How can we take it back?



U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren
4 hrs ·

For years, Congress has been working on legislation to advance medical innovation in the United States.

But in the closing days of this Congress, Big Pharma has hijacked this 21st Century Cures Act – and every good, common-sense, bipartisan proposal will die unless Democrats make it easier for giant drug companies to commit fraud, give out kickbacks, and put patients’ lives at risk.

I know the difference between compromise and extortion – and I cannot vote for this bill as it currently stands.

Today I went to the Senate floor to tell my Democratic colleagues: The American people didn’t send us to Washington to play dead while Republicans hand control of our government to giant drug companies.

They sent us here to show some spine and fight back for what’s right.

 
22 Things YOU Can Do this December to Help the Water Protectors at Standing Rock
Claire Bernish December 1, 2016


As the Standing Rock Sioux continue their efforts to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in the interest of protecting the Missouri River — the drinking water supply for the tribe and around 18 million people downstream — a national movement to peacefully oppose the project has gained momentum.


Peaceful water protectors have been shot with rubber bullets, bean bag rounds, tear gas, mace, pepper spray, concussion grenades, and have even been drenched with water in sub-freezing temperatures — and those arrested reported being strip-searched, detained in cement-floored dog kennels, numbers written in marker on their arms, and denied medical care.


All of this evinces a concerted effort by law enforcement to guard a contentious pipeline project at any cost — including the use of violent intimidation — rather than defend the constitutional rights of Indigenous peoples and their supporters, whose imperative is to protect the water from potential oil contamination.


A leak or spill from a completed Dakota Access pipeline is a veritable guarantee, as the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration lists 9,000 ‘significant’ incidents over the last two decades — and that doesn’t include an untold number of less sizable spills, both reported and unreported.


Preserving a clean water supply benefits all of us — and future generations. So, on that note, the following are 21 things you can do during December to support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and take action to protect that most fundamental human need: water.


1. Write a letter to President Obama and express your concerns about the pipeline. Written letters are widely believed to be more effective than emails (which can be submitted here), and nearly as effective as phone calls.

The White House; 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW; Washington, DC 20500


(202) 456 – 1111 or (202) 456 – 1414



2. Join nearly 400,000 other concerned individuals and sign the petition to the White House demanding a halt to the pipeline’s construction.

3. Call North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple and voice your concerns about the pipeline and his refusal to address brutal, military-style policing used against Native Americans and other water protectors: (701) 328 – 2200.

4. Donate to support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s “legal, sanitary, and emergency purposes” fund, found at this link, or contribute to its GoFundMe campaign at this link.

5. Speak in language Big Oil understands: money. If you have an account with one of the Big Banks lending money for Dakota Access construction, consider withdrawing your money and opening an account with a local credit union. Norway’s largest bank, DNB, has already pulled its assets from the project due to public pressure and potential lost business from angry customers.

6. Contact one of the over 70 law enforcement agencies violently policing peaceful activities at Standing Rock.

Politely request they withdraw their officers immediately. Some sheriffs around the country have refused to send troops to assist the Morton County Sheriff’s Department after outraged constituents made their feelings on the matter clear. Agencies involved, with links to articles in which they were mentioned, can be found on the ACLU’s website here, and contact information can be found here.


7. Call the Army Corps of Engineers and demand they not grant the permit needed for Energy Transfer Partners — now owned by Sunoco — to drill and install pipeline under the Missouri River: (202) 761 – 5903.

