Spying is the new world order

Let us call a spade a spade. Canadians and Americans are being critized for their spying activities as if they are the only ones doing it. There is a naive young man releasing confidnential information and putting the world at risk and giving America's enemies fuel for their tank. While I would agree that our collective fear is over rated, I am not willing to go so far as only Americans and Canadians are paranoid. Whe whole world is paranoid and everybody's doing it but hae not been caugt as yet. This too shall pass and we will survive it. It is the age of tracking and we are all being tracked including the politicians. Unfortunately most people in our self-obsessed society needs validation and some of us go out of our way like disclosing state secrets to get that validation. How sad.

Security is changing the way countries do business

Life in a terror filled environment - whether it is real or not we are told that terrorists are waiting to pounce, Make sure you are not a traitor to your country and you have nothing to worry about. Talk is cheap. Who would want to listen to my whining about life and everything on surveillance cameras or whatever - these mindless chatter are not what governments are interested in. http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/21/4643656/new-zealand-legalizes-domestic-surveillance-with-warrant

Oprah's doing it again.

Oprah discusses the making of the highly anticipated film Lee Daniels' The Butler with fellow cast members Forest Whitaker and David Oyelowo as well as director Lee Daniels. Plus, get an exclusive look at behind-the-scenes footage. Lee Daniels' The Butler opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, August 16, 2013.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/own-oprahs-next-chapter/First-Look-Lee-Daniels-The-Butler-Cast-on-Oprahs-Next-Chapter#ixzz2bVPIlB5i

Historic Protocol

August 7, 2013




FISHER RIVER CREE NATION AND MANITOBA GOVERNMENT SIGN HISTORIC CONSULTATION PROTOCOL TO GUIDE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

– – –

Signatories Working Together will Create Opportunity, Prosperity: Robinson





FISHER RIVER CREE NATION—Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson and Fisher River Cree Nation Chief David Crate signed an historic agreement here today between the Manitoba government and the Fisher River Cree Nation that will guide future development by ensuring meaningful consultation on any proposed use of Crown land or resources within Fisher River’s traditional territory.



“We recognize and thank Chief David Crate and the Fisher River Cree Nation leadership for their thorough and thoughtful approach to working with us to develop mutually beneficial consultation processes,” said Robinson. “This agreement improves on the existing process and could serve as a model for agreements with other First Nations in Manitoba.”



“I am honoured to formalize the important relationship we have shared with the Government of Manitoba for many years,” said Crate. “This protocol will further the process of reconciliation and understanding between the Crown, as represented by Manitoba and our community.”



The agreement is reflective of current case law and sets out a clear process whereby any proposed provincial law, regulation, decision or action within Fisher River Cree Nation’s traditional territory is reviewed by its chief and council. Consistent with Manitoba’s approach to Crown‑Aboriginal consultations, the agreement also includes provisions for establishing a formal consultation plan in cases where the proposed decision or action may infringe upon or adversely affect the exercise of a treaty or Aboriginal right of the Fisher River Cree Nation membership.



The agreement also refines and expands the current single-project consultation approach. The new protocol will bring clarity and consistency to Crown-Aboriginal consultation processes for Fisher River Cree Nation in its participation in multiple-project consultation processes. The value of traditional land use is also recognized in the agreement along with a commitment to work together by entering into discussions to provide assistance with respect of Fisher River conducting a traditional land use and occupancy study, and mapping initiative.



“Working together we can create more economic opportunity and prosperity for First Nations families,” said Robinson.



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The Province of Manitoba is distributing this release on behalf of the Manitoba Government and Fisher River Cree Nation.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/in-rare-snub-obama-cancels-meetings-with-putin-amid-tensions-over-nsa-leaker-snowden/article13629379/?service=print Snowden wants to play a big man's game but he is a frightened child. Why doesn't he return home and face the music like a man. He has also chosen to seek refuge in a country that has one of the worst human rights records on the books, a country who is up to their ears in espionage on its people and the world. What is Snowden about? Sometimes I think he is the instrument of the Tea Party hoping to embarass President Obama and the Democrats. Snowden is full of contradictions. A person who is really concerned about the rights of the citizen would stand behind his treachery, not duck under the bed of espionage host. What the heck. I have no respect for Snowden and as for Russia although the king has put on new clothes you can still see his nakedness. All farce.

Quotable-quote

Every leader, and every regime, and every movement, and every organization that steps across the line to terrorism must be banished from the discourse of civilized human life. ALAN KEYES, speech, Apr. 21, 2002

White male Terrorism happening in America?

http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/10-worst-terror-attacks-extreme-christians-and-far-right-white-men?akid=10755.35630.iibxhn&rd=1&src=newsletter877252&t=5&paging=off

This is a travesty of justice

http://intellihub.com/2013/05/22/pennsylvania-judge-sentenced-for-28-years-for-selling-kids-to-the-prison-system/

Nothing but greed and disregard for human life.

