Philippines v. China: Court Rules Favorably on Jurisdiction, Case Will Proceed

China’s nine-dash line will have its day in international court.

By Ankit Panda

October 30, 2015

 

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On Thursday, October 29, the Permanent Court of Arbitration awarded its first decision in the The Republic of Philippines v. The People’s Republic of China. The court ruled that the case was “properly constituted” under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, that China’s “non-appearance” (i.e., refusal to participate) did not preclude the Court’s jurisdiction, and that the Philippines was within its rights in filing the case. In short, Thursday’s decision means that the Permanent Court of Arbitration rules in the Philippines’ favor on the question of jurisdiction. With the jurisdictional issue resolved, the case can move forward to evaluating the merits of the Philippines’ legal assertions in the South China Sea.
In a press release, the Court noted that the  decision was “unanimous” and “concerns only whether the Tribunal has jurisdiction to consider the Philippines’ claims and whether such claims are admissible.” Notably, the Court has rejected an argument in China’s position paper that the “2002 China–ASEAN Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea constitutes an agreement to resolve disputes relating to the South China Sea exclusively through negotiation.” The Court has decided that the Declaration on Conduct was a “political agreement that was not intended to be legally binding.” This may influence the already lethargic process between China and ASEAN toward a binding Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.
As the Court prepares to consider the merits of the Philippines’ claims, it’s worth revisiting what exactly Manila is seeking a decision on. As Jay Batongbacal succinctly outlined over at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative earlier this year, Manila is looking for the Court to decide on four primary questions.
First, and most vexing for China, is the status of Beijing’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea. Manila argues that the nine-dash line is an excessive maritime claim and not in line with the entitlements for coastal states under UNCLOS. With jurisdiction question resolved, we can look forward to China’s nine-dash line getting its day in international court (although, notably, without China taking part to defend it). China has kept the scope of its nine-dash line ambiguous under formal and customary international law, but once the Court decides on the matter, its ability to maintain ambiguity will be limited.
Second, based on the first point, that the nine-dash line is an excessive claim, the Philippines is arguing that China’s occupation of various features in the Spratly Islands is illegal. As Batongbacal notes, Manila “ argues this is based on illegitimate claims to title or sovereignty over completely submerged areas, or historic rights to living and non-living natural resources, including control of maritime navigation.”
Third, the Court will evaluate the Philippines’ argument that China is illegally exploiting natural resources within areas that would fall under the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under UNCLOS. Fourth, Manila claims that China has interfered with its ability to freely navigate its own EEZ.
The Court can rule for or against the Philippines on specific claims and does not have to rule on the case as a single question. According to the Court, the jurisdictional issue is not fully resolved on all of the Philippines’ requests. The Court has requested that Manila clarify a submission and will consider seven specific submissions “in conjunction with the merits.”
Though China has refused to formally participate in the proceedings of the Court, it issued a position paper on the issue of the Court’s jurisdiction in December 2014. The Court has since accepted this position paper as a formal submission by China and took it into consideration in Thursday’s decision.
With the jurisdictional issue resolved, the Court will move forward now to assess the merits of the arguments being made by the Philippines and China. International law may come to play a major role in determining where tensions in the South China Sea end up. The Court expects to issue a decision on the merits of this case in 2016.

Benghazi Smokescreen: Hiding Western War Crimes in Libya

http://www.slguardian.org/2015/10/benghazi-smokescreen-hiding-western-war-crimes-in-libya/

Benghazi Smokescreen:
Hiding Western War Crimes in Libya

By Thomas C. Mountain (*)

The recent Benghazi smokescreen produced by the US Congress may have
tried to hide the war crimes committed by the USA and its western
vassals in Libya but reality on the ground has blown all the smoke
away bringing to light who the west really empowered once again, the
Islamic State a.k.a. Da’esh.

Through out the Benghazi hearings no mention was made of the tens of
thousands of Libyans that were massacred by the over 10,000 bombing
raids flow by western pilots, part of a no fly zone enacted even
though there was not a single aerial raid by Gaddafi prior to the
imposition of such. No mention of this at the hearings of course,
the fact that there was absolutely no need for a no fly zone because
there never had been any bombings by Gaddafi of anyone in Libya
during the entire rebellion.

The fraudulent no fly zone was part of a trio of fabricated charges
used to incite international support for a particularly criminal war
that destroyed a country whose people enjoyed a life that was the
envy of their neighbours.

During the golden age of Libyan peace and prosperity under Muammar
Gaddafi and his peoples movement Libya was generally an island of
religious moderation surrounded by neighbours fighting powerful
extremist movements that were the forefathers of today's Islamic
State takfiri/wahabists.

Today's Islamic State leader in what used to be Libya is one Bel
Haj, infamous for his role in recruiting suicide bombers to
slaughter untold thousands of Iraqi Shi’ite during his reign over Al
Queda in Iraq after the US invasion.

During the Libyan rebellion he was recast as an anti Gaddafi patriot
fighting a despotic regime in Libya. Tens of thousands of US made
bombs later and the death of Gaddafi, the man who released him from
prison, Bel Haj is now Caliph of a large chunk of north Africa, once
part of Gaddafi's Jammahariya.

Where do you think Boko Haram in Nigeria is getting its weapons
from?

The other two lies used to whip up international opinion against the
Gaddafi government where so intertwined in an historic racism rooted
deep in the Arab psyche that all it took were broadcasts alleging
Black, African mercenaries were raping Arab women to send hundreds
of thousands of Libyan families fleeing their homes. Yet not one
case of rape has ever been proven never mind Hillary Clinton’s
Viagra fuelled mass rape charges. Of course, this question will
never be raised in the likes of the Benghazi hearings, though an
Amnesty International senior investigator was in Benghazi a week
after the rebellion broke out in 2011 and reported that there had
been no rapes, no African mercenaries and only 110 dead total,
including both sides, before the No Fly Zone was launched under
fraudulent pretexts.

