Gas Prices in U.S. Expected to Hit Record Ripoff High in Summer : Apostate Saudis, BP Openly Buy Prostitutes While Americans Live in Tents

Proof positive coward American sheep will allow criminal oil companies to shove it up their keisters and break it off, surrender their last dime so oil executives, Saudis can buy more islands, bigger boats, better dope, prostitutes; media refuses to ask key questions:  Why $5.00 gas, how do they get away with it, and EXACTLY where looted riches go; BREAKING:  Ahmadinejad has loose bowel movement, gas prices rocket to $10.00 a gallon

PRESS TV
03/27/2012

Gas prices in the United States have increased again, bringing the national average to around USD 3.90 a gallon, which is expected to rise even further during the upcoming summer.

MILLIONS spent on prostitutes by BP oil execs, Saudis

According to a report by the AAA Fuel Gauge, the price of gas is up 23 cents a gallon from a month ago.

Experts expect the prices to jump 10 to 20 cents over the next few weeks before reaching their pick in mid-May at around a record-breaking USD 4.25 a gallon.

Gas prices in the US have continually climbed this year following Iran’s move to cut oil sales to British and French firms in reaction to the EU’s anti-Iran embargos.

Tehran has also announced it may halt oil exports to more European countries.

The decision by Tehran came after European Union foreign ministers agreed on January 23 to ban oil imports from Iran and freeze the assets of the country’s Central Bank across the EU in line with a US-led effort to impose further pressure on the Iranian economy over its civilian nuclear program.

The move is aimed at putting pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear energy program based on baseless allegations that Tehran is seeking to weaponize its nuclear technology. 

Prince Walid bin Talal has summered in Cannes for the past  3 decades, and owns a 281 foot yacht called “the Kingdom” that he bought from Donald Trump. The yacht comes complete with a disco studio and helicopter; Apostate Saudi "royals" party well on taxpayer dollars, while they live in tents and eat dog food

Iran has refuted the allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

MYA/GHN/HJL

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Iran Oil Ban to Drag Eurozone Economy into Recession: Expert - Video

Just in case the author missed it, the EU, along with most of the rest of the world is and has been in "recession" with translates to robbed blind by dictators the likes of Merkel and Sarkozy and the criminal bankers; any claims, statements to the contrary are nothing but pure propaganda

PRESS TV
03/27/2012

The US and EU sanctions against Iran’s energy sector can trigger a recession in the eurozone and hit the global economy by dramatically lifting oil prices, an economic analyst says.

Iran recognizes oil ban as an illegal act of war

Western sanctions have so far failed to halt Iran’s nuclear energy program, “but have caused an oil price spike that could trigger a global recession,” wrote Richard Lein in an article published in the Malaysian English-language newspaper New Straits Times on Monday.

“Oil prices hit a record high in euro terms earlier this month and analysts now believe they may have already dragged the eurozone into recession,” he added.

He also pointed to US President Barack Obama’s admission that rising tensions over the Islamic Republic have been "adding a US $20 … or US $30 premium to oil prices.”

According to the international accounting firm Ernst & Young (EY), a hike in crude prices to US $150 per barrel “would cause a recession of one per cent in the EU this year, double the milder 0.5 per cent contraction currently forecast,” Lein pointed out. 

Iran has more than enough oil, along with the means to make war on multiple fronts especially as part of an anti-U.S. EU coalition/alliance  with Syria and Afghanistan, a distinct possibility for self-preservation

This is while recent data released by the Joint Organization Data Initiative (JODI) shows that Iranian crude export has increased in January despite sanctions imposed against the country’s oil sector.

On the New Year’s Eve, Washington imposed new sanctions on Iran and accordingly penalize countries for importing Iranian oil or doing trade with its central bank.

EU foreign policy chief hag, Clinton clone Catherine Ashton

EU foreign ministers also approved sanctions against Iran’s oil and financial sectors on January 23, including a ban on Iranian oil imports, a freeze on the assets of the country’s central bank within EU states, and a ban on selling grain, diamonds, gold, and other precious metals to Tehran.

