Gold Oil Dollars Russia and China

Gold Oil Dollars Russia and China (Source New Eastern Outlook)
The 1944 Bretton Woods international monetary system as it has developed to the present is become, honestly said, the greatest hindrance to world peace and prosperity. Now China, increasingly backed by Russia—the two great Eurasian nations—are taking decisive steps to create a very viable alternative to the tyranny of the US dollar over the world trade and finance. Wall Street and Washington are not amused, but they are powerless to stop it.

For several years both the Russian Federation and the Peoples’ Republic of China have been buying huge volumes of gold, largely to add to their central bank currency reserves which otherwise are typically in dollars or euro currencies. Until recently it was not clear quite why. Now it’s clear why. China and Russia, joined most likely by their major trading partner countries in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), as well as by their Eurasian partner countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are about to complete the working architecture of a new monetary alternative to a dollar world. Currently, in addition to founding members China and Russia, the SCO full members include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and most recently India and Pakistan. This is a population of well over 3 billion people, some 42% of the entire world population, coming together in a coherent, planned, peaceful economic and political cooperation. If we add to the SCO member countries the official Observer States—Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia, states with expressed wish to formally join as full members, a glance at the world map will show the impressive potentials of the emerging SCO. Turkey is a formal Dialogue Partner exploring possible SCO membership application, as are Sri Lanka, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia and Nepal. This, simply said, is enormous. Until recently Washington think tanks and the Government have sneered at the emerging Eurasian institutions such as SCO. Unlike BRICS which is not made up of contiguous countries in a vast land-mass, the SCO group forms a geographic entity called Eurasia. When Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the creation of what then was called the New Economic Silk Road at a meeting in Kazakhstan in 2013, few in the West took it seriously. The name officially today is the Belt, Road Initiative (BRI). Today, the world is beginning to take serious note of the scope of the BRI.

Earthquake Off Mexico Kills Dozens, Sparks to Tsunami Warning

Earthquake Off Mexico Kills Dozens, Sparks Tsunami Warning (Source nbcnews.com)

The death toll from the most powerful earthquake to hit Mexico in 100 years kept climbing Friday as rescue crews searched through the ruins of collapsed buildings in the coastal areas closest to the epicenter. As of Friday evening, the National Emergency Committee said 58 had died in the earthquake, according to Mexico’s civil defense chief Luis Felipe Puente. Hardest hit were southern states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, but tremors from the temblor that hit just before 1 a.m. ET were felt 460 miles away in Mexico City. Thousands of pajama-clad residents fled into the streets to escape their shaking houses.

 

Massive Sunspots and Solar Flares: The Sun Has Gone Wrong and Scientists Don’t Know Why (Source Newsweek)

If you still have your solar viewing glasses from the eclipse, now is a good time to slap them on and look up at the sun. You’ll see two big dark areas visible on our star. These massive sunspots are regions of intense and complicated magnetic fields that can produce solar flares—bursts of high-energy radiation. You can just make them out with solar viewing glasses, but they’re better viewed through a solar telescope. These two huge sunspots are currently causing quite a bit of consternation and interest. The solar storms they’ve sent toward Earth may affect communications and other technologies like GPS and radio signals. They’re causing amazing displays of the Northern and Southern Lights. The sun goes through 11-year cycles of solar activity. What scientists call a solar maximum is the time in the cycle when the sun is putting out the most energy. That’s when we tend to see the most sunspots, solar flares and associated solar storms. Some solar maxima are larger or more active than others—such as the 1990-1991 solar max. But this last cycle, which peaked in 2014, was quite small, and there were few large geomagnetic storms. We’re heading into the bottom of solar minimum, when the sun tends to have fewer sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections—large expulsions of plasma, electrons and ions, and magnetic fields. But despite where we are in the sun’s cycle, activity on the sun has dramatically picked up over the past few days. On and off, these two sunspots have been flaring and shooting out coronal mass ejections, directed toward Earth. So what’s going on with the sun? And should we be concerned about this somewhat out-of-character solar behavior?

Massive data breach at Equifax: As many as 143 million SS Number Hacked

MASSIVE DATA BREACH AT EQUIFAX: AS MANY AS 143 MILLION SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS HACKED (Source Zero Hedge)

Credit-reporting company Equifax shocked investors, and more than a third of America, when it announced on Thursday afternoon that hackers had breached its data systems, compromising the personal information of approximately 143 million U.S. consumers. The information accessed “primarily includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers.” In other words, pretty much everything that should have been hidden behind an n-number of firewalls, is now available to the dark net’s highest bidder. The company, which in delightful irony offers credit-monitoring and identity-theft protection products to “guard consumers’ personal information”, said that it had learned of the incident on July 29, 2017, at which point it reported the intrusion to law enforcement and contracted a cybersecurity firm to conduct a forensic review: based on the company’s investigation, the unauthorized access occurred from mid-May through July 2017. Oddly enough, it took shareholders and over a third of America, more than a month longer to learn that all their personal data may have been compromised.