No black mercenaries, no rapes, and no aerial bombardments, the war
against Libya was based entirely on lies. No wonder Pax Americana
had to try so hard to divert attention from anything resembling
scrutiny of what they created, the lawlessness and terrorism in what
was once the state of Libya.

With a homeland under the Islamic State and its Caliph, Bel Haj,
fanatics from the entire region have a haven to rest and recuperate,
and rearm, before returning to the front lines to commit more murder
against apostates and infidels where ever they may be. Boko Haram
has certainly benefited from Libyan arms and Bel Haj’s support.

All the smoke used to dress the Benghazi melodrama and punditry has
blown away for now, and no one in the USA is any wiser about what
really happened in the destruction of a once proud nation, Libya.
For this we can thank the Benghazi smokescreen and those behind the
fog machines, the ever faithful media in the west.

(*)The author, Thomas C. Mountain, is an independent
journalist living and reporting from Eritrea since 2006. He can be
reached via twitter @thomascmountain, on Facebook at
thomascmountain or via email at thomascmountain[AT]gmail.com

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October 30, 2015

Should We Fight for the Spratlys?

Pat Buchanan

10/30/2015 12:01:00 AM - Pat Buchanan

Trailed by two Chinese warships, the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed inside the 12-nautical-mile limit of Subi Reef, a man-made island China claims as her national territory.Beijing protested. Says China: Subi Reef and the Spratly Island chain, in a South China Sea that carries half of the world's seaborne trade, are as much ours as the Aleutians are yours.
Beijing's claim to the Spratlys is being contested by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan. While Hanoi and Manila have occupied islets and built structures to back their claims, the Chinese have been more aggressive.
They have occupied rocks and reefs with troops, dredged and expanded them into artificial islands, fortified them, put up radars and are building air strips and harbors.
What the Chinese are about is easy to understand.
Having feasted and grown fat on trade surpluses with the United States, the Chinese are translating their economic strength into military power and a new strategic assertiveness.
They want to dominate East Asia and all the seas around it.
We have been told our warships are unwelcome in the Yellow Sea and the Taiwan Strait. Beijing also claims the Senkakus that Japan occupies, which are covered by our mutual security treaty.
And not only is the South China Sea one of the world's crucial waterways, the fish within can feed nations and the floor below contains vast deposits of oil and gas.
Who owns the islands in the South China Sea owns the sea.
Moreover, our world has changed since Eisenhower threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend Taiwan and the offshore islands of Quemoy and Matsu -- and since Bill Clinton sent two U.S. carrier battle groups through the Taiwan Strait.
Now we send a lone destroyer inside the 12-mile limit of a reef that, until recently, was under water at high tide.
What China is doing is easily understandable. She is emulating the United States as we emerged to become an imperial power.
After we drove Spain out of Cuba in 1898, we annexed Puerto Rico and the Hawaiian Islands, where America settlers had deposed the queen, took Wake and Guam, and annexed the Philippines. The subjugation of Filipino resistance required a three-year war and thousands of dead Marines.
And the reaction of President McKinley when he heard our Asian squadron had seized the islands:
"When we received the cable from Admiral Dewey telling of the taking of the Philippines I looked up their location on the globe. I could not have told where those darned islands were within 2,000 miles."
In 1944, General MacArthur, whose father had crushed the Filipino resistance, retook the islands from the Japanese who had occupied them after Pearl Harbor.
At the end of the Cold War, however, Manila ordered the United States to get out of Clark Air Force Base and Subic Bay naval base. We did as told. Now our Filipino friends want us back to confront China for them, as do the Vietnamese Communists in Hanoi.
Before we get ourselves into the middle of their dispute, before we find ourselves in an air war or naval clash with China, we ought to ask ourselves a few questions.
First, why is this our quarrel? We have no claim to any of the Spratly or Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. Yet, each of the claimants -- Beijing, Taipei, Manila, Hanoi -- seems to have maps going back decades and even centuries to support those claims.
Besides freedom of the seas, what is our vital interest here?
If these islands are Chinese territory, Beijing has the same right to build air and naval bases on them as we do in the Aleutians, Hawaii, Wake and Guam. What do we hope to accomplish by sailing U.S. warships into what China claims to be her territorial waters?
While the ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet are superior to those of the Chinese navy, China has more submarines, destroyers, frigates and missile boats, plus a vast inventory of ground-based missiles that can target warships at great distances.
In an increasingly nationalist China, Xi Jinping could not survive a climbdown of China's claims, or dismantlement of what Beijing has built in the South China Sea. President Xi no more appears to be a man to back down than does President Putin.
Continued U.S. overflights or naval intrusion into the territorial waters of Chinese-claimed islands are certain to result in a violent clash, as happened near Hainan Island in 2001.
Where would we go from there?
China today is in trouble. She is feared and distrusted by her neighbors; her economy has lost its dynamism; and the Communist Party is riven by purges and rampant corruption.
If we believe this will be the Second American Century, that time is on our side, that Chinese communism is a dead faith, we ought to avoid a clash and show our opposition to Beijing's excesses, if need be, by imposing tariffs on all goods made in China.
China's oligarchs will understand that message.

