U.S. Worried About Losing Gigantic Surveillance Honeypot to Russian Company
June 22nd, 2010Dr. Evil and the rest of the scum and villainy in the universe communicate via clear text instant messenger?
Via: Financial Times:
Senior US law enforcement officials have objected to AOL’s pending sale of one of the largest instant-messaging services to a Russian investment firm, fearing it will put some of the world’s top criminals further from their reach.
Investigators at federal agencies charged with scrutinising cyber crime are concerned about the $187.5m acquisition of ICQ by Moscow-based Digital Sky Technologies, which has been rapidly expanding its holding of internet companies.
Digital Sky, led by physicist-turned-banker Yuri Milner, the 47-year-old chief executive, already owns Russia’s largest e-mail provider and three of the country’s leading social networking sites. In 2009, it bought stakes in Facebook, the world’s largest social network, and Zynga, the online games developer.
ICQ is the leading instant messaging service in Russia, Germany and the Czech Republic and, according to law enforcement investigators, is one of the main avenues of communication for criminal groups in eastern Europe, some of whom never meet in person.
ICQ’s headquarters remained in Israel after AOL acquired it for $400m in 1998. Israel and the US are close allies and in some cases US investigators have gained access to the chat transcripts on ICQ of criminal suspects.
The situation highlights how the line between law enforcement and national security has blurred with the rise of cyber warfare.
The current fear is that ICQ’s computers might move to Russia, where co-operation with western law enforcement is far more difficult to obtain. “Every bad guy known to man [is on] ICQ,” one investigator said in an interview.
The objections have reached the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, a secretive panel known as CFIUS and led by the US Treasury. The committee can recommend that transactions be blocked or modified on the grounds of national security, people familiar with the matter said. The panel also has representatives from the departments of defence, justice and homeland security.
“We’ve raised the concerns,” said another law enforcement official.
But CFIUS insiders said they did not expect the panel to stop the sale. It has 30 days after the companies formally notify CFIUS of the transaction to warn them that it plans to investigate further. More than 30 days have passed since the transaction’s announcement on April 28 without any such warning being issued, said Alexander Tamas, a Digital Sky partner in London.
It is possible that the formal deadline triggered by a filing has not yet elapsed, but law enforcement concerns rarely rise to the level that prompts CFIUS to intervene, according to those who have worked for the body.
AOL, the US Treasury and the homeland security department all declined to comment.
LORD ROTHSCHILD INVESTS IN BULLIONVAULT
June 22nd, 2010WARNING: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument.
That’s it for me. I’m finished promoting BullionVault for use by Cryptogon readers. I know that many of you have substantial holdings with BullionVault. In fact, Cryptogon readers have deposited just over US$2 million with BullionVault. It’s not that I see any imminent threat to your holdings from this, but it simply doesn’t pass my smell test.
“Lord” Jacob Rothschild doesn’t have my best interests in mind. And if you’re reading this site, he probably doesn’t have your best interests in mind either. (These are polite understatements.)
I’m not suggesting that you should stay with BullionVault, or not stay with BullionVault. What I’m stating, clearly and for the record, is that I’m no longer going to promote BullionVault for use by Cryptogon readers.
Via: Telegraph:
An investment fund backed by Lord Rothschild has joined the World Gold Council to put £12.5m into BullionVault, the online gold investment platform.
Tim Levene of Augmentum Capital, a fund backed by Lord Rothschild’s RIT Capital Partners, said the investment was not a bet on the gold price but on “the future growth of the BullionVault platform”, which stores physical gold for private clients in London, New York and Zurich. RIT currently has 9pc of its assets in physical gold.
Investment demand for the metal has risen on concerns that sovereign debt problems could spread and the value of currencies plunge. The gold price hit a new nominal all-time high above $1,260 on Friday and analysts expect the price will continue to rise.
In return for the £12.5m investment, the World Gold Council and Augmentum will receive an equity stake in BullionVault.
Marcus Grubb, managing director of investment at the World Gold Council, said taking the BullionVault stake was part of the Council’s strategy of “increasing its portfolio of successful platforms for gold investment”. Mr Levine and Mr Grubb will join BullionVault’s board.
BullionVault has about $800m (£540m) of gold under management for 20,000 customers from more than 90 countries. The average holding is around £30,000.
The World Gold Council’s previous investment vehicle, a gold exchange-traded fund, now has 1,306 tonnes of the metal under management, worth $52.3bn. This makes it the world’s second-largest exchange-traded fund. If the fund was a central bank, it would be sixth largest in the league table of gold holders.
—
Email from BullionVault Director, Paul Tustain
Dear BullionVault user,
You may have seen this story in today’s Daily Telegraph:
http://bit.ly/c4uQJA
We are delighted to welcome the World Gold Council and Augmentum
Capital, which is backed by Rothschild Investment Trust, as minority
investors in BullionVault.
