ZeroHedge – Albert Edwards’ “WOW!” Chart, Or Why “Draghi Makes Greenspan Look Like A Rank Amateur” – 12 March 2015

Back in January, when European stocks were only starting their unprecedented QE ramp, we presented the “Driver Behind The European Stock Surge” in which we showed that ever since Mario Draghi’s “whatever it takes” speech in July 2012, European equity prices were up 50% (even higher now) even as corporate earnings had actually declined by 7%.

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

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ActivistPost – Putting Measles Into Proper Perspective—According To The Facts – 12 March 2015

Catherine J. Frompovich
Activist Post

Just WHAT are the facts regarding measles? readers may be asking.

Fact – There are 23 strains/genotypes of measles: “The WHO [World Health Organization] currently recognizes 8 clades, designated A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H. Within these clades there are 23 recognized genotypes, designated A, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10, E, F, G1, G2, G3, H1, and H2, and 1 provisional genotype, d11.” [1]

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

Fracking Wastewater In California Full Of Harmful, Cancerous Chemicals – Report – 12 March 2015

Disclosures in California revealed this week that a bevy of toxic, cancer-linked chemicals in fracking wastewater are routinely injected back into the ground. State regulators of the oil and gas industry, meanwhile, admitted to substandard oversight.

More than a year after California’s unprecedented law requiring transparency over contents of hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — wastewater, a new report by the Environmental Working Group showed that the state has allowed a variety of carcinogenic chemicals to be pumped back into the ground after use, thereby freeing oil and gas deposits.

The group said that “more than a dozen hazardous chemicals and metals as well as radiation were detected in the wastewater, some at average levels that are hundreds or thousands of times higher than the state’s drinking water standards or public health goals.”

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

‘Corrupt’ Undercover Policing Probed In Judge-Led Inquiry After ‘Serious Historical Failings’ – 12 March 2015

A judge-led inquiry into undercover policing in Britain and the actions of Scotland Yard’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) was launched on Thursday to address “serious historical failings” in UK covert policing practices.

Judge Lord Justice Pitchford will lead the probe, with witnesses permitted to give evidence.

Pitchford is set to scrutinize Britain’s use of police officials in undercover roles by the SDS, the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and other police forces across England and Wales.

Home Secretary Theresa May said the work of barrister Mark Ellison and Operation Herne – an investigation into covert policing at Scotland Yard – has unveiled stark “historical failings” in undercover UK policing tactics.

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

Mish / Mike Shedlock – Reality Check: How Fast Is China Growing? Global Recession At Hand – 12 March 2015

How Fast is China Growing?

Analyst estimates of Chinese growth keep getting lower and lower. Yet, those declining estimates have all been from a lofty level: From 10% to 9%, to 8% to 7.5%.

China’s growth target for 2015 is 7.0%.

Many question those growth estimates. I certainly do. Chinese growth is not consistent with energy demand, raw materials, or personal consumption. Worse yet, growth does not factor in pollution or malinvestments in vacant housing, vacant malls, vacant airports, etc.

EU Lawmakers Demand International Investigation Into Nemtsov’s Death – 12 March 2015

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution urging an international investigation into the death of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

MEPs believe that Nemtsov’s death is “most significant political murder in recent Russian history,” according to the text of the resolution, which was adopted Thursday.

The motion “requests an independent international investigation into the murder” and suggests that the OSCE, the European Council and the UN could play a role in the probe.

Russian law enforcement authorities have already stated that they would be against any interference into the investigation.

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

European Central Bank ‘Asphyxiating’ Greece – Varoufakis – 12 March 2015

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said the European Central Bank is holding cash-strapped Athens in a choke-hold in order to push through negotiations on the country’s bailout program.

The European Central Bank has essentially cut Greece off from short-term lending, which makes borrowing more expensive for the already heavily-indebted nation. If Athens doesn’t strike a deal with Brussels, they will lose emergency assistance funding from the ECB.

“The ECB in my opinion is pursuing a policy that can be considered asphyxiating toward our government,” Varoufakis was quoted by Reuters as saying in an interview with Greece’s Mega TV.

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

Steve Lendman – A Description Of Life-Ending Nuclear War – 12 March 2015

Think nuclear war is nothing to worry about. Think again!

Nuclear incineration is no way to go. On February 26, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) headlined “What would happen if an 800-kiloton nuclear warhead detonated above midtown Manhattan?”

Saying “Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles are believed to carry a total of approximately 1,000 strategic nuclear warheads that can hit the US less than 30 minutes after being launched.”

Laser Weapon Prototype To Be Built By UK Military – 12 March 2015

The UK Ministry of Defense is preparing a prototype “Star Wars” laser weapon. Britain has followed the lead of the US Navy, which tested its “highly effective” weapon last year on the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf.

Fired from a warship, the laser weapons are able to shoot down missiles and drones, and destroy other naval targets. Under the Geneva Convention, lasers cannot be used as anti-personnel weapons.

The project, known as the Laser Directed Energy Weapon Capability Demonstrator, will cost up to £100 million, according to the MoD.

It is expected to “become a critical defense on a future generation of warships,” as it is thought to be both economical and precise.

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

IMF Loan To Ukraine Is ‘Involuntary Servitude’– Central Bank Ex-Head – 12 March 2015

The $17.5 billion loan approved by the IMF won’t save Ukraine from hopeless poverty; instead, it will inflict a blow on the country’s population already living on the breadline, said the ex-head of the National Bank of Ukraine Sergei Arbuzov.

None of the options proposed by the IMF would improve the economy, said Arbuzov to Izvestia, adding that the biggest mistake made by the government was working with the IMF instead of working with the economy.

“Ukraine had all the reasons to talk with the IMF and international creditors not about the loan, but about debt relief and the restructuring of the remaining debt in long-term securities with low profitability,” he said. “I do not see the reasons for the allies to refuse to make concession to the war-torn country that has experienced the Maidan. Instead, we’ve come up with an involuntary servitude variant, even without trying to negotiate.”

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