Iranian navy ships arrived in Tanzania.

Iranian navy ships arrived in Tanzania. (Taz).

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that the Islamic Republic’s navy fleet reached Tanzania.

"The warships would harbor in Dar es Salaam port in coming says," Fars news agency quoted him on Feb.25.

Last year, in April, Sayyari also said that Iran's 34th fleet has started a journey to the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb.


Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last November that “the advances in the Navy could not have been as outstanding as it is now; before the Revolution [1979], the sea had been downplayed in its prestige, grandeur, and strategic role in international politics; now however, the Navy have walked a long road, yet many miles should be covered to reach the optimal place”.

Related: Iran looking to lease land in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to grow rice, wheat.

Iran looking to lease land in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to grow rice, wheat.

Iran looking to lease land in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to grow rice, wheat. (Iranfrontpage).

Iran is reportedly looking to lease land in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania for large-scale food production to serve local and export markets.

More than 10 Iranian companies have expressed interest in growing and processing rice, corn and wheat in East Africa, Iranian Ambassador to Kenya Hadi Farajvand has said.

He said Iran is supporting mechanized agriculture beyond its borders, with companies leasing huge chunks of land and applying modern agricultural methods to grow food for export to Iran.

The companies are willing to establish manufacturing plants in the region to cater to the local market and to export to Iran, Farajvand said.

The move is also aimed at narrowing trade deficit with the Horn Africa countries, which is in Iran’s favor, he added.

The East African Community (EAC) mainly exports unprocessed agricultural products like tea, coffee and meat to Iran. It imports oil products, machinery and telecommunication equipment from the Middle Eastern country.

Local trade experts said the region should strive to export more processed goods to Iran, beginning this year.

“The lifting of sanctions on Iran will pave the way for EAC member states to forge closer ties with Iran, but we need to export value-added products if we are to tilt the balance of trade in our favor,” Peter Kiguta, director-general of Customs and Trade at the EAC, told the Geeska Afrika news agency.

The East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) expects exports to Iran to grow five-fold in one year with the opening of the market, it said.

Farajvand said the biggest challenge in fostering stronger trade ties between Iran and the EAC countries is the lack of political will in the region and limited information on the available opportunities in Iran.

He said many products from Iran are imported into the region through other countries, making the final product expensive. These imports include oil products, bitumen, ceramics and electricity equipment.

Iran’s Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati has said the government had envisioned investment on 500,000 hectares of farmland in a number of countries to produce food.

Last August, Agriculture Ministry’s Mohammad Reza Shafeinia said Iran had launched agricultural cultivation in Kazakhstan, marking its first farmland investment overseas.

Water-intensive rice and corn crops as well as oilseeds and livestock inputs have been cited by Agriculture Ministry officials as the target products which Iran seeks to grow on farmlands overseas.

Iran is pushing for development of 60,000 hectares of land to cultivate agricultural products in Brazil, Hojjati has said.

Food prices are a key driver of Iran’s double-digit inflation which shot over 40% under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Food security is a serious matter for Iran, given the size of its population which has grown over 80 million and seen its food basket grow smaller.

“Between 38-40% of the Iranian families’ economy is related to food which requires us to build a base for reducing prices of nutritional products and providing for facile access to them,” Shafeinia said. Hmmm.....Just imagine the pool of Shiite followers you can create....they did invent chess.

Quoting materials from Iran Front Page is permitted only if the source is mentioned by name.

Biofuel producers to Obama: Don’t put oil industry in driver’s seat.

Biofuel producers to Obama: Don’t put oil industry in driver’s seat. HT: FuelFix.

WASHINGTON — Biofuel producers on Tuesday implored the Obama administration not to give in to oil industry demands to lower renewable fuel quotas.

In a letter to President Barack Obama, leaders of two advanced biofuels groups said the Environmental Protection Agency will effectively put the oil industry in the driver’s seat if it lowers the 2014 targets to reflect current biofuel production instead of next year’s output forecast.

Current production data does not capture new and forthcoming advanced biofuel production, so using those stats would artificially limit the market for those products, wrote Brooke Coleman, executive director of the Advanced Ethanol Council, and Jim Greenwood, president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

“The best outcome for the renewable fuel standard is to base the annual (quotas) on immediate-term forecasts of actual expected output in the coming year,” Coleman and Greenwood said. “Allowing the renewable fuel standard to reflect — rather than drive — the marketplace is a problem because the oil industry controls off-take of our fuel, which in turn gives them unreasonable leverage to determine themselves how quickly our industry grows.”

‘Motorists first’: AAA asks feds to slash renewable fuel requirements

To work the way it was designed and foster demand for new second-generation ethanols and advanced biofuels, the eight-year-old renewable fuel standard “must maintain pressure on the marketplace,” Coleman and Greenwood insisted.

“The controversy over the renewable fuel standard boils down to a market-share battle between a growing biofuels industry and the incumbent oil industry,” the pair added. “The oil industry wants (regulators) to make administrative adjustments to the renewable fuel standard that will greatly reduce or eliminate the drivers that facilitate more biofuel blending over time, which will ultimately lead to price competition between the two industries at the fuel pump.”

Oil industry associations have asked the EPA to cap traditional renewable fuel requirements at 12.9 billion gallons — about 9.7 percent of of the nation’s projected gasoline demand — while slashing the requirements for cellulosic and advanced biofuels.

The American Petroleum Institute and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers are battling the 2013 quotas in court. The API has also warned the EPA it will sue if the agency doesn’t finalize 2014 numbers by a late November deadline.

