Is there a connection betwwen animal mass deaths and the deadly flu outbreak in China?

Dead Pigs, Ducks And Now Black Swans: China's Animal Apocalypse Crosses Into The Twilight Zone | Zero Hedge

First it was thousands of dead pigs floating in the Shanghai water supply (at last estimate over 16,000), then a thousand dead ducks were pulled from a river in the Sichuan province, and now, pushing the meme beyond even its most grotesque boundaries, we learn that five black swans were found floating lifeless on the pond of Anhui University’s old campus in Hefei, traditionally inhabited by a bevy of black swans. From Danwei: "The latest instance of floating dead animals in China – first pigs, then ducks, and now black swans – these mere five black swans became an object of heated discussion on the Internet right after the announcement was made. How did they die? Was it a natural disaster or another man-made one? As Star News tells us today, upon hearing of the news yesterday it immediately sent a journalist to the scene to find out exactly what happened. What he found was just one more filthy pond filled with oily water and garbage."
Ok, maybe there is no deep symbolism mystery to this latest black aflocalypse, which may be explained simply by unprecedented local pollution, unless of course many more "fat tails" continue keeling over in a very literal sense.
However, just when it appeared safe to discard the latest media reports of mass animal aquatic burials, an odd wrinkle appears, one which may tie the proverbial animal apocalypse room together.
Recall that as we have discussed repeatedly, the biggest bogeyman facing China is the importation of blistering hot money sourced by Bernanke and his printing brethren. While China may (or may not) be able to temper real estate inflation which has been the preferred target of inbound capital, the one place the Politburo certainly can not afford a price surge is in the cost of its most popular food product: pork. Should this key diet staple become unaffordable to the hundreds of millions of domestic consumers, the Arab Spring would seem like a balmy walk in the park inside a gated community. Which means that no matter what, the price of pork (and to a smaller extent soy) has to be kept as low as possible, especially with the upcoming delayed aftereffects of last summer's US corn drought which led to a mass liquidation of animals, especially pigs. Recall from last September that "The "mass liquidation" of animals - which Rabobank said will pick up pace in the beginning of 2013 - will contribute to food prices hitting new highs. The cost of pork is expected to rise at the fastest pace - by 31% by the end of June next year." Algos may have forgotten about this very key fact, but China sure hasn't.
So what are the Chinese behind the scenes powers doing about this potentially massive problem? Ironically, they may just be those responsible for the mass pig slayings witnessed in recent weeks. From Wantchinatimes:

The recent incident in which thousands of dead pigs were found floating in Shanghai's main river has further hit pork prices in China, with the sector already experiencing falling demand, according to local media reports.

Weekly data from the country's Ministry of Commerce released on March 20 showed that wholesale prices of pork has fallen for four consecutive weeks as of March 17, with the accumulated decline over the period touching 8%.

Pork prices in the country were undergoing a seasonal decline after Chinese New Year, but the recent scandal has rotted demand, Chinese business news site Caixin said.

Even United States Treasury secretary Jacob Lew ordered vegetarian dumplings instead of dumplings stuffed with pork when he dined out during his recent visit to China.

The Chinese government's guidelines on official conduct, including the restrictions imposed on holding official banquets, is another factor affecting pork demand, driving down prices to levels resembling a crash, Caixin said.

Figures posted by industry information website Soozhu showed that average hog prices dropped to 12.5 yuan (US$2) a kilogram on March 19, and the pace of its decline touched a near-decade high.

The National Development and Reform Commission, China's economic planner, said it is closely monitoring pork prices and would intervene if the market downturn persists.

E-commerce giant Alibaba's website covering the agricultural sector said pork has seen three market cycles during the past decade, with each cycle becoming shorter and price fluctuations becoming steeper.

Pig farmers began expanding capacity two years ago when pork prices surged, leading to the current situation of excess supply, local reports said.

