International Report Sends Terrifying Warning to Governments: ‘Prepare for Catastrophes Like Yellowstone Eruption’

/0 Comments/in , /by

It’s long been known that if the Yellowstone supervolcano were to erupt at full force the loss of life would be substantial and the effects on the world’s climate would be disastrous — water sources would be fouled, crops would fail, many people would die directly and indirectly.

In an international report that has recently captured headlines, scientists have attempted to quantify the threat of such catastrophes while also urging governments worldwide to collaborate on investment in scientific research to better prepare the world in hopes of lessening the impacts of such a calamity.

“I think the paper and its contents are very valuable,” said Bob Smith, a University of Utah researcher who has long studied the geodynamics of Yellowstone, even if certain websites tend to sensationalize the findings to the “point of annoyance.”

The warnings and recommendations are contained in “Extreme Geohazards: Reducing the Disaster Risk and Increasing Resilience.” The report was supported by the European Science Foundation and included an international cast of authors with expertise in such diverse fields as economics, health and earth sciences.

“It’s one of the only reports I’ve ever seen that takes a geologic perspective in thinking about hazards,” said Jake Lowenstern, a research geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey and scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. (Read more from “International Report Sends Terrifying Warning to Governments: ‘Prepare for Catastrophes Like Yellowstone Eruption'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Canadians Are Going Loonie on Social Media About THIS

/0 Comments/in , /by

It is often said that a free-floating currency acts as a shock absorber.

But when Canadians go shopping for groceries these days, they’re getting nothing but the shock—sticker shock, that is.

On Tuesday, the Canadian dollar, commonly known as the loonie, broke below 70 U.S. cents for the first time since May 1, 2003.

For America’s northern neighbor, which imports about 80 percent of the fresh fruits and vegetables its citizens consume, this entails a sharp rise in prices for these goods. With lower-income households tending to spend a larger portion of income on food, this side effect of a soft currency brings them the most acute stress.

James Price, director of Capital Markets Products at Richardson GMP, recently joked during an interview on BloombergTV Canada that “we’re going to be paying a buck a banana pretty soon.” (Read more from “Canadians Are Going Loonie on Social Media About THIS” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Anger, Humiliation, Investigation, Violation of the Code of Conduct

/3 Comments/in , /by

Article II of the Armed Forces Code of Conduct states:

“I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.”

Yet, Tuesday, two U. S. boats along with 10 sailors surrendered to the Iranian Revolutionary guard.

And like most of you, over the last day, I have watched over and over again on TV, photos and videos of the American sailors on their knees with hands behind their heads. The Navy commander of the captured sailors is on the video apologizing (An apology Biden swears never happened.) and thanking the Iranians for their hospitality.

“It was a mistake that was our fault and we apologize for our mistake,” said the U.S sailor, who was identified by Iran’s Press TV as the commander. “It was a misunderstanding. We did not mean to go into Iranian territorial water. The Iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here. We thank you very much for your hospitality and your assistance.”

Our groveling Secretary of State, not to be overshadowed by the Navy commander, applauds and thanks Iran for this wonderful new relationship we have with them.

[Listen to yesterday’s interview with the Daily Signal’s congressional correspondent who reports on his conversations with congressmen relating to the Iran fiasco]

It never used to be like that — Admiral Jeremiah Denton.

As a young Navy pilot, Admiral Jeremiah Denton was shot down and became a Vietnam POW for nearly eight years. In 1966, after being tortured and threatened with death if he did not “correctly” answer the questions posed, he was televised in front of Communist dignitaries with the purpose of having him admit to American atrocities. Instead, Denton turned the tables on his captors. He replied, “Whatever the position of my government is, I believe it, I support it, and I will support it as long as I live.”

The Iranians have flashed the images around the world to prove America is nothing but a paper tiger— not much to be concerned with.

As I watched in disbelief, and anger the videos of the sailors on their knees, hands behind their heads, just like POWs or the victims of ISIS before their throats are slit, and of the young commander apologizing, I keep wondering: was he given orders to “stand down,” and make whatever statement the Iranians demanded for their release?

Reports differ on why the boat strayed into supposed Iranian waters: malfunctioned motor, lack of gas, or something else. Nevertheless, clearly the men and boats were heavily armed. They had “the means to resist.” Ammunition and guns were very evident. Did all the guns malfunction? Did their radios malfunction? Was help too far away? Shades of Benghazi.

