Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 25, 2014: CAPTION: Radioactive cesium of mind-boggling 370,000 becquerels per kilogram of soil has been detected in the mud of the Myotoishi reservoir in Motomiya, Fukushima Prefecture [55 km from Fukushima Daiichi]. The reservoir is ringed by homes and a community center. – Very high levels of accumulated radioactive cesium have been detected in the mud of hundreds of reservoirs used to irrigate farmland in Fukushima Prefecture […] 576 reservoirs [of 1,939 surveyed]. […] many of which are located in residential areas […] and still supplying water to rice paddies and other farmland. […] Environment Ministry says it has no plans to dredge the reservoirs to remove the contaminated mud. […] Kiyoshi Ishii, 71 […] was unable to hide his anger.
Japan Times, Mar. 1, 2014: […] despite the government and [Tepco’s] claims that things are under control, the disaster continues to threaten the lives and well-being of people […] much of the problem stems from the government’s poor handling of the after-effects of the disaster and Tepco’s continuing inept handling of the cleanup at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. […] the health ministry is in denial about the existence of problems […]
Infinite
Russian Stocks Crash As Central Bank Scrambles, Hikes Rates Most Since 1998 Default
– Russian Stocks Crash As Central Bank Scrambles, Hikes Rates Most Since 1998 Default (ZeroHedge, March 3, 2014):
Following a 150bps rate hike by the central bank – the largest since the 1998 default –desperate to halt capital outflows and a collapsing currency, Russian stocks have crashed 11% led by some of the country’s largest banks. USDRUB rose to just shy of 37 – the weakest RUB rate on record – but rallied back a little on the rate hike but the MICEX stock index tumbled 11% to almost 2-year lows with Sberbank (Russia’s largest bank) down 17% and VTB (2nd largest bank) down 20%. Between the threat of economic sanctions from the West and simple risk-aversion-based capital flight, as one analyst noted, “uncertainty risks a further escalation in domestic capital outflow.”
MICEX is down 11% today alone…
Ruble at record lows against the USD…
Read moreRussian Stocks Crash As Central Bank Scrambles, Hikes Rates Most Since 1998 Default
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk Speaks
– Ukraine’s Prime Minister Speaks (ZeroHedge, March 3, 2014):
Ukraine’s acting PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk speaks. Highlights below:
- UKRAINE TO FULFILL ALL IMF REQUIREMENTS, PREMIER SAYS – like Greece?
- UKRAINE PM SAYS BELIEVES RUSSIAN TROOPS WON’T INVADE E. UKRAINE – because they are there already?
- UKRAINE PM SEEKS TO INCREASE RESERVES TO EASE FX FLUCTUATIONS – “Whatever it takes”, even printing dollars
- UKRAINE PM SAYS NAFTOGAZ SHOULD BE PRIVATIZED – Ukraine oligarchs delighted by this development
- UKRAINE PM SAYS NEW GOVERNMENT HAS NO INTENTION OF NATIONALISING PRIVATE COMPANIES” – Ukraine oligarchs even more delighted by this development
And finally, why all the above was irrelevant:
- UKRAINE PM SAYS RUSSIA REFUSES TO HOLD BILATERAL UKRAINE TALKS
Oh well, as long as it fools those USDJPY ramp algos if only for a few minutes.
Ukraine Accuses Russian Fighter Jets Of Violating Its Airspace
– Ukraine Accuses Russian Fighter Jets Of Violating Its Airspace (ZeroHedge, March 3, 2014):
Infantry, navy, and now air force. At least according to the Ukraine, which reported that Russian fighter jets twice violated Ukraine’s air space over the Black Sea during the night, Interfax news agency quoted the Defence Ministry as saying on Monday. It said Ukraine’s air force had scrambled a Sukhoi SU-27 interceptor aircraft and prevented any “provocative actions” but gave no further details. That was just the cherry on top to what has already been an exhausting day for risk in Russia and the Ukraine, both of which saw their currencies tumble to all time lows.
In the meantime, Russian fortifications in the region continue. Reuters summarizes:
A Ukrainian border guard spokesman said on Monday that Russian ships had been moving in and around the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea Fleet has a base, and that Russian forces had blocked mobile telephone services in some parts of Crimea.
Read moreUkraine Accuses Russian Fighter Jets Of Violating Its Airspace
PBS: Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Continues To Unfold (Video)
FYI.
