ZeroHedge – Richard Koo Crushes The QE Dream (In 1 Brief Paragraph) – 17 January 2015

Late on Friday afternoon, desparate to relive his mid-October ‘world-saving’ heroics, The Fed’s Jim Bullard unleashed some more Fedspeak aimed at the promise of moar money to save the world (i.e. stocks) if things don’t work out. But it is his concluding comment that sparked the most ‘keyboard-smashing-angst’ for those not buying the spoon-fed omnipotence of the central planners. Bullard stated unequivocally that “the lesson of QE is that it works fairly well.” While we are not exactly sure what his definition of ‘works’ is, as the chart below and Richard Koo’s QE-dream-crushing commentary shows, by reflating assets by their hand, the central planners are putting the cart before the horse… and Japan is a perfect example of the vicious economic spiral that leads to…

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Mexico’s Disappeared Students: Police Arrest Gang Hit Man – 17 January 2015

Police in gang-ravaged Mexico have arrested an alleged hit man for a local drug cartel in the case of the 43 abducted college students. The September disappearance and subsequent events saw the entire country erupt in protest over a corrupt government.

The suspect, Felipe Rodriguez, arrested Friday, belongs to the infamous Guerrero Unidos cartel, and goes by the nicknames ‘The Brush’ and ‘The Stubborn One.’ He is believed by authorities to be the “material author” of the mass killings that came to light when grisly graves started being uncovered.

The official version so far is that the 43 students were grabbed by corrupt police at a local protest in the city of Iguala, Guerrero state, and then handed over to the ruthless Guerreros, who then allegedly killed them and burned the bodies at a trash dump, before dispensing of the remains in a river.

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ZeroHedge – Dollar Outlook: Now It Gets Tricky – 17 January 2015

Saying the US dollar had a good week even though it lost 18.5% against the Swiss franc may be a bit like the old joke about asking Mrs. Lincoln, “besides that how was the play?”

The Swiss National Central Bank’s unexpected decision to abandon it cap will be a day recorded in foreign exchange history, ranking up there, with Nixon’s closing of the gold window and the UK leaving the ERM. In all three cases, officials balked at the costs/risks of pursuing their national strategies.

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Tear Gas, Sound Bombs: Clashes In Sao Paulo As 1,000s Protest Bus Fare Hike – 17 January 2015

Police used tear gas and sound bombs to disperse thousands of people protesting against hikes in bus fare price in Brazil’s biggest city, Sao Paulo.

The protesters gathered for a rally after the authorities increased bus fares from 3 reals ($1.14) to 3.50 reals ($1.34). Carrying banners reading, “No to fare hikes” the demonstrators called for fares to be lowered or eliminated altogether. They also demanded free student fares.

According to organizers, the rally attracted about 20,000 people, while police put the numbers at 3,000. At least 1,000 officers were policing the demonstration.

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‘Queen Of Europe’? 2015 Will Be The Defining Year For Angela Merkel’s Chancellorship – 17 January 2015

For decades, the rest of the world wondered who to call when they needed to speak to Europe. Since Angela Merkel became the continent’s dominant politician and Germany asserted itself as its superpower, that question no longer applies.

In 2015, Merkel faces the pivotal year of her reign as “Queen of Europe.”

When Ronald Reagan courted Europe’s leaders 30 years ago, urging them to stand firm against the USSR, things were more complicated. Britain, France and West Germany were equally significant – and divided on the ‘Soviet question’ – so a balancing act was required. Margaret Thatcher was rabidly anti-Communist and needed little coaxing to Washington’s worldview. On the other hand, Helmut Kohl managed a Bonn government still in touch with ‘Ostpolitik’ and Francois Mitterrand’s socialist administration was largely ambiguous in its intentions.

Today, for Barack Obama, it’s much simpler. The US President need only recognize one top-dog – Angela Merkel’s Germany. While paying lip-service to London and occasionally massaging French egos, it’s apparent that the White House has effectively delegated responsibility for Europe to Berlin.

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Laura Bruno – Pamela “Pixie” Colman Smith – A “Rich” Soul Whose Works & Life Continue To Inspire Millions – 17 January 2015

laurabruno:

“Pixie” has a very special place in my heart, too. Much love and thanks for bringing this article to light, Tania!

Originally posted on Tania Marie’s Blog:

I’ve been meaning to share about this soulful creatrix and today inspiration led me to do so, first in an article by Beth Maiden, honoring her works and spirit, followed by my own collected shares below.

This is a wonderful article and tribute to the artist, Pamela Colman Smith (also known as “Pixie” or “PCS”) of the most widely known Tarot deck in the world, the Rider Waite Tarot – now referred to by many as the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, as people have come to honor Pamela’s name, where for a long time it had been omitted.

The article is a celebration not only of Pamela, but also of the creative arts (which she lived her life constantly immersed in and channeling), of the contributions of women, and the value and honor both are deserving of in helping to shape the world and the foundations it is built upon.

Pamela not…

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www.laurabruno.wordpress.com / link to original article

Majority Of America’s Public School Children Are Living In Poverty – 17 January 2015

image from http://www.southerneducation.org

A new study shows that the majority of public school children in the United States are living in poverty.

The report, conducted by the Southern Education Foundation, drew its conclusions from data revealing how many public school children qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.

For the first time on record, 51 percent of students are living in poverty. There are an estimated 74 .5 million children in the US.

Study authors said they have noticed a continuing trend of increased poverty levels since 1989, when 32 percent of students qualified for these types of meals. By 2000, the number had risen to 38 percent. In 2013, it had gone up another 13 percent, according to information from the National Center for Education Statistics.

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US Troops Training Syrian ‘Moderates’ Could Top 1,000 – Pentagon – 17 January 2015

The Pentagon announced that a mission to train the “moderate” Syrian opposition may involve over 1,000 US troops. The first soldiers may flow into the region in a month, while the trained fighters may return to Syria to “fight ISIS” by the end of 2015.

The earlier announced number suggested 400 pairs of US boots on the ground in countries neighboring Syria, where the training will take place. However, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a press briefing on Friday that the total number “could approach 1,000.”

“It might even exceed that. I can’t rule that out,” Kirby added.

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Steve Lendman – Deconstructing Netanyahu In Paris – 17 January 2015

He gatecrashed Paris. French President Francois Hollande urged him to stay home. He wasn’t wanted. He came anyway.

He gatecrashed Paris. French President Francois Hollande urged him to stay home. He wasn’t wanted. He came anyway.

Couldn’t bear not being among other leaders. An array of world rogues. As many as 50 showed up.

Participating in phony Charlie Hebdo homage. A disgusting hypocritical display. Netanyahu muscled his way to the front of the pack.

Used his attendance for campaign purposes. Israeli elections are two months away. He outraged his host by urging French Jews to emigrate to Israel. Their “historic homeland,” he said.

Who ever heard of a head of state urging citizens of another country to leave? Saying they’d be better off doing so.

US, UK Want To Tackle ‘Technical Issues’ Of Accessing Encrypted Private Information – 17 January 2015

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Western intelligence agencies must be able to intercept any communications in order to thwart potential terror attacks being hatched by extremist groups, and this must be done without violating citizens’ rights, US and British leaders said.

British authorities don’t need “backdoors” into the websites and communication protocols used for online conversations, Cameron added. Instead, he said: “We believe in very clear front doors through legal processes that should help to keep our countries safe.”

US President Barack Obama and his UK counterpart, Prime Minister David Cameron, held a joint press conference at the White House on Friday and answered questions about how far the governments could go in violating privacy as concerns surrounding recent terrorist activity grow.

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