First They Jailed the Bankers, Now Every Icelander to Get Paid in Bank Sale

Economy · News · Politics

October 29, 2015 by True Activist

Powered by Translate

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Claire Bernish
October 29, 2015
(ANTIMEDIA) Iceland — First, Iceland jailed its crooked bankers for their direct involvement in the financial crisis of 2008. Now, every Icelander will receive a payout for the sale of one of its three largest banks, Íslandsbanki.
If Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson has his way — and he likely will — Icelanders will be paid kr 30,000 after the government takes over ownership of the bank. Íslandsbanki would be second of the three largest banks under State proprietorship.
“I am saying that the government take some decided portion, 5%, and simply hand it over to the people of this country,” he stated.
Because Icelanders took control of their government, they effectively own the banks. Benediktsson believes this will bring foreign capital into the country and ultimately fuel the economy — which, incidentally, remainsthe only European nation to recover fully from the 2008 crisis. Iceland even managed to pay its outstanding debt to the IMF in full — in advance of the due date.
Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Budget Committee vice chairperson, explained the move would facilitate the lifting of capital controls, though he wasn’t convinced State ownership would be the ideal solution. Former Finance Minister Steingrímur J. Sigfússon sided with Þórðarson, telling a radio show, “we shouldn’t lose the banks to the hands of fools” and that Iceland would benefit from a shift in focus to separate “commercial banking from investment banking.”
Plans haven’t yet been firmly set for when the takeover and subsequent payments to every person in the country will occur, but Iceland’s revolutionary approach to dealing with the international financial meltdown of 2008 certainly deserves every bit of the attention it’s garnered.
Iceland recently jailed its 26th banker — with 74 years of prison time amongst them — for causing the financial chaos. Meanwhile, U.S. banking criminals were rewarded for their fraud and market manipulation with an enormous bailout at the taxpayer’s expense.

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This article (First They Jailed the Bankers, Now Every Icelander to Get Paid in Bank Sale) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Claire Bernish andtheAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, emailedits@theantimedia.org.

Read More: http://www.trueactivist.com/first-they-jailed-the-bankers-now-every-icelander-to-get-paid-in-bank-sale/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TrueActivist+(True+Activist)

earthquakes and volcano activity, earthquakes and volcanoes

10/26/2015 — Past 7 days of earthquake activity shows MAJOR UNREST taking place

October 26, 2015 Michael Janitch Leave a comment

The past 7 days of international earthquake activity shows MAJOR unrest taking place after weeks of relative silence.
The graphic below shows all events M4.0 > greater (internationally), and M3.0 > greater (United States). Clearly the whole of the West Pacific, Asia, and even the United States was displaced along plate boundaries.

According to the earthquake forecast issued on October 20, 2015, we are still watching Central America for a larger event to strike.
The Pacific Northwest was already hit by a M4.8 earlier this week, and two swarms near volcanoes (Mount Diablo / San Francisco CA) and Mount Davis (Oregon).   Additionally, several M3.0 events struck at the Gorda Escarpment in North California as well.
See the earthquake forecast video here, several of the areas which were called for movement have already been hit:


_______
Keep watch still in North California… just in case… no way things will immediately die down around the Pacific after seeing two M7.0+ events in the past few days, and a new round of deep earthquakes striking this morning — this means we’re not out of the woods yet.
East Pacific MUST move in relation to the other M7.0+ events, and the deep events which have now struck in succession of one another.
This much deep movement means the whole Pacific Plate will adjust, right now the pressure transferred WEST from the West Pacific (like Normal) towards Europe. The cluster spot near Pakistan / India / Afghanistan gave way today.. the pressure will also transfer across the Pacific plate to the United States, Central America, and South America.
We should see things spill across over the next 1-2 days tops. This brings us to the end of the earthquake forecast period, but NOT to the end of the pressure event taking place.
I’ll have to do another forecast come Wednesday and update accordingly based upon the deep movement happening now.
This much deep movement means the Pacific Rim countries need to be on heightened alert.. no joke, no exaggeration here… be on watch for larger movement based upon the deep movement.
Yesterdays deep M5.2 gave way to todays M7.5 in another region adjacent to the Pacific.. pressure transferring…
Todays new deep M5.2 just a bit away from the original deep M5.2 will most likely give way to another larger event in another adjacent area. Like clockwork, it usually strikes within a day or two as the pressure transfers UPWARDS from the deep movement below.
Deep movement causing shallower movement in other areas has been proved via a series of TESTS done by geologists in New Zealand last year.. deep earthquakes cause shallow earthquakes in adjacent areas, sometimes THOUSANDS of miles away. Not a matter of opinion, this is a matter of fact. See the facts for yourself here:

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earthquakes and volcano activity, earthquakes and volcanoes

10/26/2015 — Large M7.5 earthquake strikes Afghanistan — Major Global Unrest Underway

October 26, 2015 Michael Janitch Leave a comment

After weeks with no large earthquake activity, this current week has proved to be a real jolt back into reality — first a M7.2 earthquake struck the West Pacific, now a M7.5 earthquake (M7.7 revised) strikes the mideast in Afghanistan.

Just as expected, yesterday (October 25) a very deep earthquake occurred below the Pacific plate, which led me to issue a warning for a coming large earthquake measuring at least TWO magnitudes higher than the deep event, which was a deep M5.2.
We were watching for a M7.2 or greater to strike West / Northwest of the deep earthquake.  Now a M7.5 struck West / Northwest within 1 day of the deep earthquake event.
See my post on the deep event here:
https://www.facebook.com/DutchsinseOfficial/photos/a.363126717073092.106418.296574443728320/1019235091462248/?type=3&theater
_________
This new large earthquake location in Afghanistan, near the India border, was discussed in the most recent earthquake forecast, see the earthquake forecast video here:


________
Information on this event from the USGS:

M7.5 – 45km N of `Alaqahdari-ye Kiran wa Munjan, Afghanistan

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us10003re5#scientific_origin:us_us10003re5

Magnitude	7.5 mww
Location/uncertainty	36.441°N 70.717°E± 6.4 km
Depth/uncertainty	212.5 km± 1.8
Origin Time	2015-10-26 09:09:32.760 UTC
Number of Stations	–
Number of Phases	132
Minimum Distance	77.03 km (0.69°)
Travel Time Residual	1.23 sec
Azimuthal Gap	21°
FE Region	Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan (718)

________

New Study Finds That 2/3 Of People On Anti-Depressants Are Not Clinically Depressed

