Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) took to the Senate floor today to draw attention to a video of a top EPA official saying the EPA’s “philosophy” is to “crucify” and “make examples” of oil and gas companies – just as the Romans crucified random citizens in areas they conquered to ensure obedience.

Inhofe quoted a little-watched video from 2010 of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official, Region VI Administrator Al Armendariz, admitting that EPA’s “general philosophy” is to “crucify” and “make examples” of oil and gas companies.

In the video, Administrator Armendariz says:

“I was in a meeting once and I gave an analogy to my staff about my philosophy of enforcement, and I think it was probably a little crude and maybe not appropriate for the meeting, but I’ll go ahead and tell you what I said:

“It was kind of like how the Romans used to, you know, conquer villages in the Mediterranean.  They’d go in to a little Turkish town somewhere, they’d find the first five guys they saw and they’d crucify them.

“Then, you know, that town was really easy to manage for the next few years.”

“It’s a deterrent factor,” Armendariz said, explaining that the EPA is following the Romans’ philosophy for subjugating conquered villages.

Soon after Armendariz touted the EPA’s “philosophy,” the EPA began a smear campaigns natural gas producers, Inhofe’s office noted in advance of today’s Senate speech:

“Not long after Administrator Armendariz made these comments in 2010, EPA targeted US natural gas producers in Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming.

“In all three of these cases, EPA initially made headline-grabbing statements either insinuating or proclaiming outright that the use of hydraulic fracturing by American energy producers was the cause of water contamination, but in each case their comments were premature at best – and despite their most valiant efforts, they have been unable to find any sound scientific evidence to make this link.”

In his Senate speech, Sen. Inhofe said the video provides Americans with “a glimpse of the Obama administration’s true agenda.”

That agenda, Inhofe said, is to “incite fear” in the public with unsubstantiated claims and “intimidate” oil and gas companies with threats of unjustified fines and penalties – then, quietly backtrack once the public’s perception has been firmly jaded against oil and natural gas.

SOURCE

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Full article

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“The first criminal charges in connection with the BP oil spill have been filed in Houston, Texas against a former BP engineer named Kurt Mix,” NPR’s Carrie Johnson reports exclusively.

Carrie just told our Newscast unit that Mix has been charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly deleting text messages after the spill. The texts were related to the amount of oil gushing onto the Gulf. Mix will make his first appearence in court today.

Carrie adds that there has been an expectation that criminal charges would be brought against individuals, but this is the first person charged since the spill happened two years ago.

These are preliminary charges and a law enforcement official says there are more charges to come, Carrie reports.

We’ll have more on this story as it develops.”

 

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MSNBC reports that the lack of temperature rise in the last 12 years has convinced environmentalist James Lovelock ( The Gaia Hypothesis) that the climate alarmism wasn’t warranted.

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Are they going to walk a bomb into South Korea? Because they sure as hell aren’t launching one.

ZING!

Read here:

North Korea’s military vowed a new and unusually specific threat to its neighbors, saying it would reduce South Korea “to ashes” in less than four minutes.

The statement, released Monday when programming was interrupted on North Korea’s state TV by a special report, comes amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Earlier this month, North Korea was unsuccessful in a long-range missile launch, prompting worries that North Korea may conduct another nuclear test. South Korean officials say new satellite images show that North Korea has been digging a tunnel in what appears to be preparation for a third atomic test.

According to the Associated Press, the statement from North Korea was unusual in promising something soon and in describing a specific period of time.

The North Korean military threatened to “reduce all the rat-like groups and the bases for provocations to ashes in three or four minutes, (or) in much shorter time, by unprecedented peculiar means and methods of our own style.”
For months the North has castigated South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and the conservative administration for insulting their leadership and criticizing a new cruise missile capable of striking anywhere in the south.

South Korean officials responded, urging North Korea to end the threats. “We urge North Korea to immediately stop this practice,” Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-suk said, according to the Associated Press. “We express deep concern that the North’s threats and accusations have worsened inter-Korean ties and heightened tensions.”

