16 Apr 2012

GREECE EXCLUSIVE: Electoral stalemate brings new Troika pressure to install their man.


Sources in Athens were convinced this afternoon that elements within the EU/IMF/Berlin Troika were behind a flood of media articles in Greece over the last two days concerning the probable need for a ‘compromise’ candidate for Prime Minister in the likely event of a dead-heat election on May 6th. The emerging name is that of New Democracy Vice-President Stavros Dimas (above)…a former Wall Street banker and EU Commissioner.
New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras is now widely felt in Greece to be unlikely to become Prime Minister. News reports have suggested that the opposition PASOK Socialists will demand an alternate leader – Stavros Dimas: a very conveniently Troika-friendly choice.
“This is partly the work of Evangelo Venizelos,” says an Athenian source whose tips have been accurate in the past. “And of course, as we have seen, he is in the Troika’s pocket. He sees a possibility of losing his grip on power, and I would imagine also his access to corrupt EU wealth, if Samaris takes charge and immediately starts to repudiate the Brussels Accord [the bailout agreement]. Whether it is entirely his idea is doubtful. I think he has a line open to Brussels all the time. He is their man, totally.”

Why You Should Care: Greek Debt


The Greek crisis isn't just a local phenomenon; debt is a deadly global trend. Will Tim be able show his cardboard comrade that Greece's woes affect us all, or will he get distracted by celebrity bowling? Find out right now!

Sheikh Ahmed Haneef - From Drones To Political Islam

Morris: His Activism started in Anti Apartheid in Canada. He later converted to Islam and studied in Iran (Qom). The Sheik takes us through Slavery where the Black's identity was destroyed. He discusses the modern predicament of us (particularly the youth) being corralled into consumerism And defends Islam as Liberation Theology, that it is right for religion to take a stance on Imperialism and Multinationals etc.
There is some discussion on the Shia sect and Islamic codes of conduct in war fare. Source

ran-P5+1 talks continue amid Israeli threats - The Real Deal

Iran and the P5+1 have held talks about the country's nuclear program. This is while the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, recons that the nuclear chamber of Parchin provides strong indicator that Iran is planning to build nuclear bombs. "As the IAEA is effectively a puppet of the West, how can its views be trusted? If there is to be inspection of suspected sites then why isn't Israel being inspected," says George Galloway. "Israel has a mountain of nuclear weapons, but has never been inspected. Well, that is a question to which no one really has a satisfactory answer,"

"Pied Piper Always Gets Paid And Hamelin Still Rests On German Soil"


Tyler Durden's picture
Via Mark J. Grant, author of Out Of The Box,
Hamelin Still Resides In Germany
Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.”
                                                                             
 -Otto von Bismarck

I spoke last night at the Palm Beach Strategic Forum. It was an interesting event. The former Prime Minister of Pakistan and the former President of Peru seemed to be in agreement that the lack of decent leadership in the world was the main problem. I could not quite bring myself to agree that this was issue number one but they did have a reasonable point. The Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations called for further investment in Latin American countries and was met with some opposition in his assessment of Venezuela. 
I took up the plight of Europe and explained why the stated debt to GDP ratios were incorrect and I present numbers that are more accurate which included contingent liabilities, government guarantees and Derivative obligations and then addressed the leverage issues as some of the European Banks particularly Deutsche Bank at 62 times and Credit Agricole at 66 times and the danger that this represented for the financial world. I was markedly the most pessimistic of the speakers but then nobody was very happy with my predictions for Greece, Portugal and Ireland in 2010.

Financial Instability For (Keynesian) Dummies

Financial stability, or the lack thereof. Leading thinkers speak out on what they feel is at the core of the problem. Featuring: Joseph Stiglitz, Gillian Tett, David Tuckett, Stephen Kinsella, John Kay, David Weinstein, Steve Keen and Dirk Bezemer.

"BOOM" The Cashless Control Grid - Alex Jones

Alex Jones discusses the cashless control grid that has been brought to life to control the population

Israeli soldiers brutally attack anti-apartheid activists on bike ride

Palestinian and international cyclists were brutally attacked by the Israeli occupation forces on Saturday as they attempted to bike up Route 90, the main North-South highway running through the Jordan Valley. The cyclists were demonstrating against Israeli apartheid policies in the Jordan Valley, which limit Palestinian access to roadways as part of an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing against the indigenous Bedouin communities of the Valley. Source

George Soros: 'The Profound Failure of Economics' - Challenging the Foundation

George Soros opens the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) Paradigm Lost Conference at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin April 2012. Perry Mehrling and Axel Leijonhufvud respond. Source

The Cost of Privacy: $15,000 security Boeing smart phones for 2012

The skies seem not enough for Boeing as the aircraft maker is going into smartphone business. But don’t expect it in a neighbourhood store, the device will be for highly secure communications.
Brian Palma, Vice President of the company’s secure infrastructure group, told National Defense Magazine, that the device will be launched at the end of 2012. The technical characteristics such as screen diagonal, processor type and others are being kept confidential.
“We believe that there is significant interest in the defense side as well as the intelligence side and in the commercial world as well,” Palma said.