---
Yeah sure you act like this now.. Where were you when this crap was going down? It's obviously an unconstitutional law regardless of what the compromised @USSupremeCourt says.
It's obvious that this law is a ONE PARTY BIPARTISAN law designed as a backdoor #bailout of "suffering" insurance companies.
Personally I would rather see ALL insurance disappear! Before 1920's NO ONE had health insurance! How did we possibly survive? You have used insurance to help inflate another bubble period..
Look at some HISTORY!
In his 2001 book Oxymorons, medical economist J.D. Kleinke described U.S. health care this
way: “A group of highly imaginative, energetic people armed with the world’s largest Markin-Wipe board could not purposefully design a more complex, dysfunctional system if they tried."
In your opinion is this f'ed up F.I.R.E. economy worth destroying America over? You can't save it because it is corrupt BS. Just like our government. All that matters to you people, all of you, is FIAT, not Americans citizens, not anything else.
Your #time has come and gone.. YOU are obsolete.. get over it.
-Greg
---
Framing a new argument against President Barack Obama's health care law, congressional GOP leaders called Tuesday for a delay in the law's requirement that individual Americans carry health insurance.
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press
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WASHINGTON —
Framing a new argument against President Barack Obama's health care law, congressional GOP leaders called Tuesday for a delay in the law's requirement that individual Americans carry health insurance.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other senior Republicans told Obama in a letter that his decision last week to grant a one-year delay for employers but leave in place provisions for individuals and families had created many new questions and concerns.
At a Capitol Hill news conference, Boehner vowed to hold another vote this month to remove the individual mandate, arguing that it was necessary to "correct this injustice."
"If businesses can get relief from Obamacare, the rest of America ought to be able to get relief as well," Boehner told reporters. He later added, "We'll have another vote, count on it."
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., called Obama's move last week "stunning."
"I never thought I'd see the day when the White House and the president came down on the side of big business but left the American people out in the cold," Cantor said.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the administration has no intention of delaying the individual mandate. He said the law provides financial aid to low-income Americans and is flexible so that people facing financial hardships aren't punished for going without coverage.
The criticism from top Republicans, Carney said, is "pretty rich coming from leaders who have now voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act going on 40 times, and who promised to do it again, to charge up that hill, only again not to reach the top, rather than focus on the work that the American people want done because they have no alternative."
Asked whether public confidence in the law could be eroded by delays and by the change in the smoking provision, Carney said, "A piece of legislation like this, to be responsibly implemented, needs to be implemented in a flexible way."
Nonetheless, Republicans hope their new argument will gain traction in next year's congressional elections, as the law's big push to cover the uninsured gets underway. Foes are betting the coverage rollout will be full of problems, particularly since about half the states have refused to support the federal effort.
Under the law, middle-class people with no access to job-based coverage will be eligible for subsidized private insurance, while low-income uninsured people will be steered to an expanded version of Medicaid in states that accept it.
The health care law contains coverage requirements for individuals as well as companies with 50 or more workers. Both requirements were originally scheduled to take effect next Jan. 1.
Last week, the White House unexpectedly announced a one-year delay in the employer requirement, saying the administration needed more time to work out technical details that employers find too burdensome. Some saw a political motive, since Republicans have criticized the requirement on businesses as a "job killer."
But administration officials said that the individual mandate would remain in place.
The two requirements are different. While the mandate on individuals is expected to play a major role in getting people to sign up for coverage, the employer requirement is more of a backstop, designed to deter companies from shifting to the government their traditional role in providing health benefits.
The individual mandate applies to virtually every U.S. resident, with exceptions for financial hardship, people who entered the country illegally, and prison inmates. The coverage requirement survived a determined legal challenge by opponents of the health care law. A divided Supreme Court upheld the mandate last year, reasoning that the penalties which enforce it are taxes constitutionally levied by Congress.
Those individual penalties start small - as little as $95 next year - but they build up with time. The Congressional Budget Office estimated last year some 4 million individuals without insurance will pay about $55 billion in penalties over the course of nearly a decade. The overwhelming majority of Americans already have coverage - through an employer, a government program, or by buying their own plan - and will not have to worry about the fines.
The GOP leaders' letter also requested that the administration provide detailed information on the impact of its decision to delay the employer mandate.
---
Associated Press reporter Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
U.S. Consumer Borrowing Up As Credit Card Use Rises
---
And yet, even with the "fantastic news" that "more Americans are putting themselves further in debt" the @FederalReserve still refuses to stop manipulating the entire economy.. Seriously, what does this indicate? That things may not be as they seem?
-Greg
---
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER 07/08/13 04:49 PM ET EDT AP Source Huffington post
WASHINGTON — Americans increased their borrowing in May at the fastest pace in a year. Borrowing in the category that includes credit cards reached its highest point since the fall of 2010.
Increased borrowing typically means that consumers are feeling more confident.
Americans stepped up their borrowing by $19.6 billion in May compared with April, the Federal Reserve said Monday in its monthly report on consumer credit. That was the biggest jump since a $19.9 billion rise in May 2012.
Total borrowing reached a record $2.84 trillion.
The category that includes credit card use rose $6.6 billion, also the largest gain in a year. Credit card debt reached $847.1 billion, the most since September 2010. Credit card debt remains about 16 percent below its high of $1.02 trillion in July 2008 – just before the financial crisis erupted.
Borrowing for autos and student loans rose $13 billion in May. That was the sharpest increase since February. This category of borrowing has been rising especially fast, driven by loans to pay for college.
The Federal Reserve's consumer credit report does not separate student loans from auto loans. But data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York show that student loan debt has been the biggest driver of borrowing since the Great Recession officially ended. In part, that's because some unemployed Americans have returned to school for training in hopes of landing a job.
