When The S*** Hits the Fan

Could You Escape Your #Vehicle In a #Disaster? “The Potential Is All Too Real”

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Disaster could come anytime, anywhere. It could be a widespread, system-wide event, or it could be a personal crisis.

Hopefully you have your home and family as prepared as you can be for any and all such SHTF situations.

But what about your vehicle?

Countless hours and miles are covered in our cars and trucks, and the road can lead us anywhere.

What happens in the event of a natural disaster that could sweep your vehicle into flooded waters, or turn your vehicle over in a ditch or a road side?

Obviously the potential for serious injury or death is all too real. The open road is one of the single most dangerous factors in the American lifestyle, and car accidents are one of the leading causes of premature death.

Worst of all, auto accidents and severe road hazards are completely unpredictable in most situations.

Son of Liberty shares some very prudent and important preps that he has installed in his truck to deal with the many possibilities that could arise while on the road and in the vehicle:

Of course, a emergency medical kit, a tourniquet and a bug out bag are all essentials to keep in your car, and take with you everywhere you go. These devices can and will save lives when first responders are still on their way, or even unavailable.

But here are a few additional installations that can be added to your vehicle to protect you and your loved ones:

– Auto Escape Strap Cutter and Glass Breaker Tool: Simple and inexpensive devices like Auto Escape Strap Cutter and Glass Breaker Toolthis one made by Gerber Gear could save your life. This man installed one on each side of the vehicle so that any passenger could easily reach and uses it to cut their seat belt strap and break out a window to escape, even if the worst should happen to the driver or alpha member of the group.

Here’s a demonstration of how it would work:

– Tactical Visor: This inexpensive organizer goes over your existing sun visor and allows you to keep much more than just sunglasses. This simple solution can hold scissors, medical supplies, communications devices and other tools you may need in an emergency.

– Raptor Emergency Medical Tool: These scissors and multi-tools are designed to fold up for tight storage and protect sharp edges in case it flies loose in a moving vehicle or other situation. Its applications are numerous, but obviously it could help to administer first aid, or free you from being trapped in a wrecked vehicle.

– Mobile HAM Radio: This device can be mounted in your vehicle and independently powered for emergency communications with police and emergency workers, or other individuals in situations where your cell phone has no service, or is dead, lost or forgotten. It can and will save your life and keep you from being stranded in an already-bad situation.

–Locking Gas Cap: In the event of a SHTF collapse, zombie apocalypse or even a stranding situation, fuel may become scarce, and you’ll want to keep any gas you have in your tank. A simple and inexpensive locking gas cap can deter thieves and looters from siphoning off the fuel in your vehicle’s tank. If the supply chain does break down, or you have to bug out into the wilderness for help, it will be essential to keep whatever is left for when you might need it. This won’t make stealing your fuel impossible, but it will significantly deter those looking for a quick score.

–Fire Extinguisher for Electrical/Gas Fires: If a serious collision or impact takes place, fire could easily engulf your vehicle – and having a fire extinguisher rated to put out electrical and gas fires is critical, as they are the most common fires in vehicles. This one is compact and handles all these contingencies.

Of course there are many other supplies and preps you may want to consider for your vehicle, and there are obviously many situations where your car could become inoperable or impractical to use.

Nevertheless, having these items installed and ready in your transportation will keep you ready to survive and save the lives of others in numerous possible circumstances.

Stay vigilant, and please add any other important preps you have considered for your car, truck, boat or RV.

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

#PanamaPapers: #British Elite Linked to #Corruption, yet Media Only Focuses on Putin

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Michaela Whitton
April 04, 2016

(ANTIMEDIA) United Kingdom — Believed to be the largest leak of secret documents in history, the Panama Papers are the latest revelations exposing global corruption. The worldwide investigation supposedly exposes the secretive offshore industry the world’s elites use to hide assets and swerve rules. Based on a library of more than 11 million leaked files, it claims to have exposed a host of characters using offshore companies to facilitate bribery, arms deals, tax evasion, financial fraud, and drug trafficking.

Few will be surprised that the global rich and famous hide their money offshore, regardless of their country of origin. While the Panama Papers are set to identify a cast of characters, from the stars of pitch and screen to political establishments, it’s worth pointing out that the 2.6 terabytes of data hail from just one law firm in one tax haven. They are the tip of the iceberg in spotlighting the shadowy corners where elites stash their cash.

Though much of the public reveres whistleblowers, as author and human rights activist Craig Murray points out, this particular leaker has made the mistake of turning to the Western corporate media to publicise the results. The crucial part of this story, according to Murray, is who is managing the leaked information: the “International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.” He explains they are funded and organised by the U.S.A’s Center for Public Integrity, which includes sponsors such as the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Endowment, Rockefeller Family Fund, W. K., the Kellogg Foundation, and the Open Society Foundation,  which is owned by George Soros.

All roads lead to Putin

Considering those guarding the information, it is unsurprising that here in the U.K., corporate press coverage has shown an overarching focus on official enemies like Putin and Assad. With the media dominated by glaring close-ups of Putin and misleading headlines, it seems the British public are only privy to information about official establishment foes while the misdemeanours of tax dodgers are practically ignored. From what Murray says, the identities of those behind managing the leak could also explain the deafening silence on the hundreds of Israeli companies and shareholders implicated.

With the enemies of the West paraded by British news outlets, by mid-morning only the Mirror and the Metro had given brief mention to the fact that David Cameron’s father and a host of senior Tory figures had reportedly used tax havens for the rich and powerful. David Cameron’s late father, Ian, is allegedly named as a client of Mossack Fonseca, the firm at the centre of the scandal. Using it it to protect his investment fund from U.K. taxes, he is said to have built up a significant legacy, part of which was inherited by the Prime Minister. The irony is not lost on many, especially in view of Cameron’s previous pledges to clamp down on tax dodgers and havens. He has described them as “morally wrong.”

Few will hold their breath for any of the rich and powerful named in the files to be held to account for the details released the latest data splurge. Undoubtedly, it will soon become clear whether there will be any real consequences of a leak of this size, particularly when most of the information will remain private. While tumbleweeds blow through the corporate media on the fact that the Tories were up to their necks in global corruption, Twitter users didn’t hold back.

This article (Panama Papers: British Elite Linked to Corruption, yet Media Only Focuses on Putin) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Michaela Whitton and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org.

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Intelligence Insider: How To #Protect Your #Assets From Critical Infrastructure Failure: “Power Grid, Banking System, Cyber Financial Warfare”

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cyber-warfare

Intelligence insider Jim Rickards has previously warned of asymmetric attacks using cyber warfare, financial warfare and domestic disasters involving chemical, biological or radiologicial events. The threat is multi-faceted and the consequences of such an attack, whether it takes the the form of state-sponsored cyber financial warfare or a rogue terrorist group detonating a dirty bomb, could act as a destabilizing event that wipes out everything from our power grid to the wealth stored in your digital financial profiles.

Having worked directly with intelligence agencies simulating and war-gaming the potential fall-out that could result, in his latest interview with Crush The Street Rickards explains the distinct Doomsday scenarios that could instantly collapse life as we know it in America today… and how to prepare for them.

These things are actually happening and your digital wealth is vulnerable to a number of calamities… critical infrastructure failures… whether it’s power grid, banking system, cyber financial warfare, etc.


(Watch At Youtube)

Last month cyber thieves figured out a way to steal $100 million from the central bank account of Bangladesh via the U.S. Federal Reserve. They could have gotten away with $900 million more had it not been for a small typo. The point, as Rickards notes, is that there is a realistic possibility of a much larger-scale attack that targets not a central bank, but the direct holdings of every bank account in America.

The only tool you have at your disposal to protect from such an attack, says Rickards, is gold:

You never want to go all in… I am saying that 10% of your wealth… put it into physical gold… put it in a safe place and that will be immune from power grid outages, exchange closures, digital asset seizures and cyber financial warfare.

And while the potential for a serious calamity that would affect our digital monetary systems is a compelling reason to own gold, in his book The New Case For Gold Rickards explains that a global monetary collapse is also in the cards. And that means gold could one day become the de facto global currency as confidence in a global economy awash in fiat money is lost.

In the interview Rickards takes on analysts who say that a currency cannot be backed in gold, arguing that supply of the precious metal through current official holdings, private holdings and existing gold mining operations is sufficient to support well managed currencies. And countries that refuse to follow sound money policies, he says, will simply have worthless currencies that will not be accepted on the world economic stage.

That’s the whole point of the gold standard… it’s to force governments and countries to do prudent things.

As it is now there’s no standard… there’s no enforcement mechanism… there’s nothing.

I’ve spoken to Ben Bernanke and the head of the IMF about it and they both used the same word to describe the international monetary system… it’s incoherent.

It appears that a gold standard is the end-game for countries like China and Russia considering that they have been aggressively accumulating the metal in recent years. And while the United States may maintain a monetary hegemony over global affairs right now, there will come a time when that will no longer be the case. With gold being used to back currencies, prudent monetary policy will be rewarded.

If people had confidence that you were doing the right thing they would happily sell you the gold…  if they lack that confidence [in your currency] they wouldn’t sell you the gold… but that is a market signal telling you you’ve got the wrong policies… you’ve lost the confidence of your citizens.

But we’re not there yet. A global monetary reset needs to happen first. And that means the government and Federal Reserve are going to stay the course, including quantitative easing for the people,  no matter how disastrous the next round of policies may be.

As Rickards suggests, this makes the case for $10,000 gold quite strong, because they will continue to push low or no interest rate policies while printing even more money to stem off a potentially deflationary environment.

Deflation is good for citizens… inflation is good for government. But if you’re fighting the government, the government will win in the long run even though it’s taking longer than they thought.

At the end of the day they’ll get the inflation… and you’ll be glad you have some gold. 

 

Check out Jim Rickards’ latest book The New Case For Gold.

For more interviews like this one visit CrushTheStreet.com. To learn how the smart money is positioning for gold’s bull run by acquiring precious metals assets click here.

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

“This Is America” – Watch As #Secret#Service Agent Slams #Turkish President’s Body Guard Goons For Trying To Silence Protesters

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It may be completely legal for Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s minions to silence the voices of journalists, bloggers and other outspoken critics when in Turkey.

But when you’re in America, Jack, your autocratic tendencies and dictatorial inclinations are fair game for protesters, the media and our citizenry.

That’s the message the Turkish President’s body guards got from a Secret Service agent on President Obama’s security detail in Washington after Erdogan’s goons started ripping anti-Erdogan flyers out of peoples’ hands, physically assaulting them and throwing them the middle finger.

A video of the incident captures the Secret Service agent making it clear to Erdogan’s body guards that while free speech may be prohibited in the progressive European Union state of Turkey, America is a bit different.

Stay on this side [of the road.] Do you understand? You tell him to calm down, this is America.

Act like an adult, stay on this side of the road. End of story. By going over there and flipping the bird you’re causing more problems for me, and for your protection.

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

Denial is a River in the USA: No to Tiny Homes, #Veggie #Gardens, the Words “Islamic Terror,” Old Remedies

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April 2, 2016

In this week’s Survival Saturday round-up, the news topics are all about denial: saying no and burying our heads in the sand here in the good old US of Nay. Steps toward personal independence? NO. Saying the words “Islamic terror?” NO. Using an ancient remedy Big Pharma can’t patent? NO. Calling a shovel a spade and discussing the real cause of antibiotic resistance? NO. NO. NO. Personal freedom and awareness are positively radical, folks. Cognitive dissonance, that’s what is encouraged.