The outlook for long-term growth in physical gold demand is
considerable. BullionVault now has two additional and knowledgeable
investors to help us progress the safe and profitable expansion of
our service.
** The World Gold Council (WGC) **
The WGC is a true global force in gold. Founded 23 years ago,
its mandate is to promote the marketing of physical bullion. It
is owned by 15 of the world’s largest gold mines, who between them
are responsible for about 60% of world gold-mining output.
For many years the WGC has also been the main producer of gold-market
research, data and analysis. It brings a significant amount of
marketing clout to BullionVault. You can visit the WGC’s website
here:
http://www.gold.org/
** Augmentum Capital (AC) **
Augmentum is one of Jacob, Lord Rothschild’s investment vehicles. He
is, as you may know, one of London’s pre-eminent financiers of
the last 30 years, controlling Rothschild Investment Trust Capital
Management. It has £1.6 billion ($2.4bn) under management, and has
set up AC with a specific focus on technology businesses like ours.
Run by Tim Levene – who led the Asian and European development of
peer-to-peer betting exchange Betfair – AC has just one client,
which is Rothschild Investment Trust. The Rothschild family name
has of course long been associated with gold, going back to the
Napoleonic era.
The World Gold Council and Augmentum Capital are, quite simply,
the most suitable investors BullionVault could wish for.
** BullionVault’s Management **
As equal parties in this new investment, worth £12.5 million
($18.5m), both Tim Levene of AC and Marcus Grubb, Managing
Director of Investment at the WGC, are joining me on the Board
at BullionVault.
** How Will This Investment Affect You? **
This is not an exit, either for myself or indeed for any
existing shareholder. I remain the Chief Executive and the
major shareholder. Together with everyone here at BullionVault,
I continue to be dedicated to providing you with secure, low-cost
and transparent access to physical gold & silver bullion.
This investment by the World Gold Council and Augmentum will in due
course enhance the BullionVault service, providing greater depth to
the BullionVault market and a broader choice of trading currencies
and vaulting locations.
Kind regards,
Paul Tustain
Founder & CEO, BullionVault
Yuan Strengthens Most Since 2005 After China Signals End to Peg
June 21st, 2010Via: Bloomberg:
The yuan rose the most since a July 2005 revaluation and forwards jumped after China’s central bank ended a two-year peg before a Group of 20 summit this week.
The currency advanced 0.42 percent to 6.7976 per dollar as of 5:30 p.m. in Hong Kong, the biggest gain since July 2005, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The 12-month non- deliverable yuan forward rose 1.1 percent to 6.6425, implying traders are betting on a 2.3 percent appreciation.
A stronger yuan will help curb inflation in the world’s third-largest economy and shift investment toward service industries from export-manufacturing, the People’s Bank of China said yesterday. The move may also deflect criticism from President Barack Obama and other G-20 leaders, who say China relies on an undervalued currency to promote overseas sales.
Oil Spill: The Situation Off Bon Secour
June 21st, 2010Via: Press Register:
A speckled crab is almost completely encased in a thick layer of oil just offshore from the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. Bits of trash, such as this American flag, are similarly encrusted with the thick, goopy oil found hugging the seafloor in several locations along the Gulf beach. (Press-Register/Ben Raines)
Pentagon “Revives” Rumsfeld-Era Domestic Spying Unit
June 21st, 2010The people at Raw Story should type MAIN CORE into a search engine and get back to us about how this is just now being revived.
Via: Raw Story:
The Pentagon’s spy unit has quietly begun to rebuild a database for tracking potential terrorist threats that was shut down after it emerged that it had been collecting information on American anti-war activists.
The Defense Intelligence Agency filed notice this week that it plans to create a new section called Foreign Intelligence and Counterintelligence Operation Records, whose purpose will be to “document intelligence, counterintelligence, counterterrorism and counternarcotic operations relating to the protection of national security.”
Research Credit: ltcolonelnemo
Jury Awards $2.4 Million in First Chinese Drywall Trial
June 21st, 2010Via: AP:
A Florida couple who fled their dream home because of foul-smelling, ruinous Chinese drywall was awarded $2.4 million in damages Friday in the nation’s first jury trial over the defective wallboard that could have legal ramifications for thousands of similar cases.
The six-person jury ruled that Armin and Lisa Seifart should receive more than just the costs of gutting and renovating their home: they were also awarded damages for loss of enjoyment of the $1.6 million house and for the drywall stigma that might reduce its resale value.
The defendant, drywall distributor Banner Supply Co., is named in thousands of other lawsuits. Attorneys in those cases, as well as many others pending nationwide against other companies, will look to the Seifart damage award as a guide for what kinds of damages they seek.
Defective, sulfur-emitting Chinese drywall has been linked to possible health problems along with a noxious odor, corrosion of wiring, plumbing, computers, plumbing and jewelry. Most of the problems have arisen in Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana in homes built during the housing boom and some damaged during the busy 2005 hurricane season.
