The Boko Haram Insurgency In Nigeria Is Spilling Into Niger And Cameroon

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTRRCN8pAj5DgAxg2iEZP7l06cvteYWetyo9lmHxDnXbSO0zVyL1A" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTRRCN8pAj5DgAxg2iEZP7l06cvteYWetyo9lmHxDnXbSO0zVyL1A" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Nigeria’s Boko Haram Insurgency Spills Into Neighboring Countries -- Wall Street Journal</span></b></div><br /><i>Military Pursues Militants Into Niger, Cameroon</i><br /><br />The mud huts of Issa Abba's village in Cameroon collapsed as Nigerian warplanes flew into the neighboring country one night last month and began bombing encampments nearby.<br /><br />Nigeria’s military said the air and ground raid—conducted under the terms of a bilateral treaty with Cameroon—killed 60 Islamic insurgents. But Cameroonian officials dispute the claim.<br /><br />Gov. Augustine Awa Fonka of Cameroon’s Far-North region said Nigerian ground troops didn’t kill any insurgents during an hourslong shootout, just a village woman who was a bystander. Seidou Boubakary, a 12-year-old boy in Mr. Abba’s village of Limani, said that sometime during the fighting, he caught a bullet to the cheek.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-457050/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> One cannot help but feel that Boko Haram is actually winning this conflict .... a sentiment that even senior Nigerian officials are now<b><a href="http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.ca/2014/02/why-nigeria-cannot-defeat-islamist.html"> starting to believe</a></b>.<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> The death toll from Saturday's massacre of Christians by Boko Haram militants has<b><a href="http://www.punchng.com/news/borno-massacre-death-toll-now-146/"> climbed to 146</a></b>.

The Boko Haram Insurgency In Nigeria Is Spilling Into Niger And Cameroon

Nigeria’s Boko Haram Insurgency Spills Into Neighboring Countries -- Wall Street Journal Military Pursues Militants Into Niger, Cameroon The...

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Russia To Establish A Military Command For The Arctic

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYKJT-_3Io5ONrSE7LamLWQfvGM9EkMYZrbMgrGS9ba7uZzWqzUNv5V7msVjxIiNvBCV3zcz45uhD7GU1rcAUAtOPRsLHN56kFU0Ip1Rnj7FfMczcTxyRn3Xz5tcFGobk6F-S3qALkzG5/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYKJT-_3Io5ONrSE7LamLWQfvGM9EkMYZrbMgrGS9ba7uZzWqzUNv5V7msVjxIiNvBCV3zcz45uhD7GU1rcAUAtOPRsLHN56kFU0Ip1Rnj7FfMczcTxyRn3Xz5tcFGobk6F-S3qALkzG5/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">RIA Novosti / Vitaliy Ankov</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Russia To Set Up Arctic Military Command By 2014 -- RIA Novosti</b></span></div><br />MOSCOW, February 17 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will form a new strategic military command by the end of 2014 to protect its interests in the Arctic, a high-ranking military source told RIA Novosti Monday.<br /><br />“The new command will comprise the Northern Fleet, Arctic warfare brigades, air force and air defense units as well as additional administrative structures,” the source in Russia’s General Staff said.<br /><br />The military structure, dubbed the Northern Fleet-Unified Strategic Command, will be responsible for protecting Russia’s Arctic shipping and fishing, oil and gas fields on the Arctic shelf, and the country’s national borders in the north, the source said.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140217/187620827/Russia-to-Set-Up-Arctic-Military-Command-by-2015.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>Update #1:</b> <a href="http://rt.com/politics/russian-arctic-military-command-397/">Russian military to have special command for Arctic operations</a> -- RT<br /><b>Update #2:</b> <a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/02/17/Russian-military-boosts-arctic-presence/UPI-46421392663798/">Russian military boosts arctic presence</a> -- UPI<br /><br /><b>My Comment: </b>There are some media reports that the establishment of an arctic military command <b><a href="http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_02_17/No-decision-to-set-up-Northern-Strategic-Command-in-Russian-Army-General-Staff-spokesman-3205/">is a bit premature</a></b> .... but I suspect that it is in the works and that it will be established by the end of this year .... from the Russian perspective, there is just too much at stake in the north.<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> The U.S. plan for the arctic <b><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/state-department-plans-arctic-ambassador-195133637.html;_ylt=AgBVnHAkyCE6LUtqDJsw2hrQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBsdmNodWplBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMzBHNlYwNzcg--">is different.</a></b>

Russia To Establish A Military Command For The Arctic

RIA Novosti / Vitaliy Ankov Russia To Set Up Arctic Military Command By 2014 -- RIA Novosti MOSCOW, February 17 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will ...

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Picture Of The Day

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.defense.gov/imgHandler.ashx?h=350&w=0&img=/dodcmsshare/photoessay/2014-01/hires_140123-F-XT249-012a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.defense.gov/imgHandler.ashx?h=350&w=0&img=/dodcmsshare/photoessay/2014-01/hires_140123-F-XT249-012a.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">U.S. Air Force Capt. Lauren Hoyt and U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Mark Benischeck prepare to land a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 23, 2014. Hoyt and Benischeck, pilots, are assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. The crew landed at Bagram to airlift mine-resistant, ambush protected vehicles out of Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom retrograde operations. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason Robertson</span></div>

Picture Of The Day

U.S. Air Force Capt. Lauren Hoyt and U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Mark Benischeck prepare to land a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft on Bagram Airfie...

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George Soros shorts S&P500 with $1.3 BILLION PUT

<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Of course you can believe George Soros</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAqJeRWkAmWBjltTqm72WQiu0gmVbimiPm4PQyAKmbIhg3h0TY7IriOKpHzla54S5rr5Vog5qVuM-zVFS3RSoaNnihi8kZg8ltT7ZlOuQ-yZmVFzw0-8mU68HOdtDqBgb-JkUAzG2kG8/s1600/GeorgeSorospic.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAqJeRWkAmWBjltTqm72WQiu0gmVbimiPm4PQyAKmbIhg3h0TY7IriOKpHzla54S5rr5Vog5qVuM-zVFS3RSoaNnihi8kZg8ltT7ZlOuQ-yZmVFzw0-8mU68HOdtDqBgb-JkUAzG2kG8/s1600/GeorgeSorospic.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2014/02/17/soros-doubles-a-bearish-bet-on-the-sp-500-to-the-tune-of-1-3-billion/" style="color: red;">http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2014/02/17/soros-doubles-a-bearish-bet-on-the-sp-500-to-the-tune-of-1-3-billion/</a></b><br /><br /><!-- Start FreeStockCharts.com Chart Widget --> <br /><div align="center" width="100%"><iframe frameborder="0" height="390" scrolling="no" src="http://widgets.freestockcharts.com/WidgetServer/InteractiveChartWidget.aspx?guid=91c2b5b3-2bd1-4905-bbc4-8c2c225ecc67&w=500&h=390" style="border: none;" width="500"></iframe></div><!-- End FreeStockCharts.com Chart Widget --></div>

George Soros shorts S&P500 with $1.3 BILLION PUT

Of course you can believe George Soros http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2014/02/17/soros-doubles-a-bearish-bet-on-the-sp-500-to-the-tune...

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60 Best Shots Of Military Tech In Action (Photo Gallery)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLxFuW6bct9M5JgALQuoW_VBFvryj2dG83Zu02HwUcO-fXM2mDW8a-II4ixFCmPwFqx0g8cP524rLWc4W42jFuzRlyKATOOm0Af0K4QHOLNO7Pbdm5HgiILhK_QEsGAjb7VHflP_qmsSF/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLxFuW6bct9M5JgALQuoW_VBFvryj2dG83Zu02HwUcO-fXM2mDW8a-II4ixFCmPwFqx0g8cP524rLWc4W42jFuzRlyKATOOm0Af0K4QHOLNO7Pbdm5HgiILhK_QEsGAjb7VHflP_qmsSF/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jan 31, 2014: U.S. Marines with Bravo and Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, conduct rocket range outside of Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan. The Marines used the range to keep their knowledge sharp on the different weapons systems they use. Source: Marine Corps/Eric S. WIlterdink</span></div><br />From<b><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/tech/slideshow/2014/02/12/60-best-shots-military-tech-in-action/#slide=1"> FOX News</a></b>: Last year we brought you our picks of the 100 best images of the military in action, highlighting the technology that the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines deal with every day. And the advances keep coming. Here are 50 more of the greatest action shots.

60 Best Shots Of Military Tech In Action (Photo Gallery)

Jan 31, 2014: U.S. Marines with Bravo and Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, conduct rocket range outside of Camp Leathern...

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The 9/11 Trials Continue Their Slow Pace

<iframe frameborder="0" height="363" scrolling="no" src="http://english.share.voanews.eu/flashembed.aspx?t=vid&id=1852762&w=640&h=363&skin=embeded" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>September 11 Court Case Taking Years Before Trial -- Voice of America</b></span></div><br />WASHINGTON — It has been six years since Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other detainees at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were first charged with murder for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Why is it taking so long to bring them to trial? <br /><br />Justice is moving slowly for the five men charged in connection with the murder of nearly 3,000 people in the 9/11 attacks.<br /><br />They are being held in a maximum security prison at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay.<br /><br />Alleged mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four others are charged with plotting the assaults.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/september-11-court-case-taking-years-before-trial/1852747.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><b><br />My Comment:</b> At this rate .... the accused will probably be convicted on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 (or later).<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> The 9/11 trial is not the only terror trial that is <b><a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/02/17/218404/uss-cole-hearing-halted-at-guantanamo.html">proceeding slowly</a></b>.

The 9/11 Trials Continue Their Slow Pace

September 11 Court Case Taking Years Before Trial -- Voice of America WASHINGTON — It has been six years since Khalid Sheik Mohammed and fou...

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An Interview With Victor Cha On North Korea And It's Implications For Regional Security

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uqaAgshooBs" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br />From <b><a href="http://thediplomat.com/2014/02/north-korea-implications-for-regional-security/">The Diplomat</a></b>: North Korea is always the “x factor” in Northeast’s Asia regional security. In the wake of the surprising execution of Kim Jong-Un’s uncle, the potential for dangerous and unpredictable moves by the Kim regime has never been higher. The Diplomat‘s Shannon Tiezzi spoke with Victor Cha, the Korea Chair at CSIS and a Professor of Government at Georgetown University, about the stability of the Kim regime, North Korea’s relationship with China, and the growing threat of Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

An Interview With Victor Cha On North Korea And It's Implications For Regional Security

From The Diplomat : North Korea is always the “x factor” in Northeast’s Asia regional security. In the wake of the surprising execution of K...

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Are Army Women Better Chopper Pilots Than Army Guys?

