Monday, January 25, 2016

‘Buy the dips’ strategies are delaying that moment of ‘quiet despair’

Poof! Nearly $8 trillion has been sucked from the carcass of the 2016 global equity market so far, and despite the solid pulse in recent days, nobody’s in a celebratory mood just yet. In fact, the gloomers are still holding court in the media. Why wouldn’t they be? Pain sells and double-digit declines are everywhere, with Russia, Italy and China carving deeper into bear territory.
But if Friday was merely a blip in a continued freefall, it was quite a blip. Global stocks exploded for their biggest gain since 2012, according to Bloomberg. The MSCI’s benchmark of world equities rose 2.6% as buyers stepped up and shorts scrambled in the face of potentially more stimulus.
If that 500-point storm midweek didn’t open the selling floodgates, maybe retail investors are a bit more patient than they get credit for. After all, while the headlines screamed blood in the streets, investors bought the dip in what Fidelity said was one of the 10 busiest retail trading days ever.
David Stockman, the tireless bear making noise on the Contra Corner blog, said the “no-man’s land” trend that has gripped markets won’t allow that to be a winning strategy. “Apparently, the day traders and robo-machines think BTFD [buy the f***ing dip] still works,” he wrote. “But they are going to be sorely disappointed — just as they have been for nearly 700 days running.”
And what then? “At some juncture in the not too distant future,” Stockman wrote, “the stock averages are going to break this trading range, and plunge back down to earth.”
The WSJ’s Jason Zweig also wrote about misconceptions in his latest piece, and why there’s no reason to suggest all this volatility necessarily means a bottom is near. “As the behavior of many individual investors has been showing,” he says, “we are a long way from the quiet despair that has so often been a sign that stocks have finally reached bargain prices.”
Whether that “quiet despair” begins to creep in this week could depend on what we hear out of the high-profile crop of tech earnings, including Apple AAPL, -0.38%  on Tuesday. Facebook FB, +0.22% Amazon AMZN, -0.11%  and Microsoft MSFT, -0.46%  will also be peppering eager investors with numbers in the coming days. For now, there still seems to be some buying interest spilling over from last week’s advance.
Key market gauges
Dow YMH6, -0.48%  and S&P ESH6, -0.49%  futures are pointing lower. Gold GCH6, +0.97%  continues to push for a comeback with a decent gain. Crude CLH6, -3.45%  is lower, hovering below $32 a barrel. In Asia ADOW, +1.16% stocks banged out an advance while Europe SXXP, -0.74%  is down after investors were in the mood to nibble earlier.
The buzz
Twitter TWTR, -5.27%  shares are down 5%. It should be pretty busy today after reports of a major shake-up at the top surfaced over the weekend. Katie Jacobs, Twitter’s vice president of global media, and Kevin Weil, senior vice president of product, are on the way out. Chief Executive Jack Dorsey had this to say about those departures. At least one downgrade has rolled in this morning from Stifel.
Johnson Controls JCI, +0.42%  and Tyco International TYC, +6.86%  agreed to merge in a deal that will put the combined company’s headquarters in Ireland. Tyco shares are up 5% and Johnson Controls is off 2%.
Caterpillar CAT, -3.61%  is down 3% after Goldman cut it to sell.
The economy
There are plenty of numbers for traders to sift through this week, such as the first estimate of fourth-quarter GDP and December new home sales. The Fed is meeting Tuesday and Wednesday but no major fireworks are expected. “This is not a live meeting for the Federal Reserve in the sense no change in policy can be reasonably expected,” Marc Chandler of the Marc to Market blog wrote. “Whatever the Fed means by gradual, it does not mean a rate hike at consecutive meetings.” As for today, the Dallas Fed manufacturing survey hits at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.
The call
Time to tread lightly on dividend stocks? That may seem counter-intuitive in a market environment where playing it safe seems to be all the rage. But Barron's is suggesting just that, despite the outperformance of the group so far this year. “Dividend-paying stocks might not be as safe as they look,” writes Ben Levisohn. “That’s because companies have been raising their dividends while their earnings growth has slowed or even evaporated altogether.” He added that not only is that unlikely to change but it could be getting even worse without the necessary profits.
The chart
Parity?
“After a 10-month consolidation,” writes Market Chess blogger chessNwine, “if euro/dollar EURUSD, +0.3612%  bears are going to press for parity, now is the time to make a move.” In a post entitled, “The euro looks ready for a chic, trendy, dirt nap,” he used this chart to show how vulnerable the euro is at these levels, from a technical perspective, at the very least. “Despite attempting to stabilize at the 50-day moving average,” chessNwine warns, “those declining longer-term moving averages above are still too menacing to ignore.” Read his full take.
The stat
1,934 contracts — That’s the latest tally of the net-long position in gold futures and options, according to Bloomberg. Last week, that number stood at 902. To put the shift in perspective, at the end of the year, there was a record net-SHORT position of 24,263 in the safe haven metal.
Random reads
Miss the blizzard? Here’s a cool time lapse.
Showtime’s new financial drama is exhausting.
This beetle could help make frost a non-issue for airplanes.
This is what a dead football player’s brain looks like.
The true story behind “The Revenant” is gnarlier than the movie.
Hey, it’s warming up:
A brief early-week warmup will aid blizzard recovery across the northeastern US http://ow.ly/XtIC7 

Gold pitches higher as dollar weakens

Gold buyers will watch the Fed’s policy statement on Wednesday



Gold futures climbed on Monday as the dollar inched lower, supporting a move higher for the yellow metal in early trade.
February gold GCG6, +0.92%  was $11.60, or 1.1%, higher at $1,107.90, after the precious metal finished last week with a 0.5% weekly gain.
The ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, -0.21% a measure of the greenback against six rival currencies, was 0.2% lower at 99.3640
A monetary-policy statement expected from the Federal Open Market Committee on Wednesday could set the tone for the commodity complex. Any signs of dovish sentiment from the central bank, including hints that policy makers may slow the pace of interest-rate increases given the turmoil in global stock markets, could help lift dollar-denominated gold.
A slower pace of rate hikes could weaken the dollar and make commodities priced in the currency more attractive to buyers using other monetary units.
Fretting about global growth has dogged markets and, at least temporarily, eroded appetite for risky assets, including stocks, while driving flight-to-safety investments in gold and the yen.
“The pullback in risk markets has defensive plays like [the yen] and gold on the rebound. Copper is also trading moderately higher this morning,” said Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at CMC Markets.
March high-grade copper HGH6, +0.00%   was little changed at $2.003 a pound, after posting a weekly gain last week of 3%.
In other metals, March silver SIH6, +1.34%   gained 20 cents, or 1.4%, to trade at $14.26 an ounce, April platinum PLF6, +3.54%   gained $27.90, or 3.4%, to trade at $859.60 an ounce, while March palladium PAH6, -1.08%   lost $6.55, or 1.3%, to stand at $493.30 an ounce.