More credit card borrowing could help boost consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of economic activity. But some consumers have been hesitant to run up high-interest debt since the recession ended. Some economists say many Americans remain cautious because higher Social Security taxes this year have reduced paychecks for most.
Despite the jump in credit card debt in May, consumers aren't likely to increase their card use to pre-recession levels, said Cooper Howes, an economist at Barclays Research. Credit card debt is known as revolving credit.
"We expect the trends of student loan-driven expansion ... and only small changes in revolving credit to continue in coming months," Howes said.
The measure of card debt in the Fed's report has risen $15.8 billion this year. That compares with annual increases of $25 billion to $50 billion in credit card debt before the Great Recession, which officially began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009.
Rising home prices and steady job growth have helped offset any damage to the U.S. economy from the higher Social Security tax.
Employers added 195,000 jobs in June and many more in April and May than previously thought, the government said Friday. Pay was also up sharply. Over the past 12 months, pay has risen 2.2 percent while consumer prices have increased 1.4 percent.
Consumers boosted their spending from January through March but reduced the pace of their savings to finance it. After-tax income dropped in the first quarter.
That decline reflected, in part, the increased Social Security tax that took effect Jan. 1. A person earning $50,000 a year has about $1,000 less to spend this year. A household with two highly paid workers has up to $4,500 less.
The economy grew at an annual rate of only 1.8 percent in the January-March quarter. Many economists have forecast that growth in the April-June quarter will weaken further to around 1.5 percent. But they think the economy will rebound somewhat in the second half of this year as stronger employment growth fuels more consumer spending.
The Federal Reserve's borrowing report covers auto loans, student loans and credit cards. It excludes mortgages, home equity loans and other loans related to real estate.
And yet, even with the "fantastic news" that "more Americans are putting themselves further in debt" the @FederalReserve still refuses to stop manipulating the entire economy.. Seriously, what does this indicate? That things may not be as they seem?
-Greg
---
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER 07/08/13 04:49 PM ET EDT AP Source Huffington post
WASHINGTON — Americans increased their borrowing in May at the fastest pace in a year. Borrowing in the category that includes credit cards reached its highest point since the fall of 2010.
Increased borrowing typically means that consumers are feeling more confident.
Americans stepped up their borrowing by $19.6 billion in May compared with April, the Federal Reserve said Monday in its monthly report on consumer credit. That was the biggest jump since a $19.9 billion rise in May 2012.
Total borrowing reached a record $2.84 trillion.
The category that includes credit card use rose $6.6 billion, also the largest gain in a year. Credit card debt reached $847.1 billion, the most since September 2010. Credit card debt remains about 16 percent below its high of $1.02 trillion in July 2008 – just before the financial crisis erupted.
Borrowing for autos and student loans rose $13 billion in May. That was the sharpest increase since February. This category of borrowing has been rising especially fast, driven by loans to pay for college.
The Federal Reserve's consumer credit report does not separate student loans from auto loans. But data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York show that student loan debt has been the biggest driver of borrowing since the Great Recession officially ended. In part, that's because some unemployed Americans have returned to school for training in hopes of landing a job.
More credit card borrowing could help boost consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of economic activity. But some consumers have been hesitant to run up high-interest debt since the recession ended. Some economists say many Americans remain cautious because higher Social Security taxes this year have reduced paychecks for most.
Despite the jump in credit card debt in May, consumers aren't likely to increase their card use to pre-recession levels, said Cooper Howes, an economist at Barclays Research. Credit card debt is known as revolving credit.
"We expect the trends of student loan-driven expansion ... and only small changes in revolving credit to continue in coming months," Howes said.
The measure of card debt in the Fed's report has risen $15.8 billion this year. That compares with annual increases of $25 billion to $50 billion in credit card debt before the Great Recession, which officially began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009.
Rising home prices and steady job growth have helped offset any damage to the U.S. economy from the higher Social Security tax.
Employers added 195,000 jobs in June and many more in April and May than previously thought, the government said Friday. Pay was also up sharply. Over the past 12 months, pay has risen 2.2 percent while consumer prices have increased 1.4 percent.
Consumers boosted their spending from January through March but reduced the pace of their savings to finance it. After-tax income dropped in the first quarter.
That decline reflected, in part, the increased Social Security tax that took effect Jan. 1. A person earning $50,000 a year has about $1,000 less to spend this year. A household with two highly paid workers has up to $4,500 less.
The economy grew at an annual rate of only 1.8 percent in the January-March quarter. Many economists have forecast that growth in the April-June quarter will weaken further to around 1.5 percent. But they think the economy will rebound somewhat in the second half of this year as stronger employment growth fuels more consumer spending.
The Federal Reserve's borrowing report covers auto loans, student loans and credit cards. It excludes mortgages, home equity loans and other loans related to real estate.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Crap.. addendum: Noun An item of additional material, typically omissions, added at the end of a book or other publication.
---
Promise, not bragging but..
Left out one more unexpected #blessing that came with the place..
We now live within a couple miles of Downstream Casino
Turns out they have an outdoor concert area and are drawing some pretty good names..
Last week, the evening of July 5th, we sat at our table in the front yard and listened to Willy Nelson live while imbibing, sipping a little wine and relaxing. The concert was followed by a pretty spectacular 25 minute fireworks display to boot.
Looks like we will be getting maybe 6 to 8 free live outdoor concerts per summer that can easily be heard seated in our front yard ;)
Looking forward to Peter Frampton next (Do you feel like we do?)
Laterz
Greg
Promise, not bragging but..
