31 Jan 2012

Do We Need a Gold-Backed Ron Paul Dollar?


Ron Paul is America's leading voice for limited, constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, sound money.

California To Run Out Of Cash In One Month, Controller Warns


Tyler Durden's picture
If anyone is tired of the daily European soap opera with surrealistic tragicomic overtones, they can simply shift their gaze to the 8th largest economy in the world: the insolvent state of California, whose controller just told legislators has just over a month worth of cash left. 
From the Sacramento Bee: "California will run out of cash by early March if the state does not take swift action to find $3.3 billion through payment delays and borrowing, according to a letter state Controller John Chiang sent to state lawmakers today. The announcement is surprising since lawmakers previously believed the state had enough cash to last through the fiscal year that ends in June." ....uh, oops?

No Remote Control - Out of Control - UKIP

 
Out of Control Link
Apparently our current green policy amounts to cycling to work whilst your luggage is carried by a car following you in "the economics of the madhouse." How the EU is costing us the Earth

'Assad, you'll die like Gaddafi': Rebels want off with Syria head

Syria's opposition have made a chilling pledge to the country's leader. They have vowed President Bashar Al Assad and his family will be killed like Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, saying he's lost the chance of a peaceful exit. Fierce battles between government forces and rebel fighters are raging on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. Source

FKN Worst bits 2011 part 5 "We all live in a fascist regime!"

Innocent People, Unable to Fight Back

Starving Economy "True Nature of Money.. Paradigm Shift" Ned Naylor-Leyland - Max Keiser

Banking zombies and clowns and their magical thinking on zero rates while starving the economy of interest income. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Ned Naylor-Leyland about the silver, gold, backwardation, manipulation and more. Source

'CIA & Mossad penetrated Iran via UN nuclear mission'

U.S. Senate lawmakers have released a plan for a new round of sanctions targeting Iran's energy sector. The bill aimed at choking funds, used by Tehran to allegedly develop nuclear weapons, will be mulled over on Thursday. But while Washington shows no sign of easing up on Tehran, Iran's Foreign Minister has welcomed the extension of the IAEA mission in the country. A team of UN nuclear inspectors may now prolong their stay in Iran beyond the initially planned three days. The minister was optimistic about the possible renewal of nuclear negotiations saying the IAEA visit is a step towards easing the tensions. However, American Radio host, Ralph Schoenman is skeptical about the talks as he thinks the UN body is under too much western influence. Source

Mafia Banking Cartel Blackmail Greece into Antiquities Debt Pay Off Deal

Alex talks with author, journalist, and former Goldman-Sachs director Nomi Prins about the MF Global scandal and the decision by the strapped Greek government to rent out the country's antiquities in order to pay off a debt owed to international bankers. Parts 2 & 3>>

'DU destroying Afghans' gene pool'


The United States' use of radioactive munitions in Afghanistan has destroyed the people's health and mutilated the genetic future of the country, Press TV reports. Dr. Mohammad Daud Miraki, the author of Afghanistan After Democracy: The Untold Story Through Photographic Images, told Press TV's Kabul correspondent on Monday that the US has committed horrific crimes against the people of Afghanistan.
He said the US used depleted uranium in the country and Afghan babies were being born with severe deformities.

Indefinite detention and torture: US already enforcing NDAA

Not even a month after President Barack Obama signed his name to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, the US government is already using the legislation to justify its ongoing detainment of a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay.
Musa'ab al-Madhwani had barely entered adulthood when he first arrived at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2002. But in the months between his capture in Pakistan and transfer to Gitmo, the Yemeni national experienced more than most would see in a lifetime. Before he turned 23, he says he was beaten and kicked, threatened with death and suspended by his hands in an underground torture chamber.
Now for the prisoner, about to celebrate the 10-year-anniversary of his arrival at Gimo, the rest of that lifetime looks to be spent behind bars thanks to the NDAA.