As if 143 million leaked social security numbers wasn’t enough, Equifax said that criminals also accessed credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 U.S. consumers, and certain dispute documents with personal identifying information for approximately 182,000 U.S. consumers. But wait, there’s more: the company also identified unauthorized access to limited personal information for certain UK and Canadian residents.

The good news, is that according to Equifax, “this issue has been contained.” The bad news is that, well, as many as 143 million social security numbers have been hacked. So no, it’s not contained.

 

 

 

 

Plastic is in more than 80% of Tap Water around the world

 Plastic is in more than 80% of TAP WATER around the world and could penetrate organs, scientists warn (Source dailymail.co.uk)

US has the highest contamination rates at 93%, followed by India and Lebanon. France, Germany and the UK have the lowest levels, which are still 72%. Overall, 83% of water samples from nations around the world are affected. Current water filtration systems do not effectively remove plastic from supplies. The health implications of drinking water contaminated with plastic are unclear. More than 80 per cent of the world’s tap water is contaminated with plastic, new research reveals. The US has the highest contamination rate at 93 per cent, followed by Lebanon and India. France, Germany and the UK have the lowest levels, however, they still come in at 72 per cent. Overall, 83 per cent of water samples from dozens of nations around the world contain microplastics. Scientists warn microplastics are so small they could penetrate organs.

 

Abe and Putin to hold summit Thursday in Vladivostok

Abe and Putin to hold summit Thursday in Vladivostok (Source japantimes.co.jp) A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been set for Thursday in the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok, the presidential office announced Friday. The bilateral summit will be held on the sidelines of a two-day meeting of the Russia-led Eastern Economic Forum starting Wednesday. Japan and Russia have agreed to conduct joint economic activities on and around four Russia-held, Japan-claimed islands off Hokkaido. One of the focuses of the summit will be whether they can agree to quickly start the projects. Ahead of the meeting, Nikolai Patrushev, an aide to Putin and secretary of Russia’s Security Council, will visit Japan to finalize the topics to be discussed by the two leaders. This may also include North Korea. The four islands were seized by the former Soviet Union at the end of World War II. The territorial dispute has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from concluding a peace treaty to formally end World War II.

 

North Korean Crisis Reveals America’s Dangerous Economic Dependence

North Korean Crisis Reveals America’s Dangerous Economic Dependence on China(Source breitbart.com)

When President Trump said on Sunday that America would consider stopping all trading with countries doing business with North Korea, critics responded by saying this would mean economic ruin for the United States. This is a shocking admission that the cost of economic globalism has been the compromise of American independence. And it should rally Americans to the cause championed by Donald Trump as he campaigned for the presidency, the cause of economic nationalism.

Consider that after decades of indoctrination about the blessings of global trade, Americans are now told that our economic prosperity is dependent on trade with foreign nations, particularly China. Free trade has shackled us from taking serious action to thwart North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. The numbers are startling. China is North Korea’s largest trading partner–and Trump’s talk of cutting off trade was clearly aimed at China. But China is also the largest trading partner with the U.S., with nearly $650 billion in goods and services traded between the two nations. Countless more products in America contain parts assembled by Chinese workers. You may even be reading this on one of them. “If bilateral trade between the U.S. and China goes away, American stores shelves are empty,” former Bush administration Treasury spokesman Taylor Griffin told NBC News recently. You’re not going to have anything to sell in Walmart…There’ll be no iPhone 8 for you.” According to Griffin, if the U.S. cuts off trade with China, the consequences would be “apocalyptic.”

FEMA Chief, Miami Beach Mayor Warn: GET OUT NOW

FEMA CHIEF, MIAMI BEACH MAYOR WARN: “GET OUT NOW, THIS IS A DEVASTATING, NUCLEAR HURRICANE” (Source Zero Hedge)

After laying waste to the Northern Caribbean and leaving most of bankrupt Puerto Rico without power – perhaps for months – Hurricane Irma, still a category five storm, is expected to make landfall near Miami this weekend. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has already declared a state of emergency, and last night more than 100,000 Miami-Dade residents in Miami Beach and low-lying mainland areas were instructed to leave their homes by Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who issued his first evacuation order. Now, FEMA Chief Brock Long says that the storm will have a “truly devastating” impact when it slams into southern coastal areas of the US, adding that people in Florida and other states must heed evacuation orders after the storm killed more than 10 people in the Caribbean. “Bottom line is the majority of people along the coast have never experienced a major hurricane like this. It will be truly devastating,” he told CNN. While mandatory evacuation orders have so far only been issued in parts of Florida, Brock expects similar orders to be issued for Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina within the next 48 hours, Long said: “The entire southeastern United States better wake up and pay attention,” he added. The mayor of Miami Beach Philip Levine also warned that Irma could have an impact of “nuclear” proportions, though it was unclear if he was referring to the two nuclear power plants that lie directly in the path of the hurricane. “We have talked to people in your city who say, ‘We ain’t going,’” CBS4’s Hank Tester told Levine. “I hate to hear that. I’ll do anything in my power to convince them this is a very serious storm. This is a nuclear hurricane.