Opinion: Ask yourself these questions before you dump stocks and funds in a panic

Have a solid investment plan to weather stormy markets



When the stock market is nerve-wracking as it has been, investors need to make sure that any decisions they make are part of the big plan instead of the result of panic.
That’s easier said than done. While some investors can stay the course and never worry about the market’s short-term volatility, others need to do something to feel like they are in control.
Indeed, anyone truly convinced that a massive bear market is about to begin is likely out of the market already. For example, some $24 billion was pulled from stock funds over the first three weeks of 2016, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Most investors, meanwhile, are simply unsure of what to do next. And here’s where it’s appropriate to check the panic meter.
The physical symptoms of a panic attack include a racing heart, sweats or chills, feeling faint or dizzy, a sense of impending doom or terror, a perceived loss of control and more. Investors who feel any of those things about their portfolio have a mix that’s off-kilter with their risk tolerance.
They feel panic because they aren’t comfortable with the market’s prospects and/or can’t live with any plan they have in place. At that point, hanging on and hoping for the best — even if it’s a viable strategy — may not be realistic.
Jeffrey Gundlach: How to get a 12% yield
The CEO of Doubleline Capital and newest member of the Barron's Roundtable likes closed end funds and other ways to buy oversold assets at an even bigger discount. His first pick: Annaly Capital.
Any change, however, should be more about reducing uneasiness. That means coming up with defensive strategies against big waves of market volatility. Selling is an option, and while the buy-and-hold community decries it as a mistake, a nervous investor needs more control.
Yet before selling anything into this market, ask yourself these questions:
1. Does a sale protect my nest egg, or my ego?
If you sell in order to protect gains or because you expect a downturn in a specific security or market, you’re locking in profits but should also be looking to put the money to work where you see better opportunities. You’re not motivated to change your asset allocation, but rather to maintain your holdings, so the money shouldn’t head to the sidelines for the long haul.
That said, if you are protecting retirement savings because you fear a market meltdown, the money should stay on the sidelines longer, and it may be redeployed into assets that you believe are safer and/or more consistent.
And if you are moving money because of an emotional response to the market’s volatility, consider how your portfolio should be constructed or rebuilt. Pulling money simply to get out of the danger zone is impulsive; that’s the panic-stricken move to avoid.
2. What has changed about the investment?
If the investment itself has changed — a mutual fund has a new manager or a stock is in an industry looking at tight conditions, for example — that’s always a reason to consider a change.
Strategic reasons to sell make sense regardless of market conditions, though typically are acted on only when the storm clouds arrive. If you’re selling out of fear, that’s letting market volatility dictate your strategy rather than having a strategy that positions you comfortably to deal with the market.
3. How does a change affect my portfolio’s risk profile?
If you go 100% to cash, you face zero stock-market or principal risk, but you trade that for purchasing-power risk — the chance that your money can’t keep pace with inflation.
Balancing risks is why investors diversify; if you unload a piece of the portfolio, check how it changes your asset allocation. Beware of anything that puts all of your eggs in one basket, even if it feels safe and smart at the moment.
4. How am I redeploying the money — now and in the future?
The problem with making moves to calm the nerves is that people who panic have a tough time getting back into the market. Meanwhile, folks who follow trends — like a moving-average — or technical analysis have specific targets they are looking for that will have them back in the market.
Over the long haul, investors need to balance protecting their money with growing it; achieving that balance with advance planning helps ensure that today’s nervousness doesn’t extend indefinitely.

Johnson Controls, Tyco to merge in tax inversion deal




Johnson Controls Inc. and Tyco International PLC agreed to merge, the companies said Monday, in a deal that will place the combined company’s headquarters in Ireland.
The deal’s value was unclear and representatives didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Shares of Tyco TYC, +8.01%  jumped 16% to $34.65 in premarket trading while Johnson Controls shares JCI, +1.12%  rose 0.6%.
Under the terms of the agreement, Johnson Controls will own about 56% of the merged company. The new firm will be renamed Johnson Controls PLC and maintain Tyco’s Irish legal domicile.
 
The companies said the merged entity would save at least $150 million a year on taxes and at least $500 million in costs over the first three years after the completion of the deal.
The deal is expected to be completed in by the end of 2016, the companies said.
An expanded version of this report appears at WSJ.com.

Only the wealthy are building homes — and they’re bigger than ever

When it comes to a dream house, bigger is still better.
The average size of a house that started construction last year hit a record 2,721 square feet, according to the National Association of Home Builders, citing data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Forty-nine percent of those homes have four or more bedrooms; 38% have at least three full bathrooms. And 24% have a garage that can fit at least three cars. The average sales price: $351,000.
It isn’t that all Americans, in general, are clamoring for huge homes. Rather, it’s mainly the wealthy that are building right now, and they’re building big—skewing the overall average.
Meanwhile, buyers between the ages of 25 and 34 are basically absent from the new-home market. Roughly 15% of Americans this age lived with their parents last year, pointed out Rose Quint, assistant vice president, survey research for economics and housing policy at the NAHB. In fact, for a full decade, homeownership has fallen among young Americans, those who are more likely to buy a smaller new home. (Or, more likely, purchase an existing home.)
“Their share has to come back [to new home buying] before they will impact those [home size] numbers,” Quint said. Despite measures intended to loosen mortgage credit for first-time buyers, including a 3% down payment program for conventional mortgages and lower mortgage insurance premiums for Federal Housing Administration-backed mortgages, these young buyers were still largely missing last year.
So, for now, there is a “disconnect between the home that would be built if everyone was in the market and the homes that are actually being built,” Quint said.
The median size of homes that people are currently living in is 1,859 square feet, according to a NAHB survey of 4,326 recent and prospective home buyers. When asked how big their ideal home would be: 2,020 square feet, or about 9% bigger, Quint said.
It will take some time before the less affluent feel confident enough in the economy to return to the new home market, said Sarah Susanka, architect and author of “The Not So Big House” series of books. But more wealthy buyers have been following through on their new home dreams for the past year and a half or so, judging from the calls she gets from prospective clients.
“The people who would build smaller houses are not building right now. They’re still cautious because they have less available cash,” she said. “The people who had money all along are not worried.”


Rare color film of U.S. Marines in combat emerges
Two thousand hours of film, some never seen before, of U.S. Marines during World War II, Korea and Vietnam is being digitized for future generations.
Millennials, who tend to be budget-minded, are more apt to remodel than to buy new, said Jill Waage, executive editor for the Better Homes and Gardens brand. The brand includes the print magazine from which it gets its name and also includes its website, social platforms, apps, broadcast programs and licensed products.
“One in five homeowners is in the process of planning or doing an interior project—driven primarily by homeowners under the age of 35,” Waage said.
Millennials also want their homes to be highly personalized, according to a Better Homes and Gardens survey of 1,610 women homeowners. A home that is customized to their tastes and needs is a top priority for 63% of millennials surveyed. And 60% of millennials say that having a home that is a reflection of them is more important to their generation than their parents’ generation.
Yet 60% of millennials are willing to compromise on what they want in order to save money, Waage said.
To make a home more affordable, those of all ages surveyed by NAHB are most likely to settle for a smaller lot size, followed by a smaller house, having unfinished spaces, being farther away from shopping and entertainment, having fewer amenities and having a longer commute to work.
Only 14% said they were concerned about their home’s impact on the environment—and would pay more for the house to lessen that impact. Yet people said, on average, they would pay $10,732 more for a home if it meant they would save $1,000 a year on utilities.
“If you frame it in terms of helping the environment, you’re not going to get quite as positive responses,” Quint said.

THANKS TO THE FED: Economies all around the world are in a state of collapse. Pensioners and savers particularly have faced huge headwinds since 2008 as their savings and pensions continue to disappear…