Crush prices through revulsion about potentially spoiled meat? Not a bad plan, and one which so far may have worked. However, how long before the mean reversion wave sets in, and the deferred consumption of pork comes back with a vengeance? What happens when the artificial reduction of pig supply leads to a surge in prices once demand goes back to normal as the locals forget all about the recent floating pigs?
How much longer will the Politburo then be able to pretend there is no inflation in the one country where the food component as a percentage of overall CPI is a whopping 30%, compared to under 8% in the US?
And what happens to those key inflationary offsets once the rampant inflation wave strikes back with a vengeance? Recall that is was soaring Chinese inflation in early 2011 that set off the great scramble for gold as the local population was buying the shiny metal hand over fist, in the process pushing the price of gold from $1300 to $1900 in nine months.

The question then is: will the fading of the floating pig scandal from the collective memory be the inflection point when Chinese food inflation finally explodes, and takes the price of gold with it, and concurrently is the gating factor that forces the PBOC to demand at the next G20 meeting that the liquidity spigots in the "developed nations" be promptly shut or else.
It is surprising how much may depend on the fate of a few floating dead pigs: so much so that the concurrent death of black swans makes so much more sense, both literally and figuratively.

Damascus fast turning into Baghdad: At least 13 killed, more than 70 injured as massive car blast rocks central Damascus - Syrian state TV

At least 13 killed, more than 70 injured as massive car blast rocks central Damascus - Syrian state TV — RT News

 

A massive car explosion which hit central Damascus on Tuesday morning left at least 13 people dead and 70 others injured, according to Syrian state TV. The incident took place in Marjeh district, a historic part of the capital. The blast went off near the Semiramis Hotel and a building which once housed the country’s Ministry of Interior Affairs. The ministry had earlier been moved to another site. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog is cited by AFP as saying the car bomb was detonated by the former ministry building's back door. Eyewitnesses say they heard a powerful explosion and then saw thick, black smoke rising from behind a group of buildings. Activists reported gunfire was heard in the area immediately after the explosion. A resident of Damascus, living 1.7km from the blast site, said the explosion shook the doors of her house. "It must be huge for me to hear it like that. Casualties must be horrific because it is a super busy square at this time of day," she told Reuters via Skype. Al-Ikhbariya TV described the blast as a terrorist explosion. It comes a day after Syrian Prime Minister Wael Halqi survived an attempted bombing assassination in central Damascus.

Photo from sana.sy (R. Milhem/Ghossoun)

Photo from sana.sy (R. Milhem/Ghossoun)

Photo from sana.sy (R. Milhem/Ghossoun)

Photos from sana.sy (R. Milhem/Ghossoun) 

End of Euro? Clash of Titans: Franco-German ties crack as Hollande slams Merkel

Clash of Titans: Franco-German ties crack as Hollande slams Merkel - YouTube

 

Published on Apr 29, 2013

The partnership, which used be the heart of EU decision-making, is now set for cooler times. Francois Hollande's ruling Socialists in France have attacked the German Chancellor for acting only in her country's interests in a draft document on European policy. Although party officials later said the strong words would be removed, the sting reflects growing EU resentment against German austerity. RT discusses it all with investment adviser Patrick Young.

H7N9 declared ‘one of the most lethal’ flu viruses ever: spreads beyond China mainland -1st case reported in Taiwan

H7N9 declared ‘one of the most lethal’ flu viruses ever: spreads beyond China mainland -1st case reported in Taiwan | The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond

