Israel Signs in the Heavens of a Four Blood Moon Tetrad in 2014 and 2015

Fukushima Radiation More Than 10 Times The Normal Level

Michael Snyder
Activist Post

Multiple independent tests have confirmed that levels of nuclear radiation are being detected on California beaches that are more than 10 times the normal level. Many believe that this is the result of highly radioactive water from Fukushima that has crossed the Pacific Ocean and is now washing up on California beaches. Others are blaming the radiation spikes on “natural sources”, but they can never seem to identify what those natural sources actually are. If this radiation is from Fukushima, it is only going to get worse over time.

Every single day, another 300 tons of highly radioactive water gets released into the Pacific Ocean at Fukushima. Some of these radioactive elements have half-lives of about 30 years, so the total amount of radioactive material in the Pacific is continually growing and it will be with us for a very long time. As this highly radioactive water hits the west coast of the United States, a lot of that nuclear material will end up being deposited on our beaches. As you will see below, there is evidence that this is already happening.

Scientists all over the world have told us to expect a radioactive ocean plume from Fukushima to hit our shores at some point in 2014. For example, check out what researchers at the University of South Wales are saying…

The first radioactive ocean plume released by the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster will finally be reaching the shores of the United States some time in 2014, according to a new study from the University of New South Wales — a full three or so years after the date of the disaster.

The following graphic comes from that study…

And another team of researchers has concluded that the plume of radiation from Fukushima that will be hitting our shores will "peak in 2016"…

Ocean simulations showed that the plume of radioactive cesium-137 released by the Fukushima disaster in 2011 could begin flowing into U.S. coastal waters starting in early 2014 and peak in 2016.Unfortunately, there are lots of signs that this radioactive plume has already arrived.

Recently, a video that was taken at Pacific State Beach (also known as Surfers Beach) went viral all over the Internet. That video showed that radiation levels near the water on that beach are up to five times higher than normal background radiation.

Since that time, a number of other researchers have gone over there to confirm these findings. For example, an electrical engineer with 40 years of experience went down to the beach and measured radiation levels that were about 14 times higher than normal…

In a new development, El Granada electrical engineer Steven Weiss, a 40 year veteran designer of Geiger counters, took his own measurements and found hot spots that were returning levels 14 times normal background radiation.
“It’s not normal. I’ve never seen 400 cpm when I just wave my Geiger around.”
Weiss told the Half Moon Bay Review. “There has to be something radioactive for it to do that.”And just today I was made aware of another video taken at “Surfers Beach” which showed a peak reading of 380 CPM (counts per minute). That is more than 10 times above the normal level. You can watch that video right here.

In addition, back on December 24th one researcher measured a peak reading of 412 CPM on that same beach…

All of these readings are extremely unusual.

In fact, one news crew actually discovered that radiation levels at Surfers Beach are actually 7 times higher than just outside an active nuclear power plant in Diablo Canyon. Just check out the following video…


Unfortunately, the federal government continues to insist that everything is perfectly fine and that we don’t have anything to worry about.

So independent researchers have stepped up to fill the void.

As you can see from the latest NETC map, elevated levels of radiation have been detected in many cities across the western half of the United States.

The government says that there is no reason for alarm.

Others are not so sure.

When it comes to nuclear radiation, a little bit can go a long way. Just because you can’t see it does not mean that it can’t seriously hurt you.

If you doubt this, just ask those that served on the USS Ronald Reagan when it went over to Japan in the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima disaster. The following is an excerpt from a recent Ecowatch article…

Senior Chief Michael Sebourn, a radiation-decontamination officer assigned to test the aircraft carrier, said that radiation levels measured 300 times higher than what was considered safe at one point. Meanwhile sailors like Lindsay Cooper have contrasted their initial and subsequent feelings upon seeing and tasting metallic “radioactive snow” caused by freezing Pacific air that mixed with radioactive debris.
“We joked about it: ‘Hey, it’s radioactive snow!” Cooper said. “My thyroid is so out of whack that I can lose 60 to 70 pounds in one month and then gain it back the next. My menstrual cycle lasts for six months at a time, and I cannot get pregnant.
“It’s ruined me.”
Cooper said the Reagan has a multimillion-dollar radiation-detection system, but the crew couldn’t get it activated quickly enough.
“And then we couldn’t go anywhere,” she said. “Japan didn’t want us in port, Korea didn’t want us, Guam turned us away. We floated in the water for two and a half months.”According to the New York Post, at least 70 members of the crew have been diagnosed with radiation sickness, and “at least half” of those have developed cancer…

