PZ New & Money Watch – 08-13-14

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– Where is The Outrage? – By Bill Wilson

– The Biggest Lesson from Microsoft’s Recent Battle with the US Government

– Shocking Prediction for U.S. Oil Production

– The Fate of America – By: Gordon King

– The Numbers Matter – By Belle Ringer

 

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Where is The Outrage?

By Bill Wilson

CBS News Senior National Security Analyst Juan Zarate says the White House, counterterrorism experts and politicians do not know whether the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant, (ISSL, formerly Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and Islamic State) “is really a group just devoted to the regional goals of establishing an Islamic caliphate, or if at the same time they are developing global-not just ambitions but capabilities-to attack the West.” In the sterile talking head analysis of the al-Qaeda born Islamic army, both politicians and news reporters alike are sidestepping history, deeds, and declarations of ISSL as well as its stated purpose. These commentators and so-called leaders can’t see the forrest for the trees.

First and foremost, irrespective of what ISSL is, is what it is doing. It is moving across Syria and Iraq killing everyone in its path that doesn’t agree with it. First news reports spoke of the terror this organization was creating by beheading its adversaries and sticking their heads on posts along the roads. Another wave of news reports documented that Christians were to convert to Islam, pay the jizya tax, or die. The result has been mostly death as ISSL identifies Christians and kills them anyway. Evidence is the dozens of pictures of children with their heads sawed off, families slaughtered and laying on top of one another, and the bloody selfies these barbarians take of their deeds and post online.

The driving force behind ISSL is Abu Duaa. Abu Duaa was released in 2009 when the occupant of the Oval Office shut down the Bucca prison camp in Iraq. He sees both Syria and Iraq as an Islamic state, the beginning of a single al Qaeda caliphate. If it is rooted in al Qaeda, it is also rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood, the “president’s” foreign policy partner. The goal of the Muslim Brotherhood is to facilitate the building of a worldwide caliphate to usher in the Islamic Mahdi for his seven year reign on earth with his prophet Jesus. The eschatology is all written in the Koran and other prophetic writings of Islam, and Muslims have been awaiting the reformation of the caliphate as a sign of the end times.

This ISSL group’s goal is to establish a worldwide caliphate where Christians and Jews are slaughtered with impunity.  Revelation 20:4 says, “And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” I have seen pictures of little children and their parents beheaded by ISSL. Members of ISSL tell the media they intend to hoist their flag over the White House. Where is the outrage? Is the veil that blinds reporters and politicians so thick that not a ray of truth may enter?

 

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The Biggest Lesson from Microsoft’s Recent Battle with the US Government

By Nick Giambruno – International Man

A court ruling involving Microsoft’s offshore data storage offers an instructive lesson on the long reach of the US government—and what you can do to mitigate this political risk.

A federal judge recently agreed with the US government that Microsoft must turn over its customer data that it holds offshore if requested in a search warrant. Microsoft had refused because the digital content being requested physically was located on servers in Ireland.

Microsoft said in a statement that “a US prosecutor cannot obtain a US warrant to search someone’s home located in another country, just as another country’s prosecutor cannot obtain a court order in her home country to conduct a search in the United States.”

The judge disagreed. She ruled that it’s a matter of where the control of that data is being exercised, not of where the data is physically located.

This ruling is not at all surprising. It’s long been crystal clear that the US will aggressively claim jurisdiction if the situation in question has even the slightest, vaguest, or most indirect connection. Worse yet, as we’ve seen with the extraterritorial FATCA law, the US is not afraid to impose its own laws on foreign countries.

One of the favorite pretexts for a US connection is the use of the US dollar. The US government claims that just using the US dollar—which nearly every bank in the world does—gives it jurisdiction, even if there were no other connections to the US. It’s quite obviously a flimsy pretext, but it works.

Recently the US government fined (i.e., extorted) over $8 billion from BNP Paribas for doing business with countries it doesn’t like. The transactions were totally legal under EU and French law, but illegal under US law. The US successfully claimed jurisdiction because the transactions were denominated in US dollars—there was no other US connection.

This is not typical of how most governments conduct themselves. Not because they don’t want to, but because they couldn’t get away with it. The US, on the other hand—as the world’s sole financial and military superpower (for now at least)—can get away with it.

This of course translates into a uniquely acute amount of political risk for anyone who might fall under US jurisdiction somehow, especially American citizens. A prudent person will look to mitigate this risk through international diversification.

