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Monday 1 June 2015

Search for remnants from a fireball over the Illawarra and Sydney

© Kevin Walsh/Flickr
Wollongong astronomer David Finlay says meteorites like this could have fallen in areas in north western Sydney following sightings of a fireball over the Illawarra and Sydney on Sunday evening.

    
Reports of a bright, fragmenting fireball visible from the Illawarra and Sydney on Sunday evening has Wollongong astronomy enthusiast David Finlay on the hunt to find out what happened after it disappeared, with the chance people could have a meteorite on their property.

If Sunday evening's striking pink sunset across the Illawarra wasn't enough, about an hour later there was another exciting event in the sky.

Wollongong astronomy enthusiast David Finlay says he's getting reports from people in Wollongong and Sydney who saw a bright meteor with a glowing orange head blazing through the sky, leaving a green tail behind.

"I've been told just before it got to the horizon, it exploded and fragmented," Mr Finlay says.

"That description of it exploding and breaking up is a key indicator that the object that created this meteor may have been big enough to leave meteorites on the ground.

"We can narrow down the search area and maybe notify people that live in the area there may be meteorites on the ground from this event."

David runs the Facebook page Australian Meteor Reports, where people can share their sightings.

Sunday evening's event prompted several people to jump on the page and report what they saw.

"I witnessed an enormous meteorite descending from the sky and breaking up before crashing to the Earth around what I think was Hornsby Heights/Dural area. Please, tell me that someone else saw this?" Amber Stofka wrote.

"I felt two small tremors. I posted a status to see if anyone in the Blacktown area felt it, but when I came back on I was amazed at the post about the green fireball looking thing that crashed to the Earth after exploding. Would really love to find out if my account of the tremor had something to do with the green fireball," Tracey Wilson wrote.

David Finlay now wants more reports and dash cam footage from people who also saw it.

To accurately plot the meteor's path, he needs as many reports as possible.

"I ask where were you, where were you looking and where did it disappear, and I'll put all those observations on Google maps and draw lines along the ground and in the areas where the lines meet up, that's where I notify people.

"We have observations from people in different areas and I'll get them to give me a report.

"The last few events I've been involved in we didn't find anything but the search areas were much better."

He says if the fireball did become a meteorite - space debris that survives its impact with Earth - there may be remnants around the Richmond or Mount Tomah areas in north west Sydney.

Weather conditions on Sunday evening were mostly cloudy, meaning people weren't able to see it easily.

"If it stopped vapoursing, it's either completely burnt up or cooled up enough so that it makes it to the ground, and I'm betting that it's cooled down enough to leave meteorites on the ground," Mr Finlay says.

Texas tyranny: Waco judge to let bikers go — only if they sign contract promising not to sue for wrongful arrest

© Unkown

    
Earlier today, detainees in the Jack Harwell Detention Center in Waco were told that in exchange for bond reductions, they must sign a document stating the Waco police "had the right to arrest the inmate and that he/she will not file a lawsuit against McLennan County and/or the City of Waco."

On the two-week anniversary of the "shootout at high noon" at the Twin Peaks restaurant between motorcyclists and law enforcement officers, at least 170 people remain detained on $1 million bonds.

This latest information was reported to an attorney representing at least one of the detainees. "It appears the public defenders office in McLennan County is involved in this scurrilous activity," said Paul Looney, a Houston attorney with Looney & Conrad, P.C. "I've never seen anything like the lawlessness that the authorities have perpetrated on these people and now to add insult to injury they are trying to cover their own tracks in exchange for bond. I will be in the reception area of the McLennan County D.A.'s office tomorrow morning at 8:30 with the intention of not leaving until we have the issue of bond resolved."

"They know these people aren't dangerous or they wouldn't be offering the bond reductions and they know the police and the D.A.'s office have violated the law and now they are trying to hold people hostage until they agree to waive their rights. It's unconscionable," said Clay S. Conrad, Looney's law partner.

© Waco PD

    
One family member of a biker summed up the news like this:

In other words, the Waco PD is putting a gun to the head of the accused by holding their freedom for ransom. "If you want out, give us a pass."

Such a thing is nothing short of extortion! If they refuse, they intend on continuing to hold them on the $1-million bond.

Let that sink in for a moment. The Waco PD and feds would have you believe that nearly 170 Americans, whom are locked away, are so dangerous, that they cannot be trusted with freedom. Yet, if they'll agree to absolve the Waco PD of any crime, suddenly they're outstanding citizens?

Like I've been telling you since the beginning, these men and women were kidnapped to attain their silence. They were kidnapped to protect the Waco Police from having to answer for their crimes. And we can prove it, now.

The Waco Police wants absolution for murdering 9 people, and kidnapping and abusing 170 witnesses. But they want to circumvent the legal system. They don't want their crimes to be exposed to the public.

This is another case of government believing that they are above justice. We cannot allow such a thing to happen. The truth needs to known, and it needs to spread from coast-to-coast. If they get away with it in Waco, they'll do it again. Maybe next time, you'll be the target.

If you are family of any of the victims who are being held for ransom by the Waco Police, do NOT agree to sign this document. The Waco Police shall not avoid the inevitable day when the truth comes out in court. True justice is coming! And the Waco Police will soon be exposed for their crimes against the victims of the Waco massacre. The dead and the kidnapped deserve true justice, and that won't come with silence, it will come with the exposure of the truth.

Researchers confirm fructose causes more weight gain, physical inactivity and body fat deposition than glucose

    
In the last 40 years, fructose, a simple carbohydrate derived from fruit and vegetables, has been on the increase in American diets. Because of the addition of high-fructose corn syrup to many soft drinks and processed baked goods, fructose currently accounts for 10 percent of caloric intake for U.S. citizens. Male adolescents are the top fructose consumers, deriving between 15 to 23 percent of their calories from fructose--three to four times more than the maximum levels recommended by the American Heart Association.

A recent study at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois found that, matched calorie for calorie with the simple sugar glucose, fructose causes significant weight gain, physical inactivity, and body fat deposition.

