ZeroHedge – Another Bubble Pops: Price Of Farmland Suffers First Annual Decline Since 1986 – 14 February 2015

One of the bigger asset bubbles in recent US history has nothing to do with stock, bonds or commodities, and unlike the real estate bust of 2007 (which has since rebounded only for the ultra-luxury segment), barely batted an eyelid during the Great Financial Crisis. Curiously, it was not until early this decade that the institutional money even noticed said bubble, something he discussed in October of 2010 when we profiled TIAA-CREF’s investment in this particular asset class. We are talking of course about farmland.

And yet, like all other bubbles – be they the result of retail euphoria or central bank rigging – this one too must come to a close, and as the WSJ reports, the first crack in the farmland bubble are appearing, after farmland values declined in parts of the Midwest for the first time in decades last year “reflecting a cooling in the market driven by two years of bumper crops and sharply lower grain prices, according to Federal Reserve reports on Thursday.”

Read the full story at: www.zerohedge.com / link to original article

Mish/ Mike Shedlock – Senator Inhofe Sponsors Ukraine Military Weapons Bill Based Pn Images Of Russian Soldiers In Georgia In 2008 – 14 February 2015

On February 11, US Senator Jim Inhofe authored a Bill to Arm Ukraine with Lethal Military Aid.

Mr. President I rise today to introduce my bill that authorizes the President to provide lethal weapons to the Government of Ukraine in order to defend itself against Russian-backed rebel separatists in eastern Ukraine.

On January 15, 2015, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated, “For several months we have seen the presence of Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, as well as a substantial increase in Russian heavy equipment such as tanks, artillery, and advanced air defense systems.”

These photographs were given to me by Lt Col Semen Semenchenko, the commander of Donbas Volunteer Assault Battalion and newly elected member of the parliament of Ukraine, during our meeting on 13 Nov last year.

ZeroHedge – Second Thoughts On US Official Gold Reserves Audits – 14 February 2015

Submitted by Koos Jansen via BullionStar blog,

This post is a sequel to “A First Glance At US Official Gold Reserves Audits”.

What is not often covered in the media or blogosphere are the audits of the US official gold reserves stored at the US Mint, which is the custodian for 95 % (7716 tonnes) of the stash – nowadays also referred to as custodial deep storage, and at the Federal Reserve Bank Of New York that safeguards the remaining 5 % (418 tonnes). The lawful owner of the US official gold reserves is the US Treasury. Part one covered the most recent records I could find published by the US government, in this post we’ll examine more historical records and approach this matter from a more critical angle. Because of the amount of information I found this post is split in multiple parts.

Read the full story at: www.zerohedge.com / link to original article

ActivistPost – As Opposition Gains Victories, World Elite Prepare Response – 14 February 2015

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post

With the recent victories by the Syrian Army on the battlefield, the open response to Israel by Hezbollah, the success of the anti-Austerity SYRIZA party in Greece, and the Russian-brokered ceasefire in Ukraine, the Anglo-American establishment is obviously unhappy. However, the Atlanticists are clearly not going to sit idly by while their best laid plans are put awry.

Indeed, NATO military and political forces already seem to be preparing to douse even the mere spark of a multi-polar world that rejects the policies dictated from international bankers and the NATO headquarters.

Read the full story at: www.activistpost.com / link to original article

French President Blasted In Media For ‘Using Public Funds’ For His Actress Lover – 14 February 2015

France’s President Francois Hollande has come under fire for reportedly using state money for transportation and other needs of his actress lover, Julie Gayet, according to the French media.

On Friday, the ‘Closer’ weekly magazine published photos of Gayet going to the city of Nantes to the set of the film she’s producing in a “state-owned car”. In the picture, Gayet was also accompanied by one of the French president’s bodyguards.

“Julie Gayet may not ever have officially appeared on the arm of the president, but it seems she benefits from other privileges linked to her personal relationship with the head of state, as evidenced by her security worthy of a first lady,” the magazine wrote.

Read the full story at: www.rt.com / link to original article

Drug, Alcohol Addicts And… Obese To Have Benefits Slashed, Cameron Pledges – 14 February 2015

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said people with drug and alcohol problems or people who are obese could have their disability and sickness benefits removed if they refuse treatment. This comes as an election pledge.

If the Conservatives win the next general election in May, they will ensure that tens of thousands of people who are claiming benefits because they say they have a drug or alcohol problem are “incentivized” to go back to work.

Cameron said that it was crucial that people take the treatment available to them so they can start leading a “fulfilling life”.

“The next Conservative government is determined to make sure that the hardest to help get the support they need to get them back to a fulfilling life,” the Prime Minister said.

Read the full story at:  www.rt.com / link to original article

Strike Of Defiance: Tear Gas Floods Bahrain As Protests Mark 2011 Uprising – 14 February 2015

Bahraini police fired tear gas at hundreds of Shia protesters who took to the streets on Saturday, on the fourth anniversary of the Arab Spring uprising, supporting the opposition, whose leader is currently behind bars.

READ MORE: Bahrain sentences leading activist Nabeel Rajab for tweet

Carrying national flags, as well as portraits of detained activists, people chanted “Down Hamad”, referring to the Sunni king, witnesses said, according to AFP. They burned tires and blocked village roads with rocks, garbage containers and branches.

Read the full story at: www.rt.com / link to original article