8. Donate to the Sacred Stone Legal Defense Fund here.

9. Water protectors have just endured the first storm of the season, and face downright frigid conditions in the months to come. Donations of clothes and winter items have poured in, leaving the camp somewhat overwhelmed. What IS needed are propane and tanks for heating, and firewood:

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; Attention: Donations; PO Box D; Building #1; North Standing Rock Ave.; Fort Yates, ND 58538


10. Contact Energy Transfer Partners and express your concerns:

Corporate Offices; 8111 Westchester Drive; Dallas, TX 75225; Phone (214) 981 – 0700


Lee Hanse Executive Vice President Energy Transfer Partners, L.P.; 800 E Sonterra Blvd #400; San Antonio, Texas 78258; Phone (210) 403-6455 Lee.Hanse@energytransfer.com


Glenn Emery Vice President Energy Transfer Partners, L.P.; 800 E Sonterra Blvd #400; San Antonio, Texas 78258; Phone (210) 403-6762 Glenn.Emery@energytransfer.com


Michael (Cliff) Waters Lead Analyst Energy Transfer Partners, L.P.; 1300 Main St.; Houston, Texas 77002; Phone (713) 989-2404 Michael.Waters@energytransfer.com


11. Contact Sunoco Logistics, which is in the midst of a $5.3 billion merger with Energy Transfer Partners: http://www.sunocologistics.com/Contact-Us/30/

12. Educate yourself about the historical context surrounding the battle against the pipeline by learning the history of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

13. Contribute to the Sacred Stone Camp’s GoFundMe campaign.

14. Donate much-needed medical supplies, particularly first aid supplies, liquid antacid (which can be mixed with water and sprayed to treat burning from tear gas and pepper spray), gas masks for medics, and much more.

15. Sign the Change.org petition initiated by Standing Rock Sioux youths — which is less than 50,000 signatures away from its goal of 500,000 — and will be hand-delivered to the Army Corps of Engineers.

16. Contact Citibank (here), which pushed other banks into investing in the Dakota Access Pipeline, even when the project has been criticized by the oil industry as redundant and unnecessary.

17. Senator Cory Booker recently wrote a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch requesting the Justice Department send monitors and open an investigation of civil rights violations at Standing Rock. Call or write to him and let him know he’s done the right thing — and encourage him to follow through:

Senator Cory A. Booker; 359 Dirksen Senate Office Building; Washington DC 20510; Phone (202) 224-3224


18. Contact your state’s senators and ask why they haven’t done the same: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

19. Also, contact members of the House of Representatives and discuss your concerns about the pipeline: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

20. Contact Attorney General Loretta Lynch and urge the Justice Department to investigate brutal tactics and civil rights violations occurring at Standing Rock:

U.S. Department of Justice; 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.; Washington, D.C. 20530-0001 Phone (202) 353 – 1555 or (202) 514 – 2000


21. Call the U.S. Department of Energy and suggest it’s past time to focus on renewable energy so the future won’t be filled with projects like Dakota Access:

(202) 586 – 5000 or (800) 877 – 8339 for hearing or speech impaired


U.S. Department of Energy; 1000 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, D.C. 20585


22. Go to Standing Rock if you are able. Join the movement, support the Standing Rock Sioux and stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Please be respectful of Indigenous peoples, and don’t treat the camp as a festival or entertainment event. This is a sacred occasion, and gatherings are prayerful and peaceful. More information about what to expect can be found in this link.

***


Although the Dakota Access Pipeline has been spun to appear controversial by corporate media, Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren, and the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, the core of the issue for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is protecting the water.


Water, as the most basic human need, connects us all — thus connecting all of us to the movement opposing the pipeline’s construction. If oil were to poison the Missouri River, countless fragile ecosystems would suffer — and clean drinking water for the Standing Rock Sioux and 18 million people downstream would be but a memory.


This fight, as well as those to come, involves all of us — because Mni Wiconi, Water Is Life.


​

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/21...o-help-the-water-protectors-at-standing-rock/


Here is how to help the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
 
I just saw this TED talk. Eli Pariser on the 'filter bubble' our on-line searches are coming up with results based on Alger rhythms (which is to do with a perception of our preferences).
 
melissa* said:
I just saw this TED talk. Eli Pariser on the 'filter bubble' our on-line searches are coming up with results based on Alger rhythms (which is to do with a perception of our preferences).
Click to expand...