Infuriating Red Dragon: 'US to target China & Iran as primary threats'

America's decision to station its forces in the Philippines, as part of its new Asia strategy, is now threatening repercussions. The State-owned China Daily called on Beijing to enact economic sanctions against Manila, after it invited in U.S. troops in reaction to an escalating territorial dispute. Dr Pak-nung Wong of the City University of Hong Kong told RT that the Philippines is cashing in on regional instability. Source

Anonymous - AN URGENT MESSAGE - STOP ACTA


The Past, Present and Future of Internet Censorship

In recent weeks the general public has mobilized to face US legislative threats to Internet freedoms. Far from a conclusive victory, however, the death of SOPA and PIPA only highlight the latest in a series of measures that are seeking to create a legal framework for government-administered Internet censorship. Source

IMF Austerity. "This will only hurt a bit." The Corbett report

James Corbett report on the true meaning of, austerity measures... Source

Michael Hudson, "In America and Europe, Crime has been Decriminalized"

Eurozone leaders are meeting, again...After talking about the eurozone crisis in Davos, they've moved to Brussels for an EU summit to...talk about it some more...blah blah blah. A lot of talk. When are we going to get something legitimate? Meanwhile, governments and banks are still in bed together - tangled up in their illicit love affair three years after the financial crisis began. We know the drill and we're sick of it. We are sick of socializing losses.

Libya Update "We want to go back to the way it was before the War!"

The situation in Bani Walid remains good (stable). BW is in the hands of the Warfalla Tribe, this is the largest tribe in Libya their home base is Bani Walid. Yesterday, they sent a number of police to BW, not rebel militia but police. My source seemed to think that this was a good thing.

SOPA: The Total End of Internet Freedom with Privacy Activist Katherine Albrecht

On the Monday, January 30th edition of the Alex Jones Show, Alex talks with GCN radio host and privacy activist Katherine Albrecht. She has authored and co-authored six books, including the award-winning bestseller Spychips: How major corporations and government plan to track your every move with RFID and The Spychips Threat: Why Christians should resist RFID and electronic surveillance. She is the Director of CASPIAN Consumer Privacy (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering), an 18,000-member grass-roots organisation. Part 2 & 3>>

In Landmark Case, Greek Court Writes Off Employed Bank Customer's Debt


Tyler Durden's picture
Think filing for bankruptcy is the only way to get debt discharge? Think again, at least in Greece. While previously we have reported that Greek courts had written off "untenable" debts of unemployed Greeks owed to local banks, Kathimerini describes a landmark case which may have profound implications for the indebted country, in which a fully employed woman has had the bulk of her debt written off. From Kathimerini: "In what could turn out to be a significant ruling for Greeks suffering from the economic crisis, a court in Hania, Crete, has become the first in the country to order that the majority of the debt owed to banks by someone still in full employment be wiped out.

30 Jan 2012

"Train Song" by Feist & Ben Gibbard

"Train Song" cover by Feist and Ben Gibbard from the album Dark Was The Night. The original was released as a single on Columbia in May of 1966 by Vashti Bunyan.

Occupy London assault: Bailiff plows car through protesters

Police in London have been accused of excessive force in their efforts to clear out Occupy demonstrators. Protesters stood together last night as officers broke down the doors to their camps. Source

As Europe Goes (Deep In Recession), So Does Half The World's Trade


Tyler Durden's picture
Following the Fed's somewhat downbeat perspective on growth, confidence in investors' minds that the US can decouple has been temporarily jilted back to reality. It is of course no surprise and as the World Bank points out half of the world's approximately $15 trillion trade in goods and services involves Europe. So the next time some talking head uses the word decoupling (ignoring 8.5 sigma Dallas Fed prints for the statistical folly that they are), perhaps pointing them to the facts of explicit (US-Europe) and implicit (Europe-Asia-US) trade flow impact of a deepening European recession/depression will reign in their exuberance.

'Iran Scientist Murders Expose CIA & Mossad Paranoia'

As Iran braces itself to face the effect of fresh Western-imposed sanctions, we sit down with its Interior Minister to ask how the current standstill is influencing affairs inside the country. "Their deeds do not match their words" Source

Third Aircraft Carrier Group Coming To Iran


Tyler Durden's picture
For months now we have been following US naval developments and deployments in the Arabian Sea, which serve one purpose and one purpose only - to demonstrate US military strength in the Straits of Hormuz region and to keep Iranian 'offensive passions' subdued. Yet never has the US had a total of three aircraft carrier groups in the vicinity, always topping out at 2 in the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, most recently these being the CVN-70 Vinson and CVN 72 Lincoln, with a third boat present merely until a rotation in or out of the theater of operations was complete. That is about to change, and with it the prevailing price of Brent, which we are confident is about to take a new step wise price higher as the US makes it all too clear what the endgame is, because as Naval Today reports, the "US navy to deploy third carrier group to Persian Gulf", probably the CVN-77 George H.W. Bush which departed Norfolk two weeks ago according to the most recent naval update.
From Naval Today:
US Navy to Deploy Third Carrier Group to Persian Gulf

Stun Gun vs Occupy DC: Cops Tase Protester in Pyjamas


US park police have used a stun gun on an Occupy protester, whose only crime was tearing down fliers warning demonstrators about a ban on camping in Washington’s McPherson Square.