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1pfDzyvGwb0" width="420"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Army Women: Better Chopper Pilots Than the Guys? -- Mark Thompson, Time</b></span></div><br />Report suggests female aviators "may operate aircraft more safely"<br /><br />Ten out of every 100 Army helicopter pilots are women — but they account for only 3 out of every 100 accidents.<br /><br />That’s the bottom line in an Army report that, in an effort to study the impact of women on the front lines, compares accident rates of men and women flying Army helicopters from 2002 to 2013.<br /><br />The revelation is included in Army Major Seneca Peña-Collazo’s report, Women in Combat Arms: A Study of the Global War on Terror, which he published in May while a student at the School of Advanced Military Studies at the Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.:<br /><br /><b><a href="http://swampland.time.com/2014/02/16/army-women-helicopter-pilots/?xid=rss-topstories">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment</b>: The times are a changing ....  or as I always enjoy saying .... this ain't grandpa's Army.

Are Army Women Better Chopper Pilots Than Army Guys?

Army Women: Better Chopper Pilots Than the Guys? -- Mark Thompson, Time Report suggests female aviators "may operate aircraft more safe...

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This Is What A U.S. Policy Looks Like When It Dies And Goes To Hell

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFcd8ms3-GWUXdwdrgTCeTlmAh7W0igUJUmcRbd1l8VBiV64cYrGfc-wKoeDpd_LCdfwSywzyEsZRphe3sB-zDGL8dYj_5RR-v8VlUuEsnCOmQoZWrzMLbeMXVDdjTtpUbvxuaBy-IE0D/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFcd8ms3-GWUXdwdrgTCeTlmAh7W0igUJUmcRbd1l8VBiV64cYrGfc-wKoeDpd_LCdfwSywzyEsZRphe3sB-zDGL8dYj_5RR-v8VlUuEsnCOmQoZWrzMLbeMXVDdjTtpUbvxuaBy-IE0D/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pete Souza/White House</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Slaughter In The Cities, Ineffectual Mumbling In The White House -- Walter Russell Mead & Staff, American Interest</b></span></div><br />This is what a policy looks like when it dies and goes to hell. The FT reports that violence is ramping up in Syria, with Assad agents using devastating “barrel bombs” against rebel areas. More:<br /><br /><i> According to the opposition Syrian National Council, 20,000 people have been killed in barrel-bomb campaigns since the start of the conflict in 2011. A Turkish official said about 2,000 had been killed since peace talks began in Geneva last month. The Damascus reg­ime has failed to offer an explanation for the bombing, but insists in its official media and during the Geneva talks that it is fighting a war against terrorists [...]<br /><br /> Residents say not a single building in rebel-controlled parts of Aleppo has been spared from damage in the bombing. Pictures from the city show entire districts reduced to ruins. One video shows people digging a toddler from the rubble. The little girl survived.</i><br /><br />The President can only count his one remaining blessing: the press is still busy trying to shield itself from understanding the full damage this administration’s painfully inept Syria policy has done. Our Syria response has harmed America’s position, our alliances in the Middle East, and our relationships around the world — to say nothing of the humanitarian disaster we’ve implicated ourselves in.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.the-american-interest.com/blog/2014/02/15/slaughter-in-the-cities-ineffectual-mumbling-in-the-white-house/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> In all fairness to President Obama .... he has only followed a policy that most Americans are agreement with ... namely .... to not get involved in another war. But a leader must lead, and in this case not becoming involved may lay the groundwork for a far worse disaster in the future .... as Syria is rapidly becoming.

This Is What A U.S. Policy Looks Like When It Dies And Goes To Hell

Pete Souza/White House Slaughter In The Cities, Ineffectual Mumbling In The White House -- Walter Russell Mead & Staff, American Interes...

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A Latin American Alliance?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6olg4tfKcx_bARW5_HELV2zaprjmlE_3n1Ajua2giL0_4WxAUZl8Bn5vXWcVbubTwO_tr6hPQZpSQJcEkPcNHPeLlj-uu36J5xdoEUT4WDzWk_p8KpDcj6hfi12nApgbLjT8ftiVDUu94/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6olg4tfKcx_bARW5_HELV2zaprjmlE_3n1Ajua2giL0_4WxAUZl8Bn5vXWcVbubTwO_tr6hPQZpSQJcEkPcNHPeLlj-uu36J5xdoEUT4WDzWk_p8KpDcj6hfi12nApgbLjT8ftiVDUu94/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos, Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera and Peruvian President Ollanta Humala (from L to R) at a news conference after the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) Summit in Santiago, Chile. Photo: <a href="http://latintrade.com/2013/05/the-pacific-alliance-market-friendly-integration">Agencia Uno/Xinhua/Sipa USA</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Most Important Alliance You've Never Heard Of -- Moisés Naím, The Atlantic</b></span></div><br /><i>Latin American countries have failed to work together for two centuries. That may be about to change. </i> <br /><br />In Venezuela, students have been killed while protesting against the government of Nicolás Maduro, who is jailing opposition leaders and just closed a television station that dared broadcast the demonstrations. Argentina is irresponsibly racing toward a dangerous economic cliff. The Brazilian economy is in recession and 2014 will mark its fourth consecutive year of subpar growth, as the country reels from its largest capital flight in more than 10 years.<br /><br />Is a decade of progress in Latin America coming to an end? For some countries, surely. But not necessarily for the entire region. Four nations are developing an initiative that could add new dynamism to Latin America, redraw the economic map of the region, and boost its connections with the rest of the world—especially Asia. It could also offer neighboring countries a pragmatic alternative to the more political groupings dominated by Brazil, Cuba, and Venezuela. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/02/the-most-important-alliance-youve-never-heard-of/283877/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment</b>: This is a start .... and if a major country like Brazil participates at a later date .... a change for the good.

A Latin American Alliance?

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos, Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera and Peruvian President Oll...

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Annual Housing Starts per Civilian Employed

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmQHT2rIiHLv537FpCxKq5Rf-Za67jlFmkTM5UnexH3gCFf5ggCVP7fA5f-8cjUUs6Y7CsFSMW7iWdUe0flrPcVLAQjeac7RnSPenGNf_l5s4Qj6xwlVr2201B8ZaPEFtiXWnR_phtQ8/s1600/Annual+Housing+Starts+per+Civilian+Employed.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmQHT2rIiHLv537FpCxKq5Rf-Za67jlFmkTM5UnexH3gCFf5ggCVP7fA5f-8cjUUs6Y7CsFSMW7iWdUe0flrPcVLAQjeac7RnSPenGNf_l5s4Qj6xwlVr2201B8ZaPEFtiXWnR_phtQ8/s320/Annual+Housing+Starts+per+Civilian+Employed.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />What's <a href="http://wordsandtoons.com/2010/01/12/stinging-humor/">Plan B</a>?<br /><br /><b>See Also:</b><br /><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2014/02/real-yields-why-they-are-falling.html">Real Yields: Why They Are Falling (Musical Tribute)</a><br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=sdw">St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart</a>

Annual Housing Starts per Civilian Employed

Click to enlarge. What's Plan B ? See Also: Real Yields: Why They Are Falling (Musical Tribute) Source Data: St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

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Growing Personnel Costs In The U.S. Military Threatens The Rest Of The Pentagon’s Budget

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAVBas7zG8p-MAWSqcYUkthprwWAA8iPZ_s9VO6S83g4nI-LMqPuyWjBlpHzNkPrlinRnRw_pr5bCWPGRnDs1cbI5YH9mcC2idz7ezsMq0h9yX9mrY7M5KjEjQxF4p86cCoQDibhfBuS4/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAVBas7zG8p-MAWSqcYUkthprwWAA8iPZ_s9VO6S83g4nI-LMqPuyWjBlpHzNkPrlinRnRw_pr5bCWPGRnDs1cbI5YH9mcC2idz7ezsMq0h9yX9mrY7M5KjEjQxF4p86cCoQDibhfBuS4/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>A Bad Omen For Pentagon Budget? -- Jeremy Herb, The Hill</b></span></div><br />The swift work in Congress to repeal $6 billion in cuts to military pensions that passed just two months earlier is a bad omen for future efforts to curb military personnel costs, budget analysts say.<br /><br />Congress included the reductions in military retirement pay as part of the December budget deal, but it quickly reversed course amid a major backlash from veterans groups.<br /><br />“It is definitely a step backwards and is going to make future efforts much more difficult,” said Ed Lorenzen, a senior adviser to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. “The lesson unfortunately that a lot of members took from this effort is that doing anything that effects military retirees is going to be too politically difficult.”<br /><br />The pension cuts in the budget deal — which reduced the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for working age retirees by one-percentage point below inflation — were seen as a test case by both opponents and proponents of curbing military compensation costs.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/budget-appropriations/198469-pension-repeal-bad-omen-for-pentagon-budget-analysts">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment</b>: U.S. military retirees vote .... and hell hath no fury if they lose their benefits.

Growing Personnel Costs In The U.S. Military Threatens The Rest Of The Pentagon’s Budget

A Bad Omen For Pentagon Budget? -- Jeremy Herb, The Hill The swift work in Congress to repeal $6 billion in cuts to military pensions that p...

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NSA Director: We Do Not Spy On Everyone In The World

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTowKQUDHGSLXDXRxf7YQviY6-RAOYwTKb4lBxQ-fVWDknJ8s9CsYx5gZSyCWfs3cCYBt795spXRLx6y7SV2og1rpFHYPFaBEZ8oDGLWf7iLiiqSHStEo_7X2H5lqzzM7YVQ3AvVx8I0s/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTowKQUDHGSLXDXRxf7YQviY6-RAOYwTKb4lBxQ-fVWDknJ8s9CsYx5gZSyCWfs3cCYBt795spXRLx6y7SV2og1rpFHYPFaBEZ8oDGLWf7iLiiqSHStEo_7X2H5lqzzM7YVQ3AvVx8I0s/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="160" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Photo:</b> Official photographic portrait of the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), General Keith B. Alexander, United States Army.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Outgoing NSA Director: ‘It’s Not Our Mission’ To Spy On Everyone In The World -- Ben Zigterman, Yahoo News/BGR</b></span></div><br />The National Security Agency (NSA) will send its recommendations for where to store telephone metadata records to President Obama later this week, the outgoing NSA director said Friday in a speech defending his agency’s surveillance tactics. General Keith Alexander, who is retiring as NSA director next month, did not say where he thinks the data should be held. President Obama recommended on January 17th that the government stop holding Americans’ phone call records, but pushing the data out to either telephone companies or to a third party are both seen as having significant drawbacks.<br /><br />“The good news is we have some ideas that we’re going to push off to the inter-agency that they’re working to get to the president next week,” Alexander said during a speech on Friday attended by BGR. “I can’t reveal that here because that’s still going through inter-agency review.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/outgoing-nsa-director-not-mission-spy-everyone-world-163029511.html;_ylt=Ai9zbt_jrSbqHNw63xicSerQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBscmh1bTJtBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwM4BHNlYwNzcg--">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment</b>: They may not spy on everyone in the world .... but if Edward Snowden's NSA revelations of the past year are any indication .... the NSA wishes that they could spy on everyone.<br /><br /><b>WNU Editor</b>: The audio of this even can be<b><a href="http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/files/Event/FY14_Events/02_February/Security_and_Privacy__A_View_From_the_Trenches.aspx"> heard here</a></b>.

NSA Director: We Do Not Spy On Everyone In The World

Photo: Official photographic portrait of the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), General Keith B. Alexander, United States Army...