We’re up against a controlled government; the Fed is using the government as a weapon against us. Result: Economies all around the world are in a state of collapse. Pensioners and savers particularly have faced huge headwinds since 2008 as their savings and pensions continue to disappear…
End of Capitalism Is Here-Ellen Brown (excerpts)
By Greg Hunter On January 6, 2016
Public banking expert and attorney Ellen Brown says, “Your life savings could be wiped out in a derivatives collapse.” Brown explains, “Nobody anticipated what happened in 2008, and that was a $700 billion bailout. Even if the FDIC tapped its Treasury line, that’s only $500 billion. So, certainly things could go wrong. Also, why are they rushing to put these things into place? They’re expecting something.” Brown goes on to point out, “They think they have avoided too-big-to-fail, but what they have actually done is formalize too-big-to-fail. I mean it’s the end of capitalism. There is no such thing as too-big-to-fail in a capitalistic society where you say certain corporations can’t fail. If you have to take the people’s money to prop them up, it’s no longer capitalism.
“…It’s our money and ‘We the People’ back it… We are making these banks too-big-to-fail, and we are backing these banks. They are sucking the profits out like a parasite from the economy. The profit should go back to the people. The credit should go into manufacturing jobs. Manufacturing is disappearing because the banks make more money on derivatives than by making loans to small and medium size businesses, which is where manufacturing comes from and where jobs come from.”
Brown warns that people are more at risk in the U.S. to lose their savings because the five biggest banks have nearly $250 trillion in derivatives. In a financial calamity that could cause mass bankruptcies, recent legislation says the derivative holders will be paid first. Brown explains, “They have super priority over everything. . . . All the creditors’ money will be taken in a bail-in. A bail-in is the opposite of a bankruptcy. In a bankruptcy, the bank is liquidated in order to pay off the creditors. In a bail-in, the creditors’ money is taken in order to keep the bank alive. So, we get to die while the bank lives instead of the reverse. They specifically say ‘creditors’ which means shareholders and bond holders, but what most people don’t realize is depositors are also considered creditors. When you put your money in a bank, it becomes the property of the bank, and all you have is an IOU.”
http://usawatchdog.com/end-of-capitalism-is-here-ellen-brown/
Until things have dropped 67%, the bottom is not in.
Has anything really been solved?
  • Any Banksters go to jail?
  • Why do we have more TBTF firms than before?
  • Did Glass-Steagall get reinstated?
  • Middle Class come roaring back?

Free Jon Corzine!

JO

Detroit collapsing into third world status as water supply becomes too toxic to drink… America’s infrastructure imploding

Already pressured by a collapsing economy and a financial state of emergency, the people of Flint, Michigan, were also deprived of clean water in 2014, when the state decided to switch the city’s water source to the notoriously mucky Flint River in a bid to save money. In the absence of proper treatment, the water eroded the lead service lines and put all residents in danger. Although the lead-poisoned locals and children are now forced to deal with the consequences of this reckless act for the rest of their lives, the city and state officials responsible have yet to pay any noteworthy price.

As another man-made disaster quietly turns into past, the nearby rundown areas of Detroit are faced with a similar threat. Alongside miserable poverty, bad pipes and neglected water treatment systems are dragging Detroit into third-world status.

Was Flint only the beginning?


After almost two years of drinking toxic water, the people of Flint were finally acknowledged in October 2015. In the meantime, the high levels of lead found in drinking water translated into brain damage, learning disabilities and pregnancy issues for the residents. Children have been permanently hindered in their natural development. But it took until January 2016 for the government to mobilize the National Guard and begin distributing bottled water and filters in Flint.
What lesson do we have to learn from this? Wouldn’t the residents of Flint be much healthier today had they listened to their own instincts and stopped drinking tap water when it started smelling funny? Most importantly, has the government done anything to help prevent this from happening elsewhere in America?

People in Detroit living in third-world conditions

Not only are the residents of Detroit on the brink of facing the same disastrous water situation, but it seems that most of them can’t afford running water to begin with. According to Detroit census records, 60% of households with children under 18 live in poverty. Of the 200,000 water customers in Detroit, 108,000 are 60 days past due on bills, and their water has consequently been shut off, leading many to collect rainwater for daily use.

The horrible truth doesn’t stop here. Darrel Earley is the emergency manager who oversaw the switch of Flint’s water source. The same Darrel Earley is now in charge of Detroit’s public schools.

Recently shared photos taken by teachers from Detroit are shocking, to say the least, but speak a thousand words for the current status of the city. Five days a week, children and teachers are faced with black mold, toilet water leaking through the ceiling, mushrooms growing out of the walls and extreme cold.

Elsewhere, in America…


Flint and Detroit are not singular cases in America, where the entire infrastructure is headed for collapse. From 2013 to 2014, city officials in Sacramento, California, were literally experimenting with a cheaper water treatment option on the unknowing residents. The result? For almost a year, Sacramentans were exposed to toxic chemicals that raise the risk of cancer, miscarriages and birth defects.

Not long ago, much of central Texas found itself on the brink of a similar disaster, when local officials uncovered the fact that their drinking water tested over federal legal limits of radioactive radium, so much so that the local scrapyard turned down the steel water pipes because they were too radioactive. It seems that the water was so contaminated, that it would result in one additional cancer patient for every 400 people.

Whether in Texas, California or Michigan, it seems that the people are the last to know about the health hazards they are exposed to. In light of all these events and possibly many to follow, we strongly recommend that every citizen should be prepared to filter, purify and store their own water.

Sources include:
http://www.naturalnews.com/052739_toxic_chemicals_water_supply_Detroit_Michigan.html
CNN.com
SHTFPlan.com
Med.UMICH.edu
DetroitNews.com
USUncut.com
ReadyNutrition.com
KHOU.com

Chart Of The Day: Fed Balance Sheet Driving Assets—-And Now The Break

Weekend News – Desperate in Davos: policymakers struggle for answers; Morgan Stanley still sees 20 percent chance of US recession

Kuroda Advises China to Impose Capital Controls to Defend Yuan

Bloomberg5 hours ago
China’s stockpile plunged $513 billion last year to $3.33 trillion, the first … pivot from debt-fueled investment and exports toward consumption and services.

-IMF’s Lagarde says markets need clarity on China currency

Reuters4 hours ago
Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, speaking on the same panel at the … The Chinese central bank has been generous with liquidity, pumping a net 315 …

Desperate in Davos: policymakers struggle for answers

Reuters – ?2 hours ago?
Last January, in a bold sign of policy activism, the European Central Bank unveiled its hotly anticipated stimulus, or quantitative easing (QE), program in a bid to kick-start growth and inflation in a euro zone still reeling from financial turmoil and

China’s banking stress looms like Banquo’s Ghost in Davos

Telegraph.co.ukJan 22, 2016
The more China burns through reserves to offset capital outflows and hold the line on the yuan, the more it tightens internal monetary policy – a variant of the …

Bank of Japan’s Kuroda says Japan inflation expectations

Reuters7 hours ago
But some indicators on inflation expectations have been somewhat weak,” Kuroda told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding that he would …

U.S. Steel lawyers focus on when former Stelco ‘unable to meet its debts

Hamilton Spectator – ?19 hours ago?
The trial is to decide if the $2.2 billion the American parent company claims from U.S. Steel Canada is really debt or injections of equity into a struggling subsidiary. If Superior Court Judge Herman Wilton-Siegel decides the claim is truly adebt

Peabody sells stake in Illinois power plant for fraction of investment

Belleville News-Democrat18 hours ago
Peabody announced Thursday that it would sell its 5 percent stake in the Prairie State Energy campus for $57 million. It originally invested nearly $250 million in the 1,600-megawatt facility, which opened in 2012.

India’s Exports Shrink 15% In Dec, Trade Deficit Widens On Gold

South Asian Link11 hours ago
Imports shrank 3.88% to $33.96 billion in December on yearly basis. Gold imports jumped almost three-fold thereby pushing up the trade deficit to a 4-month …

Hong Kong’s Chan Says City’s Economic Growth to Slow From 2015

Bloomberg9 hours ago
Hong Kong’s GDP is estimated by economists to have grown 2.3 percent in 2015, the most sluggish since 2008 amid rising concerns about China’s slowdown …

Bond Traders Tell Fed Optimism on Growth, Inflation Is Misplaced

Bloomberg13 hours ago
He said a slowdown in the Chinese economy is contributing to global deflation. Futures traders assign about a 24 percent chance that the Fed will boost …

Looming downgrades point to turmoil in 2016 for mining, energy

The Globe and Mail19 hours ago
The slowdown in China’s economy has wreaked havoc on the natural-resources sector. Minerals such as iron ore and metallurgical coal have declined more …

Fearing default by Atlantic City, S&P slashes rating

Philly.com – ?19 hours ago?
“The city is currently vulnerable to nonpayment on its obligations and we believe it is likely to default without an unforeseen positive development,” said Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Timothy Little. The downgrade of Atlantic City’s general