Survival Saturday is  a round-up of the week’s news and resources for folks who are interested in being prepared.

This Week in the News

Here are the stories that caught my attention this week. You may notice a bit of a theme.

Will tiny homes and gardens become illegal?

If you don’t live the 9-5, consumerist, processed-food-soylent-green, compliant lifestyle of the majority of Americans, you can look for the things you do to become increasingly illegal. Who knew that living on the road or growing veggies would make you an outlaw one day? Here are two examples of overreaching laws meant to quash independence that are getting attention this week:

Soon it may be illegal to live in your RV or tiny house. HUD wants to pass a law requiring manufacturers to label tiny homes and RVs that they are not for full-time occupancy. Everyone who knows how the government works knows that this is merely a slippery slope. Once they’ve been declared “not homes” then a precedent has been set to make it illegal to live in them. (How dare you avoid paying 40% of your income to remain sheltered, peasant?  You’ll stay indebted to your overlords for your housing!)

With another spring comes another front yard vegetable garden to be destroyed. A Missouri man is under pressure to rip out his vegetable garden or face the consequences. Last year he was fined for having weeds in his garden, and this year, he’s being fined for having it at all due to a brand new city ordinance aimed at him. (How dare you grow your own food, peasant? You’ll eat what we dole out!) If you want to be all brassy and grow food out there where everyone can see it, apparently you need to be stealthy. (This book can help.)

The Antibiotic Resistance Apocalypse Approacheth

Did you even know that there was a “national action plan” to fight antibiotic resistance? No? Neither does anyone else, and for good reason. President Obama’s carefully chosen “council” is ignoring the number one cause of antibiotic resistance while developing their plan: agricultural antibiotic use. “There are no targets—none—to reduce agricultural use of antibiotics, even as the council presses for reductions in the amount of antibiotics prescribed to people.” Emphasis mine. As politicans (and people in the pockets of politicians) it’s anethama to tick off the big spenders in Big Agri.

Back in 2014, blogger Lizzie Bennet from the UK warned that this was the biggest threat to mankind, bigger, even, than a nuclear holocaust, an asteroid strike, or societal collapse. “Children will die of tonsillitis, any type of orthopaedic surgery will become a lottery as  infection in the bone is most unlikely to be survivable without antibiotics. Most forms of chemotherapy will be useless as antibiotic therapy is run alongside the treatment. Organ transplant patients are plagued by infections, none of which would be treatable. People would once again become insane as a side effect of syphilis, and other sexual transmitted diseases would run rampant through society.” (Read the rest of her well-thought-out warning HERE.)

There are options, of course. Did you know that a thousand year old Anglo-Saxon potion was found to be extremely effective against deadly, antibiotic resistant MRSA?  It could be worrisome that the ingredients are unlikely to be patented by anyone in Big Pharma. The potion is a combination of simple things like onion, garlic, wine, and oxgall (cow bile.)  Have you noticed that unless Big Pharma can make Big Money, effective remedies get hushed up?  The remedy was rediscovered last year and the deaths from MRSA, particularly prevalent in hospital settings, just keep piling up.  You simply can’t rely on these corporations. It’s time to begin learning how to make your own remedies whenever possible.

If you don’t say “Islamic Terror” there is no Islamic terror

Remember on Scooby Doo back when we were kids how Shaggy and Scooby would huddle in a corner, scrunch their eyes shut, and Shaggy would chant, “I don’t believe in ghosts, I don’t believe in ghosts” over and over, even though there was a giant apparition looming over them? That seems to be the reaction of the White House to Islamic terrorism. In fact, they won’t even let anyone else say it. Check out how they edited a video of French President Hollande denouncing Islamic terror by removing those words. They are carefully nurturing a culture of cognitive dissonance, and unfortunately, the greater majority of the public will only wake up when something irrefutable happens in their own backyard.

Author Salman Rushdie says this is a terrible mistake. “…if you have a group of murderers who say–all of them–that they do it in the name of a particular prophet and a particular ideology, to say it’s not about that is just self-evidently evading the truth.”(You may recall that Rushdie’s irreverent depiction of the Prophet Muhammed in his book, The Satanic Verses, prompted the Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa for Rushdie’s death in 1989.)

Anyway, we should all stop being silly about the Muslim immigrants. They’re working hard to assimilate. To prove it, click here to see a quick video of them marching through the streets in Germany, chanting, “With Allah’s help, we shall conquer you!” They just want to be loved and accepted, duh.

The Bookshelf

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I’ve been slacking on The Bookshelf lately because, well, I haven’t been reading as much, what with our recent move. Thankfully, things have settled down and I got to curl up and do some reading. (It didn’t hurt that I was without internet for a week and a half!) Here are this week’s picks for the books you need to have on your own bookshelf.

Prepper’s Natural Medicine: Life-Saving Herbs, Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for When There is No Doctor

Remember how we were just taking about antibiotic resistance and simple remedies that you can make yourself, since you sure won’t get them from the doctor? Well, here’s your guide. You don’t have to pour over dusty archaic texts and try to figure out what oxgall is. Cat Ellis did it for you and she wrote this incredible book about home remedies.  The ingredients are accessible, and you can grow many of them yourself. This book is loaded with safe, effective, and tested remedies that you can use to treat yourself if you find yourself in a situation in which professional medical care is not an option. The author is a long-time herbal practitioner and her advice is expert, easy-to-follow, and perfect for preppers. Get this book, then make a list of what you can grow and what you need to acquire.

Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal

First, let me say this right off the bat. I have the world’s biggest brain crush on Joel Salatin. I admire his work, his libertarian views, and his farming skills. This book sealed the deal for me. And considering the first topic of the discussion today, it couldn’t be more appropriate. It’s an enjoyable read that holds your interest while providing the facts about the food industry and exactly WHY everything we want to do is illegal. (SPOILER: It’s money.  It’s always about the money.)  Even if you never intend to plant a seed, you need to read this book, because you eat food, don’t you? ????

Straw Bale Gardens Complete

I’m strongly considering straw bale gardening this summer, and a book by Joel Karsten that I just picked up is pretty compelling.  It’s relatively inexpensive, it doesn’t matter what your soil is like, and it’s apparently incredibly effective. “Straw Bale Gardens Complete contains all of the original information that has set the gardening world on fire. But it also goes much deeper, with nearly 50 pages of all-new advice and photos on subjects such as growing in a tight urban setting, making your straw bale garden completely organic, and using new fertilizers and conditioning products. There is even information on using straw bale techniques to grow veggies in other organic media for anyone who has a hard time finding straw.”

Resources for Setting Up a Prepper's Homestead Quickly and InexpensivelyThe Self-Reliance Weekly Report links you to all the best articles relating to prepping, homesteading, DIY, and independence.

This week, the topic is setting up your homestead as quickly and inexpensively as possible. Whether you’ve just moved (like me) or you want to turn your existing property into a more self-sufficient one, these tips from experts around the web will help you get the job done on a dime.

Click here to check out  The Self-Reliance Weekly Report!

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The Shopping Cart

This is the area for bargains, things I bought, and cool places to shop.

This week I ordered some signs from Amazon to increase the security of my homestead I’m posting these on my gates, and posting regular no-trespassing signs on the perimeter of the property.

Guard Dogs

This one is meant to warn strangers about the potential of being eaten by my 160 pound guard dog, Thor.  I thought of putting up a regular “beware of dog” sign, but people aren’t always smart and I decided to be a little more blunt.  My dog isn’t vicious, but he’s territorial, and no one gets past him without an invite from his mama.

Order it here

Video Surveillance

I don’t have a camera pointed at my gate just because I want to take pictures. I want people to KNOW I’m taking pictures.  My home is pretty remote, and out here, a lot of people are serious about security. Therefore, having a camera at the gate is not a big red flag that says “There’s lots of stuff to steal here!”

A sign announcing a video camera is proven to be a better deterrent than signs that say your home is monitored by a security company. (Especially if you actually have a video camera.) A criminal will often head for a house to rob where they are less likely to see themselves on the evening news.

Order it here

Anything to add to Survival Saturday?

Do you have any news links you want to share? Now’s the time! You are absolutely welcome to post your links in the comments below. (Your participation is what makes this feature so unique out here in Bloggerland!)

White House Censors French President’s Use of the Words “Islamic Terrorism”

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Not only does President Obama refuse to join the words “Islam” and “terrorism,” but the White House won’t let anyone else do it either.

In a video that appeared on the White House website this morning, the words of French President Francois Hollande were censored to remove the following segment:

Islamist terrorism, is in Syria and in Iraq. We therefore have to act both in Syria and in Iraq, and this is what we’re doing within the framework of the coalition.

Here’s the censored video that has since been taken down from the White House website.

Here’s a screenshot of the transcript that was published on the site, which contains President Hollande’s full statement.

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You know it’s obvious that Obama is avoiding using the phrase “Islamic terror” when even the NY Post notices. Back in November, after the Paris attack, columnist Michael Goodwin called for the President’s resignation. Goodwin wrote:

President Obama has spent the last seven years trying to avoid the world as it is. He has put his intellect and rhetorical skills into the dishonorable service of assigning blame and fudging failure. If nuances were bombs, the Islamic State would have been destroyed years ago.

He refuses to say “Islamic terrorism,” as if that would offend the peaceful Muslims who make up the vast bulk of victims. He rejects the word “war,” even as jihadists carry out bloodthirsty attacks against Americans and innocent peoples around the world.

After the attacks in San Bernadino, California in December, we pointed out that Obama attempted to shift the blame away from radical Islam to…wait for it…workplace violence.

President Obama said that the San Bernardino terrorists had mixed motives for killing 14 people and injuring 17 others. He warned Americans not to draw any conclusions:

“At this stage, we do not yet know why this terrible event occurred.”

“We do know that the two individuals who were killed were equipped with weapons and appeared to have access to additional weaponry in their homes. But we don’t know why they did it.”

…

“It is possible that this was terrorist-related, but we don’t know. It’s also possible this was workplace-related.”

“We don’t know why they did it. We don’t know at this point the extent of their plans.”

Are you f*cking serious, Mr. President?

As we noted earlier, The Intent Here Was Jihad And It Was Carefully Premeditated And Planned. President Obama, his national security team and the FBI know this.

Maybe if we all hide under our blankies and refuse to say the words, we can pretend this threat doesn’t exist too.

Hattip Daisy Luther at The Organic Prepper!

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

Verge of #Revolution: The Story You Aren’t Being Told About the #Brazil Uprising

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Clarice Palmer
March 31, 2016

(ANTIMEDIA) São Paulo, Brazil — As online publications have hailed the major protests overtaking the streets of Brazil at the outset of an apparent political revolution, few discuss the problems that have been brewing for decades in South America’s largest nation.

While Brazilians are angry and tired of their economic hardships, they are also incensed at the country’s history of corruption, which now includes a massive presidential scandal carried out by politicians and lobbyists during the current and previous administrations. This misconduct has given residents of all walks of life enough incentive to take their demands to the streets.

But are the politicians listening?

The History of Brazil is a History of Corruption

Local sociologists often tout Brazil’s corruption problem as a “genetic disposition” to crookedness. But late economist Ludwig von Mises disagreed. In Human Action, the famed economist claimed that corruption is simply a consequence of government’s heavy intervention in all public matters. “Corruption is a regular effect of interventionism,” he wrote — not the root of a country’s woes.