Refiners say they have hit a blend wall, a point where they can no longer mix in enough ethanol to meet the mandate’s volumetric targets for renewable fuels without exceeding a 10 percent threshold acceptable for use in all cars and trucks. A 15 percent blend is approved only for vehicles made since 2001, and there is a relatively small market for an 85 percent ethanol-based fuel used in specialized vehicles.

So far, there’s evidence that the EPA is sympathetic. A widely circulated draft of the proposal would require 13 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol, while lowering quotas for advanced biofuels and other categories. But the EPA has distanced itself from the draft proposal, which surfaced earlier this month, insisting that the agency has made no final decision on its proposed quotas for 2014.

“No decisions will be made on the final standards without a full opportunity for all stakeholders to comment on the EPA’s proposed 2014 renewable fuel standards and be heard on how to best foster a growing biofuels industry that takes into account infrastructure- and market-related factors,” the agency said in a statement.

“The Obama administration remains firmly committed to furthering the development of all biofuels — including corn-based ethanol, cellulosic biofuel, and advanced biofuel,” the EPA added. “Biofuels are a critical part of the president’s all-of-the-above energy strategy that is reducing America’s dependence on oil and creating jobs across the country.”

BIO AEC Letter to WH.pdf

'Beemageddon' threatens US with food disaster.

'Beemageddon' threatens US with food disaster.(RT).

Honey bees pollinate more than 100 US crops, including apples, zucchinis, avocados and plums, that are worth more than $200 billion a year. Since 2006, about 10 million bee hives at an average value of $200 each have been lost in what scientists call the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), according to a new report by the US Department of Agriculture.

There are currently about 2.5 million honey bee colonies in the US, which is a drastic decrease from the 6 million that existed in 1947 and the 3 million that existed in 1990. Last winter alone, the honey bee population declined by 31.1 percent, with some beekeepers reporting losses of 90 to 100 percent. In the previous two winters, beekeepers lost about 22 percent of their populations.
“Currently, the survivorship of honey bee colonies is too low for us to be confident in our ability to meet the pollination demands of US agricultural crops,” the USDA report states.
California’s almond crop, which blooms toward the end of winter, would suffer the most. About 80 percent of the global almond supply comes from the Golden State’s orchards, and 70 percent of the state’s crop is marketed overseas.
US beekeepers truck about 1.5 million out-of-state colonies to the almond orchards each year, which depend on the insect’s pollination. The colonies are tasked with pollinating about 760,000 acres of almond trees at the end of each winter. It takes 60 percent of all US bee colonies to pollinate the $4 billion crop.
Zac Browning, a beekeeper, told NPR that the almond orchards have become “ground zero in commercial beekeeping” and that many beekeepers drive over from their home base in the Midwest.
But with a bee shortage that gets worse every year, many of the almond orchards will never be pollinated, which could eventually cause a global almond shortage and economic consequences for the US.
The USDA knows how the agriculture industry will be affected by the large-scale bee die-offs, but does not know why exactly they are dying in such numbers. The report cites “multiple factors… including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure”, while also citing last summer’s drought as a contributing factor.
“Undernourished or malnourished bees appear to be more susceptible to pathogens, parasites, and other stressors, including toxins,” the USDA report states.
During CCDs, surviving adult bees abandon their hives, leaving behind the queen bee, brood and food stores.
“Bees across the country are not in as good a shape as last year,” Eric Mussen, a University of California bee specialist, told the Christian Science Monitor. “When you stress them far enough, the bees just give in.”
After large-scale honey bee die-offs each winter, beekeepers try to restore their populations in the summer. But with the populations dropping so low, the economic ramifications are almost unavoidable.

The European Commission suspects that neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides chemically related to nicotine, might be responsible – at least partially – for the die-offs and the CCDs. Honey bees have also died off in unusually large numbers in Europe, prompting the commission to impose a two-year ban on neonicotinoids last month to give scientists time to review the chemicals’ impact on bee health.

But US officials have stated that they don’t have enough evidence to ban neonicotinoids. And with a drastically decreasing honey bee population, ‘beemageddon’ might be just around the corner.
“We are one poor weather event or high winter bee loss away from a pollination disaster,” Jeff Pettis, the USDA’s bee research leader, said in the report.Hmmmm........Bee very concerned!Read the full story here.

US corn, soy prices hit records as drought lingers, Mississippi river level getting lower, 11-mile stretch closed for barges.

US corn, soy prices hit records as drought lingers, Mississippi river level getting lower,11-mile stretch closed for barges. (AFP), USDroughtMonitor.AFP - US corn and soybean prices closed at new record highs Tuesday as a new survey showed worse-than-expected crop damage from a brutal drought across the country's central breadbasket.8 percent from Tuesday. The price of corn jumped 1.7 percent to $8.3875 a bushel, while soybeans finished at $17.3025 a bushel.That left the corn price up 68 percent from June and soybeans 39 percent higher .
An all-time record hot July accompanied by nearly three months of extreme drought have baked the country's prime farmland in the midwestern and central states, where the world's largest corn and soybean crops are grown. Prices jumped after reports from the annual Pro Farmer Midwest Tour gave analysts and traders more bad news on the state of the crops. "Crops in western Ohio and eastern Indiana were far below the norm," said Pro Farmer analyst Brian Grete. Yields in South Dakota meanwhile were called "stunningly low."
"We are getting less production from South America, so that forces buyers to go to the US," driving up prices, Cholly added. On August 10, the USDA sharply reduced its production forecast for the globally crucial crops, saying output would likely be at the lowest level in six years. Last week, they estimated that 50 percent of the corn crop was in poor or very poor condition, compared to 15 percent at the same time last year. For soybeans, 39 percent of the crop was in poor condition or worse, compared to 13 percent a year ago.
The drought has also hit feeds for livestock like hay, forcing ranchers to trim their herds, which analysts expect could push up the price of meat in the coming year. This U.S. Drought Monitor week saw a few notable improvements and some serious degradation. Temperatures have generally been below normal this week from the east side of the Rockies to the East Coast, with the exception of Texas, the Southeast Coast, and northern New England. This has helped ease drought impacts, particularly in those areas where beneficial precipitation fell. One such area is in the Ohio Valley where parts of Indiana saw more than five inches of rain. This is the second straight week of beneficial precipitation for some of these areas and this precipitation has largely alleviated Exceptional Drought (D4) from the state, despite lingering impacts still being felt. Last week, drought gripped slightly less of the agricultural land in the country with 85% of the U.S. corn crop, 83% of soybeans, 63% of hay, and 71% of cattle areas experiencing drought. Nearly half of the corn (49%) and soybean (46%) areas are experiencing Extreme (D3) to Exceptional (D4) Drought. This has led to both reduced yields and earlier harvests. Additional impacts this week include closing of an 11-mile stretch of the Mississippi River near Greenville, MS to barge traffic because of low water levels and wildfires expanding from northern California to Idaho.Read the full story here.