S&P slashes Atlantic City credit rating four notches deeper into junk

Reuters – ?20 hours ago?
Atlantic City, New Jersey’s distressed gambling hub, had its credit rating cut four notches deeper into junk territory on Friday on the likelihood of a debt default in the next six months. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services issued the super-downgrade

Venezuela opposition rejects Maduro’s ‘economic emergency’ decree

Stabroek News – ?9 hours ago?
CARACAS, (Reuers) – Venezuela’s opposition refused yesterday to approve President Nicolas Maduro’s “economic emergency” decree in Congress, saying it offered no solutions for the OPEC member-nation’s increasingly disastrous recession. Underlining the

Brazil economy shed 1.5 million jobs in 2015

Arab News – ?21 hours ago?
Brazil is set to have both the worst recession and the third-highest inflation rate among G-20 economies in 2016, according to Reuters Polls. The government, whose popularity has sunk to near record lows, has sent erratic signals about economic policy, …

Brazil’s Rousseff signals tapping foreign reserves possible: media

Reuters – ?19 hours ago?
Most in her economic team share that view, but with Brazil in its worst recession in decades and with a growing fiscal deficit to boot, Rousseff is under pressure from her leftist Workers’ Party to ditch austerity and spend more, including some of the

Market tumble puts quake in pension funds

Jacksonville Journal Courier – ?9 hours ago?
“For the most part, we are in it for the long haul,” said Christine Radogno, the Republican state Senate leader in Illinois, which faces the nation’s largest unfunded pension liability, at more than $100 billion, and is in a tough spot because the

Auditor General: Easton pension funds close to becoming ‘severely

Allentown Morning Call21 hours ago
Auditor General: Easton pension funds close to becoming ‘severely … Overall, there is nearly an $8 billion unfunded pensionliability, DePasquale said.

Illinois lawmakers: Stock drops no reason for pension worry

Bloomington Pantagraph20 hours ago
Illinois lawmakers: Stock drops no reason for pension worry. Updated 8 hrs ago; 0 … Illinois has the nation’s largest unfunded pension liability at $111 billion. × …

3000 jobs lost in Illinois in 2015 as state fails to recover from Great

WSIL TV18 hours ago
WSIL — Illinoiseconomy is still struggling. That became clearer Friday as the Department of Employment Security released figures showing the state lost 3,000 …

Morgan Stanley still sees 20 percent chance of US recession

Reuters – ?Jan 22, 2016?
The government will release its first reading on fourth-quarter economic growth on Jan. 29. If GDP growth deteriorates to a range of 1 percent to 1.5 percent in 2016, the Federal Reserve would likely refrain from raising interest rates this year, the

Creighton economist says ag slowdown spreading to rest of economy

Radio Iowa15 hours ago
“With the global economic slowdown, our trading partners are buying less and less of our agricultural products.” The rollercoaster stock market leaves traders …

SP

Secret History Revealed — Putin Played Critical Role After The Pre-Planned Collapse Of The USSR

Vladimir Putin’s Russia: Perfect Foil To The Anglo-American Axis And Their New World ‘Order’


Vladimir-Putin_2856004b
State of the Nation
Why is the Anglo-American Axis so afraid of Putin and determined to bring him down?
No world leader has been so demonized by the West over the past decade as President Vladimir Putin of Russia has.
No other president or prime minister has been subjected to so many outrageous personal attacks and unrelenting false accusations.
Clearly, Vladimir Putin represents a genuine threat to the World Shadow Government (WSG) in a way that profoundly unnerves those who reside at the peak of the global power pyramid.
Why are they so afraid of him?
Before that question can be answered, the hidden history of the preplanned collapse of the USSR must first be understood and properly considered. Only by understanding the true historical context in which Vladimir Putin operated at that time will his actions and pronouncements of today take on great meaning.  This unknown history is also quite important if one is to comprehend the reactions of his countless detractors throughout the leadership of the Anglo-American Axis (AAA).  As follows:

Ultra-Secret Deal Made Prior To The Engineered Collapse Of The USSR Following The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

One of the best kept secrets which predicated the inevitable collapse of Soviet communism and the subsequent breakup of the USSR is that it actually occurred in a manner not too unlike a carefully controlled demolition.  Only in this case they were bankers and politicians, investment brokers and power-brokers who actually pressed the buttons.  All of the plans toward that end were fastidiously laid by these stakeholders, each of whom had the greatest interest in exploiting the vast wealth of the Russian Motherland.
The fall of the Berlin Wall and collapse of the USSR were not the spontaneous series of momentous events that the Mainstream Media (MSM) would have us believe.  Neither were they the result of President Ronald Reagan’s request: “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall; although, his Hollywood background certainly made for some great (and convincing) political theatre.  “Perestroika” and “glasnost” were simply buzzwords bandied about to present the appearance of a fundamentally changed USSR.  Yes, Russia did become liberalized especially in contrast to Soviet Communism, but only so it could be neo-liberalized by the banksters.
In fact, the entire dissolution of the USSR was the product of numerous top-secret meetings which took place with very high level (as in highest level) representatives from the USSR, USA, UK and other major AAA nations and WSG controllers.  By and large the most important of these meetings concerned the meticulously engineered business and commercial, banking and investment aspects necessary for an orderly breakup of the USSR republics and its eastern European satellites.
By 1989 the pendulum of power had swung from those who wished to see the USSR and her satellites controlled by communism to those who wanted to directly control her prodigious natural wealth, industrial base and other national assets by way of naked predatory capitalism.  Toward that end the many notorious Russian oligarchs were each selected and appointed by the Western coalition of bankers to oversee the outright theft of all major assets and natural resources from the Russian people.  This unique form of corrupt predatory capitalism was at first hidden from public view as it was implemented to strip everything of value from both the state and the citizenry.
This jointly blessed transitional process was the only way in which the Soviet Union was ‘permitted’ to be liberated from those who secretly controlled her destiny throughout nearly 75 years of nominal Soviet Communism.  Leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin were chosen to rubber stamp the entire state-coordinated theft by the oligarchs.  As political leaders are usually kept in the dark, neither of them, nor their inner circles, were privy to the details of this scheme to steal Russian wealth.  They were merely frontmen whose primary task was to usher the process along with the veneer of legitimacy. However, because of their positions of political power and unique vantage points, both were grimly aware that “a deal had been made with the devil” behind their backs.
Boris Yeltsin bore the greatest burden because of the timing of his term as President as he watched the oligarchs steal everything in sight.  His well-known drinking problem and heart condition were surely the result of having to go along with the whole charade. Nevertheless, he knew that in the future stewardship of Vladimir Putin, Russia would be “protected”.   For just as the vulture capitalists from both Russia and the West executed their plans (and contracts) to strip Russia bare, so, too, had an ultra-secret group of Russian patriots and nationalists, loyal politicians and government officials made an even stronger compact to take it all back … when the right time presented itself.
CIA WALLAPER BY STEELGOHST

The CIA, also known as The Company, was directly involved in this CON of the century.

The following headline portrays exactly what did not occur just prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union.
Director Admits C.I.A. Fell Short In Predicting the Soviet Collapse – New York Times
Can anyone believe that the CIA tried to present itself as having failed to predict this monumental and unparalleled collapse, particularly when it was The Company that was actually pulling the levers and pushing the buttons of what was essentially a controlled demolition?
The CIA even went so far as to take a lot of bad press to convince the American public (and the world-at-large) that they had ‘truly’ failed miserably in this regard.  Such was their intent to hide the actual scheme perpetrated against the Russian people, as well as against all the former republics that made up the Soviet bloc, that the CIA was made the subject of various political dramas acted out all over the ‘Washington, DC theatre district’ in an effort to cover up any US involvement.
The Company does after all bear the direct responsibility of seeing to it that all Anglo-American Axis international agreements are strictly adhered to.  In reality, contract enforcement of this nature has always been the CIA’s primary duty.  In the instant case of Russia, however, their long-range assessments and strategic analyses fell WAY short of the mark.  So mistaken were they that it can now be safely stated that it was really the CIA that ultimately got conned.  Perhaps there were also those well-positioned CIA ‘whistleblowers’ who played the game so as to alert their Russian counterparts of the various schemes and scams being run from Saint Petersburg  to Vladivostok by the Western banksters.