As Brazilian newspapers and talking heads tend to focus on corruption scandals as the root of the political and economic issues the country faces, they are, in fact, some of the consequences of heavy government intervention — not the foundation of the nation’s ongoing problems.

Between 1930 and 1945, the country was under the rule of the populist tyrant Getúlio Vargas, whose rise as a dictator was also tied to a series of corruption scandals, political persecution, and oppression. Nicknamed “the Father of the Poor,” Vargas and his administration used images of hope and harmony to sell the leader as the country’s grassroots hero.

But the individual behind the facade and popular image was the first of many political leaders to promise — though never deliver — peace and prosperity. Vargas also maintained an amicable relationship with Germany prior to World War II, prompting the United States to wonder whether Brazil would enter the Axis orbit. The Vargas administration even aided Nazi Germany by sending Jewish refugees back to their home country, such as the revolutionary militant, Olga Benário Prestes, a German Jew who ultimately died in a concentration camp.

brazilian propaganda

Propaganda by the Getulio Vargas administration teaching children to love country first.

Getúlio Vargas is particularly relevant because Brazil’s last president, Luiz Inácio “Lula” Da Silva, who held office between 2003 and 2011, is often remembered by many as the second coming of the 20th century dictator. Lula is currently implicated in the high-level scandals currently plaguing Brazil.

Long before Lula took office, however, the anti-communist “Red Scare” mindset — the culture of fear tied to communism that existed between 1919 the late 1950s in America — finally settled in Brazil. The country began to fear the possibility that communist agitators would take over the country. With the help of democratically-elected president, João Goulart (Brazilian Labour Party), the country’s military leaders took over, replaced Congress with the National Constituent Assembly, deposed opposition members, and drafted a new Constitutional Charter. The 1964 military coup lasted until 1985.

Once Brazilians had the chance to elect a new president, they put young Fernando Collor de Mello in power, a right-wing politician who froze thousands of Brazilian savings accounts and converted them into government bonds, inciting a wave of anger across the nation.

It was only when Collor was accused of having played a role in an influence-peddling scheme that many started paying attention.

Afraid of what Congress could do to his presidency, Collor allegedly paid $2 million for falsified documents, an act that, once discovered, prompted Congress to vote for his impeachment. Only three senators voted in Collor’s favor. Seventy-three voted for his removal.

Whether or not this was a sign of things to come, Brazil’s first democratically-elected president after the military rule became the first to be impeached.

As privatization policies were put in place by President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in the 1990s, the country’s economy picked up steam. People suddenly believed they had a good, competent administration in place, despite issues with the ongoing drug war. The many years of privatization and inflation-taming measures, however, prompted younger Brazilians to become attached to the ideology behind progressive politics. Enter Lula.

In 2003, young Brazilians cheered the the election of the Workers Party’s Lula. After all, they believed a “man of the people” had been picked as the country’s president. He was the same man who would go on to become the country’s “lobbyist in chief.”

After Lula’s two terms, the Workers Party managed to get Dilma Rousseff elected. Her rise to the presidency was mostly due to her proximity to Lula. She has often referred to him as  “[her] president and leader.”

Unemployment, Poverty, Inflation, and High Taxes: Brazilians are Fed Up

Brazilians experienced an economic miracle in the 1990s. But as the Rousseff administration upped sales and consumption taxes while relying on inflation, the increase in the money supply. As the country hosted the World Cup in 2014, businesses and consumers began to suffer. The first ones to feel the consequences were the poor.

Currently, Brazilians pay about 36 percent in sales taxes on most goods and services — a regressive tax that ends up hurting the poor the most. Brazilians give up about 28 percent of their income yearly. With the increase in taxes on large net gains and the country’s protectionist policies, many believe investors will begin to flee the country.

Tension built up due to the economic difficulties consumers face only worsened when the country’s judiciary launched an investigation into Rousseff’s embezzlement and crony capitalist scheme, which has made global headlines.

“Car Wash” Corruption Scheme and Its Investigation: the Beginning of the End for Dilma Rousseff

The “car wash” investigation is the largest probe of its kind in Brazilian history.

Its name comes from the network of laundromats, gas stations, and currency exchange businesses participants in the scheme used to launder money.

From Brazilian writer Alice Salles at FreedomWorks.org:

“Trouble began to brew when authorities launched an investigation into a network of currency exchanging businesses connected to Alberto Youssef. He was accused of forging contracts and moving billions of Brazilian Reais domestically and abroad using front companies and foreign bank accounts.”

Once the investigations were deepened, authorities “learned that Youssef had business relationships with Paulo Roberto Costa, the former director of the state-controlled oil giant Petrobras, major contractors and their lobbyists, and other Petrobras servicers. On March 2014, both Costa and Youssef were arrested.” Once Costa agreed to take part in the investigations in August of 2014, “Brazilians learned that he and several other directors of Petrobras received bribes and passed them along to politicians for their campaigns.” In a few weeks time, the authorities convinced Youssef to join Costa, “and revelations about one of the largest embezzlement schemes in the history of the country started flooding the news.”

Soon enough, the authorities learned the names of contractors involved in the scheme, which happened to be the country’s two top construction companies: Odebrecht and Andrade Gutierrez. André Estevez, owner of Latin America’s largest investment bank, BTG, was also involved.

By March of 2015, authorities learned 53 politicians had participated in the scheme. Even José Dirceu, the former prime minister under President Lula, was “accused of receiving payments from Odebrecht and Andrade Gutierrez.” Lula’s close friend, the farmer José Carlos Bumlai, and Senator Delcídio Amaral of the Workers Party, known as PT, were arrested. The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Cunha, a member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) was also targeted, along with several other PMDB party leaders.

According to what the investigations have unearthed thus far, the embezzlement scheme benefitted political parties in charge of Petrobras’s leadership appointments.

Salles reported that “as federal judge Sérgio Moro showed signs he believed former president Lula had profited from the scheme, prosecutors from the state of São Paulo added insult to injury by accusing Lula of ‘hiding his ownership of a beach-front condominium.’” But the rumors about his future finally hit the news, and Rousseff decided to appoint her predecessor as her chief of staff. The Economist claimed Lula is a “canny political operator,” which may have helped Rousseff make the decision to bring him on board to boost her reputation. However, as Salles noted, “what the cabinet position means to Lula may have served as the sole incentive.”

As the country’s call for impeachment intensifies, a strong opposition movement in Congress is taking shape. The country’s top association of lawyers, Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil, has also announced it will present an impeachment proposal to Congress, making matters worse for Rousseff.

The proposal claims the current president has “authorized … the country to delay its payments,” and it also accuses the president of unilaterally lifting tax obligations tied to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) during the 2014 World Cup. OAB attorneys also claim Rousseff may have “interfered with the ‘car wash’ probe, which includes her appointment of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as chief of staff.”

Unclear Future: Impeachment Alone is Not the Solution

As the “car wash” probe unveils that billions of taxpayer dollars have been tied to investments abroad that didn’t benefit Brazilians — and that members of most Brazilian political parties were involved — many of the county’s residents are showing signs of fatigue.

Impeaching President Rousseff may offer momentary relief to Brazilians under pressure, but unless a cultural change takes shape, the expulsion of Rousseff from Brasília, the nation’s capital, won’t make a difference.

According to activist Kim Kataguiri, a key figure in the anti-Rousseff protests, “the smokescreens used by the Brazilian government to disperse the population are finally gone.” He believes impeachment will come — no matter what. Even so, Rousseff says she has enough friends in Congress to avoid her downfall. Only time will tell whether Brazilians will find a way to restrict government’s interference in the country, helping to keep corrupt politicians from finding reasons to steal from the taxpayer.

This article (Verge of Revolution: The Story You Aren’t Being Told About the Brazilian Uprising) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Clarice Palmer and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11 pm Eastern/8 pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, please email the error and name of the article to edits@theantimedia.org.

From theantimedia.org Team

White House Warns Of #Nuclear #Terrorist Attacks: The Four Ways They Could Strike…

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nuke-attack

Within hours of the Brussels attacks earlier this month we learned that rogue terrorists presumably operating under the banner of the Islamic State had set their sights on a high-value target so significant that it could have left hundreds of thousands of people dead.

According to investigators, the terrorists who carried out the attacks had been actively planning to take over and/or target a nuclear power plant. They went so far as to plant hidden cameras at the power plant director’s home so they could monitor his movements and even killed a security guard in the process.

The plan, which failed to come to fruition, called not just for suicide bombing several dozen civilians, but for turning Western Europe into radioactive wasteland for the next several thousand years.

The threat is most certainly real and senior officials from Europe to the United States are now warning of the potential for a large-scale nuclear attack:

Security officials warn that the ingredients for a nuclear device or a “dirty bomb” are alarmingly insecure.

“We know that terrorist organizations have the desire to get access to these raw materials and to have a nuclear device,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser.

…

The havoc such an attack could wreak in an urban area such as New York or London is concerning enough that leaders scheduled a special session on the threat during the two-day summit. U.S. officials said the leaders would discuss a hypothetical scenario about a chain of events that could lead to nuclear terrorism.

Source: Denver Post

Officials have known for months that chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons of mass destruction have been smuggled undetected into Europe. In December of last year Swiss police identified and arrested two terrorists suspected of transporting toxic chemical gases and explosives, which were believed to be part of a plot for a future attack.

At this point, with lax border security in Europe and the United States, the potential for coordinated and devastating attacks has grown exponentially. Moreover, as we learned with Brussels where the threat to their nuclear facilities was identified well in advance but nothing was done to improve security, the reality is that the bureaucracy inherent within our governments makes it all the more likely that terrorists will eventually carry out a successful attack using CBRN weapons.

According to officials, here are some scenarios that show how a strike might happen:

The most devastating but improbable scenario involves a group stealing a fully functional bomb from a nuclear-armed country. Most nuclear experts point to Pakistan as the likeliest source, though that would require cooperation with someone on the inside of Pakistan’s military.

Easier to pull off would be for IS or another group to obtain fissile material like highly enriched uranium, then turn it into a crude nuclear device delivered by truck or ship.

A third possibility is that extremists could bomb an existing nuclear facility, such as the Belgian waste plant, spreading highly radioactive material over a wide area.

The most likely scenario that security experts fear is that a group could get ahold of radioactive material, such as cesium or cobalt, for a dirty bomb that could be carried in a suitcase. Those materials are widely used in industrial, academic and hospital settings, with no consistent security standards across the globe. Last year, an Associated Press investigation revealed multiple attempts by black market smugglers to sell radioactive material to Middle East extremists.

And before you think we’re safe here in the United States and this is Europe’s problem, keep in mind that in the summer of 2014 there were multiple incidents of nuclear material being stolen from labs in Mexico. What’s of interest is that the materials stolen are exactly what officials described above –  Cobalt and Cesium-137 – both of which could be used to manufacture a radiological dirty bomb.

How To Prepare For A Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear Disaster

While the effects of a nuclear detonation or other CBRN related disasters are such that anything in the immediate blast radius will be killed, it is the fall-out after such an event that would have the most significant impact on the population.

In her book The Prepper’s Blurprint Tess Pennington provides a list of  extensive strategies for how to survive a nuclear disaster. The type of disaster, your proximity, and your level of preparedness will determine your specific response.