The paper, "Fructose decreases physical activity and increases body fat without affecting hippocampal neurogenesis and learning relative to an isocaloric glucose diet," was published in .

"The link between increases in sugar intake, particularly fructose, and the rising obesity epidemic has been debated for many years with no clear conclusions," said Catarina Rendeiro, a postdoctoral research affiliate at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and lead author on the study. "The reality is that people are not only consuming more fructose through their diets, but also consuming more calories in general.

"One of the key questions is whether an increase in fructose intake contributes to obesity in the absence of excessive calorie intake."

The researchers, under the direction of Justin Rhodes of Beckman's NeuroTech Group and professor of psychology at Illinois, studied two groups of mice for two-and-a-half months: one group was fed a diet in which 18 percent of the calories came from fructose, mimicking the intake of adolescents in the United States, and the other was fed 18 percent from glucose.

"The important thing to note is that animals in both experimental groups had the usual intake of calories for a mouse," said Rendeiro. "They were not eating more than they should, and both groups had exactly the same amount of calories deriving from sugar, the only difference was the type of sugar, either fructose or glucose."

The results showed that the fructose-fed mice displayed significantly increased body weight, liver mass, and fat mass in comparison to the glucose-fed mice.

"In previous studies, the increases in fructose consumption were accompanied by increases in overall food intake, so it is difficult to know whether the animals put on weight due to the fructose itself or simply because they were eating more," Rhodes said.

Remarkably, the researchers also found that not only were the fructose-fed mice gaining weight, they were also less active.

"We don't know why animals move less when in the fructose diet," said Rhodes. "However, we estimated that the reduction in physical activity could account for most of the weight gain."

"Biochemical factors could also come into play in how the mice respond to the high fructose diet," explained Jonathan Mun, another author on the study. "We know that contrary to glucose, fructose bypasses certain metabolic steps that result in an increase in fat formation, especially in adipose tissue and liver."

The precise mechanisms are still being investigated, but one thing is certain: high intake of fructose by itself adds pounds.

"We designed this study based on the intake of fructose by adolescents in the United States," said Rhodes. "Our study suggests that such levels of fructose can indeed play a role in weight gain, favor fat deposition, and also contribute to physical inactivity. Given the dramatic increase in obesity among young people and the severe negative effects that this can have on health throughout one's life, it is important to consider what foods are providing our calories."

FLASHBACK: Study finds eating bacon could extend your lifespan

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© Flickr/cookbookman17

    
Bacon-lovers, you're in luck: a new study from researchers at ETH Zurich has revealed that niacin (aka Vitamin B3) could help you live longer! The niacin-rich food menu includes not only bacon, but also Marmite, sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, and peanuts; so, this pretty much sounds like the most delicious recipe for long life ever.

Energy Metabolism Prof Michael Ristow and his team decided to feed roundworms a bunch of niacin, and discovered that the new element in the worms' diet saw them living one-tenth longer than their Vitamin B3-free peers. This evidence is surprising to the science community, because niacin promotes the formation of "free radicals," which have long been theorized to actually cause aging in organisms.

Ristow's findings go against the largely accepted theory that food rich in antioxidants can prevent aging by eliminating free radicals. "The claim that intake of antioxidants, especially in tablet form, promotes any aspect of human health lacks scientific support," said Ristow. Instead, the Zurich scientists posits that "[c]ells can cope well with oxidative stress and neutralise it."

Basically, Ristow is suggesting that niacin is perfect for every couch potato who hates fruit. "Niacin tricks the body into believing that it is exercising - even when this is not the case," said Ristow. Next up for Ristow's team is testing the theory on mice.

So, for now, just know that pretty much everything you eat either does or does not cause aging. Perfect!

ISIL militant received U.S. State Dept.-sponsored training

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The US State Department has confirmed that ISIL militant Colonel Gulmurod Khalimov was trained on American soil by Blackwater.

    
The US State Department has confirmed that an ISIL militant who calls for terrorist attacks against the United States in a new online video was trained on American soil by Blackwater.

Officials told CNN on Saturday that Colonel Gulmurod Khalimov, a former head of Tajikistan's special forces, took part in counterterrorism courses as part of a program sponsored by the State Department.

Blackwater Worldwide, which is now known as Academi and is based in McLean, Virginia, is the most notorious private security firm that had operated in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In his online video, Khalimov appears in black ISIL clothing with a sniper rifle and a bandolier of ammunition, claiming that he attended programs on American soil three times.

[embedded content]


State Department spokeswoman Pooja Jhunjhunwala confirmed his claims.

"From 2003-2014 Colonel Khalimov participated in five counterterrorism training courses in the United States and in Tajikistan, through the Department of State's Diplomatic Security/Anti-Terrorism Assistance program," said Jhunjhunwala.

The program trains candidates from participating countries in the counterterrorism techniques, so they can fight terrorists.

The militant was trained in crisis response, tactical management of special events, tactical leadership training and other related issues, according to a State Department official.

Khalimov says in the video that what he witnessed during his training in the US turned him against Washington.

"Listen, you American pigs: I've been to America three times. I saw how you train soldiers to kill Muslims," he says in Russian. "You taught your soldiers how to surround and attack, in order to exterminate Islam and Muslims."

The ISIL terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, now control large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Since last year, the US and some of its allies have been carrying out airstrikes against ISIL inside Iraq and Syria.

On February 19, the United States and Turkey inked an agreement to train and arm what they call "moderate" militants in Syria. The Pentagon has deployed hundreds of Special Forces to the Middle East to train "moderate" militants to fight ISIL terrorists.

Things You Won’t Believe Are Spying On You

The next time you go on a trip to the mall, give those mannequins a nice big smile! This 245 billion (yes, with a “B”) dollar industry consists of five organizations throughout Europe and the US that make the ‘Eye See polystyrene frame mannequins.’ These particular mannequins’ eyes are equipped with face recognition cameras.