Left out one more unexpected #blessing that came with the place..
We now live within a couple miles of Downstream Casino
Turns out they have an outdoor concert area and are drawing some pretty good names..
Last week, the evening of July 5th, we sat at our table in the front yard and listened to Willy Nelson live while imbibing, sipping a little wine and relaxing. The concert was followed by a pretty spectacular 25 minute fireworks display to boot.
Looks like we will be getting maybe 6 to 8 free live outdoor concerts per summer that can easily be heard seated in our front yard ;)
Looking forward to Peter Frampton next (Do you feel like we do?)
Laterz
Greg
Update: #God, #prayer, country living, satellite internet, #news and #trading
---
I continue to be quite amazed (and those of you who know me know I'm not easily amazed lol).
Amazed by what? My prayer experiment.. (As first blogged here)
Since that post, and this one with pics of the new yard, good things continue to happen.
Since then I have stumbled into a free riding mower (that I have yet to pick up) and a bunch on free cinder blocks (ditto, not yet picked up) which I intend to build a burn pit with.
Living in the country requires some lifestyle changes. There is SO MUCH to do! Most days I end up sore and tired by the end of the day. However, thankfully there is a lot of instant gratification involved as the property takes shape. And I still thank God pretty much all day, everyday, for the wonderful opportunities He has given me.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
King James Version (KJV)
17 Pray without ceasing.
To me, personally, and I'm certainly not "ordained" or anything lol, "Pray without ceasing" simply means to be forever grateful to God in your heart.
Still dealing with this limited internet access model.. At the moment restricted to 10 gigabytes bandwidth per month.. We had cable for 37 years and before the move I downloaded some software, checked and discovered that using the internet with no changes I was using somewhere around 150 gigabytes of bandwidth per month. So, needless to say, dropping from 150 gigabytes usage to 10 gigabytes has been spooky on the face of it.
I'll be upgrading my bandwidth soon to the max (I think) of 25 gigabytes per month & try to learn to live with that. Of course that's a lot more f'ing worthless fiat too, for the upgrade, bastards..
So lately not even doing a very good job of keeping up with the news either.. But keeping up "enough" to see that everything is still majorly F'ED! LMAO
As a result of the move, and associated life changes, I have changed my trading style a bit for the time being. Before the move I tended to trade m15 / m5 / m1 charts based on higher time frames (ie; h4, daily, maybe h1). Those trades tended to last from a few to several hours on average and on occasion maybe a day or two. At the moment my trades are based on the longer term as I'm looking for OB/OS conditions on a daily basis and, generally speaking, willing to wait a week or two for a move in my favor.
This is subject to change without notice.
Thanks to everyone for your patience and truly wishing all my great trader friends all the success in the world.
Greg
I continue to be quite amazed (and those of you who know me know I'm not easily amazed lol).
Amazed by what? My prayer experiment.. (As first blogged here)
Since that post, and this one with pics of the new yard, good things continue to happen.
Since then I have stumbled into a free riding mower (that I have yet to pick up) and a bunch on free cinder blocks (ditto, not yet picked up) which I intend to build a burn pit with.
Living in the country requires some lifestyle changes. There is SO MUCH to do! Most days I end up sore and tired by the end of the day. However, thankfully there is a lot of instant gratification involved as the property takes shape. And I still thank God pretty much all day, everyday, for the wonderful opportunities He has given me.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
King James Version (KJV)
17 Pray without ceasing.
To me, personally, and I'm certainly not "ordained" or anything lol, "Pray without ceasing" simply means to be forever grateful to God in your heart.
Still dealing with this limited internet access model.. At the moment restricted to 10 gigabytes bandwidth per month.. We had cable for 37 years and before the move I downloaded some software, checked and discovered that using the internet with no changes I was using somewhere around 150 gigabytes of bandwidth per month. So, needless to say, dropping from 150 gigabytes usage to 10 gigabytes has been spooky on the face of it.
I'll be upgrading my bandwidth soon to the max (I think) of 25 gigabytes per month & try to learn to live with that. Of course that's a lot more f'ing worthless fiat too, for the upgrade, bastards..
So lately not even doing a very good job of keeping up with the news either.. But keeping up "enough" to see that everything is still majorly F'ED! LMAO
As a result of the move, and associated life changes, I have changed my trading style a bit for the time being. Before the move I tended to trade m15 / m5 / m1 charts based on higher time frames (ie; h4, daily, maybe h1). Those trades tended to last from a few to several hours on average and on occasion maybe a day or two. At the moment my trades are based on the longer term as I'm looking for OB/OS conditions on a daily basis and, generally speaking, willing to wait a week or two for a move in my favor.
This is subject to change without notice.
Thanks to everyone for your patience and truly wishing all my great trader friends all the success in the world.
Greg
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
New (and improved ;) front yard, back yard and new puppies :)
---
As many of you likely know by now we recently moved. We moved from the city (albeit a small city lol) to the country. We now have 3 acres full of beautiful oak, and other, trees and lots of wildlife. Just discovered a bunch of wild blackberries in the backyard the other day :)
The move was something we have been thinking about for a couple of years now. We have been looking at properties, off and on, for about that length of time. We are very happy with what we ended up finding at a great price.
Much of our decision was based on finance. Thanks to family we had access to a very affordable loan, quite a blessing in and of itself. We went ahead and did a long term loan so we ended up with miniscule mortgage payments and on top of that by moving out of the city and into the country we said goodbye to many of the bills and fees we had previously.