In short, Tess says Plan “A” is just as you may have guessed – get out of the area:

If you are told to evacuate keep the following points in mind… If you are driving, keep the car windows and vents closed, and use recirculating air.

Due to the fear of panic and gridlock that will ensure from mass evacuations, most governments will delay mandatory evacuations until the last minute. This will only cause mass confusion and chaos at gas stations, grocery stores and on the streets. The best way to prevent this is to stay ahead of the crowd and prepare ahead of time. 

If you are evacuating during a CBRN event you better plan on delays. And delays could mean life threatening exposure.

Here are two life saving recommendations to consider, as you and your loved ones will be out in the open:

If you are caught in a situation where you can’t get out, you’ll have to shelter in place. Much of how your Plan “B” will work depends on your location, proximity to threat and existing preparedness stockpiles. For the majority of people out there, you may be at home or at work. Some recommendations from The Prepper’s Blueprint:

If told to stay indoors, turn off the air conditioner and other air intakes and go to a basement. Seal basement windows and entrances to prevent fallout from getting inside. If you go outside you will need to remove your outer clothing before coming inside the shelter.

Likewise, creating a sealed area near the entrance of the shelter will prevent fallout dust from entering. Seal the entryway, bubble wrap or plastic sheeting to prevent the dust from coming in.

Preparing for a CBRN disaster includes a variety of strategies. The Urban Guide For Surviving a Nuclear Attack is a good starting point that covers various devices, taking shelter and dealing with fallout.

Some additional resources:

The threat of a Nuclear, Chemical, Biologicial or Radiological event is more real today than ever before. While it is widely believed by citizens of the United States and Europe that such an event will be stopped by law enforcement, military and intelligence services, the fact of the matter is that there are thousands of individuals operating in terror cells around the world whose sole purpose is to kill as many people as possible.

They are actively looking for ways to compromise the system.

They did it in New York in 2001. They did it in London, Madrid, Paris, San Bernardino and Brussels.

And they will absolutely do it again. Anyone who thinks otherwise is naive.

Prepare for it, because once it hits it will be too late.

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

#HUD Wants to Make Living in a Tiny House or RV #Illegal

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March 31, 2016

The tiny house movement has taken America by storm, in part because our economy is in the toilet. People are striving to reduce their expenses by embracing minimalism. They’re breaking free from the corporate grind because, as I’ve always advised, they are learning to live with less and radically reducing their expenses.

But, these days in America, you are sharply admonished when you try to live your life outside of the strictures of the 9-5 world. Is it any surprise that the government is now taking steps to limit our ability to drastically reduce our expenses? They always seem to make illegal anything we try to do to be more independent and moving into a tiny house appears to be the next on their list.

HUD has proposed the following law:

This proposed rule would modify the current exemption for recreational vehicles in the Manufactured Home Procedural and Enforcement Regulations.  Under the current exemption, questions have arisen regarding whether park model recreational vehicles are regulated by HUD’s manufactured home program. These park models are being produced with patio roofs, screened in porches, and other extensions that exceed the 400 square foot maximum exemption in the current regulations. Additionally, some of these models are being marketed as suitable for year round living. HUD’s proposed rule would permit recreational vehicle manufactures to certify that a unit is exempted from HUD’s regulations. Specifically, HUD’s proposed rule would define a recreational vehicle as a factory build vehicular structure, not certified as a manufactured home, designed only for recreational use and not as a primary residence or for permanent occupancy, and built and certified in accordance with either the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1192-2015, Standard for Recreational Vehicles, or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A119.5-15, Recreational Park Trailer Standard. In addition, to provide consumers notice regarding the manufacturing standards used to construct the unit, HUD’s rule would require that units claiming the exemption display a notice that identifies the standards used to construct the unit and states that the unit is designed only for recreational use, and not as a primary residence or permanent dwelling.

That’s right – if this law is passed, living in a tiny house or an RV may become illegal in April of this year.

Self-Reliance Strategies: Resources for Setting Up a #Prepper’s #Homestead Quickly and Inexpensively

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March 31, 2016

This week, the self-reliance report is about the resources and strategies I’ve used for setting up a prepper’s homestead quickly and inexpensively. A lot of research went into swapping environments – I moved from a low country rather dry farm to a cabin in the mountains to set up a homestead in the forest.  As always, I followed a thrifty budget to get things done.

The Self-Reliance Weekly Report is a collection of strategies, made up of the articles, books, DIYs, and products that I found useful on my own little prepper’s homestead.

Prepping

I recently spent a great deal of time searching for the perfect prepper’s retreat. This article discusses my search and offers some tips for finding your own perfect retreat. If your plan is to rely on your homesteading ability to survive when the S hits the Fan, it’s essential to get started now. There’s a steep learning curve and many will fail.

Following, find a collection of some of the most interesting prepper resources around right now.

Homesteading

The past couple of weeks my focus has been getting my new homestead set up as quickly as possible. Here are the resources that I found pertinent.

The first two projects were fencing for my dogs and shelter for my chickens.  I was able to acquire a lot of the supplies for free just kicking around the shed of the place I rented (with the landlord’s permission, of course).  I had to purchase a couple of gates for the fences and my handyman put together this super-cool swingset chicken coop from almost entirely found items. (I used some of the tips from this guide to make my coop predator-resistant.) Just for fun, here are some beautiful, inspiring coop designs.

In the midst of moving chaos, my baby chicks arrived. This time around I went with freedom ranger meat chickens. There are some differences when raising meat chicks vs. laying hens but between this article and this book, I was able to find the necessary information. My brooder did not arrive before the chicks, so they lived in my bathtub briefly. (Thankfully just for 2 days!) In a couple of weeks, I’m going to build them this little “playground” outside.

I’m considering trying my hand at straw bale gardening this year. This article has me almost convinced, so I ordered the most recent edition of a book by the man credited with creating the concept to learn more about it before I commit. I’m also planning to put up some of these bamboo and twine teepee trellises in my garden area.  I have all of the supplies on hand. This weekend will be dedicated to starting my cool weather seeds in the kitchen.

Here are a few more great homesteading resources to check out:

DIY

Farm Blog

We survived the unthinkable. We went without internet or a phone connection for 8 days. *shudder*  I really enjoy researching and blogging, so it was difficult to be so disconnected. However, it was probably good for the entire family. I got most of the house unpacked, we enjoyed some unplugged together time, and I did a lot of reading for sheer enjoyment.

Here are some photos from the new place. :)

This is our dog, Bella, checking out the creek in our backyard.

Bella and the creek

As I wrote above, the baby chicks arrived before my brooder, so I had to house them in my bathtub for a couple of days.  They are Freedom Rangers, which are meat birds, so they grow quickly and eat an astonishing amount of food.

baby chicks in the tub OP

Once the brooder arrived, our dog creepily stared at them non-stop. I’d like to think she is guarding them, but the more likely reason is that she’s dreaming of chicken nuggets.

Bella and the chicken nuggets op

chickovision op

We got to see our Livestock Guardian Dog in action for the first time. I happened to be standing at the kitchen sink, cutting up veggies, when I heard a frantic squawk from one of my chickens. I looked out the window just in time to see 160 pounds of angry teeth and fur rush the fence.  The silly chickens were outside the pasture (although still on my property) and the neighbor’s two pit bull dogs decided they would enjoy a nice chicken dinner.  Thor had other plans, however.  I was in awe at the fury he displayed, and apparently, so too were the roaming dogs. All 3 errant chickens escaped the jaws of death and the pitties turned tail and fled.  Hopefully they learned a lesson and won’t be back.  I was so impressed with Thor!  Of course, I’ve seen him bark protectively and display territorial behavior, but I’d never seen him in full guardian mode and it was a sight to behold. Here’s a photo of my gorgeous boy in his new backyard.

Thor in the backyard op

What’s going on at your farm or urban homestead right now? How’s the weather in your area? Please share your updates in the comments below!

What Life is Really Like Under ISIS Rule

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Michaela Whitton
March 30, 2016

(ANTIMEDIA) United Kingdom —  A group of activists, bloggers, and filmmakers are raising their voices against the propaganda machine of the Islamic State (ISIS) by sharing personal stories of those who have experienced the group’s terror first hand.

The self-declared caliphate’s recruitment strategy promises a fantastic life under their control to those wanting to serve what they consider to be a noble cause. To counter the fictitious and sensationalist propaganda, the Open Your Eyes movement exposes the reality of life under the Islamic State with the aim of showing potential new recruits they are actually joining a death cult — and that what they are being told is lies.

Reiterating that ISIS is not the voice of 1.6 billion Muslims — that it is warping the teachings of Islam and perverting the religion they love — the Open Your Eyes movement was launched by British Muslims. Exposing the utter barbarity of the terror group in the hope of reaching those considering making the journey of no return, it lifts the veil on the brutal reality of life under ISIS control. The movement claims ISIS is prolonging the suffering of Muslims throughout the world and says new recruits are little more than pawns on the chessboard of global power games.

Thanks to those who risked torture and death to recount their suffering, Open Your Eyes is able to share the reality of life in Mosul, Iraq, as well as the stories of Syrian journalists who have escaped torture while attempting to crush Islamic State propaganda.

“Death is better than this”

Women in Mosul have had to adapt to ancient ways of life since ISIS took control. In secret interviews with the women, they described life before the takeover, when they had electricity, they could bake and cook, and their basic needs were met. Now forced to use wood for cooking, and without food or work, they have been forced back in time. There is no electricity or drinking water, and public services have stopped. Covert filming reveals streets strewn with garbage, flies and disease. The women have said even the drinking water smells bad, and that when children drink it, they get get stomach aches and diarrhoea and have to be taken to hospital. They said ISIS has imposed their beliefs on them and complain they are forced to wear face veils (abaya). They said the terror group are often violent towards them and beat them:

“I hope that if ISIS go — god willing — we will go back to our normal life, wear normal clothes, go out and visit our relatives and get out of this prison they have put us in,” one of the women said.

“What kind of life it this?” Another added. “Death is better than this.”

“They took us back to the stone age”

A student in ISIS-controlled Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, said many universities have become places of residence for members of the terror group and their families. Anyone wanting to leave the city must first appear in the Shar’ia court, where someone must act as a guarantor for them to leave. If they don’t return, the guarantor is arrested. Islamic State policies have resulted in textbooks being destroyed, the cancellation of courses, and university departments being shut down.

“They stole the future of most students,” the student said, recalling how he was made to let his hair and beard grow long. He was forced to wear loose clothes and jeans, and bright colours were forbidden. He claimed he can no longer go out with his friends. Smoking is forbidden, and if caught, offenders are whipped and their fingers broken.

“We reject the policies of Daesh because they are nothing but violence and backwardness. The only thing they do is kill people, they took us back to the stone age away from humanity,” said the student.

“Founded on blood”

Renowned for treating journalists particularly harshly, ISIS leaders do not want the truth about those espousing different views to come out. Ahmad, a Syrian journalist, escaped after 50 days of being captured and tortured. Kept blindfolded and tied to a chair while suffering beatings and electric shocks to his genitals, he believed he would never get out and worried for the future of his young son. He said if he could have ended his life, he would have, saying he thought about suicide a great deal during his captivity. In prison, was surprised to see that a former friend was the main torturer. After 50 days, an uprising between various factions and ISIS saw some of his captors killed. Ahmed and the other prisoners were able to break down the doors and escape.

“Daesh are going to disappear in Syria,” Ahmed said, “because nations need laws and solid foundations to thrive, but ISIS was founded on blood.”