Yes...for instance the slew of false news stories that were passed back and forth the internet and Facebook disguised as legitimate factual reporting.
Very few people seem to fact-check the stories that come across the screen...just so long as it goes along with their own ideology or hatred of someone or something...when it runs contrary then they’re all over the fact-checking.
Just like we are now seeing the extent this apathy in truthfulness has brought us in the form of Trump.
I mean...the guy lies constantly...almost on a neurotic level...but he says he’s gonna bring my coal job back so I’ll ignore the evil and nasty shit he’s said and say dumbass statements like “Sometimes God uses people who we find distasteful to do his work.”
Really? What fucking bubble are you living in?
Talk about cognitive dissonance.
So far...he’s elected a bunch of rich millionaire and billionaires, a bunch or people who want to privatize every industry (including education) and job in the country for the benefit of a very few who will get even richer.
The Dakota pipeline is clearly against the law...against the treaties that have been signed...signed in blood.
It will not create jobs...in fact, it’s estimated that all of truckers who used to transport the oil will have to find work elsewhere.
The police are there acting in very aggressive ways...attack dogs...tear gas...flashbang grenades, rubber bullets, freezing water in below freezing temps.
All for whom? Who benefits?
A few already rich assholes.
I can’t wait until the 2000-4000 Vets and ex-police officers show up on the 4th...the officers protecting the illegal trampling of sacred land that doesn’t belong to them, will have to use these fucked up tactics on their fellow military and police professionals and veterans.
Who do the police work for?
The people, or corporate America?
 
Sunday, December 04, 2016
Common Dreams
Dakota Access Pipeline Permit Denied
'For the first time in Native American history, they heard our voices.'
Nika Knight, staff writer


water-protectors-standing-rock.jpg

The water protectors have been battling the pipeline construction for months. (Photo: Joe Brusky/Overpass Light Brigade/flickr/cc)

In a long-awaited victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has denied a permit for the Dakota Access Pipeline, tribal leadership announced late Sunday.

"This is something that will go down in history and is a blessing for all indigenous people."
—Dave Archambault II,
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

The tribe says the agency will not allow the pipeline to be built under Lake Oahe, a reservoir near the tribal reservation, without a full environmental impact assessment that examines alternative routes for the pipeline.

While it some observers say it may only end up being a temporary pause in pipeline construction, many see it as an incredible victory for the water protectors, who have faced water cannons, mace, rubber bullets, mass arrests, and more in their months-long struggle to protect their drinking water and treaty land.

Other activists expressed suspicion and caution, as the U.S. government has historically retracted statements to Native Americans, and warned that the water protectors must remain vigilant.

Yet many expressed relief and celebrated the apparent victory. In a statement, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe expressed its gratitude for the decision:

Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not be granting the easement to cross Lake Oahu for the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline. Instead, the Corps will be undertaking an environmental impact statement to look at possible alternative routes. We wholeheartedly support the decision of the administration and commend with the utmost gratitude the courage it took on the part of President Obama, the Army Corps, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to take steps to correct the course of history and to do the right thing.

"The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all of Indian Country will be forever grateful to the Obama Administration for this historic decision," the tribe wrote.

"I am thankful there were some leaders in the federal government that realized something was not right, even though it's legal," said Standing Rock Sioux Tribe chairman Dave Archambault II to NBC News. "For the first time in Native American history, they heard our voices. This is something that will go down in history and is a blessing for all indigenous people."

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/12/04/dakota-access-pipeline-permit-denied


Interesting piece of news. Let us see how this winter progresses. It is going to be cold. Psychopaths lack feelings, so they do not feel the cold anyway metaphorically speaking.
 
 
VJBsjmJ.jpg
 
10689428_10152820499597908_5219961954843945221_n.png



But by all means...let’s cut funding to healthcare, schools, medical research, welfare, social security, college tuition, infrastructure, mental healthcare, drug treatment programs, women’s health programs, WIC, food stamps, early preschool, childcare, retirements, food banks, help with prescription drug costs, etc., etc., etc., on and on.

