1/29/2015 January 29th 2015

THE 1% ELITE________________



The Davos World Economic Summit has long been a parade for the insider agenda, putting the power players’ plans for the world’s economies on display as a preview to their playing out for the rest of the year.

But so far, the 2015 elite retreat in the Swiss Alps has proven to be full of apprehension, and even horror… with many of its own members expressing regret at the world they have built.

These billionaires are not concerned with a fair or truly equitable world, of course. But they may well be concerned about having pushed the system beyond the brink, and triggering global collapse or unrest as a result of things gone way too far.

In 2015, it has become obvious that inequality has become just plain cynical, unsettling and, perhaps, downright revolutionary… and even the insulated, egocentric billionaires have taken notice.

(shtfplan, jan 28th)

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/this-chart-tells-a-story-americas-middle-class-thrived-after-wwii-and-died-under-obama_01272015



Senator Rand Paul re-introduces 'Audit the Fed' bill

(Reuters, jan 28th)

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/senator-rand-paul-introduces-audit-fed-bill-164322038--business.html


OBAMA_______________________



Obama refers to himself 133 times in 33 minutes.

(PJ media, jan 27th)

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2015/01/27/watch-obama-refer-to-himself-133-times-in-a-33-minute-speech/




A larger number of Americans oppose President Obama’s executive actions on immigration than support it, according to a new survey. Among blue-collar workers, the opposition is even more stark.

A new poll conducted by Paragon Insights finds that 58 percent of registered voters oppose the president’s actions to block the deportation of up to 4 million immigrants in the country illegally, compared with 36 percent who support it. As the pollster notes, the question does not mention the White House’s decision to bypass Congress, but solely focuses on the president’s policy by asking, “Do you support or oppose Obama’s executive action?”

Among blue-collar workers, 62 percent oppose it, while 32 percent support it, a nearly two-to-one margin. That includes 47 percent of blue-collar workers who “strongly oppose” the executive action.

(national review, jan 28th)

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/397304/poll-large-majority-americans-oppose-obamas-immigration-actions-andrew-johnson




Obama jokes bomb in front of military audience...

"Secret Service does not usually let me get too close to an active weapons system"

(Breitbart, jan 28th)

http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/01/28/military-silent-through-obamas-jokes-at-hagel-ceremony/




Gun Owners of America is blasting a congressional proposal that empowers Obama to unilaterally negotiate international agreements as “a ‘bait and switch’ scheme that could seriously impact the Second Amendment.”

House and Senate committees are currently preparing to hand Obama so-called “fast-track” trade promotion authority. It would enable the president to unilaterally negotiate the TransPacific Partnership, a trade and global governance agreement with the U.S. and 11 other nations bordering the Pacific Ocean.

Under fast-track rules, Congress would not be able to amend or even vet the completed agreement. It could only approve everything that Obama has included, including anything tucked away in the 99th page that no one really wants to talk about, or kill it.

Gun Owners of America warns fast track “delegates to Barack Obama the legislative authority to do anything he wants – absolutely anything – so long as he includes it in a ‘trade agreement.’”

Second Amendment defenders worry, for example, anti-gun measures such as gun or ammunition import bans could be relegated to the bowels of the so-called “trade agreement.” They say Congress would be unable to stop it “when every Establishment interest in Washington starts pushing Congress to immediately approve this ‘up-or-down’ deal.”

They point to the experience with the recently approved trillion-dollar “Cromnibus” spending bill, which included the largest funding increase in history for the federal gun database, empowered states to impose gun bans based on doctor’s orders and increased the budget for the ATF.

Fast track “is the same dynamic as the Cromnibus, and if we hadn’t just gone through that we wouldn’t see what will happen if they give him fast track,” Michael Hammond, legislative counsel with Gun Owners of America, told WND.

(WND, jan 29th)

http://www.wnd.com/2015/01/2nd-amendment-threatened-in-obamas-trade-plans/


U.S. GOVERNMENT_________________


Admirals, generals: Pentagon tapes indict Hillary

Recordings of top Pentagon officials in 2011 strongly criticizing Hillary Clinton for leading a State Department “march to war” against Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi in 2011 and for working with the Muslim Brotherhood confirm the conclusions of the Citizens’ Commission on Benghazi, according to members who spoke to WND.

