22 November 2012, under the guise of helping West Bank officials put down Palestinian demonstrators, the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Central Command has sent in Israeli troops!
The IDF and Shin Bet (Sherut haBitachon haKlali, Israel Security Agency) say that 55 people have been arrested and accused of being terrorists.
“We offer all Muslims technological aid to stand up against arrogant powers and we offer them our experiences to defend their people.”-Major General Mohammad-Ali Jafari, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
What the IRCG general is saying is that Iran is helping the Gazans, but not by giving them the actual Fajr-5 MLRS (Multiple Launching Rocket System, Iranian news media incorrectly calls them ‘missiles’), but giving them the technological data to allow the Palestinians to build it for themselves.
The Fajr-5 launches an artillery rocket which supposedly has a range of 75 kilo-meters (47 miles).
Interesting, the Iranians are giving away their military technology (or selling it cheap with easy financing), while the U.S. and other western countries demand top dollar for theirs. If this war was rated by how economically efficient the combatants are then clearly the Palestinians are the victors.
Hamas Political Bureau Chief, Khaled Meshaal, thanked Iran for not only the technological help, but for the financing as well.
“As of November 20, 2012, 48 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 5,207 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 234 deaths….”-U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
In Louisiana, 15 new human cases and one death in the past week: “Not only do we continue to find more cases….we have three parishes reporting their first human cases of West Nile for the year. Clearly, this virus remains a threat, and it’s important to protect your health and avoid mosquito bites even as the weather gets colder and drier.”-Bruce D. Greenstein, Louisiana Dept. of Health and Hospitals
In Florida, health officials with the Alachua County Health Department are now saying the three people that tested positive for West Nile, when they tried to donate blood, actually tested negative! But officials with the Duval County Health Department say they’ve confirmed two more people have West Nile virus.
As of 21 November, California reports 424 human cases, 16 people have died. According to the Ventura County Environmental Health Division, another dead bird tested positive.
Pennsylvania reporting at least 49 human cases.
On 19 November, Texas confirmed 1,763 human cases, up nine from last week.
Tohoku University Professor, Toru Matsuzawa, says the biggest earthquake we should expect is magnitude 10. This is based on the Earth’s size and known faults (which have been increasing).
Last year japan suffered a magnitude 9 quake. In 1960 Chile got hit by a magnitude 9.5 quake. A magnitude 10 earthquake will be 32 times more powerful than a magnitude 9!
He says he is only warning people so they can prepare for the worst case scenario, after all, the people of Japan had always been told by officials that the strongest quake they could expect was magnitude 8, with three meter high tsunamis, and look what happened on 11 March 2011.
“In September, Staples announced a strategic plan to accelerate growth and better serve the evolving needs of customers. As part of this plan, we are reshaping our business in the U.K. to serve customers who increasingly shop with us online. We are actively working to support associates through this period of change.”-Staples response to questions about the store closings
21 November 2012, a couple of months ago Staples officials announced plans to shut down or downsize more than a hundred stores around the world.
It’s been revealed that a store in Barnstaple at Roundswell will close after Xmas. It’s one of 23 Staples stores in the United Kingdom to be closed.
Staples has been touted as the wunderkind of vulture crony capitalist Mitt Romney.
21 November 2012, Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamel Amir, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have issued a ceasefire declaration to become effective at 9pm Egypt time.
Clinton told reporters that she is looking forward to working with Egyptian officials to “push forward” the ceasefire agreement.
Clinton and Amir claim that officials from Hamas and Israel agreed to the ceasefire deal.
21 November 2012, a study in Japan is showing that seemingly mindless (unintelligent) chit chat with friends and loved ones actually increases your mind’s capabilities by increasing blood flow. It could also explain people who have long lives.
Some very old sisters were studied. Reporters asked them what their secret to their long lives were, and they admitted it was mindless chit chat, for at least four hours everyday. Their mother was part of the mindless conversations and she lived until she was 111 years old!
The sisters think their chit chat works because they laugh a lot. However, the scientists studying them discovered it was simply talking with a loved one that did the trick.
The researchers monitored the flow of blood into their brains as they talked to different people. They found no change in blood flow when they talked to strangers, but when they talked to loved ones there was an immediate increase in blood flow, even without laughter.