America is imploding on itself and putting the nation at risk

Loose lips sink ships. These Americans who are spouting off to the world what their country is up to are just little tools in the palms of nations with people who can outwit and outsmart any American. These kids with their rights and democracy cards waving like some kind of a wand do not have a clue as to what is going on in front of them. They have been raised too protected and maybe it’s time that Americans live like the rest of the world – because these people who are talking their heads off need common sense which is in limited supply these days.

The countries that want to adopt these renegades have some of the worst human rights abuses and keep their nations under constant surveillance. They are just going to extract from these fools as much information as possible to use against Americans. Why not, if this is the type of people Americans are raising with freedom in their heads then maybe this wake up call is appropriate
I am sick at what Americans are doing to Americans. We put too much weight on freedom and democracy and only these western countries are free while the rest of the world run super protective regimes. You don't hear non-western countries betrying their people like Americans... Why? In the majority of the countries in the world freedom is limited and you do not see people from those countries sharing top secrets with enemy nations. They hate Americans because it gives too much freedom to its people. I believe in freedom and democracy and I believe in having to gibve up some of this freedom for the greater good of my people. It is selfish of people like Snowden who jeopardize the lives of millions. These people deserves to live in regimes where freedom is very curtailed like Venezuela and thsoe other Latinamerican countries. No one should try to bring these renegades back because they can never ever be trusted as a citizen again.

I think when someone betrays his nation like Snowden did he should be stripped on his citizenship.

Was there no other option for him? Couldn't he have asked for an audience with the President to express his concern and try to solve the problem or at least make an effort. To put one's country in harm's way like this is unthinkable. Does Snowden realize that America is one of the most hated countries in the world and there are those who would want to do serious harm to the country and its citizens. Many see American democracy as a threat to dictators everywhere so this is like a god sent reason to blow off America.




Cuban citizens would not dare to do that to their country. Fidel Castro would have executed swift justice, China also would not nor any of these countries that are showing a willingness to hide this misguided young man. He needs to be return to America to face the American justice system. If he would betray his country and his people would he have sympathy for people in worst situation, would he be able to hold his tongue when a Cuban talks about how frustrated they are with a government that controls everything they do or would he expose Cuba, Russia or Ecuador as well.These countries are not known for their generosity in terms of individual freedoms and rights.



Watch out, this is a hot potato. This is a publicity stund by Snowden. He's waiting for the million dollar movie and book-deal. He should not be allowed to profit from his criminal behaviour.

http://www.alternet.org/where-edward-snowden-whistleblower-did-not-board-flight-cuba?akid=10618.35630.7Mctoh&rd=1&src=newsletter859713&t=21

Americans are all about Show Business

I sometimes have to shake my head when I read about the insanity of a nation that claims to want democracy. For every freedom you earn there is responsibility, there is something you have to be prepared to give up. Americans appear to live in the fairyland of Waltz Disney where there is a happy ending somewhere beyond the rainbow or something like that.

This  Edward Snowdown fellow might think he is doing Americans a favour by blabbing his mouth about what the CIA is doing. This is the kind of insanity that the terrorists depend upon. They know what fools we are and that some idiot will dream of himself being written about, going down in history as a hero or some such thing.

Most of the time the average Americans carry on mindless chatter on TV, internet, FB and so on - who in their right mind would want to listen to such  diatribe? Those of us who have nothing to hide do not mind the inconvenience if it means that more criminals would be caught. It is when you have something to hide that meaningful intrustions such as tapping into to conversations of people of interest would generate a furor. Do not cover criminals under the cloak of freedom and democracy.

Come on Americans, do you want to be safe or caught with your pants down by people who want to harm you and your children. Instead of worrying about democracy and freedom for criminals to get away with murder we might as well start talking about the criminals in our backyards with guns and bullets ready to take you down and your entire family. America wake up! This is not la la land. Trust President Obama, he is not George Bush. He has your best interest at heart. I totally support this administration because it has proven itself. There are no hidden agendas.

Edward Snowdown is just another Americans who is trying to get famous or infamous. Don't let him persuade you to leave yourself wide open to terrorist actions.  Or could it be he was a person of interest and was sure to be exposed? Let the CIA do its work in protecting us.

Edward Snowdown is a criminal and his fate needs to be decided by a court of law. He has betrayed his country in the worst way. Whoever this guy is I do not trust him. He is dangerous. As far as I am concerned this is treason.

