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But wait - ther's more: Kerry Says U.S. to Pay Iran $1.7 Billion in Debt and Interest
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Page 6: Politix
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-Short Attention Span Theater-
British columnist: "If Trump wins, I'm moving to America"
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/18/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Lemme see, Trump wins the election and this babe packs up to come to the U.S. 0bama officials, however, will only let her come if she has a Mooslem under each arm.

Better to wait until January, lass.
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 01/18/2016 19:28 Comments || Top||


Economy
Royal Bank of Scotland: Cataclysmic Year Ahead
[LI] RBS urged investors to sell everything amid warnings that oil prices could fall to the lowest level in 17 years which may spark a meltdown as severe as the 2008 financial crisis.

The bank told investors stock markets could fall 20 per cent this year as it urged them to sell with a stark warning, saying: 'In a crowded hall, exit doors are small. Risks are high.'

Analysts warned of a 'cataclysmic year' ahead for investors and the global economy, BP said it would have to slash 4,000 posts around the world including 600 in the North Sea.

A recession has occurred in the U.S. about every five years, on average, since the end of WWII; and it has been seven years since the last one — we are overdue.

Most importantly, the average market drop during the peak to trough of the last 6 recessions has been 37 percent. That would take the S&P 500 down to 1,300; if this next recession were to be just of the average variety.

But this one will be worse.

A major contributor for this imminent recession is the fallout from a faltering Chinese economy. The megalomaniac communist government has increased debt 28 times since the year 2000. Taking that total north of 300 percent of GDP in a very short period of time for the primary purpose of building a massive unproductive fixed asset bubble that adds little to GDP.
'Cataclysmic years' come and go. Sell everything and you're an instant loser.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/18/2016 01:48 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  If oil prices fall, then everything else should become cheaper---niet?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/18/2016 3:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Margins increase. Except for petrol, prices appear to stabilize but decline very little.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/18/2016 6:07 Comments || Top||

#3  Don't forget to withdraw all your money from the bank while you're at it!
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 01/18/2016 12:42 Comments || Top||

#4  Sales of mattresses and mason jars to take off.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/18/2016 13:03 Comments || Top||

#5  If we have a recession every 5 years, but didn't actually recover from the last one despite the funky numbers coming out of Washington, are we still due?

I believe we are in a recession right now. I'm not an economist but think with the right President tearing up regulation and freeing up the economy we could see a really bright 2017 and teh market, seeing that coming might respond early.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 01/18/2016 16:56 Comments || Top||

#6  With the Fed driving down interest rates so that the stock market was nearly the only place to park money, stocks were inflated and banks could make money by buying treasury notes. Raise rates and like a pin, the stock market bubble bursts.

We haven't had rocket scientists running this country.
Posted by: Sven the pelter || 01/18/2016 17:03 Comments || Top||

#7  >With the Fed driving down interest rates so that the stock market was nearly the only place to park money, stocks were inflated

Yes raising the price and cost of investment ius the best way to grow the economy.

Keynesianism is establishment bailout (at the people's expense) idiocy .
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 01/18/2016 19:28 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
YouTube ban
[DAWN] THE senseless ban on the video-sharing site YouTube might finally be getting closer to being lifted, but it appears there is still some residual reluctance to actually do so in some quarters of the government. According to reports, the government has given a commitment to Google at the highest levels that following the localisation of its domain, access to the site will be opened up. Reportedly, Google has upheld its end of the commitment by investing millions of dollars in the localised domain, following which the prime minister committed earlier this week to a group of American business leaders that the government would now lift the ban. But days after the commitment, the site remains blocked, reportedly due to reluctance on the part of the IT ministry to implement the prime minister's instructions.

It is imperative that the directive to lift the ban be implemented without further delay. The ban itself has hurt nobody other than the citizens of Pakistain, who have been deprived of the enormous educational benefits the site has to offer. Continuing delay in lifting the ban is now hurting the country's credibility, as well as the standing of the prime minister before foreign investors, who are left wondering whether they should believe anything they are told by the government of Pakistain. Not only has the ban invited ridicule, it has also damaged the credibility of the government and politicianship. The IT ministry should waste no further time in lifting the ban, or at least provide sound reasons as to why it is unable to implement the directive of the prime minister. If it has not received any such directive from the top politicianship, that should also be admitted openly. Thus far, the IT ministry is either avoiding all contact with the media, or a few officials are providing off-the-record comments only. The ban and the stalled efforts to lift it have dragged the country into an absurd position, and the affair should end now.
Posted by: Fred || 01/18/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Child marriage bill
[DAWN] ANY proposal that seeks to place restrictions on male 'privilege' where it pertains to women triggers a predictable storm of protest in this country. Whether the issue is that of sexual harassment, domestic violence or child marriage, good sense and empathy are in scarce supply. Instead, self-righteous pontification and regressive obduracy animate the most vocal participants in the debate. So it was on Thursday, when the National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs declared as 'un-Islamic' the amendment suggested by PML-N MNA Marvi Memon to the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2014, which proposed that the minimum marriageable age for girls in Pakistain be raised to 18. Under the extant Child Marriage Act 1929, the minimum threshold is stipulated as 16 years. Members of the committee, after seeking the opinion of the Council of Islamic Ideology members, rejected the notion of placing any such limit, decrying it as a 'Western' idea and one that went against the culture, traditions and family values of Muslims.

