FIRST VENEZUELA, THEN GERMANY, THEN ECUADOR, NOW BRAZIL…

http://gizadeathstar.com/2012/11/first-venezuela-then-germany-then-ecuador-now-brazil/    

FIRST VENEZUELA, THEN GERMANY, THEN ECUADOR, NOW BRAZIL…

November 27, 2012 By Joseph P. Farrell Leave a Comment

Sometimes you just have to sit back and laugh at the banksters.  As I sit here today blogging for the next two weeks, enjoying a (GMO) turkey sandwich on fresh (GMO) bread made with wholesome (GMO) grains, slathered with mayonnaise made from (GMO) eggs from (GMO) chickens and topped with cheese from (GMO) cows’ milk, I have to laugh.

Most regular readers here will know I’ve been covering the story of Germany wanting to audit its gold and, in some case, to repatriate all or a substantial portion of it. The move, however, began with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. No surprise there, or so we’re told, since Mr. Chavez has been no friend of the USA or the West, and outrageously suggested that the Haiti and Chile earthquakes were artificially produced, and that the Western financial elites were involved. And, oh, by the way, we want our gold back.Well, according to the presstitutes in the western media, we could all laugh and hold our belly at Mr Chavez because he’s obviously nuts, and a socialist, and not pro-US. Or so we’re told.

Then came Germany, of course, which, after the USA, reputedly holds the world’s second largest gold reserves. Now, in Germany’s case, the calls began with the Germans themselves, and members of the German parliament and were, as to be expected, consistently rebuffed by the German central bank, the Bundesbank. As the Bundesbank’s answers became increasingly obscure if not downright arrogant, the demands for audits and repatriation only grew in Germany.

Then came Ecuador, which, in the midst of its rather plucky refusal to turn international fugitive Julian Assange over to British authorities, decided that it too wanted its gold repatriated.

All this could be dismissed of course: Chavez was, well, Chavez, and Germany was just being….well, “German” again and not willing to bow before the masters of the universe in London and Wall Street. And Ecuador was, well, just insignificant.

But now comes another country, and one not easily ignored:

Brazil Boosts Gold Reserves to the Highest in More Than 11 Years

Admittedly, Brazil isn’t telling the Bank of England or the New York Federal Reserve that it wants its gold audited, assayed, and repatriated. If it was doing that along with similar calls in Germany it would be sending shockwaves… But the move is deeply significant nonetheless, not only for the growing cooperation between Brazil, China, Russia, and India (it is after all, one of the Brics nations), but for the fact that it heralds yet another major nation and economy, firmly planted within western culture, is displaying a huge vote of no confidence in the financial system.T his signal, in other words, is in my opinion not just a financial one, but a geopolitical one; yet another major nation is showing increasing signs of a lack of confidence in the financial oligarchs of London and New York.

Read more: FIRST VENEZUELA, THEN GERMANY, THEN ECUADOR, NOW BRAZIL...
- Giza Death Star Community

   

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-21/brazil-boosts-gold-reserves-to-the-highest-in-more-than-11-years.html

Brazil Boosts Gold Reserves to the Highest in More Than 11 Years

By Nicholas Larkin - Nov 21, 2012 6:51 AM ET

Brazil raised its gold reserves for a second month in October to the highest level in more than 11 years as emerging nations from Kazakhstan to Russia boosted holdings by more than 40 metric tons.
Brazil’s holdings expanded 17.2 tons last month to 52.5 tons, the most since January 2001, according to data on the International Monetary Fund’s website. The country’s 1.7-ton purchase in September was the first since December 2008. Kazakhstan’s holdings increased 7.5 tons, Russia added 0.4 ton and Turkey’s reserves rose 17.5 tons, the data show. Germany, the second-biggest holder, after the U.S., cut gold holdings by 4.2 tons, the first reduction since June.
Central banks have been expanding reserves as the metal heads for a 12th straight annual gain and investors hold a record amount in bullion-backed exchange-traded products, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Nations bought 373.9 tons in the first nine months of the year and full-year additions will probably be in the “bottom end” of 450 to 500 tons, the London-based World Gold Council estimates.
“This is a chunky purchase by a central bank, and the gold market will likely sit up and pay attention,” Edel Tully, an analyst at UBS AG in London, wrote today in a report, referring to Brazil’s addition. “Today’s news confirms much of the market chatter at the time that official sector buying was taking place and was one of the key factors that gave prices a reasonable floor last month.”