Breakdown of the Family by Design?

Double Standards: Libya's Chaos After the NATO War and US Bans Shakespeare?

One US presidential contender doesn't want anyone speaking Spanish. The United States bans an author named William Shakespeare. Moeen Raoof, Humanitarian & Emergency Aid Consultant tells us that despite what mainstream journalists may have told you, NATO has not won the war in Libya. These and much more are all reviewed in this edition of Double Standards with Afshin Rattansi. Source

“The FBI has caused incalculable damage" Pirate Party organizing lawsuit against FBI for MegaUpload seizure


megaupload
Pirate Parties around the world are planning on organizing a lawsuit against the FBI over the seizure of the popular file sharing website MegaUpload.com, according to TorrentFreakMegaUpload, which had more than 150 million registered users, was shut down by the FBI on January 19 because of alleged copyright infringement. The site allowed registered users to upload files, which could then be downloaded by others.
The FBI has caused incalculable damage...

Israel ‘master of puppets’ in US Iran onslaught

America’s frenzy over “diabolic” Iran has its roots not on the Potomac riverside, but rather on the banks of Tel Aviv’s Yarkon River: appeasing the US Jewish community has become an inevitable idiosyncrasy of the US presidential campaign.
When America beats the drums of war over Iran, it may not always be driven by the Islamic state's alleged nuclear intentions.

Missiles, Spy Drones and Warships: Here Come the London Olympics

Spy drones are just the tip of the security iceberg for the UK as it readies itself for the greatest sporting show on earth. Taking the danger of terror seriously, London's Olympic preparations are calling on all corners of the nation's defenses.

There will also be warships anchored on the Thames; attack helicopters on standby, and ground-to-air missiles ready to launch. All that, before you even get to the fascist security on the ground. Such measures, however, will complete the turning of the the capital into a city under siege and prove to be ineffective.
Spectators may know for whom they are rooting at the Olympics, but they will not know who is watching them while they are at it. With surveillance drones circling the skies of London and police using spy cameras that will leave no place unwatched, privacy campaigners fear it is the start of a slippery slope.
“I think it'll be an absolute tragedy for Britain if the largest part of the Olympics legacy was a surveillance legacy, where we install all this equipment in the name of national security and when the Olympics are over we keep using it,”

"Foundation X"???

The first gentleman in this video giving his report to Parliament is now dead

Flash-grenades & tear-gas: 500 arrested at Occupy Oakland


Police in Oakland, California, have used tear-gas and flash-grenades as a 2,000-strong Occupy Oakland march turned violent, with some protesters claiming that rubber bullets were also fired into the crowd. At least 500(update>>) people were arrested.

"We Like Ron Paul" - Fox and RP on CNN State of the Union


29 Jan 2012

Cholesterol My Eye - The Oiling of The First World, Yet Another Deception

Sally Fallon-Morrell presents a concise appraisal of how the Heart Disease industry was invented by deception. How many people do you know suffering from cholesterol (the father of all hormones) problems? You may want to share this video with them.... Source

Gold Stocks To Rally Like During The Great Depression And Early 70s


Below, is an extract of my Gold Mining Fractal Analysis Report.
It was no coincidence that gold stocks performed as well as they did. Like all goods, gold stocks will thrive under the ideal conditions. During the Great Depression, those ideal conditions were present.

Gerald Celente - WAR, Police State, Gold and Silver Embargoes and Bank Holidays in a Fascist World

Forget global warming - It's Cycle 25 we need to worry about (and if NASA scientists are right the Thames will be freezing over again)


  • Met Office releases new figures which show no warming in 15 years By DAVID ROSE
The supposed ‘consensus’ on man-made global warming is facing an inconvenient challenge after the release of new temperature data showing the planet has not warmed for the past 15 years.
The figures suggest that we could even be heading for a mini ice age to rival the 70-year temperature drop that saw frost fairs held on the Thames in the 17th Century.

Based on readings from more than 30,000 measuring stations, the data was issued last week without fanfare by the Met Office and the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit. It confirms that the rising trend in world temperatures ended in 1997.