                                                            Mississippi river flow

UN Calls on U.S. to Halt Biofuel Production as Drought Devastates Corn Crop, What will Obama Choose "People or Green Energy"?

UN Calls on U.S. to Halt Biofuel Production as Drought Devastates Corn Crop, What will Obama Choose "People or Green Energy"?(AllGov).By Matt Bewig.With the drought of 2012 — already the worst in the U.S. since the 1950s — expected to cause dramatically smaller corn and soybean crops, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has called on the U.S. to suspend the use of corn in producing biofuels like ethanol in order to avert a food crisis. So far, however, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has rejected this suggestion, arguing that ethanol production supports many jobs and reduces the price of gasoline for Americans.

Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, 13 billion gallons of biofuel must be produced in the U.S. this year as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on imported oil. As a result, about 40% of the corn crop will be used to make ethanol, 40% as animal feed, and 20% is eaten by consumers, mostly in processed foods like high-fructose corn syrup and corn flakes. Critics of the fuel standard argue that the use of corn to make ethanol is a major factor in the tripling in the price of corn since 2005 and likely contributed to a food crisis in 2007-08.

The latest forecasts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicate that the 2012 corn yield per acre will be the lowest since 1995-96, and that total production will be the lowest since 2006. As a result, the USDA is predicting that farm prices for corn will average $7.50-$8.90 per bushel, up from the $5.40-$6.40 per bushel it projected just a month ago and up to 85% higher than the $4.80 per bushel projected at planting time in April. Some private forecasters have projected even lower yields per acre, which would lead to even higher prices.

For American consumers, the USDA estimated in July that food prices would climb 3%-4% in 2013, but that prediction will probably be revised upward because of the new, lower corn numbers. Even so, the overall economic effect in the U.S. will be muted because American households generally spend only about 13% of their budgets on food and because so little of what we pay at the supermarket is actually for food. For example, the corn in a $4.00 box of corn flakes is worth about 7 to 8 cents. Most of the price is for processing, transportation, advertising, and an oligopoly premium. The poor and near-poor, however, will feel the price rise at the grocery store far more acutely.

It is in the developing world, where many people spend 30%-40% of their income on food, that the impact will be greatest. Writing in the Financial Times, Jose Graziano da Silva, director general of the FAO, argued the ethanol quota should be suspended to allow more of the corn crop to be used for food production, especially in light of an FAO report that world food prices soared 6% in July, with the price of corn up 23%. In addition to the U.S. drought, severe weather has damaged agricultural production in other major grain exporting countries as well, including Brazil, Russia, Australia, and India, raising concerns of global food shortages that will increase food prices and lead to widespread hunger.

“The United States is the world’s largest exporter of corn, soybeans and wheat, and likely price spikes will ripple through markets globally, with devastating consequences for those already struggling to get enough food to eat,” said Eric Munoz, a senior policy analyst with the international aid group Oxfam. U.S. livestock producers, who feed corn to their animals, also want the ethanol quota waived, and 156 House members and 25 senators have signed letters to Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, asking her to issue a waiver on the ethanol standard.Hmmmm.....Anyone really belives Obama will care about people their needs, compared to his 'green energy dream'?Read the full story here.

USDA Alert: Half of U.S. Counties Designated Primary Disaster Areas, Financial Fallout “Intensifying” “Beef is simply going to be too expensive to eat".

USDA Alert: Half of U.S. Counties Designated Primary Disaster Areas, Financial Fallout “Intensifying” “Beef is simply going to be too expensive to eat".(SHTF).By Marc Slavo.The largest natural disaster in American history just went from bad to worse.
Sweltering heat and persistent drought across the country has ravaged crops to such extremes this summer that tens of thousands of farmers and ranchers are on the verge of financial ruin. The situation is so dire that it has prompted the US Department of Agriculture to declare more than half of America a disaster area.

…more than half of all U.S. counties – 1,584 in 32 states – have been designated primary disaster areas this growing season, the vast majority of them mired in a drought that’s considered the worst in decades.
Counties in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming were included in Wednesday’s announcement. The USDA uses the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor to help decide which counties to deem disaster areas, which makes farmers and ranchers eligible for federal aid, including low-interest emergency loans.
Source: Seattle Times

Without the ability to harvest their crops, many farmers are finding it difficult to make good on loans they used to fund their operations. Cattle ranchers, who can’t find hay due to the drought and whose feed prices are skyrocketing, are also feeling the pinch.
An AgWeb discussion in early July involving small business and family farmers displayed their desperation, with many commentors indicating this summer’s drought is the worst they’ve ever experienced. Others reported their crops were dying and pleaded for rain.
That rain never came, and according to industry experts and officials at the USDA, conditions are now set to intensify and worsen.