by The Extinction Protocol

April 24, 2013 – CHINA - A new bird flu strain that has killed 22 people in China is “one of the most lethal” of its kind and transmits more easily to humans than another strain that has killed hundreds since 2003, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert said on Wednesday. The H7N9 flu has infected 108 people in China since it was first detected in March, according to the Geneva-based WHO. Although it is not clear exactly how people are being infected, experts say they see no evidence so far of the most worrisome scenario – sustained transmission between people. An international team of scientists led by the WHO and the Chinese government conducted a five-day investigation in China, but said they were no closer to determining whether the virus might become transmissible between people. “The situation remains complex and difficult and evolving,” said Keiji Fukuda, the WHO’s assistant director-general for health security. “When we look at influenza viruses, this is an unusually dangerous virus for humans,” he said at a briefing. Another bird flu strain – H5N1 – has killed 30 of the 45 people it infected in China between 2003 and 2013, and although the H7N9 strain in the current outbreak has a lower fatality rate to date, Fukuda said: “This is definitely one of the most lethal influenza viruses that we’ve seen so far.” Scientists who have analyzed genetic sequence data from samples from three H7N9 victims say the strain is a so-called “triple reassortant” virus with a mixture of genes from three other flu strains found in birds in Asia. Recent pandemic viruses, including the H1N1 “swine flu” of 2009/2010, have been mixtures of mammal and bird flu – hybrids that are more likely to be milder because mammalian flu tends to make people less severely ill than bird flu. Pure bird flu strains, such as the new H7N9 strain and the H5N1 flu, which has killed about 371 of 622 the people it has infected since 2003, are generally more deadly for people. The team of experts, who began their investigation in China last week, said one problem in tracking H7N9 is the absence of visible illness in poultry. Fukuda stressed that the team is still at the beginning of its investigation, and said that “we may just be seeing the most serious infections” at this point. Based on the evidence, “this virus is more easily transmissible from poultry to humans than H5N1,” he said. Besides the initial cases of H7N9 in and around Shanghai, others have been detected in Beijing and five provinces. On Wednesday, Taiwan’s Health Department said a businessman had contracted H7N9 while travelling in China and was in a serious condition in hospital. Samples from chickens, ducks and pigeons from poultry markets have tested positive for H7N9, but those from migratory birds have not, suggesting that “the likely source of infection is poultry,” said Nancy Cox, director of the influenza division at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. John Oxford, a flu virologist at Queen Mary University of London, said the emergence of human H7N9 infections – a completely new strain in people – was “very, very unsettling. This virus seems to have been quietly spreading in chickens without anyone knowing about it,” he told Reuters in London. Flu experts say it is likely that more cases of human infection with H7N9 flu will emerge in the coming weeks and months, at least until the source of infection has been completely confirmed and effectively controlled. Anne Kelso, the Melbourne-based director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza said there has been a “dramatic slowdown of cases” in the commercial capital of Shanghai, which has recorded most of the deaths, something she described as “encouraging.” –Yahoo News

The new ‘normal’ in police state America: SWAT teams order innocent Americans out of their homes at gunpoint – Mike Adams

The new ‘normal’ in police state America: SWAT teams order innocent Americans out of their homes at gunpoint – Mike Adams | Dprogram.net

(NaturalNews) – In a police state, citizens have no rights and can be ordered around at the whims of a militarized police force whose goons run around in black uniforms, terrorizing the populace. Welcome to Boston, 2013. The police state is running wild in this city, and it has reached the point where innocent families are being ordered out of their own homes by screaming, aggressive, ‘roid-head SWAT teams armed with overwhelming firepower.
This is what has emerged from a secret YouTube video that had to be covertly filmed while ducking behind a window.
Click here to watch the shocking video.
But this was only the beginning of the police state action. In a desperate manhunt for the suspects involved in the Boston marathon bombing, Boston police rolled down neighborhood streets in armored assault vehicles, aiming guns directly at citizens and completely abandoning every applicable provision of the Bill of Rights
As this one photo shows, one member of the local police aims his M4 rifle directly at the homeowner taking the photo from a second-story window:

This was all done under the justification of “exigent circumstances,” which means, according to the police, that the government can ignore ALL laws and ALL due process and simply do whatever it wants.
If the police wanted to loot all your jewelry, steal your car and rape your cat, they could have gotten away with it by claiming “exigent circumstances.”
The media reported that all these searches were “voluntary,” but the truth is that this is raw tyranny, unfolding right here in America, where the government does whatever it wants because it has all the guns and the population is completely defenseless to say “No!” (And with this in mind, the government now wants everybody across the country to be completely defenseless and disarmed!)

