Category: Columns

The John James Newsletter 45
14 February 2015

How Many Jews Died in the German Concentration Camps?
It has been a common belief that about six million Jews died in the camps. Most laymen presume this was proven at Nuremberg in 1946. The international court did not prove anything of the sort, however, and historians who have dealt with contemporary German or Jewish history have long since modified this description.
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v11/v11p335_Nordling.html

The Influence of Israel and it’s American Lobby over US Middle East Policy
The apparent ability of Israel, one of the world’s smallest countries, to shape the Middle East policies of the world’s remaining superpower has been a source of puzzlement.
http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/articles/article0041462.html

Greece: Greenspan predicts exit from euro inevitable
He told the BBC he could not see who would be willing to put up more loans to bolster Greece’s struggling economy. “I don’t think it will be resolved without Greece leaving the eurozone.” UK Chancellor said a Greek exit would cause “deep ructions” for Britain.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31249907

Russia and Egypt to establish free trade zone, build nuclear reactor and a Russian industrial zone
This provides a counterweight to the EU. It is likely to further increase tensions with the EU and the US and may upset wealthy Gulf donors who have clashed with Moscow over its support of Syrian President al-Assad.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/russia-and-egypt-establish-free-trade-zone-1505432412

Europe Fractures
France Pivots To Putin, Cyprus Offers Moscow Military Base, Germany-US Splinters On Ukraine
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article40939.htm

The Saudi campaign against the fracking industry may have succeeded
Abandon ship! Riggers flee the collapsing shale oil industry
If ever you wondered what a mass flight of capital might look like when the big end of town finally decides that the fossil fuel industry is coming to an end, then the collapse of the shale oil industry in the US might give an insight.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/abandon-ship-riggers-flee-collapsing-shale-oil-industry-50234 rigs update

Chilcot report will be ‘devastating’
Thirty people, including Tony Blair, are set to be heavily criticised by the Inquiry in its ‘devastating’ attack on the way the war was handled. Among the most explosive parts will be the details of 30 secret letters, notes and conversations between Blair and Bush.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2944230/Chilcot-report-devastating-say-No-10-emerges-THIRTY-firing-line-heavily-critical-Iraq-Inquiry-Blair-s-secret-letters-Bush-revealed-full.html

The methane time bomb
Millions of tons of a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than C02 is being released into the atmosphere from beneath the Arctic. The sudden release of methane has in the past been responsible for rapid increases in global temperatures, dramatic changes to the climate, and  mass extinction.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/exclusive-the-methane-time-bomb-938932.html

Biggest leak in banking history
Senate banking committee is calling on the US government to explain what action it took after receiving a massive cache of leaked data that revealed how the HSBC, the world’s second-largest bank, helped wealthy customers conceal billions of dollars of assets.
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/feb/09/hsbc-senate-democrat-us-government-biggest-leak?CMP=ema_565
and
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/02/09/rotten-core-banking-exposed-global-outrage-follows-hsbc-revelations

The Velocity of Money
Is current Fed policy inflationary? Given historical economic patterns, the answer is no. QE becomes an issue when its time for the Fed to implement its exit strategy.
http://bill-seyfried.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/recent-monetary-policy-role-of-velocity.html

Al Qaeda’s Bookkeeper Spills The Beans
Zacarias Moussaoui was the bookkeeper for Al Qaeda, but the US intelligence services have been keeping this fact secret – as much as they can. His relevant testimony in court is quoted. Very interesting if you are interested.
http://www.countercurrents.org/zuesse110215.htm

Fat guidelines lacked any solid scientific evidence
Researchers claim dietary advice around fat consumption, followed by millions for the past 30 years, should never have been issued
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/10/fat-guidelines-lacked-any-solid-scientific-evidence-study-concludes?CMP=ema_632

Did the Big Bang ever happen?
A new quantum model predicts universe has NO beginning. ‘As far as we can see, since different points in the universe never actually converged in the past, it did not have a beginning. It lasted forever. It will also not have an end…In other words, there is no singularity. This concept could explain dark energy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2947967/Did-Big-Bang-happen-Quantum-model-predicts-universe-NO-beginning-explain-dark-energy.html

Top scientists preparing for the end times
Artificial Intelligence – because it lacks our cultural, emotional and social intuition – might adopt dangerous methods to pursue its goals. Telling machines to achieve a simple goal and to avoid hurting humans turns out to be very difficult in practice.
http://www.newstatesman.com/sci-tech/2014/09/apocalypse-soon-scientists-preparing-end-times

A Shock to the System
Marine mass destruction is justified by the EU in the name of “scientific research”. Pulse trawling uses electricity to flush flatfish or shrimp out of the sediments in which they hide. The electric shock makes them convulse and flip upwards, into the net.
http://www.monbiot.com/2015/02/09/a-shock-to-the-system/

Australia’s Two Biggest Energy Retailers Moving Into Solar Market
Both Origin Energy and AGL Energy are investing millions into building up substantial solar teams that will focus on the household and business markets, offering leases and power purchase agreements in a new attempt to dominate the rooftop solar market.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/02/10/australias-two-biggest-energy-retailers-moving-solar-market/?