American's Finance Secrets

The Great Comeback No One Will Believe


By Chris Mayer

[This article originally appeared in The Daily Reckoning in February of 2012]

Something surprising stirs in the US economy. Something no mainstream pundit would’ve dared predict. Something most people probably won’t believe.
US manufacturing is staging a comeback.
Caterpillar, the world’s largest maker of earth-moving equipment, gave us some tangible confirmation in the latest earnings roundup. Based on the business it sees, Cat expects US construction spending will increase in 2012 for the first time since 2004. And Eaton, another large industrial, followed that up by saying it expects its markets to grow faster in the US in 2012 than anywhere else. If it plays out that way, it would be the first time since the mid-2000s that the US led the way.

These are the first robins of spring. Forget the official data. This is real economics. As hard as it may be to believe, US manufacturing is coming back. There are other clues.



A new report by Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate services firm, points out that new leases for industrial property “returned to levels not seen since prior to the 2008-09 recession.” Tenants signed new leases for 306 million square feet, up 14% from a year ago and the most space signed since 2007.


What drives leases for industrial space? Let Jim Dieter, an EVP at Cushman & Wakefield answer: “Manufacturing is the main driver within the industrial landscape.” Busy factories mean more rail and truck flow. It means fuller warehouses. It means looking for more space.
How to explain this? Isn’t China eating America’s lunch?


I found a recent paper by Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management that points to a few reasons for the sudden revival that jibe with what I’ve heard from the companies themselves. The report is called “Workforce Rising: Why US Manufacturing Is Poised for a Comeback.”



One is that the wage gap is shrinking. It isn’t that much cheaper to move to, say, China anymore. The nearby chart nicely sums up what’s happening. As wages have gone gonzo in China, its wage edge melts away. US manufacturing wages were 22 times that of China’s in 2005. Today, that wage gap is under 10 times and likely will be under five by 2015. (See the chart below.)






Transportation costs figure into this too and cut further into China’s advantage. As the price of oil has stayed north of $100 a barrel, the cost to ship anything is high. As author Jeff Rubin says, “With every dollar increase in the price of the bunker fuel that powers the containerships that ply the Pacific, China’s wage advantage becomes less and less important.”

So those are two reasons for the manufacturing revival in the US. There are two more compelling reasons that have to do with what’s in the ground. Let’s start with one of my favorites: water.

In a world where fresh water is scarce, such as in China and India, the US remains water-rich by comparison. Around the world, “Many regions are already approaching ‘peak water,’ a condition under which usage rates surpass the natural rate of replenishment,” the authors write. “Importantly for the manufacturing sector, the US is home to the largest reserves of water on the planet.”

People in the US tend to ignore this lucky circumstance. Manufacturers don’t. They use lots of water to make everything from jet engines to minivans.

In addition to water, the US has plenty of cheap natural gas. As we’ve talked about before, this is bringing back firms that use natural gas to make things. The McVeigh report notes how Nucor began building a $750-million plant in Louisiana. It plans to superheat natural gas and mix it with scrap iron and iron ore pellets to make steel. If you burn natural gas, you want to be in the US.



Even the automakers are coming back. GM will invest $2.5 billion in US factories. Until recently, that money was going to Mexico. Ford signed a new contract that calls for $16 billion in US investments and 12,000 new jobs by 2015. The foreign automakers are coming too. Mercedes plans to spend $2.4 billion by 2014 to expand an Alabama plant that will add 1,400 jobs. You get the idea.



I like this whole story because it will surprise a lot of people and, hence, has some value as a contrarian observation. In September 2010 (letter No. 79), I wrote a letter with the headline “The USA — Still a Nation of Builders.” The main point, as I wrote then, was “to leave you with a different perception of American manufacturers. They are not like dinosaurs on their way to extinction. In fact, some of them are great investments.” I showed a number of ways in which US manufacturers were doing quite well.



The thesis landed with a thud. It was mostly ignored. If anything, I heard people tell me how it couldn’t be so. Nevertheless, I urged my subscribers at Capital & Crisis to buy Globe (NASDAQ:GSM), a low- cost US manufacturer, which went on to double.



A lot of investors will miss the opportunity to cash in on this rebound in American manufacturing, simply because the idea is so counter to what they think they know. When it’s obvious to everyone what’s going on, of course, it will no longer be a worthwhile investment theme. But for now, US manufacturers get little respect and offer a good pool of potential investment ideas.
Regards,
Chris Mayer

for The Penny Sleuth
[Editor’s Note: It’s often the case that some of the most profitable investing comes from being a contrarian. While the news headlines would make a U.S. revival seem unlikely, Capital and Crisis readers could have doubled their money on Chris’ recommendation mentioned above. But Chris didn’t mention something (maybe because he’s just a humble guy). He didn’t say that over the past two years, his readers have earned an average of 42% on his recommendations. If you want to get in on the same opportunity, without having to go through a long presentation, simply click here.]