Despite the fact that surveillance gadgets hidden in a mannequin’s eyes is not seen as a security infringement by the general public, it has led to a few retailers raising the stakes as some of them have also started tracking people by means of collecting data from their cell phones. Though new security laws and rules are limiting the use of retail surveillance, these new creations are reportedly being used not only for law-enforcement but to permit retailers to gather information about you for advertising purposes.

Lady Liberty

Image Source: Google Image – A picture of Lady Liberty at night

If you think mannequins are the weirdest things watching you, then how about this one… the Statue of Liberty — the statue that welcomes the poor, the meek and huddled masses — has also been fitted with ‘the all-eeing eye(s)’ since 2002. It was back then when face recognition software was first introduced to the masses. In 2012, a company called Total Recall Corporation furnished our Lady Liberty with ‘Face VACS Video Scan’ software, which tracks a huge number of New Yorkers’ faces in real time.

Image Source: Google Image - Cigarette vending machines in Tokyo, with a woman promoting the products

Image Source: Wikipedia – Cigarette vending machines in Tokyo, with a woman promoting the products

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a candy machine burglary was solved after the crooks’ faces were identified via the camera inside the vending machine. These cameras are owned and installed by the vending machine companies themselves. The reason, other than law enforcement, is obscure and they might very well be there to identify you for market surveying as well.

Image Source: Wikipedia - The Xbox One's Kinect, a motion controller peripheral for the console. The Kinect uses a multiple camera types and microphones to let a user control the xbox with motion and sound

Image Source: Wikipedia – The Xbox One’s Kinect, a motion controller peripheral for the console. 

The XBOX Kinect, the motion-detecting console accessory, is also outfitted with cameras used to detect your motions and turn them into actions in a video game. However, imagine a scenario where you figured out that not only is your Kinect recording and storing your movements, it could also be recording and archiving the discussions you have while you’re playing — even while it’s switched off. Microsoft, to this day, denies that Kinect records conversations but in the same sentence they brag about its ability to monitor your heart rate and recognize your voice.

Image Source: Google Image - A graphic display of a digital billboard

Image Source: Google Image – A graphic display of a digital billboard

The organization Immersive Labs has developed technology for digital billboards that permits them to monitor your face and, after analyzing you, tailoring a particular commercial to play taking into account your facial features.

Image Source: Google Image - An image of different company logos

Image Source: Google Image – Different company logos

Adidas, Kraft and other organizations all utilize facial recognition technology in various stores to help them make more focused TV advertisements. The creepiest part of this is that the cameras are also connected to Facebook as well, so the organization could speculatively couple their feature reconnaissance with online networking profiles for a significantly juicier information grab.

Image Source: Google Image - An image of Seattle at night. The city is on Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, is surrounded by water, mountains and evergreen forests, and encompasses thousands of acres of parkland (hence its nickname, "Emerald City").

Image Source: Google Image – An image of Seattle at night.

And finally… a new tool that is fit for hi-tech surveillance will be introduced at numerous intersections in downtown Seattle, and rumor has it that there is another innovation being utilized here that includes triangulating our mobile phones, so that they essentially become rogue devices.

 

SOURCES: The StrangerWashington TimesThe VergeThe Guardian

Dunedin, New Zealand jolted by strongest quake in 41 years

© Thinkstock
The quake was 7km deep.

    
The 4.7-magnitude earthquake that rocked parts of Otago last night was believed to be the strongest experienced in the region since 1974.

It struck at 11.17pm at a depth of 7km, centred 2km northeast of Lee Stream, some 30km west of Dunedin.

The quake was felt in various parts of Otago, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage.

Adrian Bardrick, publican at the Clarks Junction Hotel, on State Highway 87, only about 12km from the epicentre, said they received a pretty good "sort of thump".

It rattled the bottles, he said.

"But there was no damage."

The hotel was cleaning up after a good evening.

"The Strath Taieri boys had beaten the West Taieri boys" in rugby and had called in on their way home.

They had left by the time of the quake.

The largest quake significantly affecting Dunedin in the past several decades was on April 9, 1974. It was magnitude 5 and dislodged grocery stock and damaged some chimneys.

The quake on October 16 last year was magnitude 4.1 at a depth of 4km and in almost the same place as last night's shake.

Police early this morning received several calls but no reports of damage.

columnist Dave Cannan said: "It seemed to go on for some time - and I started to wonder if it was going to stop. Fairly scary, I have to say."

The ODT Facebook page attracted plenty of comments.

"My sister lives up near Lee Stream and she said it sounded like a huge explosion! Scary enough here in Mosgiel," Jenny Hooper posted.

Another Mosgiel resident, Megan Direen, wrote: "Short sharp violent shaking. Sounded like a freight train smashing through the house."

Emilee Bartlett, also in Mosgiel, said it was "very loud and violent!"

There were other reports that it "was pretty exciting in Outram" and several people said their houses shook alarmingly.

Rhonda Hooper posted: "It was two or three strong sideways moving jolts here ... on the sand at Harington Point. My heart is still thumping madly."

Davinia Neale, of Herbert, described it as "very loud and a good shake!", while Donna Osborne, in Lawrence said it "almost jolted me out of bed and very loud".

Vivienne Donaldson said: "Definitely heard and felt it in Wakari ... Or are we in Maori Hill now? House moved heaps! Will be hard to sleep now ..."

Another Wakari resident, Lisa Gurr, posted: "I'm in Wakari, too, and that was horrible."

In Opoho, Sally Knox said: "Our whole house was rumbling and shaking. Husband slept through it, but I am wide awake now like a nervous chihuahua."

Among comments on Twitter, Clare Curran, South Dunedin member of Parliament posted: "Very loud big shake in Musselburgh, Dunedin. Sounded and felt like a freight train."

On the Otago Peninsula, Paul le Compte tweeted: "Wow our strawbale house on Otago Peninsula has NEVER wobbled like that."

Otago Museum director Ian Griffin tweeted: "Felt my first Earthquake in NZ! Only taken 2 years."

All Black and Highlander Aaron Smith said: "Sleep Safe Dunedin Peps. If u can. Hahah I'm wide awake."

