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Lost in Translation: An Important Note for International Reckoners | The Daily Reckoning

Buenos Aires, Argentina – If you’re planning a vacation to the United States of America in the foreseeable future, you would do well to refrain from employing any confusing colloquialisms in your social media updates prior to departure.

For Australians, that means no “cracking onto” members of the opposite sex…no getting “off one’s face”…no “tearing it up”…no “little rippers” and, we would think, no “barrakking” for anyone.

Our Irish friends will likewise wish to steer clear of referring to anything as “the gas,” from declaring intentions to “eat one’s head off” and from “throwing shapes,” “sucking diesel” or otherwise “effin’ and blindin’.”

We can only imagine to what extent our English Reckoners shall have to curb their delightfully colorful lingo to ensure a stateside journey (even relatively) free of let or hindrance at the gate, though we imagine no measure of self-censorship will be sufficient to guarantee a transit experience free of at least a touch of “Ye ol’ Liberty Grope.”

What’s all this caper then, eh? What’s the apple, the score, the bleedin’ apple core?

Apologies for the loose linguistics, weary reader. But a point begs its making; a point two British (would-be) tourists, Leigh Van Bryan and Emily Bunting, discovered the hard way just last week.

Apparently rather chuffed at the upcoming prospect of a wee jaunt over the pond, Van Bryan and Bunting engaged in a bit of online banter before their big trip to the US. Mistake number one. The two were perhaps unaware that the Department of Homeland Security routinely trolls the global social media digital waves, setting up accounts to listen in on prospective threats to…um…the “Homeland.”

We can only imagine the hysterical frenzy that whipped around the DHS H.Q. when they discovered what Van Bryan, 26, had posted.

“Free this week for a quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America x”

Not that it should matter, but “destroy” is popular English slang for “party”…an easily Googlable fact, one would think, for the highly skilled heroes manning the control tower at the Twitter and Facebook Counter Terrorism and Special Operations Unit for Liberty and Freedom of the Homeland… Patriot… Liberty… uh, never mind.

After making their way through passport control at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) last week, the pair were promptly detained by armed guards/heroes/patriots. But the real trouble was still to come.

The two were then informed that the DHS was on to their scheme to “destroy” (read: party in) America and (Could it be? No! Sweet Mother of Mercy!) their sick and twisted plot to dig up the grave of Marilyn Monroe!

“3 weeks today, we’re totally in LA p****** people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin’ Marilyn Monroe up!”

The pair explained that the tweet, which the DHS had considered a grave matter of national security was, actually, a reference from Family Guy, a popular television show produced in the Homeland itself…behind patriot lines!

“They asked why we wanted to destroy America and we tried to explain it meant to get trashed and party,” explained Bunting. “I almost burst out laughing when they asked me if I was going to be Leigh’s lookout while he dug up Marilyn Monroe. I couldn’t believe it because it was a quote from the comedy Family Guy which is an American show.”

Department of Homeland Security staff, brave unwavering professionals as they are, were not deterred from their mission.

“It got even more ridiculous because the officials searched our suitcases and said they were looking for spades and shovels. They did a full body search on me too” explained Bunting.

Perhaps because grave-robbing spades and shovels have little to do with (most people’s idea of) partying, the DHS were unable to find any in the pair’s luggage or, strangely enough, on their person. Nevertheless, this was no time to take chances:

“I kept saying to them they had got the wrong meaning from my tweet but they just told me ‘you’ve really f***** up with that tweet boy’.”

Van Bryan, apparently thought to be the leader of the non-existent operation, was then cuffed, thrown in a cage inside a van and whisked away to a location where he could not be of harm to Homeland citizens. Read more…

Source: The Daily Reckoning

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World Banker Makes Stunning Confession

Two years ago, the former President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, makes stunning confessions as he addresses graduate students at Stanford University. He reveals the inside hand of the world domination from past, to the present, and into the future. The speech was made January 11th, 2010. The next 19 minutes may open your mind to a very deliberate world.

He tells the grad students what’s coming, a “tectonic shift” in wealth from the west to the east. But he doesn’t tell the students that it is his institution, the World Bank, that’s directing and channeling these changes.

Wolfensohn’s own investment firm is in China, poised to profit from this “imminent shift” in global wealth.

