Santander UK insists British savers' money is safe, but after Kent county council pulls overnight deposit account, the trust is gone

Santander UK has laid out the safety measures it has in place to prevent potential difficulties at its Spanish parent spreading to its British customers. The bank moved to reassure UK customers after Kent County Council said it would no longer use the bank for overnight deposits after the Spanish government was forced to take measures to ensure the country's banks are safe from collapse. On Friday, the government in Madrid announced all toxic loans at the country's banks will be placed in ‘bad bank’ holding companies and banks will be required to raise and set aside an extra  €30billion (£24billion) against their good mortgage loans.

The Smell of War Wherever You Go - Hawazen Iraqi Refugee - Reports on Lebanon

The Imperialist plans to change the borders of Arab countries is playing out. Sectarian divide is a tool. Hawazen informs us of many details on the fighting in Northern Lebanon. It is in fact a spill over from Syria. Source

Palestinians mark the 64th anniversary of the Nakba-Comment

George: It's the 64th commemoration of the Nakba, the catastrophe when Palestine was wiped off the map by the so called state of Israel. Palestinians in their hundreds of thousands were driven out of their country, most of them never to return. Those hundreds of thousands are now millions, who are scattered around the region and around the world as refugees, as exiles, without passports or papers or status, but one thing they have not lost and that is the determination to return to their homes. Click on read more for part 2

Currency Wars - James Rickards explains his thesis

James Rickards, Senior Managing Director of Tanget Capital Partners, and author of "Currency Wars; The Making of the Next Global Crisis", explains his thesis at the latest Casey Research Conference, "Recovery Reality Check" in Weston, Florida. Source

UN holds debate on State of the World Economy

"Governments around the world have failed to return fiscal markets to their role as servants of the economy rather than masters of it." Political VIP's from around the globe including presidents and foreign ministers were on hand at the UN's "Thematic Debate on the State of the World Economy and Finance in 2012" on Thursday. Source

NO! - Extraordinary Speech from Greek Politician in Parliament - BEYOND THE GREEK CRISIS MATRIX

BEYOND THE GREEK CRISIS MATRIX, Kammenos Vouleftis. Source

Companies engaged in financial crime get 'plea-bargain' offer

Companies engaged in financial crime may be able to negotiate plea bargains under legislation being put forward by the Ministry of Justice.

By Jonathan Russell: The department yesterday published a consultation on a new law allowing companies to self-report their involvement in financial crime. The long-awaited step is the first in a process that should lead to the introduction of US-style deferred prosecution agreements.

Solicitor General Edward Garnier QC said: "If we can encourage companies to self-report and come clean, pay penalties and mend their ways, the time and expense of investigations and prosecutions will be better spent elsewhere, enabling us to bring more individuals and companies to justice."

Merkel - Softening - Says She Is Open To Stimulus For Greece

By NICHOLAS KULISH and MELISSA EDDY

BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said Wednesday that she was ready to discuss stimulus programs to get the Greek economy growing again and that she was committed to keeping Greece in the euro zone, signaling a softer approach toward the struggling country. The fierce rhetorical salvos out of Germany in the past week gave way to conciliatory gestures by Ms. Merkel, who throughout the crisis has shown a propensity for managing through brinkmanship. “I have the will, the determination to keep Greece in the euro zone,” she said in an interview on CNBC on Wednesday, in what appeared to be an attempt to relax an increasingly tense situation.

If Greek officials are looking for “stimulus to be pursued for growth in the euro zone, which we could pursue in the interest of Greece, we’re open for this,” Ms. Merkel said. “Germany is open for this.”

New research shows long term high-fructose corn syrup diet alters learning and memory

By Madison Ruppert: New research out of the University of California, Los Angeles has found that aside from the health risks already associated with high-fructose corn syrup, long term diets heavy in the sugary substance could actually result in a decline in memory and learning ability.

Thankfully, this study wasn’t purely bad news, as it revealed that this can actually be counteracted by eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

There are many ways to introduce higher levels of these crucial fatty acids into one’s diet, including relatively inexpensive supplements, flaxseed (which is available in ground, milled and/or in oil form) delicious nuts (the most omega-3 rich being walnuts), salmonand many other delicious foods.

Considering the dangers associated with genetically modified foods, which, like high-fructose corn syrup, are present in many mass-produced processed foods, in addition to the dangers associated with high-fructose corn syrup, never before have we had more reasons to seek out healthier alternatives.

The research – published in the Journal of Physiology – was conducted on rats, a common subject for analog studies, especially dealing with the brain since the brain chemistry of rats is similar to that of humans.

The study focused not on naturally occurring fructose but instead on high-fructose corn syrup, a substance which is a whopping six times sweeter than cane sugar and commonly used in a wide variety of processed foods and soft drinks.

SAY NO TO ILLEGAL DRUGS - FKN Newz

Geithner Comes Clean: "I Don't Understand It"

Submitted by Tyler Durden: 

Tim Geithner outdoes himself this evening with three hypocritical, self-defecating-deceiving, and typically ignominious clips courtesy of his interview with Jeffrey Brown of PBS NewsHour. While we knew TurboTax was beyond him, the Treasury debacle-in-chief admits he doesn't understand how the debt limit has bubbled back up (seeing it as part of a partisan political agenda); admits that perhaps the NY Fed has a 'perception problem' with Jamie Dimon on the board; and his piece-de-resistance his cognitive dissonance erupts as he touts Obama's economic and jobs record: "look how well we are doing relative to any other major country". It seems the election cycle is well and truly upon us and revisionism and populism will once again trump sensibility and forthrightness.

First, the renewed debate over the federal debt limit:

JEFFREY BROWN: Here we are again this week where the debt limit question has bubbled up. Do you see --

TIMOTHY GEITHNER: Can you believe it?

JEFFREY BROWN: Can you believe it?

TIMOTHY GEITHNER: I can't. I can't. I don't understand it. I don't understand it.

VW is not allowed by the US government to sell fuel efficient cars to US consumers?

by fldallyb: THIS WILL PISS YOU OFF, VW is not allowed by the US government to sell high milage cars to US consumers. VW even makes the cars here that get 78 mpg but must ship it over seas. I have added this link that shows a test drive world record with the passat which was 75 mpg