U.S. BLASTS CHINA AND RUSSIA FOR FAILING TO MEET MINIMUM STANDARDS TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING *

STATE DEPT DOWNGRADED THE COUNTRIES, PUTTING THEM ON A PAR WITH N KOREA AND SYRIA *

THE U.S. ALSO DOWNGRADED UZBEKISTAN OVER ITS STATE-SANCTIONED USE OF FORCED LABOR IN ITS ANNUAL COTTON HARVEST *

PRES OBAMA NOW HAS 90 DAYS TO DETERMINE WHETHER TO APPLY SANCTIONS, ALTHOUGH THAT WOULD BE UNLIKELY *

TROPICAL STORM BARRY FORMS OFF MEXICO'S GULF COAST *

NATL HURRICANE CENTER SAYS THE ATLANTIC SEASON'S SECOND TROPICAL STORM IS DRENCHING THE REGION WITH UP TO 10 INCHES OF RAIN *

BARRY IS ABOUT 40 MILES EAST OF VERACRUZ, MEXICO, WHERE IT'S EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL TOMORROW MORNING *

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM PUNTA EL LAGARTO TO BARRA DE NAUTLA *

ACTOR JAMES GANDOLFINI, BEST KNOWN FOR HIS PORTRAYAL OF MOB BOSS TONY SOPRANO ON THE HBO SERIES "THE SOPRANOS", HAS DIED *

THE EMMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR WAS WORKING ON A NEW SERIES FOR HBO AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH *

GANDOLFINI SUFFERED A POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK ON VACATION IN ITALY *

CO FIREFIGHTERS ARE CLOSE TO WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRE IN STATE HISTORY *

THE BLACK FOREST FIRE IS 85% CONTAINED AND OFFICIALS EXPECT TO HAVE THE FLAMES UNDER FULL CONTROL BY THURS *

HOWEVER, FORECASTED HIGH WINDS AND HOT WEATHER COULD HAMPER FIRE-FIGHTING EFFORTS TOMORROW *

THE FIRE HAS TORCHED 22 SQUARE MILES AND KILLED TWO PEOPLE SINCE IT SPARKED MORE THAN A WEEK AGO *

U.S. AND SEVERAL OTHER COUNTRIES WILL MEET IN QATAR THIS WKND TO DECIDE ON HOW TO RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR HELP FROM THE FREE SYRIAN ARMY *

MEETING WILL INCLUDE GOVT OFFICIALS FROM 11 COUNTRIES IN THE SO-CALLED FRIENDS OF SYRIA GROUP *

TALKS COME A WEEK AFTER THE OBAMA ADMIN AGREED TO SEND ARMS TO SYRIAN REBELS AMID THE COUNTRY'S DEADLY TWO-YEAR CIVIL WAR *

FED RESERVE SAYS IT EXPECTS UNEMPLOYMENT TO FALL FASTER THIS YEAR THAN ITS PREDICTION IN MARCH *

THE FED NOW PREDICTS THE JOBLESS RATE WILL FALL TO 7.2% OR 7.3% BY THE END OF 2013 *

THAT'S DOWN FROM ITS PREDICTION OF 7.6% THREE MONTHS AGO *

THE FED ALSO EXPECTS THOSE RATES TO FALL BETWEEN 6.5% AND 6.8% BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR *

STOCKS CLOSE LOWER ON WALL STREET AFTER THE FED RESERVE SAYS IT COULD SLOW BOND PURCHASES LATER THIS YEAR *

THE DOW SANK 206 POINTS ON WED TO CLOSE AT 15,112, A LOSS OF 1.4% *

S&P 500 FELL 22 POINTS WHILE THE NASDAQ WAS DOWN 39 *

HOUSE VOTES TO CUT FOOD STAMPS BY $2 BIL A YEAR *

THE BILL CUTS ABOUT 3% FROM THE $80 BIL-A-YEAR FOOD STAMP PROGRAM *

THE CHAMBER REJECTED A DEMOCRATIC PLAN TO MAINTAIN CURRENT SPENDING LEVELS ON FOOD STAMPS AND CUT FARM SUBSIDIES INSTEAD *

HE WAS 51 YEARS OLD *

 

ADD THIS TO YOUR THINKING: OIL (and I am only telling you what I was told)

by

Aug 9 2012 - 9:50 AM ET

comments

When I was in South Sudan with Reverend Graham, he took me to the official residence of the South Sudanese President (do not confuse with Sudan’s President Bashir.)  At dinner, in discussing the Nuba Mountain refugee crisis, I asked the South Sudanese President if he had heard from President Obama about the crisis.   He said he was very disappointed in President Obama.  The first the South Sudanese President had heard from our President was a few weeks earlier – when he (the South Sudanese President) had closed down the South Sudanese oil fields over his dispute with Sudan (the oil fields are in South Sudan and the pipeline to get the oil to market is in Sudan.)  He said, as of our dinner, that he had not heard from President Obama about the refugee crisis.  He scoffed at President Obama calling and said President Obama was only concerned because  of the shutting down of the oil fields and that therefore China was not getting its usual dose of South Sudanese oil.    I asked why he thought President Obama would care if China did not get its oil.  He said that South Sudan supplies China with 6% of its oil and that it was politics.  He said that if China is shut out of 6% of its oil because of the closed South Sudan oil fields, that China has to go to the international market to get its oil which drives oil prices up worldwide….and thus it would drive up the price of gas in the USA in an election year.  He said it was all about the election.  

I am not saying the above it true — I am merely reporting what was said to me and by whom.  Note also that while I have enormous criticism for Sudan’s President Bashir and his genocide I am likewise told there is plenty of corruption – just not genocide – in South Sudan.  

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