It should now be clear why all the Russian oligarchs ran to London, Tel Aviv and New York City.

What better way for the oligarchs to shield themselves from Russian indictments than to seek the full protection of the CIA, MI6 and MOSSAD crime syndicate deep within the bowels of the Anglo-American Axis (AAA).  Even the recently freed ex-president, Mikhail Kodorkovsky[1], of the now defunct Yukos Oil has been spending more time in the good ole USA stumping for a new Russian revolution.  The CIA’s other Russian political plant, former world chess champion Gary Kasparov, has also been working overtime to supplant Putin as “Protector of the Realm” as he preaches incessantly to the American political establishment about the ‘grave danger’ of Putin’s truly enlightened leadership.
It seems that neither of these Western dupes understands that this is not 1917.  And that Vladimir Putin is not Czar Nicholas of Romanov fame.  They also fail to realize that many of their fellow oligarchs abroad, as well as political pawns at home, have met with disastrous fates; such are the forces from on high which have aligned with Putin’s master plan for a strong and sovereign Russia.  Each one of the many oligarchs, acting out of extreme self interest as they have, cannot even hope to touch Putin now that state power has been irreversibly consolidated to administer the Kremlin’s will.
UKRAINE-POLITICS-UNRESTThe Maidan or central square in Kiev, Ukraine after the disastrous coup d’état that was directed and financed by the U.S.

The Ukraine: Another CIA-Coordinated Coup d’etat … For The USA And Israel

What is particularly surprising, in view of the very dynamic moves being played on the current global geopolitical chessboard, is that the West is so transparent in regard to both their method and motive toward undermining Russia.  The recent Kiev coup and ongoing Ukraine revolution provide a perfect example of yet another nation collapse executed within the historical orbit of Russia.  Here, again, Zionist oligarchs with ties to the US, UK and Israel have been appointed to all the key national leadership positions, as well as to the governorships of all the provinces known as oblasts.  Once again, the AAA game plan has been executed according to the same playbook as that utilized during the USSR collapse, with the billionaire oligarchs taking total control of the wealth of the Ukraine.
Most do not know, but there is a plan afoot by the Modern State of Israel to set up a return to its original homeland in the Ukraine.  The Eastern Ukraine was once a part of the kingdom of Khazaria during a time when Judaism was chosen by the king to become the official state religion.  Those Khazarian adherents to Judaism would go on to constitute what is now known as Ashkenazi Jewry.  Over centuries of migrations throughout Russia, as well as emigrations to all parts of eastern, central and western Europe, the Ashkenazim have evolved into the richest and most politically powerful religious group in Eurasia.
In fact the Modern State of Israel (MSI) was formed by the Zionist movement which derived its power and wealth from Ashkenazi Jewry the world over.  However, the MSI experiment is not going so well.  Most of those Jews who emigrated from Russia and the Ukraine, as well as many who fled Europe during pre World War II persecution, post WWII chaos and right up to the present day instability now understand that they jumped right from the frying pan into the fire.
Furthermore, many Jews have now come to realize that their cultural PTSD[2] generated by both WWI and WWII was purposefully inflicted so that they would be more amenable to taking up residence in a foreign patch of desert land surrounded by Muslim and Arab nations which were forced to watch the outright theft of Palestine in broad daylight from their brethren.  Not a good way at all to move into the neighborhood, especially when the neighbors can very easily lob mortars and missiles into your midst.
This is where the plot to repopulate the Ukraine comes in.  Most Israelis of European descent are naturally more comfortable on “the Continent” completely out of range of such mortar and missile attacks.  Hence, the Ukraine was chosen by the Zionist leadership as a new fallback position.  Not only is the brazenly apartheid regime of the Modern State of Israel untenable in any civilized world, it has shown itself as the thoroughly rogue nation and criminal state that it is today.  In fact, the Modern State of Israel has ignominiously distinguished itself as an unprecedented and peerless international pariah.
Particularly in light of their recent destruction of Gaza, Israel has essentially sealed its fate. Consequently, the Middle East has morphed into a HUGE powder keg ready to blow whenever Israel decides to cross one too many red lines for the umpteenth time.  Any normal person living in such a volatile environment would only want to far remove themselves from such a precarious state of affairs, which is why there is now a very quiet movement of Ashkenazi Jews back to the Ukraine, their ancestral homeland.

The US-UK-EU-Ukraine coalition has telegraphed its misguided intentions from the start

From the very beginning of the manufactured civil war in the Ukraine, the Western powers have revealed their intentions of creating a new “European Israel”.  Removing the Russian language and substituting Hebrew as the second official language of the Ukraine is just one quite obvious move toward the establishment of a new Israeli enclave.  All the while the Anglo-American Axis accuses Russia of having designs to create a new region –Novorossiya — known literally as New Russia.
Leaked report: Israel acknowledges Jews in fact Khazars; Secret plan for reverse migration to Ukraine
Such a red herring has accomplished the goal of not arousing suspicion as to the real plot to take over the Ukraine, just as Palestine was in the late 1940s.  Furthermore, witness Israel’s extraordinary silence regarding the whole AAA misadventure in the Ukraine before and during the ongoing, fabricated civil war.  Their silence is even more deafening in view of the fascist Neo-nazi thugs being cynically used to advance Kiev’s genocidal agenda throughout the eastern Ukraine.  Of course, this strategy is identical to Israel’s slow motion genocide of the Palestinians, as well as the systematic and outright theft of their land.
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Not only would such a “European Israel” provide a highly strategic geopolitical location from which to continue their efforts to destabilize Russia, the AAA would also  use the Ukraine to run interference throughout the European Union.  Just as Israel has been used to disrupt the entire Middle East for decades, the new Ukraine state being constituted for Israeli resettlement will serve a similar function throughout a Eurozone that is slowly becoming hostile to Jewish populations and their interests.
When the neofascist junta in Kiev turned the military loose on the urban and rural areas of the Eastern Ukraine, it became apparent that a much greater agenda of ethnic cleansing was at work.  Many authoritative reports have indicated the wholesale slaughter of innocent civilians, as well as the wanton destruction of infrastructure and places of worship, homes, businesses of the Russian-speaking populace.  It is now clear that an insidious plan of deliberate genocide was formulated in order to make space for the soon-to-be transplanted Israelis who understand that Israel is on the cusp of their 21st century Armageddon.

Old Empires Must Die To Make Room For The REAL Global Transformation That Putin Promotes