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U.S. Navy To Deploy Laser System This Summer

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XBDF0Tm0kuY" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>US Navy Readies To Deploy First Warfare Laser Onboard USS Ponce This Spring -- RT</b></span></div><br />The United States Navy is looking to finally make its highly-touted laser technology a reality this summer, when it will deploy its first laser weapon on a warship.<br /><br />In fact, the Navy’s laser weapon has progressed far enough that when it’s deployed and tested on the USS Ponce, it can be controlled by a lone sailor.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Navy also plans to outfit one of its ships with an electromagnetic rail gun within two years. Speaking to the Associated Press, Navy Capt. Mike Ziv, a program manager at the Naval Sea Systems Command, said making these technologies operational “fundamentally changes the way” the United States conducts warfare. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://rt.com/usa/navy-warfare-laser-ponce-454/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/us-navy-ready-deploy-laser-183035272.html;_ylt=AwrBJR6BVQJTTXYAciLQtDMD">'Star Wars' at sea: Navy ready to deploy laser system this summer</a> -- AP<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> This is a breakthrough .... and one that is catching everyone's eye.

U.S. Navy To Deploy Laser System This Summer

US Navy Readies To Deploy First Warfare Laser Onboard USS Ponce This Spring -- RT The United States Navy is looking to finally make its high...

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Food Stamp Use Among The U.S. Military Rises Again

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_V1Ichl0lZZ9pbrbuUl3h4Fra4Jd_r0V-LIjzmoSZc_eEBnSNR50K91QxQVmcZ4tzxSjmW4yjO8q7aMbaPbgU5ba3_eOMr0pSpJWAORzdDt8G21bdWN0xePZrXa_Q-40n7oeIIApX00n/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_V1Ichl0lZZ9pbrbuUl3h4Fra4Jd_r0V-LIjzmoSZc_eEBnSNR50K91QxQVmcZ4tzxSjmW4yjO8q7aMbaPbgU5ba3_eOMr0pSpJWAORzdDt8G21bdWN0xePZrXa_Q-40n7oeIIApX00n/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Food Stamp Use Among Military Rises Again -- CNN Money</b></span></div><br />More military families used food stamps to buy milk, cheese, meat and bread at military grocers last year.<br /><br />Food stamp redemption at military grocers has been rising steadily since the beginning of the recession in 2008. Nearly $104 million worth of food stamps was redeemed at military commissaries in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30. <br /><br />"I'm amazed, but there's a very real need," said Thomas Greer, spokesman for Operation Homefront, a nonprofit that helps soldiers on the financial brink nationwide.<br /><br />Some of the growth in soldiers' redemption of food stamps reflects the weak economic recovery, especially for spouses looking for jobs. In 2012, there was a 30% unemployment rate among spouses off active-duty military who were 18 to 24 years old, according to the Military Officers Association of America, which released the survey last week. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/17/news/economy/military-food-stamps/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On Food Stamp Use Among The U.S. Military is Rising (Again)</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2014/02/17/military-food-stamp-use-on-the-rise/">Military food stamp use on the rise </a>-- CNN<br /><a href="http://www.boiseweekly.com/CityDesk/archives/2014/02/17/more-active-military-families-need-food-stamps">More Active-Military Families Need Food Stamps</a> -- Boise Weekly<br /><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/17/see-the-eye-popping-chart-about-food-stamps-and-the-military/">See the Eye-Popping Chart About Food Stamps and the Military</a> -- The Blaze<br /><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-soldiers-are-increasingly-relying-on-food-stamps/">Why soldiers are increasingly relying on food stamps</a> -- CBS News

Food Stamp Use Among The U.S. Military Rises Again

Food Stamp Use Among Military Rises Again -- CNN Money More military families used food stamps to buy milk, cheese, meat and bread at milita...

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Why Did The U.S. Army Build A 'Fake U.S. City' For Combat Training?

<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="300" scrolling="no" src="http://www.dvidshub.net/video/embed/320460" style="border: none; height: 300px; overflow: hidden; width: 500px;" width="500"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dvidshub.net/video/320460/awtc-opens-enhance-awgs-capabilities#.UwKm7YWJJuQ">Dvids</a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>US Army Builds Fake City To Shoot At During Training -- The Telegraph</b></span></div><br />The American army has built an entire fake city including a school, a mosque and a football stadium <br /><br />The US army has built a fake city designed to be used during combat training exercises. <br /><br />The 300 acre 'town' includes a five story embassy, a bank, a school, an underground subway and train station, a mosque, a football stadium, and a helicopter landing zone. <br /><br />Located in Virginia, the realistic subway station comes complete with subway carriages and the train station has real train carriages. <br /><br />The subway carriages even carry the same logo as the carriages in Washington DC <br /><br />There are also bridges and several other structures which can be transformed into different scenarios. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10634411/US-army-builds-fake-city-to-shoot-at-during-training.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/02/16/heres-the-u-s-armys-96-million-300-acre-fake-city-in-va-complete-with-subway-station-football-stadium-and-mosque-for-terrorism-combat-training/">Here’s the U.S. Army’s $96 Million, 300-Acre Fake City in Virginia — Complete With Subway Station, Football Stadium and Mosque — for Terrorism Combat Training</a> -- The Blaze<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> Quoting <b><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/we+have+met+the+enemy,+and+they+are+us">Pogo</a></b> .... "We have found the enemy, and he is us".

U.S. Army Why Did The U.S. Army Build A 'Fake U.S. City' For Combat Training?

Dvids US Army Builds Fake City To Shoot At During Training -- The Telegraph The American army has built an entire fake city including a scho...

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Even Tacos is BULLISH ON SILVER now

<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tacos' take on SILVER</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsAJIR9flepJYxNPaFGG4i-MMOQQ0tOWkoKuXuQawrFDwsg0A11OCglSelqPwd8NqglD9LSf2zmvXIUToJjTuSSxTihfbQc-ByILwhjEU0_s7XU3PV4xw1_tYhYGW2SqAlUFASymNBjE/s1600/TacosPIC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsAJIR9flepJYxNPaFGG4i-MMOQQ0tOWkoKuXuQawrFDwsg0A11OCglSelqPwd8NqglD9LSf2zmvXIUToJjTuSSxTihfbQc-ByILwhjEU0_s7XU3PV4xw1_tYhYGW2SqAlUFASymNBjE/s1600/TacosPIC.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Tacos is actually a wise investor and he has some personal strategies that he shares here.  He will tell you straight up what he thinks about any of these sectors and will call out anyone who's pumping any bullshit on YOU TUBE:</b></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pspis-vnGD0?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ew3M4WRwXAg?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2PJGd8oxps8?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><b>...developing...</b></div>

Even Tacos is BULLISH ON SILVER now

Tacos' take on SILVER Tacos is actually a wise investor and he has some personal strategies that he shares here.  He will tell you strai...

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Rick Rule examines the GOLD and SILVER market and mining stocks

<div id="watch-uploader-info" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">*****IMPORTANT INTERVIEW*****</span> </span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3JAGHENmmQ7UuM7g9MXeQaf-SeNW2X-pJzKkAMvAL-vvOXloxjGUFBwRC6I0x6FGTvuNpxV-A1hnvKsPYVN7ewXy43Z2j4ezZmYzD9ZyyyllIDn0mzAX49H_D1yxbvn5lvH3R35WhvM/s1600/rick-rule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3JAGHENmmQ7UuM7g9MXeQaf-SeNW2X-pJzKkAMvAL-vvOXloxjGUFBwRC6I0x6FGTvuNpxV-A1hnvKsPYVN7ewXy43Z2j4ezZmYzD9ZyyyllIDn0mzAX49H_D1yxbvn5lvH3R35WhvM/s1600/rick-rule.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rick Rule expects a BULL MARKET RECOVERY</span> </b></div><div id="watch-uploader-info"><br /></div><div id="watch-uploader-info"><b>Published on <span class="watch-video-date" id="eow-date">Feb 17, 2014</span></b> </div>IN THIS INTERVIEW:<br />- Recovery in the precious metal sector is coming (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_G3eCTzzJw#">1:28</a>).<br />- U.S. bonds are "return free risk." Gold, silver, platinum, & palladium fundamental are social catastrophe insurance (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_G3eCTzzJw#">5:23</a>).<br />- Are platinum & palladium real money? (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_G3eCTzzJw#">17:15</a>).<br />- Are precious metal markets manipulated? (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_G3eCTzzJw#">19:36</a>).<br />- Is a fiat currencies and sovereign debt collapse ahead? (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_G3eCTzzJw#">24:44</a>).<br /><br /><b>This is one of the most thorough and exhaustive videos I have ever seen in the GOLD and SILVER community.  Rick Rule goes into great detail here in this interview and he really gives some invaluable information for any investors that might be considering investing in this increasingly popular and growing precious metals sector:</b><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/A_G3eCTzzJw?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe> <br /><b>...developing... </b>

Rick Rule examines the GOLD and SILVER market and mining stocks

*****IMPORTANT INTERVIEW***** Rick Rule expects a BULL MARKET RECOVERY Published on Feb 17, 2014 IN THIS INTERVIEW: - Recovery i...

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WARNING: Asteroid passing Earth 0300 G.M.T.

<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b>*****THIS IS NO LONGER A CONCERN*****</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>UPDATE:</u>  According to Slooh LIVE BELOW there is no concern of this asteroid hitting Earth...</b></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>SLOOH is MONITORING THE SITUATION LIVE BELOW:</b></span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8btYAoiBTjg?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MCFWUemLzM0?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe>

WARNING: Asteroid passing Earth 0300 G.M.T.

*****THIS IS NO LONGER A CONCERN***** UPDATE:   According to Slooh LIVE BELOW there is no concern of this asteroid hitting Earth... SLOOH is...

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The collapse, the collapse, the collapse...it's coming!

<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Economic and US DOLLAR collapse?</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.coloradogold.com/archive/Collapse-1277.html" style="color: red;">http://www.coloradogold.com/archive/Collapse-1277.html</a></b><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Also, keep your eyes on SYRIA for WORLD WAR III:</span> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jE8iW1SJlXQ?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe> <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>...developing...</b></div>

The collapse, the collapse, the collapse...it's coming!

Economic and US DOLLAR collapse? http://www.coloradogold.com/archive/Collapse-1277.html Also, keep your eyes on SYRIA for WORLD WAR III: ....

