Enforce our Bill of Rights
The Telegraph has an interesting column by a correspondent who knows Russia and Vladimir Putin fairly well. He thinks Putin’s actions in Ukraine are driven by paranoia.
As Sunday’s referendum, in which the people of Crimea will decide whether to join Russia, approaches, the images on Russian television are astonishing. They are more propagandistic and venomous than anything I can remember even from Soviet times. Continue reading “Is Putin paranoid over Ukraine?”
The New Zealand Herald – by Bruno Waterfield, Damien McElroy
Ukraine must be ready for a full-scale Russian invasion “at any moment”, the country’s Acting President warned yesterday, as officials announced the emergency call-up of a 60,000-strong national guard force.
Oleksander Turchynov said Moscow was ready to go much further than the annexation of the Black Sea territory of Crimea, which is expected to vote to secede from Ukraine in a referendum tomorrow. Continue reading “Ukraine orders up 60,000 emergency force to face Russia”
The Raw Story – by Tim Ghianni
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) – Tennessee must recognize the legal same-sex marriages of three couples who wed in other states, a federal judge in Nashville ruled on Friday in a limited decision that echoed a similar case in neighboring Kentucky.
Judge Aleta Trauger granted the couples a preliminary injunction that requires Tennessee to recognize their marriages pending a final decision on the constitutionality of Tennessee’s ban on same-sex nuptials. Continue reading “Federal judge rules that Tennessee must recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages”
Reuters – by NILUKSI KOSWANAGE AND SIVA GOVINDASAMY
Military radar data suggests a Malaysia Airlines jetliner missing for nearly a week was deliberately flown hundreds of miles off course, heightening suspicions of foul play among investigators, sources told Reuters on Friday.
Analysis of the Malaysia data suggests the plane, with 239 people on board, diverted from its intended northeast route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and flew west instead, using airline flight corridors normally employed for routes to the Middle East and Europe, said sources familiar with investigations into the Boeing 777’s disappearance. Continue reading “Radar data suggests missing Malaysia plane deliberately flown way off course”
Judge Henry J. Hall was blunt when he addressed Pinkberry co-founder Young Lee in court Friday, calling his 2011 attack on a homeless man both “horrendous” and “fairly merciless.”
Lee, 49, was convicted last year of beating Ronald Bolding with a tire iron while Bolding was panhandling along an East Hollywood street. Hall handed Lee the maximum sentence of seven years in prison Friday, despite his attorney’s request that he be evaluated for possible probation. Continue reading “Pinkberry co-founder ‘merciless’ in beating homeless man, judge says”
Reuters – by Nate Raymond and Aruna Viswanatha
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp sued 16 of the world’s largest banks on Friday, accusing them of cheating dozens of other now defunct banks by manipulating the Libor interest rate.
The global financial institutions broke certain swaps contracts they had entered into with the now-closed banks, by separately colluding to rig the Libor rate to which the contracts were tied, the FDIC said. Continue reading “U.S. regulator sues 16 banks for rigging Libor rate”
Yesterday Secretary of State and flip-flopper extraordinaire John Kerry advised Russia that Vladimir Putin has until Monday to pull back his forces from Ukraine. Failure to do so would lead to serious repercussions. Kerry was light on details, but we can assume he was talking about some sort of economic sanctions: Continue reading “The Tiger Awakens: China Warns of “Retaliatory Action” and “Unforeseeable Consequences” Over U.S. Monday Deadline”
Sovereign Man – by Ambergris Caye, Belize
One of the key lessons we can take away from history is that the global financial system changes… frequently.
In ancient times, Roman coins were used across the region by Romans and non-Romans alike who engaged in trade and commerce.
Given how destructively successive Roman governments debased their coins, however, the reserve burden eventually fell to the Byzantine Empire, whose gold solidus coin became the dominant currency in world trade. Continue reading “The World Is Screaming For A New Financial System”
The Wall Street Journal – by MIN ZENG
Foreign central banks’ Treasury bond holdings parked at the Federal Reserve dropped by the most on record in the latest week. Some analysts think the crisis in Ukraine is sparking the move.
Their theory: Russia is shifting its Treasury bond holdings out of the Fed and into offshore accounts. That way, Russia would be able to buy or sell its portfolio if the U.S. and its European allies impose economic sanctions amid growing geopolitical tensions in Ukraine. Continue reading “Did Russia Just Move Its Treasury Holdings Offshore?”
Collective Evolution – by Arjun Walia
Pediatric cannabis therapy is saving children. Awareness is the most important thing at this moment. This young lady is finishing up her last bit of required chemotherapy (because she is a child, her parents had no choice) treatment, so take a moment to send her your love and healing vibes, and then read away. You can stay updated on her story via the links throughout this article (in bold), which will take you to her Facebook page which is run by her parents, and her website. Continue reading “Oregon’s Youngest Medical Cannabis Patient Is Curing Her Cancer – See How She’s Doing It”
This week’s This American Life is an entire hour devoted to investigating the FBI’s killing of Ibragim Todashev along with a companion piece in Boston Magazine. You probably heard about the basics of the Todashev story. Todashev was a friend of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older of the two brothers implicated in the Boston Marathon bombings (and the one who was killed when law enforcement tried to capture them), who was being interviewed by the FBI and was then shot multiple times and killed — with a whole variety of conflicting stories coming out soon after as to what he did to lead to his death. Continue reading “How The FBI Has Been Working Hard To Deport Friends Of Guy They Killed During Interview About Boston Bombing”
With Interfax reporting that Belarus has begun full-scale military drills in a “readiness check”, images from Russia and Ukraine suggest the worst-case scenario – that Russia is making preparations to invade Ukraine, not just Crimea but perhaps as far west as Kharkiv, or even beyond – is more possible. Talks have broken down: Continue reading “The Tanks Are Coming While Russia, US “Remain At Odds” Over Ukraine”
Washington Post – by Craig Timberg
U.S. officials announced plans Friday to relinquish federal government control over the administration of the Internet, a move likely to please international critics but alarm some business leaders and others who rely on smooth functioning of the Web.Pressure to let go of the final vestiges of U.S. authority over the system of Web addresses and domain names that organize the Internet has been building for more than a decade and was supercharged by the backlash to revelations about National Security Agency surveillance last year. Continue reading “U.S. to relinquish remaining control over the Internet”
Bayou Renaissance Man
SHTF Plan – by Mac Slavo
Tech Dirt – by Mike Masnick 
Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden