© Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
In 2016, 24,338 tons of physical gold were traded, which was 43 percent more than in 2015, according to Claudio Grass, of Precious Metal Advisory Switzerland.
Puppet Masters
In 2016, 24,338 tons of physical gold were traded, which was 43 percent more than in 2015, according to Claudio Grass, of Precious Metal Advisory Switzerland.
© Twitter/@realDonaldTrump
"We are the nation that dug out the Panama Canal, won two world wars, put a man on the moon and brought communism to its knees"He did it again folks. We might want to bestow on Trump the 'World's Number One Troll' award, because very few days go by without The Donald saying something that is both entertainingly dumb and the perfect pot-stirrer to get the liberal media in a rabid furor over his idiocy. But Trump's no fool, he knows that there's no bad press as long as they spell your name right. The sad thing about this is that, with most being woefully ignorant of world history, very few Americans will take exception to his comments. Even the 'left' may find a stirring of national pride as a result of this Presidential tweet, enough at least to force them to shut up and leave Trump's twitter account alone for 5 minutes.
Unfortunately, Trump is wrong. Not just wrong in the sense that I don't agree with him, but factually, historically wrong.
In mid-November a mysterious buyer bought a probably fake Leonardo da Vinci painting of Jesus Christ for a cool $450 million. On December 6 the New York Times reported that some Saudi prince was the front-man for the purchase:
He is a little-known Saudi prince from a remote branch of the royal family, with no history as a major art collector, and no publicly known source of great wealth. But the prince, Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, is the mystery buyer of Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Salvator Mundi," which fetched a record $450.3 million at auction last month, documents show.
The revelation that Prince Bader is the purchaser, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times, links one of the most captivating mysteries of the art world with palace intrigues in Saudi Arabia that are shaking the region. Prince Bader splurged on this controversial and decidedly un-Islamic portrait of Christ at a time when most members of the Saudi elite, including some in the royal family, are cowering under a sweeping crackdown against corruption and self-enrichment.
As it happens, Prince Bader is a friend and associate of the leader of the purge: the country's 32-year-old crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
© EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images
And in yet another blow to the credibility of ABC News, the disgraced, left-wing network downplayed the bombshell by presenting this admission of forgery as adding "notes" to the inscription. Worse still, the reporter actually coaches Nelson, puts words in her mouth, downplay the enormous significance of her deceit.
Comment: Now, how about we see some charges filed against the real predator in this case: Beverly Young Nelson. See also:
- Credible account? Witnesses debunk key details of Beverly Nelson and Gloria Allred's accusation against Roy Moore
- Ex-boyfriend of Roy Moore accuser says he doesn't find her story believable
- Roy Moore case: Calls for arrest of attorney Gloria Allred over possibly forged signature in accuser's yearbook
Donald Trump Jr. takes on Allred on Twitter:
From the Gateway Pundit:
A conflict of interest waiver is a legal agreement outlining that a conflict of interest could exist within a partnership and all parties are taking steps to work around the matter in a fair and amicable manner.
No question Trump Jr. won the internet today with that one!
To understand the context of this scenario, one first needs to understand what has happened in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries in recent years. The original plan of the US and Saudi Arabia (behind whom stood an invisible Israel) was the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and his replacement with Islamic fundamentalists or takfiris (Daesh, al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra). The plan involved the following steps:
- sweep away a strong secular Arab state with a political culture, armed forces and security services;
- generate total chaos and horror in Syria that would justify the creation of Israel's "security zone", not only in Golan Heights, but also further north;
- start a civil war in Lebanon and incite takfiri violence against Hezbollah, leading to them both bleeding to death and then create a "security zone", this time in Lebanon;
- prevent the creation of a "Shiite axis" of Iran/Iraq/Syria/Lebanon;
- continue the division of Syria along ethnic and religious lines, establish an independent Kurdistan and then to use them against Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
- give Israel the opportunity to become the unquestioned major player in the region and force Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and everyone else to apply for permission from Israel in order to implement any oil and gas projects;
- gradually isolate, threaten, undermine and ultimately attack Iran with a wide regional coalition, removing all Shiite centers of power in the middle East.