Rooftop Solar Is Now Cheaper Than The Grid In 42 Of Top 50 US Cities
Buying an average-sized, fully-financed solar PV system costs less than electricity from the local utility for 93% of single-family homeowners in America’s 50 largest cities, and in most places, is a better investment than many stocks.
http://planetsave.com/2015/02/10/rooftop-solar-now-cheaper-grid-42-top-50-us-cities/?

The John James Newsletter 61
23 May 2015- Paros

Israel has for years worked to remove Assad
with US support it has encouraged Assad’s enemies, including IS
now that IS controls Palmyra, the “pearl” of the desert,
the most intact 2,000 years old monument to ancient Rome,
should its imminent destruction be blamed on Israel, on it’s clandestine control over US policy?
Will Israel still prosper with IS in control of Damascus?
Senior Israelis say they would prefer a victory by Al-Qaeda over a victory by Assad.

The Day After Damascus Falls

and
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/05/palmyra-destroyed-syria-isil-150521113045812.html
and
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/16/Syria-s-ancient-city-of-Palmyra-on-brink-of-destruction.html
Syrian War Set to Re-Explode
US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia alliance with Al Qaeda has the potential to engulf the region in violence. Deep Saudi pocketbooks combined with Turkish ground forces are a catastrophe in the making.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41842.htm

Palestine Scores Major Victory With Vatican Recognition of Statehood
With the Israeli-Palestinian peace process all but dead and buried, a growing chorus of countries and international bodies are moving toward recognizing Palestinian sovereignty in an attempt to push the Israeli government to make concessions toward their Palestinian rivals. That effort received a powerful boost when Pope Francis announced that the Vatican has recognised the state of Palestine.

Palestine Scores Major Victory With Vatican Recognition of Statehood

136 Nations Recognise the Palestinian State
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/136-nations-recognize-a-palestinian-state-only-obama-stands-in-the-way-of-full-global-recognition

NATO deliberately destroyed Libya’s water infrastructure
UNICEF reported that the disruption to the GMR had left 4 million Libyans without potable water. The GMR remains disrupted to this day, and Libya’s national water crisis continues to escalate. The deliberate destruction of a nation’s water infrastructure, with the knowledge that doing so would result in massive deaths
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2869234/war_crime_nato_deliberately_destroyed_libyas_water_infrastructure.html

Huge Bee Die-Off
US lost 40% of bees last year. Some pesticides, like neonicotinoids, have long been shown to be major causes of bee decline.
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/05/14/years-ago-was-unheard-dire-trend-persists-huge-bee-die

Macedonia – the next hot spot after Ukraine?
A few days ago, Russia stated that the the Turkish Stream gas will go through at the end of 2016. If this happens, the US will lose a trump card to put pressure on Russia and Europe, which may encourage the CIA to repeat its Ukraine strategy in Macedonia.
http://fortruss.blogspot.mx/2015/05/macedonia-next-hot-spot-after-ukraine.html

Super heating of the methane traps of Siberia
No Pause — NASA Shows Human Hothouse Maintaining Record High Temperatures for 2015.Overall, temperatures at +0.99 degrees Celsius above 1880s averages for the first four months of 2015 should be cause for concern. We still have El Nino ramping up in the Pacific could well ramp higher later this year. Looking at the global temperature anomaly map provided by NASA, we can see where much of this extra heat accumulated throughout April:
Global Temps NASA April 2015

https://robertscribbler.wordpress.com/

What can we do about climate change?
How do we have meaning in a world that is going to be so different from the one in which most of our values were created?

What can we do about climate change?

Bibi: The Hidden Consequences of His Victory
The Israeli electorate has given a mandate for policies that preclude any settlement with the Palestinians. The international boycott [against Israel] will intensify. The demand to fully enfranchise the Palestinians will eventually prove irresistible. What happens after that, no one can say.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/apr/23/bibi-hidden-consequences-his-victory/

Yet Another Huge Diplomatic Victory for Russia
Unless you read Russian you might not have noticed that something big just happened in Russia: Kerry, Nuland and a large State Department delegation have met with Foreign Minister Lavrov and then with President Putin.  With the latter they spent over 4 hours.  Not only that, but Kerry said he would strongly caution Poroshenko against renewing military operations. To say that this is a stunning development would be an understatement.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41835.htm
and
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/16/world/europe/a-diplomatic-victory-and-affirmation-for-putin.html