CCB members said the recordings revealed by the Washington Times provide additional evidence to support the group’s interim report concluding the Obama administration “changed sides” in Libya, rejecting an effort by Gadhafi to abdicate and choosing instead to arm al-Qaida-affiliated militia seeking to forcibly oust the dictator.

(WND, jan 29th)

http://www.wnd.com/2015/01/admirals-generals-pentagon-tapes-indict-hillary/#K7ygE0CcSPUYPreF.99



NSA's Water, Power Supply Under Threat in State Legislatures

With federal reform elusive, state lawmakers and activists resume back-up plan to shut down mass surveillance.

(US news, jan 28th)

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/01/28/nsas-water-power-supply-under-threat-in-state-legislatures



DOJ’s Attempt To Turn 4th Amendment Into A ‘Useless Piece Of Paper’ Called Out By Justice Sotomayor

"Is that really what the Fourth Amendment should permit?"

(Tech dirt, jan 28th)

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150126/15515829825/dojs-attempt-to-turn-4th-amendment-into-useless-piece-paper-called-out-justice-sotomayor.shtml




A federal judge has dumped the bulk of a sprawling class action accusing smartphone makers of installing software that spies on customers, logs keystrokes and other data, sends information to telecom providers and drains batteries – in violation of federal and state wiretap laws.

Carrier IQ and various telecoms were hit in 2011 with a raft of class actions alleging that it used a device called IQRD to access smartphones while hiding its presence and subverting standard operating system functions or other applications.

A consolidated amended class action in San Francisco federal court alleges violations of the Federal Wiretap Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the Stored Communications Act, as well as multiple federal and state-law warranty and consumer-protection claims.

Carrier IQ agreed in principle to settle the class action this past November, leaving smartphone makers HTC, Huawei, LG and Samsung on the hook.

(courthouse news, jan 28th)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/01/27/spying-claims-bounce-off-smartphone-makers.htm




An F/A-18 Super Hornet Navy fighter jet buzzed Berkeley Tuesday, and created quite the buzz on Twitter as its fast and loud flyover got plenty of attention.

One observer reported the jet as low as 300-500 feet. While radar indicated the plane only dipped to 2500 feet, it should be noted that the Berkeley Hills rise 1754 feet –which could put the pilot closer to the ground than first reported depending on when he began his ascent out of Berkeley’s airspace. UC Berkeley’s campus is mostly below 500 feet, with some buildings higher up on the hill.

“I thought it may have been an earthquake. Pretty much the entire building was shaking,” said Ryen Banihashemi. “I thought maybe some people were running on the roof, honestly I had idea. It was that loud.”

The jet fighter flew from Naval Air Station Lemoore, south of Fresno. On Wednesday, the base commander responded to complaints.

UPDATE: Tuesday’s Roaring Navy Fighter Jet Over Berkeley Was Just A Pilot Saying ‘Hello’ To His Brother At Cal

Public Affairs Commander Jeannie Groeneveld told KPIX 5, “To answer your question, A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet from Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, flew at 2,500-3,000 feet over Berkeley at approximately 2 p.m. PST Jan. 27. The F/A 18 was under Federal Aviation Administration control throughout the training flight. While training missions in the local area are common and the pilot was under positive FAA control, the U.S. Navy is investigating the flight to ensure the aviator complied with all FAA and U.S. Navy regulations.”

(CBS san francisco, jan 27th)

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/01/27/f-18-fighter-jet-buzzes-berkeley/



A former U.S. Army prosecutor who supervised sexual assault cases has been found guilty by a military jury at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, of charges including rape, forcible sodomy and assault, the Army said in a statement.

Major Erik J. Burris, 39, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, dismissed from the service and ordered to forfeit all pay and allowances at the end of a court martial that concluded on Sunday, the military said.

(AP, jan 28th)

http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/01/26/4349387/ex-army-prosecutor-found-guilty.html


GLOBAL CONFLICTS_____________

The United States on Wednesday signed an agreement providing war-torn Ukraine with $2 billion in loan guarantees to help it with “near-term social spending” in 2015 and said it was prepared to step up sanctions against Russia if necessary.