YouTube Added: Feb 28, 2014
Description:
The site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan remains a post-apocalyptic landscape of abandoned towns, frozen in time. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien got a rare tour inside the plant, where three nuclear reactors melted down after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, to learn more about the long-term solutions for stemming the radioactive contamination.
Horrific Knife Attack In China Leaves 33 Dead (130 Injured) (Video & Photos)
– Horrific Knife Attack In China Leaves 33 Dead (130 Injured) (ZeroHedge, March 3, 2014):
Submitted by James Pach via The Diplomat,
In one of the deadliest acts of terror in China in recent memory, a group of ten knife-wielding assailants attacked passersby at the Kunming Railway Station in the southwest of the country on Saturday night, killing at least 29 and wounding another 130. Police also shot and killed four of the attackers and captured one more. The other five are on the run, according to reports. State broadcaster CCTV said two of the attackers were women, one of whom was killed by police and the other captured.
Local Kunming government officials say that evidence at the scene point to separatists from China’s restive Xinjiang region, in what is being called “an organized, premeditated violent terrorist attack.” China’s state media outlet Xinhua quotes domestic senior Chinese security official Meng Jianzhu as vowing to “severely punish” the attackers “according to law.” Those comments were later echoed by President Xi Jinping, who also heads China’s security commission. The Global Times reports that Xi has asked “law enforcement to crack down on violent terrorist activities in all forms.” It also notes that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his hope that “those responsible will be brought to justice.”
Read moreHorrific Knife Attack In China Leaves 33 Dead (130 Injured) (Video & Photos)
South Central US Poisoned With Plutonium By New Mexico Nuke Garbage Dump (Veterans Today)
– South Central US Poisoned by New Mexico Nuke Garbage Dump (Veterans Today, Feb 28, 2014):
Enough to Kill 35,500 People Released so Far
(San Francisco) – Feb 28, 2014 – Carlsbad, New Mexico is the site of the nation’s only nuclear weapons program garbage dump. Plutonium is used in making The Bomb, it melts at 640 Deg C or 1,184 Deg F, and is made in reactors. It is not mined anywhere on Earth. Reactors exist to make Bombs.
____________________________
The Carlsbad Bomb making garbage dump is on fire. The burning radioactive metal does not go away, it turns to dense black radioactive smoke. The black smoke is very obvious in the daytime and it streamed from several ventilator shafts during a fire at the dump two weeks ago.
The shafts were then closed and the visible smoke kept underground. Plutonium does not need oxygen to burn and escaped anyway. The HEPA filters are not good enough to contain the very small Plutonium particles; that’s because nothing is. The fire very well could still be burning Plutonium and Uranium in the salt mine.
Read moreSouth Central US Poisoned With Plutonium By New Mexico Nuke Garbage Dump (Veterans Today)
Fox News Anchor: ‘What A Fantastical Incredible Lie’ Gov’t Told About Fukushima, And Now It’s Reached Shores Of North America – ‘We Knew … And Simply Could Not Prove’ It
Flashback:
– Highest Levels Of Radioactive Cesium In Plankton From Fukushima Found East Of Hawaii
– Fox News Anchor: “What a fantastical incredible lie” gov’t told about Fukushima, and now it’s reached shores of North America — “We knew… and simply could not prove” it (VIDEO) (ENENews, March 1, 2014):
Shepard Smith, Fox News, Feb. 25, 2014:
Radiation from the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in Japan has crossed the ocean and has landed close to North America — the gift from Japan that keeps on giving.
Radiation from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant has now reached the waters off North America’s west coast — that’s the word from the scientists. […] In 2011 a deadly earthquake followed by a tsunami killed 15,000 people and caused Fukushima power plant nuclear reactor to melt down. We stood in Tokyo, as they said “There is no meltdown, this is not happening”– as steam rose from the place. They allowed workers to continue, they allowed residents to stay — and said, “No, there’s no nuclear meltdown, it’s okay.” It’s now reached the shores of North America. What a fantastical incredible lie that we knew at the time we were getting, and simply could not prove.
The Phone Call
– The Phone Call (ZeroHedge, March 2, 2014):
The phone-calls are flying. On the heels of yesterday’s Obama-Putin “discussion”, today has seen Merkel drop him a line (with the resultant claim that Putin has accepted a “fact-finding mission” despite all evidence to the contrary); and then Merkel, Obama, and Cameron got on a party-line to discuss “sanctions”.