Germany’s Reserves

Germany holds 3,391.4 tons, the IMF data show. The Bundesbank declined to comment on the past month’s gold reserves, spokeswoman Susanne Kreutzer said, adding that the central bank reserves 7 tons a year to sell to the Finance Ministry for minting. The year started on Sept. 27, she said. The Bundesbank sold about 0.7 ton to the finance ministry in June and 4.7 tons in October 2011 to mint commemorative coins.
Gold for immediate delivery was little changed at $1,726.99 an ounce by 10:57 a.m. in London. It’s gained 10 percent this year. Holdings in gold-backed ETPs reached a record 2,604.9 tons yesterday, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
“The IMF figures showed continued strong buying by central banks,” said Dan Smith, a commodities analyst at Standard Chartered Plc in London. “This continues the trend of recent months and we expect this to support gold prices.”
Turkey’s bullion holdings have increased due to it accepting gold in its reserve requirements from commercial banks. Belarus expanded holdings by 0.1 ton in October and Mexico reduced them by 0.2 ton, the IMF data show.
Gold accounts for about 0.5 percent of Brazil’s total reserves and 20 percent of Kazakhstan’s, according to the World Gold Council. That compares with more than 70 percent for the U.S. and Germany, the biggest bullion holders, the data show.
To contact the reporter on this story: Nicholas Larkin in London at nlarkin1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: John Deane at jdeane3@bloomberg.net

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/picture-anna-nicole-smiths-daughter-dannielynn-birkhead-6-184000676-us-weekly.html

PICTURE: Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter Dannielynn Birkhead, 6, Models for GUESS

Us Weekly – 19 hours ago              starting all over again!

Dannielynn Birkheard models for Guess. (Courtesy of Guess)Dannielynn Birkhead is ready for her closeup.

Two decades after her mother became a world-famous model for GUESS -- and five years after her untimely death -- the six-year-old daughter of Anna Nicole Smith makes her modeling debut for GUESS kids.

In the ad, the pretty little girl strikes a pose on the beach as she wears a denim mini-skirt, white-denim vest, graphic t-shirt and a fedora.
PHOTOS: Dannielynn as a baby and toddler
Anna Nicole Smith in a 1990s Guess ad. (Courtesy of Guess)"Dannielynn has the same playful spirit that her mother had on a set," said Paul Marciano, Creative Director for GUESS?, Inc. in a press release. (The ads for the Spring 2013 campaign will appear on buses, billboards and more beginning in mid-January 2013.) Adds Marciano: "She is a second-generation GUESS girl, which makes this campaign a first for us."
PHOTOS: Anna Nicole and other famous Playboy models
Following an extended paternity dispute with Smith's partner Howard K. Stern, Dannielynn's father was confirmed (via DNA test) to be Larry Birkhead, one of Anna's former exes.

Birkhead, 39, opened up to Us Weekly back in June 2011 about life as a single dad to Dannielynn -- and how he explains Anna Nicole's tragic death to his little girl.

PHOTOS: Stars' first modeling gigs!
"Dannielynn knows that her mom passed away. She obviously doesn't know the details," he told Us. "At first I said, 'Your mommy's up in the clouds.' Then we were on a plane from Kentucky and she asked, 'Which cloud is my mom on. Maybe she can come play?' You have to be forthright but keep it on a kid-friendly level."
This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: PICTURE: Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter Dannielynn Birkhead, 6, Models for GUESS

Court Temporarily Blocks School District From Suspending Student For Refusing To Wear Student ID/Tracking Device

from the maybe-someone-should-ask-the-administration-to-wear-one-during-the-work-day dept

A few months back, Tim Geigner covered the story of a Texas school district's efforts to track its students' whereabouts using student ID cards with embedded RFID chips. The district attempted to paint this "students-as-livestock/prisoners" effort as being there for the safety of students and staff. But underneath all the "safety" talk was a large pile of money that the school district hoped to pocket. The so-called "Student Locator" project Texas' Northside Independent School District was implementing put school officials within handout distance of nearly $1.7 million in state government funds.