Another journalist from Aleppo, Milad Shehabi was writing an article on the Syrian regime’s airstrikes when a group of men dressed head-to-toe in black came to the door and kidnapped him. With seven guns aimed at him, he was warned that if he moved, he would be shot. Kept blindfolded by ISIS for 45 days before being freed by the Free Syrian Army, he said the only thing he could hear in captivity were the sounds of torture and air raids. “We wished they would drop bombs on us to escape the reality we were facing,” he said.

“When we talk about ISIS you have to understand that it doesn’t represent Islam in any way,” he added. “It has perverted the image of Islam globally.”

This article (What Life is Really Like Under ISIS Rule) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Michaela Whitton and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org.

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Police Forced to Apologize after Blood-Thirsty Officer Accidentally Records Himself

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Michaela Whitton
March 30, 2016

(ANTIMEDIA) United Kingdom —The Metropolitan Police have finally apologized and paid out damages for the false arrest and assault of a 20-year-old man at the 2010 student demonstrations — over five years after his tooth was knocked out by a police officer.

As an evidence gatherer, PC Andrew Ott was supposed to look for troublemakers during the student protests in central London. What he didn’t realize in his excessive enthusiasm for the task was that his police radio was on record, capturing every word of his violent boasting.

“I wanna kill these f****** little lot here,” Ott said. “Mate, if that fence goes I’m gonna f****** batter them.”

The accidental recording continued: “Guys, if you happen to move forward and he’s still there, stamp all over his little f****** head,” he said of one protester.

As he bragged that he was more covert than other cops because he wasn’t wearing a jacket, Ott’s menacing threats escalated: “So I’ll go stick in play now and I’ll f****** let some people have it as well.”

William Horner, a student situated near Westminster Abbey, eventually caught the fired-up copper’s attention — and became the target of his aggression. Shortly after Ott hollered to other officers to stop the man, camera footage captured William Horner on the ground, seconds after his front tooth was knocked out by Ott’s riot shield.

Horner had jumped a fence to get away from the increasingly chaotic demonstration in an attempt to get home. Another officer explained to Ott that the man had done nothing to warrant the violence. Rather than being remorseful, the PC continued his tirade: “I f****** knocked his tooth out the c***.”

Not content with hunting down an innocent person, the aggressive cop then grappled with how to frame him. “Well he’s going to have to have done something at the moment because I just put his tooth out,” he said.

Ott was eventually convicted of Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) and sentenced to eight months in prison. This week, the Metropolitan police apologized for the incident and paid an undisclosed sum in damages to William Horner, who said, “I am of course pleased with the apology and damages but if it wasn’t for the accidental recording by PC Ott I could instead be living with a criminal record now.”

It’s unclear why it took the Met nearly six years to apologize. What is clear is that Horner isn’t the first person to be hospitalized by the British police, and he surely won’t be the last. While there is a least a glimmer of accountability for police misconduct in the U.K., this is not an isolated incident; it simply shows PC Andrew Ott was unlucky to be caught.

This article (Police Forced to Apologize after Blood-Thirsty Officer Accidentally Records Himself) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Michaela Whitton and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org.

From theantimedia.org Team

VIDEO: #White College Student Attacked By #Black Classmate For Having #Dreadlocks: “Because It’s MY Culture”

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SF-dreadlocks

It is becoming apparent that for some individuals in this country we should return to the era of segregation. At least that’s what we gather from the following video filmed at a San Francisco university.

As you’ll see in the clip below, a white student with a dreadlock hairstyle is confronted by a black female classmate who verbally attacks him for “appropriating her culture.”

The white man fires back, noting that the hair style is traditionally Egyptian, asking the black female if she happens to be from Egypt.

As the white student tries to leave he is physically assaulted and battered when the woman blocks his exit and then proceeds to pull him by the arm down the stairs. Ironically, the woman then claims that it was the white man who put his “hands on her.”

Indeed he did, but only as a last resort to escape the confrontation and remove himself from the situation.

Is it racism when someone attacks another person based only on the color of his skin?

We’d like to think so, but the “jury” is still out as the San Francisco university in question is “still investigating” the matter.

What is this woman’s ultimate goal? And why did the black man standing next to her not step in, but rather, supported her racial attacks against the white man who was doing nothing more than walking by and minding his own business?

If the situation were reversed and it was a white person who attacked this woman for appropriating white culture by the clothing she wears, the car she drives or the food she eats, we would have massive protests at the campus and administrators would likely already have expelled the racist attacker.

But this is America, and it appears that only white people can be racists.

Perhaps, as one black Harvard student recently argued, white people should just kill themselves to atone for white privilege.

Related:

TIME Justifies Ferguson Violence as Response to White Privilege: “Riots Are a Necessary Part of Evolution of Society”

Uncensored Video: Memphis Mob: Scores of Black Teens Attack Shoppers: “They Got a White Dude… Haha”

Court Outrage: Judge Lets Black Armed Robber Go Free… But Hammers White Victims for Racism

Activist: White People Should Kill Themselves To Atone For White Privilege

Watch: Hate Crime or Random Violence: Black Men Beat White Man Who Refused to Talk About Michael Brown

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

Trend Forecaster’s Dire Warning: Massive #Crash Will Wipe 12,000 Points Off Dow Jones By Late 2017 | #Dent

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stock-market-correction

Trend forecaster and demographic researcher Harry Dent says we are in a massive bubble. And as he explains in his latest interview with Future Money Trends, central banks around the world continue to fuel this bubble with unlimited fiat money printing.

The end result according to Dent?

The biggest bubble burst in history… and it’s coming soon.

There will be… and I will stake my entire reputation on this… we are going to see the biggest global bubble burst in history in the next four years…

There’s only one way out of this bubble and that is for it to burst… all this stuff is going to reset back to where it should be without all this endless debt, endless printed money, stimulus and zero interest rate policy.


(Watch at Youtube)

Their only solution to this debt and financial asset bubbles is to create more debt and more financial asset bubbles… how can that possibly be the solution?

…

The Dow, I’m projecting, will hit 5,500 to 6,000 by late 2017… just in the next year and a half or so. 

That’ll be most of the damage… then it will rally and there’ll be some aftershocks into 2020… my four cycles point down into early 2020 and then they start one after the other to turn up… I think the worst will be over by 2020, but the worst of that will be by the end of 2017.

For more interviews, news and investment strategies visit Future Money Trends.

Harry Dent’s latest book: The Demographic Cliff: How to Survive and Prosper During the Great Deflation Ahead

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

Dystopian Fiction of Yesterday is the #NWO of Tomorrow: “The Shift is Toward #Totalitarianism”

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1984

Many of the things that are happening this very moment have direct parallels in literature of the past.  Whether it is an account such as the “Gulag Archipelago” by Solzhenitsyn or a work of “fiction” such as “1984” by George Orwell is irrelevant.  Elements of the history or the storyline (regarding the former and the latter works) are now becoming thoroughly inculcated into the fabric of modern reality.

All of the measures taken by the Soviet Union to crush and control its population are beginning to manifest themselves today in the United States.  The courts are “stacked” to reflect the decision of the regime and not to rule by law.  The Military Industrial Complex contracts are still being shuffled, along with government policies that just happen to substantiate those business interests with kickbacks for all.  Laws serve political and corporate interests, and the lawmakers themselves do not represent any of their constituents: they are self-serving thieves, selling out their country and its populace for money and power.

The police departments have (for all intents and purposes) been “federalized,” with budgets and marching orders becoming increasingly dependent upon federal and not local or state policies.  Sheriffs who follow their appointed roles as duly-elected law enforcement officials upholding Constitutional guidelines are being “phased out” of existence.  The changed demographics of “forced” insertions of illegal aliens and “refugees” into populations are rapidly negating the remainder of the two-party system to ensure that the Democratic party takes control ad infinitum.

Orwell envisioned it.  His work is labeled a work of fiction, although all of the measures Oceania pursued are either currently in place in the United States or they’re being developed.  There is mass surveillance, increasing by the day.  The “internet of things,” as coined by former General David Petraeus, is almost primed to allow “telescreens” to watch our every movement, and a camera on every corner to back them up.  Orwell hated totalitarianism, having been exposed to it in his short but accomplished lifetime, and he knew man’s propensity was to move toward the enslavement of his fellow man.

The development of new weapons by DARPA and the MIC are not toward a foreign enemy so much as the purpose of using them against the citizenry.  Drones, robots, nanotechnology, and every other “gizmo” able to be employed are all being drawn from behind the black curtain to unleash upon the citizens.  Also, the world’s situation is directly paralleling “1984” as three great spheres of influence…Europe, Asia, and North America…are being created by the powers that be.  Global governance in “thirds” is probably the NWO end state, as outlined by Orwell for a very significant reason: control with as much ethnic and cultural homogeneity as possible.

It stands to reason that an Oriental (“Eastasia,” in “1984”) empire/totalitarian state would control the Oriental nations, rather than split it up between populations that are not as closely related linguistically and culturally.  We are seeing those shifts of influence into the divisions outlined by Orwell now, as the nations jockey for position and power.  Just as in “1984,” where it stated that even two of the super-states in alignment and concerted efforts could not together topple the third, perhaps the same is with our world.

The shift is toward totalitarianism, and the populations have been (and are being) conditioned to accept, if not embrace, collectivist thought and socialism.  A good example was a film called “the Mutant Chronicles,” in which there were four great super-states that were organized not as nations but as corporations, that made war with one another over resources.  We see the blending of government and corporation today in virtually every facet of life, with the illusion of elections and the illusion of choice upheld to keep the population around the dullard state of consciousness.

What will save us from this?  Will we be able to save ourselves from it?  The more and more one watches freedoms disappearing by the day, the more one must wonder if there is a way to stem the tide.  Orwell and Solzhenitsyn…visionary and historian…gave us blueprints to follow…checklists with which to use as frameworks of reference for what is befalling us daily.  Someday it may be that the brief period of freedom enjoyed by the American people may be categorized as a “work of fiction” in a future that may not even allow anyone to read it.

Jeremiah Johnson is the Nom de plume of a retired Green Beret of the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne).  Mr. Johnson is also a Gunsmith, a Certified Master Herbalist, a Montana Master Food Preserver, and a graduate of the U.S. Army’s SERE school (Survival Evasion Resistance Escape).  He lives in a cabin in the mountains of Western Montana with his wife and three cats. You can follow Jeremiah’s regular writings at SHTFplan.com.

This article may be republished or excerpted with proper attribution to the author and a link to www.SHTFplan.com.

Also Read:

Obama Pushes For Widespread Surveillance State: “At This Rate We’ll All Be In Cages… Either Electronic Or Literal”

How To Survive Occupied America: “Red Dawn Just Started… And You’re In It”

Collision Course: As Obama Weakens America, The Russians And Chinese Prepare

Forced Economic Free Fall the Precursor to Collapse: “The World Is About To Enter A Global Depression Unlike Anything Seen Before”

The Trigger: If This Ever Happens You Know You’re Days Away From Nuclear War

Jeremiah Johnson’s Green Beret Survival Guides

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

Urban Survival: When the Cities Fall Apart, These Strategies Will Keep You Alive

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The following guide was originally compiled by Tess Pennington at ReadyNutrition.com. Tess is the author of the widely popular and highly rated The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Prepare For Any Disaster

urban-population

Collectively speaking, there are many of us who have been preparing for emergencies and have read our fair share of prepper fiction and watched enough apocalyptic thrillers to know that the higher the population density, the more dangerous it can be in a disaster. As well, when resources like food and fuel have to be transported from outside the city limits, then your survivability rate lessens. So what about those who have to live in the city? Should they just stop prepping all together? Would they stand a fighting chance at surviving?