Here’s what the Japanese researchers concluded: Families that repress interaction are more likely to have problems, and shorter life spans. Therapeutic chit chat must also be conducted in an informal environment, it doesn’t work if the environment seems formal or serious, even if it’s done with loved ones. Mindless chit chat with loved ones greatly reduces dementia in older people, because the increased blood flow helps keep the mind fresh and exercised.
“The former management team of Autonomy was shocked to see this statement today, and flatly rejects these allegations, which are false. It took 10 years to build Autonomy’s industry leading technology, and it is sad to see how it has been mismanaged since its acquisition by HP.”-Mike Lynch, former CEO of Autonomy
21 November 2012, that’s the response to Hewlett Packard’s Meg Whitman accusations that Autonomy tricked the struggling computer and printer maker into buying them in 2011 (Whitman was not running HP at that time).
Whitman is blaming a surprise 3rd quarter net loss of $6.9 billion(!) USD on the Autonomy purchase. Compare that to same time last year when HP reported a $200 million profit.
The takeover of Autonomy was led by Leo Apotheker, who resigned as HP’s CEO a month later.
Whitman now says Autonomy officials used accounting tricks to hide gross “irregularities”. But here’s the problem; HP hired an independent auditor to go over Autonomy’s books, then hired another auditor to verify the first auditor’s conclusions. They both said the books were good to go!
Here’s another problem; the current board of directors for HP is still made up of almost every director that was involved in the Autonomy takeover.
Former Autonomy CEO, Mike Lynch, says HP is using the company he created as a scapegoat, to cover up other losses due to HP’s mismanagement.
HP also reported that almost all areas of their operation experienced drops in sales during their 3rd quarter, except for software which increased (and that included software from Autonomy).
Meg Whitman said 2013 is not going to be a good year: “Fiscal 2013 is going to be a fix-and-rebuild year for the company as critical changes to organizational structure take hold. We expect the underlying macro and industry head winds to continue as we enter 2013.”
19 November 2012
President Hamid Karzai continues to condemn the United States for not handing over total control of Bagram Prison. The handover was supposed to have taken place months ago, and even U.S. media outlets claimed it happened. Karzai, along with human rights groups, say the U.S. is not only still in control of prisoners, but they are even holding people proven innocent in court: “…reports by the Attorney General and the Military Police Commander, where it said that even prisoners who were presumed innocent by the court are still being held. In addition, there are people who, against the provisions of the MoU already signed, are newly imprisoned by the American forces.”-Afghan Presidential office statement
The office of Attorney General announced an investigation into corruption at the Afghan Embassy in Japan. It involves $9 million USD spent on the renovation of the embassy building. The $9 million was on top of the $5 million that was originally spent.
In Helmand Province, at Camp Bastion James Bond actor Daniel Craig made an appearance for the showing of the latest 007 movie, Sky Fall.
18 November 2012
ISAF said: “An International Security Assistance Force service member died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today.”
In Kandahar Province, a local cop from from Maiwand district joined the Mujahideen.
In Ghazni Province, local cops say the Mujahideen assassinated a man accused of spying for the government. However, witnesses from Laghwat village say the man was really killed during a firefight between Mujahideen and local cops.
Afghans buried the remains of 13 Afghan teenagers, executed by Iran. Iranian officials say they caught the teenagers smuggling drugs into Iran, which is punishable by death. Afghan officials say the teenagers went to Iran to look for work.
17 November 2012
President Karzai condemned Israel’s latest assaults on the open air concentration camp known as Gaza.
Afghan high peace council chief, Salahuddin Rabbani, said no peace without prisoner release. He is referring to Mujahideen being held in Pakistani prisons.
In Nuristan Province, the Afghanistan Central Bank was robbed of approximately $192,000 USD. It was three local cops who did it! Two of the cops were arrested, the other is on the lose.
Ooops! Mujahideen accidentally revealed about 500 email address of people who’re in contact with them. It includes government and social leaders, and even journalists: “Taliban have included all four of my email addresses on the leaked distribution list of 500 email addresses. Quite reassuring to my safety.”-Mustafa Kazemi, journalist
16 November 2012
ISAF said: “Two International Security Assistance Force service members died following an improvised explosive device attack in eastern Afghanistan today.”
In Farah Province, 17 people were killed when their mini bus ran over a landmine.