After signing the loan agreement with Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalia Yaresko, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew referred to Russian support for separatists in Ukraine which has led to the United States and the European Union imposing sanctions on Russia.

Saying the United States was opposing “Russian aggression,” Lew went on: “We remain prepared to do more (on sanctions) if necessary. To that end, we will continue to work with our allies to increase the pressure on Russia.”

(Reuters, jan 28th)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/28/us-ukraine-loans_n_6560682.html




Ukraine’s Government Is Losing Its War. Here Is Why...

Unless Ukraine gets the further ‘loans’ to prosecute its war against the residents in Donbass, they won’t even possibly be able to win this war...

The Ukrainian Government’s problem is that there just aren’t enough nazis, and there’s also not enough money, to do the amounts of killing that need to be done in order to enable Obama’s Ukrainian regime to retain the land in Donbass while eliminating the people there. The 90% of those people who had voted for the man (Viktor Yanukovych) whom Obama overthrew are far more numerous, and far more motivated, than are the vast majority of Ukraine’s soldiers.

America’s and Ukraine’s oligarchs cannot come up with the money to finish the job, but Obama’s big financial backer George Soros is now globetrotting in order to convince taxpayers throughout the West to provide the money to finish it, and the amount he’s coming up with as being necessary for the job is between twenty and fifty billion dollars. His entreaties appear to be falling upon deaf ears.

And that’s the real reason why Obama’s war in Ukraine is failing: there’s just not enough blood-lust for the task, either in Ukraine, or in “the West.”

There aren’t enough nazis, in either area. Obama had over-reached, when he overthrew Ukraine’s democratically elected President, Viktor Yanukovych, in February 2014. Either he’ll have to yield-up the land in Donbass, or else he’ll have to yield-up the anti-Russian Government that he has imposed upon Ukraine. It’s one or the other, and he’ll have to choose which.

Either outcome will be embarrassing for him. But perhaps it won’t be quite as embarrassing for him as was his predecessor’s embarrassment regarding the Iraq War. (Of course, Republicans would be in their glory then, by saying “Obama lost Ukraine,” even though it was actually Obama who had seized Ukraine, to begin with — and Republicans would never criticize a President for doing a thing like that: it’s the sort of thing that Republicans are expected to do.)

On the other hand, it might turn out to be even more embarrassing than that for Obama, if he should happen to decide to go all the way here, and to push on for a nuclear war against Russia.

As regards the Ukrainian Government itself, they were placed into power by Obama’s action of coup, followed by this Ukrainian Government’s actions removing the Donbass residents from their electorate; and, so, the current members of the Rada, and of the Ukrainian Administration, cannot blame Obama; they are instead blaming Vladimir Putin and Russia — the country that Obama (like George Soros and so many other American aristocrats) hates, and that not merely the people whom Obama placed into power in Ukraine hate. Thus, on Wednesday, January 28th, RIAN news headlined, “Full Text of the Appeal for Recognition of Russia as Aggressor,”
(Infowars, jan 28th)

http://www.infowars.com/ukraines-government-is-losing-its-war-here-is-why/



Israel and Hezbollah Prepare for War: Generals say Israel faces greatest existential threat since establishment of the state

Israel has vowed a “disproportionate” response after two IDF soldiers were killed and seven wounded by an anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah in the Har Dov area near the Lebanon border.

The apparent attack follows the killing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi during an Israeli airstrike in the Golan Heights area of Syria. The January 18 attack also killed six members of Hezbollah.

On Monday, Iran warned of a response to the attack that killed Allahdadi.

“We told the Americans that the leaders of the Zionist regime should await the consequences of their act,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told IRNA. He said Israel had “crossed our red lines.”

“We absolutely condemn any such threats that come in any form,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki responded after the message was delivered to the United States through the Swiss embassy. The U.S. and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since the Iranian revolution in 1979.

Following the attack on the IDF along the border, mortars hit an Israeli military position on Mt. Hermon. The mortar attack resulted in a closure of the site and the evacuation of civilians from a nearby ski resort, according to the BBC.