At least 70 have been stricken with some form of radiation sickness, and of those, “at least half . . . are suffering from some form of cancer,” their lawyer, Paul Garner, told The Post Saturday.
“We’re seeing leukemia, testicular cancer and unremitting gynecological bleeding requiring transfusions and other intervention,” said Garner, who is representing 51 crew members suing the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the Fukushima Daiichi energy plant.If radioactive material from Fukushima is washing up on our shores, don’t we deserve the truth?

Or is the government so concerned about “keeping us calm” that they will lie to our faces while thousands upon thousands of Americans slowly but surely develop cancer and other horrible illnesses?

For much more on how radiation from Fukushima is already affecting us, please see my previous article entitled "36 Signs The Media Is Lying To You About How Radiation From Fukushima Is Affecting The West Coast".

Sadly, most Americans are totally clueless about all of this.

Most Americans just blindly believe whatever the mainstream media tells them to believe.

To illustrate this, political activist Mark Dice recently offered random people cold bottles of “Fukushima Imported Mineral Water” that were marked with a very large radiation label. Check outwhat happened…


So what do you think?

Should we be concerned about the radioactive water that is crossing the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima?

Please feel free to share your opinion by posting a comment below…

U.S. Cattle Herd Is At A 61 Year Low

If the extreme drought in the western half of the country keeps going, the food supply problems that we are experiencing right now are only going to be the tip of the iceberg.  As you will see below, the size of the U.S. cattle herd has dropped to a 61 year low, and organic food shortages are being reported all over the nation.  Surprisingly cold weather and increasing demand for organic food have both been a factor, but the biggest threat to the U.S. food supply is the extraordinary drought which has had a relentless grip on the western half of the country.  If you check out the U.S. Drought Monitor, you can see that drought conditions currently stretch from California all the way to the heart of Texas.  In fact, the worst drought in the history of the state of California is happening right now.  And considering the fact that the rest of the nation is extremely dependent on produce grown in California and cattle raised in the western half of the U.S., this should be of great concern to all of us.

A local Fox News report that was featured on the Drudge Reportentitled "Organic food shortage hits US" has gotten quite a bit of attention. The following is an excerpt from that article...

Since Christmas, cucumbers supplies from Florida have almost ground to a halt and the Mexican supply is coming but it's just not ready yet.

And as the basic theory of economics goes, less supply drives up prices.

Take organic berries for example:

There was a strawberry shortage a couple weeks back and prices spiked.

Experts say the primary reasons for the shortages are weather and demand.

And without a doubt, demand for organic food has grown sharply in recent years.  More Americans than ever have become aware of howthe modern American diet is slowly killing all of us, and they are seeking out alternatives.

Due to the tightness in supply and the increasing demand, prices for organic produce just continue to go up.  Just consider the following example...

A quick check on the organic tree fruit market shows that the average price per carton for organic apples was $38 per carton in mid-January this year, up from an average of just $31 per carton last year at the same time. At least for apple marketers, the organic market is heating up.

Personally, I went to a local supermarket the other day and I started to reach for a package of organic strawberries but I stopped when I saw that they were priced at $6.99.  I couldn't justify paying 7 bucks for one package.  I still remember getting them on sale for $2.99 last year.

Unfortunately, this may only be just the beginning of the price increases.  California Governor Jerry Brown has just declared a water emergency, and reservoirs throughout the state have dropped to dangerously low levels.

Unless a miracle happens, there is simply not going to be enough water to go around for the entire agriculture industry.  The following is an excerpt from an email from an industry insider that researcher Ray Ganorecently shared on his website...