As of this week, nearly half of the nation’s corn crop was rated poor to very poor, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. About 37 percent of the U.S. soybeans were lumped into that category, while nearly three-quarters of U.S. cattle acreage is in drought-affected areas, the survey showed.
The potential financial fallout in the nation’s midsection appears to be intensifying. The latest weekly Mid-America Business Conditions Index, released Wednesday, showed that the ongoing drought and global economic turmoil is hurting business in nine Midwest and Plains states, boosting worries about the prospect of another recession, according to the report.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the index, said the drought will hurt farm income while the strengthening dollar hinders exports, meaning two of the most important positive factors in the region’s economy are being undermined.

Food supplies across the country – for animals and humans – are literally drying up.

This will undoubtedly lead to significant food price increases across the entire spectrum of the American diet – meat, grain, dairy, vegetables and fruit.


Tom Chatham of Project Chesapeake writes:

Corn and soybean meal are staples in animal feed and the rising prices and drought conditions are forcing farmers and ranchers to sell off their herds for slaughter. This will cause a glut in the market over the short term and you may see lower meat prices as a result but this will only be temporary. By next year the prices of meat will rise as the supply of livestock reaches multi decade lows. Supply and demand will push prices higher as a result.

Larry Pope, chief executive of Smithfield Foods has recently given a dire warning. “Beef is simply going to be too expensive to eat. Pork is not going to be too far behind. Chicken is catching up fast.” 

He also stated that government regulations are going to make things even worse. Almost 40% of the U.S corn crop goes to make ethanol fuel. Pope said, “Its almost a government- mandated disaster here, which is distressing”.
He warned that meat prices will rise by “significant double digits“.

For those with the ability to do so, we recommend putting away foods that your family eats regularly, and planning for at least a three to six month window of upward price pressure. Tess Pennington offers some drought preparedness tips:

The price increases will be dramatic. Expect to see fewer grocery store sales, especially those great “loss leaders” we all love to take advantage of.
Prepare for this by stocking up NOW before the major price increases hit. For instance, purchasing bulk dried corn, corn meal, and a diverse supply of bulk meats before the prices rise. Pamper your garden and get every single ounce of produce you can squeeze out of it. Buy in bulk to take advantage of lower prices and preserve food for use this winter.
Make adjustments in your shopping and eating habits now to weather the upcoming food crisis.

If you’ve got a freezer, load it up with as much meat as you can afford to buy. Package dry goods for the long-term and have a steady supply of beans, wheat (or flour), corn and rice on hand to dip into if prices do happen to jump. While we all hope for a rainy year in 2013 to get struggling farmers back on their feet and our prices at the grocery stores to affordable levels, taking measures today based on the credible information available to us can help save us from paying 30% or more in food costs over the course of the next several months.
While the idea of buying commodities at lower prices today may save us money, worst case scenario planning is always in order. A well stocked food pantry can help us supplement our diets for quite some time if we experience a drought similar to the Dust Bowl of the 1930′s, which was felt for three consecutive and particularly devastating years before things began to return to normal.Read the full story here.

Historic Drought, Giant Dust Storms, Mother Nature's version of "CHANGE".

Historic Drought, Giant Dust Storms, Mother Nature's version of "CHANGE".(AP).By Michael Snyder.This week has provided two very clear examples of why it is so important to keep on prepping. In the United States, the historic drought ravaging the central part of the country is absolutely devastating our crops.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, drought is affecting nearly 90 percent of all corn crops in America at this point.

This is pushing the price of corn to levels never seen before. On Tuesday, the price of corn hit another new record high of $8.20 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade. Over the past six weeks the price of corn has risen more than 50 percent, and it could go a lot higher as the drought continues to absolutely bake America.

Meanwhile, the massive power grid failures in India are reminding us all just how incredibly dependent we are on electricity and technology. Power was cut off to nearly a tenth of the entire global population on Tuesday, and there was quite a bit of panic about that even though power is rapidly being restored.

So what would happen to them (or to us) someday if the power went off for good?

As much as humanity would like to think that our technology has conquered nature, that simply is not the case.

Without the rain that falls from the sky, there would be mass starvation on this planet. We are not immune to drought, and there are a lot of indications that the drought we are experiencing right now is just the beginning of a longer trend.

For example, one team of scientists has just published a study that says that the western United States could be facing a "100-year drought".

They say that the recent drought of 2000-2004 was the worst long-term drought in more than 800 years. The following is from a recent CTVNews article....

The four-year-long drought that affected western Canada and the U.S. at the turn of the century was the worst to hit the region in 800 years, say scientists who warn that dry spell was nothing compared to the 'megadroughts' still to come.

A group of 10 scientists from the University of British Columbia as well as several American universities write in Nature GeoScience that they believe the bone-dry conditions seen between 2000 and 2004 could become the 'new normal' in the region.

 And as I wrote about recently, this current drought is the worst single year drought in more than 50 years, and the federal government has declared the largest natural disaster area in U.S. history because of this drought.

On Monday, the high temperature hit 111 degrees in Little Rock, Arkansas. That was a new all-time record for July 30th, and it was the third-highest temperature ever recorded in Little Rock.

The heat and drought are causing massive problems for farmers and ranchers all over the country. The following is an excerpt from the shocking information that Ron Klinefelter shared on standeyo.com the other day....