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- February 17, 2014

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XrfHjo5Shw8" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>North Korea's Atrocities: What Is The World Going To Do? Not Much. -- Paul Whitefield, L.A. Times</b></span></div><br />Sometimes — as with North Korea and its despot of the moment, Kim Jong Un — I hate to admit it, but I miss the good/bad old days when we could just threaten to bomb someone back into the Stone Age to solve problems.<br /><br />The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea released a 400-page report Monday detailing just how bad things are there; here’s the laundry list:<br /><br />“These crimes against humanity entail extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence, persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, the forcible transfer of populations, the enforced disappearance of persons and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-north-korea-united-nations-report-atrocities-20140217,0,5425154.story?track=rss#axzz2tbHkqCQv">Read more </a></b>....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304675504579388550849104482?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304675504579388550849104482.html">Exposing North Korea</a> -- Wall Street Journal<br /><br /><a href="http://nypost.com/2014/02/16/handing-the-middle-east-to-russia/">Handing the Middle East to Russia</a> -- Amir Taheri, New York Post<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/17/iran-s-mixed-messages-ahead-of-p5-1-talks.html">Iran’s Mixed Messages Ahead Of P5+1 Talks</a> -- Jamie Dettmer, Daily Beast<br /><br /><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/2014/0216/Rouhani-s-campaign-of-hope-and-change-collides-with-Iran-s-reality-video">Rouhani's campaign of hope and change collides with Iran's reality </a>-- Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor<br /><br /><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonchang/2014/02/16/the-chinese-and-japanese-economies-are-delinking-prelude-to-conflict/">The Chinese And Japanese Economies Are Delinking: Prelude To Conflict?</a> -- Gordon G. Chang, Forbes<br /><br /><a href="http://rt.com/op-edge/venezuela-protests-president-maduro-370/">Venezuela’s Maduro left alone to deal with protests </a>-- Mauricio Savarese, RT<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/17/bosnia-terrifying-picture-of-europe-future">Bosnia presents a terrifying picture of Europe's future </a>-- Igor Štiks, The Guardian <br /><br /><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/swiss-fault-lines-exposed-as-villagers-see-risk-to-postcard-life.html">Swiss Fault Lines Exposed as Villagers See Risk to Postcard Life </a>-- Corinne Gretler and Catherine Bosley, Bloomberg<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/opinion/cohen-britannia-rues-the-waves.html?_r=0">Britannia Rues the Waves</a> -- Roger Cohen, New York Times<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/why-ukraine-just-take-a-look-at-their-neighbors/kiev-viktor-yanukovich-european-standards-maiden-protesters-/c1s15026/#.UwKYMIWJJuR">Why Ukraine? Just Take A Look At Their Neighbors</a> -- Dmitri Oreshkin, World Crunch<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sochi-olympics/will-putins-50-billion-bet-sochi-pay-n30446">Will Putin's $50 Billion Bet on Sochi Pay Off?</a> -- Carlo Angerer, NBC<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldcrunch.com/opinion-analysis/the-darkest-hour-of-venezuelan-democracy/hugo-chavez-nicolas-maduro-venezuelan-caracas/c7s15052/#.UwKV1IWJJuQ">The Darkest Hour Of Venezuelan Democracy</a> -- World Crunch<br /><br /><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2014/0217/Is-Al-Qaeda-about-to-expand-the-field-of-jihad-to-Lebanon">Is Al Qaeda about to expand the 'field of jihad' to Lebanon?</a> -- Nicholas Blanford, Christian Science Monitor<br /><br /><a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/taba-bombing-shows-terror-group-not-giving-up-on-sinai/">Taba bombing shows Sinai terrorists won’t go quietly</a> -- Avi Issacharoff, Times of Israel<br /><br /><a href="http://nationalinterest.org/blog/paul-pillar/confusion-counterterrorism-9893">Confusion on Counterterrorism </a>-- Paul Pillar, National Interest

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- February 17, 2014

North Korea's Atrocities: What Is The World Going To Do? Not Much. -- Paul Whitefield, L.A. Times Sometimes — as with North Korea and it...

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Great Depressionary Quote of the 21st Century: "Massive Industrial Overcapacity"

The following chart shows industrial capacity per capita (industrial production index adjusted for capacity utilization and population).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT60e8K1DoPP5JAU8dO7tSJ2oiUTXucLF9KguKjIoO33kwau3CWPX6QbxEEgvB9021P5lg6CWRC1h1mTn1XkHyGRdqF9QJSi92355JQ_SZqzvloWsN_HnQ7rvgmgiAVlkg5imguQAu8wo/s1600/Industrial+Capacity+per+Capita.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT60e8K1DoPP5JAU8dO7tSJ2oiUTXucLF9KguKjIoO33kwau3CWPX6QbxEEgvB9021P5lg6CWRC1h1mTn1XkHyGRdqF9QJSi92355JQ_SZqzvloWsN_HnQ7rvgmgiAVlkg5imguQAu8wo/s320/Industrial+Capacity+per+Capita.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />That's a 0.998 correlation over 27 years of data (Jan 1967 to Jan 1994). And then... Boom! Trend broken big time. That has to be one of the most impressive trend failures I've ever posted on this blog. It was so incredibly consistent and predictable right up until it wasn't.<br /><br />It's not where we've been but where we are headed that concerns me most. Now that we have all this extra capacity, what's the worst that could happen from here?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUu9yLJ5mgf8rxW6Fsm7_Yc8GmDQHKV92k9_23c0bTVObDcrhv_3XkGJSb_lZdSKnF_Kx-kbP_Nzb5dhJiH6Ip0O3nhfAVzQ48W9yRbGkw_WXOKQYRBQHArUqCshFbnhoic6PQKi-Gp0/s1600/Abandoned+Packard+Automobile+Factory+Detroit.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUu9yLJ5mgf8rxW6Fsm7_Yc8GmDQHKV92k9_23c0bTVObDcrhv_3XkGJSb_lZdSKnF_Kx-kbP_Nzb5dhJiH6Ip0O3nhfAVzQ48W9yRbGkw_WXOKQYRBQHArUqCshFbnhoic6PQKi-Gp0/s320/Abandoned+Packard+Automobile+Factory+Detroit.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Abandoned_Packard_Automobile_Factory_Detroit_200.jpg">File:Abandoned Packard Automobile Factory Detroit 200.jpg (Albert duce)</a></span><br /><br />It's not just us.<br /><br /><b>February 17, 2014</b><br /><a href="http://www.rfa.org/english/commentaries/energy_watch/estimates-02172014165455.html">China Crackdown Drives Business Off the Books</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>The accuracy of China's economic estimates faces growing doubts as the government tries to cut industrial overcapacity, recent reports suggest.</i></div><br /><b>February 10, 2014</b><br /><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2014/02/10/guest-post-dealing-with-500m-tonnes-of-global-steel-overcapacity/#axzz2tcm7xpno">Guest post: dealing with 500m tonnes of global steel overcapacity</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>Business models that have emphasised capacity expansion above all other considerations are now very exposed to changing patterns of demand.</i></div><br /><b>January 27, 2014</b><br /><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-01-27/china-s-aluminum-overcapacity-seen-by-fitch-holding-down-prices">China’s Aluminum Overcapacity Seen by Fitch Holding Down Prices</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>Rising capacity at aluminum plants in China, which account for almost half of world output, will weigh down prices this year in a market that’s already over-supplied, according to Fitch Ratings Ltd.</i></div><br /><b>January 23, 2014</b><br /><a href="http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-01-23/news/46515510_1_second-largest-oil-consumer-petrochina-oil-industry">PetroChina delays operation of refineries on overcapacity</a><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><br /></div><div style="color: #666666;"><i>BEIJING: PetroChina has put off starting up two new refineries and delayed expansion of another to counter the threat of overcapacity as oil demand growth slows in the world's second largest oil consumer, a company official said on Thursday.<br /><br />China's oil consumption last year grew at its slowest in more than 20 years, calculations on government data showed on Monday, as soft economic growth sliced demand for transportation and industrial fuels such as diesel.</i></div><br /><b>December 11, 2013</b><br /><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-11/overcapacity-threatens-china-growth">Overcapacity Threatens China Growth</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>The biggest obstacle facing China’s economy? <span style="color: red;">Massive industrial overcapacity</span> is near the top of the list as the country prepares to launch major reforms but seems intent on keeping gross domestic product growth from falling off too quickly.</i></div><br />I have never been more permabearish.<br /><br />This is not investment advice.<br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=scP">St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart</a>

Great Depressionary Quote of the 21st Century: "Massive Industrial Overcapacity"

The following chart shows industrial capacity per capita (industrial production index adjusted for capacity utilization and population). Cli...

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World News Briefs -- February 17, 2014 (Evening Edition)