Although many students and parents have expressed their displeasure with the new program, it wasn't until a student at John Jay High School's Science and Engineering Academy opted out that any punishment had been handed out in connection with the RFID cards. Andrea Hernandez has refused to wear the ID card, citing religious and privacy reasons. In response, the school district has suspended her indefinitely, moving her to another high school in the same district that has not yet implemented the Smart ID policy.

Despite all the talk about "safety," the school district was more than happy to undercut the entire stated purpose of the Smart ID in order to keep Hernandez and her family from speaking out against the program.

The school offered a special lanyard with the RFID tag removed, in the hopes to put a damper on the whole situation. The student’s father refused the deal, however, because it came with strings attached.

“He told me in a meeting that if my daughter would proudly wear her student ID card around her neck so everyone could see, he would be able to quietly remove her chip from her student ID card,” Steve Hernandez told WND. “He went on to say as part of the accommodation my daughter and I would have to agree to stop criticizing the program and publicly support … it. I told him that was unacceptable because it would imply an endorsement of the district’s policy and my daughter and I should not have to give up our constitutional rights to speak out against a program that we feel is wrong.”

Apparently, the ID cards are so essential that the school district is willing to suspend a student for not wearing one, but not essential enough that the ID card needs to be fully functioning. Any stated concerns about "safety" are completely laughable if the district is willing to let students wander the school grounds untracked, sporting only plastic badges.

It's pathetic that this attempt was even made. The school district's main concerns seem to be a) having students appear to support the program, b) using the RFID cards to provide proof of attendance in exchange for funding and c) shutting down criticism.

Unfortunately for the school, the attempted suspension is now on hold.

The Hernandez family decided to take action against the school with the help of the Rutherford Institute, a civil liberties and human rights group which immediately took the view that the school district is looking for more public funding, which it can only receive if there is proof of positive student attendance rates. Rutherford attorneys filed a petition for the aforementioned TRO, as well as immediate injunctive and declaratory relief alleging that the school’s actions violate Hernandez’s rights under Texas’ Religious Freedom Act, the First Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment.

“The court’s willingness to grant a temporary restraining order is a good first step, but there is still a long way to go—not just in this case, but dealing with the mindset, in general, that everyone needs to be monitored and controlled,” John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute, said in a statement. While the TRO has been granted, a hearing on the preliminary injunction will take place next week.

The Rutherford Institute's filing (PDF) states that the district currently has no policy or procedure in place that deals directly with the RFID badges, much less one stating that students can be suspended for failing to wear the new IDs. It also points out that requiring Hernandez to wear a nonfunctioning ID as a "show of support" for the Student Locator Project violates her First Amendment rights by compelling her to convey a message she does not agree with. The filing also claims that the school district's ID program clearly violates both her Fourteenth Amendment rights as well as Texas Freedom of Religion Act. According to Hernandez, many other students have refused to wear the ID cards, but none of them have been punished to the extent that she is, prompting claims of religious persecution.

All in all, this doesn't look good for the school district, which has pushed through an intrusive student surveillance program in order to secure additional government funding. The "safety" of the student body is just the sales pitch. Any supposed "concern" for student safety went out the window, along with the legitimacy of the program, the moment the district offered to remove the tracking chip. The audacity of the district's actions is breathtaking -- both the implementation of such a controversial program, and its response to this student's refusal to participate.

The only other situation in which human beings might need to be constantly surveilled at an individual level is at a maximum security prison. But if you're willing to treat minors looking for an education like dangerous convicted criminals, there's no telling what your next "bright idea" might be. Here's hoping this early effort leads to the entire program being scrapped before it can do any more damage.