Meanwhile, in a meeting Sunday with a North Korean delegation in Beijing, China’s senior official on foreign policy praised the leadership shown by North Korea’s new young leader, Kim Jong Un.

The meeting follows the April 13 launch of what the United States called a disguised ballistic missile test by North Korea. The rocket disintegrated minutes after launch.

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via ESPN

NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana was told Friday that New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis had an electronic device in his Superdome suite that had been secretly re-wired to enable him to eavesdrop on visiting coaching staffs for nearly three NFL seasons, “Outside the Lines” has learned.

 

 

 

Sources familiar with Saints game-day operations told “Outside the Lines” that Loomis, who faces an eight-game suspension from the NFL for his role in the recent bounty scandal, had the ability to secretly listen for most of the 2002 season, his first as general manager of the Saints, and all of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The sources spoke with “Outside the Lines” under the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals from members of the Saints organization.

 

Jim Letten, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, acknowledged being told of the allegations Friday and has briefed the FBI in New Orleans about Loomis’ alleged activity, according to sources. If proven, the allegations could be both a violation of NFL rules and potentially a federal crime, according to legal sources. The federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986 prohibits any person from intercepting communications from another person using an electronic or mechanical device.

 

“I can say that we were just made aware of that on Friday, at least of these allegations,” Letten said. “Anything beyond that I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to comment.”

Greg Bensel, Saints vice president of communications, said Monday afternoon on behalf of the Saints and Loomis: “This is 1,000 percent false. This is 1,000 percent inaccurate.”

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league was unaware of the allegations.

Sources told “Outside the Lines” the listening device was first installed in the general manager’s suite in 2000, when Loomis’ predecessor, Randy Mueller, served as Saints GM. At that time, according to sources, Mueller only had the ability to use the device to monitor the game-day communications of the Saints coaching staff, not the opposing coaches. Mueller, now a senior executive with the San Diego Chargers (he also was an ESPN.com NFL analyst from 2002-05), declined to comment when contacted by “Outside the Lines.”

After the transition from Mueller to Loomis, the electronic device was re-wired to listen only to opposing coaches and could no longer be used to listen to any game-day communications between members of the Saints coaching staff, one source said.

 

“There was a switch, and the switch accessed offense and defense,” said the source. “When Randy was there, it was the Saints offense or defense, and when Mickey was there it changed over so it was the visiting offense or defense,” the source said.

“Outside the Lines” could not determine for certain whether Loomis ever made use of the electronic setup.

The sources said when Loomis took his seat during home games, then in the front row of box No. 4 in the 300 level of the Superdome’s north side, he was able to plug an earpiece into a jack that was under the desk in front of him. The earpiece was not unlike those used to listen to inexpensive transistor radios, the sources said. With the earpiece in place, Loomis could then toggle back and forth with a switch that he controlled, enabling him to listen to either the game-day communications of the opposing offensive or defensive coaches.

 

Also underneath the desk in front of Loomis, said the sources, was a metal box that contained two belt packs similar to those worn around the waists of NFL head coaches during games. The packs powered the listening device available to Loomis, which was, according to sources, hard-wired to the audio feed of the opposing coaches.

The wiring setup was disabled sometime in September 2005 in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. The timing of the device’s removal could prove significant for legal reasons. If Loomis used an electronic device to secretly listen to the opposing coaches without their consent, it would appear to be a violation of the federal ECPA statute, said Mike Emmick, a Los Angeles-based attorney.

Emmick worked for 25 years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, serving for eight years as chief of the public corruption and government fraud section.

“The ECPA bars any person from intentionally intercepting wire, oral or electronic communications by using an electronic or mechanical device,” Emmick said. “The ECPA doesn’t make it illegal just to eavesdrop. You have to have used a device … Intentional interception by using the device is the key.”

But the statute of limitations, the window federal prosecutors have to pursue any criminal charges against Loomis or the Saints, would only extend for five years after the date of such an offense, Emmick said.