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iGYY6AmGFZo" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>UN Urges Probe Into 'Atrocious' N. Korean Crimes -- Voice of America</b></span></div><br />SEOUL — A new United Nations report accuses North Korea of “unspeakable atrocities," many of which amount to crimes against humanity. <br /><br />The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea is calling for an international tribunal to investigate the alleged crimes and to bring those most responsible to justice. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/un-report-north-korean-leaders-commit-crimes-against-humanity/1852724.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>MIDDLE EAST</b></span></div><br />Syria peace talks failure spurs <b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-syria-crisis-idUSBREA1G0R420140217">U.S.-Russia recriminations.</a></b><br /><br />Syria blames US for creating 'negative climate' <b><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/02/16/syria-foreign-minister-says-us-tried-to-create-very-negative-climate-for-geneva/">at Geneva talks</a></b>.<br /><br />Kerry accuses Assad of stonewalling <b><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/17/kerry-accuses-assad-stonewalling-peace-talks/">in peace talks</a></b>.<br /><br />Hezbollah leader Nasrallah vows to<b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26222171"> keep fighters in Syria</a></b>.<br /><br />Bomb attacks kill at least <b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-iraq-violence-idUSBREA1G1AY20140217">24 in Iraq capital</a></b>. Iraq attacks kill 17, army fights to<b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/16/us-iraq-violence-idUSBREA1F0FZ20140216"> retake town from militants</a></b>.<br /><br />Israel PM says Iran only winner <b><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/israel-pm-says-iran-only-winner-nuclear-talks-193926004.html;_ylt=AwrBEiF3ZgJTshcA5pLQtDMD">from nuclear talks</a></b>.<br /><br />Iran seen honoring nuclear deal but <b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-iran-nuclear-iaea-idUSBREA1G13F20140217">stockpile may grow: diplomats</a></b>. Iran official: US has accepted <b><a href="http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/17/iran-official-us-has-accepted-countrys-nuclear-enrichment/">country’s nuclear enrichment.</a></b><br /><br />Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says nuclear talks <b><a href="http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-29933.aspx">will ‘lead nowhere</a></b>.<br /><br />Iran says Russia could build nuclear reactor <b><a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/russia-iran-oil-idINL6N0LM14120140217">in exchange for oil</a></b>. Putin sparks fury amid claims Russia could build a second nuclear reactor <b><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2561217/Putin-sparks-fury-amid-claims-Russia-build-second-nuclear-reactor-Iran-return-oil.html">in Iran in return for oil</a></b>.<br /><br />Iran says it may send forces <b><a href="http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/iran-says-it-may-send-forces-into-pakistan-territory-1.268138">into Pakistan territory</a></b>.<br /><br />US leans on diplomacy <b><a href="http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140216/DEFREG04/302160016/US-Leans-Diplomacy-Middle-East">in Middle East</a></b>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>ASIA</b></span></div><br />Torture, executions, rapes: the UN's dossier <b><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/17/torture-executions-rapes-north-korea-human-rights">on North Korea's state abuses</a></b>. NK leaders accused of <b><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/02/nk-leaders-accused-crimes-against-humanity-2014217131956791816.html">crimes against humanity</a></b> .<br /><br />UN 'wants North Korean <b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26220304">regime crimes punished'</a></b>.<br /><br />N. Korea promotes military chiefs as it <b><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140216/n-korea-promotes-military-chiefs-it-marks-late-leaders-birth">marks late leader's birth</a></b>.<br /><br />Asia-Pacific stability depends on success of <b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-indonesia-kerry-asean-idUSBREA1G15K20140217">ASEAN code of conduct: Kerry</a></b>.<br /><br />Nepal plane crash in bad weather <b><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-incidents/nepal-plane-crash-in-bad-weather-killed-all-18-on-board-20140218-hvcrx.html">killed all 18 on board</a></b>.<br /><br />10 dead, dozens trapped in <b><a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/10-dead-dozens-trapped-in/1001480.html">South Korea building collapse</a></b>.<br /><br />Pakistan peace talks hit <b><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/02/pakistan-peace-talks-with-taliban-collapse-201421710584693817.html">by soldier's deaths</a></b>. Pakistan scraps Taliban talks after <b><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-02-17/pakistan-scraps-taliban-talks-after-23-kidnapped-troops-killed">23 kidnapped troops killed</a></b>.<br /><br />Karzai orders changes to bill <b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26228135">that outraged rights groups</a></b>.<br /><br />Defiant Thai protesters <b><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Defiant-Thai-protesters-besiege-government-buildings/articleshow/30572498.cms">besiege government buildings</a></b>.<br /><br />Japan's quarterly growth disappoints<b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26222281"> ahead of sales tax hike</a></b>.<br /><br />11 dead in <b><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/16/world/asia/japan-heavy-snow-weekend/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2">record Japan snowfall</a></b>.<br /><br />China says keen on meeting with Taiwan president,<b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-china-taiwan-idUSBREA1G04F20140217"> but no rush</a></b>.<br /><br />Prostitution crackdown in China<b><a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/02/17/Prostitution-crackdown-in-China-detains-501-people/UPI-43181392668606/"> detains 501 people</a></b>.<br /><br />Pakistani polio strain <b><a href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20140217/DAC0RKH02.html">threatens global campaign.</a></b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>AFRICA</b></span></div><br />Libyans mark anniversary <b><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/libyans-mark-anniversary-of-revolution/1852791.html">of revolution</a></b>.<br /><br />Burundi army won't intervene in <b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-burundi-crisis-idUSBREA1G13T20140217">political crisis: minister</a></b>.<br /><br />Tensions high in CAR town <b><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/tensions-high-in-car-town-of-kaga-bandoro/1852717.html">of Kaga Bandoro.</a></b><br /><br />Boko Haram gunmen kill scores in<b><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/17/boko-haram-nigeria-village-izge"> remote Nigerian village</a></b>.<br /><br />S.Sudan army denies using cluster bombs <b><a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/southsudan-unrest-idINL6N0LM34820140217">after fragments found</a></b>.<br /><br />Counting the dead <b><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/02/counting-dead-south-sudan-2014216115224123347.html">in South Sudan</a></b>.<br /><br />Ethiopian plane hijacked <b><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/17/ethiopian-plane-hijacked-geneva-co-pilot/">to Geneva by co-pilot</a></b>.<br /><br />Uganda: Wanted LRA rebel commander<b><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/uganda-wanted-lra-rebel-commander-believed-dead-115914918.html"> believed dead.</a></b><br /><br />Egyptian population explosion <b><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/16/egypt-population-explosion-social-unrest">worsens social unrest</a></b>.<br /><br />UN: Weapons for Somalia government <b><a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/02/17/278389250/troops-escort-muslims-out-of-central-african-republic">diverted to militants</a></b>.<br /><br />Sudan, Egypt hold talks on <b><a href="http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article49982">Nile resources in Khartoum</a></b>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>EUROPE</b></span></div><br />Sochi 2014 Olympics:<b><a href="http://winter-games.reuters.com/"> Live</a></b><br /><br />Sochi Olympics: Putin maintains <b><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/17/sochi-olympics-putin-maintains-disciplined-show/">a disciplined show</a></b>.<br /><br />Sochi Olympics gold medal count:<b><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Olympics/2014/0217/Sochi-Olympics-gold-medal-count-Germany-leads"> Germany leads</a></b>.<br /><br />EU reels from ‘breathtaking’ <b><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-reels-from-breathtaking-corruption-report/1852955.html">corruption report</a></b>.<br /><br />New IRA sent bombs to army recruitment centres, <b><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/17/new-ira-sent-bombs-army-recruitment-centres-britain">Met confirms</a></b>.<br /><br />Russia boosts Ukraine's Yanukovich <b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-ukraine-idUSBREA1G0OU20140217">with $2 billion fresh credit</a></b>.<br /><br />Ukraine amnesty comes into force <b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26220905">after protesters retreat</a></b>.<br /><br />Ukraine opposition seek curbs <b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-ukraine-idUSBREA1G0OU20140217">on Yanukovich powers</a></b>.<br /><br />Italian president set to ask Matteo Renzi <b><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/16/italy-matteo-renzi-government">to form new government</a></b>.<br /><br />‘Nearly impossible’ for an independent Scotland to join EU, <b><a href="http://rt.com/news/scotland-eu-membership-barroso-307/">says EC President</a></b>.<br /><br />Data protection: Angela Merkel <b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26210053">proposes Europe network</a></b>.<br /><br />EU halts Switzerland <b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26225121">research and education talks</a></b>.<br /><br />Third of Afghan heroin goes to Russia – <b><a href="http://en.ria.ru/world/20140215/187571301/Third-of-Afghan-Heroin-Goes-to-Russia--Kremlin-Official.html">Kremlin official</a></b>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>AMERICAS</b></span></div><br />Honduras murder rate falls in 2013,<b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-honduras-homicides-idUSBREA1G1E520140217"> but remains world's highest</a></b>.<br /><br />Venezuela's Lopez says ready for arrest <b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-venezuela-protests-idUSBREA1F0SQ20140217">at Tuesday march</a></b>.<br /><br />Venezuela president expels <b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-26220184">three US consular officials</a></b>.<br /><br />Venezuela split by <b><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/venezuelans-stage-dueling-protests-190939524.html">pro- and anti-Maduro protests.</a></b><br /><br />Brazil rations water in 140 cities amid<b><a href="http://rt.com/news/water-ration-drought-brazil-253/"> worst drought in decades</a></b>.<br /><br />Excessive radiation levels detected <b><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/excessive-radiation-levels-detected-mexico-waste-014933508.html">at New Mexico waste site.</a></b><br /><br />'Killer heroin' causing <b><a href="http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/ap_c0538b47e95d437ea8a58a55c9bec100">fatal overdoses in U.S. East</a></b>.<br /><br />US drug policy fuels push for <b><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/us-drug-policy-fuels-push-legal-pot-worldwide-130121981.html">legal pot worldwide</a></b>.<br /><br />Report: Americans completely reliant on China <b><a href="http://dailycaller.com/2014/02/17/report-americans-completely-reliant-on-china-for-antibiotics/">for antibiotics.</a></b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR</b></span></div><br />USS Cole hearing halted<b><a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/02/17/218404/uss-cole-hearing-halted-at-guantanamo.html"> at Guantanamo</a></b>.<br /><br />September 11 court case taking<b><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/september-11-court-case-taking-years-before-trial/1852747.html"> years before trial</a></b>.<br /><br />Radical group in Syria even too brutal <b><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/17/radical-group-syria-even-too-brutal-al-qaeda-repor/">for al Qaeda, report says</a></b>.<br /><br />South Korean tourists <b><a href="http:///">killed in Egypt bombing</a></b>.<br /><br />Six suspected terrorists <b><a href="http://en.ria.ru/crime/20140217/187617391/Six-Suspected-Terrorists-Detained-in-Kyrgyzstan.html">detained in Kyrgyzstan</a></b>.<br /><br />The tangled web of words that <b><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/16/the-term-al-qaeda-becomes-a-tangled-web-of-words/">‘al Qaeda’ has become</a></b>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS</b></span></div><br />Foreign banks bracing for tough<b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/16/us-usa-banks-capital-idUSBREA1F0C520140216"> U.S. Fed capital rules.</a></b><br /><br />Google buys sound authentication firm <b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26222424">SlickLogin.</a></b><br /><br />Detroit bankruptcy bond fight a watershed <b><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/detroit-bankruptcy-bond-fight-watershed-130913134.html">for municipal market</a></b>.

World News Briefs -- February 17, 2014 (Evening Edition)

UN Urges Probe Into 'Atrocious' N. Korean Crimes -- Voice of America SEOUL — A new United Nations report accuses North Korea of “un...

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Why Nigeria Cannot Defeat The Islamist Militant Group Boko Haram

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RREpcfC5lzADeizZfjopI1UTaeu6STDwH128A90JWqj-7IprQQapqg12VJ3FJsWty4pQAnGGpsOuUtwO66pFb9Lbam1wbQrCrvPxt5HxyOOfQO6I1w37asDfhJ_qsML7CyHO3W_N_dI9/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5RREpcfC5lzADeizZfjopI1UTaeu6STDwH128A90JWqj-7IprQQapqg12VJ3FJsWty4pQAnGGpsOuUtwO66pFb9Lbam1wbQrCrvPxt5HxyOOfQO6I1w37asDfhJ_qsML7CyHO3W_N_dI9/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Nigeria Islamists Better Armed, Motivated Than Army: Governor -- Reuters</b></span></div><br />(Reuters) - Islamist militant group Boko Haram is better armed than the Nigerian military force fighting it, the governor of the region worst hit by the insurgency said on Friday after more than 100 people died in a village raid.<br /><br />President Goodluck Jonathan ordered extra troops into northeast Nigeria in May to crush Boko Haram, which wants to create an Islamic state in the largely Muslim north. The military denied it was less well armed than the insurgents.<br /><br />"Boko Haram are better armed and are better motivated than our own troops," Borno state Governor Kashim Shettima told journalists at the presidential villa after a meeting with President Jonathan.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-nigeria-violence-idUSBREA1G1AO20140217">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> A rare admission from a senior Nigerian official. In the meantime .... the <b><a href="http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.ca/2014/02/nigerias-boko-haram-militants-attack.html">slaughter continues</a></b>.

Why Nigeria Cannot Defeat The Islamist Militant Group Boko Haram

Nigeria Islamists Better Armed, Motivated Than Army: Governor -- Reuters (Reuters) - Islamist militant group Boko Haram is better armed than...

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Future Money Trends is invested in Brazil Resources

<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>BRIZF</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>I'm going to start watching Daniel Ameduri's stock picks now and see how these guys make their money pumping stocks.  These guys are starting to talk collapse of the U.S. DOLLAR again as losing its PETRO-DOLLAR status.  </b><br /><br /><b>Daniel Ameduri and Marin Katusa discuss the GOLD and SILVER market and MINING STOCKS.  Their strategy is to never have to work again.  </b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Could it be that the elite are onto their game plan and are going to disappoint them?  Is this just a load of Ron Paul campaign supporters that lost their way as Ron Paul lost his road to the Republican ticket and the Libertarians suffered a major political disappointment?   </b><br /><b><br /></b><b>Right now things are getting interesting in the markets because GOLD and SILVER just did a small thrust off some 3 YEAR LOWS.  Apparently these guys are looking for the "TEN BAGGERS" in the MINING SECTOR:</b><br /><b>  </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NML5-dgp1u4?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /><!-- Start FreeStockCharts.com Chart Widget --> <br /><div align="center" width="100%"><iframe frameborder="0" height="390" scrolling="no" src="http://widgets.freestockcharts.com/WidgetServer/InteractiveChartWidget.aspx?guid=6514ff2a-4d71-401b-856b-6a537a693177&w=500&h=390" style="border: none;" width="500"></iframe></div><!-- End FreeStockCharts.com Chart Widget --> <br /><b>...developing...</b></div>

Future Money Trends is invested in Brazil Resources

BRIZF I'm going to start watching Daniel Ameduri's stock picks now and see how these guys make their money pumping stocks.  These gu...