Gone are the water bill (as we have a well now), the mandatory trash pickup bill, the sewer bill is no more (septic tank), No more gas bill. And the associated, somewhat mysterious, "customer charges" are gone as well. The utility companies tack those on our bill and they often represented as much as 40% of the entire bill! Now the city is planning to institute a recycling fee as well at a cost to residents of $3.00 p/month.
$3.00 isn't much f'ing fiat but..
What the idiots do not seem to understand, pretend they don't understand, is that everyone from the federal government, to state government, to county government, to city / municipality and government regulated utility companies continually increase the amount we pay for everything by a small amount at a time. Here in the states this is called "nickle and diming us to death!" It's the cumulative effect of hundreds, or thousands, of "small" bills and or fees that are crushing our economy.. And of course what is initially a $3.00 bill p/month creeps to $5.00 p/month and then $7.00, seemingly forever until one day, without you noticing, that $3.00 p/month bill is now a $15.00 p/month bill!
In my opinion what this country / economy needs is deflation and yet the Federal reserve Bank, with the blessings of our kleptocratic government, continually strive to create inflation. To continually attempt to force the citizens of this country to borrow, spend and invest.
The house is all electric with a wood burning stove that we plan to heat with in the winter months (and plenty of trees to fuel it ;) At some point in the future we plan to look into solar power as well so we can tell Empire District Electric to kiss our ass too.
At any rate all the saving add up to greatly increase our cash flow. (Which is a good thing :)
And the property is just gorgeous ;)
(Please ignore the dates on the pictures.. Camera wasn't set right after battery change ;) Actual date taken today July 2nd, 2013)
Here's the upgraded front yard..
And the new backyard..
And finally the new "farm" puppies (thanks sis!)
Have a great day everyone. Thanks for peeking ;)
Greg
As many of you likely know by now we recently moved. We moved from the city (albeit a small city lol) to the country. We now have 3 acres full of beautiful oak, and other, trees and lots of wildlife. Just discovered a bunch of wild blackberries in the backyard the other day :)
The move was something we have been thinking about for a couple of years now. We have been looking at properties, off and on, for about that length of time. We are very happy with what we ended up finding at a great price.
Much of our decision was based on finance. Thanks to family we had access to a very affordable loan, quite a blessing in and of itself. We went ahead and did a long term loan so we ended up with miniscule mortgage payments and on top of that by moving out of the city and into the country we said goodbye to many of the bills and fees we had previously.
Gone are the water bill (as we have a well now), the mandatory trash pickup bill, the sewer bill is no more (septic tank), No more gas bill. And the associated, somewhat mysterious, "customer charges" are gone as well. The utility companies tack those on our bill and they often represented as much as 40% of the entire bill! Now the city is planning to institute a recycling fee as well at a cost to residents of $3.00 p/month.
$3.00 isn't much f'ing fiat but..
What the idiots do not seem to understand, pretend they don't understand, is that everyone from the federal government, to state government, to county government, to city / municipality and government regulated utility companies continually increase the amount we pay for everything by a small amount at a time. Here in the states this is called "nickle and diming us to death!" It's the cumulative effect of hundreds, or thousands, of "small" bills and or fees that are crushing our economy.. And of course what is initially a $3.00 bill p/month creeps to $5.00 p/month and then $7.00, seemingly forever until one day, without you noticing, that $3.00 p/month bill is now a $15.00 p/month bill!
In my opinion what this country / economy needs is deflation and yet the Federal reserve Bank, with the blessings of our kleptocratic government, continually strive to create inflation. To continually attempt to force the citizens of this country to borrow, spend and invest.
The house is all electric with a wood burning stove that we plan to heat with in the winter months (and plenty of trees to fuel it ;) At some point in the future we plan to look into solar power as well so we can tell Empire District Electric to kiss our ass too.
At any rate all the saving add up to greatly increase our cash flow. (Which is a good thing :)
And the property is just gorgeous ;)
(Please ignore the dates on the pictures.. Camera wasn't set right after battery change ;) Actual date taken today July 2nd, 2013)
Here's the upgraded front yard..
And the new backyard..
And finally the new "farm" puppies (thanks sis!)
Have a great day everyone. Thanks for peeking ;)
Greg
Friday, June 28, 2013
Lame stream #media sleeps w U.S. #government (Sleeping w the enemy) #Snowden #economy #FED
---
With commentary by me.. (Because the media is a huge part of the matrix..)
“Withholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of the dictatorship.”
― Bruce Coville
"The control of information is something the elite always does, particularly in a despotic form of government. Information, knowledge, is power. If you can control information, you can control people."
Tom Clancy
-Greg
Putin says no to US request to turn over Snowden (Source link on yahoo.com)
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin bluntly rejected U.S. pleas to turn over National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden on Tuesday, saying he is free to travel wherever he wants and insisting that Russian security agencies haven't contacted him.
Snowden is in the transit zone of a Moscow airport and has not passed through Russian immigration, Putin said, meaning he is not technically in Russia.
After arriving Sunday on a flight from Hong Kong, Snowden registered for a Havana-bound flight from Moscow on Monday en route to Venezuela and then possible asylum in Ecuador, but he didn't board the plane.
Snowden's whereabouts since then have been a mystery, and Putin's comments were the first time Russia has made clear it knows where he is.
Speculation has been rife that Russian security agencies might want to keep Snowden in Russia for a more thorough debriefing, but Putin denied that.
."
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday, June 25, 2 …
"Our special services never worked with Mr. Snowden and aren't working with him today," Putin said at a news conference during a visit to Finland.
Putin said that because there is no extradition agreement with the U.S., it couldn't meet the U.S. request.