How the banksters fired every bullet they had to take down Russia - and failed

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The great, bankster assault on the Ruble had failed! The wet dream of the NWO, to reduce Russia, Putin, and its masses to a groveling rabble, begging the West for mercy, has gone down in flames.

Going Mainstream

As 2015 passes by (good grief, is it nearly half over?), increasingly more folks are beginning to understand just how big the problem of market rigging by large banks truly is. The cancer of intervention and bankster rigging continues to go mainstream. Case in point: several days ago, the Bloomberg headline of half a dozen banks pleading guilty of conspiring to rig world currency markets raised alot of eyebrows.

While those of us who are stacking veterans, are all too familiar with these crimes, headlines like these are a very positive sign, and very helpful, because those headlines(if shared far and wide) do a great deal to pepper the subconscious minds of the masses with truth.

Though you and I know that the market rigging is alive and well, especially in precious metals, at times like this it's critical to remember that as powerful as these bankers are, they still fail in many instances of manipulation. To remind us of that, today I wanted to write about a case of manipulation which was recently rebuffed and defeated.

A Currency Under Assault

In 2014, Russia had earned the ire of banksters and DC(but I repeat myself), by signing a trade treaty with Ukraine, which guaranteed Ukraine would pivot East, instead of West, toward the Eurozone. If this wasn't enough, Moscow then came out to condemn the Maidan coup in Kiev, which violently overthrew the ruling government there(complete with false flag sniper attacks).

If that wasn't enough, Russia then gave safe passage to former Ukrainian President, Yanukovych, and allowed him to speak basically as Ukraine's "government in exile". The last straw for Washington though, was Putin, stunning both Moscow insiders and DC...by daring to swiftly put Russian troops within Crimea.

It didn't matter to the banksters that:

This act was well within the limits of the long-standing treaty Russia and Ukraine had both signed.

This act was done to proactively prevent the sort of ethnic cleansing now taking place in the Donbass...

Or that the referendum showed that the Crimean people overwhelmingly wished to rejoin Russia.

No.

As the Russian Duma hailed the vote, and prepared to accept Crimean territory into the Russian Federation, it became clear that DC's plan to neuter Russia's naval presence in the Black Sea was a bust, and that their uni-polar world was now being openly defied.

Washington decided that something had to be done. Russia had to be made an example of. Hence, a plan was concocted to bring Russia to its knees...

Wrecking the Ruble

The decision had been made: attack Russia through its currency! If the Ruble could be brought low, perhaps enough pressure could be brought to bear on the Russian Duma, and ultimately Putin himself.

The question though, was how to reduce the Ruble to "rubble".

Ultimately the banksters decided to launch an enormous "pincer movement" against the Russian currency. Since the great strength of Russia, economically, lay in energy, that's where it would behoove the banksters to hit Moscow. If they could achieve an annihilation of oil prices, in conjunction with increased sanctions, and economic blockades, it could be possible to take a wrecking ball to the Ruble in a furious attack.

Thusly, shortly after the Crimean vote, a campaign was begun to take oil prices lower, and out of a triangle they'd painted on oil's charts since 2008. The shots had been fired, and the real battle had begun. Remember, nothing short of an all-out bloodbath in oil was going to achieve the goal of a weakened Ruble. That's exactly what the DC did. We're not talking a few bucks here, but rather a monstrous 60%+ cave in, within months!

To get a feel for how furiously this blitzkrieg occurred, take a look at this chart:

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As you can see, the angle of descent in the decline was parallel to the catastrophic takedown of oil in 2008. The effect on Russia's currency was immediate and painful!

At first the Ruble began to slowly roll over in the fall of 2014, but as oil continued its horrific plunge, the contagion caught on in a fierce way, and before long the carnage in the Russian currency was a wholly unsettling thing.

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Within 2 months, the Ruble had been cut in half from its already weakened state, and by Christmastime many were wondering if the Ruble was going to be the new Peso. At that time, the Ruble was hitting multi-decade lows, and at one point even hit an unreal 80 rubles to the US Dollar.

Within 2 months, the Ruble had been cut in half from its already weakened state, and by Christmastime many were wondering if the Ruble was going to be the new Peso. At that time, the Ruble was hitting multi-decade lows, and at one point even hit an unreal 80 rubles to the US Dollar.

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What was to be done? How could the advance be stymied?

Alarm Bells in Moscow

Now, early on in this assault, President Putin simply continued the strategy he'd conducted most of his presidency, which had been pretty effective.

He allowed currency interventions in attempts to stabilize the Ruble. At one point(and in one fell swoop) $7 billion worth of currency interventions were deployed! At this point though, these tactics weren't going to stop the raging fire that the banksters had lit to the Ruble.

Not only were these interventions not enough to stop the onslaught, there was now another problem: in its unsuccessful attempts to stop this currency fire, it was burning through its own international currency reserves at an alarming rate! Take a look at this next chart.

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In one year, Russia had used up $80 billion in currency reserves! That's the steepest one-year loss since 2008, and brought their reserves to the lowest level in 5 years.

Putin, being well aware of the cash burn, was also busy watching the Ruble's flanks. He correctly continued to pivot to their attacks in another way: by buying a heftier sum of gold than ever before. In 2014, all the way up through the fall, Russia continued to pile on the gold, acquiring over 140 metric tonnes, in just one year.

The banksters were out for blood though, and even used gold against Russia, as they kicked up their war to a psychological level, and launched a disgusting disinfo campaign. Banks like Societe General, and others began starting baseless rumors that Russia, at the highest moment of crisis, was likely selling their gold reserves to halt the Ruble's plunge!

Later, of course, it proved to be lies. Though Moscow had halted gold reserve purchases for a span of roughly 3 months, at no time whatsoever had they sold one bar to fight the Ruble's plunge. They had held the line on gold!

It didn't matter to traders though, for the old maxim of "buy the rumor, sell the news" was playing out in full force. The rout in Russia's currency continued, and had reached the point of criticality. Something had to be done, and quickly.

