How Wall Street Parasites Have Devoured Their Hosts, Your Retirement Plan and the U.S. Economy
by PAM MARTENS
The riveting writer, Michael Hudson, has read our collective minds and the simmering anger in our hearts. Millions of American have long suspected that their inability to get financially ahead is an intentional construct of Wall Street’s central planners. Now Hudson, in an elegant but lethal indictment of the system, confirms that your ongoing struggle to make ends meet is not a reflection of your lack of talent or drive but the only possible outcome of having a blood-sucking financial leech affixed to your body, your retirement plan, and your economic future.
In his new book, “Killing the Host,” Hudson hones an exquisitely gripping journey from Wall Street’s original role as capital allocator to its present-day parasitism that has replaced U.S. capitalism as an entrenched, politically-enforced economic model across America.
This book is a must-read for anyone hoping to escape the most corrupt era in American history with a shirt still on his parasite-riddled back.....
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Immigrant Crisis Is the Final Nail in the EU Coffin | The Daily Sheeple
Immigrant Crisis Is the Final Nail in the EU Coffin | The Daily Sheeple
Joshua Krause
The Daily Sheeple
August 31st, 2015
One of the biggest flaws with the EU, was the idea that they could house dozens of cultures with distinct histories and languages, all under one roof, and expect them to thrive. You can’t hold 28 nations together under one union, when all of these countries have wildly different interests, expectations, and priorities. Every time the EU faces a problem, some states will get their way while others get shafted, and another stake is driven through the union.
These nations have differences that can’t be reconciled, and each time a crisis arrives, it only serves to drive a wedge between each government. And history will likely view the latest immigration crisis as the final straw that led to the dissolution of the European Union.
Europe is currently being swamped with Middle Eastern refugees who are fleeing their shattered homes. Just last month saw 107,000 refugees arrive in the EU, and Germany alone is expected to take in 800,000 people by the end of the year. You can already see how this is starting to divide the European superstate. Take a look at how Germany’s current chancellor is responding to the crisis.
Cont.....
Joshua Krause
The Daily Sheeple
August 31st, 2015
One of the biggest flaws with the EU, was the idea that they could house dozens of cultures with distinct histories and languages, all under one roof, and expect them to thrive. You can’t hold 28 nations together under one union, when all of these countries have wildly different interests, expectations, and priorities. Every time the EU faces a problem, some states will get their way while others get shafted, and another stake is driven through the union.
These nations have differences that can’t be reconciled, and each time a crisis arrives, it only serves to drive a wedge between each government. And history will likely view the latest immigration crisis as the final straw that led to the dissolution of the European Union.
Europe is currently being swamped with Middle Eastern refugees who are fleeing their shattered homes. Just last month saw 107,000 refugees arrive in the EU, and Germany alone is expected to take in 800,000 people by the end of the year. You can already see how this is starting to divide the European superstate. Take a look at how Germany’s current chancellor is responding to the crisis.
Cont.....
Is George Soros Betting On The Long-Term Future Of Coal? | Zero Hedge
Is George Soros Betting On The Long-Term Future Of Coal? | Zero Hedge
Submitted by Michael McDonald via OilPrice.com,
Perhaps the greatest nightmare for investors in a commodity stock is that the commodity in question goes the way of coal. After more than a century of dominance in the U.S. and abroad, coal appears to have entered into a structural decline. The EIA and others see coal export volumes declining, domestic U.S. demand remaining questionable, and intense competition from natural gas continuing.
A funny thing happened on the way to the graveyard for coal companies though – one of the industries greatest detractors, George Soros, appears to be stepping in as a supporter.
Soros, whose $24 billion fortune is built on successful trading, appears to have purchased several million dollars’ worth of stock in coal producers Peabody and Arch Coal according to filings reviewed by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper. Thermal coal has been hit hard by shifting utility company preferences for other power sources, while metallurgical has been hammered by the downturn in China which has hit demand for steel and other building materials. 2014 was a terrible year for coal producers, and 2015 has not shaped up much better.
All of this leads one to wonder what a savvy trader like Soros sees in coal. There are a few possibilities. First it’s possible that Soros is simply looking for a short-term bounce in beaten down coal stocks that have been left for dead. After all, the stocks of virtually all coal miners now trade for a fraction of what they did only a few years ago, and investors may be overly pessimistic about the short-term outlook in the sector.