So let’s see what kinds of lessons this recent court ruling offers for those formulating their diversification strategies.

The Biggest Lesson

The most important lesson of the Microsoft case is that any connection to the US government —no matter how small—exposes you to big risks.

If there’s anything connected to the US, you can count on the US government using that vulnerability as a pressure point. Microsoft, being a US company with a huge US presence, is of course exposed to having its arms easily twisted by the US government—regardless if the data it stores is physically offshore.

Now let’s assume the company in question was a non-US company, with no US presence whatsoever (not incorporated in the US, no employees in the US, no servers or computer infrastructure in the US, no bank accounts in the US): then the US government would have a much more difficult time accessing the data and putting pressure on the company to comply with its demands.

It’s important to remember that even if a company or person is more immune to traditional pressures, there are plenty of unconventional ways the US can respond.

The US government could always resort to hacking, blackmail, or other acts of subterfuge to access foreign data that is seemingly out of its reach. This is where encryption comes in. We know from the Edward Snowden revelations that when properly executed, encryption works. For all practical purposes as things are today, strong and proper encryption places data beyond the reach of any government or anyone without the encryption keys.

Of course, there is no such thing as 100% protection, and there never will be. But using encryption in combination with a company that—unlike Microsoft—is 100% offshore is the best protection you can currently get for your digital assets.

Once you get the hang of it, encryption is actually easy to use. Be sure to check out the Easy Email Encryption guide; it’s free and located in the Guides and Resources section of the IM site.

How easily the US can access your offshore digital data will also come down to the politics and relationship between the US and the country in question. You can count on the UK, Canada, Australia, and others to easily roll over for anything the US wants. On the other hand, you can bet that a country with frosty relations with the US—like China or Russia—will toss most US requests in the garbage. This political arbitrage is what international diversification is all about.

The lessons of the Microsoft case extend to offshore banking.

It’s much better to do your offshore banking with a bank that has no branch in the US. For example, if you open an HSBC account in Hong Kong, the US government can simply pressure HSBC’s large presence in the US to get at your Hong Kong account—much like how the US government pressured Microsoft’s US presence to get at its data physically stored in Ireland.

Obtaining the Most Diversification Benefits

Most of us know about the benefits of holding uncorrelated assets in an investment portfolio to reduce overall risk. In a similar fashion, you can reduce your political risk—the risk that comes from governments. You do this by spreading various aspects of your life—banking, citizenship, residency, business, digital presence, and tax domicile—across politically uncorrelated countries to obtain the most diversification benefits. The optimal outcome is to totally eliminate your dependence on any one country.

This means you’ll want to diversify into countries that won’t necessarily roll over easily for other countries. This is of course just one consideration, and it needs to be balanced with other factors. For example, Russia isn’t going to be easily pressured by the US government. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to bank there.

Personally, I’m a fan of jurisdictions that are friendly with China—which helps insulate them from US pressure—but have a degree of independence and are competently run, like Hong Kong and Singapore.

Naturally, things can change quickly. New options emerge, while others disappear. This is why it’s so important to have the most up-to-date and accurate information possible. That’s where International Man comes in. Be sure to check out our Going Global publication, where we discuss the latest and best international diversification strategies in great, actionable detail.

 

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Shocking Prediction for U.S. Oil Production 

By Matt Badiali, editor, S&A Resource Report 
 
On July 14, representatives from every branch of the U.S. government packed the ballroom of the Marriott hotel in downtown Washington, D.C.

Glancing at the name badges, I saw folks from the Federal Reserve Bank, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and all branches of the military. Embassy staff from foreign governments were there, as were representatives from nearly every oil company in the world. If you’re a player in oil, you had someone at this conference.

We were all there for the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) 2014 Energy Conference. Legendary oil analyst and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel Yergin was the lunch keynote speaker. And he didn’t disappoint…

You see, the whole conference agenda rested on the idea that the U.S. is in the early stages of a massive increase in oil production…

During his speech, Daniel Yergin forecasted that the U.S. will hit 14 million barrels of oil production per day. That’s an extraordinary increase when you consider we hit 8.3 million barrels per day in May 2014… up from 5 million barrels per day in 2008. It’s 44% higher than Saudi Arabia’s current crude-oil production.

Yergin wasn’t making some off-the-wall prediction, either. His estimate is only slightly higher than the official EIA estimate. In other words, although U.S. oil production has skyrocketed over the past five years, it will continue to run higher and higher.

