Commodities Collapsed Just Before the Last Stock Market Crash – so Guess What Is Happening Right Now?

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If we were going to see a stock market crash in the United States in the fall of 2015 (to use a hypothetical example), we would expect to see commodity prices begin to crash a few months ahead of time. This is precisely what happened just before the great financial crisis of 2008, and we are watching the exact same thing happen again right now. On Wednesday, commodities got absolutely pummeled, and at this point the Bloomberg Commodity Index is down a whopping 26 percent over the past twelve months. When global economic activity slows down, demand for raw materials sinks and prices drop. So important global commodities such as copper, iron ore, aluminum, zinc, nickel, lead, tin and lumber are all considered to be key “leading indicators” that can tell us a lot about where things are heading next. And what they are telling us right now is that we are rapidly approaching a global economic meltdown.

If the global economy was actually healthy and expanding, the demand for commodities would be increasing and that would tend to drive prices up. But instead, prices continue to go down.

The Bloomberg Commodity Index just hit a brand new 13-year low. That means that global commodity prices are already lower than they were during the worst moments of the last financial crisis . . .

The commodities rout that’s pushed prices to a 13-year low pulled some of the biggest mining and energy companies below levels seen during the financial crisis.

The FTSE 350 Mining Index plunged as much as 4.9 percent to the lowest since 2009 on Wednesday, with BHP Billiton Ltd. and Anglo American Plc leading declines. Gold and copper are near the lowest in at least five years, while crude oil retreated to $50 a barrel.

(Read more from “Commodities Collapsed Just Before the Last Stock Market Crash – so Guess What Is Happening Right Now?” HERE)

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Welcome Home: Kenya Ready for Obama

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Everyone thought Francis Oduor was dead. In fact the Kenyan international footballer had fled into the bush, walked four miles and gone into hiding after his house was torched. When he resurfaced, people were shocked and ashamed. “I was like the walking dead,” he said. “Everyone recoiled at the sight of me.”

Like many survivors of the post-election violence in 2007-8 that claimed at least 1,100 lives here, Oduor feels that justice has not been done because no senior politician has been held to account. He therefore refuses to join in the state-sponsored euphoria around Barack Obama’s “homecoming” to Kenya, which begins on Friday night when Air Force One lands in east Africa’s biggest economy.

It will be Obama’s first visit to the land of his father as US president and a far cry from a 1988 trip when his luggage got lost. He will be greeted by the stars and stripes flying all over the capital, Nairobi, and giant billboards and paintings bearing his face with slogans such as “Welcome home”. Last-minute beautification projects include the painting of street kerbs and planting of flowers and grass, while 10,000 police officers will protect the honoured guest.

Yet beneath the shiny surface lies a political minefield. Obama, ostensibly here to address the Global Entrepreneurship summit, will also meet some of Africa’s most divisive politicians in both Kenya and neighboring Ethiopia. Human rights organizations are lining up to demand that, along with championing security alliances and economic development, he should raise hard questions about democracy and civil liberties.

Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta, was, at the time of his election in March 2013, facing trial at the international criminal court for his alleged role in the 2007-8 killings. The case has since been withdrawn owing to lack of evidence after prosecutors accused the Kenyan government of harassing and intimidating potential witnesses. Kenyatta’s deputy, William Ruto, is still awaiting trial at The Hague. (Read more from “Welcome Home: Kenya Ready for Obama” HERE)

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One-Time Aide to China’s Ex-President Accused of Corruption, Report Says

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Chinese authorities have arrested a former top official in a corruption investigation after expelling him from the ruling Communist Party, state-run Xinhua news agency reported Monday.

Party investigators have accused Ling Jihua, 58, once a top aide to former President Hu Jintao, of accepting huge bribes, illegally obtaining party and state secrets, as well as keeping mistresses and trading power for sex, Xinhua said.

From 2007 to 2012, Ling was the director of the Communist Party Central Committee’s General Office under Hu — a position often compared to the White House chief of staff — making him an extremely powerful politician in China’s one party-dominated political system . . .

Party investigators have sent Ling’s case to the China’s highest prosecution authority, which is conducting its own investigation, Xinhua reported. (Read more from “One-Time Aide to China’s Ex-President Accused of Corruption, Report Says” HERE)

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Taiwan Pledges $1 Million Toward Construction of Eisenhower Memorial as Congress Withholds Funds

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Taiwan is pledging $1 million toward the construction of a monument honoring 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Washington, D.C., though Congress continues to withhold funding from the project.

Roll Coll reported that Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee panel overseeing the project, announced the contribution from Taiwan Tuesday.

Despite the gift and the National Capital Planning Commission’s recent approval of “starchitect” Frank Gehry’s revised design for the memorial, Congress has not provided the project — estimated by the 11-member Eisenhower Memorial Commission to cost $144 million — with construction funding since 2012.