This month, the 3 nearest cattlemen’s livestock auctions set ALL TIME EVER records for livestock sales, as farmers sell off their herds. There was only one early cutting of hay this year, and the round bales are going for $100/bale. (This should normally cost $20-25/bale.) We had a pipe break in our 340 foot deep well, which necessitated us getting the pump pulling truck out here this last month. When we originally drilled the well, in the “plenty of rain years”, the water rose to within 24 feet of the surface. Last month, it was 180 feet down to the water level, and we are down in a valley bottom, and not irrigating out of it. The guy pulling the pump told me that the call he made earlier in the day to a guy who wasn’t getting any water in his pressure tank, found, when they pulled the pump, that the water level was now 40 feet BELOW the pump, which was completely dry and burnt out! Some of the rural water systems have also run out of water, and burnt their pumps out.

I talked to one of my sons today. He manages the largest elderberry farm in the U.S., up by Jefferson City, Mo. They are in their harvest now. He said that last week, they picked 10 long field rows, where, in a 'normal' year, they would get about 700 pounds of berries. This year they got 35 pounds!

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map is posted below. As you can see, the drought continues to get even worse....
 As the drought drags on, more crops continue to fail. According to Businessweek, the condition of some key crops has gotten progressively worse in recent weeks....

The condition of the U.S. corn crop worsened for an eighth straight week amid the worst Midwest drought in a generation. Soybean ratings also fell.

About 24 percent of the corn was in good or excellent condition as of yesterday, down from 26 percent a week earlier and 77 percent in mid-May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today in a report. An estimated 29 percent of the soybeans got the top ratings, down from 31 percent.

Sadly, even when this summer ends our problems will be far from over.

In a previous article I detailed a bunch of signs that the western United States is progressively becoming drier and drier. If something does not change, it is only a matter of time before dust bowl conditions return to the western United States.

Already, giant dust storms that are thousands of feet high called haboobs are hitting major cities in the southwest such as Phoenix, Arizona.

You can see video of giant dust storms hitting Phoenix right here and right here.

What will people do in these areas when these giant dust storms get even worse? Read the full story here.

World wide Food price crisis feared as erratic weather wreaks havoc on crops.

World wide Food price crisis feared as erratic weather wreaks havoc on crops.(Guardian).Freak weather in some of the world's vital food producing regions is ravaging crops and threatening another global food crisis like the price shocks that unleashed social and political unrest in 2008 and 2010. As the US suffers the worst drought in more than 50 years, analysts are warning that rising food prices could hit the world's poorest countries, leading to shortages and social upheaval. The situation has sparked comparisons to 2008 when high food prices sparked a wave of riots in 30 countries across the world, from Haiti to Bangladesh. Researchers say rising food prices also helped trigger the Arab Spring in 2011. Nick Higgins, commodity analyst at Rabobank, said: "Food riots are a real risk at this point. Wheat prices aren't up at the level they got to in 2008 but they are still very high and that will have an effect on those who are least able to pay higher prices for food."
In America's agricultural heartland, searing heat and sparse rainfall have left farmers helpless as their corn and soy bean crops wither in dry fields. Earlier this month, the US department of agriculture (USDA) slashed forecasts for the corn crop by 12%. US agricultural secretary Tom Vilsack said: "I get on my knees every day, and I'm saying an extra prayer right now. If I had a rain prayer or a rain dance I could do, I would do it." As it is, current weather forecasts suggest the drought will continue and experts fear the USDA may have to cut its targets again in August.
Dan Basse, president of AgResources in Chicago, said the government's prediction would prove too optimistic if the drought continues. "We've been traipsing through the fields of southern Illinois, and it is worse than the government says."The US is crucial to global food markets as the world's largest exporter of corn, soy beans and wheat, so the impact of the drought will be felt across the globe. Corn prices have already shot up 40% since June to hit all-time highs, soy bean prices have jumped 30% to record levels, and wheat has surged 50%.

It is not just the US. Unseasonal weather, thought to be caused by climate change, is affecting farmers across the world. South America has been hit by a drought, which could damage the soy bean harvest, while UK wheat has been damaged by the rain. Flash flooding in Russia could also affect the wheat harvest. 

Traders are particularly concerned about the latter as Russia might limit exports if it is worried about wheat supplies at home, causing further price spikes. Shortages have been compounded by huge orders for corn and soy beans to make biofuels, in order to meet quotas in the US and Europe. Consumers will soon feel the effects of these spikes. A high price of wheat leads directly to higher prices in the shops, as it is the main ingredient for bread and other staples.
The link is less direct with other crops. Corn and soy beans are used to feed livestock, so rising prices will ultimately cause the price of meat to rise. In the short-term, however, they will have the reverse effect. As the cost of feed rises, farmers kill cattle at lighter weights to avoid having to feed them. That will briefly flood the market with meat, causing prices to fall, but subsequent shortages will causes prices to rise sharply.
Higgins at Rabobank said meat will then remain expensive for a long time. "It is very hard to rebuild cattle herds and these inflationary effects will be long and lingering." Rising food prices have a disproportionate effect on the poorest people in the world. Ruth Kelly, Oxfam's food policy adviser says people in the Western world spend around 15% of their income on food, but that rises to around 75% in developing countries, so any change in food prices has a dramatic impact on household budgets. Kelly says problems will be compounded by the previous two food price spikes in 2008 and 2011: "People are already in debt from previous spikes and suffering the consequences. When the first food crisis hit people were forced to sell off their assets, their cattle and jewellery, and take on debt to make ends meet. After multiple crises, people run out of savings and that can be quite disastrous. "People can find it much harder to cope when you have multiple shocks like this, without time to recover between them, rather than just a single shock."Hmmmm....Bad news for Obama's re-election team.Read the full story here.

Compare drought map to a week ago:

Video - Will Drought Lead to Higher Food Prices, And keep Obama from a second term?

