Boeing To Drawdown Full $13.8 Billion Revolver, Hinting At Imminent Bank Lending Freeze
March 11th, 2020Via: ZeroHedge:
For that generation of traders out there who were following the market back in 2007/2008, instead of their high school or college GPA, they will recall that one of the key inflection points in the global financial crisis 12 years ago was when banks started pulling revolvers to preserve liquidity.
Moments ago Boeing suggested that a similar moment is coming again: according to Bloomberg struggling aerospace giant Boeing, which just a few weeks ago obtained an outsized revolver from various Wall Street sources to shore up its liquidity in the aftermath of the 737 MAX crisis, was planning to draw down the full amount of a $13.825 billion loan as early as Friday.
2-Year-old Taken From Parents for Using Medical Marijuana, Murdered in Foster Care
March 11th, 2020Via: The Free Thought Project:
While many think that the state taking children from parents is a noble gesture to protect the child, all too often, the state removes kids from a bad situation and throws them into a situation akin to a horror film. Many times the children are taken from caring parents, who happened to hit a rough patch in their lives, and thrown into torturous and outright sadistic situations where they end up raped, tortured, and, as the tragic following case highlights, even murdered.
Alexandria Hill, a 2-year-old little girl, was taken from her father because he used marijuana to treat his seizures. In 2012, Joshua Hill told a case worker with Child Protective Services that he would smoke marijuana after little Alexandria would go to sleep at night to treat his medical condition. This would prove to be a grave mistake.
Nick Begich on Coronavirus: “It Doesn’t Matter Whether It’s a Real Deal or Not. It’s Perceptually Real and the Impact Is Already Felt.”
March 11th, 2020Via: Dark Journalist:
New York: National Guard Deploying to New Rochelle Coronavirus “Containment Area”
March 10th, 2020Via: Newsweek:
To prevent the spread of a new coronavirus, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced places within a containment area where large groups of people gather, including schools, would close for two weeks and the National Guard would be brought in to assist.
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On Tuesday, Cuomo announced that all schools within a “containment area” in New Rochelle will be closed from Thursday until March 25. A specific list of schools wasn’t provided, but Dr. Howard Zucker, commissioner of health for New York state, said the “containment area” is defined as a one-mile radius around the area of the Young Israel of New Rochelle Temple. The temple was locked down after Lawrence Garbuz, a congregant, tested positive for the virus.
Along with schools, all places within the containment area where large groups of people gather will be closed, including temples and potentially a Boys and Girls Club. Residents will be permitted to walk the streets and local shops that don’t fall under the definition of “large facilities that do large gatherings” will remain open.
“You can go in and out but those facilities that would bring a large number of people together can’t do it for two weeks,” Cuomo said.
Wikipedia: A Disinformation Operation?
March 10th, 2020Via: Swiss Propaganda Research:
Wikipedia is generally thought of as an open, transparent, and mostly reliable online encyclopedia. Yet upon closer inspection, this turns out not to be the case.
In fact, the English Wikipedia with its 9 billion worldwide page views per month is governed by just 500 active administrators, whose real identity in many cases remains unknown.
Moreover, studies have shown that 80% of all Wikipedia content is written by just 1% of all Wikipedia editors, which again amounts to just a few hundred mostly unknown people.
Obviously, such a non-transparent and hierarchical structure is susceptible to corruption and manipulation, the notorious “paid editors” hired by corporations being just one example.
Indeed, already in 2007, researchers found that CIA and FBI employees were editing Wikipedia articles on controversial topics including the Iraq war and the Guantanamo military prison.
Also in 2007, researchers found that one of the most active and influential English Wikipedia administrators, called “Slim Virgin”, was in fact a former British intelligence informer.
More recently, another highly prolific Wikipedia editor going by the false name of “Philip Cross” turned out to be linked to UK intelligence as well as several mainstream media journalists.
In Germany, one of the most aggressive Wikipedia editors was exposed, after a two-year legal battle, as a political operative formerly serving in the Israeli army as a foreign volunteer.
Even in Switzerland, unidentified government employees were caught whitewashing Wikipedia entries about the Swiss secret service just prior to a public referendum about the agency.
Many of these Wikipedia personae are editing articles almost all day and every day, indicating that they are either highly dedicated individuals, or in fact, operated by a group of people.
In addition, articles edited by these personae cannot easily be revised, since the above-mentioned administrators can always revert changes or simply block disagreeing users altogether.