The Pentagon claims they don’t know what happened; that they are investigating. That’s BS. You mean with all their means of communication, they didn’t have a full picture of what happened within an hour?

Congress should investigate right now. Subpoena the sailors. (For more from the author of “Anger, Humiliation, Investigation, Violation of the Code of Conduct” please click HERE)

Obama’s “Partner for Peace” Kidnaps US Sailors, Then Releases Them; Obama Ignores Crisis in SOU

/2 Comments/in , /by

By Helen Cooper and David E. Sanger. Two United States Navy patrol boats and their crews were seized by the Iranian authorities in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday during what a Tehran news agency alleged was “snooping.”

But the Pentagon and the State Department said that one of the boats had experienced mechanical problems while en route from Kuwait to Bahrain on a routine mission. Administration officials said that the military had lost contact with the boats before they strayed into Iranian territorial waters. They said they had received assurances from Iran that the 10 sailors would be returned soon, perhaps on Wednesday.

But a spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Brig. Gen. Ramezan Sharif, was quoted Wednesday morning in the Iranian news media as saying that talk of an immediate release was “speculation.” He said an “investigation” was underway and that “talks” were being held with the sailors, suggesting that they were being interrogated . . .

The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran said that the boats had illegally traveled more than a mile into Iranian waters near Farsi Island, the site of a major Iranian naval base. It said that members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy had confiscated GPS equipment, which would “prove that the American ships were ‘snooping’ around in Iranian waters.”

The waters where the boats were sailing are a frequent location for intelligence collection by the United States, Iran and many gulf countries. The American and Iranian navies encounter each other frequently there. (Read more from “Iran Kidnaps US Sailors” HERE)

__________________________________

Iran Releases U.S. Sailors

By Barbara Starr, Jim Sciutto and Holly Yan. The 10 U.S. sailors detained in Iran have been released, Iran’s state-run Press TV reported Wednesday. . .

Earlier Wednesday, what sounded like the sailors’ imminent release dragged on for hours, with Iranian officials interrogating the sailors about their motives and demanding a U.S. apology.

“The evidence suggests that they unintentionally entered the Iranian waters because of the failure of their navigational system,” IRGC spokesman Ramazan Sharif said on Press TV. (Read more from “Iran Kidnaps US Sailors, Then Releases Them” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

The Arabic Gang-Rape ‘Taharrush’ Phenomenon

/4 Comments/in , /by

Police fear a gang-rape phenomenon known as ‘taharrush gamea’ in the Arab world and seen in attacks on women across German cities at the New Year has now spread to Europe.

The name of the practice translates to ‘collective harassment’ and is carried out by large groups of men who sexually assault lone women, either by groping, or in some instances, raping them.

The men first surround their victim in circles. Some then sexually assault her, while others not directly involved watch or divert outsiders’ attention to what is occurring.

Sometimes the terrified victim – in a state of shock and unable to respond – is also robbed during the ordeal.

And the attack usually goes unpunished because the large number of perpetrators and chaos of the attack means authorities are unable to identify those involved. (Read more from “The Arabic Gang-Rape ‘Taharrush’ Phenomenon” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Turkey Promises to ‘Never Step Back’ From Terror Fight After Blast

/0 Comments/in , /by

A day after a suicide bomber killed at least 10 people in a brazen attack, few ventured into Instanbul’s central tourist district.

Street vendors and shopkeepers opened for the day, but had little business.

A makeshift memorial formed at the site of the attack. People laid red roses in the shadow of the city’s world-famous Blue Mosque.

The people of Istanbul began to regroup as Turkey’s prime minister promised the nation’s resolve to fight terror remains unchanged.

“We will continue our fight against terrorism with the same resolve, and will never take a step back,’ Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, according to Turkey’s semi-official Anadolu news agency. (Read more from “Turkey Promises to ‘Never Step Back’ From Terror Fight After Blast” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Baltic Dry Crashes as Insiders Warn ‘Commerce Has Come to a Halt’

/0 Comments/in , /by

The continued collapse of The Baltic Dry Index remains ignored by most – besides we still have Netflix, right? But, as Dollar Vigilante’s Jeff Berwick details, it appears the worldwide ‘real’ economy has ground to a halt!!