Harris farms has released a statement saying they will leave about 40,000 acres fallow this year because the FEDS have decided to only deliver 10% of the water allocation for 2014. Lettuce is predicted to reach around $5.00 a head (if you can find it). Understand the farmers in the Salinas valley are considering the same action. So much for salad this summer unless you grow it yourself.

The reason why the agriculture industry in California is so important is because it literally feeds the rest of the nation.  I shared the following statistics yesterday, but they are so critical that they bear repeating.  As you can see, without the fruits and vegetables that California grows,we would be in for a world of hurt...

The state produces 99 percent of the artichokes grown in the US, 44 percent of asparagus, a fifth of cabbage, two-thirds of carrots, half of bell peppers,89 percent of cauliflower, 94 percent of broccoli, and 95 percent of celery. Leafy greens? California’s got the market cornered: 90 percent of the leaf lettuce we consume, along with and 83 percent of Romaine lettuce and 83 percent of fresh spinach, come from the big state on the left side of the map. Cali also cranks a third of total fresh tomatoes consumed in the U.S.—and 95 percent of ones destined for cans and other processing purposes.

As for fruit, I get that 86 percent of lemons and a quarter of oranges come from there; its sunny climate makes it perfect for citrus, and lemons store relatively well. Ninety percent of avocados? Fine. But 84 percent of peaches, 88 percent of fresh strawberries, and 97 percent of fresh plums?

Come on. Surely the other 49 states can do better.

Are you starting to understand how much trouble we could be in if this drought does not end?

About now I can hear some people out there saying that they will just eat meat because they don't like vegetables anyway.

Well, unfortunately we are rapidly approaching a beef shortage as well.

On January 1st, the U.S. cattle herd hit a 61-year low of 89.3 million head of cattle.

The biggest reason for this is the 5 year drought that has absolutely crippled the cattle industry out west...

Back in the late fall 2013 there was a freak snowstorm that killed close to 300,000+ cattle. This is a major hit to the cattle market.

I know in Texas where they still have a 5 year drought they are dealing with, they are having to ship grass bails in from Colorado, Utah and other parts of the country just to feed the cattle. Ranchers are sending their female cattle to the slaughter houses becasue they can not afford to feed them anymore. It is the females that help re-stock the herd. SO if you are slaughtering your females, your herd does not grow. It is expected that the US will not see cattle herd growth returning until 2017, maybe even later.

This is a problem which is not going away any time soon.

According to the Washington Post, the U.S. cattle herd has gotten smaller for six years in a row, and the amount of beef produced is expected to drop to a 20 year low in 2014...

The U.S. cattle herd contracted for six straight years to the smallest since 1952, government data show. A record drought in 2011 destroyed pastures in Texas, the top producing state, followed the next year by a surge in feed-grain prices during the worst Midwest dry spell since the 1930s. Fewer cattle will mean production in the $85 billion beef industry drops to a 20- year low in 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

It would be hard to overstate how devastating this ongoing drought has been for many ranchers out west.  For example, one 64-year-old rancher who lives in Texas says that his herd is 90 percent smallerthan it was back in 2005 because of the drought...

Texas rancher Looney, who is 64 and has been in the cattle business his whole life, said his herd is still about 90 percent below its size from 2005 because of the prolonged dry weather. It will take years for the pastures to come back, even if there is normal rainfall, he said. About 44 percent of Texas was in still in drought in the week ended Jan. 7, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

And it isn't just the U.S. that is dealing with this kind of drought.  The largest freshwater lake in China that was once about twice the size of London, England has almost entirely dried up because of the ongoing drought over there.

Meanwhile, global demand for food just continues to rise.

If this drought ends and the western half of the nation starts getting lots of rain, this could just be a temporary crisis.

However, the truth is that scientific research has shown that the 20th century was the wettest century in the western half of the country in 1000 years, and that we should expect things to return to "normal" at some point.

So is that happening now?

Over the past couple of years, I have warned that Dust Bowl conditions are starting to return to the western half of the United States.  Just seethis article, this article and this article.

Now the state of California is experiencing the worst drought that it has ever gone through and "apocalyptic" dust storms are being reported inColorado and Nevada.