Israel then reportedly hit Hezbollah operational positions along the border. Lebanese officials said at least 50 shells were fired into the villages of Majidiyeh, Abbasiyeh and Kfar Chouba near the Shebaa Farms area.

The Lebanese villages were targeted “to send a message to the Syrian regime that we view it responsible for what occurs on its territory and that there is a price to pay for allowing Hezbollah to use your positions,” IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told CNN.

The Israeli response killed a Spanish UNIFIL member in Ghajar, a village on the Israel-Lebanon frontier.

(Infowars, jan 28th)

http://www.infowars.com/israel-and-hezbollah-prepare-for-war/




The former head of security for Diosdado Cabello, president of Venezuela’s national assembly and vice-president of the ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV), is claiming Cabello is also head of a leading drug trafficking gang, the Cártel de los Soles (“The Suns’ Cartel”).

The security officer is, Leamsy Salazar, that fled to the United States, and arrived in Washington on Monday, according to a translated article on InterAmerican Security Watch.

The news has been broadly reported in Spanish-language media, and Spanish-language social networking sites have been buzzing over the development.

Emil Blasco a Washington correspondent from Madrid’s Diario ABC sent a series of tweets on Jan. 26, stating that Salazar is seeking protection in the United States and will testify against Cabello, saying he is the kingpin of the Cártel de los Soles.

(Epoch times, jan 28th)

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1225839-venezuelas-vice-president-is-head-of-drug-cartel-claims-security-chief/



English Speaking Mercenary in Mariupol ID’d as Brit Leon Swampy From London, England

Identified through profile on popular Ukrainian social media site vKontakte

(the daily lede blog, jan 28th)

https://thedailyledeblog.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/english-speaking-mercenary-in-mariupol-idd-as-brit-leon-swampy-from-london-england/



PRIVACY AND THE SPY GRID_________________



Switzerland, facing an erosion of the banking secrecy laws that helped make it the world's banker, is now touting its reputation as a safe and stable haven to become a global data vault.

More and more companies are flocking to the wealthy Alpine country to stock data in an era of increasing espionage and hacking, and the Swiss are reaping the benefits of the paranoia.

"Data storage is the new Eldorado for Switzerland. It's a real boom," said Franz Grueter, the managing director of Green.ch, a leading data storage firm that has posted 30 percent annual growth since it was set up in 1995.

Thanks to Switzerland's long-held banking secrecy tradition, the country enjoys a global reputation for security and privacy.

But amid international pressure, the country is being forced to shed the protective shield that has made its banks so attractive, and has agreed within the next two years to automatically exchange account details with other countries.

While Swiss banks are suffering, the country's data storage companies are booming.

(AFP, jan 28th)

http://news.yahoo.com/swiss-bank-safe-haven-label-become-worlds-data-063213979.html;_ylt=AwrTWfzdGslUyDEAfdrQtDMD




The UK government today announced a plan to remotely control vehicles on roads using wi-fi technology in order to reduce traffic and offset global warming, the latest manifestation of the ‘Internet of Things’ that will stir up concern amongst privacy advocates.

A report released today by Ofcom, the government-controlled body which regulates communications in the United Kingdom, lays out a blueprint that could be realized in as soon as 10 years where cars would communicate with each other to “reduce congestion”.

The proposals are being billed by some media outlets as a means of solving traffic jams and taking the stress out of finding a parking space, while also serving to reduce “greenhouse gases” and offset global warming.

However, buried in the report is a detail that will horrify many libertarians and privacy advocates. The state plans to achieve this new high-tech solution by fitting sensors in all cars that would wirelessly send information to a “central traffic control system”. The control system would then react by imposing remote speed limits on each vehicle, a “shockwave effect” which would cause each one to brake and accelerate in unison.

In other words, in the name of reducing traffic and helping the environment, the government could at any time seize control of your vehicle against your will.

(Infowars, jan 28th)

http://www.infowars.com/uk-government-announces-plan-to-remotely-control-vehicles/




Every airline passenger flying in and out of Europe will have personal data including their bank card details stored on a police database, under new anti-terror plans.