By now, you’ve heard about the shale boom. Innovative technologies have allowed us to extract oil and gas directly from the source rocks… and reverse a nearly 40-year decline in oil production. In 2008, the United States produced 1.8 billion barrels of oil. In 2013, we produced 2.7 billion barrels… a 50% increase in five years. That five-year period has been the most productive period of oil-production growth in American history.

And that trend will continue…

Proven reserves grew from 19.1 billion barrels in 2008 to 30.5 billion barrels in 2012 (the latest EIA data). That’s a massive 60% increase over four years. By now, it’s likely much larger.

And S&A Resource Report readers have profited from the start…

We wrote about hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” of shale all the way back in June 2007. We were writing about North Dakota’s Bakken Shale back in 2009. And we were on the ground in Texas’ Eagle Ford in 2010.

The oil industry is 150 years old, and we’ve been fracking for gas for years… but cracking shale for oil is just five years old. Remember, fracking is the process of injecting high-pressure water and sand into the shale to open up the cracks.

What the process lacks in history, it’s making up in volume. And, as you can see in the chart below, it will have a profound effect on future oil production.

The forecast production (in light blue) calls for a peak of 13.4 million barrels per day in 2036. That’s the EIA’s high-case scenario (their base case is 7.5 million barrels per day).

However, over the past five years, U.S. production tracked EIA’s high-case estimate almost exactly. As we said earlier, Daniel Yergin’s team put that high point at 14 million barrels per day… slightly higher than the EIA’s high case.

My point is, the boom in U.S. oil production is still in the early innings. If Yergin’s estimates prove true, U.S. oil production will nearly double from today’s output…

This is the biggest of big trends. Over the next decade, oil investors will see growth unlike anything we’ve seen in 50 years.

 

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Survive The Coming Storm – Ebola Crisis – NOW ON PDF

I wanted to thank all of you who have purchased my book. I want to send out a special “High 5” to those who have posted to Amazon a positive review. Please know, that you guys are helping my book climb the charts.

Here is my last screen shot of my book ratings…

I made it to 4163, but I did not think of getting a screen shot of that one, drats… age is catching up…LOL.

Folks, I have never had a book be that high as well as be in the top 10 in three categories. I praise the Lord for this and I thank all of you for helping me get it out there.

In fact just for comparison, here are some of my ratings for my other books… 

My Name is Lucifer – Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,693

Israel – America & God’s Judgement – Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #339,942

So THANK YOU !!

I Have Had Requests For A PDF Version

I have had a number of people ask me if I can produce my book in PDF for one reason or another.

I want to make sure people get this information, so YES, I have just finished taking the manuscript and converting it to PDF.

SPECIAL NOTE – I have included in my book a link to the 11 Ebola Special PDF Reports that I was offering several weeks ago, so if you did not get those, they are included in the helpful links in the back of my Ebola Survival book.

As with my past offers, all we are asking is $5.00 for my book “Survive The Coming Storm – Ebola Crisis.”

If you feel led to donate $15, $20, $50 to help our efforts here it would be a huge blessing.

Pay Pal a Gift More Than $5.00 +

http://tinyurl.com/Help-Support-Prophezine

Once I get your Pay Pal notice, I will email you the PDF of the book.

IF YOU HAVE PURCHASED THIS BOOK FROM AMAZON – Please post a comment. Already I have 7 comments, but if I can get more, then that raises me even more in the Amazon Search Engine. If you post, you are helping me get this very important message out to the people.

Endorsements

Ray Gano is a tireless prepper and a brother who is committed to being a trainer and a teacher to anyone who will listen. He does the research and the due diligence. I have always found the information he presents to be valid and trustworthy, because Ray uses reliable and knowledgeable resources, which often go contrary to what the mainstream media is telling us (which is one reason why I pay attention to what HE says.).

Ebola is a very real threat and not one to be taken lightly. Knowledge is power and in the case of a killer pandemic, preparation can mean the difference between survival and death. When the fire hits your house it is too late to buy fire insurance, and if and WHEN this killer epidemic hits your city, it will be too late to prepare. $5.00 is almost free, but the information will be worth more than gold in coming days. Thumbs up, Ray!

By Aletha M Swanson – PZ Insider

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Ebola is a hot topic right now and whether you believe it’s all media hype or a real potential threat it never hurts to be prepared. Ray Gano’s latest book Ebola Crisis is a no nonsense guide to understanding the dangers of this virus.