In the face of this seriousness, we suspect, however, any of the calls to Putin all had a similar dialogue…
UK: 1000s Of Young People Forced To Go Without Food After Benefits Wrongly Stopped Under ‘Draconian’ New Sanctions Regime
– Thousands of young people forced to go without food after benefits wrongly stopped under ‘draconian’ new sanctions regime (Independent, March 2, 2014):
Thousands of young people have been forced to go without food or other essentials after their benefits were wrongly stopped under a “draconian” new sanctions regime, research suggests.
Since the Coalition introduced more punitive benefit sanctions in October 2012, more than 45,000 young people have been hit with an incorrect penalty, according to IoS analysis of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures.
A sanction can mean having welfare payments cut off entirely for a minimum of a month and as much as three years for “repeat offenders”. The hardline system, which means people can end up cast adrift for accidentally missing an appointment, is thought to be one of the reasons behind the vast numbers turning to food banks.
CNN: ‘Horrible Medical Mystery … Alarming Rate Of Birth Defects’ In Washington – Babies Missing Parts Of Brain, Skull
CNN, Mar. 1, 2014:
- Elizabeth Cohen, CNN senior medical correspondent: Yakima Valley, Washington, a horrible medical mystery has unfolded — An alarming rate of birth defects. Sara Barron, a nurse in the region and was the first to report cases of anencephaly, babies born with much of their brain and skull missing.
Memo To Obama: This Was Their Red Line!
– Memo to Obama: This Was Their Red Line! (David Stockman, Mar 2, 2014):
In 1783 the Crimea was annexed by Catherine the Great, thereby satisfying the longstanding quest of the Russian Czars for a warm-water port. In fact, over the ages Sevastopol emerged as a great naval base at the strategic tip of the Crimean peninsula, where it became home to the mighty Black Sea Fleet of the Czars and then the commissars.
For the next 171 years Crimea was an integral part of Russia—a span that exceeds the 166 years that have elapsed since California was annexed by a similar thrust of “Manifest Destiny” on this continent, thereby providing, incidentally, the United States Navy with its own warm-water port in San Diego. While no foreign forces subsequently invaded the California coasts, it was most definitely not Ukrainian and Polish riffles, artillery and blood which famously annihilated The Charge Of The Light Brigade at the Crimean city of Balaclava in 1854; they were Russians defending the homeland.
Recent Photos From The National Archives Prove: Lee Harvey Oswald Was FRAMED (Video)
YouTube Added: Oct 16, 2013
Description:
[Note: Volume 3 of the book on which this video is based will be given away for free on the Kindle on the 22d of every month]
Don’t go to the grave believing that Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin of President Kennedy. For the last 50 years, evidence proving that Lee Harvey Oswald was framed has been sitting in the National Archives, and until now no one has exposed this evidence. It is a shocking story.
Read moreRecent Photos From The National Archives Prove: Lee Harvey Oswald Was FRAMED (Video)
Copy Of ‘Mein Kampf’ Signed By Adolf Hitler Expected To Fetch $25,000 At Auction
FYI.
Nazi text being sold as a ‘memento’
– Copy of Mein Kampf signed by Adolf Hitler expected to fetch $25,000 at auction (Independent, Feb 27, 2014):
A rare copy of Mein Kampf autographed by Adolf Hitler is up for sale in LA, with the auctioneer describing it as “very heinous, but a piece of history.”
The two-volume work, which sees the Nazi leader set out plans for a German revival after World War I and is filled with anti-Semitism, goes under the hammer on Thursday.
Read moreCopy Of ‘Mein Kampf’ Signed By Adolf Hitler Expected To Fetch $25,000 At Auction
Explosions Heard In Semferopol; Belbek (Sevastopol) Air Force Base Seized By Russian Forces, BBC & Pravda Report
– Explosions Heard In Semferopol; Belbek (Sevastopol) Air Force Base Seized By Russian Forces, BBC & Pravda Report (ZeroHedge, March 2, 2014):
Several unconfirmed reports of two explosions being heard in Crimea’s capital, Semferopol were on the wires and now The BBC has confirmed,
A loud bang was heard about 23:10 local time (21:10 GMT), following by a smaller blast, BBC reporters in Simferopol say.