Health · News

October 26, 2015 by John Vibes

According to a new study, doctors are dishing out anti-depressant drugs to pretty much anyone, and most of the patients don’t even meet the official criteria for clinical depression, which is likely a fabricated disorder to begin with.
The study, which can be found in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, says that 69% of people who were prescribed anti-depressants did not actually exhibit the signs that doctors are supposed to look for when treating clinical depression.
According to the study:

Using data from the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) Study Wave 1 (1981) through Wave 4 (2004–2005) (N = 1,071), we assessed lifetime prevalence of common mood and anxiety disorders according to DSM-III and DSM-III-R criteria, based on 4 interviews, among participants who reported current antidepressant use. Furthermore, we examined factors associated with current antidepressant use.
Thirteen percent of participants at Wave 4 reported currently using antidepressant medications. Among antidepressant users, 69% never met criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD); and 38% never met criteria for MDD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, or generalized anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Female gender, Caucasian ethnicity, recent or current physical problems (eg, loss of bladder control, hypertension, and back pain), and recent mental health facility visits were associated with antidepressant use in addition to mental disorders.

Many individuals who are prescribed and use antidepressant medications may not have met criteria for mental disorders. Our data indicate that antidepressants are commonly used in the absence of clear evidence-based indications.

The most over prescribed, unnecessary and problematic drugs on the market today are antidepressants, ADHD medication and opiate-based painkillers. Clinical depression and attention deficit disorder are both fabricated conditions that were made up by the pharmaceutical industry to create a new market where they could push more of their dangerous and ineffective drugs. The medications that are currently on the market for these conditions have extremely harsh side effects and very low rates of success, yet they are still over prescribed by thousands of doctors.
People are depressed because they live in a society where injustice and exploitation run rampant, not because they are “sick and need medication“. This medication is even known to make people feel more depressed and in extreme cases even lead to suicide or violent outbursts. Clinical ADHD is also a myth, children are supposed to be hyperactive, playful and disorderly, this is no “sickness”. The drug companies wish to create a culture where everyone can be labeled with some kind of sickness that will require them to be on maintenance medication. On an even deeper level, the establishment promotes these drugs because it makes the population easier to maintain, especially if they are drugged from an early age.

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John Vibes writes for True Activist and is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war.
This article (New Study Finds That 2/3 Of People On Anti-Depressants Are Not Clinically Depressed) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com.

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THE GARDENER’S TALE OF FRAUD AND SILENCE

Monthly Archives: October 2015

• October 28, 2015
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THE GARDENER’S TALE OF FRAUD AND SILENCE

Category : Seeds/Articles

Foreign Service Accuses SMARTMATIC of Fraud As COMELEC Keeps Mum on the Falsification of Bid Document
 Under a Rule of Law the consequences of this act could be quite grim for the 2016 elections.
 Immediate Antecedent
The Philippine Consul of Caracas, Venezuela is an Honorary Consul by the name of Atty. Andres Duarte Vivas who has served in that capacity for twenty-five years now. In a letter to the Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Catalino R. Dilem, Jr. Duarte wants “to go on record… respectfully requesting an investigation” regarding fraudulent acts committed by Smartmatic Corporation, the Venezuelan firm that illegally ran Philippine elections in 2010 and 2013, and may do so again in 2016. In his letter-complaint Duarte said that “in my 25 years as consular officer representing the Philippines such an event [the Smartmatic fraudulence] has never occurred [before].” Well, gardeners noted that there is always a first time.
The “through channels” journey of a piece of communication went this route, according to Gardener investigations. First, in a separate letter, Ambassador Dilem forwarded the contents of the Duarte complaint to the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs. The latter, through his Undersecretary and Chairman of the Overseas Voting Secretariat, former Ambassador and current DFA Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis, wrote a letter to the COMELEC Acting Chairman Christian Robert S. Lim through Commissioner Al. A. Parreno, Commissioner-in-Charge of OFOV or the Office for Overseas Voters, respectfully forwarding Ambassador Dilem’s letter “with the subject Fraud Allegations Against Smartmatic” and the closing line, “For the COMELEC’s information and appropriate action.”
The way COMELEC has been so favorably treating Smartmatic to date seems to indicate that it threw the Foreign Service complaint against Smartmatic into a garbage bin where it really does not belong. Comelec Chairmen may change names – Brilliantes to Lim and Lim to Bautista – but the question remains: Why does COMELEC keep silent on the allegations of fraud and falsification lodged by no less than the Philippine Consul in Venezuela against Smartmatic Corporation? Is that silence “the appropriate action” called for by the Consular allegations? The act complained against is in the nature of an election crime over which the COMELEC has proper, if not exclusive, jurisdiction.

The Complaint
Ambassador Dilem made a five-point summary of the Honorary Consul General’s report and sent it to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs “for the Department’s appropriate action.”
Firstly, on 16^th March 2015, “Smartmatic, through its representative Mr. Argishalei Briceno, submitted to PHCG [Philippine Honorary Consul General] Caracas 46 documents; and on 23^rd March 2015, an additional 10 documents, all for notarization (acknowledgment).
“Prepared by the company’s legal counsel, Atty. Sergio Alluve, the documents were to be sent later to the PHL Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in connection with the bidding for certain electronic voting equipment to be used in the 2016 PHL national and local elections.”
Secondly, on 27^th March 2015 Smartmatic was informed by PHCG Caracas “that the documents [which were quite lengthy] would be ready for release by 30 March 2015. Mr. Briceno, the company’s representative, requested the honorary consular post for the issuance of a certification stating that the documents were still in process, apparently to convince the COMELEC to grant Smartmatic an extension of time to submit the documents to them, as the bidding was scheduled to take place on 30 March 2015.
“For this purpose, Mr. Briceno provided PHCG Caracas with a draft of the requested certification printed with that post’s electronic seal for the review and signature of Consul General” Duarte Vivas.
Thirdly, without the honorary consular post’s prior knowledge and approval, Smartmatic sent to COMELEC a FRAUDULENT CERTIFICATION, with FORGED SEAL as well as the FORGED SIGNATURE of Atty. Duarte Vivas, “patterned after and hewing closely to the draft certification dated 27 March 2015 that was presented by Mr. Briceno” earlier for PHCG’s consideration. In his letter to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Dilem attached the forged and the authentic seal and logo for comparison purposes.
Fourthly, on 30^th March 2015 Smartmatic’s legal director based in Panama, Mr. Chandler Molina, wrote PHCG Caracas apologizing “for any misunderstanding” and explaining that “the course of action taken by Smartmatic’s office in Venezuela relative to the requested certification was a regular ‘procedure’ of the company.” Incredibly, the legal director had just put it in black and white that their irregular action was a regular modus operandi of the company.
On this same date, Molina called Duarte to inform him that they had also engaged the services of the Philippine Honorary Consul of Panama city to process similar documents as those they had submitted in Caracas.

