Russia launches major military drills set to rattle Kiev (Source AFP)

Russia launched large-scale military drills on Ukraine’s eastern border and around the Crimean peninsula, in the latest exercises set to rattle Kiev and the West.

The defence ministry said 12,500 servicemen are taking part in the drills across its southern military region, which encompasses Russia’s volatile North Caucasus and the annexed Crimea region.

The Russian navy in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea are taking part in the exercises, the ministry said, adding that planes and weaponry are also being used in the exercises.

The exercises will test the army’s ability to “plan, prepare and carry out military actions,” the ministry said in a statement.

Russia last month conducted a large-scale snap drill, putting its troops on full combat readiness in military districts bordering Ukraine and the Baltic States.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine spiked over the summer after Moscow accused Kiev of attempting armed incursions into Crimea.

Russia has recently beefed up its military might in Crimea — delivering its most advanced air defence system, the S-400, to the peninsula last month.

Ukraine and its Western allies have been locked in a bitter confrontation with Russia since Moscow seized the strategic region from Kiev in March 2014.

Kiev and its Western allies have accused Moscow of pouring troops and weapons across Ukraine’s porous eastern border to fuel a separatist conflict that has cost almost 10,000 lives since April 2014.

US-led military alliance NATO has vowed to boost troop levels in eastern Europe in response to fears in Poland and the Baltics over Russian expansionism.

Moscow has slammed the decision, accusing NATO of working to counter a “non-existent threat.”

This America, This House Divided, Cannot Stand (Source globalresearch.ca)

In an election cycle that has scored the lowest in human decency, civilized behavior and speech – from Maine’s Gov. Paul LePage to Donald J. Trump; a cycle characterized by hate, viciousness, competing scandals, voluminous unproven allegations, scapegoats, fear-mongering, incitements to violence, death threats, and general moral decline bordering on decadence, I advise no child be exposed to any of it – none! These public displays are not examples of an “indispensible”, “exceptional” and “greatest” nation in the world. Great leaders don’t sink to adolescent catcalls, jeering mockery, vulgar insults and verbal abuse, or instigate violence. Great nations don’t threaten other countries and sovereigns with regime change, assassination or war if they recoil from its political and economic diktats.

Said about some people can be said of some Americans: They don’t ever point out a pink elephant in the room! They sweep it under the rug. If it is too big to hide, they blame it on Putin, Russia, China, terrorists, foreign hackers, socialists, environmental fascists, “baby killers”, atheists, Black Lives Matter, welfare cheats, humanists, tax-and-spend liberals – even FDR.

Be a “good American” – don’t question? Stand in line, keep your mouth shut and believe what you’re told to believe?

Don’t ever question the corrosiveness of fiercely competitive dog-eat-dog living at a vulture stage of capitalism where selfishness and profiteering are virtues and mutual cooperation and respect are Deadly Sins?

Most importantly, don’t ever, ever, ever, ever, ever question the Second Amendment?”.

Finally, don’t ever say America is a divided nation when almost every American AGREES on how divided it really is.

Somewhere underneath the rising rubble formed by collapsing jobs, wages, infrastructure, institutions and civility; underneath citizens chaotically spinning and dizzy from civil, political, religious, gender and culture wars; awash in high-velocity propaganda and psychological conditioning; witnessing neighbors thrash against other neighbors and identity groups and wedge issues fight for supremacy over others … is to be found … America.

But this historic and singular melting pot of immigrants, ethnics, races and creeds, this America, this house divided, cannot stand.

Colin Kaepernick Is Righter Than You Know: The National Anthem Is A Celebration Of Slavery (Source uproxx.com)

San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. When he explained why, he only spoke about the present: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. … There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Almost no one seems to be aware that even if the U.S. were a perfect country today it would be bizarre to expect African American players to stand for the Star Spangled Banner. Why? Because it literally celebrates the murder of African Americans.