The primary goal of these covert campaigns appears to be pushing Western and Israeli government positions while destroying the reputation of independent journalists and politicians.
Articles most affected by this kind of manipulation include political, geopolitical and certain historical topics as well as biographies of non-conformist academics, journalists, and politicians.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, a friend of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and a “Young Leader” of the Davos forum, has repeatedly defended these operations.
Speaking of Davos, Wikimedia has itself amassed a fortune of more than $160 million, donated in large part not by lazy students, but by major US corporations and influential foundations.
Moreover, US social media and video platforms are increasingly referring to Wikipedia to frame or combat “controversial” topics. The revelations discussed above may perhaps help explain why.
Google Scrubs Coronavirus Misinformation on Search, YouTube
March 10th, 2020“Countries are reacting in different ways as to how best to manage the overwhelming amounts of dis and misinformation circulating over the Internet. In some cases, limited Internet shutdowns are being implemented to quell panic.”
And now…
Via: Bloomberg:
Since Covid-19 began to spread, Google has aggressively intervened in some of its most popular online services to limit the spread of misinformation. This is a departure for a company that has relied heavily on software and automation to index and rank information throughout its 22-year existence.
Google searches related to the virus now trigger an “SOS Alert,” with news from mainstream publications including National Public Radio, followed by information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization displayed prominently.
Amazon Launches Business Selling Automated Checkout to Retailers
March 10th, 2020Amazon calls it: Just Walk Out:
Just Walk Out technology enables shoppers to simply enter a store, grab what they want, and just go. Born from years of experience at Amazon Go, Just Walk Out uses a combination of technologies to eliminate checkout lines. We now offer retailers the ability to leverage this technology in their stores to help bring fast and convenient checkout experiences to more shoppers.
Via: Reuters:
Amazon.com Inc on Monday is set to announce a new business line selling the technology behind its cashier-less convenience stores to other retailers, the company told Reuters.
The world’s biggest web retailer said it has “several” signed deals with customers it would not name. A new website Monday will invite others to inquire about the service, dubbed Just Walk Out technology by Amazon.
Coronavirus: Italy Locked Down
March 9th, 2020Update: Payments on Mortgages to be Suspended Across Italy After Coronavirus Outbreak
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My personal assessment of this situation is that it’s somewhere between a total hoax and a possible risk to people who are already ill with other respiratory conditions. The chaos in supply chains, however, is real, at least to some extent.
Via: Daily Mail:
Travel restrictions are being imposed across Italy nationwide as the whole country goes into lockdown to try to halt the spread of the new coronavirus.
Italian premier Giuseppe Conte said on Monday night that a new government decree will require all people in Italy to demonstrate a need to work, health conditions or other limited reasons to travel outside the areas where they live.
Conte said he is extending restrictions on travel from the north to the entire country of 60 million people in a new move to try to stop the spread of the virus that has so far killed more than 460 in Italy.
The premier also took to task young people in much of Italy who have been gathering at night to drink and have a good time during the public health emergency that started on February 21.
‘This night life…we can’t allow this anymore,’ Conte added as he announced the restrictions will take effect on Tuesday and like those in northern Italy will last until April 3.
He told reporters, referring to a lockdown of areas in northern Italy instituted over the weekend, ‘There won’t be just a red zone. There will be Italy’ as a protected area.
California: Is Failure of 2020 Prop. 13 Sign of a New Tax Revolt?
March 9th, 2020Via: Daily Breeze:
Local governments of all kinds are accustomed to these measures passing, but perhaps no more. One reason may be lack of voter confidence that the tax dollars they approve actually end up going where elected officials say they are going. Again, while many votes remain to be counted, it is undeniable that voters have delivered a statement that they are experiencing tax and bond fatigue, and they don’t trust either municipal or state politicians to spend that money effectively. A second California tax revolt could be upon us.
Markets Gap Down, Trading Temporarily Halted
March 9th, 2020Update: Bounce Off Session Lows After Restart, Dow 30, SP500 and NAS All Down 6%
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Where’s PPT?
Via: CNBC:
Stocks tumbled on Monday as investors braced for the economic fallout from the spreading coronavirus, while a shocking all-out oil price war added to the anxiety.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average tanked more than 1,800 points at the open, while the S&P 500 dropped 7%. The massive sell-off triggered a key market circuit breaker in morning trading. Trading was halted for 15 minutes until 9:49 a.m. ET.