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The 2012 Prophecy: Making it Real | 13Moon.com

By Eden Sky

“The accurate content of the message for the Maya Prophecy for our times is that the date of December 21, 2012 is nothing more than a general marker, a specific date that infact indicates a whole era, an era of hope, an era of opportunity – the opportunity to re-establish a sense of community amongst all humans of this planet…” -From The Maya Taino Prophecy Initiative, led by Maya Elder Antonio Aj Ik and Taino Elder Miguel Sague – www.mayatainoprophecy.webs.com

December 21, 2012 marks the Shifting of World Ages, a return to zero point, where we officially transition from the current 5,125 year World Age Cycle, and enter into a New World Cycle; marking a new level of our unfoldment as a planetary collective; a new level of our human evolution in concert with our living Universe.

If one researches prophecies from ancient cultures, and investigates modern scientific and spiritual decodings of these times we are living in, one will find a whole spectrum of insight, opinions, warnings, facts, theories, and possibilities about where we have come from, and where we are heading. While many pieces of the puzzle match up, plenty of pieces and voices do not align, and in fact contradict one another.

I write this article as someone who has been in this field of investigation and discovery for 17 years and counting, having passionately delved into this realm and taken in information and insights from countless sources. In this personal journey, my intention has been to be informed of various viewpoints, especially those thought to be from the most reputable sources, including indigenous messengers, highly regarded researchers, deeply inspired visionaries, and critically thinking scientists. Upon taking in all of these viewpoints, I then seek to integrate them inside of myself, cross-referencing all the data and voices and applying the discernment of my own intelligence and intuition, that ultimately I can arrive at a synthesis of my own heart’s comprehension. It is from this place of what I would call my own “embodiment” that I always attempt to communicate to the world from.

I believe it is ideal for each of us to evolve and refine our own personal embodiment of truth, awareness, and inspiration to guide us from within and to help influence our collective humanity. Therefore, I do not proclaim to know anything more than anyone else. I am simply interested in sharing the understandings I have come to as they have cultivated within me during years of dedicated exploration, in hopes that they may stimulate deeper levels of your own knowing.

That said, the message I wish to offer to the human family is this:

Let us realize that December 21, 2012 does indeed mark the completion of a vast cycle, and the dawning of a New World Age on Planet Earth. However, let us not naively look to this one day to instantly transform all the far-reaching crises and imbalances we face as a global society.

The World Age we are soon transiting out of has spanned over 5000 years, taking us to this unprecedented point we are now living in on Planet Earth where our world hangs in the balance, teetering between breakdown and breakthrough. December 21, 2012 is a threshold point; a doorway indicated by the Ancient Maya well over a thousand years ago, that will take us into a new domain as a planetary collective. The more of us that are conscious and aware of the significance of this date as a marker of a new World cycle, the more aligned we can be in our intentions and actions to serve as instruments of this transition process, fortifying and inspiring each other upon this unfolding journey of Shifting World Ages.

Solstice 2012 marks a zero point -a simultaneous completion and beginning, called “Creation Day” by the Ancient Maya. From that point, the adventure will continue onward, bringing untold challenges and blessings. As we advance to a new level on the spiral of Time, let us comprehend the vastness of our journey ahead. Each day the mystery deepens, bringing new trials and new awarenesses. There is no pre-determined outcome to our collective story. The essential message of the 2012 Prophecy is that the more we each awaken to our personal contribution to this planetary moment, the greater the possibilities emerge for positive change.

Everyone asks “What’s going to happen on December 21, 2012?”

Our human psyche has fixated on this one date, projecting both tremendous fear and tremendous hope. But rather than looking at these monumental times of prophecy from a linear mindset, let us realize that beyond this one infamous date, it is happening now, all around us, and also inside our own selves. As Peter Russell writes: “Rather than a precise date on which major changes happen, I see 2012 as the temporal epicenter of a cultural earthquake.”

It is not wise to expect some external, earth-shattering cataclysm or miracle to happen on this one day that proves the reality of this Living Prophecy.

The clarity that December 21, 2012 marks the launching point of a new epoch is not based on proclaiming details of external events. Rather, the opportunity is for as many people as possible to align internally with this understanding, and therefore from an inner alignment of cycles shifting, to help consciously generate and incarnate the dawning of the new era on Earth. Let us contemplate: What can happen in our collective consciousness when each of us really owns the power of our personal contribution to our shared reality? Read more…

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Johnny Liberty’s “Vision for a New America” (videos) | YouTube

Here’s a series of videos from a recent lecture “Vision for a New America” in Austin, Texas…covering a five-point agenda including: 1) reclaiming personal sovereignty and internal authority over your life; 2) demanding accountability in government and limiting local, state and federal government to no more than 10% of GNP; 3) restoring a sound, debt-free monetary system; 4) building a renewable energy infrastructure; and 5) building a global network of community-based resource centers.