Why Bostonites welcome police state tyranny

Of course, these people who live in Watertown, Massachusetts love to live under police state tyranny. They hate the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and personal privacy. They hate private citizens owning guns to defend themselves, and they love to see ultra-militarized police pointing guns at them and ordering them out of their homes.

That makes them feel “secure.” As long as the government has all the guns, it’s all okay, you see: breaking an entering, kidnapping of homeowners, the threat of the use of violence against those who refuse to comply… these are all signs of “security,” according to Bostonites.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg couldn’t agree more. In a frightening statement that seems yanked right out of “1984,” Bloomberg now says the interpretation of the Constitution will “have to change” to allow for more security and less privacy:
We live in a complex word where you’re going to have to have a level of security greater than you did back in the olden days, if you will. And our laws and our interpretation of the Constitution, I think, have to change.”
Keep in mind that Bloomberg surrounds himself with armed guards when he’s out in public, but he doesn’t believe in your right to defend yourself with armaments. It’s just one small example of the runaway hypocrisy being shoveled at the highest levels of government.

“Lockdown” means martial law

During all this, the city of Boston was in an undeclared state of martial law. The government tried to put a nice-sounding spin on it by calling it a “lockdown” that urged residents to “shelter in place.” What they didn’t explain, however, is that anyone who refused to comply could be arrested, detained and interrogated.
Remarkably, the local residents complied! Hiding in their homes, shivering with raw fear, 400,000+ Bostonites were scared out of their minds by one armed teenager! So they let the police take away all their rights and turn their city into a Constitution-free zone.

They probably loved it, too, as some can be seen on local news reports worshipping the police and thanking them for trampling all over their rights and freedoms.
Why not just bow down and lick their paramilitary boots? Why not launch a new “Church of Government” and perform worship services every Sunday that depict the local police as gods?
These people are beyond pathetic. They are the antithesis of what America was founded on. They are, literally, anti-Americans.
And it’s not surprising that they were harboring a couple of terrorists, too. They were popular guys, partying with the locals and reportedly having a lot of local friends. That’s not surprising because terrorists and socialists go hand in hand. They agree on almost everything: freedom is bad, killing people is good, and the rules and laws don’t matter. Both terrorists and socialists agree that carrying out their agenda is far more important than abiding by any laws, rules or “rights” of citizens.
So I’m actually not surprised the Tsarnaev brothers were recruited and trained in Boston. It’s hard to think of a better example of a city where the people are just begging to be overrun by violence in one form or another.

What happens when “exigent circumstances” goes national?

There’s a bigger question in all this, by the way: What happens during an economic collapse or larger-scale event that impacts the entire nation? Does the federal government just declare “exigent circumstances” on a nationwide basis, then start yanking families out of their homes anywhere it wants?
Is this proclamation — “exigent circumstances” — supposed to magically nullify all laws, rules, due process and rights of private citizens? Because it DOESN’T. The Constitution does not become null and void solely because a bunch of armed goons are chasing down one armed teenager. The Fourth Amendment is not nullified just because a bunch of people (allegedly) got their legs blown off by some mad bomber.
The government cannot pick and choose when the Constitution applies, yet with each passing day that spineless people like those in Boston roll over and let the police state bully them around at gunpoint, our freedoms erode just a little bit more.
That’s exactly what people like Bloomberg, Biden and Obama really want, of course. And that’s why the more bombings occur, the more government grabs power and turns the citizens into slaves.
Source: Natural News

Death toll rises to 193 from China’s 6.6 magnitude earthquake: 1.4 million houses damaged

Death toll rises to 193 from China’s 6.6 magnitude earthquake: 1.4 million houses damaged | The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond

