More Ultra-Vivid Headlines from
G. Edward Griffin’s RealityZone.com
2011 FEBRUARY 5 – 11
Click on headlines to see full articles If original sources are missing, click on Cached.
Star indicates article worth printing for future reference.
See the entire collection here.
Camera indicates video or slideshow.
Speaker indicates audio.
Asterisk indicates an amazing event or phenomenon.
See the entire collection here.
Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak resigned as president after 18 days of mass demonstrations in opposition to the a stark economy and government corruption. [As usual, people are glad to get rid of a hated regime but pay little attention to the new one, thinking that any opponent of the old regime must be good. Unfortunately, the new regime likely will be just as corrupt if not more so. Opposition leader ElBaradei, who was covertly supported by the US, has strong ties to the UN which, itself, is a bastion of corruption. We shall see.] Yahoo 2011 Feb 11 (Cached)
US Trade deficit widens to $40.6 billion in December. In 2010, the deficit rose 32.8%, and 2011 promises to be higher. Mainstream economists claim this is a good thing because it will make US goods more competitive in the world market. [Huh? If US goods become more competitive, it will be because they are priced in terms of dollars which have become so abundant around the world that they have lost value in terms of purchasing power. In that case, American manufacturers who receive those declining-value dollars will fail to make a profit and go put out of business – unless, of course, they raise prices, which will make them non-competitive again. This is the law of supply-and-demand, which apparently, mainstream economists seldom consider. Bottom line: Continuing and growing trade deficits are bad for the economy.]
Yahoo 2011 Feb 11 (Cached)
US: Department of Energy announces plans for massive closures of coal-driven electrical generating plants, based on new EPA restrictions. Increased power outages are inevitable. [This is in the name of fighting global warming, of course. The long march against the American economy continues.]
Prison Planet 2011 Feb 10 (Cached)
IMF issues a new report, similar to the one last year, calling for the US Dollar to be replaced in international trade by Special Drawing Rights (SDR), which is an exchange currency based on a ‘basket’ of international currencies. [That means they want to replace the Dollar because it is rapidly losing value. The reason it is losing value is that it is created by political decree and without backing. So they want to replace it by a pool of currencies from many countries, each of which is created by political decree and without backing. That, of course, will not fix the problem but it will be a major step toward the creation of a world currency, and an end to national sovereignty. Without its own currency, the US will no longer be an independent nation.] CNN Money 2011 Feb 10 (Cached)
US Trade Chief urges Europe to remove import restrictions against genetically modified food (GMOs). Many European countries ban GMOs in response to opposition from consumers. Meanwhile, Monsanto, the largest manufacturer of GMO seeds, pursues legal avenues to bypass the laws. [Do you suppose that Monsanto being a US based company with a powerful Washington lobby may have some bearing on why the US Trade Chief is spearheading a move that will generate billions of profits for the company?] RawStory 2011 Feb 10 (Cached)
Babies fed on formula milk are 600% more likely to become obese by age three than those who are breast-fed. They also are healthier and better able to resist disease. NaturalNews 2011 Feb 10 (Cached)
Study finds that anti-depressants are prescribed without medical reason at least on-fourth of the time. NaturalNews 2011 Feb 10 (Cached)
France: Judges go on strike and take to the streets wearing their robes after President Sarkozy criticizes the judicial system for being lax on criminals. [Sarkozy’s comment was in response to a grizzly murder in which the suspect is a multi-offender recently released from prison. The President may be right about the judicial system, but the suspect has not yet received a fair trial, so it cannot be said that he is guilty of this crime. There is good argument on both sides, but the uproar may have more to do with politics and re-elections than it does with justice.] AP 2011 Feb 10 (Cached)
US: Bank in Kentucky confiscated the contents of a woman’s safe deposit box (primarily a small collection of silver coins) and now says they don’t know what happened to them. They decline to explain why they did so. [There are only two legal justifications: (1) directed to do so by the government or (2) non-payment of rental. She had faithfully paid her rent.] WPSD 2011 Feb 9 (Cached)
Arab leaders are scrambling to boost salaries and subsidies to head off uprisings similar to those in Egypt. Subsidies are a form of welfare to favored sectors of the population. [These moves will worsen the economic imbalances that are sparking the unrest. A $100 subsidy does no good when taxes and cost of living jumps $150.] Yahoo 2011 Feb 9 (Cached)
US: Corn reserves are the lowest in 15 years, and corn prices have doubled in the last 6 months. Get ready for significantly higher food prices in 2011. USA Today 2011 Feb 9 (Cached)
Brazil: Supermodel, Gisele Bundchen, denounces conventional sunscreen as toxic and calls it ‘poison.’ She says she never puts synthetic chemicals on her body. [Admittedly, she was promoting her new line of ‘natural’ cosmetics, but we think she is correct about the chemicals. Conventional sunscreens contain the toxic additive, oxybenzone.] NaturalNews 2011 Feb 8 (Cached)
US: House fails to pass extension of key surveillance components of the Patriot Act. [This is a partial victory, but all pieces of the Act still can be extended later this year – and likely will be if there is a sufficiently plausible terrorism scare.] Syracuse.com 2011 Feb 8 (Cached)
Study finds junk food diets for toddlers are tied to lower IQ in later life. [The study did not include the effect of continuing consumption of junk food in later life, but we can well imagine.] RawStory 2011 Feb 8 (Cached)
US: Job openings fell for a second straight month. [Don’t worry. Most of this article is devoted to convincing the reader that the recession ended in June of 2009 and that the economy is improving. If they say so, it must be true.] Yahoo 2011 Feb 8 (Cached)
Romania: Witches are targeted with a new bill that threatens them with fines or prison if their predictions don’t come true. Critics say the proposal is a ruse to deflect public attention away from political and economic problems. Yahoo 2011 Feb 8 (Cached)
US: Air Force personnel and their family members (including kids) who view Wikileaks on their home computers can be prosecuted for espionage.