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Nevada Makes Illegal Foreclosures Felony | Housing Predictor

By Mike Colpitts

Responding to homeowner complaints, Nevada has become the first state in the nation to make illegally repossessing a home a felony, and  may send bankers to jail for doing such. The new law was enacted after tens of thousands of homeowners complained to lawmakers about their homes being foreclosed without proof of ownership.

The outcry of consumer complaints over illegal robo-signing tactics has produced a series of lawsuits against mortgage servicing companies and banks in Nevada, which has led the U.S. in foreclosures six straight years.

The Nevada law makes it a felony for a mortgage servicer or trustee of a mortgage to make false representations concerning a title such as claiming that they are an executive of a bank or mortgage servicer, which was the case in at least hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of robo-signings. A $5,000 fine will also be assessed if fraud is found. The law requires mortgage companies to provide a new affidavit with the amount owed on the loan, the person who is in possession of the note and the individual with the authority to foreclose on the property.

Some 26 U.S. states conduct foreclosures through the courts, but the new law does not make Nevada a judicial foreclosure state. Foreclosures have been delayed in many cases since the law went into effect Oct. 1 st.

Cathe Cole, vice president of default for Trustee Corps., and foreclosure counsel in Nevada for Freddie Mac said as long as trustees can show a clear chain of title, including the named servicer of the mortgage there would be nothing for companies carrying out foreclosures to fear. “They just want to make sure we’re doing things correctly,” said Cole.

Nevada’s state attorney general is attempting to halt illegal foreclosure practices such as robo-signing with the new law, which they believe are still taking place. Proof of ownership title is critical to the chain of title. If the proof has been lost or never forwarded to a mortgage servicing company the foreclosing party may have no right to formally foreclose and take the real estate.

The Nevada law could provide an example for other states to follow implementing the new law. Homeowners throughout the U.S. have filed lawsuits against mortgage servicing companies alleging fraud in foreclosure proceedings used to formally repossess their homes after Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS) reportedly failed to provide the physical documents on foreclosures their electronic system was used for to provide foreclosures through. MERS ordered mortgage servicers and banks to halt foreclosures in its name earlier this year.

Source: Housing Predictor

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A Banking Model That Works In The Badlands | The Daily Bail

By Wil Martindale

What’s The Big Deal About State Banks?  North Dakota Has The Answers

The only State in the Union chartered to be the primary depositor and guarantor of the deposits of its own bank is North Dakota.  All state funds are deposited into this bank (by law) and its deposit base becomes the capital reserve from which to create credit.

Our system of hopelessly insolvent mega banks across the nation has leveraged, gambled and lost it all in the insane derivatives casino.  Despite more than six months of massive taxpayer bailouts, credit markets are still frozen, the economy continues to collapse and 2.3 million more Americans have lost their jobs since Obama took office.

But North Dakota’s GNP has grown 56%, personal income has grown 43%, and wages have grown 34%.  The state not only has no funding issues, but this year it actually has a budget surplus of $1.2 billion, the largest it has ever had.

Why? Because of sound fiduciary oversight and proper management.

You see, the Bank of North Dakota does not employ 20,000 people at an average wage of $90,000 per year.  Employees do not receive $60,000 annual bonuses and executives do not take home $40,000,000 in compensation, bonuses and options.  The State Bank of North Dakota does not wager 1000 times it’s deposit base (as Goldman Sachs does with a credit exposure risk of 1056% to capital ratio) on the speculative derivatives casino in order to grossly reward the risk that brought down the world’s economies.

In point of fact:

The Bank of North Dakota (BND) was established by the state legislature in 1919 specifically to free farmers and small businessmen from the clutches of out-of-state bankers and railroad Barons.  By law, the State deposits all its funds in the bank, which pays a competitive interest rate to the State treasurer.  The State, rather than the FDIC, guarantees the bank’s deposits, which are re-invested back into the State in the form of loans.  The bank’s return on equity is about 25%, and it pays a hefty dividend to the State, which is expected to exceed $60 million this year.  In the last decade, the BND has turned back a third of a billion dollars to the State’s general fund, offsetting taxes.  The former president of the BND is now the State’s governor.