Last week, I received news from a contact who is friends with one of the biggest billionaire shipping families in the world. He told me they had no ships at sea right now, because operating them meant running at a loss.

This weekend, reports are circulating saying much the same thing: The North Atlantic has little or no cargo ships traveling in its waters. Instead, they are anchored. Unmoving. Empty.

You can see one such report here. According to it,

Commerce between Europe and North America has literally come to a halt. For the first time in known history, not one cargo ship is in-transit in the North Atlantic between Europe and North America. All of them (hundreds) are either anchored offshore or in-port. NOTHING is moving.

(Read more from “Baltic Dry Crashes as Insiders Warn ‘Commerce Has Come to a Halt'” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Hillary Clinton’s State Department Discussed Creating Riots in Israel

/3 Comments/in , /by

As incredible as it may sound, the US Ambassador to Israel, Thomas Pickering, pitched a plan to Hillary Clinton to use UN and Non-governmental organizations to foment riots in Israel as a way of forcing Israel to agree to concessions to the Palestinians.

In the aftermath of the fall of Egypt and Libya, the State department thought it had stumbled upon the perfect weapon to be used against dictators: street riots (you must break eggs to make omelets, n’est-ce pas), insurrection, and the a few US airstrikes. When it became clear that the future and the territorial integrity of Israel meant more to Benjamin Netanyahu that international acclaim given to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, it was only natural that they consider him an enemy and try to unleash the same strategy on him. Via The Washington Free Beacon:

Pickering described the effort as a potential “game changer in the region,” recommending that the United States undertake a clandestine campaign to generate unrest. Clinton requested that his email be printed.

“What will change the situation is a major effort to use non-violent protests and demonstrations to put peace back in the center of people’s aspirations as well as their thoughts, and use that to influence the political leadership,” Pickering wrote.

“This is far from a sure thing, but far, in my humble view, from hopeless,” he continued. “Women can and ought to be at the center of these demonstrations. Many men and others will denigrate the idea. I don’t and I don’t think that was your message.”

(Read more from “Hillary Clinton’s State Department Discussed Creating Riots in Israel” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

‘Don’t Go out Alone at Night’: Migrant Rape Fears Spread Across Europe

/2 Comments/in , /by

Security authorities are growing increasingly concerned by the rising number of sex attacks by gangs of migrants which appear to be spreading across Europe.

Finland and Sweden today became the latest European countries to issue warnings to women to be wary of the threat of sex attacks following fresh reports of sexual assaults in the last week, while the Viennese police chief adviced women not to go outside alone in Vienna.

The warnings come as reports emerged that Austrian and German police tried to cover-up the issue over fears of reprisal attacks on asylum seekers and damage to the countries’ tourist trade . . .

Finnish police said today that they had been tipped off about plans by groups of asylum seekers to sexually harass women following an unusually high level of sexual harassment cases in Helsinki.

‘There hasn’t been this kind of harassment on previous New Year’s Eves or other occasions for that matter… This is a completely new phenomenon in Helsinki,’ said deputy police chief Ilkka Koskimaki. (Read more from “‘Don’t Go out Alone at Night’: Migrant Rape Fears Spread Across Europe” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

‘Mission Accomplished’: Mexican President Says El Chapo Caught

/0 Comments/in , /by

Mexican forces escorted notorious drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman out of an armored vehicle and into a helicopter late Friday night following his arrest after months on the run.

Mexican security forces trying to capture notorious drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in Sinaloa encountered heavy gunfire that led to the deaths of various suspects, the attorney general said . . .

The people linked to the July escape of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman included two pilots, one of his attorneys and a brother-in-law, the attorney general said. Guzman was arrested Friday . . .

Members of Mexico’s navy caught Guzman in an operation about 4:30 a.m. (6:30 a.m. ET) in the coastal city of Los Mochis in Sinaloa state, a senior law enforcement official in Mexico told CNN.

Several people aligned with Guzman died in the raid, the official said. The Mexican navy put the number of dead at five, with six others arrested. No navy personnel were killed, and only one was injured. (Read more from “‘Mission Accomplished’: Mexican President Says El Chapo Caught” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.