Funds have been withheld amid disputes in Congress and the Eisenhower family regarding the Gehry design, which the commission rejected in a vote last year. While the new design gained preliminary approval in October, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), the commission’s vice chairman, continued to express doubt last month.

“There’s been some real conflict between the staff, the Eisenhower family and, to some degree, Congress,” Simpson explained in a June interview before federal planners approved Gehry’s design. “In the end, what you’ve got to have is a design that’s supported by the Eisenhower family. They don’t have to have veto power, but they can’t oppose it. So, I think it’s best that they start over.” (Read more from “Taiwan Pledges $1 Million Toward Construction of Eisenhower Memorial as Congress Withholds Funds” HERE)

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Top Scientific Advisor to Pope is Atheist, GAIA Believer, Wants One World Government [+video]

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A top scientific advisor to Pope Francis, Hans Schellnhuber, is an atheist and a Gaia believer says Dr. William Briggs, a Catholic climate scientist who was interviewed this week on The Joe Miller Show. And his Gaia beliefs aren’t superficial: he openly contends that the Earth is “self-aware” and “cognizant.”

Schellnhuber is also a hard-core advocate for one-world government, contending that the world needs a functioning international government with an “Earth Constitution” and “planetary court.” Disturbingly, the Pope’s recent encyclical also embraces international governance and controls to address man-made global warming, suggesting that Schellnhuber may be influencing official church policy.

Dr. Briggs suggests that the Pope may be getting played by environmental activists but admits that no one really knows given how carefully the Pope has kept his true views from the public eye. However, at an upcoming Vatican conference, only leftist climate scientists have been invited. The Pope has also invited a slew of very liberal political figures who have no background in science but could help advance the international climate change agenda.

Dr. Briggs also talks about the Pope’s socialistic leanings and his recent anti-capitalistic rantings. When discussing whether Pope Francis was bothered by the hammer and sickle crucifix that the Bolivian president presented him, Dr. Briggs noted that the Pope was already wearing a similar medallion.

Listen to this and more on the following interview:

Student Visas From Muslim Countries on the Rise, 127K Last Year

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How many more potential Islamic terrorists like Mohammad Youssef Adbulazeer are living freely in this country? And to what extent is our political class going to continue their suicidal policies?

Several months ago, we estimated that roughly 1.62 million individuals from predominantly Muslim countries have emigrated here since 9/11. We counted all of the green cards issued to foreign nationals of 43 countries with either near-100% Muslim population or an overwhelming majority of Muslims. While some of these individuals are likely non-Muslims, we noted that it is a pretty fair estimate of the number of Muslim immigrants and coincides with the Pew estimate of 100,000 million Muslim immigrants per year.

A quick search and tally of the data at the IIE for the same 43 predominantly Muslim countries reveals that 127,332 student visas were granted to students from these same countries. Our government does this every year and the trend is only growing. That means that 14% of the annual student visas are from Muslim countries, an even higher share than immigrant visas relative to the total immigrant population.

By far, the largest number of visas come from Saudi Arabia (remember 9/11?), topping out at 53,919 for the last academic year. As we noted last year, the Saudi government has unlimited funds to pay for their international students, and with no caps on F1 visas, they could theoretically send hundreds of thousands of students here every year.

Iran has sent us over 10,000 foreign students as well. What could go wrong?

Oh, and with Mohammad Youssef Adbulazeer on everyone’s mind, it’s important to note that we’ve admitted 7,288 foreign students from Kuwait for that same academic year.

No wonder Arabic is the fastest growing language on U.S. campuses.

Consider this thought for a moment: the college population is almost exclusively between the ages of 18-25. Given that 36% of American Muslims under the age of 45 believe that violence against America can be justified as part of Global Jihad, what percentage of foreign students during the prime age for Jihad coming straight from the Middle East harbor the same sentiments? In that sense, student visas from the Middle East and North Africa represent an even more direct security threat than immigrant visas.

The rapid increase in Muslim foreign students should also raise concerns in the context of the growing push to bring in more “high skilled” STEM students and workers. Liberals often blame Jihad on poverty and lack of a promising future for Muslim youth, but the reality is that many of these young Jihadis are smart and affluent with promising careers. Just look at the lifestyle of the Chattanooga Jihadi and the fact that he held a degree in electrical engineering.

A huge share of the international students from Muslim countries is enrolled in STEM fields, according to the data compiled by IIE. Seventy-nine percent of Iranian students and 42% of Saudi students were enrolled in STEM programs. So just remember when they discuss bringing in more STEM students and workers, there is a high likelihood we would be importing more security risks.