April 23, 2013 – CHINA – The death toll in China’s earthquake rose to 193 today with over 12,000 injured in the catastrophic disaster, as rescue work was hampered by rain and 3,000 aftershocks. In the latest figures released here, Chinese officials said 193 people had been killed and 23 people have to be accounted for. Over 1.40 million houses were damaged by the quake affecting the lives of over two million people in the Lushan County of the Sichuan province which was struck by 7.0 magnitude quake on Saturday. The places recorded over 3000 aftershocks measuring up to 5.4 in magnitude, making the rescue work more difficult. Also new threats and hazards began to loom large today as rescue and relief efforts entered a fourth day. Rain began lashing the area, hampering relief work and posing threats such as rain-triggered landslides and possible outbreaks of disease. According to the National Meteorological Center, moderate rain will linger in the quake-hit region over the next few days, adding to difficulties in carrying out relief work. “Such weather is hampering our rescue and relief work, and it’s risky to operate large machines under such conditions,” Zhang Yefu, an engineer who is leading a team to build makeshift shelters in Lushan county, was quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency as saying. Sanitation conditions in the region are far from satisfactory as there is not enough clean water and locals are in need of toilets. “People in the town are drinking water from wells or mountain springs, but we have no idea if it is clean enough or adequate,” said 43-year-old Yang Yumei, from the township of Lingguan in Baoxing which is one of the counties that was worst-hit by the quake. Zhang Zuyun, deputy head of Sichuan Provincial Health Department, said providing safe and clean drinking water to locals is a problem, noting that some people are suffering from diarrhea. Zhang said the local health authority is trying to send a water quality testing machine to the town. –Zee News

China earthquake aftermath: Many dead, thousands injured & homeless - YouTube

China earthquake aftermath: Many dead, thousands injured & homeless - YouTube
 

Published on Apr 21, 2013

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake has hit south-western China, killing at least 203 people and injuring thousands - READ MORE: http://on.rt.com/cs4dys

Dozens believed killed, hundreds injured in Texas fertilizer plant explosion

Dozens believed killed, hundreds injured in Texas fertilizer plant explosion (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

A massive explosion has rocked a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas. Dozens are feared dead and more than 160 were injured in the disaster. Rescuers have to deal with toxic fumes contaminating the neighborhood. Follow LIVE UPDATES on Texas plant explosion

 Plant explosion registers as an earthquake, levels buildings

The explosion occurred Wednesday around 7:50pm local time [00:50 GMT Thursday] in the town of West, north of Waco. A fireball of nearly 30 meters high has been reported along with a massive power outage. The US Geological Survey registered the explosion as a 2.1 magnitude quake, adding that “the magnitude measures only the ground motion, not the air wave, so is substantially less than the true size of the event.”

The neighborhood itself sustained significant damage, with buildings close to the explosion literarily leveled. The Department of Public Safety reported that 50 to 75 residences have been damaged in West. DPS spokesman DL Wilson compared the scale of destruction to the wartime Iraq and the 1995 bombing of the Albert P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

The remains of a fertilizer plant burn after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas early April 18, 2013 (Reuters / MikeThere is no official fatality count yet. Police reported that between five and 15 people are estimated to have been killed, including the firefighters responding to the initial fire at the plant and a law official. Dozens are feared to have died in the disaster. image by @NewsBreaker

More than 160 people have been confirmed to be taken to hospitals, police reported. At least 24 patients were earlier said to be in a critical condition. Most of the injuries were from cuts, bruises and broken bones from the debris, authorities said. The blast wave shattered glass and sent objects and people flying. There are also patients with respiratory problems. Medical officials say high winds in the area made the use emergency helicopters to transport patients difficult.
Read More:  Dozens believed killed, hundreds injured in Texas fertilizer plant explosion (PHOTOS, VIDEO) — RT USA

 

Blasts in Boston and Iraq, 7.8 quake in Iran

Boston blasts: Investigators scour crowdsourced evidence 

The FBI-led investigation into Monday’s Boston Marathon blasts may rely on amateur photos and videos as law enforcers try to identify the culprits behind the suspected terrorist attack. 71

 

Black Monday in Iraq: 55 killed, almost 300 injured in series of attacks

A string of bombings across Iraq has claimed at least 55 lives, injuring 300 more, on Monday. The surge in violence comes barely a week ahead of Iraq hosting elections for the first time since US withdrawal from the country. 80

 

 

  

Dozens feared dead after strong earthquake rocks Iran, Pakistan -- state media

(CNN) -- At least 40 people are feared dead in Iran following a powerful earthquake near its border with Pakistan, Iran's state-run Press TV reported Tuesday, citing local reports.