A painting, dated 1684, by Abraham Hondius depicts one of many frost fairs on the River Thames during the mini ice age
A painting, dated 1684, by Abraham Hondius depicts one of many frost fairs on the River Thames during the mini ice age

It's Official: German Economy Minister Demands Surrender Of Greek Budget Policy and Portugal then Spain are next.


Tyler Durden's picture
While over the past 2 days there may have been some confusion as to who, what, how or where is demanding that Greece abdicate fiscal sovereignty (with some of our German readers supposedly insulted by the suggestion that this idea originated in Berlin, and specifically with politicians elected by a majority of the German population), today's quotefest from German Economy Minister Philipp Roesler appearing in Germany's Bild should put any such questions to bed. And from this point on, Greece would be advised to not play dumb anymore vis-a-vis German annexation demands. So from Reuters, "Greece must surrender control of its budget policy to outside institutions if it cannot implement reforms attached to euro zone rescue measures, the German economy minister was quoted as saying on Sunday. Philipp Roesler became the first German cabinet member to openly endorse a proposal for Greece to surrender budget control after Reuters quoted a European source on Friday as saying Berlin wants Athens to give up budget control." And some bad news for our Portuguese (and then Spanish) readers: you are next.

The Only Thing You Need To Know About ACTA

The ACTA awareness and debate has finally heated up. But in such a huge, convoluted and deliberately complex document, how can you determine for yourself whether it’s good or bad? 


It turns out that there’s a very straightforward way to tell. The easiest way to determine the nature of ACTA comes not from the document itself, but from the behavior of the people advocating it. Everybody involved in pushing and rushing through this agreement have insisted that it will mean no changes at all, won’t require any changes to law (or possibly minimal ones to trademark law, as in Sweden), and overall, insist that it’s no big deal.
At the same time, these players are throwing all their weight behind its passage. The key question that results stands out like a sore thumb: 

If ACTA doesn’t change anything, why are they pushing for its passage as if their life depended on it?

Geopolitical Stakes In Nigeria: Disastrous Role Of The IMF!

As Nigeria spirals into instability, historian and economic researcher Frederick William Engdahl argues a recent government decision to lift subsidies on imported fuel in the oil-rich nation bears the mark of Washington Consensus shock therapy.
In the article below, Engdahl explains his view.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and its largest oil producer, is from all evidence being systematically thrown into chaos and a state of civil war. The recent surprise decision by the government of Goodluck Jonathan to abruptly lift subsidies on imported gasoline and other fuel has a far more sinister background than mere corruption, and the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) is playing a key role. China appears to be the likely loser along with Nigeria’s population.

The End Of UK Policing By Consent and Ofcom Suppresses Free Debate With lies!

The unrest on the streets of Britain was fuelled by a multitude of issues - but would the situation have been improved with the introduction of water cannons, rubber bullets and live ammunition being used by the police? 
Additional: Ofcom lies to justify PressTV ban>>

'West installed Israel to control Mideast'

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the hegemonic powers of the world installed the Israeli regime in the Middle East in a “historical scheme” to gain control over the region.“Why did they install the Zionist regime (Israel)? To gain control over oil, as well as the popular and revolutionary uprisings in the Middle East,” said President Ahmadinejad in his opening speech at the Islamic Awakening and Youth conference in Iran's capital city, Tehran, on Sunday. “It is clear that this was a historical scheme,” the Iranian president added. Nearly 1,200 young participants from 73 countries are in Iran to attend the two-day international conference in Tehran. 
The role of the youth in the wave of the Islamic Awakening which has swept through the Middle East and North Africa since early 2011 will be discussed at the conference. To be continued. Source

Egypt is Not Yet a Failed Revolution - Assah

This lady is a big thorn in the sides of our corrupting elite. All video from outside the Egyptian embassy in London. It seeems, from what she is saying that she is there absolutely every day. The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) won the elections in Egypt, and stopped demonstrating in the streets for civilian rule. There are more and more people saying the MB is under the control of Mi6 (or similar) More than Ten thousands Civilians in Military prisons, women have to undergo 27 virginity tests. Source

United States Of The Banana Republic and Economic Collapse in the Western Nations - Max Keiser


The State of the Banana Republic, the blowout at Apple with its profits 'trapped' overseas and the gloomy State of the Stiff Upper Lip as UK family debts soar by nearly 50%. And, finally, Max and Stacy examine a proposal that bankers, like Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein and JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon, should compete like strippers on the open job market. and Economic Collapse in the Western Nations>>