Fifthly, on 31 March 2015 the Philippine Consul in Caracas informed Smartmatic that their documents had now been processed for release. However, it was only on April 6^th 2015 that Smartmatic retrieved the documents, “reinforcing Consul General, a.h. Duarte Vivas’s belief that Smartmatic had sent the fraudulent certification to the COMELEC after realizing that they were behind schedule in their compliance with the electoral authority’s bidding requirements.”
Duarte Vivas emphasizes that “the simple act of admitting to me that they had ‘reproduced’ the seal of the Consulate and my signature is a serious breach of documentary protocol. I respectfully request an investigation to clarify all these actions and events.”
Or is it wrong to state that the picture has just been clarified? The Foreign Service complaint against Smartmatic is now in the hands of the COMELEC. The COMELEC, however, is in the hands of a foreign invader, the Smartmatic Corporation, to which in 2010 and 2013 the COMELEC surrendered its exclusive role of running Philippine elections. FIN

‘Nuclear fire’ erupts at radioactive facility 90 miles from Las Vegas

The Millennium Report
October 24, 2015

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‘Nuclear fire’ erupts at radioactive facility 90 miles from Las Vegas

“Nuclear fire” erupts at radioactive facility near major US city — Footage shows underground explosions, massive smoke plumes — AP: “Unknown amount of radioactive waste burned” — EPA sends emergency radiological team — Residents: “We were flat out lied to… Why didn’t they evacuate the town?” (VIDEO)

By ENENews
CBS Las Vegas, Oct 22, 2015 (emphasis added): Government officials are still looking into what may have caused a low-level radiological storage facility [~100 miles outside Las Vegas] to go up in flames… “We didn’t even hear about it when it happened, according to Cindy Craig, a resident.  “We weren’t even get told about it until the next day.”
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oct 21, 2015: Carol Johnston, owner of KC’s Outpost [in Beatty, Nevada]… said she was serving customers on a patio Sunday when she “heard a big boom” then looked up and saw a big puff of smoke. “Why didn’t they evacuate the town then?” she asked in a telephone interview Wednesday.
CBS Las Vegas, Oct 22, 2015: In the 40-second cellphone video… you can see the explosion in the shooting from the ground causing massive plumes of smoke. The explosion caused the facility to go up in flames.  State officials said the fire started inone of 22 covered trenches used to store low-level radioactive material…
AP, Oct 19, 2015: EPA said the unknown amount of low-level radioactive waste that burned had been deposited… before 1992… [USGS previously] found high concentrations of radionuclides underground, the Nuclear Resource and Information Service said.
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oct 22, 2015: Fire Marshal Chief Peter Mulvihill said [it] “burned very hot“… Items buried in the low-level nuclear waste dump include… nuclear reactor crud…
AP, Oct 21, 2015: Mulvihill said the fire burned unabated after starting Sunday during intense thunderstorms and flash flooding… Now, first-responders have backed off while investigators locate archived paperwork to determine what was buried in the burned trench… [I]ncident managers initially feared about 2,000 people in the sprawling rural area would need to be evacuated if radiation had been detected. Mulvihill told reporters that all but two employees left the… facility adjacent to the radioactive waste dump…
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oct 20, 2015: “We don’t know exactly what caught fire. We’re not exactly sure what was burning in that pit,” Fire Marshal Chief Peter Mulvihill said… “there was some energetic burning” that blew a hole in the cover soil that caps trench No. 14, where low-level radioactive materials were buried.
AP,  Oct 19, 2015: [EPA] is sending a radiological emergency team to look for contamination… EPA spokesman Rusty Harris-Bishop says no dangerousgamma radiation has been detected… The fire eruptedSunday during heavy rain…
KSNV, Oct 20, 2015: [R]esidents are still concerned because of what was burning, and because they say they were “flat out lied to“… As the fire burned, the US 95 was closed for a 140 mile stretch for nearly 24 hours. People waiting in their cars say they were told a much different reason for the traffic jam. “They told us it was debris in the road,” one resident told News 3. “We found out it was a nuclear waste fire.”
KSNV, Oct 20, 2015: This small town voiced big concerns at Tuesday night’s town hall after a fire at a low-level radioactive waste dump… “We don’t find out about it in the city of Beatty until we watch the news the next morning. What if that was extremely hazardous?” [a resident] said. “I’m very, very upset about it.”… many questions remain including what exactly was burning?… “We have absolutely no idea… what it is” [Sheriff Sharon Wehrly] said…
Las Vegas Sun, Oct 23, 2015: Sunday’s nuclear fire… reportedly did not emit above-average doses of radiation.
Las Vegas Sun, Oct 22, 2015: Media buzzed with reports of a low-level nuclear fire… [T]he plume of smoke — determined by the… government to not be hazardous to public health — billowed… residents, though, were unaware of the details of the emergency situation.
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oct 19, 2015: Mulvihill said investigators would be taking a close and methodical look at the site “once it is safe to go down there.”… [The fire] was allowed to burn itself out over the course of about 12 hours… US Ecology officials said they created “an exclusion zone around the facility” at the request of state regulators… As part of their investigation, state officials said they will be looking at the [dump’s] overall stability…
KTNV, Oct 22, 2015: You can see a column of white smoke… Then multiple underground explosions in trench 14 send more smoke spewing out. The ground erupts… We don’t know what these explosions kicked up into the air but we do know state leaders were well aware of the risks buried at the U.S. Ecology site… Minutes from legislative hearings detail concerns about “unknown contamination levels.”  The state expressed concern because it was not sure of the contamination levels or when a fissure might occur.
KTNV transcript, Oct 22, 2015 (at 2:20 in): “We’ve just learned… there are 2 new areas of land that are sinking from recent flooding at the site, and a crater where the fire broke out.”
Watch broadcasts: KTNV | NBC Las Vegas

