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
http://charlotte.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel11/ce031811.htm
I didn’t link directly to this because my guess is that you wouldn’t be doing yourself any favors by clicking through to it from my website. For your reference, I’ve posted the full text at the bottom of this piece.
—
Bernard von NotHaus has been convicted of of, “Making, possessing, and selling,” Liberty Dollar coins.
Let’s look at the statements made by U.S. Attorney Anne M. Tompkins with regard to this matter:
“Attempts to undermine the legitimate currency of this country are simply a unique form of domestic terrorism,” U.S. Attorney Tompkins said in announcing the verdict. “While these forms of anti-government activities do not involve violence, they are every bit as insidious and represent a clear and present danger to the economic stability of this country,” she added. “We are determined to meet these threats through infiltration, disruption, and dismantling of organizations which seek to challenge the legitimacy of our democratic form of government.”
Now, I’d like you to keep Anne Thomkins’ above statements in mind as you consider the following chart:
The Greenback's Purchasing Power
That chart only goes to 2004. As of June 2009, the value was down to 4.6 cents.
Yet, the response of the Federal Government to an individual who offered people an alternative to the horror depicted above?
Von NotHaus, who remains free on bond, faces a sentence of up to 15 years’ imprisonment on count two of the indictment and a fine of not more than $250,000. Von NotHaus faces a prison sentence of five years and fines of $250,000 on both counts one and three.
But the real moral of the story is this, and never forget it:
In addition, the United States is seeking the forfeiture of approximately 16,000 pounds of Liberty Dollar coins and precious metals, currently valued at nearly $7 million.
Eventually, maniac fascists will come for your precious metals. Why? Because this is the how all fiat currencies wind up:
Three Eggs Priced in Zimbabwean Dollars
Toilet Paper Only; No Zim Dollars
As regimes fail, their currencies lose fungibility. Regimes that lack fungible currencies can’t maintain and perpetuate themselves. Therefore, anything that stores value, anything that’s fungible, will be in the crosshairs of the desperate vampire state and the maniac fascists who serve it.
If Anne Tompkins is genuinely interested in infiltrating, disrupting and dismantling organizations which threaten, “Our democratic form of government” [sic.], here are a couple of books, (out of many dozens) that describe the enemy in detail:
The Creature from Jekyll Island by G. Edward Griffin
Web of Debt by Ellen Hodgson Brown
Full text of DOJ Press Release:
http://charlotte.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel11/ce031811.htm
For Immediate Release
March 18, 2011 United States Attorney’s Office
Western District of North Carolina
Contact: (704) 344-6222
Defendant Convicted of Minting His Own Currency
STATESVILLE, NC—Bernard von NotHaus, 67, was convicted today by a federal jury of making, possessing, and selling his own coins, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Following an eight-day trial and less than two hours of deliberation, von NotHaus, the founder and monetary architect of a currency known as the Liberty Dollar, was found guilty by a jury in Statesville, North Carolina, of making coins resembling and similar to United States coins; of issuing, passing, selling, and possessing Liberty Dollar coins; of issuing and passing Liberty Dollar coins intended for use as current money; and of conspiracy against the United States. The guilty verdict concluded an investigation which began in 2005 and involved the minting of Liberty Dollar coins with a current value of approximately $7 million. Joining the U.S. Attorney Anne M. Tompkins in making today’s announcement are Edward J. Montooth, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, Charlotte Division; Russell F. Nelson, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Division; and Sheriff Van Duncan of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the evidence introduced during the trial, von NotHaus was the founder of an organization called the National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve and Internal Revenue Code, commonly known as NORFED and also known as Liberty Services. Von NotHaus was the president of NORFED and the executive director of Liberty Dollar Services, Inc. until on or about September 30, 2008.
Von NotHaus designed the Liberty Dollar currency in 1998 and the Liberty coins were marked with the dollar sign ($); the words dollar, USA, Liberty, Trust in God (instead of In God We Trust); and other features associated with legitimate U.S. coinage. Since 1998, NORFED has been issuing, disseminating, and placing into circulation the Liberty Dollar in all its forms throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. NORFED’s purpose was to mix Liberty Dollars into the current money of the United States. NORFED intended for the Liberty Dollar to be used as current money in order to limit reliance on, and to compete with, United States currency.
In coordination with the Department of Justice, on September 14, 2006, the United States Mint issued a press release and warning to American citizens that the Liberty Dollar was “not legal tender.” The U.S. Mint press release and public service announcement stated that the Department of Justice had determined that the use of Liberty Dollars as circulating money was a federal crime.