The smokescreen of faith is a handy recourse in this country to counter attempts at ameliorating the rights of women and girls. Tradition is no excuse for retaining customs that are out of sync with modern thinking. Indeed, customs change over time -- if that were not so, the practice of slavery would not be illegal in Pakistain. Marriage is not a relationship fit for those categorised as minors in other aspects of life. Operating a vehicle or casting a vote in this country require individuals to be aged 18 and above. And quite rightly so, for 18 is legal age of maturity in Pakistain. Why should marriage, navigating the many complexities of which requires not only physical maturity but also -- and far more importantly -- mental maturity, be any different? The pernicious custom of child marriage, still widely prevalent in many parts of the country, robs girls of their childhood and deprives them of opportunities to access education and gainful employment. It also puts their immature bodies at risk of conditions such as obstetric fistulae and increases their chances of dying in childbirth. The politicians' callous disregard for the lives of Pak girls in rejecting the amendment could well slow the momentum created by Sindh, which in 2014 became the first -- and so far only -- province to raise the minimum marriageable age for girls to 18. It will, however, be welcomed by misogynistic sections of society, of which there are sadly too many.
Posted by: Fred || 01/18/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  family values of Muslims

Phrase gives one pause.
Posted by: Sven the pelter || 01/18/2016 17:10 Comments || Top||

#2  Well, there's this and this...
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 01/18/2016 20:22 Comments || Top||


Terror Networks
Rubio Says Champ Has '€˜Put A Price On The Head Of Every American Abroad' [VIDEO]
[Daily Caller] Sen. Marco Rubio ďťżslammed Barack Obama for negotiating with Iran over the Americans held in captivity saying Obama has "put a price on the head of every American abroad."

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Rubio said, "Our enemies now know if you can capture an American, you can get something meaningful in exchange for it."
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/18/2016 02:03 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  IIRC MARCO RUBIO had also said that the US is in a de facto WAR TO THE DEATH = WAR OF ANNIHILATION agz the ISIS - "EITHER THE US WINS, OR THE ISIS WINS"!

* Also, FORMER ACTING CIA DIRECTOR MICHAEL MORELLI [paraph] = claimed that "THE ISLAMIC STATE/ISIS INTENDS TO EXTEND ITS GLOBAL CALIPHATE TO THE US ITSELF".

Artic Title + Morelli statements to that effect.

Proverbial "Bottom Lines"???

D *** NG IT, NOT SURE HOW THE ISIS + ALIGNED HARD BOYZ ARE GONNA ACHIEVE THIS IFF CHINA TAKES OVER MINIMA 1/2 OF CONUS-NORAM FOR "LIVING SPACE" AS INDIC BACK IN THE LATE POTUS CLINTON 1990'S!?

AND DO THE HINDUS + OWG GLOBAL COMMIES KNOW???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 01/18/2016 20:14 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Glenn Reynolds: Blow up the administrative state
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants to amend the Constitution. His proposed changes:

Prohibit Congress from regulating activity that occurs wholly within one state.
Require Congress to balance its budget.
Prohibit administrative agencies -- and the un-elected bureaucrats that staff them -- from creating federal law.
Prohibit administrative agencies -- and the un-elected bureaucrats that staff them -- from preempting state law.
Allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Require a seven-justice super-majority vote for U.S. Supreme Court decisions that invalidate a democratically enacted law.
Restore the balance of power between the federal and state governments by limiting the former to the powers expressly delegated to it in the Constitution.
Give state officials the power to sue in federal court when federal officials overstep their bounds.
Allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override a federal law or regulation.

...The real fear, I suspect, is that the proposals urged by Abbott, which would roll back much of the political class's successful power-grab over the past century, would prove popular enough to pass. If that happened, the federal government would become both smaller and more accountable, two political-class nightmares.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/18/2016 13:04 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Anything out of a convention will still require 3/4 of the states to approve. Note well before you go crying about the convention being taken over by the existing power groups.

One amendment that would pass within a month or two would be the one outlawing any federal mandate from the legislative, executive or judicial that requires the raising or levying of any new taxes or the expenditure of any state budget resources.