$19 Trillion Internet Shockwave

Monday, October 26, 2015

YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR THE UNBIASED MARKET COMMENTARY YOU WON'T GET FROM WALL STREET

$19 Trillion Internet Shockwave

by Martin Weiss

Dear Subscriber, The greatest nations of the world continue to face some of the most intractable problems of our lifetime: Massive debts, government gridlock, and in many areas, recessions, wars, or revolutions. These are not problems that can be solved by the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank or the Bank of China. Nor are they going to change very much based on efforts by political leaders of left, center or right. This century has proven that the most officialdom can come up with is a patchwork of gimmicks that merely prolong the agony. In fact, there's only one major place left on the entire planet where I feel we can find the kind of strength, skill and global leadership we need to help create a bright spot for humanity: American technology and ingenuity. As we saw last week, U.S. technology is the single outstanding good-news story of our times. Despite all the financial blunders our leaders have made and despite all the financial mishaps still to come, technology continues to profoundly transform the way we live and work. That's why we call it transformative technology. And that's why it's technology with the power to create new fortunes. As the Dow Doubles ... We are on the cusp of the most profitable bull market of our lifetime. Stocks will be driven higher by powerful global undercurrents that Wall Street will either ignore or fail to understand. As the Dow doubles, some stocks will see explosive gains of 300%, 400%, 500% and more. Savvy investors who make the right moves will become very rich! Click here for my free report and to find out how it could make you rich beyond your dreams. –Larry Internal Sponsorship I know of no one more knowledgeable about that power than Weiss Research Analyst and famed futurist, Jon Markman. So I am dedicating this issue to our recent interview with Jon. The topic: The Coming $19 Trillion Internet Shockwave (Interview transcript, edited for clarity and brevity) Weiss Research: Jon, before we talk about this massive investment opportunity, we want to ask you about your timing. Jon Markman: The technology stocks I'm going to talk about are riding a major wave of innovation. And that wave has a momentum all its own that's far bigger than any short-term timing issues. That's why I believe now is the best time to buy the right names ... because not only are technology stocks sitting at attractive prices right now due to the recent pull-back, but more importantly, I'm looking at some of the biggest technology trends we're likely to see in our lifetimes. Imagine a single interconnected world that merges sensors, computers, wireless networks, the Internet, and mobile technology into one gigantic on/off switch for our entire life. Imagine everyday objects, household appliances, machinery, buildings, automobiles, airplanes, and more that can now communicate with us, with each other, and with other applications over the internet. Weiss Research: Just how big of an opportunity are we talking about? Jon Markman: The applications are almost limitless. So industry experts, companies, and research firms are all throwing trillion-dollar market estimates around like they're chump change. Let me give you an example. General Electric estimated the Internet of Things could add an additional $14 trillion to global GDP over the next two decades. And then Cisco came out with an estimate that the Internet of Things could add $19 trillion to the worldwide economy by 2020. That's just five years from now and represents 10x growth. Already, the Internet of Things is growing so fast and the changes are so big that the profit opportunities are going to overrun any short-term secular market down trend. That's why you didn't see me panicking about near-term technology pullbacks. Market corrections are not even blips on the screen when compared to the $19 trillion market growth opportunity in the Internet of Things. Weiss Research: Why now? I mean, you pointed out yourself that the Internet has been around since the 1990s. Jon Markman: True, but it wasn't until just recently that the technology behind the Internet of Things finally reached the tipping point where it can be scaled up. Everything has come together: The price of sensors, processors, and networking has dropped significantly. WiFi access is available just about everywhere. New advances now allow millions of devices to connect to each other through networks. So now, people, machines and the physical world can talk to each other and exchange data effortlessly, without thinking. We're entering an age of what I call "immersive intelligence," in which individuals are literally bathed in smart, meaningful, fun, and useful connectivity. And with more and more objects becoming embedded with sensors, the connectivity is literally limitless. It's like automation on steroids. That's what makes the profit potential for the companies involved in the Internet of Things so exponential. Weiss Research: How do investors participate? Jon Markman: There are literally thousands of ways. They can invest in the sensors. They can invest in the devices, the data communications, and in the software that monitors, analyzes and sorts the data. In fact, the Internet of Things today looks a lot like the Internet back in the mid-1990s. And just like investors who ignored the huge profit potential of the Internet back then, those who dismiss this Internet of Things today as some kind of "geek dream" are going to get left behind. Weiss Research: Can you give us some specific examples of the technologies you're tracking in this area? Jon Markman: Sure. One way to think about this opportunity is to think about all the categories of "smart" things that exist in the world. I'm not just talking about smart phones but also smart cars, smart cities and smart businesses. I'm talking about how all of these things will interconnect with each other and make everyday life more efficient and satisfying for all of us. (Click here to access Jon's free special report, "The Coming $19 Trillion Internet of Things Shockwave" with even more details about the fantastic profit potential you can tap into from the new Internet of Things.) Weiss Research: But how do we get from here to there? Jon Markman: It can be a bit of a bumpy road, but that's always the case with technology. And think about how far we've already travelled. First there were albums, then CDs, then the iPod came along. And we thought it was really cool to have 1,000 songs on our iPods. Now, you can connect to Spotify and have direct access to five million songs. Or remember how cool it was to have a few dozen DVDs in your collection? Now you have access to millions of DVDs on Netflix. That just gives you a quick sense of the dimensions we're talking about. Everything will become just one more device that makes your life easier, saves you money, or improves your health. Weiss Research: Explain what you mean by "everything will become another device." Jon Markman: Sure, the easiest way that people will see this is in autonomous cars. Think of your car as a device — not a vehicle. Eventually your car becomes like a smart phone on