Soros could simply be looking to trade on optimism the stocks related to his own investment, or even simply trying to pick the last coal stocks that will be left standing. In particular, news of Soros’ investment immediately led to a surge in the stock price of many coal firms which created an instant paper profit for Soros. It’s possible that the billionaire was simply looking to capitalize on a bounce he expected from the news, and then sell his shares as the news hit. If so, he did well. Given recent prices for the stocks, Soros could have made up to a 100 percent on his investment – perhaps as much as $2 or $3 million dollars.
But for a billionaire like Soros, $2-3M is hardly worth getting excited about. After all, a minimal 5 percent return on his net worth would yield $1.2 billion in a year or about $4.8 million each trading day – why go to any extra work or take on a lot of risk for a paltry couple million in short term gains?
Another more optimistic possibility is that Soros sees value in the companies given their provable reserves, which are on the order of 11 billion tons. In theory, these resources are worth hundreds of billions of dollars. It’s possible that Soros is looking to buy distressed assets for pennies on the dollar and then profit handsomely if coal prices rise in the future due to a combination of bankruptcies in the industry and reduced regulatory pressures. That theory is a possibility – after all 11 billion tons is a lot of coal, and coal prices are at decade-plus lows with futures prices near $50 a tonne. Perhaps Soros thinks coal has a long future ahead and that the magnitude of its issues are overstated. It’s possible prices cannot go much lower.
Therein lies the issue though. With prices at current levels, the assets themselves may not be economical to exploit. In practice, unless the resources can be profitably extracted from the ground, they are worth nothing.
Of course some commentators think Soros is simply covering pre-existing short positions. Given his well-known political leanings, it would not be surprising at all if Soros had shorted coal. If he did, and the purchases in recent months are merely short-covering, then investors may be getting excited about a false signal of optimism from Soros. There is no way to know if this is the case of course, but given the level of volatility in the industry and the risks to the future of the sector as a whole, investors would be wise to make sure any bets in business are well diversified.
Submitted by Michael McDonald via OilPrice.com,
Perhaps the greatest nightmare for investors in a commodity stock is that the commodity in question goes the way of coal. After more than a century of dominance in the U.S. and abroad, coal appears to have entered into a structural decline. The EIA and others see coal export volumes declining, domestic U.S. demand remaining questionable, and intense competition from natural gas continuing.
A funny thing happened on the way to the graveyard for coal companies though – one of the industries greatest detractors, George Soros, appears to be stepping in as a supporter.
Soros, whose $24 billion fortune is built on successful trading, appears to have purchased several million dollars’ worth of stock in coal producers Peabody and Arch Coal according to filings reviewed by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper. Thermal coal has been hit hard by shifting utility company preferences for other power sources, while metallurgical has been hammered by the downturn in China which has hit demand for steel and other building materials. 2014 was a terrible year for coal producers, and 2015 has not shaped up much better.
All of this leads one to wonder what a savvy trader like Soros sees in coal. There are a few possibilities. First it’s possible that Soros is simply looking for a short-term bounce in beaten down coal stocks that have been left for dead. After all, the stocks of virtually all coal miners now trade for a fraction of what they did only a few years ago, and investors may be overly pessimistic about the short-term outlook in the sector.
Soros could simply be looking to trade on optimism the stocks related to his own investment, or even simply trying to pick the last coal stocks that will be left standing. In particular, news of Soros’ investment immediately led to a surge in the stock price of many coal firms which created an instant paper profit for Soros. It’s possible that the billionaire was simply looking to capitalize on a bounce he expected from the news, and then sell his shares as the news hit. If so, he did well. Given recent prices for the stocks, Soros could have made up to a 100 percent on his investment – perhaps as much as $2 or $3 million dollars.
But for a billionaire like Soros, $2-3M is hardly worth getting excited about. After all, a minimal 5 percent return on his net worth would yield $1.2 billion in a year or about $4.8 million each trading day – why go to any extra work or take on a lot of risk for a paltry couple million in short term gains?