Leading doctor says mobile phone radiation a hotline to brain cancer
There is a million times more radiation today than there was 50 years ago,” he said. “The World Health Organisation has upgraded cell phone radiation to B2 category, which means possibly –carcinogenic.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/leading-doctor-says-mobile-phone-radiation-a-hotline-to-brain-cancer/story-fni0fiyv-1227349594139
too much electromagnetic radiation is being emitted from them which could be a reason for rising cancer rates and an increase in autism and obesity.Nearly 200 experts are calling on the UN to provide guidelines as they say the radiation is damaging DNA in our cells.
http://www.euronews.com/2015/05/12/scientists-warn-against-mobile-phone-radiation/
for the text
http://www.emfscientist.org/images/docs/International_EMF_Scientist_Appeal_Description.pdf

Why Australia will lead the world in solar + storage
Tesla has changed the conversation around battery storage. Consumers want it, competitors and retailers are going to have to move quickly to meet that demand, and Australia is being regarded as the market where it could all happen. Australia is going to be the testing ground for the world,
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/why-australia-will-lead-the-world-in-solar-storage-78627
Queensland commits to 50% renewable target by 2030
This means that all three Labor states are looking to ambitious renewable energy targets, in contrast with the Federal government which is looking to cut the target for large-scale renewables.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/queensland-commits-to-50-renewable-target-by-2030
States meet on climate, renewables, in effort to lead Australia as feds stall
ACT hoped to lead a state-based climate effort that would more than make up for Australia’s distinct lack of ambition on the federal front.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/states-meet-on-climate-renewables-in-effort-to-lead-australia-as-feds-stall-35220

Climate Denial Takes a Toll on Scientists—and Science
Climate denial campaigns “can absolutely influence what you do and what you write about,” said Trenberth, who was not involved in the study. “Part of the reason they do it is to distract you and get you to waste your time.” Instead of “publishing the good science needed to advance our understanding of climate change,” scientists are left defending their work and debunking false claims
http://insideclimatenews.com/news/11052015/climate-denial-takes-toll-scientists%E2%80%94and-science.

Trident whistleblower: nuclear ‘disaster waiting to happen’
“This is bigger than me, it’s bigger than all of us. We are so close to a nuclear disaster it is shocking, and yet everybody is accepting the risk to the public.” A fascinating bad-time story…..
https://wikileaks.org/trident-safety/
Range of Wikileaks papers:

Who is not bombing in the Middle East?
The Saudis are bombing Yemen because they fear the Shia Houthis are working for the Iranians. The Syrian government is bombing its enemies in Syria and the Iraqi government is bombing its enemies in Iraq. America, France, Britain, Denmark, Holland, Australia and Canada are bombing Isis in Syria and in Iraq. The Egyptians are bombing parts of Libya, the Iranians have acknowledged bombing in Iraq and of course the Israelis have  bombed Syrian government forces in Syria but not Isis (an interesting choice, we’d all agree).
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/robert-fisk-who-is-bombing-whom-in-the-middle-east-10222938.html

Is email killing off the art of conversation?
Most replies contain just five words. Younger people send shorter emails than older users who also spend more time composing their emails.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3037312/Is-email-killing-art-conversation-messages-replies-contain-just-five-words-finds-biggest-study-email.html#ixzz3ZCEwFwxh

Peruvian farmers restoring 7th century canals
Non-governmental agency helping farmers restore ancient system in Andean region and revitalise their water supplies.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/peruvian-farmers-restoring-7th-century-canals-150503084636928.html

A Thoughtful Look at the German-Soviet Clash: Could Hitler Have Won?
What was the real turning point in the war, and why? If Hitler had played his cards a bit differently could he have won the war? German forces came very close to defeating the Soviet Union in 1941. Defeat of Soviet Russia would effectively have resulted in German hegemony over all of Europe – a drastic change in the course of world history.
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v15/v15n6p38_Bishop.html

The John James Newsletter 46
21 February 2015

I can’t run no more
with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places
say their prayers out loud.
But they’ve summoned, they’ve summoned up
a thundercloud
and they’re going to hear from me.
Leonard Cohen in “There is a crack, a crack in everything – that’s how the light gets in”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31442.htm

Seven Countries In Five Years
This article shows how major world events are just pebbles in the mosaic of US global power. Syria, Libya, Yemen .. A redrawing of the map … Confrontation in the Ukraine is to fulfil only to separate Russia from Europe and to prevent trade, and thereby get rid of Europe’s energy dependence on Russia…. They want Russia into economic depression. More broadly, to prevent Russia from once again becoming a superpower. ,,, It is one reason for low oil prices … Turkey has finally understood it is to be thrown overboard…. May God save the world.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41047.htm
Hence the importance of
Turkey favours China missile deal for air defence
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31537334

Ukraine Coup Planned By Nato And EU
The war propagandists are winning the support of many unsuspecting American citizens. The followingg 90 seconds video may provide a refreshingly different perspective.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-14/ron-paul-ukraine-coup-planned-nato-and-eu