According to the last census, 80.7 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas. In fact, many choose to live the higher populated areas because of better paying jobs and better school systems, so the probability of a SHTF event happening while you are in the city is likely. As well, because many commuters spend a large majority of their time away from their homes, I recommend having these 20 items on hand to get you back home.

In an interview by Rory from The Daily Coin, he asked if it is possible to live out a SHTF scenario in an urban setting. The answer is yes, but for a majority of us, we must ask ourselves if we are up to the challenge. Because while I do believe someone could get by in an urban setting, it could prove to be more challenging for the Average Joe.

Urban Survival – Is It Even Possible?

If you are forced to stay in the city after a disaster occurs, all is not lost. I do believe urban survival is possible, but you may need to get creative. Ultimately, being able to survive in an urban setting during a major ordeal depends on multiple factors: specifically, the type of disaster, if basic infrastructure is still up, where you are located, what you have with you and your skill sets. Moreover, I believe that whether you are surviving in an urban setting or a rural one, you need the same things for survival: food, water, shelter, protection (sound familiar?). The difference is you will need to rely more on your skills and ingenuity in finding opportunities to use to your advantage in a post-disaster city. In both scenarios, rural and urban survivors will also have to find a way to carry on for long durations. That is, when your short-term reserves are tapped out, what’s your long-term plan?

Above all, the population density will be your greatest threat and your resources will quickly be depleted. If you are not familiar with Selco’s story from SHTFSchool.com, he survived in an urban setting and tells his story and shares ways that he and others survived on his website. Some of the critical needs he outlines are:

Food – No city can feed it’s people on its own and when the supply trucks stop running, supplies will quickly be depleted. It is wise to have food on hand. I outlined 25 must-have versatile foods for your pantry.

As well, I highly recommend storing a variety of heirloom seeds. These can be to grow sprouts for emergency nutrition and for gardens for long-term food sources. You could also plant edible flowers. Not only will they be lovely to look at, but they will provide sustenance when you need it the most. Alternatively, if you can locate food packing plants or warehouses in your city, that may be a good place to allocate additional food reserves if yours runs out. This article can provide information on foraging for weeds.

Water – Municipal water sources can become tainted and it will be up to you to locate water sources. Water could look crystal clear and still contain very dangerous contaminants. – so avoid this all together and make sure you have some water stored away. Your skills will come in handy here if you are actively practicing how to survive. Here are five different ways to find water when there is none to be had. As well, consider having a map on hand of water sources in close proximity to you.

Fuel – Due to so many who are getting out of dodge and leaving the city, the fuel stores will quickly be depleted. As well, this could be problematic for running your generators. Many preppers prefer to have some alternative fuel on hand, or even biomass briquettes. Make sure you follow the proper safety guidelines for storing fuel, especially those who live in apartments.

Many suggest solar panels as a good power alternative. While I like this idea, I think it can also draw unwanted attention, so further security measures should be put in place to hide the solar panels from view.

Power – The failure of the power grid will prevent things from getting back to normal. When the majority of the population realize things aren’t going to change any time soon, and the above listed items aren’t available, there will be breakdowns to the level of social collapse. Many feel this very reason is why it’s important to be ready to bug out on a moment’s notice. If you are caught in this, it could be very dangerous.

What You Will Be Up Against

While it is entirely possible to survive in the city, you need to know what you will be up against. I realize that I am painting a very bleak picture, but those who stay behind and choose not to bug out are either under prepared, trapped in the city or have enough skills and know-how to make it on very little stored resources. The latter will not be the majority. Therefore, be prepared for roaming gangs, thugs and desperate individuals who have resorted to a more primal version of themselves. They will do what they need to in order for their needs to be met. If they haven’t eaten in days, they will smell your food from miles away, so you need to know how to mask the smells of your food or you could be welcoming unwanted visitors whose primary focus is to take what you have.

Security will be crucial in surviving in an urban setting and having a group you can depend on will make it all the more secure. Many neighbors and friends living in close proximity will band together and help to fortify the homes or find a suitable location in a higher location so you can get a bird’s-eye view of the scenery.  One aspect that the city offers is a plethora of building materials to use for fortifying a home. If you start looking for fortifying plans now, you will have a better idea on what materials you will need. I also cannot stress how important it is to have a means of protecting yourself. If someone kicks in your door, they aren’t only looking for a cup of sugar. Having a firearm and knowing how to use it could make all the difference in the world.

As well, having a keen grasp on communication skills with your group to ensure your perimeter is safe and make sure you will have alerts to possible threats. Communication is key and you should have multiple forms of communication, especially if a family or group member ends up being separated. One of the greatest threats we all face in cities are terrorist attacks. They target highly populated cities with dirty bombs and chemical weapons, and what we saw in Brussels that is can happen in peaceful cities, as well. Today it was Brussels. Where will it be the next time they hit America? Protecting yourself is the only option to ensuring your family has what it needs, including gas masks to gauge against chemical and biological attacks.

Start Finding Ways to Think Outside of the Box:

As I mentioned previously, to survive in a post-disaster urban setting, you will need to get creative in the way you work problems. Nothing should be wasted and everything could be used. Trash lying around can be repurposed and fashioned into something more useful. As well, start reading resources that can help you in your future preparations. The following books have great information on this type of survival.

SAS Urban Survival Handbook

The Prepper’s Blueprint

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

The human species has always found way to survive and times aren’t all that different. In order to thrive in an urban environment, you need to be aware of what’s stacked against you: the lack of resources, possible threats, roaming gangs and violence. If you can change your line of thinking, utilize key skill sets and become more fluid with the problem, your odds improve.

The Prepper's Blueprint

Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint, a comprehensive guide that uses real-life scenarios to help you prepare for any disaster. Because a crisis rarely stops with a triggering event the aftermath can spiral, having the capacity to cripple our normal ways of life. The well-rounded, multi-layered approach outlined in the Blueprint helps you make sense of a wide array of preparedness concepts through easily digestible action items and supply lists.

Tess is also the author of the highly rated Prepper’s Cookbook, which helps you to create a plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply and includes over 300 recipes for nutritious, delicious, life-saving meals. 

Visit her web site at ReadyNutrition.com for an extensive compilation of free information on preparedness, homesteading, and healthy living.

Also From Tess Pennington:

Free Web Series: 52 Weeks to Preparedness: An Emergency Preparedness Plan For Surviving Virtually Any Disaster

Preparedness 101

Disaster Scenarios

Going Rogue: 15 Ways to Detach From the System

When the Trucks Stop Delivering, ‘The System’ Will Collapse

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

Make a Thrifty DIY Swingset #Chicken Coop

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March 29, 2016

Do you have one of those old A-shaped swingsets rusting in your backyard? If you do, then you have the basis for an awesome swingset chicken coop! (And if you don’t, watch Craigslist – there are frequently  people offering them for free to whoever comes to pick them up.) Creativity is key when you go DIY for your coop.

When we moved recently we had to leave our wonderful chicken coop behind, since it was attached to the barn. While I drooled over some of the beautiful chicken Taj Mahals that are available, I’m on a pretty tight budget so it was important to use items that I could acquire either cheap or free. Luckily, the house we moved to had some pretty interesting stuff in a shed and an old rusty swingset in the woods.

Old swingset

I don’t have a lot of construction skills but the guy who put up my fence does, and luckily, he was on board with my wacky, freebie-scrounging ideas.

For the price of some labor, some hardware, some chicken wire, and a fancy-dancy hanging chicken waterer, I got a snazzy new coop that keeps my chickens safe and sound.

Here’s what we used:

  • A swingset with the swings removed
  • 2 pieces of corrugated metal on the top 3/4 plus a strip of it over the top to help weather proof
  • Some sheets of plywood for the bottom back of the coop
  • A piece of chain link fencing for the bottom in order to keep out predators
  • Some old pieces of fence posts for the bottom of the coop to attach the chicken wire and chain link to
  • Some lumber for the door
  • Chicken wire (It was cheaper from Amazon than from my local store)
  • A double-hinged latch
  • A chicken waterer

If you’re making a scrounged chicken coop, be creative and see what you components you can find for cheap or free.  Because most of the items used were found, this isn’t as much a how-to as it is something to inspire you.  Here are some photos so you can see how my coop was assembled.

The Scoop on my Swingset Chicken Coop

The door is very heavy, which adds a layer of security against critters that might try to get in during the night. During the day, I use a bungee to hold the door open in the event of wind so no chickens get squashed. (They’re at the door because they know they’re either getting food or getting out.)

Chicken coop door

There is also a heavy duty double hinged latch that I fasten with a carabiner at night for an added layer of security. (Order a similar latch here.)

Latch

The bottom is covered with a piece of chain link fencing that is attached to the boards that form the bottom edge of the coop.

chicken coop floor

My biggest splurge is this hanging 5 gallon water dispenser. It stays much cleaner raised a few inches off the ground, only needs to be refilled every few days, and I used the exisiting hook for a swing to hang it from. (You can order your own hanging dispenser here – it is a lower price than it was at my local feed store.)

Hanging water dispenser

Here’s the interior of theswingset chicken coop. The chickens like to roost on the cross bars on each end, and there is an extra bar from an old closet that was also installed. I used some cubbies from my previous garage for nesting boxes. (I probably should have taken the interior pic before I put the chickens in here to poop on everything. Of course, anyone who has chickens knows that a coop only looks clean for about 10 minutes.)

Coop interior

The coop in all of its glory. I’ll be painting the plywood soon to make it a little prettier.

DIY Swingset Coop

Thor, our LGD, is happy to follow the chickens around and protect them because he realized they’re like little feathered Pez dispensers, dropping nice little egg treats around the yard for him to enjoy. I lock them in the coop a couple of days per week and that gives us more than enough eggs for our needs. The rest of the eggs get scattered around the yard for a doggie version of an Easter egg hunt. Thor’s a little skinny so the added fat will do him good. You can see him licking his dog lips in the photo below. :)

Thor and the chickens

This Stunning Chart Shows How Trump’s Border Wall Will Stop Illegal Immigration

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There have been a lot of arguments put forth about Trump’s border wall idea.

Some say such a wall will do nothing to stem the tide of illegal immigrants crossing into the United States through our southern border. Others argue that the hundreds of miles of border can only be secured by a well constructed barrier.

The following chart from The Daily Caller should put any debate over the matter to rest.

The data is compiled from immigration statistics by the Hungarian Police and shows that not only does such a wall work, it begins working almost instantly.

Several European countries have erected fences to keep migrants out, and, according to the numbers, every case appears to have a large impact.

…

When the fence went up Oct. 17, the influx went down to 870 from 6,353 only a day earlier. Illegal border crossing were steadily below 40 per day throughout the rest of the month

chart-trump-wall

The numbers speak for themselves.

We now have proof of concept for how to mitigate and eliminate the immigration crisis facing the United States.

Are our elected officials prepared to step up and do what needs to be done?