"Mr. Snowden is a free man, and the sooner he chooses his final destination the better it is for us and for him," Putin said. "I hope it will not affect the business-like character of our relations with the U.S. and I hope that our partners will understand that."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that though the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, it wants Moscow to comply with common law practices between countries where fugitives are concerned. (Common #law as defined only by the U.S. #government)
Putin's staunch refusal to consider deporting Snowden shows the Russian president's readiness to further challenge Washington at a time when U.S.-Russian relations are already strained over Syria and a Russian ban on adoptions by Americans.
FILE - In this June 21, 2013 file photo, a banner supporting Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee w …
A Kremlin decision to provide even temporary shelter and safe transit to Snowden would embarrass Washington. And despite Putin's denial, security experts believe the Russian special services wouldn't miss the chance to question a man who is believed to hold reams of classified U.S. documents and can shed light on how the U.S. intelligence agencies collect information.
Igor Korotchenko, director of the Center for Global Arms Trade and editor of National Defense Magazine, said Snowden would be of particular interest because little is known about digital espionage.
"The security services would be happy to enter into contact with Mr. Snowden," Korotchenko said.
Russia also relished using Snowden's revelations to try to turn the tables on U.S. criticism of Russia's rights record.
Putin compared Snowden to WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, who has been provided asylum in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, saying that both men were labeled criminals but consider themselves rights activists and champions of freedom of information. ( Yeah & they are just that.. U.S. government going after them essentially for spying when all they did is show the TRUTH to the American people about the U.S. government being the "King of spies when it comes to their own citizens (serfs))
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday, June 25, 2 …
"Ask yourself a question: should people like that be extradited so that they put them in prison or not?" he said. "In any case, I would prefer not to deal with such issues. It's like shearing a piglet: a lot of squealing and little wool." (Be careful peeps.. Dissent is no longer "ok" in USA)
In an apparent reference to claims that Moscow could have played a role in Snowden's exit from Hong Kong, he said that his arrival was a "complete surprise" and dismissed accusations against Russia as "ravings and sheer nonsense."
"He doesn't need a visa or any other documents, and as a transit passenger he has the right to buy a ticket and fly wherever he wants," Putin said.
Russian news media had reported that Snowden remained in a transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, which is separate from the regular departure zones. He has not been seen by any of the journalists that have been roaming the airport in search of him.
Legally, an arriving air passenger only crosses the border after clearing immigration checks.
Light shines through a cabin window on seat 17A, the empty seat that an Aeroflot official said was b …
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected the U.S. push for Snowden's extradition earlier Tuesday, but wouldn't specify his whereabouts, saying only that he hasn't crossed the Russian border.
"We consider the attempts to accuse Russia of violating U.S. laws and even some sort of conspiracy, which on top of all that are accompanied by threats, as absolutely ungrounded and unacceptable," Lavrov said. "There are no legal grounds for such conduct by U.S. officials." (Rule of law huh? Yeah sure except when it gets in U.S. governments way)
U.S. and Ecuadorean officials had said they believed Snowden was still in Russia.
Kerry called for "calm and reasonableness."
"We would hope that Russia would not side with someone who is 'a fugitive' from justice,' " Kerry said at a news conference in Saudi Arabia.
**CORRECTS DIRECTION OF PRESIDENT ** Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, left, greets passersby from …
The U.S. has revoked Snowden's passport.
A representative of WikiLeaks has been traveling with Snowden, and the organization is believed to be assisting him in arranging asylum. Assange, the group's founder, said Monday that Snowden was only passing through Russia and had applied for asylum in Ecuador, Iceland and possibly other countries.
A high-ranking Ecuadorean official told The Associated Press that Russia and Ecuador were discussing where Snowden could go, saying the process could take days. He also said Ecuador's ambassador to Moscow had not seen or spoken to Snowden. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, hailed Snowden on Monday as "a man attempting to bring light and transparency to facts that affect everyone's fundamental liberties."
"We're following all the appropriate legal channels and working with various other countries to make sure that the rule of law is observed," President Barack Obama told reporters.
Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino speaks to reporters in Hanoi, Vietnam on Monday June 24, 2 …
The Kremlin has previously said Russia would be ready to consider Snowden's request for asylum.
Snowden is a former CIA employee who later was hired as a contractor for the NSA. In that job, he gained access to documents that he gave to newspapers the Guardian and The Washington Post to expose what he contends are privacy violations by an authoritarian government.
Snowden also told the South China Morning Post newspaper in Hong Kong that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." He is believed to have more than 200 additional sensitive documents in laptops he is carrying.
Some observers said in addition to the sensitive data, Snowden's revelations have provided the Kremlin with propaganda arguments to counter the U.S. criticism of Russia's crackdown on opposition and civil activists under Putin.
"They would use Snowden to demonstrate that the U.S. government doesn't sympathize with the ideals of freedom of information, conceals key information from the public and stands ready to open criminal proceedings against those who oppose it," Konstantin Remchukov, the editor of independent daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta, said on Ekho Moskvy radio.
Putin has accused the U.S. State Department of instigating protests in Moscow against his re-election for a third term in March and has taken an anti-American posture that plays well with his core support base of industrial workers and state employees.
____
Huuhtanen reported from Naantali, Finland. Michael Weissenstein and Gonzalo Solano contributed to this story from Quito, Ecuador.
---
(But wait, there's MORE! (government controlled media bullshit)
Reports Reflect Fed's Message Of Stronger Economy (Source link)
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 25, 2013 4:18 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. housing recovery is strengthening. Factories are fielding more orders. And Americans' confidence in the economy has reached its highest point in 5½ years.