Are you ready for the next major global food crisis? The price of corn hit an all-time record high on Thursday. So did the price of soybeans. The price of corn is up about 50 percent since the middle of last month, and the price of wheat has risen by about 50 percent over the past five weeks. On Thursday, corn for September delivery reached $8.166 per bushel, and many analysts believe that it could hit $10 a bushel before this crisis is over. The worst drought in the United States in more than 50 years is projected to continue well into August, and more than 1,300 counties in the United States have been declared to be official natural disaster areas. So how is this crisis going to affect the average person on the street? Well, most Americans and most Europeans are going to notice their grocery bills go up significantly over the coming months. That will not be pleasant. But in other areas of the world this crisis could mean the difference between life and death for some people. You see, half of all global corn exports come from the United States. So what happens if the U.S. does not have any corn to export? About a billion people around the world live on the edge of starvation, and today the Financial Times ran a front page story with the following headline: “World braced for new food crisis“. Millions upon millions of families in poor countries are barely able to feed themselves right now. So what happens if the price of the food that they buy goes up dramatically?You may not think that you eat much corn, but the truth is that it is in most of the things that we buy at the grocery store. In fact, corn is found in about 74 percent of the products we buy in the supermarket and it is used in more than 3,500 ways.

Americans consume approximately one-third of all the corn grown in the world each year, and we export massive amounts of corn to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, thanks to the drought of 2012 farmers are watching their corn die right in front of their eyes all over the United States.

In the United States, we aren’t going to see starvation even if nearly the entire corn crop fails. Our grocery bills might be more painful, but there is still going to be plenty of food for everyone.In other areas of the world, a bad year for global crops can mean the difference between life and death.

Sadly, it is being projected that the current drought in the United States will last well into August at least.

But even when this current drought ends, our problems will not be over. The truth is that we are facing a very severe long-term water crisis in the western United States.Read the full story here.

Food crisis fear is Rising - Expensive food and energy might keep Obama out of the Oval office.

Food crisis fear is Rising - Expensive food and energy might keep Obama out of the Oval office.(Reuters).
* Soybeans set record high
* Corn front-month hits record top, off peak
* Wheat nears four-year high
* U.S. govt forecasts hot, dry weather to continue.
Corn and soybeans soared to record highs on Thursday as the worsening drought in the U.S. farm belt stirred fears of a food crisis, with prices coming off peaks after investors cashed out of the biggest grains rally since 2008. Corn prices crossed into uncharted territory above $8 per bushel -- about three-and-a-half times the average price 10 years ago of $2.28. Soybeans punched past $17 for the first time -- also three-and-a-half times the 2002 average. 
Analysts said that while forecasts for continued dry weather are expected to sustain the rally, corn prices could be vulnerable to any move by the government to lower the amount of corn-based ethanol blenders are required to mix with gasoline. Even as chatter about a possible revision of the ethanol mandate has escalated, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the former governor of top farm state Iowa, has ruled out such a move. "The only thing that can stop this rally is if they pull the mandate," said grains analyst Mark Kinoff, president of Ceres Hedge in Chicago. "In two weeks, if corn prices are $2 higher they might change their tune," he added.
"Obama would need inexpensive food and energy to get back into the Oval office," he said of President Barack Obama and his campaign to win reelection in November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast above-normal temperatures and below-average precipitation for the Midwest through October. The high prices for corn and soybeans in the world's largest grain-exporting nation were beginning to dent sales. U.S. government data showed sales of soybeans to buyers overseas fell last week to the lowest level in six months. For corn, the weekly sales were one-fifth of a year ago, with Taiwan choosing to cancel a large purchase. Concerns were growing that high prices could trigger a food crisis like that in 2008, when food shortages triggered riots in some countries. "I hesitate to use those words (food crisis) but the circumstances are more severe now than they were in 2008," said Dennis Gartman, a commodity trader and editor/publisher of The Gartman Letter.Hmmmm.....Seems even 'Mother Nature' wants CHANGE in 2012.Read the full story here.

The Largest Natural Disaster In U.S. History: The Endless Drought Of 2012 Will Bake America Well Into August.

The Largest Natural Disaster In U.S. History: The Endless Drought Of 2012 Will Bake America Well Into August.(AP).By Michael Snyder.Why is the heartland of the United States experiencing such a horrific drought right now? At the moment, approximately 61 percent of the entire nation is experiencing drought conditions, and this is absolutely devastating farmers and ranchers all over the country.

Less than two weeks ago I wrote an article asking what would happen if these drought conditions persisted, and now we are finding out. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has created the largest natural disaster area in U.S. history. The USDA has declared 1,016 counties in 26 U.S. states to be disaster areas. The USDA declaration basically covered about half of the nation, and there is now no denying how horrible this drought really is. You can see a map of this disaster area right here.

This endless drought is being compared to the nightmarish drought of 1988, and if it persists into August it could become perhaps the worst drought that America has ever seen. The USDA says that approximately 60 percent of all corn in the country is experiencing "moderate to extreme" drought conditions. If this drought does not end soon, the losses are going to be mind blowing. Already, it is estimated that farmers and ranchers have suffered billions of dollars in damage. How much worse can things get?

At the beginning of July many were hoping that we would soon see some rain and that we could still see a decent corn harvest.
Unfortunately, the drought has gotten even worse since that time. The following is from an article in the Chicago Tribune....

The whole of Iowa was classified as abnormally dry as of July 10 and 12.7 percent of the top corn and soybean producing state was in severe drought, up from 0.8 percent the prior week.

Harder-hit Illinois, the No. 2 corn and soy state, was 66.28 percent under severe drought or worse, up from 40 percent the previous week.

Severe to exceptional drought covered 80.15 percent of Indiana, versus 68.84 percent the prior week.