28 Jan 2012

Anonymous Swoop On Mexico Govt. Sites In Copyright Law Protest

Online hacktivist group Anonymous has blocked access to Mexican Senate and Interior Ministry websites. The attack is a protest against a proposed law that will see those who violate copyright online fined one million pesos (over $100,000). The proposal, from conservative senator Federico Doring, is widely seen as the Mexican version of the SOPA/ PIPA bills, denounced by Wikipedia and other web giants, as well as by the internet community at large, as a threat to internet freedom.
Google, YouTube, Yahoo, AOL and many others have likened the bills to China-style censorship. The deals were supposedly created to protect copyrighted material, but most believe they would cripple the internet, effectively killing all websites allowing user-uploaded content, endangering potential whistleblowers and severely damaging online freedom of speech.

Greece Politely Declines German Annexation Demands - Endgame, The Silent Anschluss



Tyler Durden's picture
Following yesterday's frankly stunning news that the Troika politely requests that Greece hand over its first fiscal, then pretty much all other, sovereignty to "Europe", here is the Greek just as polite response to the Troika's foray into outright colonialism:
  • GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN DECLARES THAT THE BUDGET IS SOLELY ITS RESPONSIBILITY - DJ
What is interesting here is that unlike the highly irrelevant IIF negotiations which will end in a Greek default one way or another, the real plotline that should be followed is this one: because unless Germany, pardon the Troika, gets the one condition it demands, namely "absolute priority to debt service" and "transfer of national budgetary sovereignty", as well as a "constitutional amendment" thereto. there is no Troika funding deal. Furthermore, since as a reminder the PSI talks are just the beginning, the next step is ensuring compliance, as was noted yesterday ("[ceding sovereignty] will reassure public and private creditors that the Hellenic Republic will  honour its comittments after PSI and will positively influence market access"), any refusal to implement such demands is an automatic dealbreaker. Which means anything Dallara and the IIF say, as representatives of a steering committee that at this point probably constitutes of one bondholder, with the bulk having shifted to the ad hoc committee, is irrelevant. Germany just got its answer.

World Economic Forum Chooses GLOBAL BAILOUT - Outside Femen Protest: 'Gangsta party in Davos'

Is this TOO BIG to fail? 
And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitationsLuke 16.9
IMF's Christine Lagarde Requests $500 BILLION
(I really think she meant TRILLION)

Awoken Britt Goes Bonkers: Rant, 36 Billion Pounds, WHAT THE F**K!

Iran finalizes bill to ban EU oil exports


An Iranian lawmaker says the Majlis (parliament) Energy Committee has finalized a draft bill to stop the country's oil exports to EU member states in reaction to the bloc's recent decision to ban oil imports from Iran. Nasser Soudani, deputy chairman of the committee, said on Saturday that the double-urgency bill for halting Iran oil exports to Europe had been finalized in four clauses. “According to one of the main clauses, the Islamic Republic of Iran will halt all oil exports to European countries as long as they continue to ban oil imports from Iran,” he added. The lawmaker said the bill may undergo further modifications as some Iranian parliamentarians believe that oil exports to EU should be stopped for five years. “Another clause obliges the government to forbid imports of all goods from countries which have imposed sanctions on our country,”

Thorium can potentially solve our energy crisis.

Thorium is readily available & can be turned into energy without generating transuranic wastes. Thorium's capacity as a safe nuclear fuel was discovered during WW II, but ignored because it was unsuitable for making bombs. A liquid-fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR) is the optimal approach for harvesting energy from Thorium, and has the potential to solve today's energy/climate crisis. LFTR is a type of Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (Th-MSR). This video summarizes over 6 hours worth of thorium talks given by Kirk Sorensen and other thorium technologists.

THORIUM REMIX 2011 starts with a 5 minute TL;WL summary, to hold you over until you find your Ritalin.

Dreams Fading In America And Europe

We announced our belief a few weeks ago that the Fed loan to the ECB could with fractional banking be $10 trillion. This past week we found that Credit Suisse shares our ideas as well. We believe that what this move by the Fed and the ECB is telling us that this is probably it. Parts 2 & 3>>

BEATS RHYMES & REVOLUTION - UK

Let Us Pay - FKN Newz

How much more Orwellian Doublespeak can we take

The Artist Taxi Driver

The Beginning of The End of The US Dollar - Jim Rickards

Jim Rickards who's recent book currency wars discussed these very issues wasn't expecting a beginning until 2013 and is surprised to see that currency war has already begun in ernest.