You can bet that 3/4 largely of those smaller states without major metro areas would pass that at first opportunity.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/18/2016 13:12 Comments || Top||

#2  How about resurrecting the spoils system, P2K?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/18/2016 15:43 Comments || Top||

#3  You would think, after all the Obama abuses with administrative agencies (EPA, IRS, DOJ, etc) that Republicans in Congress would be eager to roll back administrative authority. You would think.
Posted by: Iblis || 01/18/2016 17:15 Comments || Top||

#4  A new constitution is not needed. Congress can fix this by limiting the power of both the executive and the Supreme Court. It has the existing power. The weasels in Congress however lack the will and intestinal fortitude to fix the problems.
Posted by: Sven the pelter || 01/18/2016 17:32 Comments || Top||

#5  I would like to see a constitutional amendment that limits Congresscritters to 2 terms in the Senate, and 6 terms in the House. And no pension or medical care after they leave office.

The states could pass this. Congress never will, because they like their perks.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 01/18/2016 18:03 Comments || Top||

#6  And they have to live by the same laws as everyone else. No special exemptions!
Posted by: CrazyFool || 01/18/2016 19:54 Comments || Top||

#7  lack the will and intestinal fortitude


Sorry Sven but the problem is that the weasels LIKE things the way they are, it's not a problem for them.

This is the type of stuff that gives them the leverage to suck money from the rent-seekers/lobbyists.
Posted by: AlanC || 01/18/2016 19:55 Comments || Top||

#8 
The states could pass this. Congress never will, because they like their perks.


Make it very clear to congress if they don't, they lose their jobs. And if they refuse still, storming the Hill comes next.
Posted by: DarthVader || 01/18/2016 23:10 Comments || Top||


Government
Army: No Event, Person, Group 'Directly Responsible' for Anthrax Shipments Mistake
[PJMedia] An Army investigation into mistaken shipments of live anthrax around the globe found no one specifically to blame for the mishandling of the deadly bacteria, but revealed even more samples in storage that weren't inactive as believed.

Officials on the "Investigation into the Inadvertent Shipment of Live Anthrax Spores to a Number of Laboratory and Abroad From Dugway Proving Ground" briefed reporters on their findings today at the Pentagon.

In early 2015, the lab in Utah sent live anthrax -- the samples were supposed to be inactive -- to 194 labs in 50 states and nine foreign countries.
Could have been a systems error. Fixing responsibility is so 'old school.' Can't we just move along.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/18/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  New army, eh?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/18/2016 3:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Secretary of Army at fault for not making someone responsible for securing our anthrax stockpiles.
Posted by: Sven the pelter || 01/18/2016 7:24 Comments || Top||

#3  So, if there had not been any people involved, it would have still have happened anyway?
Posted by: ed in texas || 01/18/2016 8:23 Comments || Top||

#4  United States v. Hayes, 71 M.J. 112 (the elements of Article 92(3), UCMJ, dereliction of duty, are as follows: (1) that the accused had certain duties, (2) that the accused knew or reasonably should have known of the duties, and (3) that the accused was willfully, or through neglect or culpable inefficiency, derelict in the performance of those duties).

People just don't read stuff anymore, like the Constitution, or the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 01/18/2016 9:36 Comments || Top||

#5  At its base, this has the same root cause as most of this country's troubles in 2016.

Fear of creating an environment where the guaranteed income might be removed. And the willingness to suspend responsible and honest behavior to make sure the anxiety of losing your magic check can never become a reality.
Posted by: no mo uro || 01/18/2016 9:43 Comments || Top||

#6  Someone should serve jail time or at the very least have their career in ruins to send a message that some things are sort of important.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 01/18/2016 16:54 Comments || Top||

#7  meanwhile secdef asscraft is considering retroactively demoting gen petraeus for his breach of classified mat'l handling.
no word on demoting shrillary
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 01/18/2016 23:40 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2016-01-18
  But wait - ther's more: Kerry Says U.S. to Pay Iran $1.7 Billion in Debt and Interest
Sun 2016-01-17
  Burkina Faso attack: At least 23 dead, scores freed after hotel siege
Sat 2016-01-16
  Senior Qaeda-linked figure captured in Lebanon
Fri 2016-01-15
  U.S. designates ISIS in Afghanistan as foreign terrorist organization
Thu 2016-01-14
  Terror attacks in Jakarta -- 7 die so far
Wed 2016-01-13
  Suicide bomber kills 10 people, mainly Germans, in Istanbul
Tue 2016-01-12
  Bombings at Iraq cafe kill 20: Officers
Mon 2016-01-11
  It begins: Cologne gangs attack foreigners
Sun 2016-01-10
  US drone strikes kills 25 suspected militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan
Sat 2016-01-09
  Philadelphia police officer ambushed 'in the name of Islam'
Fri 2016-01-08
  ISIS Man Executes His Mom
Thu 2016-01-07
  Iran says Saudi-led airstrike hit Iranian Embassy in Yemen, but no damage seen
Wed 2016-01-06
  1 US soldier killed, 2 wounded in Taliban attack in Helmand
Tue 2016-01-05
  44 ISIS Bad Guys die in battles near Fallujah
Mon 2016-01-04
  38 die in Kurd, ISIS battles in Raqqa


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