Conditions in Missouri also deteriorated, with 82.54 percent of the state in severe drought or worse, compared with 78.83 percent the week before.

That is not good news.

Posted below is the latest update from the U.S. drought monitor. As you can see, nearly the entire southern half of the country is extremely dry right now....

It is being projected that in some of the major corn growing areas as much as 60 percent of the crops could be lost.

Many farmers that had been desperately hoping for rain are now becoming resigned to the fact that their crops are not going to make it. The following is from an article in the New York Times....

'Corn is anywhere from knee-high to waist-high,' Gonzalee Martin, agriculture and natural resources educator with Purdue University’s Allen County extension office, told The News-Sentinel. 'Much of it has already tassled with no ears at all. Much of it’s going to be completely lost'

When your livelihood depends on the weather, an endless drought can be extremely stressful. Many farmers that had been anticipating a bumper crop this year are now faced with an utter disaster. The following example comes from CNN....

Now, as punishing drought grips the Midwest, Villwock, 61, walks his hard-hit 4,000 acres in southwest Indiana in utter dismay.

Where there should have been tall, dark green, leafy plants, there now stand corn stalks that are waist high or, at best, chest high. They are pale in color and spindly. Fragile. Tired.

Pull back an ear's husk and you find no kernels, he says. With temperatures rising above 95 degrees, the pollen starts to die.

'It's emotionally draining,' he said. 'The crop got out of the ground very well. We were so optimistic. But maybe a few of us were counting our eggs before they were hatched.'

So is there any hope that things are going to turn around?

Unfortunately, things do not look promising right now. It is being projected that the Corn Belt will experience extremely high temperatures and very low rainfall all the way through mid-August. The following report comes from accuweather.com....

AccuWeather.com agricultural meteorologists are concerned that new and frequent waves of near-100-degree temperatures and stingy rainfall will further stress crops over Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska into mid-August.

When temperatures are very high and rainfall is very low, evaporation happens very rapidly. As accuweather.com notes, when the ground becomes very, very dry it can create a vicious cycle that feeds on itself....

Evaporation rates are very high into the first part of August. Soaking rain on a regular basis instead of a brief downpour is needed to be of benefit beyond a couple of days.

Turning things around in the Midwest as a whole will be a difficult task as dry ground tends to bring higher daytime temperatures, which in turn raises evaporation rates and so on.

 So what does all of this mean for the rest of us?

It is going to mean higher food prices.

On Friday, the price of corn hit $7.50 a bushel.

It had been thought that the price of corn would only be about $5.00 a bushel this year.

At this point, the price of corn is up 48 percent since mid-June, and it could go a whole lot higher.

Some analysts are projecting that if this endless drought persists, we could see ten dollars for a bushel of corn and 20 dollars for a bushel of soybeans.

And yes, you will notice this at the supermarket.

In a previous article, I included a quote from a recent article by Holly Deyo about why the price of corn affects the price of so many other products....

Since 75% of grocery store products use corn as a key ingredient, expect food prices to skyrocket. Corn is also a staple in many fast foods. Corn is in ethanol and the main food source or chickens. In addition to this, maize is in many things that aren't obvious like adhesives, aluminum, aspirin, clothing starch, cosmetics, cough syrup, dry cell batteries, envelopes, fiberglass insulation, gelatin capsules, ink, insecticides, paint, penicillin, powders, rugs and carpets, stamps, talcum, toothpaste, wallpaper, and vitamins. That's just for starters...

This is a huge heads up for you to purchase corn-using products NOW before these conditions reflect in grocery goods. It will be a narrow window of opportunity.

This endless drought is also a complete and total nightmare for ranchers.

At this point, approximately 50 percent of America's pastures and ranges are in "poor" or "very poor" condition.

Back in June, that figure was only sitting at 28 percent.

So things have gotten a lot worse very quickly.

A lot of ranchers are selling off their cattle because this drought is making it very difficult to continue to feed them.

The following is from examiner.com....

Rauhn Panting, with the University of Idaho, who works with ranchers and farmers, says, 'We're going to run out of grass. It's going to be scary.' Ranchers are being advised to vacate grazing lands, weeks and even months before when they usually have to leave.

Left with only two choices, feed or sell, many are opting to sell their cattle. The Torrington Stock Market in Wyoming, has recorded that 36,000 cattle were sold in May and June of this year. The usual average for these months is 5,500. Small ranchers, with 30-50 cow/calf pairs, are being hit the hardest.

So expect higher meat prices in the fall and winter as well.

This all comes at a really bad time. We are already on the verge of a global financial catastrophe. Agriculture was supposed to be one of the few bright spots in the U.S. economy.

Sadly, the U.S. is not the only one having problems with crops this year.

For example, in Germany farmers are actually experiencing a full-blown plague of rats.

Yes, seriously.

The following is from a recent Der Spiegel article....

Millions of field mice are overrunning the central German states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, much to the concern of local farmers. The rodents are devastating food crops, cutting yields by up to 50 percent. Getting birds of prey to hunt the critters didn't help, and now farmers want to be allowed to use a banned rat poison.

So why is all of this happening?

Why is nature going crazy all of a sudden?Hmmm........If you can control the Climate you can wage war on the whole world, Wake up people the 'Big One' is coming.Read the full story here.

U.S. Corn Growers Farming in Hell, why this will hit your wallet hard

U.S. Corn Growers Farming in Hell, why this will hit your wallet hard.(BW).By Jeff Wilson.The worst U.S. drought since Ronald Reagan was president is withering the world’s largest corn crop, and the speed of the damage may spur the government to make a record cut in its July estimate for domestic inventories. Tumbling yields will combine with the greatest-ever global demand to leave U.S. stockpiles on Sept. 1, 2013, at 1.216 billion bushels (30.89 million metric tons), according to the average of 31 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. That’s 35 percent below the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s June 12 forecast, implying the biggest reduction since at least 1973.
The USDA updates its harvest and inventory estimates July 11. Crops on July 1 were in the worst condition since 1988, and a Midwest heat wave last week set or tied 1,067 temperature records, government data show. 