Tag Team

It was at this point that Putin turned to an old, long-standing friendship to craft the perfect strategy to counter-attack and parry the blows of the bankster cabal.

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Her name is Elvira Nabiullina, and she'd been Putin's chief economic advisor for many years, but had only recently been appointed as head of the Russian Central Bank. She had both Putin's ear, and Putin's trust. In fact, Putin trusted her so much, that it was he himself who'd appointed her to her new position.

They knew what game was afoot, and who was to blame for this crisis. They instantly went to work, with measures that were both swift and decisive.

First, alongside the interventions, they did something that is currently unheard of in the Western world: they began raising interest rates incrementally.

Secondly, they began investigations into specific sources that were likely guilty of Forex manipulation, and dealt with those instances accordingly.

Then they pulled out the big guns:

The Russian Central Bank announced an unbelievable interest rate hike, from the already high number of 10.5%.....to a show-stopping 17%!

That's a mind-numbing 70% hike from previous levels....overnight! The effect was almost instantaneous. Putin and Nabiullina had used arch-bankster Paul Volcker's own patented "Interest Rate Shock and Awe" to save the Ruble, and avert total disaster.

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As you can see, December 15th, the date of the enormous rate hike, proved to be the bankster's "High water mark", the real turning point. It succeeded, and though the banksters still plowed ahead by taking oil down to just above $40 in February, the Ruble made a nice "double bottom", which it has never revisited.

The great, bankster assault on the Ruble had failed! The wet dream of the NWO, to reduce Russia, Putin, and its masses to a groveling rabble, begging the West for mercy, has gone down in flames.

Hilariously now, in 2015, the strongest currency of the year...is the Ruble! Even with the US Dollar's great rise, the Ruble has risen further and faster off the lows, than the dollar has risen. In fact, the Ruble is now so strong, that the CBR is currently intervening to keep its currency from becoming"too strong, too fast", and to help out its export and manufacturing sector!

Lastly, the final signs that the Kremlin's financial position has weathered the storm, and turned the corner have been seen:

1) Their cash hemmorage has stopped, and the international cash reserves of the CBR have actually started growing (by nearly $4 billion recently, in one week).

2) Russia has once again begun to actively acquire gold reserves. In fact, so far in 2015, they've hauled in another 1.3 million ounces of gold. Not too shabby for the first third of the year, right?

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Conclusion

The successful defense of the Ruble is yet another reason why I say that the rumors about Putin being merely another Rothschild/Rockefeller puppet are patently ridiculous. If Putin was "their inside man", the time was perfect for him to help them wreck the Ruble from inside. With one "miscalculation", one "mistake"....he could've turned the Russian currency crisis into the banksters' ultimate victory.

Instead, he turned the Ruble assault into their Stalingrad, inflicting upon them their most shameful defeat in years.

The Ruble's comeback, in so short a space of time, is remarkably impressive. It's also one of the biggest success stories of resistance to the banksters in 2015.

Now, why am I writing this piece? I'm doing it because it's important to remember that gold and silver aren't the only rigged markets, and that though these banksters are powerful, they can't do whatever they want, whenever they want. They can fail in their plans, and do quite often. They are opposed by many Eastern-bloc countries, and that opposition is real, not pretend.

The market rigging and planned attacks on the Russian Ruble have failed. For roughly 6 months, the US banksters and its allies, who are in charge of this manipulation, sought to bring Russia to its knees.

That assault has now been repulsed. Take note, fellow stackers: these peoples' rigging of silver and gold will ultimately end the same way that the Ruble assault did.

The men who have governed the West's central and bullion banks have believed they could do anything, they believed themselves to be Supermen...and that brings to my mind a memorable anecdote I once heard...

In the 1960's, boxing legend Muhammad Ali was boarding a commercial flight. Full of swagger, he found his way over to his seat, and waited as everyone else came on board.

Just before the flight took off, the flight attendant came walking through the aisles, reminding each person aboard to fasten their seat belts.

As she came to Ali, he was grinning ear to ear, moving around in his seat...without his seat-belt fastened.

"Sir", she said, "please fasten your seat-belt".

Ali, ever the showman, smilingly told her, "Ma'am, Superman don't need no seat belt!"

The flight attendant, not missing a beat, answered back...

"Sir"...

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Mikheil Saakashvili's appointment as governor of Odessa directly related to Transnistria region

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© Flickr/ Dieter Zirnig

    
Discussing Mikheil Saakashvili's appointment as governor of Odessa, journalist Aleksandr Chalenko states that the promotion is not as absurd as might first appear. In his view, a key factor in Poroshenko's decision lies in how Saakashvili will deal with Transnistria, a breakaway Moldovan region whose stability is guaranteed by Russian peacekeepers.

"At first glance, Saakashvili's appointment by Poroshenko seems an absurdity - as something surreal," Chalenko, whose article was published in Izvestia on Sunday, notes. "Opponents of the regime in Kiev have reacted to it with jokes on Facebook, saying that now the price of ties will go up in Odessa...But nevertheless, everyone is trying to provide a more or less rational explanation for this highly strange appointment."

Noting that the arguments in favor of the appointment coming out of Ukraine are based on Saakashvili's alleged success in creating the Potemkin-villagesque 'Miracle of Batumi', Chalenko argues that "while many in the corridors of power in Ukraine believe that 'things turned out in Georgia', it's hard to believe that Saakashvili has been appointed to Odessa to turn it into a paradise."

The journalist argues that the appointment must instead be considered from a wider perspective: "The main explanation, in my view, is the fact that [the Moldovan breakaway region of] Transnistria is situated next to Odessa," Chalenko argues. "The events of the past months suggest that authorities in Ukraine and Moldova, with the support and guidance of the US, naturally, are preparing something bad for Transnistria and Novorossiya [the term used to denote the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics]."

Chalenko notes that "without war, Poroshenko's regime will come to an end. All the failures in the economy and society are presently being blamed on the war. It is the war, oddly enough, which preserves Ukraine from mass social upheaval. Similarly, the front keeps the country's most important revolutionaries - the nationalists from various radical pro-fascist organizations and the volunteer battalions away from Kiev."