All while we inflate the military even more and hand control of the country to Wall St.
Where are your taxes going?
Do you even care?
Are they your priorities, or the priorities of a few who stand to make a bunch of money at the expense of whomever gets in the way?
Why exactly does GE, who makes record profits year after year, need such sickening amounts of money?
Keep in mind, the money they are getting from the government is the money that came out of the paychecks of the workers and middle class...who are expecting it to give them clean water, a safe society, schools, bridges that don’t collapse, etc.
It’s theft...plain and simple...laws full of tax loopholes written by a Congressperson who has been bought and paid for by the lobbyists and beholden to their campaign contributions and promises of lobbying jobs when they resign.
Supposedly Trump will put an end to this croneyism by severing the ability to offer Congressional personal lobbying jobs...however, I will believe it when I see it. The people he has picked to drain the swamp, live in the swamp...they are the swamp.

It’s your tax money...the whole point of having a Representative or Senator that you vote for and elect is to be the voice of the people in their home state.
And on down to state Reps.
That’s why I’m irritated when people didn’t vote because they didn’t like either choice of Prez..
That’s only one vote of many on the ballot full of laws and people who will represent you, so you should pay attention to what they stand for and what they plan for their state. What is their voting record if they are an incumbent?
Did they vote with the will of the people they are representing or did they vote with corporations like GE?
Statistically...our Congress does the later.
Google it.
Sad.​
 
BREAKING:
5 Of 9 Voting Machines In
Wisconsin County Found TAMPERED With (DETAILS)
By Elisabeth Parker -
December 3, 2016​

Strange things seemed to keep happening in Wisconsin on Election Day.
For example, four wards in Outagamie County were found to have more votes counted than ballots cast.

Now, an observer of the vote recount in St. Croix County discovered that the seals of five out of nine of the voting machines were tampered with.

And of course, all the strange things that keep happening in Wisconsin seem to favor Donald Trump.
On Thursday, the Green Party’s Jill Stein posted photos snapped by a woman who gives only her first name: Wendy.

‘Five of the nine machines being used in the recount have tampered seals.
Photos of two are attached.
Photo of seal, followed by photo of serial number.’

Here’s one of the St. Croix County voting machines with the seal broken.

st-croix-wisconsin-tampered-seal-01-1024x768.jpeg

SOURCE: Jill Stein

And here’s a photo of the same voting machine with the serial number.

st-croix-wisconsin-tampered-seal-02-1024x768.jpeg

SOURCE: Jill Stein

Bill Palmer from The Palmer Report adds that St. Croix County “is currently doing both a hand recount and a machine recount.”

Palmer also noted the broken seals for the voting machines void the warranty.

‘Based on the photographs she posted to Stein’s official campaign website, the broken seals themselves come with the warning label that “Removal of seal voids warranty.”’

So far, no explanation from election officials from Wisconsin or St. Croix County can explain why the seals on more than half of the vote counting machines have been visibly tampered with.

Perhaps the GOP or Russia had someone hack the machines…
Or maybe someone in La Croix County is the kind of person who just can’t stop picking at those pesky labels.

Either way, the Palmer Report finds this highly disturbing.

‘But in any case, the broken tamper seals stand out as alarming — and could serve as legal fodder for expanding the scope of the recount.’

Since Donald Trump keeps saying the elections are rigged and bragging about how much everyone loves him, you’d think he’d want to remove all doubts.

Instead, his lawyers and supporters have filed lawsuits to stop the vote recount efforts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn ruled that the Wisconsin vote recount can proceed.
Alas, she rejected Jill Stein’s request to recount the ballots by hand and left it to county officials to decide.

Twelve counties have chosen to opt out, but the broken seals may convince Bailey-Rihn to reverse her ruling.

WATCH:
Vice News reports on the Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania vote recounts.​

Vice News explains how the vote recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are unlikely to overturn Donald Trump’s victory, but they’re important for reassuring voters that our election system is fair.

Unfortunately, tampered voting machines and padded vote counts are just the tip of the iceberg.
The Republican Party has all kinds of other ways to rig elections for their hostile takeover of America.