With this entire region embroiled in Islamic upheaval and the shocking success of the global cyber jihad in radicalizing Muslim youth, why in the world would we self-immolate and bring in so many potential security threats? (“Student Visas From Muslim Countries on the Rise, 127K Last Year”, originally posted HERE)

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5 Children Among 94 Crucified, Flogged and Caged by ISIS for Doing This During Ramadan

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Syrian Islamic State (IS) supporters have publicly crucified, flogged and caged nearly 100 people accused of breaking the daytime fast observed during the Muslim holy month. UK-based monitor the Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR) yesterday said it had documented 94 such punishment cases for eating in Ramadan, including five children and two old men.

Breitbart News previously reported the case of two boys “crucified” for eating in Ramadan on 23 June in Deir ez-Zour. For IS the punishment does not necessarily mean execution by nailing or tying victims to a cross. The group uses crosses and bars to pose dead bodies as a means of terrorising local populations or as a means of publicly shaming those who breach the tenets of sharia law as interpreted by IS.

In normal circumstances children do not have to fast during Ramadan. They may be encouraged to practice fasting for part of a day or for one day on the weekend, but it only becomes mandatory when they enter puberty.

The 94 cases were recorded between 22 June and 16 July and took place across the IS-held Syrian governorates of Aleppo, Al-Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour. The punishments were administered in streets and squares in front of crowds of spectators, including children, who SOHR says were encouraged to mock the victims. (Read more from “5 Children Among 94 Crucified, Flogged and Caged by ISIS for Doing This During Ramadan” HERE)

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Iran Deal Will Set off Middle East Nuclear Arms Race, Warns Top Israeli Official

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The new nuclear deal with Iran gives Tehran full legitimacy to engage in further atomic work and will set off a regional nuclear and conventional arms race, a senior Israeli official warned on Friday.

Ram Ben Barak said Iran was plainly still determined to break out to the bomb at a time of its choosing, and that its insistence in the deal on preventing inspectors from gaining instant access to suspect facilities, and on winning the right to continue R&D on fast-enrichment centrifuges, demonstrated that the regime remains committed to attaining nuclear weapons.

Ben Barak, who is director general of the Strategic Affairs Ministry and a leading candidate to be the next head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, told Channel 10 that the 10-year deal between the US-led P5+1 world powers and Iran signed Tuesday, which is aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for lifting harsh international sanctions, is “very bad.”

Ben Barak is one of three candidates vying for the coveted position of Mossad chief, contending with current National Security Council chair Yossi Cohen and an unnamed deputy to current Mossad chief Tamir Pardo. Pardo is slated to step down in January 2016.

“This is a very bad deal,” he told Channel 10, “mainly because it gives Iran legitimacy to engage in nuclear work. Also, in 10 years from now, Iran will be able to enrich uranium to whatever grade it wants and however much it wants, without any limitations.” (Read more from “Iran Deal Will Set off Middle East Nuclear Arms Race, Warns Top Israeli Official” HERE)

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Greece Votes ‘Yes’ on Bailout Bill

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Greece’s parliament has voted to accept substantial economic reforms needed before the country can receive a fresh bailout worth as much as $96 billion.

The heavily indebted country needs the bailout money to avoid bankruptcy and a ‘Grexit’ from the euro, but the reforms are extremely unpopular.

Many Greeks resent that European lenders are imposing such harsh, strict reforms on their pension and tax systems.

Protests in front of the Greek parliament building in Athens turned violent on Wednesday ahead of the vote. Protesters threw Molotov cocktails and police responded with tear gas.

For months, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Syriza party rallied against the reforms. But Tsipras was forced to accept them as the country tottered on the brink of bankruptcy. (Read more from “Greece Votes ‘Yes’ on Bailout Bill” HERE)

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ISIS Movement in Russia Raises US Concern [+video]

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ISIS strongholds in Iraq and Syria are the focus of much scrutiny, but there are new concerns the terror network is looking to use other radical movements closer to Europe as a way to expand their reach.

Fox News National Security Analyst KT McFarland spoke to foreign policy experts retired Air Force Col. Cederic Leighton and the Heritage Foundation’s James Carafano about the terror network’s influence.

Leighton says there are already indications ISIS is linking up with Russian extremists. “They are riding a wave of popularity – wherever they get traction, that’s where they are going to have a franchise operation … and they are doing a great job of it in the Caucasus at the moment.”

Russia has dealt with terror attacks linked to Russia’s Caucasus region, where extremism runs high. In 2002, militants linked to Chechnya took hostages in a Moscow theater, where 130 people were killed. Then, in 2004, armed Muslim rebels took over a school in southern Russia, killing 331 people.

“At the root of that is an Islamist minority, which has been fighting for independence from the Russian government for a long time and some of that has erupted in real war, real insurgency … the potential for [terrorists] reaching to disaffected groups, that’s only going to grow in Russia,” said Carafano, vice president at the Heritage Foundation. (Read more from “ISIS Movement in Russia Raises US Concern” HERE)

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