The measures have been adopted with the professed aim of pressuring Iran into abandoning its nuclear energy program, which the US, Israel and some of their allies allege has military dimensions.

Tehran has, however, refuted the allegations, arguing that as a committed member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Iran also maintains that the IAEA has never found any evidence of weaponization in its frequent inspections of the country’s nuclear facilities.

MAB/MF/MA 

Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The 5^th Estate.

Video:  You Tube

Images:  Google royalty free unless otherwise attributed.

This news site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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Angela Merkel: Greek Euro Exit Would be 'Catastrophic' - Video

It certainly will be a catastrophe for Merkel and the other EU criminals that have looted Greece and condemned Greeks to slavery for foreseeable future; anything that destroys EU criminal empire a good thing; Greece better off with anarchy than belonging to blood-sucking EU

The Independent
By Geoff Meade
03/26/2012

The departure of Greece from the eurozone would be a "huge political mistake", according to German chancellor Angela Merkel.

This looks like more than a "professional " relationship

In an interview for tonight's edition of BBC television's Newsnight, she said it would be "catastrophic" to ask the country to leave the 17-nation group of single currency member states.

After two multibillion-pound bail-outs for Greece - largely funded by Germany - and amid fears that Athens will not be able to stick to severe austerity measures which have triggered months of violent public demonstrations, Chancellor Merkel insisted: "Greece has time and again explained that it wants to remain in the euro. It has major weaknesses but it is trying to overcome them, be they in the administration or the competitiveness of their business community.

"It is going to be a long and arduous road.

"We have taken the decision to be in a currency union. This is not only a monetary decision, it is a political one. It would be catastrophic if we were to say to one of those who have decided to be with us, 'We no longer want you."'

Greek police just don't get it:  Protesters mean business

She said the EU treaties made no provision for excluding a eurozone country, but: "People all over the world would ask, 'Who will be next?' The euro area would be incredibly weakened."

She continued: "It would be a huge political mistake to allow Greece to leave. That is why we will be clear with Greece, we will say 'if you want to be part of a common currency you have to do your homework but at the same time we will always support you."'

The German chancellor, in her first UK broadcast since becoming leader in 2005, said the crisis in the eurozone - and in the wider EU - was not over: "Over the past two years in Europe, particularly in the eurozone, we have learnt a lot. We must reflect time and again, why are we together in Europe?

Greek corporate enforcers (cops) taking a beating

"It is a very tense situation right now. Europe and particularly the euro area, is in crisis. It has slithered into crisis as a consequence of the global financial crisis and this has brought about very tough discussions in many countries."

No immunity for photographers in the mayhem

The German leader praised Prime Minister David Cameron's austerity drive: "It is something that each country in Europe can do because we will all learn that no country can live beyond its means.

Greeks participating in full-on combat with cops, government mercenaries

"Once the markets lose confidence, we pay a heavy price.

"All European countries have understood this lesson and have to pave the way for political decisions.

"In Britain there have been protests, and protests have started in other countries.

Example of what Greek People think of cops

"But we in the eurozone are convinced that together, we are so much stronger. We get so much benefit from the common currency that we want to respect the common rules as they are set out in the fiscal pact, for example."

Even outside the eurozone, the UK was playing a "very important role" in Europe: "The UK is part of the single market and the common climate policy.

"Britain has a lot of common ground with Germany on how we see the future of free global trade, we all benefit from it.

"At the end of the day the British have to decide for themselves to what extent they wish to be part of Europe.

"It is a discussion that we have seen unfortunately taking a painful turn on the fiscal pact (which David Cameron refused to join) but Britain needs to know that we in Germany want a strong Britain in the EU, we always have and we always will."

She added: "In Germany we will try to see that there is less red tape, more political decisions and more transparency. I think that we are at one on this with Britain."

PA

Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The 5^th Estate.