UN on Malvinas: UK is the colonialist

While London accuses Argentina of colonialism, a look at the history and the international law shows Britain has always been a notorious colonizer whose dark practice persists in the present.

Last week, British Prime Minister David Cameron lashed out at Argentina for a “colonial” attitude on the South Atlantic Malvinas islands (the Falklands), which the British illegally occupied in 1833.

However, according to the United Nations' Special Committee on Decolonization, which is in charge of implementing the Declaration on Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Britain has colonized the islands along with nine other territories, and should return them to its true owners.

The US Vote Pump

Barack Obama will have ONE BILLION DOLLARS to spend on his re-election in 2012. Bill calls that chump change. Find out how the Big Government statists spent 22,000 times that amount on buying votes in 2011 alone! Source

Filipinos protest military ties with US

People in the Philippines have gathered in front of the US Embassy in the capital city, Manila, to protest the expansion of military ties with Washington, demanding the withdrawal of American troops.The Saturday protest, organized by the leftist New Nationalist Alliance (Bayan), was staged to denounce the ongoing negotiations between Manila and Washington to deploy more US troops and ships in the Philippines. 
"If we allow more US troops to enter our country, the entire archipelago will be transformed into one military outpost for US hegemonic interests," Bayan announced in a statement distributed at the rally.

'Hands off Iran & Syria': UK activists

Britain's Stop the War Coalition has organized a protest rally in front of the US embassy in London on Saturday 28 January to stress opposition to an invasion on Iran.The protest rally entitled Hands Off Iran and Syria: No Western intervention”, will be held on Saturday from 2pm-4pm outside the US Embassy building in Grosvenor Square London W1, said the Stop the War Coalition in a statement. The protest campaign is supported by Unite union, War on Want, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Campaign against Sanctions and Military Intervention on Iran (CASMII), Friends of Al-Aqsa, Goldsmiths Student Union and SOAS Student Union, the statement added.

Ron Paul Highlights - CNN Florida Debate

The shame is that we do not seem to have the foundation of freedom in the UK to defend. We remain mere subjects

Britons To Face Fuel Chaos

British motorists are to face record fuel prices as one of the country's biggest oil refineries goes bankrupt ceasing deliveries of petrol, diesel, and heating oil.The average price of petrol across Britain rose to 134.03p per litre (from 133.89p) with the price of diesel rising to 142.32p per liter (from 142.21p). The recent hike in the price of fuel in Britain comes as the Coryton refinery on the Thames, which refines over 170,000 barrels of crude oil a day, went bankrupt and suspended its supplies. 
Moreover, further increases in the price of fuel across Britain were predicted as the chairman of RMI Petrol, Brian Madderson, said: By the end of the month, diesel will have hit a record high while petrol will be pushing up towards record levels as suppliers scrabble to bring in supplies from Europe.”

Davos Day 3 - Facade and "muddle-through" economics with Mish

Well, it is day 3 of Davos, and that means more snow stories from that princely hamlet atop the Swiss mountain tops. Lauren Lyster, who has been reporting from Davos all week, is there to fill us in

27 Jan 2012

MEP Marietje Schaake Explains How Europeans Can Stop ACTA


from the Techdirt don't-miss-it dept

As we've been discussing, there's been a lot of misinformation flying around concerning ACTA -- especially in the EU, where it has not yet been officially voted on. While we've tried to explain some of the problems with the agreement, there is still plenty of confusion over what to do about it. Thankfully, Marietje Schaake, a Member of the European Parliament (whose excellent work we've discussed before) has taken to Reddit to provide a lot more detail about the process itself, and what people can do to speak up. It's very useful info, especially for those in Europe (while also being a nice display of how politicians can use Reddit for good purposes). Basically, while ACTA has been signed by many members of the EU, it still needs to be ratified by the European Parliament. That's why there's still some time and why you should pay attention to what Schaake has to say. Here's a snippet:
So what can we do to stop ACTA?

If you are concerned about ACTA, you can convince the EP to vote against ACTA. In November 2010 we proposed an alternative resolution on ACTA, which intended to take away the main concerns. It was voted down by a very slight majority, please see here (the red section represents MEPs voting against our resolution). As you can see, the difference is only 16 votes, out of 736 (or 754 as it stands now). Another text was then voted in favour, which said the Commission should carry on its negotiations.

If you are concerned about ACTA, contact MEPs (from your country or political party), especially targeting the ones who are in the committees who will vote on ACTA in the coming months. You can find their email addresses on the EP website. Perhaps it won't have to come to a blackout!