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Baghdad Rocked By Multiple Bomb Blasts

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/v87TBrpN66E" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bomb Attacks Kill At Least 24 In Iraq Capital -- Reuters</b></span></div><br />(Reuters) - At least 24 people were killed in bomb explosions in the Iraqi capital late on Monday, including blasts near two Shi'ite Muslim mosques and at a busy bus station, police and medics said.<br /><br />No group immediately claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, but Shi'ites are often targeted by Sunni Islamist insurgents who have been regaining ground in Iraq over the past year and overran several towns in recent weeks.<br /><br />In Monday's deadliest attack, a minibus packed with explosives blew up at a bus station in the mainly Shi'ite district of Ur in northern Baghdad, killing at least 11 people, police and medical sources said.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-iraq-violence-idUSBREA1G1AY20140217">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On Today's Bomb Attacks In Baghdad</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/02/baghdad-shia-neighbourhood-struck-blasts-2014217185415731188.html">Baghdad Shia neighbourhoods struck by blasts</a> -- Al Jazeera<br /><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jaH0a2B_4kl7gxptrCYm0Qwm3UyQ?docId=fac7dc2c-d2a9-41e6-858f-2b10cc993525">Iraq violence kills at least 22</a> -- AFP<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/world/middleeast/quadruple-bombing-in-baghdad-kills-at-least-25.html?gwh=9D49F7AFE15821CC0CF8A412647D24A2&gwt=pay">Quadruple Bombing in Baghdad Kills at Least 25</a> -- New York Times<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/bombings-in-iraqi-capital-kill-at-least-23-people/2014/02/17/1704fe2e-9803-11e3-ae45-458927ccedb6_story.html">Bombings in Iraqi capital kill at least 23 people</a> -- AP<br /><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/bombings-in-iraqi-capital-kill-at-least-23/story-fn3dxix6-1226830070005">Bombings in Iraqi capital kill at least 23</a> -- The Australian

Baghdad Rocked By Multiple Bomb Blasts

Bomb Attacks Kill At Least 24 In Iraq Capital -- Reuters (Reuters) - At least 24 people were killed in bomb explosions in the Iraqi capital ...

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The U.S.A. has NO DEBT LIMIT

<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> There is NO DEBT CEILING</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You cannot sink this economy </b></span><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>"There is no such thing as a debt ceiling in this country cause it's never been not increased and that's why we're $17 TRILLION in debt, and I would dispel the rumor that is going around that you hear on every newscast that if we don't raise the debt ceiling we will default on our debt--we won't."</b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Sen. Tom Coburn (R) Oklahoma</b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b>If this is true then why is anyone of us in debt?  I should be able to get unlimited credit increases on my CREDIT CARD, MORTGAGE, and AUTO LOAN and never have to pay it off.   This seems to only apply to the privileged who run the top end of the financial structure and those of us on the bottom have different rules:</b><i><b> </b></i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Puo0Hdc-qio?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>...developing...</b></div>

The U.S.A. has NO DEBT LIMIT

 There is NO DEBT CEILING You cannot sink this economy "There is no such thing as a debt ceiling in this country cause it's never b...

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Iran Threatens To Invade Pakistan To Free Border Guards

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ64T-b-Q9bG3PQB3d4OH1xaM5CjuD_TikWkDelSE3dj7aSgHvue-0f8KofVHkam9jqj0XV5IEIqQaRmykewpy9zwUKFAxeWQrqUCpkDUs6nMxue1deWm_niPlSq_8Y_IOyPnRm-o6Gzy9/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ64T-b-Q9bG3PQB3d4OH1xaM5CjuD_TikWkDelSE3dj7aSgHvue-0f8KofVHkam9jqj0XV5IEIqQaRmykewpy9zwUKFAxeWQrqUCpkDUs6nMxue1deWm_niPlSq_8Y_IOyPnRm-o6Gzy9/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The deputy chief-of-staff of Iran's armed forces said he believed the five guards were still alive</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Iran 'May Send Forces To Pakistan For Captured Guards' -- BBC</b></span></div><br /><i>Iran's interior minister has warned it may send forces into Pakistan to free five border guards seized earlier this month.</i><br /><br />They are thought to have been taken into Pakistan after being captured in Iran's Sistan Baluchistan region.<br /><br />Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli demanded that Islamabad treat the case "strongly and seriously" and "take the necessary measures" to secure their release.<br /><br />The Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl has said it was behind their capture.<br /><br />The group has posted what it said were photographs of the guards, bound and being held in an unknown location.<br /><br />A video broadcast by al-Arabiya TV on Friday purportedly showed one of the men, Sgt Jamshyd Danaifard, saying they were "safe and sound".<br /><br />He added that Jaish al-Adl wanted the Iranian authorities to exchange 300 Sunni prisoners in Iran and its close ally Syria for the guards.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26229217">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On Reports That Iran Is Threatening To Send Forces Into Pakistan To Free Captured Border Guards</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/iran-says-it-may-send-forces-to-pakistan-to-free-border-guards/1852989.html">Iran Says It May Send Forces to Pakistan to Free Border Guards</a> -- Voice of America/Reuters<br /><a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-baluch-raid-pakistan/25266825.html">Iran Threatens To Send Forces Into Pakistan</a> -- Radio Free Europe<br /><a href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1087647/iran-threatens-to-send-forces-into-pakistani-territory">Iran threatens to send forces into Pakistani territory</a> -- DAWN<br /><a href="http://www.thenewstribe.com/2014/02/17/iran-threatens-military-invasion-in-pakistan/">Iran Threatens Military Invasion Of Pakistan</a> -- News Tribe<br /><a href="http://www.tasnimnews.com/English/Home/Single/286305">Iran Intensifies Diplomatic Measures to Free Abducted Soldiers</a> -- Tasnim News Agency<br /><a href="http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/114150-iran-threatens-to-take-action-to-free-abducted-border-guards-">Iran threatens to take action to free abducted border guards</a> -- Tehran Times<br /><a href="http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13921128001308">Iran Seeking Islamabad’s Permission to Uproot Terrorist Group in Pakistan</a> -- FARS News Agency (Iran)

Iran Threatens To Invade Pakistan To Free Border Guards

The deputy chief-of-staff of Iran's armed forces said he believed the five guards were still alive Iran 'May Send Forces To Pakistan...

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Documentary Review: The Rise and Fall of Penn Station

<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/penn/"><b><i>The Rise and Fall of Penn Station</i></b></a> directed and written by Randall MacLowry<br />Based in part on the book <i>Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels</i> by Jill Jonnes<br />PBS/American Experience, 2014<br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LoESOPO6viuTE4MT-tY6ce7mElmcmrT8uDY0aqcEcYg93cClj70OFVqHmWO5WIstJlx5FVBMdKOXVWCe4bp902BxYn0J2F5VslV6I2t2tuAaUJobAy16ObBZlkfQb_Sw915mTg6sLXub/s1600/image002.jpg" /><br /><br />For an architect the two most facinating things about New York's Penn Station – the one from 1910, not today's incarnation – are the grand spaces of iron and stone and the unsuccesful fight to save the building from demolition only 53 years after it was built. In the design of Charles McKim of McKim, Mead and White, the former were influenced by the Roman Baths of Caracalla, and the main space was on par with the nave of St. Peters Basilica in scale and some might even say beauty, at least for such a utilitarian building. The latter involved Jane Jacobs, Philip Johnson and other people with otherwise divergent views who came together over the obvious architectural merits of the two-block-large edifice.<br /><br />But in this one-hour documentary premiering Tuesday, February 18, on PBS, clearly the filmmakers are fascinated with overcoming the natural feature that made it take so long to bring national train service into Manhattan: the Hudson River. The design and construction of the tunnels under the river comprises a large chunk of the documentary, not surprising considering that writer/director MacLowry looked to the book whose subtitle is <i>Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels</i>.<br /><br />With so many minutes given to the still appealing tunnels, as well as to the equally compelling story of how Pennsylvania Railroad president Alexander Cassatt (who died before the station was completed) made the station a reality, there is little time left to delve into the efforts of pre-Landmarks preservationists ("A few people protested, but to no avail" is all the narrator says about it), the station's demolition or recent efforts to make Penn Station once again a proud entry into New York City. <br /><br />If MacLowry would have looked instead to Hilary Ballon's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393730786/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0393730786&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20"><i>New York's Pennsylvania Station</i></a>, which features the historian's thorough account of the building's rise and fall as well as "The Destruction of Penn Station," a photo essay by Norman McGrath, and "The New Penn Station" by Marilyn Taylor of SOM (then overseeing the transformation of the Post Office across the street into a new station for Amtrak), the documentary would have an emphasis on what Ballon calls an "unnecessary" marvel, the majestic above-ground station itself.<br /><br />The tunnels, platforms and other pieces of the puzzle that make the railroad function are still in place over 100 years later, but the public face that Penn Railroad built to express its power did not need to survive in order for the railroad to keep going. This fact makes the demolition understandable but no less excusable. New York City is still grappling with this history 50 years later, and this documentary shows that a clear-cut narrative on the project is both difficult and worth more than a one-hour time slot.<br /><br /><b>US: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMM19ZA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00GMM19ZA&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan.gif" /></a> CA: <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00GMM19ZA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00GMM19ZA&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.ca" border="0" height="28" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan-ca.gif" width="90" /></a> UK: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GMM19ZA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00GMM19ZA&linkCode=as2&tag=aweeklydoseof-20" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.co.uk" border="0" height="28" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan-uk.gif" width="90" /></a></b>

Documentary Review: The Rise and Fall of Penn Station

The Rise and Fall of Penn Station directed and written by Randall MacLowry Based in part on the book Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Stati...