Just because things seem like they have always been a certain way does not mean that they will always stay that way.

Things out west are rapidly changing, and in the end it is going to affect the lives of every man, woman and child in the United States.

Credit to Economic Collapse

Understanding the Olympic terror threat

Image courtesy of Canada Free Press

By Douglas J. Hagmann

21 October 2014: What and who is behind the current terror threat at the Olympic games in Sochi? I was asked this question last night in an interview with George Noory on Coast to Coast AM for their news segment. After I explained the reasons and origins, I received an off-air telephone call from a nationally syndicated talk show host who heard my answer. “I never expected that explanation, but I must admit that it makes perfect sense,” was his response.

The key to understanding the terrorist threats for the Olympic games is to understand the bigger picture. Even on a good day and under the best of conditions, Middle East politics is not the easiest subject to comprehend. I often beg my intelligence sources to slow down when tossing around names of groups and alliances as it is difficult to keep up with the key players and groups. When researching this issue, I notice that many pundits, commentators and bloggers tend to over-simplify the politics of Middle East terror, saying or writing that homicide bombers are simply savages that have fallen victim to a convoluted belief system. I understand why, as that is the simplest method of categorizing this agenda and the threats. It’s often true in many cases as well. In the real world and especially in the case of the Olympic terror threat, however, it is far from the most accurate.

The Winter Olympics in Sochi will begin on February 7, 2014 and last for 17 days. Many news organizations have said that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s reputation is on the line as the upcoming games will be the most expensive in the history of the Olympics—$50 billion and rising, compared to the 2008 winter games in Beijing that cost an estimated $40 billion. Putin’s detractors have suggested that billions are “missing” and cannot be accounted for, which is something to keep in mind as you consider the “back story.” Here is what you are not being told by an obedient American press and their paid pundits.

It was last August when Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan visited Putin in Moscow in his capacity as the “Prince of the Mujahideen” in Syria, including those who hail from Chechnya, Dagestan, and the Caucasus in Russia’s backyard, according to FARS News Agency. You might recall Bandar bin Sultan as the infamous “Bandar Bush”in earlier times, but that’s another column.

Last August, Bandar was in Moscow to specifically discuss the Syrian issue. At that time, Bandar tried to bribe Putin into changing his policy on Syria by promising him “a safe and secure winter Olympics in Sochi” if he would stop the material support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He offered Russia other incentives in exchange for withdrawing his support for Assad, “including a major arms deal and a pledge not to challenge Russian gas sales if Moscow scales back support for the Syrian government,” as noted by the FARS News Agency.

The future of Syria, in the eyes of Putin, is not negotiable. I have written many times that Syria is Putin’s red line in the sand and that Syria, not Iran, will be the tripwire for World War III. Yet, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Israel and others are hell-bent on toppling Assad by all available means, which leads back to the September 11, 2012 attacks in Benghazi. It’s interesting how we can see a pattern emerging, and how the Benghazi attacks suddenly make sense when the truth is exposed.

The Saudis fund and support the various terrorist groups in Syria and elsewhere. Bandar is personally in charge of all matters related to Syria and the initiatives to oust Assad in favor of a Muslim Brotherhood leadership. He also openly states that he can control terrorist actions in Sochi, meaning that he can either give them an operational green or a red light. His reach is also said to include the Chechen terrorists, which should cause a number of pundits on both sides of the theoretical political divide to rethink what we were told about the April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and the Saudi national, visited by Mrs. Obama, who quietly disappeared into the night. That, however, is reserved for another column.

If Putin does not acquiesce to the Saudi’s demands, all possibilities will remain on the table. Also, the U.S. and Israel have been squarely on the side of the Saudis in this matter, reminding us all that Middle Eastern politics make strange bedfellows.

We should take note of the October 2013 bus bombing in Volgograd, Central Russia by female suicide bomber Naida Asivalova of Dagestan. In context, terrorist threats and bombings such as this are real evidence that such terrorist activity is actually a proxy war by another means. While many will consider this bombing the act of a crazed, brainwashed killer acting under religious motivation, few will see it as part of an asymmetrical war with larger implications. That bombing, and other less recent acts and threats, have been done to remind Putin of who controls the terrorists and what demands need to be met to avoid further terrorist acts. It is also important to note the timing of the bus bombing. It was done far enough in advance to cause Olympic participants to rethink their participation, thus causing Putin economic backlash and to perhaps lose face on the international stage. Truly, we are seeing a game of chess at three levels on the geopolitical stage.