Islam cannot disown jihadists, for they are driven by rage against their own history
If Islam alone were the completed and perfected religion of God — and if its political completeness was the basis for its long-lasting worldly success (which would be proof of its religious superiority) — then why has it been so comprehensively defeated and impotent? What had gone wrong? The history of modern Islam has largely been the story of failed attempts to overcome this cognitive dissonance.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/islam-cannot-disown-jihadists-driven-by-rage-against-history/story-e6frg6z6-1227187604372

A model of human migration based on mitochondrial DNA with Africa at the top.
The letters are the mitochondrial DNA haplogroups (pure motherly lineages) that can be used to define fine genetic population.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map-of-human-migrations.jpg http://www.mitomap.org/pub/MITOMAP/MitomapFigures/WorldMigrations.pdf
Andrew Y. Glikson, Evolution of the Atmosphere, Fire and the Anthropocene Climate Event Horizon, http://www.springer.com/series/8897

China’s attacks on US internet titans
Beijing has launched major cyber strikes against Google, Apple, Microsoft and Yahoo six times over the past two years, with Politburo approval. They aim to establish Beijing’s absolute authority over all Internet operations within China.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/02/china-code-war-attacks-internet-titans-150211084717111.html

The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance:
the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda
to protect corporate power against democracy.
Alex Carey, author

Financial Times: Kiev Is the Violent Aggressor in East Ukraine
Although this article tries to make the people of Donetsk appear gullible and indoctrinated, it does admit that Kiev is waging a vicious war against its own people—something that East Ukrainians will never forget, and probably never forgive.
http://russia-insider.com/en/2015/02/14/3489

ISIL sprouts limbs across Middle East
IS in Iraq and the Levant is expanding to establish militant affiliates in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt and Libya.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/291973901.html
and
Isis plans to use immigrant boats from Libya to cause terror in Europe and close shipping routes
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/isis-plans-to-use-immigrant-boats-from-libya-to-cause-terror-in-europe-and-close-shipping-routes-10053148.html

What causes our climate to change?
The jet stream, which once used to move over North America horizontally, has become wavy, pushing warm air north while drawing cold air from the south.
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/climate-changed.html

The Real Problem of ‘Getting to Yes’ with Iran
Unless Washington figures out that its strategy will not work, we must expect stalemate and a much higher level of US-Iranian tensions. The only reason Iran has not accepted the deal, according to the US view, is that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is a hardliner who is constraining the more reasonable Iranian negotiating team from making the necessary compromises. But that reflects a profoundly distorted view of US-Iran relations on the nuclear issue.
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/02/14/real-problem-getting-yes-iran

Australian banks fall victim to multi-national hackers
A group from Russia, China, Ukraine and parts of Europe use a virus known as Carbanak to access bank employee computers and ultimately get inside their networks.The hackers then transfer money from the bank into off-shore accounts, or order the bank’s ATMs to dispense cash to a waiting friend.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-17/banks-victim-of-multi-national-hacking-attack-security-firm-says/6130370

‘This Is Not A Game’ Declares Greek Minister as Talks Collapse in Brussels
Greece won’t commit to an extension of the lending program which is tied to the same austerity conditions that have devastated its economy. The Eurogroup will not accept an extension of the lending program unless Greece agrees to  further austerity conditions.
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/02/16/not-game-declares-greek-minister-talks-collapse-brussels

In 2011 fossil fuel burning, cement production and land clearing released 9.5±0.5 GtC to the atmosphere
54% higher than in 1990. Coal burning was responsible for 43%, oil 34%, gas 18%, and cement 5%.
Global Carbon Project 2013

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/aus/

Group hid undetectable spyware on hard drives
NSA has successfully developed techniques for hiding spyware on hard drives. Once infected it is impossible to alter and cannot be detected. Infected machines have been found in Russia, Afghanistan, China, Syria and Yemen.

Worldwide Equation Group hid undetectable spyware on hard drives

And being copy-catted by private companies
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/02/19/lenovo-caught-installing-adware-new-computers/

As Early as 2016, Robo-Cops Will Be Patrolling Your Streets
Another level of intimidation to the increasingly militarized police state. It is one step closer to a dystopian future where autonomous robots carry out law enforcement. If a human police officer can get away with killing what would this mean for the robot officer? The K5 does not wield weapons but serves as a total surveillance machine for cops or private clients. It has facial recognition and scans 1,500 license plates per minute, captures audio and 360-degree video, tests the air for chemicals, and maps its surroundings with 3D radar and laser. It pretends to distinguish “suspicious activities” from normal activities. Robots have been used for years to detonate or disable bombs, but police robots are increasingly being developed for use against people.
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/early-2016-robot-cops-patrolling-streets-no/