Reports vary from “didn’t hear any explosions” in Semferopol to Belbek Air Force base (In Sevastopol) is under Russian attack. Ukrainian Pravda confirms:
“Russian military, using ‘stun’ grenades, seized nearly all the buildings of the Ukrainian military in Belbek.”
The BBC reports explosions:
US Official Claims 6,000 Russian Troops In Complete Control Of Crimea – Crisis Map Update
– US Official Claims 6,000 Russian Troops In Complete Control Of Crimea – Crisis Map Update (ZeroHedge, March 2, 2014):
While the images and local news have been suggesting that Russia is in control on the Crimean peninsula, US officials (according to Bloomberg) have confirmed this:
- *RUSSIAN FORCES IN COMPLETE CONTROL OF CRIMEA: U.S. OFFICIAL
- *RUSSIA HAS 6,000 TROOPS IN CRIMEA, U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS
- *KERRY TO REAFFIRM SUPPORT FOR UKRANIAN SOVEREIGNITY, PSAKI SAYS
Obama, Merkel, and Cameron are now on a conference call to discuss this “fact” and officials have just reported that US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Kiev tomorrow (though we suspect not Sevastopol):
Read moreUS Official Claims 6,000 Russian Troops In Complete Control Of Crimea – Crisis Map Update
Live Flu Vaccines Increase Infectious Bacteria Counts 100-Fold In Mice
– Live Flu Vaccines Increase Infectious Bacteria Counts 100-Fold in Mice (GreenMedInfo, Mar 2, 2014):
If presumably safer “attenuated” flu vaccines are supposed to protect against influenza and its sometimes deadly complications, then why do vaccinated mice have up to 100-fold higher levels of flu-associated pathogenic bacteria than non-vaccinated mice? A concerning new study published in mBio, an open access journal of the American Society of Microbiology, titled, “Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine Enhances Colonization of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus in Mice,” reveals that live attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) lead to the rapid and sustained overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria in the upper respiratory tract of mice at colonization densities up to 100-fold higher than non-vaccinated mice.This is the first study of its kind to demonstrate that vaccination with a live attenuated viral vaccine can dramatically alter the colonization behavior of human bacterial pathogens in a manner very similar to that following infection from ‘wild-type’, i.e. naturally circulating, flu infections.Read moreLive Flu Vaccines Increase Infectious Bacteria Counts 100-Fold In Mice
‘Construction Flaws’ In Six Hanford Nuclear Waste Tanks, 13 More May Be Compromised
The nuclear waste processing facility near Hanford, Washington
– The nuclear waste processing facility near Hanford, Washington (RT, March 1, 2014):
“Significant construction flaws” have been found in at least 6 of the 28 double shelled radioactive waste storage tanks at the Hanford nuclear waste complex in Washington State, which may lead to additional leaks, documents obtained by the AP say.
After one of the 28 huge underground double shelled tanks was found to be leaking in 2012, subsequent surveys performed for the US Department of Energy by one of its Hanford contractors found that at least six of the other tanks shared the same defects, according to the documents. A further 13 tanks may also be compromised, the inspectors found.
Read more‘Construction Flaws’ In Six Hanford Nuclear Waste Tanks, 13 More May Be Compromised
Putin Reminds Obama Of Crimes Committed By Ultranationalists In Ukraine
– Putin reminds Obama of crimes committed by ultranationalists in Ukraine (Voice of Russia, March 2, 2014):
Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the situation in Ukraine with his US counterpart Barack Obama by telephone. Putin reminded the US president of crimes committed by Ukrainian ultranationalists with the connivance of Kiev’s new self-proclaimed government.
The conversation was at Obama’s request and lasted more than an hour, according to the Kremlin’s press service.
In response to Obama’s concerns over the possible use of Russian troops in Ukrainian territory, Putin said that Russia reserved the right to defend both its own interests and the interests of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine if violence spread to Ukraine’s eastern provinces and Crimea.
Read morePutin Reminds Obama Of Crimes Committed By Ultranationalists In Ukraine
Israel’s Netanyahu Heads To US For Talks With Obama
– Israel’s Netanyahu Heads to US for Talks with Obama (VOA News, March 2, 2014):
JERUSALEM — Israel’s leader is on his way to Washington for a summit Monday at the White House. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says two key issues are on the agenda for when he meets with President Barack Obama.Speaking at the airport in Israel before leaving for Washington, Netanyahu said the leaders will discuss Iran’s nuclear program and peace talks with the Palestinians.