Video:  You Tube

Images:  Google royalty free unless otherwise attributed.

This news site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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Three Foreign Soldiers Killed by Afghan Forces - Video

Afghans are not stupid and know Obama will abandon them to tender mercies of Taliban:  History repeats itself, shades of Vietnam

REUTERS
By Jack Kimball and Sanjeev Miglani
03/27/2012

KABUL (Reuters) -

Three foreign soldiers, including two Britons, were shot dead by Afghan security forces personnel on Monday in the latest round of so-called insider killings which have raised deep concerns about the reliability of NATO's local allies and their ability to keep the peace.

SVN police chief executes Viet Cong     Image:  Eddie Adams

Insider attacks have mounted as tension between Afghanistan and its foreign backers rises over a series of incidents, including the burning of Korans at a NATO base and a massacre of 17 villagers for which a U.S. soldier has been charged.

U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said despite a recent spate of killings of NATO troops by Afghan soldiers, such violence was sporadic and did not "reflect any kind of broad pattern."

"We have to keep our eye on the fundamental mission here, which is to accomplish our main strategy of being able to make the transition to Afghan control and security," he told reporters en route to a defence ministers meeting in Canada.

In Monday's attacks, an Afghan army soldier killed two British soldiers at their headquarters in southern Afghanistan, Britain and NATO officials said, while a local policeman shot dead another foreign soldier in the east.

The Taliban have won, driven yet another occupier out 

The attacks on foreign troops by Afghan security personnel have raised doubts over local forces' readiness to take over security responsibilities by the end of 2014, when most Western combat troops are to leave.

The attack on British troops took place in Lashkar Gah city in southern Helmand province, the main area of operations for British forces in Afghanistan.

"It appears that a member of the Afghan national army opened fire at the entrance gate to the British headquarters at Lashkar Gah city, killing the two British service personnel," Britain's defence secretary, Philip Hammond, told parliament in London.

The attacker was shot dead by NATO soldiers, the alliance and the governor's office said.

Later on Monday, NATO said that a member of the Afghan local police shot and killed one of its soldiers near a checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan.

American military trainer with ARVN personnel, who eventually turned on U.S. forces after realizing they were being abandoned to NVA (North Vietnamese Army)

"The circumstances behind the incident are currently under investigation by Afghan and coalition forces," the International Security Assistance Force said. The local police force has been set up to defend villages in areas where the presence of national forces is weak.

PREVENTING ATTACKS 'NOT EASY'

Panetta said General John Allen, commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was putting in place steps to try to prevent such incidents.

Afghan police know they are being betrayed by Obama, Panetta

"This is not easy," he said. "There are going to be those that are vengeful, there are going to be those that decide to use this as a way to express their anger and their concern."

No group has claimed responsibility for either attack. The Helmand provincial governor's office said the base where the British soldiers were attacked housed military and civilian reconstruction teams.

The latest deaths in Helmand bring to 407 the number of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Before Monday's attack, 13 members of the NATO-led force had been killed this year in what appeared to be attacks by members of Afghan forces, Allen told a U.S. Senate committee last week.

About 70 members of the NATO force have been killed in 42 insider attacks from May 2007 to January this year.

Some incidents have been carried out by Afghan security forces reacting to the Koran burning last month, some have been due to private grievances and others have been carried out by Taliban insurgents who infiltrated the security forces.

As with the VC and NVA Taliban kill women and children at will in retaliation for supporting U.S.

An Afghan army general has said that the Taliban have a sophisticated system to infiltrate Afghanistan's security forces and vetting of recruits must be severely tightened.

The Taliban have proven resilient in the face of far superior Western firepower. But poor management of the recruiting process for the army and police has also given them an opportunity to infiltrate.

Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi in Kabul, Mohammed Abbas in London and David Alexander in Ottawa; writing by Sanjeev Miglani; editing by Giles Elgood and Mohammad Zargham.

Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The 5^th Estate.