 

Hattip The Daily Caller via Zero Hedge

Also Read:

Watch: How Liberals React When Asked to House An Illegal Immigrant Child In Their Homes

Obama Unleashes Open Border Free-for-All: “Might As Well Abolish Our Immigration Laws Altogether”

Watch This Angry Foreigner: Here’s What Happened In Sweden When Muslim Immigrants Swarmed Their Country

Immigration End Game Revealed: New Law Would Give Illegal Immigrants The Right To Vote, Collect Government Benefits

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

#Google To Begin Alerting Users if #Gmail Account is Targeted by Government

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Clarice Palmer
March 28, 2016

(ANTIMEDIA) As privacy advocates celebrate the FBI’s decision to stop harassing Apple over the San Bernardino shooter’s encrypted iPhone, other tech giants seem to have finally noticed that what consumers want is privacy. But for privacy to prevail, the government must stop snooping.

With that idea in mind, Google decided to change how the game is played.

In an official Google blog update detailing new security measures for Gmail, the tech giant announced it would begin alerting consumers whenever the firm detects an account is being targeted — or rather, hacked — by government agencies or their proxies. While the company believes less than 0.1 percent of Gmail users will receive this type of warning, the idea that a tech giant is going to these lengths to give users peace of mind and privacy should give advocacy groups across the country reason to continue celebrating.

Google opened its official statement by announcing the company has a “variety of new protections” in store “that will help keep Gmail users even safer.” The idea, Google added, is to “promote email security best practices across the Internet as a whole.” As one of these efforts, Google announced improvements to its “state-sponsored attack warnings,” a system that has been in place since 2012, when Google began warning Gmail users when their accounts were being targeted by attackers tied to the government.

While these “warnings are rare,” Google noted, “we’re launching a new, full-page warning with instructions about how these users can stay safe.”  The blog pointed out that “the users that receive these warnings are often activists, journalists, and policy-makers taking bold stands around the world.”

Enhancing its warning system is not the only thing Google is doing to keep users safe. According to the tech giant, its “safe browsing” notifications will also be expanded to warn users beforehand that a link they are about to open appears suspicious.

Google will also improve its email encryption securities by partnering with Comcast, Yahoo, and Microsoft.

From BGR:

“Google wants to further improve email encryption, and the company partnered up with Comcast, Microsoft and Yahoo to submit a draft IETF [Internet Engineering Task Force] specification for ‘SMTP Strict Transport Security.’ Essentially, Google and its partners want to make sure that encrypted email stays encrypted along its entire path from sender to recipient.”

This idea was originally explored by Google on Safer Internet Day, the day the California company introduced a new tool giving Gmail users a visual warning whenever they receive a message that hasn’t been delivered using encryption. The warning is also displayed whenever a user is about to send an email to an account whose email service provider doesn’t support TLS encryption.

While this step had a positive effect, as Google reported on its blog announcement, the company decided to go even further by partnering with other companies in order to develop a new IETF specification standard. This is intended to help companies “ensure that mail will only be delivered through encrypted channels, and that any encryption failures should be reported for further analysis, helping shine the spotlight on any malfeasance occurring around the Internet.”

The move was Google’s response to research carried out by its researchers, along with the University of Michigan and University of Illinois. According to researchers’ findings, “misconfigured or malicious parts of the Internet can still tamper with email encryption.” That created the necessity for further action in order to protect Gmail users.

This article (Google To Begin Alerting Users if Gmail Account is Targeted by Government) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Clarice Palmer and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11 pm Eastern/8 pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, please email the error and name of the article to edits@theantimedia.org.

 

From theantimedia.org Team

#Snowden: #Brussels Attack AND #Boston Bombing Could Have Been Stopped

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Claire Bernish
March 28, 2016

(ANTIMEDIA) Edward Snowden proffered a rather damning criticism of international intelligence during a lecture last week, arguing the terror attacks in Belgium were entirely preventable and could have been stopped. As Snowden explained:

“In all the talk of Brussels, there’s a story that just recently broke, which I’m not sure has gotten the same play as the others, which is that the attack was preventable; and it was preventable through traditional means, not mass surveillance. An allied intelligence service — in this case, in Turkey — warned Belgium that this individual was a criminal, that they were involved in terrorist activities, and this individual turned out to be one of the suicide bombers.”

As Snowden noted during the University of Arizona panel discussion, which also included Professor Noam Chomsky and journalist Glenn Greenwald, these reports surfaced almost immediately after the attacks claiming Belgian and other intelligence forces had been notified of the potential danger this individual posed. In fact, an exclusive, though unverified report by Haaretz claimed “The security services knew, with a high degree of certainty, that attacks were planned in the very near future for the airport and, apparently, for the subway as well.”

But what stands as a matter of crucial importance is that we’ve witnessed, yet again, not only a failure by intel to act on credible information, but a further example of the uselessness of mass surveillance to thwart any attack. It wasn’t surveillance that gave Belgian intelligence its information, rather, it had been Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sounding the alarm. Turkey had previously deported one of the attackers as a “foreign terrorist fighter” — and Turkish officials notified the Belgian embassy in Ankara they had done so.

“In the United States, we have the same thing, in the Boston Marathon bombings. We were explicitly warned by foreign intelligence services that one of the brothers [who] was involved in the bombings would be engaged in that kind of activity,” Snowden added.

In fact, it was Russian intelligence that alerted the FBI about about Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s links to militant Muslim terrorist groups; but the ostensibly inept U.S. intelligence community failed to do anything — due to a spelling error in his name. Whether that was actually the case or something darker might have been afoot remains unclear, but the point is the same: even when the appropriate governmental agencies have the information necessary to stop a terrorist attack, they fail to do so — every time.

Tsarnaev had been investigated, and in June 2011, the FBI concluded he had “no links to terrorism,” NBC News noted. In September, according to the Independent, “Russia’s FSB sent a cable to the CIA restating their initial warning, and a second note on Tsarnaev was entered on the TECS [U.S. Customs and Border Protection database] system, but his name was misspelled ‘Tsarnayev.’”

A few months later, he was in ‘terror training’ in Dagestan after passing through Moscow. When he returned to the U.S. via New York’s JFK Airport, his name triggered an alert but, due to the misspelling, he wasn’t considered a top priority among the “100 other names on a ‘Hot List’ of people traveling through JFK that day.”

It appears the same fumbling took place surrounding the Brussels attacks: two of the brothers involved, Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui, “were listed as a potential terror threat in U.S. databases,” NBC News reported, citing unnamed and unverified U.S. officials. Congressional committees have now requested to know which databases, for how long, and “whether and how the information was shared.”

Despite these multiple intelligence blunders concerning individuals known to be dangerous, politicians immediately proposed even further truncations of civilian liberties, both in Europe and the United States. In an interview with Democracy Now, Glenn Greenwald discussed the implications:

“I think it’s really important to note a couple of things about Brussels. Number one is, the Brussels attack is now the fourth straight attack, after Boston, the Charlie Hebdo massacre, and then the Paris attacks, where siblings, brothers, were at the heart of the planning. And just like in those three previous attacks that I just referenced, the attacks were carried out by people who live in the same communities, who live very close to one another, and who almost certainly met in person in order to plan them. And yet, the exploitive mindset of Western politicians is to say, every time there’s a successful attack carried out, it means we need to wage war on encryption, we need greater surveillance, we need more police in these communities. But the reality is … none of that will actually help detect the attack.”

Indeed, it appears such crackdowns — including Cruz’ and Trump’s call for patrolling Muslim neighborhoods and Clinton’s insistence on increased surveillance and police forces — serve, instead, to fuel resentment, which ultimately breeds more terrorist activities. Greenwald explained the most facile solution to terrorism by noting what drives it. For “15 years,” he said, the United States “has been declaring itself at war and bombing multiple countries and then acts surprised when people want to come and attack us back.

“And so I think, more than saying we need more intelligence and more surveillance and wage war on encryption and more bombing campaigns, we need to be asking whether there are things that we can be doing that reduce the incentive for people to kill us … and especially the support infrastructure that they get because of the anti-American and anti-European sentiment that gets generated when we engage in all of this violence in the world.”

Snowden, Greenwald, and myriad experts continue to warn of how this cycle not only creates more terrorists, but, almost by design, seems meant to make pliable the populace for increasing infringements on privacy rights. Ultimately — and perhaps because — these attacks were preventable by traditional means, and yet still were allowed to happen, we must be more suspicious than ever of programs initiated under the pretense of increasing security.

This article (Snowden: Brussels Attack AND Boston Bombing Could Have Been Stopped) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Claire Bernish and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org.

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From theantimedia.org Team

Report: There Is No Sign Of #Recession: “Strong Consumer Spending Underscores The Economy’s Underlying Strength”

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party-like-its-1929

For those who think the U.S. economy is going under, a report from Reuters suggests you’re just peddling fiction.

According to official data there is nothing to worry about. We are not only not in recession, but the economy is fundamentally strong and only getting stronger.

Relatively strong consumer spending underscores the economy’s underlying strength and should further allay fears of a recession, which triggered a massive stock market sell-off early this year.

…

“The consumer is back in the driver’s seat. There is no sign of recession in these data so this will put a smile on Fed officials’ faces and argues for their policy of gradual interest rate normalization to continue,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG Union Bank in New York.

GDP growth was initially estimated to have risen at only a 0.7 percent rate. The economy grew at a 2.0 percent pace in the third quarter and expanded 2.4 percent for all of 2015.

Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two thirds of U.S. economic activity, rose at a 2.4 percent pace and not the 2.0 percent rate reported last month. More consumption of services than previously estimated accounted for the revision.

Though at first glance this report may sound convincing, as is normally the case with official data and the mainstream propaganda that follows, some key points have been ignored.

First, while the economy officially grew at a rate of 2.0%, when you adjust for built-in upside bias to official reporting according to ShadowStats.com, we actually had a negative growth rate of nearly -2.0%.

shadowstats-2015q4-gdp

Second, as Michael Snyder recently noted, some 23% of Americans in their prime working years are currently unemployed, so we’ve seen absolutely no real jobs recovery and those jobs that have been created are generally low-paying:

When you look at only Americans that are from age 25 to age 54, 23.2 percent of them are unemployed right now.  The following analysis and chart come from the Weekly Standard…

“There are 124.5 million Americans in their prime working years (ages 25–54). Nearly one-quarter of this group—28.9 million people, or 23.2 percent of the total—is not currently employed. They either became so discouraged that they left the labor force entirely, or they are in the labor force but unemployed.This group of non-employed individuals is more than 3.5 million larger than before the recession began in 2007,” writes the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee.

…

Clearly, we have never recovered from the impact of the last recession.

So if this many Americans are unemployed and wages are dropping nationwide, where is the consumer getting the money to boost spending by 2.4%?

The answer comes to us directly from the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report.

According to the Fed, revolving consumer debt increased a whopping 5.6% during the fourth quarter of 2015, which means that the GDP growth rate and consumer spending growth was largely driven by… you guessed it, debt.

The government and our central bank will continue to play these games until such time that a majority of Americans end up jobless, starving and without future prospects as the middle class is slowly but surely wiped out.

We are already seeing the cracks, as evidenced by a recent report that Walmart Customers Are Too Broke To Shop.

As trend forecaster Gerald Celente once warned, when that day comes and people have lost everything and have nothing else left to lose, they will lose it.

We are being told that whatever issues there may have been are now largely resolved. But just as was the case in the months leading up to the crash of 2008, the signs are everywhere. And just as happened in 2008, the Panic will hit with full force, much to the surprise of most:

So, what happens when the Panic of 2016 happens?

