Category Archives: Uncategorized

How OPEC Weoponized the Price of Oil against U.S. Drillers

How OPEC Weaponized the Price of Oil against U.S. Drillers (Source Bloomberg) If there ever was doubt about the strategy of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, its wealthiest members are putting that issue to rest. Representatives of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait stressed a dozen times in the past six weeks that the group won’t curb output to halt the biggest drop in crude since 2008. Qatar’s estimate for the global oversupply is among the biggest of any producing country. These countries actually want — and are achieving — further price declines as part of an attempt to hasten cutbacks by U.S. shale drillers, according to Barclays Plc and Commerzbank AG. The four Middle East OPEC members are counting on combined reserve assets estimated by the International Monetary Fund at $826.4 billion to withstand the plunge in prices. Petroleum represents 63 percent of their exports. OPEC won’t reverse course even if oil prices fall as low as $20 a barrel or non-OPEC countries offer to help with production cuts, Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi said in an interview with the Middle East Economic Survey on Dec. 21. The kingdom may even bolster output if non-OPEC nations do so, he said. The global oversupply is 2 million barrels a day, or 6.7 percent of OPEC output, Qatar estimates. It wouldn’t be the first time U.S. drillers are caught up in an OPEC battle for market share. In 1986,Saudi Arabia opened its taps and sparked a four-month, 67 percent plunge that left oil just above $10 a barrel. The U.S. industry collapsed, triggering almost a quarter-century of production declines, and the Saudis regained their leading role in the world’s oil market.

U.S. and Russia in danger of returning to era of nuclear

US and Russia in danger of returning to era of nuclear rivalry(Source theguardian.com)A widening rift between Moscow and Washington over cruise missiles and increasingly daring patrols by nuclear-capable Russian submarines threatens to end an era of arms control and bring back a dangerous rivalry between the world’s two dominant nuclear arsenals. General Charles Jacoby, admitted the Pentagon faced “some significant challenges” in countering cruise missiles, referring in particular to the threat of Russian attack submarines. Those submarines, which have been making forays across the Atlantic, routinely carry nuclear-capable cruise missiles. In the light of aggressive rhetoric from Moscow and the expiry of treaty-based restrictions, there is uncertainty over whether those missiles are now carrying nuclear warheads.

Mind-altering Medication: Attention Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder Drugs

Mind-altering Medication: Attention Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder Drugs Greatly Decrease Academic Performance in Children (Source Natural News) Children who take mind-altering medications like Ritalin and Adderall for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been shown in a new peer-reviewed study to perform worse in school than if they weren’t taking the substances at all. Researchers from Princeton University, Cornell University and the University of Toronto found that the administration of these drugs to children, which is supposedly to help them remain calm and focus in class, actually leaves students at a deficit when it comes to paying attention and learning in a formal academic setting. These shocking findings reveal that increasing the use of stimulants isn’t helping children any more than loading them up with anti-psychotic medications helps them think more rationally. Once again, pharmaceutical drugs are shown to harm the normal thought process and inhibit natural human cognition.

Francis Picks 15 New ‘Princes’ From All Over

Francis Picks 15 New ‘Princes’ From All Over (Source newser.com) Pope Francis named 15 new cardinals today, selecting them from 14 nations, including far-flung corners of the world such as Tonga, New Zealand, Cape Verde, and Myanmar, to reflect the diversity of the church and its growth in places like Asia and Africa. Other cardinals hail from Ethiopia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Another is from Sicily, where the Church in recent decades has been galvanizing public rejection of the Mafia. Referring to the Vatican, Francis told faithful in St. Peter’s Square that the churchmen come “from every continent” and “show the indelible tie with the church of Rome to churches in the world.”