In the end, the Olympic terror threat is directly related to Putin’s stance on backing Assad and Syria against the wishes of the Saudis and by extension, the U.S. and the Israelis. If the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi was insufficient to expose the covert fight for Syria, perhaps the deaths of more in Sochi will awaken people to the real world game of Risk that’s taking place on the world stage.

From Benghazi to Sochi, perhaps via Boston, it’s all about a larger global realignment of power where the Muslim Brotherhood is installed in countries across the Middle East to destabilize the region. Whether it’s Sochi, Benghazi or even Boston, the lie is bigger, the stakes are higher, the agenda is much deeper than most can imagine. Terrorism is a nation-state proxy war by other means.

Credit to Douglas J. Hagmann

55 million abortions is a Holocaust.

I am deeply saddened by the President’s praise of abortion. 55 million abortions is a Holocaust. We face implosion.

Since 1973, Americans have had more than 55 million abortions. Unless we change course, the number will soon be 60 million.

Consider the horror of that fact. We as a nation will soon have murdered ten timesmore Americans than the number of Jews that the Nazis killed during the Holocaust.

How is this possible? How have we come to this point? The murder of 55 million human beings is a Holocaust.

We must call it what it is. We must be honest with the facts, and the implications.

This must stop. We must stop it, before it is too late — before we face implosion, or judgment, or both.

What do we think we come of all this? Will we not face the judgment of the Almighty God, unless we cry out in true repentance to the Lord? Did we not see the judgment that came upon Germany in World War II, the devastation and destruction? Do we expect to suffer less when our sins are ten times worse?

I am deeply saddened today by President Obama’s statement praising the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 legalizing abortion.

“Today, as we reflect on the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, we recommit ourselves to the decision’s guiding principle: that every woman should be able to make her own choices about her body and her health,” the President stated. “We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to protecting a woman’s access to safe, affordable health care and her constitutional right to privacy, including the right to reproductive freedom. And we resolve to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, support maternal and child health, and continue to build safe and healthy communities for all our children. Because this is a country where everyone deserves the same freedom and opportunities to fulfill their dreams.”

Mr. President, how is abortion-on-demand a “safe and healthy community for all our children”?

Sadly, the President is not alone in his support for protecting the abortion industry. Millions of Americans have no problem with the taking of an unborn baby’s life – a just-released 2014 poll finds 36% of Americans believe abortion is “morally acceptable.” That’s more than 100 million people.

The good news is that 62% of Americans now believe abortion is “morally wrong,” a number that has climbed from only about 50% several years ago.

Abortion is morally wrong. Abortion is a terrible stain on our nation.

Yes, women need to be loved and protected and their rights to liberty and their pursuit of happiness need to be safeguarded. Absolutely.

But unborn children need to be loved and protected as well, and their right to life needs to come first.

These are the inalienable rights that our Creator has endowed us with, the rights of which our Founders saw as self-evident: the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — in that order.

The Scriptures teach us that human life is precious, even before birth. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” King David once prayed to the Lord (Psalm 139:13-14, NIV).

How long will the creator and sustainer of life bless the United States rather than judge and punish us when we take the lives of well over one million innocent children every year? Indeed, for this reason alone one has to wonder why God has not allowed the U.S. to implode already.

I am so grateful that so many Americans have long been praying for this horrific practice to end. Many Americans have been working tirelessly to change public opinion in favor of life, to persuade pregnant women to bring their children to term and encourage them to consider raising the children themselves or putting them up for adoption, to create legal restrictions against abortion, and eventually support a constitutional amendment banning abortion and protecting the sanctity of every human life, from conception to natural death. As a result, some progress has been made. Some important legislation has been passed. The number of annual abortions has declined somewhat. And this is good. But it is not nearly enough.