If Loomis no longer had the ability to eavesdrop on opposing coaches after the 2004 season, he would be free from any potential criminal prosecution for a violation of the ECPA, Emmick said.

Loomis’ alleged activity also would be a violation of Louisiana state law, according to Danny Onorato, a former assistant U.S. attorney now in private practice in Washington, D.C., where he specializes in white-collar crime. The statute of limitations for the law governing electronic eavesdropping in Louisiana is six years, Onorato said.

“A prosecutor or law enforcement should conduct a thorough investigation to make sure these are the facts. Did these individuals re-connect this device in some way?” Onorato said.

“At a minimum, somebody somewhere has a duty to investigate it to ensure the integrity of the game of football,” he said.

Emmick said that it’s possible Loomis and others could still be prosecuted for taking part in a conspiracy to cover up the federal ECPA violation. The statute of limitations for prosecution of a conspiracy is also five years, Emmick said, but that period would begin with the last “overt act” of the parties involved in a conspiracy.

In this case, any attempt to cover up the ECPA violation that extended into 2007 could constitute such an overt act and fall within the window of the statute of limitations, Emmick said.

Emmick and Onorato both said that any prosecution on the basis of a conspiracy to cover up an ECPA violation is unlikely. But there is another potentially far more costly aspect to Loomis’ alleged behavior, according to Emmick and other legal sources contacted by ESPN.

“There’s the potential for a lot of lawsuits filed by whoever was victimized by the electronic eavesdropping,” Emmick said.

Under the civil laws that govern electronic eavesdropping, the victims of the eavesdropping would have two years from the time they had a “reasonable opportunity to discover the violation” in order to file lawsuits, Emmick said.

In other words, if an opposing team or individuals who were eavesdropped upon wanted to sue Loomis or the Saints, the clock would start ticking on their time frame to file a lawsuit when they discovered the alleged ECPA violation, not when the violation actually occurred.

Under Article No. 9 of the Constitution and Bylaws of the NFL, which lists “Prohibited Conduct,” the league specifically bans the use of “…videotape machines, telephone tapping or bugging devices, or any other form of electronic device that might aid a team during the playing of a game.”

 

“That would be a stupendous advantage if you had that,” said Rick Venturi, who was the team’s defensive coordinator during the period the sources said Loomis could eavesdrop on opposing coaches.

“That’s shocking,” Venturi said, when told of the allegations. “I can tell you if we did it, nobody told me about it. … Nobody ever helped me during a game.”

Venturi served in various capacities during a decade-long period with the Saints coaching staff, including a brief stint as interim head coach, and now hosts a radio program on an ESPN Radio affiliate in St. Louis.

Attempts to reach former Saints head coach Jim Haslett were not successful. Haslett served as the Saints head coach from 2000-05 and is now defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins. Sean Payton was named head coach of the Saints in 2006.

Rick Mueller, the brother of former Saints general manager Randy Mueller, was in the Saints front office from 2000-08 and was a regular in Loomis’ booth during Saints home games.

“I sat right next to him most of the time,” said Mueller, who now serves as a player personnel executive with the Philadelphia Eagles. Mueller said he vaguely recalled Loomis using an earpiece during games but he could not recall whether Loomis ever did so during the period in which sources allege Loomis had the ability to eavesdrop on opponents.

During Saints home games, Loomis typically sat in a seat next to the glass separating the Saints front office personnel from the Saints assistant coaches. When asked whether Loomis in any way signaled those Saints assistants on the other side of the glass during games, Mueller replied: “I didn’t get any indication of that. … There’s no communication going on between Mickey and the coaches during a game I can tell you that. … If it was just Mickey hearing it, I would see no way he could signal our coaches next door.”

In 2002, the Saints compiled a 9-7 record. The team had an 8-8 record during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In those three seasons combined, the Saints were 12-12 in the Superdome.

The 2005 season remains the infamous one that the Saints never played a home game in the Superdome due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina. According to sources, that was also the first time Loomis would not have had the ability to listen in on the play calls of opposing teams. That year the Saints finished 3-13.