wheels. It's just another device that's connected to the Internet, transports you to where you want to go, and makes your life easier. Take parking, for instance. The reason a car can park itself is because it's aware of things. It has artificial intelligence that allows it to interact with the world in a magical way. It can tell how far away it is from another car, from the curb, from a road hazard. We are literally giving cars the gift of sight, so that they can see objects on the road, take evasive action, and avoid collisions and, yes, park themselves. Weiss Research: But how will the industry get people to surrender their car keys? Jon Markman: People will want to give up their car keys because their lives will be so much easier without them. Imagine if you could talk on your smart phone or work on your iPad while you "drive" to work. Weiss Research: Ha! A lot of people already do that. Jon Markman: No kidding! But what if it were safe? Not only that, but you could drive until you were 102 or 112! People won't have to give up their freedom as they get older. And what if it saved you money? Autonomous cars offer can huge savings in terms of insurance, collision damage, loss of life and a lot more. In fact, Morgan Stanley estimates that driverless cars will save $1.3 trillion dollars every year in the U.S. alone. Weiss Research: That's a lot of economic incentive. Jon Markman: It's more than just an economic incentive. It's also saving lives. That's why so many automakers are in the final stages of designing smart cars right now. They automatically correct when you drift out of your lane. They automatically brake in an emergency. And they have cruise control that automatically adjusts for the speed of the car in front of you. Meanwhile, right now, 23 million cars are already connected to the Internet, and 152 million cars will be connected in the next five years. This is huge. The total global market for driverless features alone could hit $42 billion by 2025. Weiss Research: 2025 seems a long way away. Jon Markman: You don't have to wait until 2025 to profit. One of my favorite companies in this sector is already up 115% from its IPO. You could have doubled your money in just a year for some pretty hefty short-term gains. And I expect the shares could double over the next two years in a good market, and double again three years after that. Weiss Research: OK, I get smart cars. But what's a smart city, exactly? Jon Markman: Smart cities use the technology behind the Internet of Things to better manage power, water, and gas; to direct traffic, control street lighting, reduce pollution, and a lot more. Just imagine what happens when a smart car and a smart city communicate with each other. Smart traffic grids already time traffic lights in a nuanced and dynamic way that allows traffic to move freely. Smart grid systems save money by using power more efficiently. In fact, recent research shows that smart grid systems could save billions of dollars, not to mention hundreds of millions of barrels of oil annually. That's why so many cities around the world are implementing smart grids today, creating lots of profit opportunities for smart investors right now. The profit value of smart cities alone will reach a massive $1.7 trillion by 2025. Weiss Research: With numbers like that, you could retire rich in ten years or less. Jon Markman: That's true. But there's an even bigger profit opportunity that I see right now: smart businesses. In a low-growth environment like the one we find ourselves in today, companies are looking for every opportunity they can find to save money, and the Internet of Things allows them to do that in ways they never imagined possible. Just imagine a manufacturing plant with hundreds of lathes turning out hundreds of parts every day. Right now, the lathes are turned on at the start of the day and they turn millions of times a day. And that overheats the plant, making workers miserable. But what if you could coordinate the temperature in the room? The more the lathes turn, the more the air conditioner kicks in. And when they aren't in use, the air conditioner shuts down. What if you could cut down on the number of unnecessary lathe turns by just 10%? By turning them on and off as needed in response to intelligent sensors? What if that saved $10,000 a day, and then you did that every day? It's what a smart engineer would do if he was really on top of his game. Problem: It's next to impossible for an engineer to do this efficiently. But it can be done in the new world of the Internet of Things. Incorporating the Internet of Things into the business grid will save billions. I recently read a report from The Economist that said that 25% of manufacturing companies are already using a live Internet of Things system. And another 75% of global companies are currently exploring ways to add or improve their use of the Internet of Things. As more businesses incorporate the Internet of Things into their operations, the net profit potential will explode, reaching an estimated $8.5 trillion by 2025. And that means thousands of ways for investors to profit. Weiss Research: That's not science fiction, is it? Jon Markman: Absolutely not! The Internet of Things isn't some kind of abstract concept, it's already here. Just look around you. Consumers already own an average of 20 different interconnected smart devices including phones, computers, and household appliances. And remember: as recently as 2000, the Internet was just becoming mainstream. Google was still in its infancy. Apple had yet to invent the iPad. And Amazon had yet to make a profit. Yet, today, just 15 years later, we can't imagine life without email, smart phones, iPads, and Amazon Prime. But early investors who recognized the potential of these quote unquote NEW technologies, became staggeringly wealthy with returns of 1,300%, 3,000%, 5,000% and more. That means every $10,000 invested then is now worth $130,000, $300,000 or $500,000. And you don't have to wait 15 years to profit. Many of these stocks doubled and even tripled within a few short years. That's why I'm so passionate about this opportunity, because it has the power to create tremendous wealth for those who start now. Weiss Research: It's hard to visualize something this big ... Jon Markman: The reality is, most people don't think big enough. When you sit down and think about all the ways that you can connect sensors, devices, data and machines ... the Internet of Things is the ultimate disrupter — turning every industry on its head from agriculture to energy to healthcare to automobiles. Very rarely does a technology revolution like this come along. It's going to create new profit opportunities in every imaginable industry. That's why I created a special report called, "The Coming $19 Trillion Internet of Things Shockwave." Weiss Research: And you're making that report available to our readers. Jon Markman: Yes. Just go here. Weiss Research: Thanks, Jon. Jon Markman: Thank you! (Click here to access Jon's free special report, "The Coming $19 Trillion Internet of Things Shockwave" with even more details about the fantastic profit potential you can tap into from the new Internet of Things.) The investment strategy and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of any other editor at Weiss Research or the company as a whole.