The move by the European Commission would mean all information collected during check-in would be made available to the security services.

Civil liberties campaigners said the move would invade the personal privacy of thousands of air travellers, and called for it to be blocked.

But supporters of the plan, including most European interior ministers, say it will allow potential jihadists to be monitored as they travel across Europe.

(Telegraph, jan 28th)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11373504/Air-passengers-bank-details-to-be-handed-to-police-under-EU-anti-terror-plan.html




DEA plan to track drivers went much wider, new documents reveal

Officials tried to use license-plate readers to track travel patterns of Americans

‘This could be a really amazing level of surveillance we’ve not seen before’

(Guardian, jan 29th)

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jan/29/us-plan-track-car-drivers-documents




For the managers of West Virginia’s Consol Energy/Consolidation Coal Company, it was just a technological innovation to improve tracking of employees’ time and attendance, but for Beverly R. Butcher Jr. it was the Bible’s “Mark of the Beast.”

A jury sided this month with the general laborer, awarding him $150,000 in compensatory damages, reported the Clarksburg Exponent Telegram.

Butcher, an evangelical Christian, asserted he had been told he was required to submit to biometric hand scanning, even though he informed his employer in writing it was contrary to “his genuinely held religious beliefs about the relationship between hand-scanning technology and the Mark of the Beast and Antichrist discussed in the Bible.”

(WND.com, jan 29th)

http://www.wnd.com/2015/01/jury-awards-150000-in-mark-of-the-beast-case/?cat_orig=faith




Credit card data isn't quite as anonymous as promised, a new study says.

Scientists showed they can identify you with more than 90 percent accuracy by looking at just four purchases, three if the price is included - and this is after companies "anonymized" the transaction records, saying they wiped away names and other personal details. The study out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, published Thursday in the journal Science, examined three months of credit card records for 1.1 million people.

"We are showing that the privacy we are told that we have isn't real," study co-author Alex "Sandy" Pentland of MIT said in an email. His research found that adding just a glimmer of information about a person from an outside source was enough to identify him or her in the trove of financial transactions they studied.
(AP, jan 29th)

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_DATA_PRIVACY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT




Internet company Google said on Wednesday that its video-sharing website YouTube is so inundated that staff cannot filter all terror-related content, complicating the struggle to halt the publication of terrorist propaganda and hostage videos.

Google public policy manager Verity Harding said 300 hours of video material is being uploaded to YouTube every minute, making it virtually impossible for all images to be filtered.

Harding spoke at a European parliament meeting of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (Alde) on a counter-terrorism action plan.

She said that “to pre-screen those videos before they are uploaded would be like screening a phone call before it’s made”.

(Guardian, jan 28th)

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/28/youtube-too-swamped-to-filter-terror-content



Reddit handed over user info for 58% of government requests

The website also received hundreds of request to remove content or links.

(computer world, jan 29th)

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2877852/reddit-handed-over-user-info-for-58-of-government-requests.html




A US government consumer watchdog agency called Tuesday for better privacy and security to be built into the myriad of connected devices, for fitness, smart homes or other uses.

The "Internet of Things" guidelines released by the US Federal Trade Commission stop short of a new regulatory effort but nonetheless provoked critics who said the agency is overstepping its authority.

FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, who announced the guidelines at a Washington conference, said the move is aimed at promoting "best practices" for these new devices but also noted that her agency has authority to crack down on violations of privacy or deceptive consumer practices.

"Not only is deeply personal information at stake but as you have more and more devices it means there is more potential for exposure," Ramirez told the "State of the Net" conference.

"If you want these new technologies to flourish, you want to make sure consumers understand what is happening, understand what is being collected, with whom that information is being shared, how this information is being used."

The FTC last year studied 12 mobile fitness apps and found they shared data with 76 separate entities.

Ramirez underscored the privacy concerns, saying that "if I'm wearing a fitness band that tracks how many calories I consume I wouldn't want to share that data with an insurance company."

The FTC report made no specific legislative recommendation for the Internet of Things but noted that in its workshops on the subject "there appeared to be widespread agreement that companies developing IoT products should implement reasonable security."