Fearing West, Putin pledges biggest military buildup since cold war

Fearing West, Putin pledges biggest military buildup since cold war (Source jewishworldreview.com)

Russia needs to launch a major military buildup to prepare for life in a dangerous world where international law is breaking down, the West feels free to intervene in sovereign countries, and rivals could invade Russia to seize its rich trove of natural resources, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned. He also warns that US plans to build a globe-spanning missile defense shield will have to be countered with new generations of weapons designed to keep Russia’s strategic nuclear deterrent effective. “We are forced to take decisive steps to bolster our national aerospace defense system to counter the US and NATO efforts in the deployment of missile defense,” Putin writes. “One cannot be ‘too patriotic’ about this issue. Russia’s military response to the global US missile shield, including its European part, will be effective and asymmetrical, a match for US missile defense policy.”

Russia and U.S. Nuclear Weapons Rivalry Feared

Russia and U.S. Nuclear Weapons Rivalry Feared; Russian Attack Robots Prepared to Protect Ballistic Missiles (Source au.ibtimes.com) The growing tension between Russia and the United States over cruise missiles and the daring patrols of Russian nuclear submarines is threatening to bring back the arms rivalry between two of the world’s most dominant nuclear forces. The U.S. has warned it will take action in retaliation for the new cruise missile Russia had recently developed. According to the Guardian, the U.S. had accused Russia of violating one of the key arms treaties in the Cold War. Washington said Moscow had raised the possibility of redeploying its cruise missiles in Europe after 23 years. On Dec. 26, the U.S. military had launched the first two experimental “blimps” over Washington. Previous reports said that the system, known as JLENS, was designed to detect incoming cruise missiles. Although the North American Aerospace Command did not indicate the reason for the system’s deployment, it came after Norad commander Gen. Charles Jacoby had admitted that the Pentagon was dealing with challenges in countering cruise missiles. He referred to the specific threat posed by Russia’s attack submarines. The Russian submarines have been reportedly venturing across the Atlantic carrying nuclear-capable cruise missiles as a routine. Moscow’s aggressive stance and the expiry of treaty restrictions, political analysts have speculated about the contents of the missiles and the possibility of them carrying nuclear warheads. Amid the Ukraine conflict and Russia’s sinking economy, Russian President Vladimir Putin is putting more emphasis on his country’s nuclear weapons as symbols of great influence. He has earlier warned other countries in a speech last summer that they should not “mess” with Russia.

Monsanto’s Roundup Weedkiller’

Monsanto’s Roundup ‘Weedkiller’ (Glyphosate) Feeds Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Study Finds (Source greenmedinfo.com) The nightmarish toxicological profile of Roundup herbicide (glyphosate) continues to emerge within the peer-reviewed research, this time revealing its role in supporting the growth of a pathogenic bacteria of great medical significance. A concerning new study published in the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology titled, “Influence of glyphosate in planktonic and biofilm growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” indicates that the world’s most widely used herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) may be contributing to the enhanced growth of the pathogenic bacteria P. aeruginosa in our environment. The Brazilian team responsible for the study noted: “Glyphosate is probably the herbicide most discharged into the environment. Due to its extensive use in the protection of crops, it is inevitable that it will reach surface and deep waters, especially after rainfalls.” P. aeruginosa is commonly found in watercourses and reservoirs in both oxygen (aerobic) and non-oxygen preferring forms (anaerobic), and can be a source of waterborne infection. The results of the new study indicate that when exposed to varying concentrations of both glyphosate (a common contaminant found in GM agricultural runoff) and oxygen, both the aerobic the anaerobic and biofilm forming strains of this bacteria can thrive.

The United States of Debt

The United States of Debt: A Ticking Time Bomb (Source cbn.com) The debt exceeded for the first time $18 trillion. We have been in the red in all but four of the last 40 years. That’s $18,000,000,000,000. We all know that $18 million is a lot of money. This is $18 million times another million. The number is so gigantic we won’t or can’t try to fathom it. In just the last seven years — the last under George W. Bush and the first six under Obama — the debt has increased by roughly $7.4 trillion. That’s 10 times the entire debt incurred in our first 200 years as a nation. This is one of the first times in American history (the post-Vietnam War era is the other) that we have opened up the flood gates on borrowing even at a time when we’ve severely slashed the military budget. Here is the biggest worry about an $18 trillion debt. What happens if/when interest rates start to drift back upward? Answer: this is the economic equivalent of the nuclear option. Each one percentage point rise in rates causes the U.S. deficit to rise by more than $1 trillion over 10 years. So a 300 basis point rise in rates – nothing more than a return to normalcy – would mean about $5 trillion in federal deficits. If that happens, the debt servicing costs grow astronomically and interest payments would become the biggest expense item in the budget. We start to pay more and more taxes just to finance past borrowing. This is what happened in Detroit; look at how that turned out.

