Author: Paul

Market Watch – by Wayne Ma

HONG KONG–China imported 30.37 million metric tons of crude oil in December, equivalent to 7.2 million barrels a day, preliminary data from the General Administration of Customs showed Tuesday.

Imports were 13.4% higher than the 26.78 million tons of crude shipped during the corresponding month last year, and up around 19.5% from 25.41 million tons in October, according to Wall Street Journal calculations.   Continue reading “China’s December crude imports rise to new high”

Khaama Press

A policeman opened fire on senior government officials in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan late on Monday afternoon.

The incident took place around 5:00 pm local time in Nawzad district, with preliminary reports suggesting the district governor and police chief were killed.   Continue reading “Policeman kills senior government officials in Helmand”

Naval Today

Three Chinese Naval ships were given a rapturous welcome as they arrived in Portsmouth for a formal visit aimed at enhancing military understanding between the UK and China.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming and hundreds of flag-waving UK-based Chinese residents welcomed the ships into the city’s Naval Base.

Heading the task group is the assault ship Chang Bai Shan, accompanied by the frigate Yun Cheng and the replenishment ship Chaohu.   Continue reading “Chinese Warships Dock in Portsmouth, UK”

Boing Boing – by Xeni Jardin

Keysweeper is a super-creepy keystroke logger disguised as a USB wall charger that piggybacks on GSM networks.

Its developer, Samy Kamkar, describes it as a “stealthy Arduino-based device, camouflaged as a functioning USB wall charger, that wirelessly and passively sniffs, decrypts, logs and reports back (over GSM) all keystrokes from any Microsoft wireless keyboard in the vicinity.”   Continue reading “Keysweeper: creepy keystroke logger camouflaged as USB charger”

Green Med Info – by Sayer Ji

A new report claims that millions of lives have been saved in the past two decades due to ‘early detection’ of cancer and improved treatment, but is it true?

In what can only be described as the latest cancer industry propaganda push, mainstream news outlets are declaring triumphantly “More than 1.5 million cancer deaths averted in last two decades” (CBS),  “Cancer death tolls fall, millions saved” (ABC), and “A 22 Percent Drop in Cancer Mortality Saved 1.5 Million People.” (Science World Report).   Continue reading “A Dire Warning: The Cancer Industry Owns The Media And Your Mind”

CNBC

NEW YORK (AP) — J.C. Penney Co. said will close about 40 stores this year and cut about 2,250 jobs. Most of the stores will close by April 4, the Plano, Texas-based department store operator said Thursday.

Here is a list of the location of the announced store closings:   Continue reading “A list of stores that JC Penney plans to close”

A husband went to the sheriff’s department to report that his wife was missing.

Husband: My wife is missing. She went shopping yesterday and has not come home.

Sergeant: What is her height?

Husband: Gee, I’m not sure. A little over five-feet tall.

Sergeant: Weight?   Continue reading “Missing Wife”

And, those who don’t and always have a bottle of water in their hand…

As Ben Franklin said:

In wine there is wisdom
In beer there is freedom
In water there is bacteria   Continue reading “To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine…”

GovtSlaves

(SAGINAW, MI)   Women’s fashion discount retailer Deb Shops is closing all of its stores in Michigan and nationwide.

After more than 80 years in business, the Philadelphia-based retailer, which specializes in junior- and plus-size apparel, filed for Chapter 11 protection on Dec. 4, according to a news release. On Jan. 7, the bankruptcy court awarded Gordon Brothers Group and Hilco Merchant Resources the store closing process for all locations.

Officials with Gordon Brothers Group and Hilco Merchant Resources began going-out-of-business sales at approximately 287 Deb Shops retail locations Friday, Jan. 9, the release states.   Continue reading “Another U.S Retailer Closing Shop”

Raw Story

CROSBY, N.D. (Reuters) – Just over a decade ago, this sleepy farming community on the fringe of North Dakota’s Bakken shale formation hosted the state’s first horizontal oil well to be hydraulically fractured, or fracked, helping set in motion an economic revolution that shook the world.

Today, Divide County may be another vanguard for the state, this time ominous, as the first to feel the full effect of a collapse in prices that has lopped more than 50 percent off the price of oil since the summer.   Continue reading “North Dakota fracking town’s economy collapses as oil prices plummet”

The Guardian

Contaminated traditional beer has killed 56 people in Mozambique, health authorities in the southern African country said.

An additional 49 people were admitted to hospitals in the Chitima and Songo districts in the north-eastern Tete province, and 146 more people have reported to hospitals to be examined for the poisoning, district health official Alex Albertini told Radio Mozambique.   Continue reading “Contaminated beer at funeral kills 56 in Mozambique”

CNN – by Lorenzo Ferrigno, Laurie Segall and Evan Perez

The threat specifically named the United States, France, Australia and Canada as targets.   Continue reading “NYPD, other law enforcement on alert after ISIS threat resurfaces”

The Local

With security services on high alert after a killing spree in Paris by Islamic extremists, police in the northern German port city of Hamburg said no one was injured in the blaze at the headquarters of the regional daily Hamburger Morgenpost, which caused only slight damage.

“Rocks and then a burning object were thrown through the window,” a police spokesman told AFP. “Two rooms on lower floors were damaged but the fire was put out quickly.”   Continue reading “German paper hit by Hebdo arson attack”

Chron – by ANGELA CHARLTON and THOMAS ADAMSON

PARIS (AP) — More than a million people surged through the boulevards of Paris behind dozens of world leaders walking arm-in-arm Sunday in a rally for unity described as the largest demonstration in French history. Millions more marched around the country and the world to repudiate three days of terror that killed 17 people and changed France.

Amid intense security and with throngs rivaling those that followed the liberation of Paris from the Nazis, the city became “the capital of the world” for a day, on a planet increasingly vulnerable to such cruelty.   Continue reading “Millions rally for unity against terrorism in France”

Economic Collapse – by Michael Snyder

Do you know what an “extremist” is?  In the wake of the horrible terror attacks on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in France, Barack Obama is speaking very boldly about the need to win the war against “extremists”, and he has announced plans to host a major global summit on “extremism” next month.  And on the surface that sounds great.  But precisely how are we supposed to determine whether someone is an “extremist” or not?  What criteria should we use?  As you will see below, your definition of an “extremist” may be far, far different from the definition that Barack Obama is using.  When you do a Google search, you will find that an “extremist” is defined as “a person who holds extreme or fanatical political or religious views, especially one who resorts to or advocates extreme action.”  According to Wikipedia, “extremism” is “an ideology (particularly in politics or religion), considered to be far outside the mainstream attitudes of a society or to violate common moral standards.  Extremism can take many forms, including political, religious and economic.”  Please notice that neither of those definitions uses the word violence.  Continue reading “Obama Declares War On ‘Extremism’ – Are You An ‘Extremist’ According To His Definition?”