That brightening picture, captured in four reports Tuesday, suggests that the economy could accelerate in the second half of the year. It underscores the message last week from the Federal Reserve, which plans to slow its bond-buying program this year and end it next year if the economy continues to strengthen. The Fed's bond purchases have helped keep long-term interest rates low. (but but.. have they "encouraged BORROWING & SPENDING?!)
Investors (Investors my a$$.. try Primary Dealers & TBTF banks (good ole boys club), that's who's excited) appeared to welcome the flurry of positive data. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 100 points to close at 14,760, and broader stock indexes also ended the day up. Those gains made up only a fraction of the markets' losses since Chairman Ben Bernanke said last week that the Fed will likely scale back its economic stimulus within months — a move that would send long-term rates up.
But the rising confidence of U.S. consumers shows that most Americans are focused on a better job market, said Beth Ann Bovino, chief economist at Standard & Poor's.
"Maybe households agree with the Fed: the economy is improving," Bovino said.
The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index jumped this month to 81.4, the highest reading since January 2008. The New York-based research group said consumers appear more encouraged by economic conditions and more optimistic about where the economy and job market are likely headed over the next six months. (Be sure NOT to mention that a number of 90 or higher USED to be considered normal / good "Despite the recent gains, the confidence index remains well below the 90 reading that indicates a healthy economy")
Last month, U.S. employers added 175,000 jobs, which almost exactly matched the average increase of the previous 12 months. Steady job growth has gradually reduced the unemployment rate to 7.6 percent from a peak of 10 percent in 2009. And rising home and stock prices since the recession ended four years ago have "made many Americans feel wealthier". (Yet another "phrase that I'm SICK of seeing.. WTF does "feeling wealthier" have to do with anything?!)
The combination has kept consumers spending this year despite higher Social Security taxes and steep government spending cuts that took effect this year.
The survey was completed June 13, so it didn't reflect the past week's plunge in stock prices. The market turmoil might lower July's consumer confidence. Still, many economists say they doubt that any drop in confidence would be dramatic. (Yet they are NEVER called out when WRONG are they?)
For most Americans, the biggest investment is their home. And a steady rise in prices is allowing them [to]recover much of the wealth they lost during and immediately after the Great Recession. (You people are f'ing stupid.. Home value going up a few bucks doesn't put FOOD on the table!)
U.S. home prices jumped 12.1 percent in April compared with a year ago, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index. That was the biggest year-over-year gain since March 2006. (So WTF does this mean? That bubble economics is making a comeback?)
For a fourth straight month, prices rose from a year earlier in all 20 cities in the index. Twelve cities posted double-digit price gains.
More buyers and a limited supply of available homes have lifted prices in most cities. Higher prices have, in turn, fueled further sales and encouraged builders to ramp up construction. A more sustainable housing recovery is contributing to economic growth and creating more jobs.
Sales of new homes rose in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 476,000, the Commerce Department said. That was the fastest pace since July 2008. Though sales of new homes remain below the 700,000 annual rate that most economists consider healthy, the pace has jumped 29 percent from a year ago.
Last week, the National Association of Realtors said sales of previously occupied homes in May surpassed the 5 million mark for the first time since November 2009.
At a news conference last week, Bernanke noted that the strength in housing was a key reason the Fed had raised its outlook for growth next year and is moving toward slowing its pace of bond buying. (Unless #they decide not to..)
The Fed's bond purchases have helped fuel the housing gains by keeping mortgage rates down. (But but.. has it "encouraged BORROWING & SPENDING?!) As recently as early last month, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 3.35 percent, just above the record low of 3.31 percent. The average remains historically low at 3.93 percent.
Many investors worry that many consumer and business loan rates, which have already started to rise, will jump once the Fed scales back its bond purchases. More expensive loans could slow the housing recovery and sap the economy's momentum at a critical moment. (Perhaps LESS central planning / government control of the entire economy would be a better way to go?)
Even so, Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo, said the reports point to underlying strength that should enable the economy to withstand jittery financial markets.
"The economy is strong enough now that it can handle a couple of rough days on Wall Street," Vitner said.
The weakest part of the economy this year has been manufacturing, which has been held back by a recession in Europe and tepid growth in other overseas markets. But factory activity may start to rebound, according to a report from the Commerce Department. The department said orders for durable goods rose 3.6 percent.
Most of the increase was due to commercial aircraft orders, which tend to fluctuate sharply from month to month. Still, businesses also ordered more computers, communications equipment, machinery and metals.
As a result, a category of orders that's viewed as a proxy for business investment plans — which excludes the volatile sectors of transportation and defense — rose 1.1 percent. That matched similar gains in April and March. This category hadn't risen for three straight months since 2011.
Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said he still thinks economic growth is slowing in the April-June quarter to an annual rate below 2 percent. That would be down from a 2.4 percent annual rate from January through March.
But Ashworth said the pickup in orders should help drive a stronger economy in the July-September quarter. He said growth could exceed an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the final three months of the year.
With commentary by me.. (Because the media is a huge part of the matrix..)
“Withholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of the dictatorship.”
― Bruce Coville
"The control of information is something the elite always does, particularly in a despotic form of government. Information, knowledge, is power. If you can control information, you can control people."
Tom Clancy
-Greg
Putin says no to US request to turn over Snowden (Source link on yahoo.com)
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin bluntly rejected U.S. pleas to turn over National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden on Tuesday, saying he is free to travel wherever he wants and insisting that Russian security agencies haven't contacted him.
Snowden is in the transit zone of a Moscow airport and has not passed through Russian immigration, Putin said, meaning he is not technically in Russia.
After arriving Sunday on a flight from Hong Kong, Snowden registered for a Havana-bound flight from Moscow on Monday en route to Venezuela and then possible asylum in Ecuador, but he didn't board the plane.