The John James Newsletter 62
30 May 2015- Positano

If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear
George Orwell

Stupid Australia: Brain drain leaves economy less able to compete
The country that brought you refrigerators, black-box flight recorders, bionic ears and Wi-Fi will cut its research budget by 7 per cent over the next 12 months, and another 10 per cent in the following three years. At the same time it’s offering tax cuts and write-offs in its budget this month for small firms to buy equipment like espresso machines and lawnmowers as the centerpiece of a plan to build a ‘stronger and more prosperous Australia’.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/stupid-australia-brain-drain-leaves-economy-less-able-to-compete-51750

“Rebuilding America’s Defenses”
An influential policy document outlines a plan for American hegemony, pinpointing “problem areas” of the world and suggesting regime change of unfavourable governments so that eventually the whole world will be unified under the banner of American democracy.
http://newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf.
Failure of the US coup d’État in Macedonia
Macedonia has just neutralised an armed group whose sponsors had been under surveillance for at least eight months. This has prevented an attempted coup, planned by Washington for the 17th of May. The aim was to spread the chaos already infecting Ukraine into Macedonia in order to stall the passage of a Russian gas pipeline to the EU.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41969.htm
A Revolution For Macedonia
The National Endowment for Democracy (US) funds NGOs in countries targeted by Washington for political destabilisation who then develop cadres of idealistic students and disgruntled politicians and set them against the existing government. Washington spent $5 billion in Ukraine grooming politicians and creating NGOs so that when Viktor Yanukovich refused to align Ukraine with Washington’s interests, Washington unleashed its Fifth Columns, and Yanukovich’s government was overthrown with violence. Now the same fate may be in store for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgystan, and (for the moment) Macedonia.
http://www.countercurrents.org/roberts230515.htm

What if Putin is Telling the Truth?
Russian intelligence has known for almost two decades that the terror in Chechnya and in the Caucasus in the early 1990’s was actively backed by the CIA to destroy Russia as a functioning sovereign state. Today this agenda has been expanded to the neo-nazi coup in Ukraine and financial sanctions.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41886.htm

Happiness is Having Own Submarine-launched Ballistic Missile
Pyongyang’s nukes have always been to ward off a US-South Korean invasion – an operation that the two allies practice every fall, producing violent tantrums from Pyongyang. Kim Jong-un knows Iraq and Libya would not have been invaded if they had had nuclear weapons. The Kim dynasty’s days would be numbered without them.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41881.htm

Is the US planning a “Gulf of Tonkin” incident in the South China Sea?
The historic parallels are chilling.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/05/18/pers-m18.html
An already tense and dangerous situation in the South China Sea threatens to become even worse as the US considers plans to initiate systematic military patrols in that volatile area.
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/america-about-make-fatal-mistake-the-south-china-sea-12905
US Bombers to Australia??
Washington would “be placing additional air force assets in Australia, including B-1 bombers and surveillance aircraft. We will have a very strong presence throughout the region to back our commitments to our allies, to protect our diplomacy on the South China Sea.”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41892.htm
One more Unintended Consequence of US interference in the Ukraine and the Spratleys
China rapidly upgrading nuclear arsenal with MIRVed missiles
The move comes decades after Beijing acquired the technology, indicating a strategy change.
http://rt.com/news/259417-china-mirv-missile-upgrade/

Fossil fuels subsidised by $10m a minute
The IMF calls the revelation “shocking” and says the figure is “extremely robust”. The $5.3tn subsidy estimated for 2015 is greater than the total health spending of all the world’s governments.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/18/fossil-fuel-companies-getting-10m-a-minute-in-subsidies-says-imf?CMP=share_btn_tw

As Iran forswears the Bomb the Saudis get it. As the Saudis “Promise to Match Iran’s Nuclear Power” who then steps in to protect Iran? Russia? China? Treaties of support will tie this up and, as in 1914, war is possible.
Saudis May Purchase Pakistani Atomic Bomb
“Nuclear weapons programs are extremely expensive and there’s no question that a lot of the funding of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program was provided by Saudi Arabia,”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41890.htm
Intelligence agents and diplomats have claimed Riyadh has had nuclear weapons since 1998 kept in a secret underground compound several miles from Riyadh capital.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41850.htm
Nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for delivery
Saudi Arabia ‘can get nuclear weapons from Pakistan’: Nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for deliver
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-can-get-nuclear-weapons-from-pakistan-1.1252773

France Declares All New Rooftops Must Be Topped With Plants Or Solar Panels
Green roofs, as they are called, have an isolating effect which helps to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building during the winter or cool it in the summer. They are capable of retaining rainwater and reducing problems with runoff, and also offer birds a place to call home in the urban jungle.
http://csglobe.com/france-declares-all-new-rooftops-must-be-topped-with-plants-or-solar-panels