Article I, section 8, clause 5 of the United States Constitution delegates to Congress the power to coin money and to regulate the value thereof. This power was delegated to Congress in order to establish and preserve a uniform standard of value and to insure a singular monetary system for all purchases and debts in the United States, public and private. Along with the power to coin money, Congress has the concurrent power to restrain the circulation of money which is not issued under its own authority in order to protect and preserve the constitutional currency for the benefit of all citizens of the nation. It is a violation of federal law for individuals, such as von NotHaus, or organizations, such as NORFED, to create private coin or currency systems to compete with the official coinage and currency of the United States.
Von NotHaus, who remains free on bond, faces a sentence of up to 15 years’ imprisonment on count two of the indictment and a fine of not more than $250,000. Von NotHaus faces a prison sentence of five years and fines of $250,000 on both counts one and three. In addition, the United States is seeking the forfeiture of approximately 16,000 pounds of Liberty Dollar coins and precious metals, currently valued at nearly $7 million. The forfeiture trial, which began today before United States District Court Judge Richard Voorhees, will resume on April 4, 2011 in the federal courthouse in Statesville. Judge Voorhees has not yet set a date for the sentencing of von NotHaus.
“Attempts to undermine the legitimate currency of this country are simply a unique form of domestic terrorism,” U.S. Attorney Tompkins said in announcing the verdict. “While these forms of anti-government activities do not involve violence, they are every bit as insidious and represent a clear and present danger to the economic stability of this country,” she added. “We are determined to meet these threats through infiltration, disruption, and dismantling of organizations which seek to challenge the legitimacy of our democratic form of government.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department, and the U.S. Secret Service, in cooperation with and invaluable assistance of the United States Mint. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jill Westmoreland Rose and Craig D. Randall, and the forfeiture trial is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tom Ascik and Ben Bain Creed.
War Du Jour: Libya
March 20th, 2011Via: CNN:
Hours after French, British and American military forces unleashed cruise missiles and fighter jets, a defiant Moammar Gadhafi said Libya will fight back against undeserved “naked aggression.”
A coalition that includes Canada and Italy made good Saturday on international warnings to Gadhafi, hammering Libyan military positions in the first phase of an operation that will include enforcement of a no-fly zone.
More than 110 Tomahawk missiles fired from American and British ships and submarines hit about 20 Libyan air and missile defense targets in western portions of the country, U.S. Vice Adm. William Gortney said at a Pentagon briefing.
The U.S. will conduct a damage assessment of the sites, which include SA-5 missiles and communications facilities. A senior U.S. military official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said the cruise missiles, which fly close to the ground or sea at about 550 miles per hour, landed near Misrata and Tripoli, the capital and Gadhafi’s stronghold.
Gaddafi Defies West and Pushes Forces Into Benghazi
March 19th, 2011Via: Reuters:
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces pushed into the rebel-held city of Benghazi on Saturday, defying world demands for an immediate ceasefire and forcing rebels to retreat.
The advance into Libya’s second city of 670,000 people appeared to be an attempt to pre-empt Western military intervention which diplomats say will come only after an international meeting on Paris later on Saturday.
A Libyan rebel spokesman said Gaddafi’s forces had entered Benghazi while a Reuters witness saw a jet circling over the city shot down and at least one separate explosion near the rebel movement’s headquarters in the city.
Automakers Feel Worsening Effects of Japan Crisis
March 19th, 2011Just in time… Your what hurts?
Via: AP:
A week after the disaster in Japan erupted, its impact on automakers around the world is worsening.
Most of Japan’s auto industry is shut down. Factories from Louisiana to Thailand are low on Japanese-made parts. Idled plants are costing companies hundreds of millions of dollars. And U.S. car dealers may not get the cars they order this spring.
If parts factories in Japan stay closed for several more weeks, dealers and manufacturers will feel deepening effects: fewer cars, diminished revenue and frustrated customers.
Analysts say it’s too early to calculate the cost to the overall industry. But Goldman Sachs estimates the shutdowns are costing Japanese automakers more than $150 million a day.
Canada: Free-Range Egg Ban Shuts Bed and Breakfast that Operated for Decades
March 19th, 2011Via: CBC News:
A P.E.I. bed and breakfast that has been operating for decades has decided to close down next year rather than stop serving eggs from its own hens because of a government order.
The Doctor’s Inn in Tyne Valley, northwest of Summerside, also operates an organic farm. Paul and Jean Offer sell their organic vegetables and free-range eggs at the Charlottetown Farmers Market, and offer the produce to customers at the Doctor’s Inn at breakfast and dinner time.
But after years of serving their own eggs, the provincial Department of Health has told them they have to stop. The department said it’s a long-standing policy that food service operations can only use federally inspected eggs.
The idea of having to buy eggs from the supermarket, rather than use their own from the 75 hens in the coop out back, was too much for the Offers. They will operate this season, and then close the business down.