If the Anglo-American Axis is distinguished by one pursuit above all, it is its unquenchable thirst for oil and natural gas.  So addicted is the AAA to hydrocarbon fuel that the Petrodollar quickly became the world reserve currency. The strength of so much sustained worldwide demand for oil as an energy source has now reached a critical point however.  Both the AAA war machine and economic juggernaut require LOTS of oil and gas to run its tyranny across the planet.  Not only is the Anglo-American Axis terribly wasteful and inefficient in the utilization of these energy resources, which Russia possesses in great abundance, it expends considerable amounts of time and energy, money and capital in the process of further acquisition of the hydrocarbon fuel needed to maintain sole superpower status.
Herein lie the seeds of its own destruction, for the Anglo-American Axis can no longer bear the costs necessary to maintain its empire. The extent to which war and other forms of conflict have been relied upon to secure additional sources of oil and gas no longer makes sense. All the nations which have walked down this path of perpetual war have been exposed. Some, like Israel, are now considered anathema to an overwhelming majority of nations worldwide. Likewise, the USA is vilified all over the world as a bully bent on self-destruction, just as the UK is universally known by its City of London bankster MO.
In light of these commonly held perceptions, the fortune/fate ratios of both the BRICS Alliance and Anglo-American Axis, are soaring and plummeting respectively. While the European-American-Japanese economic model continues to go bust in real time, the BRICS Alliance is at the very least setting itself up for a future boom. Clearly the trajectories of the BRICS nations are poised to shoot toward the stars, as the Western powers are precariously plunging toward an unprecedented “crash and burn”.  Ironically, it is only through the cooperation and collaboration with the BRICS allied nations, and especially Russia, that the Eurozone and American sphere of influence can be saved from almost certain economic collapse and financial breakdown.
When the smoke and mirrors that define so much of the Western economic mirage begin to fade, Eurozone countries will profoundly regret imposing such counterproductive sanctions on Russia.  It is they who now suffer tremendous economic consequences, right in the middle of a resurgent recession, from Russia’s much more debilitating economic sanctions.  Even the vaunted economic engine of Europe — Germany — has lost its capacity to jumpstart the rest of the EU, all because they chose to side with the real perpetrators of the Kiev coup d’état.
The battle for the Ukraine is not so much about the AAA geopolitical gambit gone wrong, as much as it is a litmus test for those who will be allowed to join an authentic global movement defined by economic justice, social equality and political integrity. Furthermore, it is respect for national sovereignty — above all else — that Putin’s Russia, Jinping’s China, and Modi’s India expect from the world, as the rest of the world ought to receive from all the BRICS nations.
Vladimir Putin

Enter Vladimir Putin, The Perfect Foil To The Anglo-American Axis

First, it is critical to understand that it is not just Putin the man who they’re afraid of. It is not even Russia as a nation that scares the living daylights out of the AAA. It is the FORCE behind Putin which they have not seen occupy a major political office since John F. Kennedy.  Surely, the AAA must wonder how they all got so tricked into believing that Putin was one of them in the first place. He was, after all, a KGB functionary with all the right credentials to be trusted to play their game, only their way, all the time.
However, just like JFK back in the early ’60s, once Putin saw exactly how the AAA game was being played on the people — EVERYWHERE — he flipped on them and has never looked back. Because his predecessor Boris Yeltsin, who passively assisted the Russian oligarchs in the plundering, pillaging and raping of the Russian Motherland, gave his firm and sincere blessing to Putin as political heir, no one ever thought Putin would perform such a radical 180° turnaround.  In both the formulation of state policy and administration of the federal government he set about the process of taking back Russia from those who misappropriated her wealth.  So dramatic was his conversion against the rapacious oligarchy that he is now spoken of as a veritable reincarnation of Peter the Great, who also saved Russia from enemies both within and without.
President Putin’s close alignment with the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church — His Holiness Patriarch Kirill —  has become the cause for the deeply religious and traditional people of Russia to become enamored with him.  His socially conservative agenda is much more in sync with Russian sensibilities as it is protective of a refined culture that is at odds with the permissiveness of an ever-coarsening Western society.  In this particular area of divergence, Putin’s Russia has served as a countervailing force to the AAA modus operandi of sewing seeds of social chaos and political disorder wherever they set their sights.  The propagation of overly permissive societal norms is their signature strategy in this regard, which Putin repeatedly bumps up against.
It is significant to point out that the Russia which Yeltsin inherited was one that the thoroughly corrupt oligarchs were promised.  In other words, the emancipation from Communism only came with the understanding that the Russian oligarchs would be permitted to steal the nation’s assets — natural resources, industrial plants and whatever else they could get their hands on.  This little known fact is why Boris Yeltsin freely admitted at the end of his career to some historic mistakes, especially those related to the systematic transfer of Russian wealth to those now infamous oligarchs.
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Yeltsin knew that allowing the bankster’s ‘unfettered capitalism’ was the key to Russia’s eventual freedom from those Western powers, which were integral to orchestrating the fall of the Berlin Wall.
History has now shown us that Boris Yeltsin (and his secret band of patriots) had great foresight in their choice of Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister.  His final words to Putin in his capacity as President were: “Take care of Russia.”  They have likewise been translated as Protect Russia.”   In Vladimir Putin was the perfect vessel found to ensure that Boris Yeltsin’s last wish would be honored.  Putin himself uttered the following words a couple of days prior to Boris Yeltsin’s funeral.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that the memory of Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin, his noble thoughts and his words ‘take care of Russia’ serve as a moral and political benchmark for us,”[3]

Of course, fulfilling Yeltsin’s wish meant that the incorrigible oligarchs either went to prison or into exile.

Which is exactly what Putin set about to do, regardless of Western reaction and/or threats from all the usual suspects.  Putin would not, under any circumstances, allow predatory capitalists to destroy Russia.  He quite deliberately — under cover of “national security” — initiated all of the necessary legal process and governmental procedure to reclaim that which had been stolen from the Russian people.  This particular tack was especially effective, and foolproof, since the AAA has used the same pretext to take over nations large and small for centuries.
Nevertheless, the West could only recoil in utter shock that the Russian President would actually protect his nation in this fashion.  That Putin put the interests of Russia and its citizenry before the bankers … and the industrialists … and the powerful oligarchs was seen as the ultimate betrayal.  After all, his actions ran counter to the back room deal that was cut by the real power-brokers who negotiated the “fall of the Wall”.  Communism — Soviet-style — was to be terminated ONLY if the oligarchs were granted unfettered access to Russia’s wealth.  And so they were … … … for the time being.
Little did anyone know that Boris Yeltsin — and especially Vladimir Putin later on — tricked them all.  Unfortunately, such a benevolent deception ultimately took a great toll on Yeltsin’s health in the form of death by heart disease.  As an extremely patriotic and self-sacrificing Russian leader, Boris Yeltsin knew that he had to play nice with the Western leaders (and their oligarch agents) if the nation was to be liberated from their predatory claws.  In the end he did a superlative job, particularly in ensuring a smooth transition to Putin upon whom fell the weight of the benign double-cross.
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The main reason Vladimir Putin is so despised by the Western Powers is because he totally tricked them for the benefit of the Russia people.

No one understands Russian history of the 20th century better than the justifiably indignant citizens of the USSR.   These folks suffered great trials and tribulations at the hands of Communist thugs who were put into power by Western bankers and the Anglo-American political class.  They know exactly what happened to their Motherland in the wake of the totally fraudulent Bolshevik Revolution.  They also know precisely who was responsible for such a catastrophic social, economic and political cataclysm.
“It has been said that the Russian steppes have born many a philosopher.  That great expanse of land runs on seemingly forever with wide open sky and unbroken winds that stir the soul … to know the truth … and nothing but the Truth.”[4]
Only by understanding the temperament of those Russian peoples who lived through the unmitigated disaster of Communism, which was foisted on them by foreign agents with a surreptitious agenda, will the forces that stand behind Putin be correctly understood. In this regard, it is not Putin, the President, that the Western Powers are dealing with. It is a proud and patriotic Russian movement that sprang up with the awareness that the Anglo-American Axis was responsible for their lost century. This truth cannot be erased from history by airbrushing a few internet sites which are controlled by the CIA. Nor can the many odious and therefore inconvenient historical facts be eradicated from the Russian psyche when so much pain and suffering was caused to so many.
Truly, the forces which support Putin in his quest for genuine national sovereignty are much greater than any US President or UK Prime Minister, NATO Supreme Allied Commander or European Union Leader.  In fact the power behind Vladimir Putin is Russia herself, a force quite determined not to be held prisoner by the Anglo-American Axis ever again.  And no amount of saber-rattling by Washington, or economic terrorism by the European Union, or financial sabotage by the City of London will alter that determination.