In Kandahar Province, Panjwai district, several landmines went off. In one case a 15 years old boy drove over a landmine causing him to lose a leg and hand. In another case, Afghan National Army soldier was wounded after driving over a landmine, and two local cops were killed, one wounded, after they drove over a landmine.
USMC General Joseph Dunford said U.S. personnel could remain in Afghanistan despite Obama’s claim to pull out troops by the end of 2014. Dunford is being considered by U.S. Congress to replace USMC General John Allen in Afghanistan. Dunford refused to tell Congress the exact numbers of personnel and equipment that will remain in Afghanistan after 2014.
In Badakhshan Province, Mujahideen went on the offensive, killing at least 12 cops in several separate attacks. They also managed to capture about 16 policemen.
There were no updates to the Battle for Char Chino.
“They will keep struggling until the economy levels off. This is just a reflection of the bad economic situation we’re living in with high unemployment and lower income.”-Maria Pia Chaparro, UCLA researcher
20 November 2012, according to reports from Rhodium Group, and Asia Society, California is now the top U.S. state for investments from Chinese investors, accounting for at least 25% of all Chinese investments (more than New York, Texas, Illinois and North Carolina combined).
In the past 12 years China has invested $1.2 billion USD into California. According to Rhodium Group, that’s expected to rise as high as $60 billion in the next eight years! Yet, for all the money China is throwing at the Golden State, the U.S. Census Bureau (The Research SUPPLEMENTAL POVERTY MEASURE: 2011) says California now has the highest rate of poverty in the United States; 23.5%, or one in four Californians in poverty! (Florida is second worst with 19.5%)
“We’re seeing a very slow recovery, with increases in poverty among workers due to more new jobs which are low wage…..California is struggling more because it’s relatively harder there to qualify for food stamps and other benefits.”-Timothy Smeeding, University of Wisconsin-Madison economist
The Census Bureau is using new poverty measures which finally take into account the cost of living (even including the taxes you pay), and California’s outrageous cost of living/taxation is the prime reason for the huge jump in official federal government poverty ratings. (I used to live there, and between the cost of living/taxation and overwhelming number of ludicrous laws I am amazed the people haven’t held a full blown revolution. No problem going on the rampage after the Rodney King verdict, but when it comes to the economy and their livelihoods I guess they like being raped by the Man)
But other reports say that while more and more working class Californians are hitting the skids, the rich elites are not only still making money, they’re making more and more money! Evidence of that is how much money rich Californians gave to political campaigns: “It’s very hard to pass an initiative, but it’s not that hard to defeat an initiative if you have money on your side.”-Kim Alexander, California Voter Foundation
According to MapLight rich Californians gave an estimated $350 million to support, or fight, the 11 propositions Californians just voted on. And that’s got to be lowballed, because, according to the Associated Press, just two rich Californians spent nearly $100 million trying to influence the voters on such things as higher taxes on out of state companies and making it easier for insurance companies to change their rates.
But while rich Californians are willing to spend money on elections, they don’t seem willing to spend money on bettering the economy. Back to the Chinese investors.
According to Chinese media reports, continued Chinese investing hinges on the U.S. Congress’s recent extension of the EB-5 visa program: “Under EB-5, an applicant is given permanent U.S. residency if his investment of at least $1 million leads to 10 full-time jobs within two years. The threshold is just $500,000 if the jobs created are in a rural or high unemployment area of the U.S.”-China Daily
This means that Chinese investing also involves people from China being able to move to the United States, as one California mayor admitted: “This can guarantee a steady rate of return for stimulating purchases of bonds (for publicly funded development projects), and people are able to immigrate because of EB-5, so you’ll see more of this in California.”-Jean Quan, mayor of Oakland
The Oakland mayor said that Chinese middle and upper income earners want to take advantage of the EB-5 program, as did Oakland businessman, Tom Henderson, who said his Chinese clients want to move to California through the EB-5 program which will help create new jobs: “We are bringing in $100 million to Oakland alone. Over the next 18 months, we’ll create 2,000 jobs in Oakland through the EB-5 program.”
The fact that California’s officials are putting so much of their hopes on China to save them economically, and that the U.S. rich have money but are spending it on things that do not stimulate the economy (California is considered the billionaire capitol of the world!), is proof that the elitist rich in the United States are unAmerican and a threat to U.S. National Security.