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UN Report On North Korean 'Crimes Against Humanity' Released (Updated)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKuUdguFa7Mamgot5lzU3_FhsaarDYVwp6fFQu6kQWGQUqK6l8zb_09vIneokPxB27t2-NjyTTjyMVb73oM9pAgS9_3xFdqvrLBmfdjCjNfS7FVC8jBOMICTT1G9-fUciona_JI9dDbKc/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKuUdguFa7Mamgot5lzU3_FhsaarDYVwp6fFQu6kQWGQUqK6l8zb_09vIneokPxB27t2-NjyTTjyMVb73oM9pAgS9_3xFdqvrLBmfdjCjNfS7FVC8jBOMICTT1G9-fUciona_JI9dDbKc/s1600/200px-US-DefenseIntelligenceAgency-Seal.svg.png" width="368" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Guardian</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>North Korean Human Rights Abuses Systematic And Unparalleled, Says UN -- The Guardian</b></span></div><br />Inquiry chairman writes to Kim Jong-un warning he could face trial at The Hague for crimes against humanity<br /><br />North Korea's leadership is committing systematic and appalling human rights abuses against its own citizens on a scale unparalleled in the modern world, crimes against humanity with strong parallels to those committed by the Nazis, a United Nations inquiry has concluded.<br /><br />The UN's commission on human rights in North Korea, which gathered evidence for almost a year, including often harrowing testimony at public hearings worldwide, said there was compelling evidence of torture, execution and arbitrary imprisonment, deliberate starvation and an almost complete lack of free thought and belief.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/17/north-korea-human-rights-abuses-united-nations">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KcW2t5cddoM" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On The UN Report That Details North Korea State Abuses</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26223180">UN's North Korea report: Main findings</a> -- BBC<br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/17/torture-executions-rapes-north-korea-human-rights">Torture, executions, rapes: the UN's dossier on North Korea's state abuses</a> -- The Guardian<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/02/17/the-un-report-on-north-korea-four-things-to-know/">The UN report on North Korea: Four things to know </a>-- Washington Post<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26220304">World must act on North Korea rights abuse, says UN report</a> -- BBC<br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/17/world/asia/north-korea-un-report/">'Abundant evidence' of crimes against humanity in North Korea, panel says </a>-- CNN<br /><a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/korea-north-un-excerpts-idINDEEA1G0E220140217">U.N. documents North Korean torture chambers, prison camps ... and luxury goods</a> -- Reuters<br /><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5izJi77LFLYqrK-sdlTr4zxht0zsQ?docId=80ebc71b-fdec-409d-adb1-b122c663e559">UN probe demands justice for North Korea atrocities</a> -- AFP<br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/no-korea-guilty-crimes-against-humanity">UN report finds widespread human rights violations in North Korea</a> -- MSNBC<br /><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/un-report-north-korea-committing-crimes-against-humanity/1853027.html">UN Report: North Korea Committing Crimes Against Humanity</a> -- Voice of America<br /><a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/un-report-find-evidence-of-appalling-human-rights-abuses-in-north-korea-1.1694859">UN report find evidence of appalling human rights abuses in North Korea</a> -- Irish Times<br /><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2561201/North-Korea-categorically-totally-rejects-U-N-human-rights-report-details-starved-prison-camp-mothers-forced-drown-newborn-children.html">North Korea is responsible for Nazi-like atrocities and its leaders should be tried for exterminating, starving and enslaving its population, say U.N. investigators </a>-- Daily Mail<br /><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asia/north-koreas-horrors-strikingly-similar-nazi-acts-un-n32121">North Korea's Horrors 'Strikingly Similar' To Nazi Acts: UN </a>-- NBC<br /><a href="http://www.euronews.com/2014/02/17/north-korea-crimes-strikingly-similar-to-nazi-era/">North Korea crimes ‘strikingly similar’ to Nazi era</a> -- Euronews<br /><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/experts-praise-exposure-of-north-koreas-human-rights-depravity/1853044.html">Experts Praise Exposure of North Korea's Human Rights 'Depravity'</a> -- Voice of America<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/world/asia/un-panel-says-north-korean-leader-could-face-trial.html">U.N. Panel Says North Korean Leader Could Face Trial </a>-- New York Times<br /><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/10643889/Kim-Jong-Un-warned-he-could-face-prosecution-for-crimes-against-humanity.html">Kim Jong-Un warned he could face prosecution for 'crimes against humanity'</a> -- The Telegraph<br /><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/un-commission-warns-leader-kim-jongun-he-could-face-trial-for-systematic-and-unparalleled-human-rights-abuses-in-north-korea-9134405.html">UN commission warns leader Kim Jong-Un he could face trial for 'systematic and unparalleled' human rights abuses in North Korea</a> -- The Independent<br /><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/un-probe-finds-north-korea-s-kim-should-face-rights-trial.html">UN Probe Finds North Korea’s Kim Should Face Rights Trial</a> -- Bloomberg<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-korea-north-un-hundreds-idUSBREA1G0RJ20140217">Hundreds may be involved in gravest North Korean crimes - investigator</a> -- Reuters

UN Report On North Korean 'Crimes Against Humanity' Released (Updated)

The Guardian North Korean Human Rights Abuses Systematic And Unparalleled, Says UN -- The Guardian Inquiry chairman writes to Kim Jong-un wa...

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Real Yields: Why They Are Falling (Musical Tribute)

The following chart shows real GDP.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fSPOHuJNbc5P9o-G12Kru7j84F-mksHTtJ8MZuqScUk5-3dwXWAFxV8s40fe9a1JfNfqdK1Rqo8HsJ4zzDjGAx2mkPn17zCFKeE7ckZQ6oRSSKVrfWipmggymjC8_Sbl0o29OjqiIrw/s1600/Real+GDP+Growth+During+Expansions.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fSPOHuJNbc5P9o-G12Kru7j84F-mksHTtJ8MZuqScUk5-3dwXWAFxV8s40fe9a1JfNfqdK1Rqo8HsJ4zzDjGAx2mkPn17zCFKeE7ckZQ6oRSSKVrfWipmggymjC8_Sbl0o29OjqiIrw/s320/Real+GDP+Growth+During+Expansions.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />Four exponential trend lines and their growth rates have been added.<br /><br />Note that each time an exponential trend fails, it is replaced with an exponential trend of lesser quality. What doesn't kill us, doesn't make us stronger. Go figure.<br /><br />The next chart shows the long-term trend of those growth rates. I'm using the midpoint of my hand-picked expansions as the x-axis.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84W3F1NHBKJ2Xk6fgVLViemcMeL7aEZs6I6SLN5mX_zT9vNsvMZsvQyFpDo5OGCa3Dm6kBEqsDnTXn7bkuZidsxNkp0-xlVd-8UZwb4h2GiHxg19Ua9cZv_vi95N8H7hU_dN4hMAzXys/s1600/Real+GDP+Growth+During+Expansions+-+Long-Term+Trend.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84W3F1NHBKJ2Xk6fgVLViemcMeL7aEZs6I6SLN5mX_zT9vNsvMZsvQyFpDo5OGCa3Dm6kBEqsDnTXn7bkuZidsxNkp0-xlVd-8UZwb4h2GiHxg19Ua9cZv_vi95N8H7hU_dN4hMAzXys/s320/Real+GDP+Growth+During+Expansions+-+Long-Term+Trend.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />The most recent data point is open to serious revision. The growth rate probably won't change much, but the x-axis position may (it could move to the right on the chart). It really comes down to how long this expansion lasts.<br /><br />Real yields have fallen because real GDP growth has fallen (and continues to fall). It really is just that simple. Put another way, it is becoming harder and harder to make money off of money (current lofty stock market valuations notwithstanding).<br /><br />Those hoping for a return to normal better hope that the downward trend does not continue, because that's about the only normal thing going on right now.<br /><br />The future's so bright I gotta werewolves. <br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/47SkpJsiz6s" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><b>See Also:</b><br /><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-long-term-death-of-real-yields.html">The Long-Term Death of Real Yields</a><br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=scs">St. Louis Fed: Real GDP</a>

Real Yields: Why They Are Falling (Musical Tribute)

The following chart shows real GDP. Click to enlarge. Four exponential trend lines and their growth rates have been added. Note that each ti...

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Veneuela On The Brink As Pro And Anti-Government Activists Take To The Streets

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kK0TF_XzPws" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Venezuela President Calls Allies to Rival Opposition Protest -- Bloomberg</b></span></div><br />Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called supporters to take to the street tomorrow, hours after an opposition politician sought by police urged his allies to march with him on the same day.<br /><br />Leopoldo Lopez, the leader of opposition party Voluntad Popular, whom Maduro accuses of inciting violence, urged Venezuelans to dress in white and march with him on Tuesday, daring officials to enforce an arrest order issued against him. After Maduro responded by summoning a demonstration of 30,000 to 40,000 oil workers at the same location, Voluntad Popular today switched the site of their march. <br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/venezuela-president-summons-allies-to-street-to-rival-opposition.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On The Unrest In Venezuela</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-02-16/venezuela-president-summons-allies-to-street-to-rival-opposition">Venezuela President Calls Allies to Rival Opposition Protest</a> -- Bloomberg Businessweek<br /><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/police-hunt-venezuela-opposition-leader-he-tweets-defiance-n31726">Police Hunt Venezuela Opposition Leader as He Tweets Defiance</a> -- NBC News<br /><a href="http://www.euronews.com/2014/02/16/tensions-rise-in-venezuela-as-pro-and-anti-government-activists-take-to-streets/">Tensions rise in Venezuela as pro and anti-government activists take to streets of Caracas</a> -- Euronews<br /><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/16/3940386/venezuelas-opposition-leader-calls.html">Venezuela’s opposition leaders called for national marches amid growing tensions</a> -- Miami Herald<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/venezuelan-opposition-leaders-arrest-sought/2014/02/15/c3377bce-969e-11e3-ae45-458927ccedb6_story.html">Venezuelan opposition leader to turn himself in </a>-- Washington Post/AP<br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/15/venezuela-caracas-protests/5507101/">Venezuelan opposition leader says he'll turn himself in</a> -- USA Today<br /><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/02/venezuela-says-us-plotting-with-protesters-2014217151340225175.html">Venezuela says US plotting with protesters</a> -- Al Jazeera<br /><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/17/3941283/in-latest-diplomatic-bloodletting.html">Venezuela gives three U.S. diplomats 48 hours to leave country </a>-- Miami Herald<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/maduro-expels-3-us-officials-amid-protest-tensions/2014/02/16/c4af2cf0-9788-11e3-ae45-458927ccedb6_story.html">Maduro expels 3 US officials amid protest tensions</a> -- Washington Post/AP<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/17/world/americas/venezuelan-leader-announces-expulsion-of-3-us-officials.html">Venezuelan Leader Announces Expulsion of 3 U.S. Officials</a> -- New York Times<br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/16/world/americas/venezuela-expels-us-officials/">Venezuela orders three U.S. diplomatic officials out of the country</a> -- CNN

Veneuela On The Brink As Pro And Anti-Government Activists Take To The Streets

Venezuela President Calls Allies to Rival Opposition Protest -- Bloomberg Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called supporters to take to t...