Nuclear Weapons Have a Way Of Serving As The Great Equalizer

Unlike every other country that has recently fallen to naked Anglo-American aggression, Russia had substantially developed much nuclear weapon technology during the Cold War. Little did the West ever imagine that Russia would then use the prospect of not only nuclear weapon technology, but also far more advanced and destructive weaponry which has never been utilized before on Planet Earth, as as a powerful deterrent to unprovoked Anglo-American Axis acts of war.
Nor did the same Western predatory capitalists ever dream that the richest man in Russia — Mikhail Khodorkovsky[3] — would be imprisoned for 10 years.  Being their point man for the further looting of Russia’s oil and gas reserves and related assets, the whole misguided AAA scheme went completely bust.  However, once the hardened oligarchs were stripped of their power, money and influence, all the West could rely upon was brute force, as they continue to exercise with extraordinary savagery in places like the Ukraine. To intimidate and threaten, coerce and extort is all the Anglo-American Axis knows how to do these days, so successful have these tactics been in subjugating completely powerless and/or defenseless nations around the world for many decades.
Nevertheless, now that the Russian Federation has reassessed their nuclear weapons capability and redeployed critical assets on their western border, their tactical response and strategic preparedness have never been better.  While this particular state of affairs poses a great obstacle to the AAA’s long range plan toward a New World ‘Order’, Russia and the ever-growing BRICS Alliance present an even greater challenge to their fatally flawed NWO implementation plan.
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Russia’s Demand For Respect Of National Sovereignty Is Representative Of A Much Larger Worldwide Movement

Russia is not only joined by the BRICS Alliance in its efforts to level the global playing field, it is also supported by many other nations large and small, Hungary being one that has broken ranks with the European Union.  Certainly the broke and bankrupted Anglo-American Axis has its job cut out when going up against a growing number of countries that will no longer be treated like stepchildren.  When nations like China and Russia, India and Brazil, South Africa and Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador publicly express their misgivings with American hegemony, the whole world pays close attention.  Therein lies the real power behind Vladimir Putin.
History books will one day show that the world community of nations rallied around the moral high ground taken by Vladimir Putin in the second decade of the new millennium. Not only do the Russian people fully support their president, but the vast populations of China, India, and many other nations stand solidly behind their leaders against the incessant meddling by the Anglo-American Axis.  The pervasiveness of the internet has simply made it too easy to share what is REALLY going on around the world, especially where it concerns the AAA working vigorously against the interests of the common people.
Vladimir Putin, no matter what intrigues and machinations are set in motion to disrupt his best intentions, has been found out by his own people.  They know that he has done his level best to protect Russia.  They also know that, in his resolve to take care of the Russian people, he also considers the best interests of citizens of every nation, including those which relentlessly antagonize Russia and persecute him at every opportunity.  This extraordinary posture is not only quite rare among world leaders today, it is an admirable quality in any age … which is just another reason why the AAA head honchos so detest Vladimir Putin’s wise and enlightened leadership.

Take care of Russia” literally became Putin’s “moral and political benchmark

Only by divine ordination does a KGB lieutenant colonel wind up fulfilling the last wishes of his predecessor by serving alternately as both President and Prime Minister of Russia. Because Vladimir Putin took that presidential directive so seriously, however, he now sits in the crosshairs of the most formidable military machine and economic juggernaut on Earth.  However, in stark contrast to JFK’s short tenure, which took place in the very belly of the beast, Putin has an unparalleled firewall of protection erected around him.  He knew that if Boris Yeltsin’s final wish was to be carried out, he and his collaborators would have to be protected from all sorts of harm and mischief.  The AAA team, after all, never plays nice and always breaks the rules (Rules, what are rules to the AAA?!).
In light of Putin’s perceived reneging on a contract that was essentially agreed to by his predecessors, there existed no moral imperative for him to abide by such an illegal and unethical agreement.  On the very face of it, he could have been rightly accused of treason of the highest order had he complied with the demands of the AAA.  Only a traitor would perform on such an outrageous contract, so Putin knew that both the law and the people would be on his side once he flipped on the oligarchs and their Western sponsors. Nevertheless, in so doing he has brought the wrath of the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the Trilateral Commission and the Bilderberg Group upon himself and Russia.
Being the wise, old soul that Putin is, he knew that his terms in office would be the most consequential of the modern era … for both Russia and the world-at-large.  He has not shrunk from the demands of such a difficult undertaking; in fact, he seems to be emboldened by the formidable challenge that it is.  But, then, he has the people of Russia firmly on his side, as well as an overwhelming majority of nations on Earth.  When the people power around the planet starts to coalesce around the true intentions that Vladimir Putin represents and has frequently uttered, the change many wait for will come fast and furiously.  Truly, global transformation lies right around the corner;  a genuine new world order marked by implicit respect for both national and personal sovereignty.
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The Future Of the World Lies With Russia

“Through Russia comes the hope of the world. Not in respect to what is sometimes termed Communism or Bolshevism — no! But freedom — freedom! That each man will live for his fellow man. The principle has been born there. It will take years for it to be crystallized; yet out of Russia comes again the hope of the world.”
~ Edgar Cayce
Clearly this prophetic utterance by Edgar Cayce was both prescient and perceptive.  For not only have the steppes of Central Asia forged the hearts and minds of the Russian people over centuries, the tyranny of Soviet communism proved to be a crucible like no other.  Russia has always been a nation of philosophers with writers like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky molding the national consciousness since the 19th century.  Given their relatively recent release from the imposed atheism of godless Marxism, Russians young and old have re-embraced the mystical traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Given this very profound and ongoing cultural transformation, a new national mindset is emerging.  Undoubtedly it is one that is bending inexorably toward a more conservative and traditional society, especially one that is moving in the opposite direction of Western societies.  Putin is well aware of the sensibilities which predominate throughout the Motherland.  He seeks to offend no one, but at the same time will not let the crazies run the asylum as they do throughout the Anglo-American Axis.  Nor will he permit the values and principles, customs and traditions of any minorities dominate Russian culture.
In light of what is at stake for both Putin’s Russia and Obama’s USA, it is now apparent that an epic battle has been raging across the planet.  The most recent battle in the Ukraine is only one more among those being waged throughout the entire Middle East and beyond. Both Russia and China have seen their geopolitical positions assaulted and undermined wherever they attempt to establish new markets or engage trading partners. Particularly wherever energy resources are at stake, the wars have become more apocalyptic.  So much so that many wonder if an epoch-ending World War III is around the corner.  However, such an engineered Armageddon can only be foisted on the world community of nations with the participation of both East and West.
Fortunately, Putin’s Russia will not be goaded into a World War 3 scenario.  Neither will Jinping’s China nor Modi’s India.  Because of Putin’s unshakeable resolve and strong leadership within the BRICS Alliance, none of the nations being routinely assailed by the AAA will be triggered into full scale war.  The whole world has Vladimir Putin to thank for his sane and sober response to so many conflicts and skirmishes, false flag attacks and proxy invasions being staged around the globe on a weekly basis by the Anglo-American Axis.
The Russian people have come to respect Putin as a leader who is fiercely protective of the Motherland.  Comparisons to Peter the Great, who has been praised “as an industrializer and cultural visionary who turned his country into a European power” are quite understandable. Under the stewardship of Tsar Peter I “Russia became feared but also respected by its neighbors, and he is the official czar-hero of Russian history.”[6]  Perhaps the following picture disseminated by the AAA Mainstream Media as a putdown does reflect Putin in his current role as “Protector of Russia” and moral leader of the free world.
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State of the Nation
November 5, 2014