 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has an established a track record of issuing severe penalties when teams attempt to skirt those rules.

When it was discovered that the New England Patriots videotaped the New York Jets coaches’ signals during a September 2007 game — the so-called “Spygate” episode — Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 by the NFL, the maximum amount permitted under league rules.

The Patriots were also fined $250,000 by the NFL, and the team was forced to give up its first-round pick in 2008.

“This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field,” Goodell wrote at the time in a letter to the Patriots.

 

Producer David Lubbers and production assistant Danielle DeSousa contributed to this report.

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via TMZ.com

Jose Baez, Casey Anthony‘s lawyer, has for the first time publicly acknowledged he was able to mount a successful defense thanks to the money he got from ABC news.

Baez, who appeared on PBS’s “Frontline,” explained how they got $200,000 from ABC for photos of Casey and Caylee, and that money was used “so we could mount a proper defense.”

In 2010, Casey’s team divulged in the trial that they spent $275,000 on the defense, and the major portion came from the ABC deal. Now Baez explains the money was critical in beating the murder rap.

SEE VIDEO HERE

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via TMZ.com

Dick Clark — famed TV producer, and “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” host — died from a massive heart attack this morning … TMZ has learned.

He was 82.

Details surrounding his death are unclear, but Clark had suffered a significant stroke in 2004 — forcing him to retire from his hosting gig at “New Years’ Rockin’ Eve,” which he created in 1972.

Ryan Seacrest took over in 2006. Dick has co-hosted the show ever since.

Before suffering a stroke, Clark told Larry King he suffered from Type 2 diabetes.

Clark has been married 3 times — and has 3 children from his first two marriages. He is survived by his current wife Kari Wigton.

“For now, Dick Clark … so long.”

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Developing…

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Berkshire shares a and b are down a bit. 

Buffett says he feels a 100%

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Apple has expressed losses twice that of the markets over the past 2 weeks….

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Reuters) – Temasek Holdings added a sizeable China bank stake to its financial institutions portfolio, scooping up a 5.3 percent chunk of ICBC’s Hong Kong-listed shares from seller Goldman Sachs.

Temasek was burned by its financial industry exposure in 2008, hit by stakes in large European and U.S. banks that plunged in the crisis. But the state investor has kept nearly 40 percent of its investment portfolio in banks it feels are strong and are capturing emerging market growth.

Temasek agreed to buy $2.3 billion worth of H-shares in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world’s largest bank by market value. The purchase amounts to a 1.3 percent stake in ICBC, a Temasek spokesman said.

The Singapore state investor already owns stakes in China Construction Bank and Bank of China .

The deal for ICBC brings Temasek deeper into China’s banking industry, which has grown from insolvency six years ago to a sector that holds four of the world’s top ten banks by market value.

China’s banking industry, however, has also come under fire lately, as people and politicians have cried out that the sector’s massive profits are coming at the expense of citizens. Low deposit rates, coupled with steady customer fees are at the heart of the protests.

The total value of Goldman’s block sale was $2.5 billion, continuing with its plan to reduce its stake in ICBC, which it bought into prior to ICBC’s 2006 IPO. After the sale, Goldman will have roughly $3 billion of ICBC shares remaining.

Goldman sold the Hong Kong traded shares of ICBC at HK$5.05 each, or a 3.1 percent discount to Friday’s closing price. The other, roughly $200 million worth of shares were sold to other institutional investors, according to a source.

Temasek’s financial services portfolio includes stakes in Singapore’s DBS Group, Indian lender ICICI Bank and Standard Chartered .

Hong Kong shares of ICBC, which has a market value of $240 billion, were down 1.3 percent in early trading on Monday.

SOURCE 

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Read here:

The U.S. will not go forward with planned food aid for North Korea after the nation’s unsuccessful attempt to launch a long-range missile rocket, the White House said.

“Despite the failure of its attempted missile launch, North Korea’s provocative action threatens regional security, violates international law and contravenes its own recent commitments,” the White House said in a statement condemning the launch.