"Poroshenko is not prepared to continue to adhere to the Minsk agreements and to implement all of its points. Yes, he may withdraw heavy weapons from the front lines, but the decentralization of Ukraine (its confederalization) and the legalization of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics is not something he is capable of doing. This will simply mean the death of Ukraine. And so there is only one way out, and that is war."

Chalenko notes that sufficient evidence pointing to the idea that Kiev will resume hostilities against the Donbass republics during the summer, citing the fact that the army is already in the process of bringing up reserves, ammunition, fuel and supplies.

"However, Ukraine has a very big chance of losing once again, as happened in June and August of 2014, and in January and February of 2015. And this will likely result in new territorial losses for Ukraine, which, in turn, will jeopardize Poroshenko's rule. Ukraine is interested in war, but in a war of position, without any serious offensives, when the warring parties simply fire at each other for months out of Grad rocket artillery and mortars."

"And so, what can be done in this case?" Chalenko asks. "Restraining the DPR and LPR, and Russia, which stands behind them will, according to Kiev and Washington, be possible only via a threat to occupy Transnistria," he answers. "Saakashvili's appointment was arranged in order to demonstrate the seriousness of Ukraine's intensions in this regard. The Georgian ex-president is associated with the war of 2008. Ukrainian authorities want to make clear: 'if you Russians begin a large-scale offensive in northern Donbass or towards Mariupol, we, having blockaded Transnistria, will help Moldova conduct an offensive toward Bender, Tiraspol and Dubossary.'"

In Chalenko's view, "the events of recent months clearly demonstrate the readiness of the pro-Romanian and pro-Western forces in Moldova to participate openly on the side of America and Ukraine in the great geopolitical game. Moldova has come to understand that Ukraine is serious. Judge for yourselves: over the past two months, troops and National Guard units have been building up in the Odessa's Balta district [their numbers are set reach up to 60,000, ed.]...Ukraine has adopted a law scrapping earlier agreements providing for the transit of Russian servicemen to Transnistria. There are rumors that about three hundred Americans have been planted in the Television Center in Kishinev. The puzzle is beginning to form, revealing something very disturbing."

Ultimately, Chalenko concludes on an optimistic note. "How Novorossiya and Russia will respond to all of this is unknown. The only consolation is Saakashvili himself, who serves as a symbol of defeat, and this time not only for Georgia and the United States, but also for Ukraine. And this means that Saakashvili's arrival portends another victory for Russia."

Washington man convicted of selling toxic Miracle Mineral Solution as cure all

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You wouldn't normally think of industrial bleach as being a miracle cure. Or any kind of cure for that matter. But that didn't stop Louis Daniel Smith from selling many gallons of the stuff by labeling it "Miracle Mineral Solution."

A federal jury in Washington state sat through seven days of testimony, alleging that Smith, 45, of Spokane, sold the toxic liquid as a miracle cure for numerous diseases and illnesses, including cancer, AIDS, malaria, hepatitis, lyme disease, asthma and the common cold.

It then convicted him of conspiracy, smuggling, selling misbranded drugs and defrauding the United States. He faces up to 34 years in prison.

Potentially fatal

In 2010, the FDA said it had received several reports of health injuries from consumers using the product, including severe nausea, vomiting, and life-threatening low blood pressure from dehydration. Consumers who have MMS should stop using it immediately and throw it away, the FDA said.

Evidence at trial showed that Smith operated a business called "Project GreenLife" (PGL) from 2007 to 2011. PGL sold a product called "Miracle Mineral Supplement," or MMS, over the Internet. MMS is a mixture of sodium chlorite and water.

Sodium chlorite is an industrial chemical used as a pesticide and for hydraulic fracking and wastewater treatment. Sodium chlorite cannot be sold for human consumption and suppliers of the chemical include a warning sheet stating that it can cause potentially fatal side effects if swallowed.

"This verdict demonstrates that the Department of Justice will prosecute those who sell dangerous chemicals as miracle cures to sick people and their desperate loved ones," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer of the Justice Department's Civil Division. "Consumers have the right to expect that the medicines that they purchase are safe and effective." Mizer thanked the jury for its service and its careful consideration of the evidence.

Chlorine dioxide

The government presented evidence that Smith instructed consumers to combine MMS with citric acid to create chlorine dioxide, add water and drink the resulting mixture to cure numerous illnesses. Chlorine dioxide is a potent agent used to bleach textiles, among other industrial applications. It is a severe respiratory and eye irritant that can cause nausea, diarrhea and dehydration.

According to the instructions that Smith provided, diarrhea and vomiting were all signs that the miracle cure was working. The instructions also stated that despite a risk of possible brain damage, the product might still be appropriate for pregnant women or infants who were seriously ill.

The government also presented evidence that Smith hid evidence from FDA inspectors and destroyed evidence while law enforcement agents were executing search warrants on his residence and business.

In all, the jury convicted Smith of one count of conspiracy to commit multiple crimes, three counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead and one count of fraudulently smuggling merchandise into the United States. The jury found Smith not guilty on one out of four of the misbranded drug counts. He faces a statutory maximum of 34 years in prison at his Sept. 9 sentencing.

Why your grandparents didn't have food allergies...but you do

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Did your grandparents have food allergies? Mine sure didn't. A stark comparison to the growing epidemic offood allergies, worsening with every generation.

So why didn't your grandparents have food allergies? It's really quite simple...

1. They ate seasonal real food.

Food came from farms and small markets in the early 1900′s, and because food preservatives were not widely used yet, food was fresh. Because of the lack of processed food, their diets were nutrient dense allowing them to get the nutrition they needed from their food.

For babies, breast milk was valued and it was always in season.

2. They didn't diet, and play restrictive games with their body and metabolism. They ate food when food was available.

Our grandparents did not fall victim to fad diets, food marketing, calorie counting, and other detrimental dieting habits that are popular today (in part because the marketing infrastructure didn't exist yet). Because of this they had a healthy metabolism, and ate according to their body's needs and cravings.