The guidelines would apply to the billions of devices which connect to the Internet including automobiles, refrigerators, toothbrushes, fitness trackers and other gadgets.

The agency urged companies to "build security into their devices at the outset, rather than as an afterthought" and to conduct a privacy or security risk assessment.

But the technology think tank TechFreedom said the guidelines appeared to be an attempt to regulate the nascent sector.

"At best, this is just another exercise in workshop theater; at worst, the FTC is trying to regulate the Internet of Things by stealth," said TechFreedom president Berin Szoka.

(AFP, jan 27th)

http://news.yahoo.com/us-watchdog-urges-safeguards-internet-things-211533323.html;_ylt=AwrBEiH7SMhUUyAAfhnQtDMD




POLICE STATE_______________


They appeared to be scenes from a frozen apocalypse.

Streets across the nation's largest city were empty, the only movement the changing traffic lights signaling to cars that weren't there. The subway system was shuttered, the city's pulse rendered still. Hardy souls who braved the snow were threatened with fines or arrest.

And it could be the new normal.

Though the snowstorm largely missed New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio staunchly defended their unprecedented, stringent restrictions, both saying they believed in landing on the side of caution and suggesting they would take such measures again.

"Would you rather be ahead of the action or behind? Would you rather be prepared or unprepared? Would you rather be safe or unsafe?" de Blasio asked Tuesday at City Hall. "To me it was a no-brainer: we had to take precautions to keep people safe."

Before the heavy snows even reached New York, officials closed schools, shut down bridges and tunnels, canceled commuter rail service and, for the first time ever in a snowstorm, closed the city's sprawling subway system at 11 p.m. Monday. A travel ban was put in place and drivers caught out on the roads were subject to arrest.

(AP, jan 28th)

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20150128/us-winter-weather-shutdown-politics-59f91d3d43.html




Cops Shutdown High School Kids Trying to Earn Money by Shoveling Snow: “They need a permit, unpermitted solicitation is not allowed"

Earlier this week, Matt Molinari and his friend Eric Schnepf, both seniors in High School, were going door-to-door advertising their snow shoveling services in advance of the storm. School was out, and instead of sitting inside and playing XBOX, these two young entrepreneurs felt the fire of enterprise and decided to turn their down time into an actual dime.

However, Molinari and Schnepf apparently didn’t realize that in order to make a dime you have to pay a quarter — to the state. When the two boys were out trying to rustle up some business during what they saw as an opportunity, along came the uniformed agents of the state, to put this unapproved business venture out to pasture.

(free thought project, jan 28th)

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/cops-shutdown-high-school-kids-earn-money-shoveling-snow/


In response to increasing police militarization in the US, legislation proposed in the New Hampshire state House would implement a ban on state and local officials obtaining or using certain military weaponry acquired from the Pentagon or other sources.

(Russia Today, jan 28th)

http://rt.com/usa/227187-police-weapons-new-hampshire/


Mother wants independent autopsy after Denver police killed daughter

(AP, jan 28th)

http://www.ohio.com/news/nation/mother-wants-independent-autopsy-after-denver-police-killed-daughter-1.562369


ECONOMY___________________________


Why solar costs will fall another 40% in just two years

(renew economy, jan 20th)

http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/why-solar-costs-will-fall-another-40-in-just-two-years-21235



What wouldn’t you give to put your money in a business that grew 74 percent in one year? There is such a business, the fastest-growing business in the nation: selling marijuana legally.

The investment firm ArcView Group, which also performs cannabis research, claims in its State of Legal Marijuana Markets that the legal marijuana business skyrocketed 74 percent in 2014, from sales of $1.5 billion in 2013 to $2.7 billion in 2014. The report states that California, Colorado, Washington, Arizona and Michigan have all seen their markets grow to more than $100 million, and that Colorado, which led the way as the first active adult use market, sold $805 million worth of marijuana in retail and wholesale.
(breitbart, jan 26th)

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/01/26/legal-marijuana-sales-grow-74-percent-in-2014/



Forget about peak oil, worry about PEAK FOOD!

The world has entered an era of “peak food” production with an array of staples from corn and rice to wheat and chicken slowing in growth – with potentially disastrous consequences for feeding the planet.