Snowden's whereabouts since then have been a mystery, and Putin's comments were the first time Russia has made clear it knows where he is.
Speculation has been rife that Russian security agencies might want to keep Snowden in Russia for a more thorough debriefing, but Putin denied that.
."
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday, June 25, 2 …
"Our special services never worked with Mr. Snowden and aren't working with him today," Putin said at a news conference during a visit to Finland.
Putin said that because there is no extradition agreement with the U.S., it couldn't meet the U.S. request.
"Mr. Snowden is a free man, and the sooner he chooses his final destination the better it is for us and for him," Putin said. "I hope it will not affect the business-like character of our relations with the U.S. and I hope that our partners will understand that."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that though the United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, it wants Moscow to comply with common law practices between countries where fugitives are concerned. (Common #law as defined only by the U.S. #government)
Putin's staunch refusal to consider deporting Snowden shows the Russian president's readiness to further challenge Washington at a time when U.S.-Russian relations are already strained over Syria and a Russian ban on adoptions by Americans.
FILE - In this June 21, 2013 file photo, a banner supporting Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee w …
A Kremlin decision to provide even temporary shelter and safe transit to Snowden would embarrass Washington. And despite Putin's denial, security experts believe the Russian special services wouldn't miss the chance to question a man who is believed to hold reams of classified U.S. documents and can shed light on how the U.S. intelligence agencies collect information.
Igor Korotchenko, director of the Center for Global Arms Trade and editor of National Defense Magazine, said Snowden would be of particular interest because little is known about digital espionage.
"The security services would be happy to enter into contact with Mr. Snowden," Korotchenko said.
Russia also relished using Snowden's revelations to try to turn the tables on U.S. criticism of Russia's rights record.
Putin compared Snowden to WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, who has been provided asylum in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, saying that both men were labeled criminals but consider themselves rights activists and champions of freedom of information. ( Yeah & they are just that.. U.S. government going after them essentially for spying when all they did is show the TRUTH to the American people about the U.S. government being the "King of spies when it comes to their own citizens (serfs))
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a news conference in Moscow on Tuesday, June 25, 2 …
"Ask yourself a question: should people like that be extradited so that they put them in prison or not?" he said. "In any case, I would prefer not to deal with such issues. It's like shearing a piglet: a lot of squealing and little wool." (Be careful peeps.. Dissent is no longer "ok" in USA)
In an apparent reference to claims that Moscow could have played a role in Snowden's exit from Hong Kong, he said that his arrival was a "complete surprise" and dismissed accusations against Russia as "ravings and sheer nonsense."
"He doesn't need a visa or any other documents, and as a transit passenger he has the right to buy a ticket and fly wherever he wants," Putin said.
Russian news media had reported that Snowden remained in a transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, which is separate from the regular departure zones. He has not been seen by any of the journalists that have been roaming the airport in search of him.
Legally, an arriving air passenger only crosses the border after clearing immigration checks.
Light shines through a cabin window on seat 17A, the empty seat that an Aeroflot official said was b …
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected the U.S. push for Snowden's extradition earlier Tuesday, but wouldn't specify his whereabouts, saying only that he hasn't crossed the Russian border.
"We consider the attempts to accuse Russia of violating U.S. laws and even some sort of conspiracy, which on top of all that are accompanied by threats, as absolutely ungrounded and unacceptable," Lavrov said. "There are no legal grounds for such conduct by U.S. officials." (Rule of law huh? Yeah sure except when it gets in U.S. governments way)
U.S. and Ecuadorean officials had said they believed Snowden was still in Russia.
Kerry called for "calm and reasonableness."
"We would hope that Russia would not side with someone who is 'a fugitive' from justice,' " Kerry said at a news conference in Saudi Arabia.
**CORRECTS DIRECTION OF PRESIDENT ** Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, left, greets passersby from …
The U.S. has revoked Snowden's passport.
A representative of WikiLeaks has been traveling with Snowden, and the organization is believed to be assisting him in arranging asylum. Assange, the group's founder, said Monday that Snowden was only passing through Russia and had applied for asylum in Ecuador, Iceland and possibly other countries.
A high-ranking Ecuadorean official told The Associated Press that Russia and Ecuador were discussing where Snowden could go, saying the process could take days. He also said Ecuador's ambassador to Moscow had not seen or spoken to Snowden. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, hailed Snowden on Monday as "a man attempting to bring light and transparency to facts that affect everyone's fundamental liberties."
"We're following all the appropriate legal channels and working with various other countries to make sure that the rule of law is observed," President Barack Obama told reporters.
Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino speaks to reporters in Hanoi, Vietnam on Monday June 24, 2 …
The Kremlin has previously said Russia would be ready to consider Snowden's request for asylum.
Snowden is a former CIA employee who later was hired as a contractor for the NSA. In that job, he gained access to documents that he gave to newspapers the Guardian and The Washington Post to expose what he contends are privacy violations by an authoritarian government.
Snowden also told the South China Morning Post newspaper in Hong Kong that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." He is believed to have more than 200 additional sensitive documents in laptops he is carrying.
Some observers said in addition to the sensitive data, Snowden's revelations have provided the Kremlin with propaganda arguments to counter the U.S. criticism of Russia's crackdown on opposition and civil activists under Putin.
"They would use Snowden to demonstrate that the U.S. government doesn't sympathize with the ideals of freedom of information, conceals key information from the public and stands ready to open criminal proceedings against those who oppose it," Konstantin Remchukov, the editor of independent daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta, said on Ekho Moskvy radio.
Putin has accused the U.S. State Department of instigating protests in Moscow against his re-election for a third term in March and has taken an anti-American posture that plays well with his core support base of industrial workers and state employees.