Green power success stories take the wind out of Tony Abbott
Germany, the world leader in installing renewable energy, was producing so much electricity from solar, wind and biomass that more than half of the country’s electricity was flowing from these renewable sources. There was so much that the price of electricity fell to zero, and kept falling until it went negative. There were times on April 17 when wholesale electricity in Germany was selling for minus 14.91 euros for a megawatt hour. So it wasn’t free – it was cheaper than free.
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/green-power-success-stories-take-the-wind-out-of-tony-abbott-20150526-gh9bd6

Huge Insurance Company Cites Climate Change As Reason For Divesting From Coal
Last year, AXA paid over €1 billion globally in weather-related insurance claims, citing climate change as a “core business issue”.  “The facts are undeniable. If we think we can live in a world where temperatures would have increased by more than 2C we’re fooling ourselves,”
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/05/22/3662053/axa-insurance-coal-divestment/

Formaldehyde is just one of 62,000 chemicals that Congress exempted from testing. Only 250 have been tested since.
http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2015/04/how-american-industry-skips-some-chemical-safety-checks
http://www.foreffectivegov.org/node/13411
EU dropped pesticide laws due to US pressure over TTIP
US trade officials pushed EU to shelve action on endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/22/eu-dropped-pesticide-laws-due-to-us-pressure-over-ttip-documents-reveal?CMP=ema_565

Gaza economy ‘on verge of collapse’, with world’s highest unemployment
World Bank report says Israeli blockades and war and damaged governance have left 43% of people out of work and the strip facing dangerous financial crisis. The current market in Gaza is not able to offer jobs, leaving a large population in despair, particularly the youth. Of the $3.5bn pledged by the international community for Gaza’s reconstruction, just $1bn, has been disbursed so far.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/22/gazas-economy-on-verge-of-collapse-jobless-rate-highest-in-world-israel
Which Countries Are Failing To Deliver Gaza Aid?
Qatar has delivered just 10 percent of the $1 billion it promised, while Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Kuwait between them have handed over just over $50 million of the $900 million they pledged,
http://www.countercurrents.org/slemrod220515.htm

‘Disaster after disaster’ hits Marshall Islands as climate change kicks in
Three-part series examining the effects of climate change on the Marshall Islands and what is being done to adapt.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/5/18/disaster-after-disaster-in-low-lying-marshall-islands.html

Mapping the migrant crisis
How did thousands of Asian migrants come to be stranded at sea with nowhere to go?

Southeast Asia’s Migrant Crisis Explained, in Maps

Megadeath
Until 2008, conservationists appeared to be winning. But in that year the number of rhinos killed in South Africa rose (from 13 in 2007) to 83. By 2011, the horrible tally had risen to 448. It climbed to 668 in 2012, 1004 in 2013 and 1215 in 2014. In the first four months of this year, 393 rhinos have been killed, which is 18% more than in the same period last year.
http://www.monbiot.com/2015/05/22/megadeath/

An American-Made Army in Africa
the most interesting part of this article is the later analysis of the Sudan situation and its causes in foreign interference.
http://www.countercurrents.org/turse180515.htm

Brutal truths about ISIL victories
The fight against ISIL is in many ways a fight between the idea of a nation state and the idea of a revolutionary ideological empire. Lessons learned about the intrinsic strengths of revolutionary insurgencies in comparison with the strengths of conventional armies are not being applied.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/05/iraq-truths-isil-victories-ramadi-150519050240243.html
Iraq army held 10-to-1 advantage during Ramadi defeat
Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the Iraq forces lost their will to fight, despite the fact they “vastly outnumbered the opposing force.” ISIL captured Ramadi on May 17 with 1,000 fighters and are now reinforcing those forces from the west.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/5/26/iraq-army-held-advantage-during-ramadi-defeat-sources.html

48 Countries March Against Monsanto
Global anti-Monsanto protests have been spurred by a recent WHO warning that the company’s signature herbicide “probably” causes cancer. Tens of thousands of activists rallied in more than 400 cities across the world Saturday to protest.
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/48-Countries-March-Against-Monsanto-20150523-0010.html
and
http://fracturedparadigm.com/2013/04/02/boycott-monsanto-a-simple-list-of-companies-to-avoid/#axzz3bFcytGbU

The John James Newsletter 47
23 February 2015

Americans are too underinformed to digest information that contradicts what they already know. The media prefers to feed Americans a constant stream of simplified information so they do not have to devote more air time or newsprint to explanations or further investigations. This has infantilized the American public. This then confirms the people can’t handle complex truths.
Tom Fenton

Evil Assad, Evil Gaddafi, Now Evil Putin: How the West Sells War (and Makes a Killing)
Ukraine it is largely about land grabs and western agribusiness GMO plans for her rich and fertile soil. ….. Gaddafi’s regime went from a “a model” and an “important ally” to target of regime change in just a few years. Was this sudden shift in popularity to do with Gaddafi’s plan “to quit selling Libyan oil in US dollars?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41074.htm