New research finds that the supply of 21 staples, such as eggs, meat, vegetables and soybeans is already beginning to run out of momentum, while the global population continues to soar.

(Independent, jan 28th)

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/have-we-reached-peak-food-shortages-loom-as-global-production-rates-slow-10009185.html




 China's yuan has become one of the five most widely used currencies in global payments, an international financial transactions agency announced Wednesday.

The yuan passed the Canadian and Australian dollars in popularity in December, according to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, which provides communications between financial institutions and companies. It said the yuan now ranks behind the dollar, the euro, the British pound and Japanese yen.

(AP, 27th)

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/chinas-yuan-joins-top-5-most-used-global-031840128.html




The number of children in the United States relying on food stamps for a meal spiked to 16 million last year, according federal data, signaling a lopsided economic recovery in which lower income families are still lagging behind.

The roughly one in five children who received food stamps in 2014 surpassed pre-recession levels, when one in eight or 9 million children were on food stamps, according to the U.S. Census survey of American families released on Wednesday

Republicans in Congress have sought to cut back on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or food stamp program as part of a larger plan to balance the budget.

Early last year lawmakers proposed $40 billion in cuts from the program over 10 years. The final farm bill signed into law trimmed $8.6 billion from the program, eliminating benefits for about 850,000 people, according to estimates by anti-hunger advocates.

(Reuters, jan 28th)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/28/usa-economy-families-idUSL1N0V71TD20150128




The United States does not rank among the Top 10 countries in the world for economic freedom, according to the Heritage Foundation’s 2015 Index of Economic Freedom.

Instead, the U..S. ranked only 12th--after Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Chile, Estonia, Ireland, Mauritius, and Denmark.

Estonia was formerly a part of the Soviet Union.

The Index rates economic freedom for countries on 10 quantitative and qualitative factors that are based on four pillars of freedom: rule of law, limited government, regulatory efficiency and open markets.

(CNS news, jan 27th)

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/ali-meyer/were-no-12-report-us-not-among-top-nations-economic-freedom



HEALTH_______________



California health officials say electronic cigarettes are a health threat, especially to children, and should be strictly regulated like tobacco products.

A report released Wednesday by the California Department of Public Health says e-cigarettes emit cancer-causing chemicals and get users hooked on nicotine. California Health Officer Ron Chapman says new generations of young people will become nicotine addicts if the products remain largely unregulated.

E-cigarettes heat liquid nicotine from cartridges into inhalable vapor without tar and other chemicals found in traditional cigarettes. E-cigarette makers say their products are far safer than tobacco.

(AP, jan 28th)

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/California-Declares-E-Cigs-Are-Health-Threats-290104881.html



The brains of psychopathic violent criminals have abnormalities in regions related to punishment that are not seen in the brains of violent criminals who are not psychopathic, according to new research using brain scans.

These MRI scans suggest that psychopaths don't grasp punishment the same way as other people, the researchers said. This is likely why psychopaths do not benefit from rehabilitation programs, as other violent criminals often do, the scientists report today (Jan. 28) in the journal Lancet Psychiatry.

(live science, jan 28th)

http://www.livescience.com/49613-psychopaths-brains-punishment.html




A “plus-sized” model has become the first obese woman to be signed up by a modeling agency, with 29-year-old Tess Munster being hailed as an “important role model for women,” that is, if being a role model entails promoting a lifestyle linked with innumerable chronic health conditions.

Munster, who also goes by the name Tess Holliday, “has become the first woman of her size to be signed to a major modelling agency,” reports the Independent.

“She’s such an important role model for so many women,” Anna Shillinglaw, owner and director of MiLK Model Management, told the newspaper.

Munster is a staunch advocate of the #EffYourBeautyStandards campaign, which encourages women to have pride in their bodies, even if they are clinically obese.

Are the following health conditions linked to obesity something which women should aspire to?

- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Arthritis
- Indigestion
- Gallstones
- Some cancers (eg, breast and prostate cancers)
- Snoring and sleep apnoea
- Stress, anxiety, and depression
- Infertility

What’s next? Are we going to see a chain smoker or a drug addict signed up as the next big thing in order to encourage women to have pride in lung cancer or choking to death on their own vomit?