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Free Syrian Army Fire Their Military Chief

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tdThFwVHHwY" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Syrian Rebel Army Fires Commander Many Considered Ineffective -- L.A. Times</b></span></div><br />BEIRUT--The head of the Free Syrian Army, the U.S.-backed assemblage of ostensibly moderate Syrian opposition forces, has been removed from his post, according to a statement Sunday from the rebel command’s Supreme Military Council.<br /><br />Brig. Gen. Salim Idriss is to be replaced by Brig. Gen. Abdul-Ilah Bashir Al-Noeimi, a rebel field commander in southern Syria, the statement said. The move appeared to be part of a broader shakeup of the rebel leadership as the Syrian conflict nears the three-year mark with little sign of a resolution.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-syrian-rebels-fire-commander-20140216,0,355260.story#axzz2tbHkqCQv">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On The Free Syrian Army Firing Their Military Chief</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.albawaba.com/conflict-syria/syria-sack-army-cheif--555013">Free Syrian Army sacks military chief </a>-- Al Bawaba<br /><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hqdIiPPZpTf7xVBS9F8y-G1ewLCA?docId=8fe15c2c-f35c-4727-ba5a-86546baf521d">Free Syrian Army fires military chief over leadership 'paralysis'</a> -- AFP<br /><a href="http://gulfnews.com/news/region/syria/free-syrian-army-sacks-chief-1.1291954">Free Syrian Army sacks chief</a> -- Gulf News/Reuters<br /><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-02-17/free-syrian-army-removes-idriss-as-supreme-military-commander">Free Syrian Army Removes Idriss as Supreme Military Commander</a> -- Bloomberg Businessweek<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-backed-syrian-opposition-leader-voted-out-of-office-by-rebel-commanders/2014/02/16/d5550b32-975c-11e3-9616-d367fa6ea99b_story.html">U.S.-backed Syrian opposition leader voted out of office by rebel commanders</a> -- Washington Post<br /><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/17/3941037/syrian-opposition-appoints-new.html">Syrian opposition appoints new military chief</a> -- AP

Free Syrian Army Fire Their Military Chief

Syrian Rebel Army Fires Commander Many Considered Ineffective -- L.A. Times BEIRUT--The head of the Free Syrian Army, the U.S.-backed assemb...

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6,000 Killed In Syria During The Geneva Talks

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFJrmZUYg2a8bKD8mYslWk0kUPB47duuqF_oFSqptvZmCUEAXrAz24_7NKtlhIJAcqVMq7yynJ1sgeS4-Jg6k71GV1QAOvoPg9TL5ggwIRd3G8kVRo26S11zCAdh-dCDCZbM94DqL1qad/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFJrmZUYg2a8bKD8mYslWk0kUPB47duuqF_oFSqptvZmCUEAXrAz24_7NKtlhIJAcqVMq7yynJ1sgeS4-Jg6k71GV1QAOvoPg9TL5ggwIRd3G8kVRo26S11zCAdh-dCDCZbM94DqL1qad/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Syrian rebel grabs his head as the smoke subsides, during fighting between the two sides in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus. Jan. 13, 2013. <a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/killing-in-syria-accelerates-as-both-sides-dig-in/1851434.html">VOA</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Report: Almost 6,000 Dead In Syria During Geneva Talks -- Time</b></span></div><br />Past three weeks were the deadliest of the entire conflict<br /><br />A human rights group tracking the death toll in Syria’s civil war reported on Sunday that nearly 6,000 people had died since the start of the latest, fruitless round of peace talks in Switzerland.<br /><br />At least 5,792 fighters and civilians died between the morning of Jan. 22 and midnight on Feb. 14—about 242 per day—making for the bloodiest period yet of the war since fighting broke out in March 2011, the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in statement. Putting that number into context, the conflict’s entire death toll didn’t reach 6,000 until early Feb. 2012, 11 months after the initial clashes.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://world.time.com/2014/02/17/report-almost-6000-dead-in-syria-during-geneva-talks/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><b><br />Update:</b> <a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/killing-in-syria-accelerates-as-both-sides-dig-in/1851434.html">Killing in Syria Accelerates as Both Sides Dig In</a> -- Voice of America<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> I have been tracking the death toll in Syria since the beginning .... and it is true that this past January was probably the worst month since the beginning of the uprising .... with fighting being reported in almost every part of the country.

6,000 Killed In Syria During The Geneva Talks

A Syrian rebel grabs his head as the smoke subsides, during fighting between the two sides in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus. Jan. 1...

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The Arab World Majority and Egypt

<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Concerning the Middle East and foreign influence</span></b><i><b> </b></i></div><br /><i><b>"...but I assure you the area will not be decided by Iran, or by Turkey, or by Russia, or by America, or Europe in the absence of the real power in this region which is the Arab World.  We are the majority of the population and Egypt is the biggest one!"</b></i><br /><i><b>-Amr Moussa</b></i><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yb1ilqHG0mc?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe>

The Arab World Majority and Egypt

Concerning the Middle East and foreign influence "...but I assure you the area will not be decided by Iran, or by Turkey, or by Russia...

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Recriminations Escalate Over The Failed Syrian Peace Talks

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh20pHzRk9dTO-9ziYkwlkogq1seURvenelDlfuqGfZA-qW5Wuny1RDwzQ-2suLTFTncXsW8O5XJN7tQfLDZfkAf4tABLRyTpPqGVbH8cxkCXrPsFCeMV_oeoTBnNPmRKVMOsc5fGUbCVU/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh20pHzRk9dTO-9ziYkwlkogq1seURvenelDlfuqGfZA-qW5Wuny1RDwzQ-2suLTFTncXsW8O5XJN7tQfLDZfkAf4tABLRyTpPqGVbH8cxkCXrPsFCeMV_oeoTBnNPmRKVMOsc5fGUbCVU/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gestures while speaking about climate change in Jakarta, Feb. 16, 2014.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Kerry: Russia Enabling Assad 'Terror' Against Syrian People -- Voice of America</b></span></div><br />JAKARTA — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Russia is enabling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's campaign of "terror" against his own people. In Indonesia, Kerry called on Moscow to do more to help bring about a political solution to the conflict through talks in Geneva.<br /><br />Secretary Kerry said Assad's forces continuing to barrel bomb civilians is evidence that the Syrian government is still pursuing a military solution to more than three years of violence.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-russia-enabling-assad-terror-against-syrian-people/1852696.html">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>More News On The Fallout From The Failed Syrian Peace Talks</b></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/us-syria-crisis-idUSBREA1G0R420140217">Syria peace talks failure spurs U.S.-Russia recriminations</a> -- Reuters<br /><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/140217/kerry-slams-russia-enabling-assad-stay-power">Kerry slams Russia for 'enabling' Assad to stay in power</a> -- Global Post/AFP<br /><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-02-17/kerry-warns-russia-to-stop-syria-aid-that-s-hurting-peace-talks">Kerry Warns Russia to Stop Syria Aid Hurting Peace Talks</a> -- Bloomberg Businessweek<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/kerry-says-russia-undermines-syria-talks/2014/02/17/c6e88386-979c-11e3-ae45-458927ccedb6_story.html">Kerry says Russia undermines Syria talks</a> -- Washington Post<br /><a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303945704579388011935105986?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303945704579388011935105986.html">Kerry Criticizes Russia for Enabling Syrian Regime </a>-- Wall Street Journal<br /><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-02-16/kerry-says-syrian-regime-obstructed-peace-talks-to-target-rebels">Kerry Says Assad Regime Obstructed Syria Peace Talks With Rebels</a> -- Bloomberg Businessweek<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/17/world/middleeast/syria.html">Kerry Blames Syrian Government for Deadlocked Talks</a> -- New York Times<br /><a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/02/17/Kerry-blames-Syria-regime-for-deadlocked-peace-talks/UPI-45201392620389/?spt=rln&or=1">Kerry blames Syria regime for deadlocked peace talks</a> -- UPI<br /><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/17/indonesia-kerry-syria-idUSL3N0LM12C20140217">Syria's Assad looks to win on battlefield, not through talks -Kerry</a> -- Reuters<br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/17/syrian-peace-talks_n_4800928.html?utm_hp_ref=world">Syrian Peace Talks: John Kerry Accuses Bashar Assad Of Stonewalling </a>-- Huffington Post/AP<br /><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/02/16/syria-foreign-minister-says-us-tried-to-create-very-negative-climate-for-geneva/">Syria blames US for creating 'negative climate' at Geneva talks</a> -- FOX News/AP<br /><a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/2/16/syria-us-blame-eachotherforfailureoftalks.html">Syria, US trade blame for failed talks</a> -- Al Jazeera<br /><a href="http://www.dw.de/uncertain-future-for-syria-peace-talks-after-round-two-ends-in-gridlock/a-17435941">Uncertain future for Syria peace talks after round two ends in gridlock</a> -- Deutsche Welle

Recriminations Escalate Over The Failed Syrian Peace Talks

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gestures while speaking about climate change in Jakarta, Feb. 16, 2014. Kerry: Russia Enabling Assad '...

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Execution Videos Reveal The Brutality Of ISIS Rule In Syria

<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YXdKrw9-Fwg" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>CNN Exclusive: Videos Show Brutality Of Syrian Opposition Group ISIS -- CNN</b></span></div><br />(CNN) -- The video clip lasts a mere 35 seconds. It's night. Six men, illuminated by a flashlight, are sitting with their hands tied behind their backs and with various types of blindfolds.<br /><br />More men huddle behind them in the dark. In front of them is a pit, apparently freshly dug, and on the other side of the pit sits another man similarly bound and blindfolded.<br /><br />Two seconds into the clip, someone says, "Jahiz?" "Ready?"<br /><br />At three seconds a man extends his right arm into the light, holding a pistol.<br /><br />At six seconds the first shot is fired into the back of the first man's head. The man with the pistol moves decisively, without hesitation, shooting one after the other in the back of the head. It would appear he has done this before many times.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/17/world/meast/syria-isis-leader-videos/index.html?hpt=hp_t1">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>Update #1</b>: <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/17/world/meast/syria-isis-addana/">CNN Exclusive: Syrian town left scarred by opposition group ISIS' brutal rule</a> -- CNN<br /><b>Update #2</b>: <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/04/opinion/bergen-al-qaeda-brutality-syria/?sr=google_news">A terror group too brutal for al Qaeda?</a> -- Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst<br /><br /><b>My Comment:</b> Peter Bergen's above commentary is a must read.

Execution Videos Reveal The Brutality Of ISIS Rule In Syria

CNN Exclusive: Videos Show Brutality Of Syrian Opposition Group ISIS -- CNN (CNN) -- The video clip lasts a mere 35 seconds. It's night....

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Watch the MONEY VELOCITY

<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">*****TREMENDOUS ECONOMIC DANGER***** </span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">U.S. ECONOMY is slowing</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Falling GDP Projections</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Disappointing Non-Farm Payroll Numbers</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Depreciating WAGES and BUYING POWER</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">NO LENDING and NO SPENDING</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The danger of HYPERINFLATION</span> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>LISTEN to Art Cashin who was recently interviewed on King World News:</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/Broadcast/Entries/2014/2/15_Art_Cashin_files/Art%20Cashin%202%3A15%3A2014.mp3" style="color: red;">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN</a> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trader Dan Norcini explains the FALLING MONEY VELOCITY (M2):</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://traderdannorcini.blogspot.com/2014/02/velocity-of-money-still-falling.html" style="color: red;">http://traderdannorcini.blogspot.com/2014/02/velocity-of-money-still-falling.html</a>  </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>...developing...</b></div>

Watch the MONEY VELOCITY

*****TREMENDOUS ECONOMIC DANGER***** U.S. ECONOMY is slowing Falling GDP Projections Disappointing Non-Farm Payroll Numbers Depreciating WAG...

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