The U.S.-Backed Government In Ukraine Is Starting To Lose The Civil War
The first map shows what the conflict looked like last summer: The territory held by the separatists was mostly limited to areas around the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk; the second at the time of the peace accord… Have seen this in the mainstream media? If not, why not? Could it be that we aren’t supposed to know that the US-backed government in Kiev is losing the war?
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-u-s-backed-government-in-ukraine-is-starting-to-lose-the-civil-war

Ukrainian Retreat – the pocket is closed.
Maybe you weren’t told this either?  The trucks lined up on the edge of town around 1 am while tanks and tracked vehicles formed lines on either side of the convoy to shield the soldiers. Despite the precautions, the column came under attack almost immediately and trucks started breaking down and colliding in the dark. By dawn, the column was strung out on the plain and taking fire from all sides. They were shooting at the disintegrating column with rockets. Dead and wounded soldiers were just left on the fields.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/world/europe/ukraine-conflict-debaltseve.html?_r=0

German sociologists on Crimea’s choice
In answer to the most important question: “Do you endorse Russia’s annexation of Crimea?” 82% of the respondents answered “yes, definitely,” and another 11% – “yes, for the most part.” Only 2% gave an unambiguously negative response, and another 2% offered a relatively negative assessment.
http://orientalreview.org/2015/02/10/german-sociologists-on-crimeas-choice/

Obama Destroyed Libya
Gaddafi inherited one of the poorest nations in Africa. By the time he was assassinated, Libya was unquestionably Africa’s most prosperous nation with the highest GDP and life expectancy in Africa. Less people lived below the poverty line than in the Netherlands. Gaddafi was guilty of human rights abuses, but women enjoyed more rights than in any other Arab country. Libya was a relatively sweet place to live.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41020.htm
Relevant: The Warmongering Record of Hillary Clinton
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/02/11/the-warmon…

Hailed as a Model for Successful Intervention, Libya Proves to be the Exact Opposite
Since 2011, Libya has rapidly unraveled in much the way Iraq did following invasion: swamped by militia rule, factional warfare, economic devastation, and complete lawlessness. And to their eternal shame, most self-proclaimed “humanitarians” who advocated intervention completely ignored the country once the fun parts — the war victory dances and mocking of war opponents — were over. The unraveling of Libya is now close to absolute.
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/02/16/hailed-model-successful-intervention-libya-proves-exact-opposite/

What Putin learned from Reagan
There was a great power that was worried about its longtime rival’s efforts to undermine it. Its leaders thought the rival power was stronger and trying to throw its weight around and was now interfering in places the declining state had long regarded as its own backyard. To protect this traditional sphere of influence, the worried great power had long maintained one-sided relationships with its neighbors, many of them led by corrupt and brutal oligarchs who stayed in power because they were subservient to the powerful neighbor’s whims. Guess who!

What Putin Learned From Reagan

Michelangelo’s last surviving bronzes identified
“Bacchants Riding On Panthers”, date from 1506-08 and show a muscular pair of nude male revellers, arms raised in triumph to the sky, astride snarling panthers. Michelangelo is thought to have worked on them between his two most famous works — the four-metre marble sculpture “David” and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
http://www.news24.com/Green/News/Michelangelos-last-surviving-bronzes-identified-20150203
One of two bronze statues named ‘Bacchants Riding On Panthers’, thought to be by Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo. (Jack Taylor, AFP)

The John James Newsletter 48
28 February 2015

The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western world. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate objectivity so entirely from its media – much less dissent.
Gore Vidal

I have a question:
I have been told that engineers have found cracks under Warragamba dam (possibly caused by coal mining under the dam) through which our water supply is seeping away. They have tried to fix the leaks but haven’t been successful. It is worrying that the government may be keeping this problem under wraps. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THIS?

Hope Among the Ruins?
Fascinating suggestions for a new order in the banking world
http://www.monbiot.com/2015/02/17/hope-among-the-ruins

http://www.sovereignman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/LiquidityPyramid.pdf

Iraqi Army Downs Two British Planes Carrying Weapons for ISIL
Numerous flights by the US-led coalition that airdrop weapons and supplies for IS shows US prefers a chaotic situation in Anbar Province. It is near Baghdad. The US does not want the crisis to end.