The Panic of ’08 helped wipe out the middle class… this is going to eliminate it to a large degree, because they’re deep in debt…

…

The markets have been artificially juiced up… so when this thing comes down it takes the top down… the last time it pulled out the bottom… so this is going to be a top-down crash.

And there’s not going to be anything to pump it back up because they’ve blown all their ammunition…

We encourage our readers to prepare accordingly.

Also Read:

Trend Forecaster Gerald Celente Warns: Prepare For The Panic Of 2016: “History Will Remember This”

Venture Capitalist Says Investors Are Terrified Of Market Volatility And Weak Economy: “They Are Scared And Don’t Know What To Do”

This Is How Bad The Economy Really Is: “Walmart Customers Are Too Broke To Shop”

SHTFplan and Mac Slavo www.shtfplan.com

3 Cops Shot by #Gun Traced Back to Recently-Fired #Chicago Cop

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Claire Bernish
March 28, 2016

(ANTIMEDIA) Chicago, Illinois — A gun used by a suspect who died in a shootout, in which three officers from the Chicago Police Department were wounded, has been traced to a surprising source: a former Lake County sheriff’s deputy.

Now, Chicago police are scrambling to figure out how the gun owned by the unnamed former deputy — who was, incidentally, fired from his law enforcement position last Friday — ended up in the hands of convicted felon, Lamar Harris.

According to the Chicago Tribune:

“Multiple law enforcement sources confirmed that authorities investigating the shooting have traced the weapon that wounded the three officers back to the deputy.”

Rich Bruno, vice president of the Illinois Council of Police, the union representing the three injured officers, the deputy had been placed on leave two days prior to being terminated. Because the firing occurred while the 27-year-old deputy was still within the mandatory twelve-month probationary period for new officers, Lake County was not required to disclose a reason.

Though Bruno told the Tribune that to “the best of [his] knowledge” the gun had been “reported stolen,” the deputy told investigators he didn’t even realize his gun was missing, according to an unnamed law enforcement source.

Interestingly, the unidentified former deputy appears to have a bit of a checkered history in law enforcement. The Tribune explained:

“State records show that the officer who initially purchased the handgun later used by Harris worked for the Chicago Police Department from June 2013 to January [2016], and multiple law enforcement sources said he worked at least part of that time in the Harrison District where the shooting occurred. He started working for the Lake County sheriff’s highway patrol division Jan. 11, the undersheriff said.

“Prior to joining the Chicago force, the man served as a reserve officer for the Lake Geneva, Wis., department for about two months in spring 2013, according to department officials. He was still in a training phase and had limited, if any, experience on the street before he was hired by the Chicago force.”

On March 14, three Chicago officers observed a man, later identified as Harris, and a woman acting suspiciously, and approached them to investigate. Harris immediately fled the scene on foot, firing the gun in question as he ran — and hitting all three officers.

“One officer was shot in the back, another in the foot, and a third in the chest,” where it struck the officer’s bulletproof vest, according to authorities cited by the Herald-News.

One of the three officers managed to fatally shoot Harris in the exchange, and the dubious firearm was found in his possession. The woman, who reportedly also fled but was uninvolved in the exchange of gunfire, was later questioned by police and released without charge.

Now that the owner of the gun has been identified, though not publicly, its path from a recently-fired officer to the hands of man who had been arrested at least 40 times takes on paramount importance.

Police officials refused to comment on both the circumstances surrounding the deputy’s termination, as well as if he played any role in the shooting incident.

This article (3 Cops Shot by Gun Traced Back to Recently-Fired Chicago Cop) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Claire Bernish and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org.

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How Robert #DeNiro Got Himself into the #Vaccine-#Autism Debate Cross-Fire

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Jake Anderson
March 28, 2016

(ANTIMEDIA) Last Friday, Robert De Niro, actor and cosponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, announced a documentary about vaccinations made by controversial anti-vax doctor Andrew Wakefield would be screened at the festival. One day later, DeNiro changed course, announcing the film had been pulled from the lineup.

Wakefield’s documentary, Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Conspiracy, argues there is a conspiracy by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conceal the medical links between vaccines and autism. The gastroenterologist has been vocal on the issue for over a decade, despite harsh condemnation from critics who believe Wakefield has been completely disgraced and his theories debunked.

The highly divisive issue pits a large contingent of vaccine ‘truthers’ —recently buoyed by none other than Donald Trump — against an even larger community of scientists who say there is no evidence that vaccines used to immunize infants cause autism.

Left in between are confused parents, who are increasingly anxious about the issue and the competing campaigns of information (or, what the respective sides would declare disinformation). DeNiro, whose son is autistic, took to Facebook on Friday to defend the screening of the film:

“Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined. In the 15 years since the Tribeca Film Festival was founded, I have never asked for a film to be screened or gotten involved in the programming. However this is very personal to me and my family and I want there to be a discussion, which is why we will be screening ‘Vaxxed.’ I am not personally endorsing the film, nor am I anti-vaccination; I am only providing the opportunity for a conversation around the issue.”

Due to overwhelming outside pressure, DeNiro reversed course almost immediately and on Saturday posted an update to his previous statement:

“My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family,” he wrote on the festival’s Facebook page. “But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for.”

The vast majority of scientists and doctors maintain that extensive research by the World Health Organization, the Institute of Medicine and the CDC soundly discredits anti-vaxxer claims. However, there is still a large and passionate movement of activists who continue to believe vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) put infants at greater risk of autism. In 1998, Wakefield published a study purporting to prove this link, but it was almost unanimously rejected by the scientific community. Critics claimed Wakefield used fraudulent data and his medical license was revoked. The very journal that published the study eventually redacted it.

The Tribeca Film Festival originally described Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Conspiracy on its website as containing “revealing and emotional interviews with pharmaceutical insiders, doctors, politicians, parents, and one whistleblower to understand what’s behind the skyrocketing increase of autism diagnoses today.”

DeNiro defended the decision, saying, “The Festival doesn’t seek to avoid or shy away from controversy.”

The trailer for the documentary opens with the question: “Are our children safe?” It proceeds to feature the voice of a whistleblower who claims it’s actually the CDC that has committed fraud, not Wakefield.

Though she praised the festival for yanking the film, Lane says the damage has already been done as Wakefield and his anti-vaxxer supporters can use the ban as a symbol of censorship “and that will add to his conspiracy theory aura.”

This article (How Robert De Niro Got Himself into the Vaccine-Autism Debate Cross-Fire) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Jake Anderson and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. Image credit: David Shankbone. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org.

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Comfort Food Recipe: Pot Pie Made with NuManna #Emergency Food

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March 28, 2016

A lot of folks are under the impression that emergency food has to be eaten as is, without embellishment, in some grim survivalist fashion. It doesn’t have to be like that, though. You can easily and deliciously use NuManna emergency food to help extend a small amount of other foods to make it enough to nourish a group.

If a down-grid emergency happens, you’ll probably have some leftovers in your refrigerator that need to be eaten before they spoil. When we had some leftover duck recently, I decided to pull a package of NuManna’s Potato Casserole out of a Grab-and-Go pack to create a comfort food dish that was similar to a pot pie.

NuManna Emergency Food potato casserole

As I’ve written before, emergency food is indeed processed, and it’s probably not something you want to make the backbone of your everyday diet. I recommend NuManna’s products because they contain far fewer harmful additives than other brands of emergency food. The company is committed to providing food free of the following ingredients:

  • No GMOs
  • No High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • No Added MSG
  • No Aspartame
  • No Soy
  • No Chemical Preservatives

They also offer gluten-free products for those who have issues digesting wheat. (This was especially important for my family, since two of us are quite intolerant of gluten.)

Pot Pie made with NuManna Emergency Food

Back to the kitchen.

First, I started cooking the potato casserole on the stovetop.  Here’s what it looked like when it came out of the package.

NuManna Emergency Food potato casserole before cooking

I shredded the meat that we had left over from our roasted, home-raised duck, then stirred in some frozen mixed vegetables. You could use whatever meat you have on hand and add in either frozen, canned, or leftover vegetables. I put this in a glass casserole dish while the potato topping was cooking. Then I stirred up a packaged organic, gluten-free gravy mix with some water and added it to my meat and vegetable mixture. (I keep this product on hand for emergency cooking purposes.)

Meat and vegetable mixture

When the potato casserole was almost done, I spread it on top of the mixture in my casserole dish.  I had access to an oven, but if you didn’t, you could cook up the gravy mix and stir in the meat and veggies, then return it to you casserole dish. In that case, you’d cook the potato casserole all the way and just spread it on top of your mixture and enjoy.

Here’s what it looked like before it spent 15-20 minutes in the oven at 425.

NuManna Emergency Food potato casserole topping

Once the casserole reaches the desired golden-topped deliciousness, allow it to rest for 10 minutes before dishing it out.

Preppers Market Recipe Potato Pot Pie using NuManna Emergency Food

How do you use your emergency food supplies?

Do you just cook them as per the instructions and serve them, or do you combine them with other supplies? Share your ideas in the comments below.

Be sure to visit Prepper’s Market! These are all products I’ve used myself and trust to see my own family through an emergency.

The End of America’s Two-Party System May Be upon Us

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Chris “Kilila” Perrin
March 26, 2016

(UR) Washington, D.C. —  There’s a reason most parliamentary and presidential democracies have more than two political parties, and both Trump and Sanders are examples of why. Both nominee-hopefuls have increasingly come to represent polar opposites of the singular problem that the American two-party political system is suffering from: Stagnation.

With only two parties, what this presidential race is showing is that there has been a tendency for those parties to become static and unbending in their policy, stance, and platform. Historically, one or both of the parties must then break, either because the progressive edges within the party force it apart, or voters start to see the party as inflexible and obsolete. It has happened before in the U.S., and it looks like it is happening again. The recent increase of voters registering as independent, as well as the parallel growth in independent candidates, is a good example of the level of dissatisfaction people and politicians now have with the GOP and Democratic Party. It is also an indication that American democracy is changing. Again.

The inclusion of Sanders in the Democratic Party, Trump in the Republican, and the cataclysmic portrayal of them both in the media, has only confused the issue. This is particularly noticeable as Trump is often blamed for the imminent demise of the GOP as a relevant institution. With both candidates running for the nomination of their respective parties, the GOP and the Democratic Party appear internally fractured, split on major issues and confused as to their directions. This can only be the case in a two-party system.

As a country with a long history of a two-party system, these internal party divisions can feel like a breakdown of sorts. In a multi-party system, however, the issue would not be so destabilizing. Although a multi-party democracy does have the down side of sometimes appearing to have too many parties and politicians to choose from, space exists within the system to have the centre-left (Democratic Party) and centre-right (GOP) represented, while far-left and -right candidates don’t tear the centrist parties apart from within.

Whatever the new face of democracy in America, and whatever the future implications of the 2016 election, what is clear is that Americans are no longer content to be represented by parties too close together at the center of the political spectrum. At the very least, the fact that Trump and Sanders have gained so much traction throughout their respective nomination bids is a clear indication that the U.S. will not become a single-party state any time soon. That is at least something to be happy about.

This article (The End of America’s Two-Party System May Be upon Us) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Chris “Kikila” Perrin and UndergroundReporter.org. If you spot a typo, please email the error and the name of the article to undergroundreporter2016@gmail.com. Image credit: Flickr/DonkeyHotey

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