May America experience a profound change of heart, and soon, before it is too late. In the meantime, may we show unconditional love and mercy and kindness to all who disagree with us. May we show great love and practical kindness and compassion on all who are struggling with unwanted pregnancies, and great gentleness and forgiveness to all who have had abortions and feel haunted and scared and deeply saddened as a result.

Let us look with hope to the historic lessons of the First Great Awakening of the early 1700s and the Second Great Awakening of the early 1800s. Let us pray faithfully for a Third Great Awakening. Let us consider the words of 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” That was a promise to ancient Israel. But in that passage the Lord set forth an important principle. If we pray, and fast and humble ourselves, it doesn’t mean that God is obligated to give us a massive spiritual revival to save America. But we can be sure if we don’t pray, and fast, and humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways, then how can we expect the blessing of the Lord at all?

Credit to Joel Rosemberg

New lion roars into Jerusalem

Sometimes simple things means a lot!!!



The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo was preparing on Thursday to receive a new male lion, due to arrive in Israel on an evening cargo plane flight from Sweden.

Zoo authorities said that the rare Asiatic lion, named Gir, is just 2 years of age and has not yet grown a full mane. Nonetheless, Chief Carnivore Keeper Dennis Smith is taking no chances with introducing the big cat to his new home at the zoo, where he will join Ileniya, an elderly lioness who is 16 years old.

The lions will be kept apart at first to prevent any super-size cat fights, although a window between their rooms will allow them to see each other, giving keepers an idea of whether or not they can be let out to roam together. However, even that is not always a clear indication of what will happen once they get their paws on each other.

“It is still a bit risky,” Smith said.

Last summer the zoo’s veteran male Asiatic lion Lider, 16, was put to sleep after veterinarians and keepers decided that his difficulties in walking and standing, brought on by chronic back pain, were insufferable.

Gir, who weighs over 150 kilograms, may soon have a playmate nearer his age. Asiatic lions are an endangered species, with only around 300 left in the Gir Forest Sanctuary in India and another 330 in captivity. Zoos around the world are engaged in a breeding program to try to save the faltering species from extinction.

The Jerusalem zoo has already begun searching for a possible mate to join him in the summer in the hope that they will breed.

However, with the relatively small number of Asiatic lions available — by comparison there are over 1,600 African lions in captivity — inbreeding is common and as a result many of the animals have genetic disorders affecting their health.

Lider himself was born sterile as a result and an illness that afflicted his nervous system was likely brought on by genetic problems.

Due to their small numbers, Asiatic lions in Europe and the region are coordinated by the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists, which tries to pair up breeding lions.

Gir’s new environment will include an outside area to explore, and a heated room to keep off the winter chill.



Read more: New lion roars into Jerusalem zoo | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/at-jerusalem-zoo-new-lion-roaring-into-zion/#ixzz2rEsDa9HR

China's nuclear missile drill seen as warning to US not to meddle in region

The People's Liberation Army has for the first time released photos of its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in action - a move seen as a response to US military moves in the region.

The 17 photos published on the PLA Daily's website on Tuesday provided the first glimpse of a live drill involving the Dongfeng-31 since its delivery to the Second Artillery Corps in 2006.

Photos published by the PLA Daily show for the first time members of the Second Artillery Forces launching a Dongfeng-31 missile. Photo: SCMPThe missile has an estimated range of nearly 10,000 kilometres - enough to deliver a nuclear warhead to the capitals of Europe or the west coast of the United States. Military experts said the release was a warning to the US not to interfere in the country's territorial disputes with Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, or Senkakus, in the East China Sea.

Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Dong cited the Pentagon's decisions to send a dozen advanced F-22 fighter jets to Okinawa and replace the USS George Washington with the younger USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base near Tokyo.

"The disclosure of the Dongfeng-31 at this time obviously aims to respond to the United States' two big military moves in Japan, which make Beijing believe it is going to meddle in the territorial disputes between China and Japan," Wong said.

Several of the photos published by the PLA Daily were also posted on the newspaper's official Sina Weibo account. It was unclear when the drill took place; the captions said sometime this winter.