Video:  You Tube

Images:  Google royalty free unless otherwise attributed.

This news site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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Credit in America: 20 Surprising Facts

The "balance transfer" game may be played to impressive gain for Americans and it just might be time to take out every card available and transfer all "small" debt owed to private professionals and vendors to the big banks, protecting the "little guys" from any default, bankruptcy and then spend away; the banks want and exhort you to spend "created debt" so go right ahead, you can even finance your move overseas on them: All bets off now, personal bankruptcy no longer viewed in moral/ethical light compared to banks theft of BILLIONS and is now considered smart as debt in the U.S. isn't illegal... yet

All Business.com
By Tim Devaney and Tom Stein
12/5/2011

Americans don't like to talk about credit card debt. Really, really don't. In a January 2009 survey by CreditCards.com, respondents said that credit card debt is their least favorite topic of conversation.

Play "credit card poker" with criminal banks, bankers and WIN

Eighty-one percent said they'd be very or somewhat unlikely to discuss it with someone they've just met. This places the subject even with personal love life (also at 81 percent) and ahead of salary (77 percent), amount of mortgage or rent payment (72 percent), health problems (62 percent), and weight (50 percent).
 
And with good reason. After pausing for a deep breath during the recession, U.S. consumers are charging forward once again, waving around the plastic like it's 2006. Research firm Card Hub reports that

Americans piled up $18.4 billion in credit card debt in the second quarter of 2011. That's 66 percent more than in the same quarter of 2010, and it's a whopping 368 percent more than in the second quarter of 2009. Card Hub CEO Odysseas Papadimitriou called the numbers “mind boggling.”

Here are 20 more -- if not mind boggling at least interesting -- facts about Americans and their love-hate (and love again) relationship with credit:

1. The average credit card debt of each household that has credit card debt is $15,799.
2. The typical U.S. cardholder has an average of three and a half credit cards.
3. Of the $793.1 billion in revolving debt held by Americans, 98 percent is credit card debt.
4. Visa is the most popular credit card in the United States, with 269 million cards in circulation as of September 30, 2010. Next is MasterCard, with 171 million, then Discover, with 54 million. American Express trails, with 48.9 million.
5. The J.D. Power 2011 Credit Card Satisfaction Study ranks American Express and Discover far ahead of every other company. American Express won for the fifth straight year.
6. Eighty percent of U.S. consumers have a debit card; 78 percent have a credit card.
7. Consumers under age 35 got their first credit card at the average age of 20.8 years. Consumers over 65 got their first credit card at the average age of 40.6 years.
8. The average consumer has 13 credit obligations on record at a credit bureau. Of those 13, an average of nine are credit cards.
9. One in five residents of New Hampshire and New Jersey has 10 or more credit cards (the most in the United States).
10. Residents of Corpus Christi, Texas, have the worst credit scores in the United States.
11. Residents of Sioux Falls, S.D., have the best credit scores.
12. Residents of Jackson, Miss., use the highest percentage of their credit limit.
13. Residents of Lincoln, Neb., use the lowest percentage of their credit limit.
14. Residents of Nevada file for the most bankruptcies -- 11 bankruptcies per 1,000 residents -- followed by residents of Tennessee and Georgia. Fewest bankruptcies: Alaska.
15. Residents of Miami charge the most. The average Miamian owes more than 22 percent of their median yearly household income to credit card companies.
16. Seventy-six percent of U.S. undergraduates have credit cards, and the average undergraduate has $2,200 in credit card debt. The average undergraduate will take on $20,000 in student debt.
17. Credit cards are the source of financing used most often by small business owners.
18. In 2009, 20 percent of small businesses tried to get a new credit card. More than 20 percent of them could not.
19. Thirty-six percent of respondents don't know the interest rate on the card they use most often.
20. Young Americans have the second highest rate of bankruptcy, after those aged 35 to 44.

Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The 5^th Estate.

Images:  Google royalty free unless otherwise attributed.

This news site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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