Common Dreams – by Jim Hightower

Goldman Sachs churns out enormous profits from its high-rolling, casino investment schemes, while also churning out fat paychecks for its top executives. They literally sack up the gold, even as their speculative gambles have wreaked havoc on our real economy.

But, finally recognizing that their public approval rating has sunk lower than mad-cow disease, Goldman’s banking barons now want you to know that they feel your pain and are eager to “give back” to the people. So — ta-da! — they’ve transformed themselves into philanthropists, having goosed up the bank’s foundation in order to flash their “charitable side.” Goldman’s chief of staff noted that “people said we weren’t doing enough” to address the gross inequities created by Wall Streeters, so they’ve turned their foundation into the fourth largest corporate charity in America. In an orchestrated show that the New York Times dubbed “reputation redemption,” the bank’s charitable arm doled out $241 million last year, including grants to women in developing nations and small business projects here in the U.S.   Continue reading “Can Wall Street Buy Redemption?”

Common Dreams – by Robert Parry

When Secretary of State John Kerry denounces Russia’s intervention in Crimea by declaring “It is not appropriate to invade a country and at the end of a barrel of gun dictate what you are trying to achieve. That is not Twenty-first Century, G-8, major-nation behavior,” you might expect that the next line in a serious newspaper would note.

But not if you were reading the New York Times on Wednesday, or for that matter the Washington Post or virtually any mainstream U.S. newspaper or watching a broadcast outlet.   Continue reading “Putin or Kerry: Who’s Delusional?”

Mami’s Shit – by RJ Livegood 

One area in which Tolstoy excelled was the ability and willingness to change his mind based on new experiences. It was a skill he began nurturing in the 1850s when he was an army officer. Tolstoy fought in the bloody siege of Sebastopol during the Crimean War, a horrific experience that turned him from a regular soldier into a pacifist. A decisive event took place in 1857, when he witnessed a public execution by guillotine in Paris. He never forgot the severed head thumping into the box below. It convinced him of the belief that the state and its laws were not only brutal, but served to protect the interests of the rich and powerful.   Continue reading “Leo Tolstoy life lesson #1 Keep an open mind”

Russia Sinks Ship to Block Ukrainian Navy ShipsNaval Today

The Russian Navy Ochakov Kara-class cruiser was sunk last night to block the Ukrainian Navy ships deployed in Novoozerne, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said in a press release today.

The information was confirmed by the Ukrainian military of the South Naval Base who were observing the operation.   Continue reading “Russia Sinks Ship to Block Ukrainian Navy Ships”

CenturyLink -by SATISH CHENEY

SINGAPORE (AP) — The American CEO of a virtual currency exchange was found dead near her home in Singapore.

A police spokesman said Thursday that initial investigations indicated there was no suspicion of “foul play” in the Feb. 26 death of 28-year-old Autumn Radtke, meaning officers do not suspect murder.

The spokesman said police found Radtke lying motionless near the apartment tower where she lived.   Continue reading “CEO of bitcoin exchange found dead in Singapore”

Recessions and recoveriesBusiness Insider – by HENRY BLODGET

The U.S. recovery from the Great Recession is still one of the worst recoveries in history (see red line at left).

Why is the recovery so slow and weak?

One of the main reasons is that average American consumers, who account for the vast majority of the spending in the economy, are still strapped.   Continue reading “WHY THE ECONOMY SUCKS: Because American Companies And Their Owners Are Greedier Now Than At Any Time In History”

Barnhardt

1.  Hopefully you have read the “Spectral Doughnut” piece and understand that far-left and far-right are, in praxis, the same, and that the savvy players on each side FULLY understand this.  To wit, Putin.  I have to tell you, it is absolutely chilling – as in making the hair on the back of my neck stand up – to see in my email box how many of you people are falling hook, line and sinker for Putin.  The man is a murderous psychopath.  LOOK at him.  Look at the dead eyes – what you can still see of them after he has literally mutilated his face with plastic surgery.  Oh, and nevermind all of the people who have been “disappeared” under the Putin regime.  Nevermind that Putin is stone-cold KGB to the core.  No, nevermind all of that.  Hey, the guy has made some gestures against the sodomites, and went into a church (a Russian orthodox church, which has been, since its inception, trying to find new and ever-more creative ways of capitulating and kowtowing to whatever rotten government is currently in power) and crossed himself.  Well, hells bells! It’s the second coming of Constantine, here to save the world!   Continue reading “Numerous Points on Putin, Ukraine and Watching the Unthinkable Unfold”

Privacy SOS

Today I’m testifying in support of the Drone Privacy Act in the Massachusetts state legislature. Here‘s my testimony.

My colleagues will be testifying in support of the License Plate Privacy Act, another critical privacy bill heard today before the Joint Committee on Transportation.    Continue reading “Report: license plate tracking companies purposefully target low-income people”

Barrett BrownThe Guardian – by Ed Pilkington

The US government has moved to drop key charges against the activist-journalist Barrett Brown, including the most controversial count that he transferred stolen property by posting a hyperlink to a website containing hacked material.

Federal prosecutors had come under widespread criticism for seeking to prosecute Brown for the republishing of a hyperlink. Lawyers, publishers and internet freedom campaigners had warned it could set a precedent that would have put a chill on the culture of linking across the web.   Continue reading “US government moves to drop key charges against Barrett Brown”

Paul Craig Roberts

Gerald Celente calls the Western media “presstitutes,” an ingenuous term that I often use. Presstitutes sell themselves to Washington for access and government sources and to keep their jobs. Ever since the corrupt Clinton regime permitted the concentration of the US media, there has been no journalistic independence in the United States except for some Internet sites.   Continue reading “Propaganda Rules The News”

It didn’t take very long to monetize the crisis in Ukraine. Or was that part of the plan all along.

Oil & Gas Journal – by Nick Snow 

An American Petroleum Institute official and two Republican US senators separately called for accelerated US LNG exports in response to the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation over control of the Crimean Peninsula.   Continue reading “US urged to export more LNG in response to Russia-Ukraine crisis”

Sherrie Questioning All

The One and only photo released of children at SH.  Suppose to have happened at 10:47 AM – would have been in front of police dash cam shown below.  Never happened in front of dash cam.  They were not running, but walking.

There is a Police Dash Cam video of the parking lot of Sandy Hook.  I show the official timeline as written out by the Police of what happened and when.     Continue reading “Sandy Hook Police Dash Cam Video does not show children evacuating per Official Timeline.”

Pope Francis greets at the Vatican on Ash WednesdayExaminer

Yesterday Pope Francis, Jesuit Superior Adolfo Pachon and Church of England Archbishop Justin Welby were served summons to answer charges for aiding, abetting and conspiring to conceal evidence in the rape, torture, trafficking and genocide of children. Litigation against them and Queen Elizabeth was scheduled to begin 31 March 2014 in a Brussels international court.   Continue reading “Child abuse, genocide charges mount on Pope Francis, Queen, Jesuit, Archbishop”

Yahoo News- by JULIE PACE and LARA JAKES

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration slapped new visa restrictions Thursday on pro-Russian opponents of the new Ukraine government in Kiev and cleared the way for financial sanctions as the West began punishing Moscow for its occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.

The new restrictions targeted an unspecified and unidentified number of people and entities that the Obama administration accused of threatening Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial borders. They were announced in Washington as Secretary of State John Kerry headed into a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Rome.   Continue reading “US announces visa restrictions on Russians”