Did John Kerry Just Help Set The Stage For The Fulfillment Of Bible Prophecy?

Did John Kerry Just Help Set The Stage For The Fulfillment Of Bible Prophecy?

October 26, 2015  

By Kade Hawkins

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As the age-old tussle for ownership and control of Jerusalem continues, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the Temple Mount is indeed at the center point of it all. Although considered sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims alike, the Temple Mount continues to attract attention from ongoing attempts to wrest it out of the grasp of all claimants to its Jewish heritage.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. It’s believed to be the Biblical Mount Moriah, where Abraham fulfilled God’s test of his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. The Temple Mount has remained a focal point for Jewish services for thousands of years. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed.

The area is also revered in Islam (despite Jerusalem not once being mentioned directly by name in the Koran) and is considered to be its 3rd holiest site. It is this area of land that many Muslim leaders have used to incite Palestinians to violence with claims that Israel was drawing up plans to limit Muslim access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque or to advance plans to rebuild the third temple. Even the slightest suggestion of change to the status quo has caused Arab leaders to threaten bringing the issue before the UN.

Riyad Mansour, the PA envoy to the UN, has asked the UN Security Council to step in and assist Palestinian Arabs by way of protecting Arabs from Israeli law enforcement “in the occupied territory starting in the Old City of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque”.

Israel strongly opposes this view. World Net Daily reported Netanyahu ‘s reaction: “There is no mention of Palestinian incitement and Palestinian terrorism…We’ve already seen what happens in holy sites in the Middle East when extreme Muslims destroy each other’s mosques, Christian sites, heritage sites, Jewish sites…there hasn’t been any change in the status quo – except for an attempt by some people, organized by Islamic groups in Israel as well as extremist elements – to place explosives in mosques and attack Jews from within the mosques.”

Mansour’s plea however prompted France to consider drafting a proposal to station international troops on the Temple Mount. If passed, the draft French proposal would not be binding but would only constitute a statement of intent on behalf of the U.N. Security Council. Israel’s reaction was communicated via UN representative Danny Danon, who declared that Israel would never agree to allow an international force to occupy the site of the two Biblical temples.

This was not the first attempt by the Palestinians in recent days to get the UN to take action against Israel.

The Palestinian Authority recently backed down on a resolution it was planning to submit to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeking to claim the Kotel (Western Wall) as a Muslim holy site, wresting the Kotel from the Jewish nation and claiming it as its own.

The area known as the Kotel was originally a part of the outer, western retaining wall of the Second Holy Temple that was destroyed in the year 70 CE. It has been sacred to Jews and Christians for 2,000 years. The millennia-long holiness of the Kotel derives from its association with the Temple Mount, where the two previous Holy Temples stood.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the recent efforts “a clear endeavor to distort history, in order to erase the connection between the Jewish people and its holiest site, and to create a false reality.”

Despite protests by Palestinian leaders, observers say that claims of Israeli plans to restrict Muslims from the Temple Mount contradict the facts on the ground. Jews and Christians are in fact the ones barred from the mount during most hours of the day and are never allowed to pray at the site or carry holy objects. 

Those rules, enforced by the Israeli police, are imposed by the real custodians of the Temple Mount, the Waqf, which is controlled jointly by the Palestinians and the Jordanians. Young Muslim men only find themselves restricted from the area as a result of stone throwing or other violence.

The United States has also been drawn into the controversy and recently met with Jordanian and Palestinian leaders about the situation on the temple mount. US Secretary of State John Kerry's proposed solution to keeping the “status quo” involves 24-hour video surveillance of the temple mount area.  The Palestinians, Jordanians and Israelis have all indicated an openness to this plan although it is unclear at this point who will be controlling and monitoring the cameras.

Some Bible prophecy students point out the interesting verses in Revelation 11 which speak of the whole world being able to watch what happens in Jerusalem when God's Two Witnesses are killed on the streets and left there for three and a half days, where they then rise from the dead.  Although it is unclear from scripture where in Jerusalem they will be slain, the Temple Mount area would be a likely place in which they would deliver a message to the people of Jerusalem. 

Will the world be watching through these newly installed 24-hour video surveillance cameras?

Controversial personal views on the Temple Mount continue to persist at various levels. A recent World Net Daily account quotes well-known cleric and Muslim preacher, Sheik Khaled Al-Mughrabi, sensationally claiming that Jews will eventually build a temple outside of the area of the Temple Mount, where they will worship the devil “because the Anti-Christ won’t appear unless this Temple is built and the Devil is worshiped there.”

He further taught that at the “end of time,” Muslims will seek out and destroy Jews wherever they are, and that Jews will be forced to change their plans to build the Temple inside the structure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and will have to build it outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The children of Israel will all be exterminated, the Anti-Christ will be killed and the Muslims will live in comfort for a long time.

Mughrabi’s statements do not align with Biblical Scripture from the Christian viewpoint, even though there are a few parallel themes such as the rise of the Anti-Christ, his prominent role in Israel and his eventual claim to be God in the rebuilt Temple.

The Biblical accounts state, in part that, before its final glory, Jerusalem will experience trouble and will be burdensome, just as we are seeing today:

And it shall come to pass on that day that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all peoples; all who bear it shall be gashed, and all the nations of the earth shall gather against it.” (Zechariah 12:3)

The Jerusalem conflict, the Temple Mount controversies and increasing international concern and involvement, all point to Jerusalem’s rapid transformation into the prophesied “burdensome stone for all peoples” in these last days.

Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2015/October26/262.html#fepQEiOgo7ESp8mj.99