Author’s Note
There is a massive amount of false information being spread across cyber-space regarding Vladimir Putin.  One of the primary disinfo campaigns is to link him to the very oligarchs who still remain in positions of power in Russia.  Putin inherited an unprecedented economic mess and financial disaster after decades of communist mismanagement.  He was also forced to deal with pervasive political problems and endemic government corruption from the same era.  All the while he had to steer the country through major social, philosophical and religious transformation.  In view of this context, is it not clear that he had to — initially — make as many friends as possible before all the purges began?
Given these realities, Putin did what any righteous and pragmatic leader would do — usher the process along in as smooth and painless a way as possible.  The vast majority of Russians had already suffered terribly … for many decades.  Therefore, he has always tried to work with those who have been cooperative.  Some of the oligarchs saw the writing on the wall and made the overtures necessary to convince Putin of their loyalty to rebuilding Russia first.  Those that left the Motherland would not renounce their thieving ways. Those who have stayed are much more aligned with Putin’s program than their previous affiliations and behavior might indicate.  When faced with either being exiled or joining the cause, it became a fairly easy decision for those oligarchs who valued their Russian roots and heritage.
Then there is the matter which concerns those who assert that Putin must be in bed with the Rothschilds, the Western elite, the NWO, the Illuminati, the World Shadow Government, the FED (banksters), the Anglo-American Axis, etc.  As the president and prime minister of a once superpower nation, how could he possibly terminate all the normal international relationships in the midst of rebuilding the nation?  It was only through the vital trade and commerce with Europe, as well as satisfying the energy demands of those and other countries, that Russia had the cash flow to survive the whole ordeal.  So much of the Russian economy was (and is) driven by oil and gas revenue; a reality that Russia would have to face sooner or later.  For the sake of survival, deals were made whenever, wherever and with whomever necessary.
Lastly, there are those who declare that Putin is unwittingly being used as controlled opposition.  Do they really think that Putin is not aware of the many games being played by the AAA’s vast network of intelligence services?  He was KGB, doing a heckuva lot more than the MSM would ever acknowledge.   His involvement at the highest levels of playing the now ubiquitous Great Game gave him an education that only the Committee for State Security could provide.  In fact, only the invaluable experience accrued within Russia’s primary security agencies (he was also appointed head of the FSB) could adequately prepare him for his future challenges.  Therefore, when many ask how an ex-KGB officer can possibly do good, we wonder how else Putin could have performed the herculean task of a successful national rehabilitation since 1999 … without being purged or assassinated!
Moral of the story: Only an extremely well-connected ex-KGB operative and well-informed ex-FSB Director could possibly have received the necessary support and vigilant protection to have kept him out of harm’s way for the past 15 years as Russia’s premier leader and statesman. 
Editor’s Note
This article is the first in a series about Vladimir Putin’s Russia.  Part II is entitled:

PUTIN: The President And The Power(s) Behind Him

Just Like JFK, Putin Goes His Own Way

There should be no doubt whatsoever that Vladimir Putin is the John F. Kennedy of the New Millennium.
Addendum
There is a very special relationship that exists among the big three BRICS nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi all share a unique bond in the form of mutual respect for each others’ profound religious orientation.  Throughout the course of their respective terms in office, each of these leaders has quite conspicuously re-embraced the predominant religion(s) of their countries in a manner not seen during the modern era.
As previously written in this essay, President Putin has made great strides in re-establishing the relationship between the Russian Federal Government and the Russian Orthodox Church. This purposeful re-engagement followed Putin’s very personal spiritual journey back to the mystical traditions of his own faith.  During the worsening crisis in the Ukraine, he was known to visit the Valaam Monastery, a sacred retreat site on Lake Ladoga near the northeastern Russian border.
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Likewise, Prime Minister Modi has been known for being a very devout Orthodox Hindu throughout his political career.  He performed “the Hindu Ganga Puja prayer ritual at the Dashaswamadeh Ghat on the Holy River Ganges the day after his landslide election victory on May 17, 2014 in Varanasi, India.”  One of Modi’s first proclamations as Prime Minister was to declare his intention to clean up India’s holiest and dirtiest river within five years.
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President Jinping has already distinguished himself as the first Communist Party leader of China to acknowledge the important role of the nation’s traditional religions in reversing its moral decline.  He has stated that “he hopes China’s “traditional cultures” or faiths — Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism — will help fill a void that has allowed corruption to flourish.”  Even exiled Tibetan spiritual leader – the Dalai Lama – has spoken of the sea change under Jinping’s enlightened leadership, particularly with regard to the role of Buddhism in the preservation of Chinese culture.
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Here’s how one geopolitical commentator recently summed it up:
“Three powerful leaders determined to chart a new world order. The Anglo-American Axis can demonise them but they can’t stop them. They can join the three, or even BRICS, but that will be on equal terms. And these three have thrown a major challenge to the Vatican and Christian evangelists in Europe and America, a point that Sheikh Imran had mentioned in the Russian context about 4-5 years ago. Here we have three world leaders asserting the importance of traditional religion, values, and mores.”
~ Arun Shrivastava’s insight
The implications associated with the very public spiritual behavior of these three leaders — all of them being from the East — are as far-reaching as they are earth-shaking. Particularly in contradistinction to the immorality, godlessness and/or atheism exhibited by Western government leaders, Russia, China and India seem to be on a highly coordinated mission.
Undoubtedly they are sending an unprecedented message to all of humanity:
A world without faith and belief in a Higher Power is devoid of peace and prosperity. Mutual respect for each others’ religion is therefore of paramount importance.  A just and civilized society will only emerge when religious (and racial and cultural) tolerance become the norm.  Putin, Jinping and Modi, by offering such implicit respect to each other, model the manner in which their nations will behave toward each other.
On several occasions each of these BRICS nations has publicly requested that the USA must assume a different posture in their dealings with them.  This request has been made from representatives at all levels, always after offensive and unacceptable AAA behavior. And yet there has been no discernible change in attitude, especially by the USA.  When there is no self-respect, it is extremely difficult to respect others.
By their conduct, both official and personal, it appears that the many leaders of the Anglo-American Axis[7] operate in a godless universe.  It actually appears that they were chosen for their lack of spirituality and/or neglect of religious practice.  Hopefully they will learn from their brethren from the East the merits of always maintaining a sacred connection to the Divine.  Therein lies the true power behind the BRICS Alliance.  Truly, the future of the human race greatly depends upon their cohesion, as does the fate of the planetary civilization.
Endnotes
[1] The Real Crime of M. Khodorkovsky by F. William Engdahl
[2] The Chosen People: Israel, ‘Christian’ Zionism and the Middle East Crisis by Revisionist Historians for World Peace
[3] BBC NEWS | Europe | Russian ex-president Yeltsin dies
[4] Anonymous Russophile
[5] Khodorkovsky passed Yukos shares to Rothschild Bank
[6] Peter the Great – Wikipedia
[7] The Anglo-American Axis is represented, first and foremost, by the major English-speaking countries of the world: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Israel. The European member nations of NATO, such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are also closely aligned with the AAA as are all the Scandinavian countries. So are the Asian Pacific Rim nations of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar also owe their allegiance to the AAA although some of these may be changing. The World Shadow Government is a secret, supranational organization which completely controls the Anglo-American Axis, as well as the European Union, NATO, among many other institutional entities which constitute the Global Control Matrix.
Recommended Reading
Russia Under Assault: Vulnerability to EU–US Sanctions and Military Encroachments
Locus Of Global Power Shifts From The West To The East
The WAR for the Ukraine: What’s the real story?
The Russian Response To A Double Declaration Of War
References
Tens of thousands march for Putin in shadow of Ukraine war
Putin lashes out at US, West for destabilizing world
Putin Accuses U.S. of Blackmail, Weakening Global Order
Putin Leaves The Reservation: Issues New Rules For International Relations
Vladimir Putin Is The Leader Of the Moral World
Ukraine: Obama, NATO beg for more war – Putin endeavors to bring peace
“Whatever We Decide Is A Disaster For Us” France Admits Putin Is Winning, Europe “Blinked”
President Boris Yeltsin’s Mistake Was To Heed Advice Of Westerners To Retain Power
Special Note
For the many intuitive souls out there who can look at a photo and apprehend the spirit of the person being photographed, here’s a great teaching moment about the real Vladimir Putin.
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Originally written and published by State of the Nation at the following link:
Vladimir Putin’s Russia: Perfect Foil To The Anglo-American Axis And Their New World ‘Order’