3. They cooked food at home, using traditional preparation methods from scratch.

Buying processed food was not an option, and eating out was a rare luxury. Lucky for our grandparents these habits actually increased their health.

4. They didn't eat GMO's, food additives, stabilizers and thickeners.

Food was not yet treated with additives, antibiotics and hormones to help preserve shelf life and pad the pockets of food producers in the early 1900′s at the expense of the consumer's health.

5. They ate the whole animal that included mineral rich bone broths and organ meats.

Animal bones were saved or bought to make broths and soups, and organ meats always had a special place at the dinner table. These foods were valued for their medicinal properties, and never went to waste.


6. They didn't go to the doctor when they felt sick or take prescription medications. Doctor visits were saved for accidental injuries and life threatening illness.

When they got a fever, they waited it out. When they felt sick, they ate soups, broths and got lots of rest. They did not have their doctor or nurse on speed dial, and trusted the body's natural healing process a whole lot more than we do today. Their food was medicine, whether they realized it or not.

7. They spent lots of time outside.

Our grandparents didn't have the choice to stay inside and play on their phones, computers and gaming systems. They played on the original play-station: bikes, swing-sets and good ol' mother nature!

And what do these things have to do with food allergies?

Nutrition affects EVERY cell in our body. The health of our cells is dependent on diet and lifestyle. Cells create tissues, tissues create organs, and we are made up of a system of organs. If your nutrition is inadequate, the integrity of each cell, tissue and organ in your body will suffer, thus you may be MORE sensitive to certain foods.

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Utah is winning the war on chronic homelessness with 'Housing First' program

© Thomas B. Szalay / LA Times
Buddy the cockateil has helped inspire Terry Birch to take care of his new Salt Lake City apartment – and himself – after two decades of homelessness.

    
Terry Birch recalls walking cautiously into the tiny one-bedroom apartment seven months ago, like a cat exploring a box, or something wild fearful of a trap.

After two decades on the streets, he finally had a real roof over his head, a home to call his own. It was clean, private and safe, but also scary and confusing.

"I couldn't get used to the four walls. It felt like they were closing in on me," he said, sitting in the living room of unit No. 2 at the

Metro Apartments. "On the streets, I had no responsibility, other than keeping myself clean."

He paused, surveying his surroundings: "And then this."

This is "Housing First," a novel effort by Utah to attack an intractable social ill. The state provides apartments to the chronically homeless and worries about addressing the underlying causes, such as drug abuse, later. By allowing bodies to rest and heal, housing officials say, emotional health will probably follow.

Last month, officials announced that they had reduced by 91% the ranks of the chronically homeless — defined as someone who has spent at least one year full-time on the streets — and are now approaching "functional zero."

In 2005, when state officials began placing people in permanent housing, they counted 1,932 chronically homeless. Today, with 1,764 people housed, that number has plummeted to just 178 statewide. And officials have their sights set on those remaining.

"We know these individuals by name, know their situation," said Gordon Walker, director of the state Housing and Community Development Division. "And we can help them move out of chronic homelessness, if they choose."

The program contrasts with approaches elsewhere. Police in Tampa, Fla., for example, arrest those caught sleeping or storing property in public. Philadelphia bans the feeding of homeless in city parks. A study by UC Berkeley Law students found that California has more anti-homeless laws on average than other states, punitive local ordinances targeting the homeless for standing, sitting or resting in public.

But not Utah.

"People once had to change their lives to become housed," Walker said. "Now we give them housing first so they can make changes if they want to."

Studies showed that Utah's chronically homeless — while a fraction of an overall homeless population of 14,000 — used 60% of the services for those living on the streets.

The cost of providing an apartment and social work for clients in the Housing First program is $11,000 annually, while the average price of hospital visits and jail for street denizens is nearly $17,000 a year.

In Housing First, clients pay $50 a month or 30% of their income, whichever is more. Said Walker: "It's not just more compassionate — it's cheaper."

But there's a curious consequence of coaching people to finally leave the streets: Many aren't used to having their own private domain.

One man spent his first few nights sleeping on the floor, heaping his belongings atop his donated bed. Another pitched a tent in his living room for two weeks. Others go months or years before taking real ownership of their new home by doing things like hanging pictures or raising a pet, or even a potted plant.

"We don't see a lot of breathless excitement when they first move in," said Kevin Austin, a housing supervisor at a nonprofit called the Road Home, who has helped get more than 300 chronically homeless people into apartments. "I'd say the most common reaction is nervousness, like, 'You guys are leaving me here?'"

Birch knows the feeling.

At 53, his teeth missing and body racked by exposure and substance abuse, Birch at first welcomed the apartment. "I couldn't believe I could get what I'd always wanted," he said. An abusive stepfather had long ago forced him onto the streets, he said, where he learned to fend off thieves. Recently, he lived in a tent pitched on a steep hillside.

But after moving into an apartment with food in the refrigerator and clean sheets on the bed, he no longer knew how to define home: Was it a place to store his belongings, or a space to nurture his sense of self? At first, he let street friends inside for raucous parties, testing the patience of overseers.

"I never thought I'd be here that long," Birch said.

Then two things happened. First, he was diagnosed with leukemia, which reduced his 6-foot-2 frame to just 120 pounds. Then relatives said they were going to put their cockatoo, Buddy, on the street — and the onetime homeless man took in a fellow lost creature.

"He's been a lot of company to me, even if he has been a bit grumpy lately," Birch said, gently poking a finger into Buddy's cage. And the apartment helped him cope with the weariness from his cancer.

Birch began to care for his 400-square-foot unit, as well as himself. He quitalcohol and is working to give up cigarettes. His place has a personal touch: a flat-screen TV and a shelf crowded with books by James Patterson and other mystery writers.

Over his couch, Birch has hung something he could never have had at any temporary shelter: a photo collage of his mother and sisters, with the word "family" written in large letters.