Their tactics include: Voter ID laws, cutting back on the hours and locations of polling places, redrawing district maps, installing right-wing judges, and spreading lies about voter fraud that undermine the public’s trust in government.

Jill Stein talks to VICE News Tonight about her recount efforts in Wisconsin. pic.twitter.com/nlqiLDubqX
 
Wednesday, December 07, 2016
Common Dreams
Groups Demand Arrest of 'War Mastermind' Kissinger at Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Nobel Peace Prize committee honors Kissinger a second time with speaking engagement at new forum on world peace
Nika Knight, staff writer


kissinger_2.jpg

Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger was infamously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for his role in the Vietnam War—a decision that comedian Tom Lehrer said "made political satire obsolete." (Photo: Reuters)

The Nobel Peace Prize committee last month stunned many observers by choosing Henry Kissinger—the former secretary of state behind the secret American bombing of Cambodia and who supported Argentina's "dirty wars," among other things—to speak at a forum on "The United States and World Peace after the Presidential Election."

In response, on Tuesday the progressive groups RootsAction and Nobel Peace Prize Watch issued a petition demanding that Norwegian officials arrest Kissinger.

"The Nobel Committee has arranged for well-known war mastermind Henry Kissinger to speak as an honored guest at a forum that is part of the Nobel Peace Prize events," the petition states. "Several of Kissinger's crimes come under treaties that make it mandatory for Norway to prosecute. Kissinger is complicit or a main actor in many violations of the Genocide Convention and of the Geneva Conventions."

Nobel Peace Prize Watch lays out Kissinger's actions (pdf) in great detail, making the case that Norway is obligated under international law to arrest the former secretary of state.

[...]

http://commondreams.org/news/2016/1...-mastermind-kissinger-nobel-peace-prize-forum


“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”
- Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

I cannot wait for Kissinger and Brzezinski to speak and be arrested. :m129:
 
Published on
Friday, December 09, 2016
Common Dreams
Washington State Lauches Suit Against Monsanto for Toxic PCB Pollution
'Monsanto knew the dangers of PCBs yet hid them from the public to generate profits,' said Wash. Attorney General Bob Ferguson
Andrea Germanos, staff writer


washingtonstatesuesmonsantopcbs.jpg

The Yakima River, of the Washington State waterways the lawsuit lists as being contaminated with Monsanto's PCBs. (Photo: Bureau of Land Management/flickr/cc)

Washington on Thursday became the first U.S. state to file a lawsuit against Monsanto for damages related to the company's production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Monsanto was the only U.S. company to produce the toxic industrial chemicals from 1935 to 1979, when they were banned by the Toxic Substances Control Act.

The company "knew for decades that PCBs were toxic and knew that they were widely contaminating all natural resources and living organisms" yet "concealed these facts and continued producing PCBs until" the Congressional action, the suit (pdf), which sites several internal company memos, states.

"Monsanto knew the dangers of PCBs yet hid them from the public to generate profits," declared Attorney General Bob Ferguson in a press statement announcing the legal action. "I will hold Monsanto accountable for its actions," he said.

[...]

http://commondreams.org/news/2016/1...hes-suit-against-monsanto-toxic-pcb-pollution


More political unrest in your state, Skare. Is there a high proportion of freethinkers there?
 
Friday, December 09, 2016
Common Dreams
Veterans at Standing Rock Ready to Take Clean Water Fight to Flint
'Our people are suffering. They are suffering in Standing Rock. They are suffering in Flint.'
Nika Knight, staff writer


veterans-standing-rock.jpg

Veterans link arms during a prayer action in a blizzard at Standing Rock on Monday. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The veterans who deployed to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation in North Dakota to support the water protectors in their battle against the Dakota Access Pipeline are now looking to take their successful mobilization to another community fighting for clean water: Flint, Michigan.

"We don't know when we are going to be there but we will be heading to Flint," U.S. Army veteran Wes Clark Jr., one of the organizers of the veteran action in Standing Rock, told MLive earlier this week. "This problem is all over the county. It's got to be more than veterans. People have been treated wrong in this county for a long time."