President Obama has been prepared to engage with North Korea in a constructive manner, the statement said, but he also insists that the country live up to its earlier commitments and international obligations.

North Korea’s much-anticipated rocket launch ended quickly in failure early Friday, splintering into pieces over the Yellow Sea soon after takeoff.

North Korea acknowledged in an announcement broadcast on state TV that a satellite launched hours earlier from the west coast failed to enter into orbit. The U.S. and South Korea also declared the launch a failure.

A senior U.S. official told Fox News the rocket broke apart between 90 seconds and 2 minutes after launching.

Data suggests the rocket broke up in mid-flight inside the Earth’s atmosphere. Officials say the rocket did not fall into any populated areas, suggesting it fell into the ocean.

The rocket likely broke apart between the first and second stages of a three phase process.

“This is just a reminder,” Seoul-based North Korea expert Alexi Lankov told Fox News, “ that Pyongyang hasn’t developed a credible vehicle for a nuclear weapon delivery system.”

Japan’s Defense Minister Naiki Tanaka said, “We have confirmed that a certain flying object has been launched and fell after flying for just over a minute.” He did not say what exactly was launched.

He said there was no impact on Japanese territory from the launch.

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Not so fucking funny

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World Financial Center evacuation prompted after x-ray of package appeared to reveal grenade, NYPD spokesman says – @Reuters

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New York City Police Department confirms it is investigating suspicious package at the World Financial Center – @BloombergNews

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via TMZ.com

George Zimmerman has officially been charged with 2nd Degree murder after shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in a Florida suburb back in February.

Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey made the announcement moments ago at a press conference, claiming the charge was filed today.

Zimmerman — a community watchman — shot and killed Trayvon on Feb. 26th in Sanford, Florida, but no arrests were made at the time. Zimmerman has consistently maintained he shot Trayvon in self-defense.

A firestorm of media attention has surrounded the case — with many celebs like Spike Lee, Roseanne Barr and LeBron James claiming the shooting was racially motivated.

Zimmerman has already turned himself in to authorities. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

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Retail strong in Boston, NYC, and San Fran

Real estate picking up

Moderate to modest growth across the board with 5 districts reporting accelerated growth in manufcturing relating to autos and technology.

Increased competition in loan demand.

Full report

 

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Source

“If the talking heads on television don’t tell us about something that happens, does it make that event any less real?  Of course the answer to that question is quite obvious, but unfortunately way too many Americans allow their realities to be defined by what they hear from the mainstream media.  Way too many people use phrases such as “if that was true I would have heard about it on television” to deflect conversations that are starting to become uncomfortable.  Critical thinking is a skill that is in short supply in America today, and most Americans seem content to let their televisions do their thinking for them.  Sadly, the pretty people on television do not spend a lot of time talking about the things that are truly important.  Instead, they love to talk about the latest celebrity scandal and they love to divide people into groups and get them fighting with one another.  In this day and age, it is absolutely critical that we all learn to think for ourselves.  The talking heads on television are concerned with keeping their bosses happy and with keeping the ratings up.  Most of them are not really concerned about what happens to you.  They just want you to keep watching them so that they can continue to earn their inflated salaries.

Unfortunately, most Americans seem perfectly content with the “infotainment” that they are getting from the major news networks, so major changes to the mainstream media are not likely to happen any time soon.

For those wanting something different, you will have to seek out alternative sources of news (such as this website) that are willing to discuss the truly earth shattering events that are continually taking place all over the globe.

So what are some of the things that the mainstream media has been ignoring?

The following are 19 things that the talking heads on television have been strangely silent about….

#1 Strange Things Happening On The Sun

A lot of really weird things have been happening on the sun lately.  For example, recently there was a tornado on the sun that was five times larger than the earth.  The following is how this solar tornado was described by a recent Wired article….