Still, he admits, he gets lonely. "But this is my home," he said. "If anything goes wrong, it concerns me."

His voice catches. "Without this place, I wouldn't be alive. I'm still afraid someone is going to take it away from me."

Walker wishes more people showed such promise. He said the program claims an 85% success rate, with some clients being evicted for breaking the rules. Others just walk away.

"Not as many as we would have liked have changed their lives," he said. "There are a few 'trappers and hunters' out there who really do choose what they call freedom."

The Housing First model would be expensive for other locations — a recent estimate put the chronically homeless population in Los Angeles County at about 12,300 — but Walker's office has received visits from officials from cities in Tennessee and South Carolina.

"We're not saying this is a one-size-fits-all solution for chronic homelessness," Walker said. "But now we're finally asking ourselves: Can we really bring an end to something like this? I hope so."

So does Birch, who now uses a phrase he hasn't known since childhood: home sweet home.

He waves his hand around his living room: "Not bad for an old bum like me."

Medical terrorism: Judges demand answers after children die in controversial cancer vaccine trial in India

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Unaware: Aman Dhawan (pictured), 16, is one of many youngsters who took part in the trial without being aware they had been signed up to test Merck's new Gardasil 9 drug, aimed at preventing cervical cancer

    
Judges in India's Supreme Court have demanded answers after children died during a controversial cervical cancer vaccine trial.

Young tribal girls received shots of pharmaceutical company Merck's Gardasil vaccine and Cervarix, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.

The vaccines are given to girls as young as nine in many countries - including the UK and the US - to protect against the human papilloma virus, one of the major causes of cervical cancer.

But the Indian court yesterday heard a challenge by campaigners who claim the study - funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - failed to obtain the informed consent of the children or their parents.

They say that a 'study' carried out for the foundation by a US organisation was in fact an illegal drugs trial.

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'Guinea pig': Sana Ansari, 19, her brother Mazhar and sister Asiya were all enrolled in the trial of Gardasil 9 drug - but she and her family say she had no idea she was testing the drug.

    
The petitioners have also asked judges to look into the way trials were conducted into Merck's new cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil 9.

A MailOnline investigation published earlier this month uncovered claims that children as young as nine suffered side-effects after being used as unwitting human guinea pigs for the new drug.

Gardasil 9, which is expected to be worth £1.2 billion a year in sales, has already been approved for use in the US and could be available in the UK later in the year.

At a hearing of India's Supreme Court in Delhi yesterday judges expressed frustration that the country's government had failed to provide answers to what had happened during the earlier trials of the original Gardasil and Cervarix.

They gave the government a month to explain what action had been taken to investigate and what efforts had been made to obtain the consent of those taking part in the trials.

They wanted to know whether there had been any follow-up or monitoring of the girls to see whether they had suffered adverse health consequences.

And the judges also ordered the government to produce an opinion on the issue of liability and compensation.

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Side effects: Aman Dhawan, 16, from Indore, lost weight and strength after being enrolled in the Gardasil 9 trial, which he didn't know he had signed up for either

    
Lawyers for the campaigners who brought the case said they were pleased with the fact that, for the first time, liability and compensation for the victims had come up in court.

'It is a very encouraging development that the judges are now discussing accountability and not just accountability but also compensation, so the tone of the hearing today was very positive for us because it's clear from all the parties, including from government reports, that there were, at best, serious irregularities and, at worst, gross violations of fundamental human rights,' said Kerry McBroom, one of the lawyers.

An investigation by an Indian parliamentary committee had previously concluded that the trials amounted to a serious breach of trust and medical ethics amounting to child abuse and 'a clear cut violation of the human rights of these girl children and adolescents'.

The committee's report said it had been established that clinical trials of the vaccines had been carried out 'under the pretext of an observation/demonstration project' in violation of all laws and regulations laid down by the government for such trials.

The group accused of carrying out the trial under the 'pretext' of carrying out an academic study - PATH - said it 'strongly disagreed with the findings, conclusions, and tone of the released report and its disregard of the evidence and facts.'

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Injected: Mazhar Ansari (pictured), 18, who was enrolled in a trial of Merck's new Gardasil 9 drug

    
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Revealed: Whistleblower Dr Anand Rai (pictured), 37, lifted the lid on the scandal of illegal drugs trials in the city and now has been given an armed guard to protect him.

    
In court yesterday a bench of judges headed by Justice Dipak Misra criticised the Indian government for failing to act on the committee's report.

'It should be the concern of [the government] that health of people is preserved,' they said.

'Don't leave the matter to court. It is for the government to find out a way.'

'If parliamentary committee has done something then it is obligatory for the executive government to take action on this report.

'File affidavit stating protocol to be followed by getting consent of people to undergo trial and the process to find out what is the effect of vaccination and whose liability is it to pay compensation.'

Merck and GSK have both been ordered to respond to the allegations made by campaigners.

Yesterday's hearing was told that Merck had provided a six volume document amounting to around 2,000 pages of evidence - but that GSK had so far failed to respond.

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Gardasil is now given to girls aged 12 and 13 as a vaccination against HPV, a sexually transmitted virus which causes most cases of cervical cancer.

    
Both companies have denied any wrongdoing. In court yesterday the judges also heard from lawyers for PATH - the US-based group that organised the 'study' - which emphasised the vaccines were safe and the vaccinations had been carried out in the interests of public health.
McBroom said she and her team would be referring to the latest trials of Gardasil 9 in their closing submissions.

MailOnline's investigation into Gardasil 9 revealed how several children used in those trials claimed to have suffered problems including weight loss, fatigue, dizziness and menstrual problems.

They and their parents maintained that they did not give their informed consent and that that they were not aware that they were taking part in the trial of an untested drug.

Among those who took part was 16-year-old Aman Dhawan, who lives in the Pancham Ki Phel slum in the city of Indore.

His family say they were told the drug was a new medicine that would prevent a range of diseases, including malaria.

But Aman said that after he was given the vaccine he began to see changes in his body and he lost weight and strength.

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