 

North Korea warns US faces ‘GREATEST DISASTER’ only hours after testing hydrogen bomb (Source express.co.uk)

The hermit kingdom’s state media released a “severe warning” to the US after its “perfect” nuclear test. The article in the North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun said: “If the US persists in its hostile policy towards the DPRK and makes a showdown with the latter to the end, while denying the strategic position of the DPRK, it will only face the final miserable end.” It also said that the recent missile strike over Japan was a “great demonstration of the invincible might” of North Korea. Meanwhile Kim Jong-un’s other mouthpiece, the Korean Central News Agency said: “If the US imperialists awkwardly provoke the DPRK, they would not be able to escape from the greatest disaster.

“Do not forget even a moment that sharp ultra-modern strike means aim at the US. This is a severe warning of Songun Korea.”

The rogue state on Sunday morning announced it had “successfully” detonated a hydrogen bomb which sparked a huge 6.3 magnitude artificial earthquake in the region. And it tested as 10 times more powerful than North Korea’s fifth nuclear test, according to a South Korean weather agency. It has also been reported that it could be 5 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki during the Second World War. Foreign secretary Boris Johnson described the test as “reckless” and said the nation’s development of a hydrogen bomb “unquestionably presents a new order of threat”.

He also put pressure on China to do more to dissuade Pyongyang from pursuing its nuclear program. Donald Trump took to Twitter to express his outrage at the test: “North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States. “North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success. “South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing.”

US Beefs Up Baltic Air Patrol as Russia War Games Loom

US Beefs Up Baltic Air Patrol as Russia War Games Loom (Source military.com) The United States on Tuesday sent extra jet fighters to patrol the skies over Baltic states to reinforce its NATO allies as Russia gears up for major military drills, Lithuania’s defence ministry said. Seven US F-15 fighter jets landed at the country’s northern Siauliai military air base, where NATO member Poland ran patrols using four jets over the last four-month rotation. The beefed up contingent arrived two weeks ahead of massive military exercise “Zapad 2017” (“West”) in neighboring Russia and Belarus.

Lithuanian intelligence has warned that the “exercise scenario will simulate an armed conflict with NATO” but Moscow on Tuesday insisted they would be “purely defensive” and not directed against any specific enemy. According to Russian deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin, the drills will involve 12,700 troops, but critics, Lithuania included, claim there could be as many as 100,000. Belarus’ military chief of staff Oleg Belokonev indicated Tuesday the exercises’ scenario involves an assumed threat from neighbors to the west and said that the number of troops participating will be “13,800 servicemen.” NATO has been guarding Baltic skies since 2004, when Lithuania and fellow Baltic states Latvia and Estonia joined the defence alliance but lacked the air power to monitor their own airspace.

 

Putin says pressure on North Korea is both ‘futile’ and a ‘dead-end

Putin says pressure on North Korea is both ‘futile’ and a ‘dead-end road’(Source cnbc.com)

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the U.S. and others to avoid going down a “dead-end road” with North Korea on Friday, adding only dialogue without pre-conditions could resolve the crisis.

“Russia believes that the policy of putting pressure on Pyongyang to stop its nuclear missile program is misguided and futile,” Putin said in an article published overnight by the Kremlin, ahead of the BRICS summit in Xiamen, China. “The region’s problems should only be settled through a direct dialogue of all the parties concerned without any preconditions. Provocations, pressure and militarist and insulting rhetoric are a dead-end road,” he added. North Korea has conducted a flurry of missile tests in recent weeks amid escalating international unease, prompting Putin to weigh in on Friday and warn that the ongoing geopolitical dispute is “balancing on the brink of a large-scale conflict.”

Medical cannabis can be a lifeline for those suffering from severe pain

Medical cannabis can be a lifeline for those suffering from severe pain (Source chicagotribune.com) Our nation’s addiction to opioids has been building for 10 years and Illinois’ failed medical cannabis policies compound this problem, putting our patients at a dangerous and potentially deadly disadvantage. The Tribune reported on President Donald Trump’s declaration labeling the opioid epidemic a national emergency. As a seasoned orthopedic surgeon, I can attest to the devastating effects opioid dependency has on my patients, their families and friends, and our society as a whole. It is a critical public safety issue that must be addressed immediately. A 2014 study published in JAMA analyzed the association between states with medical cannabis laws and opioid overdose mortality rates. The study concluded that states with medical cannabis laws had a nearly 25 percent lower annual opioid overdose mortality rate in comparison to states without such laws. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid overdoses kill 91 Americans every day. While this is tragic, the more obscure storyline is of those who are heavily addicted to these drugs trapped in a deep fog on a downward spiral — often a race to the bottom. These are mothers, fathers, neighbors, even our youth. Physicians must have access to every available resource to help our patients reach their maximum potential and live the best quality of life possible. The problem is that Illinois is discriminating against patients who suffer from severe pain — severe pain caused by our inability to treat the underlying conditions or when our surgical and medical treatments are unsuccessful. If you live in California, Minnesota, New York or any other of the 26 states that have legalized cannabis for pain — you are entitled to better treatment options than people in Illinois. This is a flawed policy that calls for immediate corrective action. From a clinical perspective, I have witnessed how medical cannabis has helped these patients. While the nation debates how to counter the opioid crisis, access to medical cannabis must be at the center of these discussions.