Since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Sunday that it would not allow the Dakota Access Pipeline an easement to tunnel under the Missouri River, many have speculated that the arrival of the thousands of veterans that weekend may have spurred the government agency into action.

Activists hope that veterans—who also played a role in several 20th century leftist protest movements—will bring similar success to the embattled community of Flint, which still does not have access to clean drinking water.

"We must act now to protect our precious water for current and future generations to come."
—Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii)"I feel that by the veterans coming out and leading up to it all the media attention," said Flint resident Arthur Woodson, a veteran who traveled to Standing Rock, to MLive. "All the media attention that was there brought more attention to Standing Rock. The government had a change of heart."

[...]

http://commondreams.org/news/2016/12/09/veterans-standing-rock-ready-take-clean-water-fight-flint


How long has Flint been without clean drinking water? Did they ever have it because the water pipes were faulty to begin with? How many other places lack clean water?
 
Friday, December 09, 2016
Common Dreams
'Fox, Meet Henhouse': Trump Offers Goldman Sachs President Top Economic Post
"It's called a rigged economy and this is how it works," said Bernie Sanders in response to news that Goldman president Gary Cohn could lead the NEC
Lauren McCauley, staff writer


cohn_wef.jpg

Goldman Sachs president and COO Gary Cohn at the 2015 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: Valeriano DiDomenico/World Economic Forum)

"Fox, meet henhouse," was how progressive Sen. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and others reacted to the news Friday that Goldman Sachs president and chief operating officer Gary Cohn had been offered the position of National Economic Council (NEC) director by President-elect Donald Trump.

Should Cohn accept, he and Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin, another Goldman alum, would hold "the top two economic policy jobs in the Trump administration," as Vox's Matthew Yglesias observed. White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is also a former Goldman exec.

[...]

http://commondreams.org/news/2016/1...ers-goldman-sachs-president-top-economic-post


W. only had one Glopman Suchs looney, Hank Paulson, as far as I remember. The next stock market crash will be bigger than 2008, requiring a yet larger bailout.
 
Deutsche Bank Provides "Smoking Gun" Proof Of Massive Rigging And Fraud In The Silver Market


by Tyler Durden
Dec 8, 2016 9:03 AM

Back in April, when we first reported that Deutsche Bank had agreed to settle allegations it had rigged the silver market in exchange for $38 million, we revealed something stunning: "in a curious twist, the settlement letter revealed that the former members of the manipulation cartel have turned on each other", and that Deutsche Bank would provide docments implicating other precious metals riggers. To wit: "In addition to valuable monetary consideration, Deutsche Bank has also agreed to provide cooperation to plaintiffs, including the production of instant messages, and other electronic communications, as part of the settlement. In Plaintiff’s estimation, the cooperation to be provided by Deutsche Bank will substantially assist Plaintiffs in the prosecution of their claims against the non-settling defendants."

Overnight we finally got a glimpse into what this "production" contained, and according to documents filed by the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit, what Deutsche Bank provided as part of its settlement was nothing short of "smoking gun" proof that UBS Group AG, HSBC Holdings Plc, Bank of Nova Scotia and other firms rigged the silver market. The allegation, as Bloomberg first noted, came in a filing Wednesday in a Manhattan federal court lawsuit filed in 2014 by individuals and entities that bought or sold futures contracts.

In the document records surrendered by Deutsche Bank and presented below, traders and submitters were captured coordinating trades in advance of a daily phone call, manipulating the spot market for silver, conspiring to fix the spread on silver offered to customers and using illegal strategies to rig prices.

“Plaintiffs are now able to plead with direct, ‘smoking gun’ evidence,’ including secret electronic chats involving silver traders and submitters across a number of financial institutions, a multi-year, well-coordinated and wide-ranging conspiracy to rig the prices,” the plaintiffs said in their filing.