Over the course of three hours, this behemoth reached up from the sun’s surface to a height of 125,000 miles, or roughly half the distance between the Earth and the moon. The hot gases were whipped up to nearly 186,000 miles per hour. In comparison, the wind speed of terrestrial tornadoes generally reaches a paltry 100 miles per hour.

#2 Fukushima

Fukushima has turned out to be the worst nuclear disaster in human history and it is far from over.  In fact, there is still the potential that an earthquake or an explosion could cause the crisis at Fukushima to become far more dangerous than ever.  In fact, some officials have even discussed the possibility of evacuating Tokyo if a worst case scenario plays out.

Mitsuhei Murata, a former Japanese ambassador to Switzerland, wrote the following in a March 25th letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon….

I was asked to make a statement at the public hearing of the Budgetary Committee of the House of Councilors on March 23. I raised the crucial problem of N0.4 reactor of Fukushima containing 1535 fuel rods. It could be fatally damaged by continuing aftershocks. Moreover, 50 meters away from it exists a common cooling pool for 6 reactors containing 6375 fuel rods!

It is no exaggeration to say that the fate of Japan and the whole world depends on NO.4 reactor. This is confirmed by most reliable experts like Dr. Arnie Gundersen or Dr. Fumiaki Koide.

Please allow me to inform you of an initiative being taken by a former UN official who is endeavoring to have the Nuclear Security Summit take up the crucial problem of N0.4 reactor of Fukushima. He is pursuing the establishment of an independent assessment team. I think his efforts are very significant, because it is indispensable to draw the attention of world leaders to this vital issue.

So just how serious is the threat posed by the spent fuel pool at reactor number 4?

Well, just check out the following assessment from a Japanese news source….

One of the biggest issues that we face is the possibility that the spent nuclear fuel pool of the No. 4 reactor at the stricken Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant will collapse.

The storage pool in the No. 4 reactor building has a total of 1,535 fuel rods, or 460 tons of nuclear fuel, in it and the storage pools are barely intact on the building’s third and fourth floors. If the storage pool breaks and runs dry, the nuclear fuel inside will overheat and explode, causing a massive amount of radioactive substances to spread over a wide area.

The worse-case scenario drawn up by the government includes not only the collapse of the No. 4 reactor pool, but the disintegration of spent fuel rods from all the plant’s other reactors. If this were to happen, residents in the Tokyo metropolitan area would be forced to evacuate.

#3 Mount Fuji In Japan About To Erupt?

Mount Fuji in Japan had been dormant for about 300 years, but in recent months there have been a lot of signs that the volcano is waking up.  If Mount Fuji were to experience a full-blown major eruption, millions of Japanese could potentially die and the Japanese economy would immediately collapse.

The following is from an article that was recently posted on The Extinction Protocol….

Reports are appearing about unrest and signs of a possible awakening of Mt Fuji volcano in Japan. According to a report which includes an unclear photo of the area, a row of new craters, the largest 50 m in diameter, has appeared on the eastern flank of the volcano at 2200 m elevation. Steam was observed erupting from these vents. The observation joins other signs suggesting a gradual reawakening: A swarm of earthquakes including 4 of magnitude 5 have occurred northeast of Mt Fuji on and after 28 January. An earlier 6.4M quake occurred under the volcano on 15 March 2011. The report also mentions increased activity from a fumarole vent at 1500 m elevation and hot spring areas at the eastern flank observed since 2003. These locations seem to be aligned geographically, and are probably connected. Dr. Masaaki Kimura of Ryukyu University is quoted to admit that there is an increased risk of an eruption on the eastern flank and that the status of the volcano should be closely monitored.

#4 Stunning Rise In Volcanic Activity Around The World

All over the world major volcanoes are showing signs of awakening.  We are especially seeing a rise in volcanic activity along the “Ring of Fire” that encircles the Pacific Ocean.

#5 Global Food Prices Rising Again

According to Reuters, global food prices have risen for three months in a row and are rapidly approaching record levels.  The food riots that we have seen in the developing world during past summers could be even worse this year.

