From the Trenches World Report

AltMarket – by Brandon Smith

On the surface, the economic atmosphere of the U.S. has appeared rather calm and uneventful. Stocks are up, employment isn’t great but jobs aren’t collapsing into the void (at least not openly), and the U.S. dollar seems to be going strong. Peel away the thin veneer, however, and a different financial horror show is revealed.

U.S. stocks have enjoyed unprecedented crash protection due to a steady infusion of fiat money from the Federal Reserve known as quantitative easing. With the advent of the “taper”, QE is now swiftly coming to a close (as is evident in the overall reduction in treasury market purchases), and is slated to end by this fall, if not sooner.   Continue reading “Who Is The New Secret Buyer Of U.S. Debt?”

Washington Post – by L.J. ZIGERELL

The U.S. Supreme Court provides one of the more ironic dynamics in politics: people calling for the retirement of justices with whom they agree. Pressure to retire has been directed at Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer by some who fear that the 81- and 75-year-old justices will not survive a potential Republican presidency that begins in 2017. Some want Ginsburg and Breyer to retire before the end of Barack Obama’s second term, or possibly even sooner, in case Democrats lose control of the Senate in the midterm election. But the behavior of past justices indicates that this pressure may be for naught.  Justices rarely hasten their retirement.   Continue reading “Waiting for Ruth Bader Ginsburg to retire? Keep waiting.”

Vocativ

It’s becoming increasingly commonplace to record every part of your life. Not only birthday parties and beautiful sunsets, but also all the events and non-events in between. But as with many modern, tech-driven behaviours, the law hasn’t progressed as fast as the technology, leaving people exposed to arrest for behaviour that seems natural and innocuous to them.   Continue reading “The States Where You Can Get Jailed for Recording the Cops‏”

Yahoo News – by Tom Hayes

NEW YORK (AP) — A police officer, a paramedic, a rabbi, a nurse and a Boy Scout leader were among at least 70 people arrested in the New York City area in recent weeks as part of a sweeping investigation into the anonymous trading of child porn over the Internet.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which led a five-week investigation ending last week, planned to announce Wednesday that it resulted in charges against at least 70 men and one woman. Officials call it one of the largest local roundups ever of individual consumers of child porn, and a stark reminder that they come from all segments of society.   Continue reading “Dozens charged in child porn case in NYC area”

It Ain’t Holy Water

CBS Philly

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CBS) – A Camden County Police Lieutenant has been removed from duty after he was accused of masturbating inside of a Starbucks in Cherry Hill.

Lt. Benito Gonzalez Junior has been charged with a disorderly persons lewdness offense.

An employee from a store on Route 70 reported the incident to authorities on May 7.

Officials say the officer was not on duty at the time.   Continue reading “Camden County Officer Removed From Duty For Alleged Lewd Act In Starbucks”

Colin Todhunter

The GMO biotech sector is involved in a multi-pronged campaign to influence governments and the public about the benefits of its products. It uses various means.

It sets up or infiltrates institutions and co-opts prominent political and scientific figures to do its bidding (1). It hijacks regulatory and policy making bodies (2,3). With help from the US Government, it assumes strategic importance in international trade negotiations and is then able to set a policy and research agenda, as has been the case in India with the Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture and the funding of agricultural research within the country (4,5). It is shaping ‘free’ trade agreements to its own advantage (6). It mounts personal attacks on and tries to discredit key scientists who question its claims (7,8). And it arguably regards contamination as a means of trying to eventually render the whole debate about GMOS meaningless (9).   Continue reading “The Double Standards And Crumbling Myths Of The GMO Biotech Setor”

KATU 2 News – by Chelsea Kopta

VANCOUVER, Wash. – A third-grade teacher at Mill Plain Elementary school was “out of the classroom” Monday as the district investigated two complaints about whether that teacher’s policy, which requires students to pay fake money to go to the bathroom, led to students wetting themselves in class.

KATU first revealed the controversial classroom policy last week after Jasmine Al-Ayadhi complained that her 9-year-old daughter, Reem, had an accident in class as a result of the “pay to potty” policy.  The story prompted the Evergreen Public Schools investigation.   Continue reading “Pay to potty teacher ‘out of the classroom’ while district investigates”

Human Events – by Army Staff Sgt. Shelman Spencer

FORT BRAGG, N.C. ( USASOC News Service, April 9, 2014) – Sniper teams from around the globe converged on the Special Forces Sniper Course to put their skills to the test in this year’s United States Army Special Operations Command International Sniper Competition.Twenty-two teams, including three foreign teams, competed for one year of bragging rights to say they are the best in their business. Each team in the competition was comprised of one shooter and a spotter.   Continue reading “Snipers from around the globe muster for Fort Bragg tourney”

Phantom Report – by UPI

The first batch of surplus Leopard 2A5 main battle tanks sold by Germany to Poland have been delivered to a Polish cavalry brigade.

The tanks — 11 in all — arrived in Zagan, Poland, by train last Friday, with more due this year and next, according to the publication Dziennik Zbrojny.   Continue reading “Germany delivers Leopard 2A5 battle tanks to Poland”

End of the American Dream – by Michael Snyder

Millions of fish are suddenly dying all over the planet.  In fact, there have been dozens of mass fish death events reported in the past month alone.  So why is this happening?  Why are fish dying in unprecedented numbers all over the world?  When more than six tons of fish died in Marina Del Ray over the weekend, it made headlines all over the United States.  But the truth is that what just happened off the southern California coast is just the tip of the iceberg.  In 2014, mass fish die-offs have pretty much become a daily event globally.  Individually, each event could perhaps be dismissed as an anomaly, but as you will see below when they are all put together into one list it truly is rather stunning.  So is there a reason why so many fish are dying?  Is there something that connects these mass fish death events?  Has something about our environment changed?  The following are just a few examples of the mass fish death reports that have been coming in day after day from all over the globe…   Continue reading “Mass Fish Deaths: Millions Have Been Found Dead All Over The World In The Past Month”

Spiritfoods – by Michael Ravensthorpe

People have long believed that cognitive decline is an inherent and inevitable symptom of aging. In reality, however, most age-related mental conditions – from minor irritations like forgetfulness to serious neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia – are the product of toxic environments, unhealthy lifestyles, and poor nutrition. For this reason, there are many things that individuals of all ages can do to prevent age-related cognitive decline, including getting enough sleep and exercise, and optimizing gut flora.   Continue reading “Three Superfoods That Help Prevent Cognitive Decline”

Reuters

The operator of Japan’s destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant began releasing groundwater that it said is within legal radiation safety limits into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, in a bid to manage huge amounts of radioactive water built up at the site.

Tokyo Electric Power, or Tepco, has been fighting a daily battle against contaminated water since the Fukushima nuclear station was wrecked by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.   Continue reading “Japan’s Fukushima operator begins groundwater release to ocean”

Mark Nestmann

The “War on Drugs” is a great example of America’s slow descent into a police state.

Only 120 years ago, you could actually buy cocaine – and syringes – out of a Sears catalog. Cannabis (marijuana) was widely used as a painkiller and to treat seizures. You could buy morphine over the counter at any pharmacy.   Continue reading “We Finally Won One Against the Police State!”

Mark Nestmann

If you’re a US citizen and believe you have an unfettered right to leave your country – and come back – think again.

Since the events of 9/11, your government has imposed draconian restrictions on international travel:   Continue reading “Why the IRS Can Now “Ground” You”