Munster is being signed up by a modeling agency based in the UK, where diseases linked to obesity cost the National Health Service £47bn ($71 billion dollars) a year, almost ten times the cost of treating smoking-related diseases.

(Infowars, jan 28th)

http://www.infowars.com/obese-model-hailed-as-a-good-example-to-women/


MISC. NEWS_________________________________



Jesse Ventura: 'American Sniper' is a liar

Ventura, a former Navy SEAL, won $1.8 million in a defamation lawsuit last year against the estate of the late Chris Kyle, the SEAL protagonist of the movie, which has sparked debate over whether snipers should be considered heroes. Ventura said Wednesday he won’t see the film partly because Kyle is no hero to him.

“A hero must be honorable, must have honor. And you can’t have honor if you’re a liar. There is no honor in lying,” Ventura told The Associated Press from his winter home in Baja California, Mexico.

(star tribune, jan 28th)

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/290119661.html




In a sign that America’s institutions of higher learning may be lost forever to the radical left, college students in Arizona can now take a class on “Hating Whitey.”

In line with the extreme academic discipline called critical race theory, which is prevalent on campuses across America, Arizona State University is now offering a course on “the problem of whiteness,” according to Campus Reform.

Critical race theory is a belief that relies heavily on the myth of institutional racism, the opinion that racism is inherent in America, brought on by white privilege and white supremacy.

And if that’s not bad enough, the class — ENG 401: “Studies in American Literature/Culture: U.S. Race Theory & the Problem of Whiteness” — is being taught by a white man.

Leave it to a white academic elitist, beset with “white guilt” no doubt, to corrupt the minds of young Americans with a theory driven by identity politics that has little basis in reality.

(Bizpac review, jan 25th)

http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/01/24/hating-whitey-arizona-state-stirs-pot-teaching-the-problem-of-whiteness-class-175119




A theme park near Nagasaki in southern Japan will open a smart hotel featuring female androids that greet guests, and robots that carry luggage and serve coffee.

Henn-na Hotel at the Dutch-inspired Huis Ten Bosch theme park will be partly powered by solar panels and guests will have the option of using facial-recognition software instead of door keys. Henn-na Hotel, meaning “Strange Hotel” in English, will feature three uniformed reception androids, four service and porter robots, an industrial robot arm serving as a cloak room attendant and several cleaning robots.

(It world, jan 27th)

http://www.itworld.com/article/2876635/androids-will-greet-guests-at-japanese-smart-hotel.html




Astronomers in Australia have picked up an “alien” radio signal from space for the first time as it occurred. The signal, or radio “burst”, was discovered on May 15, 2014, though it’s just being reported by the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

“The burst was identified within 10 seconds of its occurrence,” said Emily Petroff, a doctoral student from Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology. “The importance of the discovery was recognized very quickly and we were all working very excitedly to contact other astronomers and telescopes around the world to look at the location of the burst.”

Emerging from an unknown source, these bursts are bright flashes of radio waves that emit as much energy in a few milliseconds as the sun does in 24 hours. “The first fast radio burst was discovered in 2007,” Petroff tells FoxNews.com, “and up until our discovery there were 8 more found in old or archival data.” While researchers use telescopes in Hawaii, India, Germany, Chile, California, and the California Islands to search for bursts, it is the CSIRO Parkes radio telescope in Eastern Australia that is the first to catch one as its happening.

(Fox news, jan 28th)

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/27944697/mysterious-radio-signal-from-space-caught-live-for-first-time



 A partial skull retrieved from a cave in northern Israel is shedding light on a pivotal juncture in early human history when our species was trekking out of Africa to populate other parts of the world and encountered our close cousins the Neanderthals.

Scientists said on Wednesday the upper part of the skull, the domed portion without the face or jaws, was unearthed in Manot Cave in Israel's Western Galilee. Scientific dating techniques determined the skull was about 55,000 years old.

(Reuters, jan 28th)

http://news.yahoo.com/prehistoric-skull-key-piece-puzzle-story-humanity-195134616.html