The earthquake was preliminarily measured at 7.8 magnitude, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Interactive map: World's biggest earthquakes since 1900

The epicenter was 53 miles east-southeast of the Iranian town of Khash, 103 miles northeast of Iranshahr and 123 miles south-east of Zahedan, according to the USGS.

 

 

 

Flash Gordon has landed - US Navy readies ‘laser attack’ weapons system for 2014 deployment

US Navy readies ‘laser attack’ weapons system for 2014 deployment | The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond

April 13, 2013 – TECHNOLOGY – The laser system will be deployed in 2014, two years ahead of schedule, aboard the USS Ponce, an amphibious transport ship retrofitted as a waterborne staging base, the Navy said Monday. Chief of Naval Research Admiral Matthew Klunder said the cost of one blast of “directed energy” could be less than $1. “Compare that to the hundreds of thousands of dollars it costs to fire a missile, and you can begin to see the merits of this capability,” he said in a US Navy statement. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Naval Sea Systems Command successfully tested high-energy lasers against a moving target ship and a remotely piloted drone. “The future is here,” ONR official Peter Morrision said. “The solid-state laser is a big step forward to revolutionizing modern warfare with directed energy, just as gunpowder did in the era of knives and swords.” The laser runs on electricity, so the weapon “can be fired as long as there is power,” and is a lot safer than carrying explosives aboard ships. The New York Times, which said the USS Ponce would deploy to the Gulf, noted the Pentagon had a “long history of grossly inflating” claims for experimental weapons. Navy officials had acknowledged that the prototype laser was not yet strong enough to bring down a jet fighter or a missile, although those remained the long-term targets, The Times reported. A March 14 report from the non-partisan Congressional Research Center said the new weapon was a potential game-changer in naval warfare. “Compared to existing ship self-defense systems, such as missiles and guns, lasers could provide Navy surface ships with a more cost effective means of countering certain surface, air, and ballistic missile targets,” the report read. Equipping Navy ships with lasers “could lead to changes in naval tactics, ship design and procurement plans for ship-based weapons, bringing about a technological shift for the Navy – a ‘game changer’ – comparable to the advent of shipboard missiles in the 1950s,” it added. –Physics

What's causing all these sinkholes worlwide? Russian city being ‘eaten alive’ by epidemic of sinkholes

Russian city being ‘eaten alive’ by epidemic of sinkholes | The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond

April 10, 2013 – RUSSIA – They may look like stills from an apocalyptic horror film, but these images have become a daily reality for residents in a Russian city. Citizens of Samara, in south east Russia, live in fear of the ground literally disappearing beneath them after huge sinkholes have started to appear all over their city, leaving devastation in their wake. The yawning underground caverns are all believed to have sprung up in recent weeks swallowing cars, buses and claiming at least one life. The sinkholes, some large enough to swallow an entire truck, are believed to have been caused by ground subsidence. It is thought the holes have been caused as ice thaws and melts into the ground, with the excess water causing soil decay underneath Samara’s roads. The massive craters have appeared in car parks, busy intersections, by the sides of roads, and on major and minor thoroughfares. It is believed at least one person has lost their life as a result of one of the crashes caused by the sinkholes. The citizens of the city have now signed a petition urging authorities to find a solution. Sinkholes are common hazards in mining regions, plaguing areas where miners have burrowed into layers of soluble minerals and accidental floods have followed. But natural sinkholes can take thousands of years to form and vary in size. They are usually the result of what are known as Karst processes, which occur when a layer of rock such as limestone underneath the ground is dissolved by acidic water. Typically rainfall seeps through the soil, absorbing carbon dioxide and reacting with decaying vegetation. As a result, the water that reaches the soluble rock is acidic. The acidic water then erodes the soluble rock layers beneath the surface creating cavernous spaces. Then, when it is no longer supported because of the cavity below, the soil or sand over the limestone collapses into a sinkhole. The collapse of the surface can happen suddenly or over a few hours. Heavy rainfall or poor drainage systems can trigger a collapse. Citizens in Berezniki, Russia, have also been plagued by sinkholes. Census data, though, shows that about 12,000 people left the town between 2005 and 2010, after a number of holes opened up. They are also common in Florida, America.  Jeff Bush, 37, was swallowed into a sinkhole and killed while he slept in his bed in February in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. –Daily Mail