The BND avoids rivalry with private banks by partnering with them.  Most private sector lending is originated by a local bank.  The BND then comes in to participate in the loan, share risk, and buy down the interest rate.  The BND provides a secondary market for real estate loans, which it buys from local banks.  Its residential loan portfolio is now $500 billion to $600 billion.  Guarantees are also provided for entrepreneurial startups, and the BND has ample money to lend to students (over 184,000 outstanding loans).  It purchases municipal bonds from public institutions, and it backs loans at 1% interest.  The BND also has a well-funded disaster loan program, which helps explain how Fargo, when struck by a disastrous flood recently, managed to avoid the devastation suffered by New Orleans in hurricane Katrina.

North Dakota has also managed to avoid the credit freeze, through the simple expedient of creating its own credit.  It has led the nation in establishing state economic sovereignty.

That is the key — establishing economic sovereignty at the level of the States -that is the last vestige of hope for this country.  TAKE ACTION in your state to be part of the solution.

It truly must be obvious to anyone in America able to read and think for themselves that this federal government, bought and paid for by the economic Imperialists, with its ranks completely infiltrated by former Wall Street executives, simply DOES NOT HAVE the best interests of the average taxpayer in mind.

Not when we are being sucked dry by the continuing bailouts, which do nothing but place the middle class backbone of this country into a debtor’s prison of taxation, reduced social services, pay cuts, lost jobs, tighter credit, and with no end in sight to the greed and excess of the profit-obsessed, predatory money changers they serve.

This is why it’s so important to TAKE ACTION now.  Let the rest of the world deal with the White House.  Trust me, they will.  We the People must collectively take action at the level of the States, where politicians are still accessible and many still remember what it’s like to be true public servants.

If the pressure comes from the American taxpayer at the level of the States and the international pressure comes from the developed nation’s foreign governments, together, the real, hard – working people of the world can correct the problems on Capitol Hill, where neither body alone could.

TAKE ACTION in your state to be part of the solution now.

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14,000 Coloradans move $100M into credit unions | The Colorado Independent

By Jon Collins

As the social media-sparked Bank Transfer Day approaches, the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) reports that over 650,000 people have joined credit unions in the last four weeks. In Colorado, the group reports 14,000 new accounts and $100 million in new deposits.

Credit unions nationally have added $4.5 billion in new accounts since the end of September, CUNA says, reporting that four out of every five credit unions affiliated with the group report that the increase is due to attempts by big banks to raise fees on customers or Bank Transfer Day, a movement birthed by social media that will take place tomorrow.

Bank Transfer Day organizer Kristen Christian explained the logic behind the movement on the group’s Facebook page.

“I started this because I felt like many of you do. I was tired—tired of the fee increases, tired of not being able to access my money when I need to, tired of them using what little money I have to oppress my brothers & sisters. So I stood up. I’ve been shocked at how many people have stood up alongside me.” Christian wrote. “Me closing my account all on my lonesome wouldn’t have made a difference to these fat cats. But each of you standing up with me…they can’t drown out the noise we’ll make.”

Big banks like Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank have also taken flak for attempting to impose additions fees on customers who use debt cards, although many of the banks have withdrawn their plans due to public outcry.

Credit unions are member-owned and non-profit; they typically have fewer fees than corporate banks. Credit unions across the country, including some in Minnesota, have been offering special promotions and extending hours in preparation for Bank Transfer Day, CUNA said. Minnesota’s Affinity Plus launched the aggressive “ditch your bank” campaign in early October,

“Our struggling economy is not the disease, it’s the symptom,” according to Affinity Plus’ campaign. ”There is mounting evidence to prove that big banks with their profit-at-all-costs agenda are actually making our collective disease worse by systematically making choices that undermine the efforts of regulators and ordinary people like us to make changes and get back to a state of health.”

Occupy Wall Street has also helped cement the focus on banks. In Minnesota, Occupy Wall Street has targeted big banks for a series of demonstrations focused largely on the banks’ role in the foreclosure crisis.

“We’re focused more on the needs of our clients and less on the bottom line,” said Joy Audet, director of corporate communications for the credit union association in Colorado.

Scot Kersgaard contributed to this article.

Source: The Colorado Independent