____
Huuhtanen reported from Naantali, Finland. Michael Weissenstein and Gonzalo Solano contributed to this story from Quito, Ecuador.
---
(But wait, there's MORE! (government controlled media bullshit)
Reports Reflect Fed's Message Of Stronger Economy (Source link)
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 25, 2013 4:18 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. housing recovery is strengthening. Factories are fielding more orders. And Americans' confidence in the economy has reached its highest point in 5½ years.
That brightening picture, captured in four reports Tuesday, suggests that the economy could accelerate in the second half of the year. It underscores the message last week from the Federal Reserve, which plans to slow its bond-buying program this year and end it next year if the economy continues to strengthen. The Fed's bond purchases have helped keep long-term interest rates low. (but but.. have they "encouraged BORROWING & SPENDING?!)
Investors (Investors my a$$.. try Primary Dealers & TBTF banks (good ole boys club), that's who's excited) appeared to welcome the flurry of positive data. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 100 points to close at 14,760, and broader stock indexes also ended the day up. Those gains made up only a fraction of the markets' losses since Chairman Ben Bernanke said last week that the Fed will likely scale back its economic stimulus within months — a move that would send long-term rates up.
But the rising confidence of U.S. consumers shows that most Americans are focused on a better job market, said Beth Ann Bovino, chief economist at Standard & Poor's.
"Maybe households agree with the Fed: the economy is improving," Bovino said.
The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index jumped this month to 81.4, the highest reading since January 2008. The New York-based research group said consumers appear more encouraged by economic conditions and more optimistic about where the economy and job market are likely headed over the next six months. (Be sure NOT to mention that a number of 90 or higher USED to be considered normal / good "Despite the recent gains, the confidence index remains well below the 90 reading that indicates a healthy economy")
Last month, U.S. employers added 175,000 jobs, which almost exactly matched the average increase of the previous 12 months. Steady job growth has gradually reduced the unemployment rate to 7.6 percent from a peak of 10 percent in 2009. And rising home and stock prices since the recession ended four years ago have "made many Americans feel wealthier". (Yet another "phrase that I'm SICK of seeing.. WTF does "feeling wealthier" have to do with anything?!)
The combination has kept consumers spending this year despite higher Social Security taxes and steep government spending cuts that took effect this year.
The survey was completed June 13, so it didn't reflect the past week's plunge in stock prices. The market turmoil might lower July's consumer confidence. Still, many economists say they doubt that any drop in confidence would be dramatic. (Yet they are NEVER called out when WRONG are they?)
For most Americans, the biggest investment is their home. And a steady rise in prices is allowing them [to]recover much of the wealth they lost during and immediately after the Great Recession. (You people are f'ing stupid.. Home value going up a few bucks doesn't put FOOD on the table!)
U.S. home prices jumped 12.1 percent in April compared with a year ago, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index. That was the biggest year-over-year gain since March 2006. (So WTF does this mean? That bubble economics is making a comeback?)
For a fourth straight month, prices rose from a year earlier in all 20 cities in the index. Twelve cities posted double-digit price gains.
More buyers and a limited supply of available homes have lifted prices in most cities. Higher prices have, in turn, fueled further sales and encouraged builders to ramp up construction. A more sustainable housing recovery is contributing to economic growth and creating more jobs.
Sales of new homes rose in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 476,000, the Commerce Department said. That was the fastest pace since July 2008. Though sales of new homes remain below the 700,000 annual rate that most economists consider healthy, the pace has jumped 29 percent from a year ago.
Last week, the National Association of Realtors said sales of previously occupied homes in May surpassed the 5 million mark for the first time since November 2009.
At a news conference last week, Bernanke noted that the strength in housing was a key reason the Fed had raised its outlook for growth next year and is moving toward slowing its pace of bond buying. (Unless #they decide not to..)
The Fed's bond purchases have helped fuel the housing gains by keeping mortgage rates down. (But but.. has it "encouraged BORROWING & SPENDING?!) As recently as early last month, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 3.35 percent, just above the record low of 3.31 percent. The average remains historically low at 3.93 percent.
Many investors worry that many consumer and business loan rates, which have already started to rise, will jump once the Fed scales back its bond purchases. More expensive loans could slow the housing recovery and sap the economy's momentum at a critical moment. (Perhaps LESS central planning / government control of the entire economy would be a better way to go?)
Even so, Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo, said the reports point to underlying strength that should enable the economy to withstand jittery financial markets.
"The economy is strong enough now that it can handle a couple of rough days on Wall Street," Vitner said.
The weakest part of the economy this year has been manufacturing, which has been held back by a recession in Europe and tepid growth in other overseas markets. But factory activity may start to rebound, according to a report from the Commerce Department. The department said orders for durable goods rose 3.6 percent.
Most of the increase was due to commercial aircraft orders, which tend to fluctuate sharply from month to month. Still, businesses also ordered more computers, communications equipment, machinery and metals.
As a result, a category of orders that's viewed as a proxy for business investment plans — which excludes the volatile sectors of transportation and defense — rose 1.1 percent. That matched similar gains in April and March. This category hadn't risen for three straight months since 2011.
Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said he still thinks economic growth is slowing in the April-June quarter to an annual rate below 2 percent. That would be down from a 2.4 percent annual rate from January through March.
But Ashworth said the pickup in orders should help drive a stronger economy in the July-September quarter. He said growth could exceed an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the final three months of the year.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
#God, #Tool & silly monkeys..
---
Rev 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Rev 6:3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
Rev 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
Rev 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Rev 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Rev 6:3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
Rev 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
Rev 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
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