Wired 2011 Feb 7 (Cached)
China is buying staggering amounts of gold and silver. The strategy is to buy shares in ETFs (electronic transfer funds) and then demand physical delivery of what they buy. [This could trigger the final explosion of bullion prices because there isn’t enough gold or silver available if many people ask for what they bought. It is the same fractional-reserve scam used by banks but, this time, applied to bullion. When the demands for delivery threaten to ruin the speculators, government puppets will close the bullion markets – to protect the public, of course.] KingWorld 2011 Feb 7 (Cached)
US: Confirmed: FBI received warning at least one day before Oklahoma City bombing but did nothing. Prison Planet 2011 Feb 7 (Cached)
Egyptian police use Facebook and Twitter to profile and track down dissidents before rounding them up. [This could be the shape of things to come in other countries.] DailyMail 2011 Feb 6 (Cached)
US: Military buys Gulf seafood that is almost surely contaminated with oil and Corexit toxins. [This is all about politics and calming public concerns over food safety. We hope soldiers and their families will not suffer from this, but we are not optimistic.]
Washington Post 2011 Feb 6 (Cached)
George W. Bush cancels his trip to Switzerland due to fear of being arrested on counts of torture and war crimes. Really! Reuters 2011 Feb 5 (Cached)
Silver is poised for a significant rise in price. A rare condition has occurred in the market in which the price of physical delivery silver is higher than for future delivery. [That is called zero contango and occurs when those who have silver would rather keep it than speculate on a higher price later. The reason is, not because they don’t expect the price to rise, but that they think it may not be available. In other words, stockpiles are gone.] Gold & Silver Report 2011 Feb 6 (Cached)
Here is another article on this that has more details. GGR 2011 Feb 5 (Cached)
Wyoming and Maine cite the 10th Amendment to the Constitution and seek to nullify parts of the mis-named ‘Food Safety Modernization Act’. The Governors will have the final say and, if the states do nullify, they may have to give up some federal funding. [That is always difficult for state politicians to do, so we shall see how dedicated to principle they really are.] Natural News 2011 Feb 5 (Cached)
Florida judge bans activists from distributing brochures to jury members advising them that they have a constitutional right to vote “not guilty” if, in their opinion, the law in question is unjust. [This is called jury nullification and is a valuable safeguard against tyrannical government and unjust or misapplied laws.] OpEdNews Posted 2011 Feb 5 (Cached)
US: ‘Fracking’ chemicals used in natural gas extraction contain toxic diesel fuel and have contaminated underground drinking water in 19 states. This was not known until recently because oil companies have been allowed to avoid disclosure under the guise of protecting their trade secrets. This process is known as the Halliburton Loophole.
ENS Posted 2011 Feb 5 (Cached)
Twin daughters are kidnapped by the Swedish government on the assumption the children “may” be at risk, even though there is no evidence to support that claim. Investigation reveals an underground business in which children are taken without cause and placed into foster homes because the state pays well for that service. Corrupt social workers and judges can make a fortune. [Collectivism, which claims that children belong to the state, makes corruption of this kind inevitable.]
RussiaToday Posted 2011 Feb 5
Australian Medical Journal bans pharmaceutical ads, because they influence doctors’ prescriptions based on “dubious and unethical” practices. It is calling on other journals to follow suit. [Australian law already restricts drug advertising to medical and professional journals only.] CCHR Posted 2011 Feb 5 (Cached)
US: Department of Agriculture rules that farmers can plant genetically engineered beets now, BEFORE the Environmental Impact Study is completed. Incredible! Sacramento Bee Posted 2011 Feb 5 (Cached)
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ANALYSIS
Reports and commentaries that look beyond the news to identify historical facts and trends that must be understood to place the news into perspective. This is our “think-tank” section that makes it possible to anticipate future events.
Playing the Global-Warming Card: This analysis explains how the myth of global warming is the centerpiece of the current movement for expanding government, controlling people, and depopulation, a movement known as Agenda 21. MorphCity 2011 Feb 11 (Cached)
‘The Singularity’ is the name given to the point in the development of technology where, theoretically, it will be possible to transfer human consciousness and introspection into self-directed, self-repairing, and self replicating robots. Don’t laugh too quickly. Scientists and futurists are giving this concept a fair amount of credibility. Even if you are not convinced it is possible, you may find this report of interest. Time 2011 Feb 10 (Cached)
California’s cap-and-trade law is far more extensive than anyone imagined, and these same draconian rules are planned for every other state. Many may have already been implemented (like Smart Meters). Here is an excellent status report.
MorphCity 2011 Feb 8 (Cached)
USDA deregulated genetically engineered alfalfa so it can be planted anywhere. The seed grower who fought Monsanto in the Supreme Court last summer explains why GMO seeds threaten our food supply. MorphCity 2011 Feb 8 (Cached)
Video clip from the movie 1984, based on George Orwell’s novel, is eerily similar to what the world is facing with the wars in the Middle East. The wars are not meant to be won but to be continuous. Why? Because they are used to keep people loyal to their governments. YouTube posted 2008 Feb 7 (Cached)
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HUMOR
Unfiltered News is as serious as it gets, but laughter is good for the soul and helps to keep our equilibrium amid the chaos. So, here are quips and photographs to put a smile on your face. If you have some you would like to share, please send them here.
Virtual reality is useless.
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