#6 U.S. Government Debt Downgraded Again

Credit rating agency Egan Jones downgraded the credit rating of the United States from AA+ to AA last week.  There was barely a peep about this on the major news networks.

#7 500 Million Dollars To Help The IRS Implement Obamacare

The Obama administration is giving the IRS 500 million extra dollars “outside the normal appropriations process” to help them implement the provisions of Obamacare that they are in charge of overseeing.

#8 Go To Jail If You Offend Someone On The Internet In Arizona?

A proposed law in Arizona will actually make it a very serious crime to annoy or offend someone on the Internet.  So if you live in Arizona, you might want to be very careful about what you say if you leave a comment at the end of this article.

#9 Passport Suspended For Not Paying Taxes?

A bill currently going through the U.S. Congress would allow the federal government to suspend your passport if you have unpaid taxes.  If you are not able to pay the taxes that you owe, you could end up stuck in the United States indefinitely.

#10 Preparations For War In The Persian Gulf

A second U.S. aircraft carrier is on the way to the Persian Gulf.  Tensions with Iran continue to increase, and over the past several months there have been all kinds of signs that military preparations are being made for an eventual conflict.

#11 Mysterious Mass Deaths

Large numbers of birds, fish, dolphins and whales continue to die all over the globe and scientists do not have any explanation for why this is happening.

#12 The Federal Reserve Monetizing U.S. Debt

During 2011, the U.S. Federal Reserve bought approximately 61 percent of all U.S. debt that was issued according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke promised that he would never monetize the debt, but that is exactly what he is attempting to do.

#13 Giant Sinkholes

Enormous sinkholes continue to open up all over the planet.  For example, a mammoth 200 foot wide sinkhole recently opened up near a town in Sweden.

#14 Increase In Global Earthquakes

As I have written about previously, we have seen a substantial increase in the number of major earthquakes around the globe in recent years.  So far in 2012, we have seen four earthquakes of greater than magnitude 7.0, and all four of them have been along the “Ring of Fire”.

#15 Increase In U.S. Earthquakes

Scientists are acknowledging that there has been a huge increase in the number of earthquakes in the center of the United States, but they are blaming this increase on fracking.

#16 Evacuation Drills At U.S. Public Schools

All over the United States, public schools are conducting “evacuation drills” which involve putting children on buses and taking them to alternate locations.  Sometimes the alternate locations are “undisclosed” and parents are only told what the undisclosed locations were after the drills are over.

#17 Strange Sounds In The Sky

All over the planet, people are hearing strange noises in the sky.  People have come up with all sorts of theories and explanations for why they are happening, but so far the mystery has not been solved and reports of these strange sounds continue to pour in from all over the globe.

#18 Crazy Tornado Outbreaks

So far in 2012 the United States has had a very unusual number of tornadoes.  In fact, so far we have seen about twice as many tornadoes as usual. The 2011 tornado season was one of the worst ever, and the 2012 tornado season could end up being even more traumatic.

#19 Obama Signs Disturbing Executive Order

A few weeks ago, Barack Obama signed an executive order that would allow him to take control of all food, all energy, all health resources and all transportation resources.  This was an update to an old executive order, but the Obama administration made a change that would allow Barack Obama to do this even in “non-emergency” situations.  Sadly, the talking heads on television were strangely silent about this.

The world that we live in is becoming increasingly unstable.

The political order is being shaken, the financial world is being shaken, the social fabric of our society is being shaken and even the ground under our feet is being shaken.

Previous generations never had to deal with a world that was changing at blinding speed.  The rate at which things are moving is almost unimaginable, and it just seems to keep accelerating with each passing year.

We are privileged to live during one of the most exciting times in human history, but it is also likely to be one of the most dangerous times in human history.

The talking heads on television are going to keep telling us that everything is going to be okay and that everything will “return to normal” very soon, but that simply is not going to happen.

Our world has reached a critical juncture, and a time of great shaking is at hand.

So what do you think is going to happen next?

Feel free to share what you think by leaving a comment below….”

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