Iraqi Army Downs Two British Planes Carrying Weapons for ISIL Terrorists

Financial War: US Wants to Trigger Russian Bankruptcies
If loans due in dollars during the coming year cannot be rolled over there would be a “devastating” impact on the Russian economy The US intends to use a technical trick to shorten the duration of existing loans and credits to Russian banks, energy companies and arms companies. In another move the US is moving to exclude Russia from the SWIFT system that enables electronic transactions instead of paper. This is particularly feared by the Russians, who are rushing to install an alternative. American rating agencies have already classified Russian government bonds as junk so some large pension funds are legally obliged to withdraw, all intended to destroy the rouble.
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/02/financial-war-us-wants-trigger-wave-russian-bankruptcies.html

100 reasons to ‘Audit The Fed’
We like to think that we have a government “of the people, by the people, for the people”, but the truth is that an unelected, unaccountable group has far more power over our economy than anyone else. The Federal Reserve is “independent” of the government,  “not an agency” and therefore not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/janet-yellen-is-freaking-out-about-audit-the-fed-here-are-100-reasons-why-she-should-be

Russia ratifies $100bn BRICS New Development Bank
http://rt.com/business/234027-russia-ratifies-brics-bank/

Russia’s roadmap for annexing eastern Ukraine leaked from Putin’s office
A bombshell document showing a ‘step-by-step’ guide to taking Crimea and other eastern Ukrainian provinces more than a year ago
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russias-roadmap-for-annexing-eastern-ukraine-leaked-from-vladimir-putins-office-10069203.html

The next move on Ukraine
Crimea has been reclaimed, and Ukraine’s drive to join Europe’s mainstream and possibly Nato seems more problematic now that Moscow has shown how far it will go to prevent this. …. Russia also dominates South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia and signed a border agreement with South Ossetia last week.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-1-303467-Putin-surveys-the-map-as-he-ponders-next-move-on-Ukraine
And not unexpectedly:
Putin: Gas supplies to Europe could suffer in 3-4 days if Kiev doesn’t pay
http://rt.com/news/235459-putin-gas-ukraine-europe/

Washington Has Resurrected The Threat Of Nuclear War
Former US Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1987-91) Jack Matlock is astonished by the dismissal of Russia as merely “a regional power” of little consequence to the powerful US. No country armed with numerous, accurate, and mobile ICBMs is a limited regional power. This is the kind of hubristic miscalculation that ends in world destruction. The Ukraine has been part of Russia for centuries and NATO has no business being there. It is the violations of promises made to Russia not to expand NATO eastward that has recreated the lack of trust that Reagan had successfully obtained.
http://www.larouchepub.com/eiw/public/2015/2015_1-9/2015-08/pdf/10-14_4208.pdfvercome.

Dozens of new craters suspected in northern Russia
The parapet suggests an underground explosion. “The absence of charred rock and traces of  significant erosion shows it was a gas-explosive mechanism. A concentration of 5-to-16% of methane is explosive.
http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/news/n0127-dozens-of-mysterious-new-craters-suspected-in-northern-russia/

Lester Brown: Dust Bowl Conditions Spreading Over Africa And Asia
“We are pushing against the limits of land that can be plowed and the land available for grazing and there are two areas of the world in which we are in serious trouble now. One is the Sahel region of Africa, from Senegal to Somalia where a huge dust bowl is forming that  stretches right across the continent, and it is removing the top soil – this is serious.”
http://www.countercurrents.org/queally250215.htm

Toxic water worse at Fukushima
About 350 tons of toxic water are generated daily in the process of cooling three reactors at the Fukushima plant that suffered meltdowns during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. “The situation … remains very complex, with the increasing amount of contaminated water posing a short-term challenge”
http://www.news24.com/Green/News/Toxic-water-worse-at-Fukushima-20150217
and
Fresh leak at Fukushima nuclear plant sees 70-fold radiation spike
http://rt.com/news/234547-fukushima-new-leak-nuclear/

Two unfinished Cezannes discovered
http://www.smh.com.au/world/two-unfinished-cezannes-discovered-20150221-13l3js.html

Statins
Dr. MaryAnne Demasi’s documentary on the activity of the pharmaceutical industry regarding cholesterol-lowering statin drugs sent shock waves through the mainstream media in Australia at the end of 2013. Published in two parts on The Catalyst, the pharmaceutical industry complained so loudly the network removed the videos from their website and from YouTube. Dr. Michael Eades has published them here.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41045.htm

Birth right
25 years ago we ranked 50 countries according to where would be the best place to be born. Then, America came top. The new quality-of-life index links the results of subjective life-satisfaction surveys—how happy people say they are—to objective determinants across 80 countries. Oz is second, the US now 16th.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/01/daily-chart?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/birthright

Reading the Greek Deal Correctly
Negotiations can continue because Chancellor Merkel preferred not to be the leader responsible for the fragmentation of Europe.
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/02/24/reading-greek-deal-correctly

The Madrid Earthquake That Divides The US
The faults responsible for the New Madrid Seismic Zone are embedded in a subsurface geological feature known as the Reelfoot Rift that formed during the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia in the Neoproterozoic Era (about 750 million years ago). The resulting rift system have made the Earth’s crust mechanically weak and would allow the relatively small east-west compressive forces associated with the continuing continental drift to reactivate old faults making the area unusually prone to earthquakes in spite of it being far from the nearest tectonic plate boundary.
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-new-madrid-earthquake-that-will-divide-the-united-states-in-half