Another more optimistic possibility is that Soros sees value in the companies given their provable reserves, which are on the order of 11 billion tons. In theory, these resources are worth hundreds of billions of dollars. It’s possible that Soros is looking to buy distressed assets for pennies on the dollar and then profit handsomely if coal prices rise in the future due to a combination of bankruptcies in the industry and reduced regulatory pressures. That theory is a possibility – after all 11 billion tons is a lot of coal, and coal prices are at decade-plus lows with futures prices near $50 a tonne. Perhaps Soros thinks coal has a long future ahead and that the magnitude of its issues are overstated. It’s possible prices cannot go much lower.
Therein lies the issue though. With prices at current levels, the assets themselves may not be economical to exploit. In practice, unless the resources can be profitably extracted from the ground, they are worth nothing.
Of course some commentators think Soros is simply covering pre-existing short positions. Given his well-known political leanings, it would not be surprising at all if Soros had shorted coal. If he did, and the purchases in recent months are merely short-covering, then investors may be getting excited about a false signal of optimism from Soros. There is no way to know if this is the case of course, but given the level of volatility in the industry and the risks to the future of the sector as a whole, investors would be wise to make sure any bets in business are well diversified.
Creator Of "Fair DUI Flyer" Arrested at Florida Checkpoint | The Daily Sheeple
Creator Of "Fair DUI Flyer" Arrested at Florida Checkpoint | The Daily Sheeple
Joshua Krause
The Daily Sheeple
August 31st, 2015
Earlier this year, Florida attorney and civil rights activist Warren Redlich created the “Fair DUI flyer” in response to the proliferation of unconstitutional police checkpoints across the United States. By holding the flyer up to your car window, along with your driver’s license and registration, you can quickly assert your rights and provide all of the information that you’re legally required to give to a police officer, without actually interacting with said officer. This prevents the police from using subjective excuses like smelling alcohol or hearing slurred speech to detain you. The flyer has since been used successfully by many other activists and concerned citizens.
However, some of the police departments in Florida don’t agree with Redlich’s interpretation of the law, and won’t recognize the flyer. This is despite the fact that Florida state law clearly requires you to “exhibit” your ID, and nothing more. The city of Coral Gables actually adopted a policy that would charge anyone who refuses to hand over their license with a misdemeanor. So after hearing about a DUI checkpoint in Coral Gables, Redlich decided to test his flyer in the city. Redlich was eventually arrested, after refusing to hand over his driver’s license to the police officers manning the checkpoint.
The police cited 322.15 of Florida’s statute for his arrest, even though that law is an infraction, not an arrestable offense. Three hours after the incident he was released and issued a citation for violating 322.15. He plans to file a lawsuit against the city of Coral Gables, though money isn’t what he’s after. “The goal is to get a federal judge to make sure that police follow the law, including 322.15 as well as Supreme Court cases on checkpoints.”
Joshua Krause
The Daily Sheeple
August 31st, 2015
Earlier this year, Florida attorney and civil rights activist Warren Redlich created the “Fair DUI flyer” in response to the proliferation of unconstitutional police checkpoints across the United States. By holding the flyer up to your car window, along with your driver’s license and registration, you can quickly assert your rights and provide all of the information that you’re legally required to give to a police officer, without actually interacting with said officer. This prevents the police from using subjective excuses like smelling alcohol or hearing slurred speech to detain you. The flyer has since been used successfully by many other activists and concerned citizens.
However, some of the police departments in Florida don’t agree with Redlich’s interpretation of the law, and won’t recognize the flyer. This is despite the fact that Florida state law clearly requires you to “exhibit” your ID, and nothing more. The city of Coral Gables actually adopted a policy that would charge anyone who refuses to hand over their license with a misdemeanor. So after hearing about a DUI checkpoint in Coral Gables, Redlich decided to test his flyer in the city. Redlich was eventually arrested, after refusing to hand over his driver’s license to the police officers manning the checkpoint.
The police cited 322.15 of Florida’s statute for his arrest, even though that law is an infraction, not an arrestable offense. Three hours after the incident he was released and issued a citation for violating 322.15. He plans to file a lawsuit against the city of Coral Gables, though money isn’t what he’s after. “The goal is to get a federal judge to make sure that police follow the law, including 322.15 as well as Supreme Court cases on checkpoints.”
ClubOrlov: The Howling Wilderness of the Mind
ClubOrlov: The Howling Wilderness of the Mind: I grew up in a tiny town of less than 1500 people in western Montana. It is a land of breathtaking natural beauty, and for 18 years I live...
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