Comment: The past two decades have shown the neocons' destructive ambitions unleashed upon the world. They show no signs of giving up their hegemony: The end times may be here for ISIS, but the Deep State still has plans for Syria and Iran
© South Front
Two days ago the Syrian Arab Army closed the last gaps on the west bank of the Euphrates. Having fought all the way from Aleppo along the river towards the east the Tiger Force reached the liberated Deir Ezzor from the west. All settlements on the way are now controlled by the Syrian government. The remaining Islamic State fighters were pushed into the desert where they will be hunted down and killed.
Comment: Two years and two months after Russia intervened, all of ISIS's territory has been liberated. All that remains are a few desert regions. They sure make it look easy, don't they? That's not to minimize the number of Syrians and Russians who have died liberating the country. But think about it. Just over two years... And yet the U.S. has been in Iraq and Afghanistan for over 15 years. Isn't it about time the U.S. and the rest of the world starts judging the U.S. military by their actual results? Because their ability has been weighed - and found wanting.
No wonder the Kurds are turning to the Russians for support. By actually winning a war, Russia has signaled to the whole Middle East that they are an effective and reliable military force. They essentially outbid the Americans. And if there's one thing the American military doesn't like, it is being told their they're second-rate.
© Vasily Maximov / AFP
A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 bomber lands at the Russian Hmeimim military base in Latakia province, in the northwest of Syria
A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 bomber lands at the Russian Hmeimim military base in Latakia province, in the northwest of Syria
A US F-22 fighter was preventing two Russian Su-25 strike aircraft from bombing an Islamic State (IS, former ISIS) base to the west of the Euphrates November 23, according to the ministry. The ministry's spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov described the episode as yet another example of US aircraft attempts to prevent Russian forces from carrying out strikes against Islamic State.
"The F-22 launched decoy flares and used airbrakes while constantly maneuvering [near the Russian strike jets], imitating an air fight," Konashenkov said. He added that the US jet ceased its dangerous maneuvers only after a Russian Su-35S fighter jet joined the two strike planes.
Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Nazarbayev, in what appeared to be something of an angry rant at a meeting with central government and regional officials, said: "Eighteen Kazakh companies keep $12 billion abroad. That money could help our economy... The state provided you with the conditions to make that money and you are hiding that money of Kazakhstan somewhere else? Enough is enough!"
"Enough of toying around, look at them, carried away with their games, keeping their money abroad, buying yachts and mansions in multiple countries," he continued. "It is safer to keep money here, at home, we will ensure it is safe."
© AP
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and wife Jane Sanders walk in Philadelphia during the final day of the Democratic National Convention, July 28, 2016. Sanders remains under federal investigation for a land deal she made as president of Burlington College in Vermont in 2010.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and wife Jane Sanders walk in Philadelphia during the final day of the Democratic National Convention, July 28, 2016. Sanders remains under federal investigation for a land deal she made as president of Burlington College in Vermont in 2010.
The probe could thwart Sanders' 2020 presidential ambitions -- as well as the Vermont political plans of Jane Sanders' daughter, Carina Driscoll.
Individuals questioned by the FBI confirmed to Fox News that the investigation was still open, with FBI agents interviewing at least one witness within the last six weeks.
Jane Sanders is under investigation following a land deal she clinched when she was president of Burlington College in Vermont in 2010.
In order to expand the college, Sanders sought to obtain a tract of land from a Roman Catholic parish. She secured a $6.7 million loan from a bank and a $3.6 million loan from the parish from which she planned to purchase the property.
An important Civil Rights museum is opening and these two are acting like babies.
The two issued a joint statement filled with dishonest Democrat talking points. [Never let a good opportunity go to waste.]
They said, "Trump's attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum. The struggles represented in this museum exemplify the truth of what really happened in Mississippi. President Trump's disparaging comments about women, the disabled, immigrants and National Football League players disrespect the efforts of Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, Medgar Evers, Robert Clark, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and countless others who have given their all for Mississippi to be a better place."
Comment: This is the kind of behavior one would expect of adolescents. Not Congressmen.
Comment: This gets back to the leaked Saudi memo where the Saudis basically agreed to give up on publicly supporting the Palestinian cause in favor of a deal with the U.S. and Israel that would support the sheikdom against Iran. If that's the case, then the Saudis are a lot like the U.S. - making "deals" with other countries and only expecting the other side to keep up their own end of the bargain! Notice that only a month ago Trump tweeted that the leadership of the Clown Prince knows exactly what it's doing. What a difference a month makes!