The Seifarts, who have two young sons, left their five-bedroom home in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood last year so it could be gutted and renovated. Their attorney, Ervin Gonzalez, said the couple was not told of problems with the Chinese drywall in March 2008 when they moved in.
Montana: Tornado Destroys Rimrock Auto Arena
June 21st, 2010The only reason I’m posting this is because you have to see the video.
Via: AP:
A tornado that ripped the roof off a sports arena in Billings, Mont., Sunday evening also tore through businesses, damaging a bar and a casino and leaving just the walls of an auto glass shop standing.
The tornado struck at about 5 p.m. as a big storm system with golf ball-sized hail passed through the area.
After running through Main Street in the city’s northeast area, the twister moved toward the 10,000-seat Rimrock Auto Arena about a half-mile away, where it hovered for about 15 minutes, snapping trees and telephone poles.
“It would touch down and suck back up and touch down and touch down again,” said Trooper Toman Baukema of the Montana Highway Patrol, who saw the tornado from a patrol station about a mile away.
Big pieces of metal could be seen hanging from power lines near the arena, and tangles of insulation and metal debris were strewn for hundreds of yards in the surrounding industrial area.
There were several employees inside the arena when it struck, but there were no reports of injuries, Baukema said.
Los Angeles Lakers Post Game Riot and Vehicle Arson
June 21st, 2010Ahhhh, Los Angeles. I can’t say I miss ye’.
Maybe the tourism board should start up a new campaign: Headed Downtown? Don’t Forget Your Marshmallows!
Power of the Purse Volume 1
June 21st, 2010Lee Rogers of roguegovernment.com and the Live Free or Die radio show sent me a copy of his new documentary film, Power of the Purse Volume 1.
It’s almost five hours of fiat currency Hell, including a dog leg into the 9/11 spectacle.
I was particularly interested in the portions of the film that dealt with the history of the topic before 1900. Have you ever heard of King Henry the First’s tally sticks?
Unsplit tally sticks started as mathematical objects serving as mnemonic aids to counting, but they eventually found another use as commerce developed. Because so few people could read and write, tallies provided the earliest form of bookkeeping for recording both physical quantities and money. By the medieval period, tallies had really come into their own as the English equivalent of today’s credit card and as an instrument of internal control. King Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, assumed the throne of England in 1100 AD, and in an effort to enhance his power, invented a unique money system called the tally stick system.
Tally sticks were made of polished hazel or willow wood, and transactions were recorded by notches carved into the square tally with a knife…
…
Internal control was implemented by splitting the tally stick lengthwise through the notches, leaving one half of the notches on each piece. Each party to a transaction kept one half of each tally stick, and the accounts were audited by fitting the two pieces together to determine if they would “tally.”
But King Henry expanded the role of tally sticks beyond simple record keeping. Because tally sticks could be used to pay the taxes imposed by the king, he created a demand for tally sticks. This demand for tally sticks expanded their role, and they began to circulate as a form of money (Carmack, 2003).
What a scam! Essentially the same ancient scam is running now, but on a planetary scale.
Via: Power of the Purse Movie:
Film Summary
Throughout human history the control and manipulation of money has been used by the elites to control free humanity. This has continued up until this day.
Power of the Purse Volume 1 is a 4 hour and 50 minute documentary spanning 2 DVDs that details the history of how money has evolved from ancient times to the 21st century. This film exposes how those who have controlled money have used this power to fund both sides of wars in order to bankrupt nations and peoples.
This film reveals important historical facts and information about the modern day monetary system that the corporate media and the teachers indoctrinating our youth in the so-called public education (indoctrination) system refuse to talk about.
Topics Covered
Power of the Purse Volume 1 explores the following topics and much more:
The Knights Templar’s International Banking System.
The Rise of the Rothschild’s European Banking Empire.
How the Federal Reserve and other Central Banks create money out of thin air to drive nations and peoples into debt.
How both sides of major wars and conflicts have been funded and engineered by powerful banking interests.
The lies surrounding the official story of the September 11th, 2001 attacks and how it has been used to justify endless war.
How the manipulation of the value of money has been used to create economic depressions.
Comrade Simba on Fox-14
June 20th, 2010Video at the link.
Via: Comrade Simba:
Too bad it was only a three minute human interest story crammed in between sports and stock market crap but not bad for a brief overview. At least the dig at wal-mart got through which is the main point of what this whole homestead thing is all about. Do it yourself or rely on the agribusiness corporations – expect the stores to be stocked and the food to be worth eating? Yeah, right. So this is one more drop in the sea of examples; chances are good that as many people who write us off as crackpots will be less than or equal to the numbers who see that this is a good idea.
Betcha somebody picks up a shovel this week.