Read moreIsrael’s Netanyahu Heads To US For Talks With Obama
Ukrainian Troops Dispatched In Crimea Switch To Region’s Side
– Ukraine troops in Crimea change sides to back pro-Russia authorities without bloodshed (Voice of Russia, March 2, 2014):
Crimea-stationed Ukrainian troops have switched sides to join forces with local pro-Russia authorities in the Russian-dominated autonomous republic of Crimea, a source in the region’s administration has said.
The source has stressed the transition was peaceful and without a single shot being fired.
…
– Ukrainian troops dispatched in Crimea switch to region’s side (RT, March 2, 2014):
Ukrainian armed forces dispatched to Crimea have switched to the side of local authorities and are expected to take military oath soon, Russian news agencies report.
“Today the majority of the Ukrainian armed forces deployed in Crimea passed to the side of the authorities of the Crimean autonomous region. The transition was absolutely peaceful, without a single shot fired either by the military or by the forces of self-defense,” an unnamed source told RIA Novosti news agency.
The source added that some of the servicemen also ran away, while some submitted letters of resignation.
The local military have not been paid for many months, the source also told RIA Novosti.
Read moreUkrainian Troops Dispatched In Crimea Switch To Region’s Side
Ukraine Launches Treason Case Against Navy Chief Denis Berezovsky Who Surrendered
– Ukraine launches treason case against Navy chief who surrendered (Voice of Russia, March 2, 2014):
Ukraine launched a treason case on Sunday against the head of the navy, who surrendered his headquarters on Sunday in the Crimean port of Sevastopol on only his second day on the job.
Denis Berezovsky was shown on Russian television swearing allegiance to the pro-Russian regional leaders of Crimea. Russian forces have seized the Black Sea peninsula and told Ukrainian forces there to give up their weapons.
Read moreUkraine Launches Treason Case Against Navy Chief Denis Berezovsky Who Surrendered
US: Emergency Plan Activated After ‘MASSIVE’ Crack Found In Dam Near Hanford Nuclear Site
Seattle Times, Feb. 28, 2014 (emphasis added): ‘Serious problem’: 65-foot crack found in Columbia River dam — A massive crack in a major Columbia River dam poses enough of a risk of dam failure that Grant County authorities have activated an emergency-response plan. […] “At this point we already know there’s a serious problem,” said Thomas Stredwick, spokesman for the Grant County Public Utility District (PUD). “We want to make sure the spillway is stable enough that inspectors are safe when inspecting it. […] This is a situation that’s really changing as more information becomes available” […]
Seattle Times, Feb. 28, 2014: There’s no immediate threat to public safety from the crack in the Wanapum Dam […] Stredwick said […] officials analyzed the divers’ data and decided Friday that the failure risk was sufficiently high that they should notify other government agencies […]
Columbia Basin Herald, Mar. 1, 2014: [T]his large of a crack has never been found on a Grant PUD dam. […] engineers noticed something unusual on the water level […] the crack, which spans the entire length of the dam, had formed about 70 feet under water.
Read moreUS: Emergency Plan Activated After ‘MASSIVE’ Crack Found In Dam Near Hanford Nuclear Site
John Kerry Warns Russia Of Possible Eviction From G-8
– Kerry Warns Russia of Possible Eviction From G-8 (New York Times, March 2, 2014):
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Sunday that Russia risked eviction from the Group of 8 industrialized nations if the Kremlin did not reverse its military occupation of Crimea in Ukraine.
“He is not going to have a Sochi G-8,” Mr. Kerry said on the NBC program “Meet the Press,” referring to the meeting of the industrialized nations that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is to host in June. “He may not even remain in the G-8 if this continues.”
“He may find himself with asset freezes on Russian business,” Mr. Kerry added. “American business may pull back. There may be a further tumble of the ruble. There’s a huge price to pay.”
Mr. Kerry’s comments came as the Obama administration and its Western allies tried to formulate their response to Mr. Putin’s decision to deploy Russian forces in Crimea.
Read moreJohn Kerry Warns Russia Of Possible Eviction From G-8