The Road to Armageddon: Iran vows to defend North Korea in any war with the U.S. – UK to upgrade nuclear deterrent

Tripwire to Armageddon: Iran vows to defend North Korea in any war with the U.S. – UK to upgrade nuclear deterrent | The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond

April 10, 2013 – NORTH KOREA - The deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Masood Jazayeri announced that Iran will stand by North Korea and defend it in a war between the United States and North Korea. Jazayeri made the statement on Friday, April 5.  He blamed increasing tensions in the Korean peninsula on “excessive demands by the United States,” which he said was “tightening the noose on North Korea.”  The Iranian military leader said that those aggressive activities on the part of the U.S. left the North Koreans with no option but to confront the “big Satan. The nation and government of North Korea has always been subject to threat, despotism, and imperialism by the U.S, therefore they consider it their right to boost their own defensive power in order to inhibit their enemy,” said Jazayeri.  “The time is long past that the United States can bully other countries.” And just to make sure Americans understand he means business, Jazayeri warned that “America and her allies will suffer countless thousands of victims” should Iran and North Korea be provoked into a war with the U.S. The Iranian commitment to stand with North Korea is another move in an escalating exchange of verbal hostilities – considered by many to be mostly posturing – and military maneuvers that North Korea, South Korea and the U.S. have engaged in over the past several months. The regime of Kim Jung Un has been issuing increasingly threatening announcements, including its boast that it has authorized the nation’s military to launch a nuclear attack on the United States. After reports that the regime had moved its second missile to the country’s east coast, South Korea deployed two warships with missile defense systems. Early last week the United States announced that it would deploy its advanced ballistic missile defense system  in the Pacific in a direct response to increased threats from North Korea. While most countries with a diplomatic presence in North Korea expressed dismay over the escalating tensions, the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed its support for North Korea. North Korea and Iran have been on friendly terms since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. In September of 2012, the two nations signed an agreement to cooperate on “science technology and education,” which many sophisticated observers understood to mean that North Korea will be – indeed already is – assisting Iran on its path to nuclear weaponization. A 2011 United Nations report said Iran and North Korea are suspected of sharing ballistic missile technology, and both have been sanctioned by the UN Security Council for their nuclear and ballistic missile programs. -Jewish Press

Tax on Deposits Means Stealing Your Money-Gerald Celente

Tax on Deposits Means Stealing Your Money-Gerald Celente - YouTube

Published on Mar 31, 2013

http://usawatchdog.com/u-s-provoking-... Gerald Celente of The Trends Journal.com says the Cyprus banking crisis is coming to America. Celente explains, "Tax on deposits? Can any adult say stealing your money?" What about the recent lackluster performance of gold and silver? Can it still protect you? Celente says, "Suppose you can't get your money out of the banks. Suppose they just screwed you. You need food or fuel. You'd like a couple of pieces of gold or silver in your hand. You think that would buy you anything?" On the subject of Homeland Security stockpiling hollow point ammunition, Celente says, "That we are even having this discussion shows how fascist things have become. How much of history has to be repeated before we see it is repeating itself, again?" Join Greg Hunter as he goes One-on-One with Gerald Celente Publisher of the Trends Journal