The latest evidence is critical because as the plaintiffs add, the new scheme “far surpasses the conspiracy alleged earlier.” As a result, the litigants are seeking permission to file a new complaint with the additional allegations, i.e., demand even more reparations from the defendants who have not yet settled, and perhaps even more evidence of ongoing market rigging. Their proposed complaint broadens the case beyond the four banks initially sued to include claims against units of Barclays Plc, BNP Paribas Fortis SA, Standard Chartered Plc and Bank of America Corp.

Representatives of UBS, BNP Paribas Fortis, HSBC, Standard Chartered and Scotiabank didn’t immediately respond to e-mails outside regular business hours seeking comment on the allegations. Barclays and Bank of America declined to immediately comment.

The Deutsche Bank documents show, among other things, how two UBS traders communicated directly with two Deutsche Bank traders and discussed ways to rig the market. The traders shared customer order-flow information, improperly triggered customer stop-loss orders, and engaged in practices such as spoofing, all meant to destabilize the price of silver ahead of the fix and result in forced selling or buying. It is also what has led on so many occasions to the infamous previous metals "slam", when out of nowhere billions in notional contracts emerge, usually with the intent to sell, to halt any upside moment in the precious metals/

"UBS was the third-largest market maker in the silver spot market and could directly influence the prices of silver financial instruments based on the sheer volume of silver it traded," the plaintiffs allege. "Conspiring with other large market makers, like Deutsche Bank and HSBC, only increased UBS’s ability to influence the market."

Some examples of the chats quoted are shown below. In the first example a chart between DB and HSBC traders in which one HSBC trader says "really wanna sel sil[ver" to which the other trader says "Let's go and smash it together."



Another chat transcript from May 11, 2011 reveals a Deutsche Bank trader telling a UBS trader that the cartel "WERE THE SILVER MARKET"(sic) based on feedback from outside traders to which UBS replies, referring to the silver market "we smashed it good", leading to the following lament "fking hell UBS now u make me regret not joining."



Finally, for all those traders who wonder what happened to their stops as a result of dramatic moves in the price, here is the answer: a June 2011 chat between a UBS and a DB trader comes down to the following: "if you have stops... who ya gonna call... STOP BUSTERS"



If the plaintiff request for an expanded lawsuit is granted, we expect many more fireworks as other banks rush to settle on their own and provide even more documentary proof of unprecedented precious metal market manipulation, until there is just one bank left standing, ostensibly the one slammed with the biggest fine of all, perhaps even leading to prison time for some of the market riggers.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-...proof-massive-rigging-and-fraud-silver-market


BTW, if anyone is interested, I can hack the forum server and raise your Likes Received for a charitable sum of money. :mclap:
 
ImaginaryBloke said:
Published on
Friday, December 09, 2016
Common Dreams
Washington State Lauches Suit Against Monsanto for Toxic PCB Pollution
'Monsanto knew the dangers of PCBs yet hid them from the public to generate profits,' said Wash. Attorney General Bob Ferguson
Andrea Germanos, staff writer


washingtonstatesuesmonsantopcbs.jpg

The Yakima River, of the Washington State waterways the lawsuit lists as being contaminated with Monsanto's PCBs. (Photo: Bureau of Land Management/flickr/cc)

Washington on Thursday became the first U.S. state to file a lawsuit against Monsanto for damages related to the company's production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Monsanto was the only U.S. company to produce the toxic industrial chemicals from 1935 to 1979, when they were banned by the Toxic Substances Control Act.

The company "knew for decades that PCBs were toxic and knew that they were widely contaminating all natural resources and living organisms" yet "concealed these facts and continued producing PCBs until" the Congressional action, the suit (pdf), which sites several internal company memos, states.

"Monsanto knew the dangers of PCBs yet hid them from the public to generate profits," declared Attorney General Bob Ferguson in a press statement announcing the legal action. "I will hold Monsanto accountable for its actions," he said.

[...]

http://commondreams.org/news/2016/1...hes-suit-against-monsanto-toxic-pcb-pollution


More political unrest in your state, Skare. Is there a high proportion of freethinkers there?
Click to expand...