The pictures showed a missile fired from a large launcher mounted on a 16-wheeled truck. Operators were shown inside a military camp dressed in protective suits, suggesting that the missile force was simulating the launch of an armed warhead.

The caption cast the exercise as defensive preparation, saying the soldiers were simulating how to disrupt an enemy's missile attack. The pictures show the launcher was erected on the truck and ready for firing.

Hong Kong-based defence analyst Ma Ding-sheng said the pictures indicated that the PLA was more confident about showing off its military hardware after decades of secret development.

"The PLA realises that it needs to increase its transparency, which would also provide them more opportunities to show off their military muscle, as well as quiet questions from the US and other Western countries," Ma said, adding the missiles had so far appeared to help deter threats.

"I doubt whether the missile is capable of hitting the US, although they claim it has a range up to 10,000 kilometers," Ma said. "All its live-launch drills have happened inside Chinese territory, within 5,000 kilometers. And we never see the PLA shooting missiles to the Western Pacific."

Non-operational versions of the Dongfeng-31 and the more advanced Dongfeng-31A were displayed publicly on October 1, 1999, the 50th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The Donfeng-31 is the country's second generation of ICBM, replacing the earlier Dongfeng-4. It was formally delivered to the strategic missile defence force in 2006.

The Pentagon said at the time that the weapon was built using US missile and warhead secrets obtained through espionage and illegal transfers of technology.

Credit to Soth China Morning Post

Ukrainian Protesters Get Orwellian Texts From the State, 'you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance'

Approximately 100,000 Ukrainian protesters participated this week in defiance of new laws which have made it illegal to cover one's face, set up tents, or wear a helmet for simple protection, among other restrictions obviously seeking to curb public dissent.

US corporate media reports that protesters are using Molotov cocktails, baseball bats, and even catapults, while battling riot police armed with the usual rubber bullets, and stun grenades. It is likely that the protests began with peaceful disobedience of the laws, and the violence was instigated by the authorities.

The exceptional thing about this protest was, around midnight on Monday night, protesters received an Orwellian, ominous text message on their personal cell phones.

The text message from the State read - “Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance”.

It has not been revealed exactly how the government executed this, though three cellphone companies in Ukraine denied giving the government any information about the subscribers. Three hours later, a group of protesters in illegal ski masks and helmets defended themselves against police, with zero regard for the warning from the state.

Protesters, dissidents, activists, and people in the way of the agenda of corrupt, powerful individuals, are likely being logged and taken note of, wherever they are. Here in the US, we're even more likely to be put on a list somewhere. However, if everyone spoke out and participated in protests, civil disobedience, and activism, everyone would be on some list, and it would be all the more difficult to combat a resistance.

People are resisting corruption and unnecessary laws more and more every day, and the global paradigm shift is not going to be stopped by the fact that we are being observed and taken note of.

Credit to Activist Post

Iran: We did not agree to dismantle anything

FM Mohammad Javad Zarif claims Washington has mischaracterized Tehran’s concessions in the interim nuclear agreement


Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif smiles and laughs as he speaks to the media in Geneva, on Nov. 24, 2013, after the interim nuclear deal was concluded. (photo credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster/Pool)

Iran’s foreign minister accused the US of mischaracterizing the terms of an interim nuclear deal that went into effect on Monday.

“We did not agree to dismantle anything,” Mohammad Javad Zarif told CNN in an interview on Wednesday, charging that the Obama administration had created a false impression in the language it used to describe the six-month agreement.

“The White House tries to portray it as basically a dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program,” he said, speaking from Davos, Switzerland, where he is attending the World Economic Forum. “If you find a single, a single word, that even closely resembles dismantling or could be defined as dismantling in the entire text, then I would take back my comment.”

Zarif repeated that “we are not dismantling any centrifuges, we’re not dismantling any equipment, we’re simply not producing, not enriching [uranium] over 5%.”

Both US and Iranian officials have tried to make the interim agreement palatable domestically. With the Iranians calling the nuclear deal a victory, and Obama officials saying that it essentially freeze’s the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

According to a White House fact sheet released in November, the interim deal mandates that Iran halt all uranium enrichment beyond 5% and “dismantle the technical connections required to enrich above 5%.”