We live in a world that is increasingly dependent on others for our own well being. In situation where health care providers could very well be overwhelmed it’s a good idea to have your own plan of action prepared to deal with such extenuating circumstances. Ray Gano’s Ebola guide offers a wealth of information to do just that.

What I particularly like about this book is it offers great advice which can be used in a multitude of situations. Personally I doubt Ebola will become a global pandemic but only a fool would say it couldn’t happen here. Don’t freak out, just prepare!

By William Struse – Author –The 13^th Numeration

Website – http://www.the13thenumeration.com/Blog13/

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You can purchase my new book on Amazon here….

Survive The Coming Storm – Ebola Crisis:

A Prepper’s Guide on How To Prepare For A Killer Global Ebola Pandemic

and Treat At Home

ORDER NOW: http://amzn.com/B00MI8LIXK

 

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The Numbers Matter

 

By Belle Ringer

 

During the Fall of 2013, the Federal Reserve conducted a survey of 4100 households to gauge their economic and financial well-being.  Newsmax is reporting the statistics, and they are not very encouraging:

 

•  13% said they were struggling to get by
•  34% reported they were “somewhat worse off” or “much worse off” than before the Great Recession hit in 2008.
•  33% of those who had applied for credit in the previous 12 months said they were turned down or given less than they requested.
•  24% had some type of education debt.
•  31% of people who aren’t retired said they had no retirement savings or pension, including 19% of those aged 55 to 64.
•  Almost 50% of adults weren’t actively thinking about financial planning for retirement, with 25% saying they had done no planning at all.
•  26% of homeowners said they expected prices in their neighborhood to increase by as much as 5% in the 12 months following the survey period.

 

It’s not hard to see why there is so much pessimism among American households.  The job market is still lagging far behind the needs of American workers; many are having to settle for part-time jobs when full-time employment is needed and wanted.  Manufacturing is stagnant; and credit card debt is almost a necessity in today’s household.

 

My family and I recently discussed the sad state of the country’s economy and how it is affecting the generations.  If they had worked hard and diligently, the older generations used to look forward to leaving a comfortable inheritance to their children.  But today, with the uncertainty of government programs like Medicare and Social Security, they are not sure if they are going to have to use up their legacy.  Rising property taxes are a real threat for the elderly and retired; they fear losing the one asset that could benefit their children upon their death.  Leaving any kind of financial benefit is no longer taken for granted.

 

Then I worry about the younger generation.  New college graduates and the young marrieds just starting their families do not see our future clearly.  They don’t have enough experience to see that their economic future will not mimic that of their parents and grandparents.  Everything is going to cost more, and their salaries (if they are lucky enough to gain employment and keep a job) will not meet the demands of rising food costs, insurance, and mortgages.  They will not have the luxury of “security” that we have known in the past.  Everything is changing … they just don’t see it yet.

 

Our Education standards are falling; our quality of healthcare is going to take a drastic nosedive; our privacy is disappearing; and our society and culture are in moral decline; and “believing in God” can even be widely divergent in its definition.

 

If the signs of a dying culture are the lack of faith, a lack of a moral foundation (relative moralism doesn’t count), the breakdown of the family unit, and a general lack of caring for other people — then I guess we fit the bill.  The end of this republic may ultimately come at the hand of an external enemy, but the genesis of our demise will have been internal.  We simply did not guard what we were given by man or God.  And now we’re paying the price; a just penalty, I might add.

 

While the numbers don’t lie, and I think we are reaping what we have sown, I can’t help but believe that victory can still be ours.  I sense an awakening in the souls and minds of people who are forced to take a good, hard look at what’s going on outside their personal domains.  How can they not?  The world is going to effect us all.  Whether it is a worldwide pandemic; a terrorist attack; communities overwhelmed with illegal immigrants; water shortages; or a natural disaster; we are all going to eventually have a crisis of faith.

 

So it is my prayer each night that this nation will awaken to its need for God; to face our mistakes, our selfishness, and our transgressions, and seek His face as have we done throughout our past.  It is never too late to ask for forgiveness, and He is never too slow to respond when we are sincere in our repentance.  Is it too late?  I don’t think so.  Nightly, I remind God that He has a faithful remnant in this country, and I ask for just a little more time to reach one more person for His kingdom.  He knows the exact number of the fullness of His kingdom on earth, and I hope there is still time to reach one or two more.  Lord, help me to add to Your number!

 

Revelation 7:9 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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