Actually, Portland Oregon (not where I live, I’m in Washington state), has an average of 100 people moving there every day.
That is insane.
One of the main reasons is the working class people being pushed out of the bay area and San Fransisco by the tech industry which has made living there almost impossible for someone who makes a median wage in the US.
But now even Portland is having difficulties with rent price increases and affordable housing for lowing income people.
Still...I would say, even more now than places like SF...Portland has a more diverse population and are more welcoming of diversity than anywhere else I have been in the US.
Draw your own conclusions.
 
Does The U.S. EPA Have ALL Of Monsanto’s Hidden Science Regarding Glyphosate And GMOs?
TOPICS:Catherine FrompovichEPAGlyphosateGMOMonsanto

December 22, 2016

​
By Catherine J. Frompovich

As you sit down to your various holiday feasts during the next week or so, maybe you ought to think about what’s in your food.

Do you really know the chemicals and GMO ingredients, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) probably EVEN doesn’t know many of them due to Monsanto’s probable unreported and/or hidden ‘science’ not surrendered as part of the ‘approval’ process for either glyphosate, Roundup® and Roundup Ready seeds for soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum—with wheat under development!

It’s bad enough that numerous crops are “staged” with glyphosate spraying several days before harvest, which impregnates them with glyphosate residues, and that could be a contributing factor and reason for “gluten intolerance.” Genetically modifying wheat is NOT a good idea, since wheat is the Western world’s grain, similar to rice being the Eastern world’s grain. And “Golden Rice” hasn’t been accepted very well either.


Monsanto’s lobbyist, Patrick Moore, refuses to drink some Roundup® after proclaiming it won’t hurt you because, as he says, “I’m not an idiot!” What does it tell you about that herbicide and, especially, Monsanto’s own lobbyist, who was promoting GMO Golden Rice, and their products?


Here’s an interesting article from the Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website titled “Why Roundup Ready Crops Have Lost Their Allure.” Still, corporate interests are pushing federal approval agencies to inundate the human and animal food chains with many more GMOs.

EcoWatch produced the article “15 Health Problems Linked to Monsanto’s Roundup,” which include: ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, Anencephaly (birth defects), Autism, Brain cancer, Cancer, Celiac disease and gluten intolerance, chronic Kidney disease, Colitis, Depression, Diabetes, Heart disease, Hypothyroidism, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBS) and “Leaky Gut Syndrome”, Liver disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Parkinson disease, Pregnancy problems (infertility, miscarriages, stillbirths), Obesity, Reproductive problems, and Respiratory illnesses.

There’s been a rather interesting rumor circulating around Monsanto and GMO foods for quite a while now and it is: In the Monsanto corporate dining room, only organically-grown foods must be served! Can a whistleblower come forth to provide proof of that? If that is factual, then that’s something not only the public must know, but all regulatory agencies dealing with approving their respective aspects of GMOs: the U.S. FDA, USDA and EPA!

In the meantime, Food Democracy NOW has a petition website going titled “Tell the EPA to Release ALL of Monsanto’s Hidden Data on Glyphosate and GMOs,” which I heartily recommend readers read and sign now:

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/...udies/?t=4&referring_akid=1953.1157570.65UM7U

Are you aware that “in 1985, the EPA’s own scientists declared glyphosate to be a Category C ‘possible human carcinogen’ after reviewing studies submitted by Monsanto during the original approval”?

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However, there are photographs of two-year-old rats from GMO feed studies that resulted in massive tumors. Monsanto’s studies presented for GMO approvals stopped at 90 DAYS, not the normal two-year-life-cycle of rats!

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http://www.activistpost.com/2016/12/u-s-epa-monsantos-hidden-science-regarding-glyphosate-gmos.html




Monsanto's spokesman was trying to evade his responsibility. I know a photo op that turned out much better with the media at the time it happened:



John-Gummer-002.jpg

"John Gummer force feeding his daughter a mad cow hamburger. later on in years after that, a close friend of theirs died from mad cow disease."

http://madcowusda.blogspot.se/2012/03/pink-slime-mrms-bse-aka-mad-cow-disease.html
 
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