In Washington, congressional aides who had been briefed by administration officials said Wednesday that negotiations over a final nuclear deal with Iran were expected to begin by mid-February.

Credit to The Times of Israel

Read more: Iran: We did not agree to dismantle anything | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-we-did-not-agree-to-dismantle-anything/#ixzz2rBKjCrJt

"Euro Will Come Down To Earth.. Markets Are Disregarding Risks"

It's not all ponies and unicorns in Davos today. Paul Singer's dismal views on financial fragility were followed up by a panel, as The Telegraph's Ambrose Evans-Pritchard reports, that poured cold water on the claims that the European crisis is over. Harvard professor Kenneth Rogoff said the launch of the euro had been a "giant historic mistake, done to soon" but EMU leaders are still refusing to take the necessary steps, and is squandering the "scarce resource" of its youth, badly needed to fortify an aging society as the demographic crunch sets in. But it is ex-Buba head Axel Weber that unleashed the ugly truth: "Markets are currently disregarding risks, particularly in the periphery...Europe is under threat. I am still really concerned."

Via The Telegraph,

A top panel of experts in Davos has poured cold water on claims that the European crisis is over, warning that the eurozone remains stuck in a low-growth debt trap and risks being left on the margins of the global economy by US and China.

Axel Weber, the former head of the German Bundesbank, said the underlying disorder continues to fester and region is likely to face a fresh market attack this year.

"Europe is under threat. I am still really concerned.Markets have improved but the economic situation for most countries has not improved," he said that the World Economic Forum in Davos.

...

"Markets are currently disregarding risks, particularly in the periphery. I expect some banks not to pass the test despite political pressure. As that becomes clear, there will be a financial reaction in markets," he said.

...

Harvard professor Kenneth Rogoff said the launch of the euro had been a "giant historic mistake, done to soon"that now requires a degree of fiscal union and a common bank resolution fund to make it work, but EMU leaders are still refusing to take these steps.

"People are no longer talking about the euro falling apart but youth unemployment is really horrific. They can't leave this twisting in wind for another five years," he said.

Mr Rogoff said Europe is squandering the "scarce resource" of its youth, badly needed to fortify an ageing society as the demographic crunch sets in.

...

Mr Rogoff said debt write-downs across the EMU periphery "will eventually happen" but the longer leaders let the crisis fester with half-measures, the worse damage this will do to European society in the end.

Mr Weber, who resigned from the Bundesbank and the ECB in a dispute over euro debt crisis strategy, said new "bail-in" rules for bond-holders of eurozone banks will cause investors to act pre-emptively, aiming to avoid large losses before the ECB issues its test verdicts.

"We may see that speculators do not wait until November, but bet on winners and losers before that," he said.

...

The danger is that bank strains will turn the spotlight back on those sovereign states that cannot easily afford to shore up their banking systems. While he did not name any country, Spain, Italy, and Portugal are viewed as vulnerable. Even Ireland may be at risk again with a debt ratio of 125pc of GDP. "This is the key issue this year," he said

Mr Weber warned EU leaders not to have "dangerous delusions" or become complacent about recovery. "Things feel better than they are. The recovery too weak to generate jobs. It's not about whether things are improving: the levels of growth, jobs, and GDP are way worse than before the crisis," he said.

...

Pierre Nanterme, chief executive of the French group Accenture, said Europe is losing the great battle for competitiveness, and risks a perma-slump...  "A lot is at stake. If in 12 to 24 months no radical steps are taken to break the curse, we might have not just five, ten, but twenty years of a low-growth sluggish situation in Europe," he said.

...

Mr Weber retorted that the euro will come down to earthas the tightening by the US Federal Reserve and other central banks leave Europe as the odd man out. "The ECB has an easing bias. Fast forward another year or two, and relative monetary policy will become obvious to everybody," he said.

We suspect these messages will not reach Samaras or Barroso... Meanwhile Spanish, Irish, and Italian yields will cross US Treasuries any day now at this pace of complacency...

Credit to Zero Hedge