The Star Spangled Banner, Americans hazily remember, was written by Francis Scott Key about the Battle of Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. But we don’t ever talk about how the War of 1812 was a war of aggression that began with an attempt by the U.S. to grab Canada from the British Empire. However, we’d wildly overestimated the strength of the U.S. military. By the time of the Battle of Fort McHenry in 1814, the British had counterattacked and overrun Washington, D.C., setting fire to the White House. And one of the key tactics behind the British military’s success was its active recruitment of American slaves. As a detailed 2014 article in Harper’s explains, the orders given to the Royal Navy’s Admiral Sir George Cockburn read:  Let the landings you make be more for the protection of the desertion of the Black Population than with a view to any other advantage. … The great point to be attained is the cordial Support of the Black population. With them properly armed & backed with 20,000 British Troops, Mr. Madison will be hurled from his throne. Whole families found their way to the ships of the British, who accepted everyone and pledged no one would be given back to their “owners.” Adult men were trained to create a regiment called the Colonial Marines, who participated in many of the most important battles, including the August 1814 raid on Washington. Then on the night of September 13, 1814, the British bombarded Fort McHenry. Key, seeing the fort’s flag the next morning, was inspired to write the lyrics for the Star Spangled Banner. So when Key penned “No refuge could save the hireling and slave / From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,” he was taking great satisfaction in the death of slaves who’d freed themselves. His perspective may have been affected by the fact he owned several slaves himself. With that in mind, think again about the next two lines: “And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave / O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” The reality is that there were human beings fighting for freedom with incredible bravery during the War of 1812. However, the Star Spangled Banner glorifies America’s “triumph” over them — and then turns that reality completely upside down, transforming their killers into the courageous freedom fighters.

After the U.S. and the British signed a peace treaty at the end of 1814, the U.S. government demanded the return of American “property,” which by that point numbered about 6,000 people. The British refused. Most of the 6,000 eventually settled in Canada, with some going to Trinidad, where their descendants are still known as “Merikins.”

Furthermore, if those leading the backlash against Kaepernick need more more inspiration, they can get it from Francis Scott Key’s later life. By 1833 Key was a district attorney for Washington, D.C. As described in a book called Snowstorm in August by former Washington Post reporter Jefferson Morley, the police were notorious thieves, frequently stealing free blacks’ possessions with impunity. You can decide for yourself whether there’s some connection between what happened 200 years ago and what Colin Kaepernick is angry about today. Maybe it’s all ancient, meaningless history. Or maybe it’s not, and Kaepernick is right, and we really need a new national anthem.

World seeing ‘greatest monetary policy experiment in history’ – Rothschild (source RT)

Low interest rates, negative yields on government debt and quantitative easing are part of the biggest financial experiment in world history, and the consequences are yet unknown, says RIT Capital Partners Chairman Lord Rothschild.

“The six months under review have seen central bankers continuing what is surely the greatest experiment in monetary policy in the history of the world. We are therefore in uncharted waters and it is impossible to predict the unintended consequences of very low interest rates, with some 30 percent of global government debt at negative yields, combined with quantitative easing on a massive scale,” Rothschild writes in the company’s semi-annual financial report.

The banker notes this policy has led to a rapid growth of stock markets – US stocks have grown threefold since 2008 – with investments growing and volatility remaining low.

However, the real sector of economy didn’t enjoy such a profit, as “growth remains anemic, with weak demand and deflation in many parts of the developed world,” according to Rothschild.

The billionaire underlined that many risks remain for the global economy with the deteriorating geopolitical situation. Among those risks Rothschild included Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, the US presidential election, and China’s slowing economic growth. Another risk is global terrorism, which Rothschild says is a consequence of the continuing conflict in the Middle East.

According to a Bank of America Merrill Lynch report in June, interest rates in developed countries, in particular America’s 0.5 percent, are now at the lowest level in 5,000 years. In their battle against deflation, countries such as Sweden, Switzerland or Japan have even turned to negative key lending rates.

Another woe is negative yields on government bonds. In June, 10-year German government bonds dipped below 0 percent for the first time in history. Janus Capital has estimated that global yields are the lowest in 500 years, and the total amount of such bonds is $10 trillion. The investment group’s lead portfolio manager, Bill Gross, is calling it a “supernova that will explode one day.”