From Energy War to Currency War

From Energy War to Currency War: America’s Attack on the Russian Ruble (Source globalresearch.ca)

Some may think that the drop in the Russian ruble’s value is a result of the market acting on its own while others who recognize that there is market manipulation involved may turn around and blame it on the Russian government and Vladimir Putin. This process, however, has been guided by US machinations. It is simply not a result of the market acting on its own or the result of Kremlin policies. It is the result of US objectives and policy that deliberately targets Russia for destabilization and devastation. Putin stated that the drop in the value of the Russian ruble was obviously provoked primarily by external factors. It is clear that Russian business and trade ties have been redirected to the People’s Republic of China and East Asia. On the occasion of the Sino-Russian mega natural gas deal, this author pointed out that this was not as much a Russian countermove to US economic pressure as it was really a long-term Russian strategy that seeks an increase in trade and ties with East Asia. From the perspective of Russian Presidential Advisor Sergey Glazyev, the US is waging its multi-spectrum war against Russia to ultimately challenge Moscow’s Chinese partners. According to Presidential Advisor Sergey Glazyev, Washington is trying to destroy and weaken Russia, causing it to fragment, as they need this territory and want to establish control over this entire space. We have offered cooperation from Lisbon to Vladivostok, whereas they need control to maintain their geopolitical leadership in a competition with China, he has explained, pointing out that the US wants lordship and is not interested in cooperation. Alluding to former US top diplomat Madeline Albright’s sentiments that Russia was unfairly endowed with vast territory and resources, Putin also spoke along similar lines at his December 18 press conference, explaining how the US wanted to divide Russia and control the abundant natural resources in Russian territory. The currency war eventually will rebound on Washington and Wall Street. The energy war will also reverse directions. Already, the Kremlin has made it clear that it and a coalition of other countries will de-claw the US in the currency market through a response that will neutralize US financial manipulation and the petro-dollar. In the words of Sergey Glazyev, Moscow is thinking of a systemic and comprehensive response aimed at exposing and ending US political domination, and, most importantly, at undermining US military-political power based on the printing of dollars as a global currency.

 

Israeli digging causes collapse near Western Wall

Israeli digging causes collapse near Western Wall (Source iran-daily.com) Israeli excavations under the al-Aqsa Mosque have caused collapse just meters away from the Western Wall of East al-Quds (Jerusalem). The wall is located at the foot of the western side of Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, one of the most important religious sites in the Israeli-occupied Old City of al-Quds (Jerusalem), Press TV reported. The collapse came in an area in Silwan south of al-Aqsa where the tunnels dug by the Israelis start. Following the incident, the Israeli police sealed off the site and forbade anyone from approaching it. The Palestinian archeological community has accused Tel Aviv of purposefully damaging Islam’s third-holiest mosque. “The strong can force their will. Look at the Roman Court in Jerusalem al-Quds. The Israelis turned it into a temple, although, it is not related to Judaism,” said Palestinian archeologist Ibrahim al-Fanni. “The Israelis invented their own history and the Palestinians failed to look into their own past. Israelis continue with their excavations to create historical identity for themselves.” Palestinian officials are worried about the political implications and how the excavations could affect the Palestinian main street. They have warned about outburst of violence should anything happen to al-Aqsa Mosque. “This was expected. Experts have always warned of such an outcome and there is a real possibility of damage to al-Aqsa Mosque,” said Esmat Mansour, expert on Israeli affairs. “If these activities harmed the mosque in any way, the entire region will be set on fire because protecting al-Aqsa is a duty for every Muslim and Arab citizen.”