Prices surged 37 percent in three weeks, and Rabobank International said June 28 that corn may rise 9.9 percent more by December to near a record $8 a bushel. 

The gain is threatening to boost food costs the United Nations says fell 15 percent from a record in February 2011 and feed prices for meat producers including Smithfield Foods Inc. (SFD) (SFD) “The drought is much worse than last year and approaching the 1988 disaster,” said John Cory, the chief executive officer of Rochester, Indiana-based grain processor Prairie Mills Products LLC. “There are crops that won’t make it. The dairy and livestock industries are going to get hit very hard. People are just beginning to realize the depth of the problem.”
Corn rallied 18 percent in the month through July 6 on the Chicago Board of Trade to $6.93, trailing only wheat among 24 commodities tracked by the Standard and Poor’s GSCI Spot Index, which rose 2 percent. About 53 percent of the Midwest, where farmers harvested 60 percent of last year’s U.S. crop, had moderate to extreme drought conditions as of July 3, the highest since the government-funded U.S. Drought Monitor in Lincoln, Nebraska, began tracking the data in 2000.
Fields are parched just as corn plants began to pollinate, a critical period for determining kernel development and final yields. About 48 percent of the crop in the U.S., the world’s largest grower and exporter, was in good or excellent condition as of July 1, the lowest for that date since 1988 and down from 77 percent on May 18, government data show. “The shrinking global economy is the elephant in the room that no one wants to discuss as long as U.S. crops are under siege,” said Dale Durcholz, the senior market analyst for Bloomington, Illinois-based AgriVisor LLC. “Corn demand at $5 is much more robust than when it costs $7.”
Corn tumbled into a bear market in September and kept dropping as farmers planted more crops. Robert Manly, the chief financial officer at Smithfield Foods, the largest U.S. pork producer, told analysts on a June 14 conference call (SFD) that hog- raising costs would “begin to decline starting in the fall.” Corn has surged 41 percent since then, reaching a nine-month high today. U.S. corn production may drop to 11 billion bushels, the smallest crop in seven years, because the hot, dry weather killed the pollen and rains now may be too late to reverse the damage, according to Cory, the Indiana mill owner and a former investment banker. Prices may reach $9 before demand slows, he said. The drought may spark a rebound in global food prices this month through October, halting a slide that sent costs in June to the lowest level in 21 months, Abdolreza Abbassian, an economist in Rome at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, said July 5. “Corn is key because of its widespread use as a base ingredient in so many foods and for its use in feed for livestock,” said Stanley Crouch, who helps oversee $2 billion of assets as chief investment officer at New York-based Aegis Capital Corp. “We are at the tipping point.”
In May, retail prices of boneless hams, ground beef and cheese in the U.S. were close to all-time highs set earlier this year, while chicken breast jumped more than 12 percent during the first five months of the year, government data show.
“When people look at rising prices for hamburger, butter, eggs and other protein sources from higher corn costs, that’s when more money ends up in the food basket,” said Minneapolis- based Michael Swanson, a senior agricultural economist at Wells Fargo and Co., the biggest U.S. farm lender. “We were hoping for a break, and we aren’t going to get it.”Hmmmm..........Higher food prices just in time for the elections.....CHANGE, preparing  to UNINSTALLING OBAMA.... █████████████▒▒▒▒▒▒ 47.5% .Read the full story here.U.S. Drought monitor here.

MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• HT:AhmadiyyaTimes.Pakistan: Lawyers shower governor’s killer with hugs, kisses, roses.LAHORE: Lawyers showered the suspected killer of a prominent Pakistani governor with rose petals when he arrived at court Wednesday and an influential Muslim scholars group praised the assassination of the outspoken opponent of laws that order death for those who insult Islam.Mumtaz Qadri made his first appearance in an Islamabad court, where a judge remanded him in custody a day after he allegedly sprayed automatic gunfire at the back of Punjab province Gov. Salman Taseer while he was supposed to be protecting him as a bodyguard.A rowdy crowd slapped him on the back and kissed his cheek as he was escorted inside. The lawyers who tossed handfuls of rose petals over him were not involved in the case.As he left the court, a crowd of about 200 sympathizers chanted ”death is acceptable for Muhammad’s slave.” The suspect stood at the back door of an armored police van with a flower necklace given to him by an admirer and repeatedly yelled ”God is great.””The supporter is as equally guilty as one who committed blasphemy,” the group warned in a statement, adding politicians, the media and others should learn ”a lesson from the exemplary death.”Jamat leader Maulana Shah Turabul Haq Qadri paid ”glorious tribute to the murderer … for his courage, bravery and religious honor and integrity.”Mumtaz Qadri told interrogators Tuesday that he shot the liberal Taseer multiple times because of the politician’s vocal opposition to the harsh blasphemy laws.Hmmmmm......Perhaps the Obama administration could give another couple of Billion Dollars to this "Sick" society?Read the full story here.

• Wikileaks .The payroll dilemma:Who is actually receiving PA paychecks in Hamas controlled GAZA?The PA contends that Hamas, ability to pay its workers, salaries each month combined with the inability of the PA to do so causes further deterioration in support for PA/Fatah relative to Hamas . The GOI, on the other hand, believes that many of the estimated 77,000 wage earners on the PAs payroll may actually be Hamas members or affiliates. Israeli security analysts argue that a considerable portion of the civil service salaries that the PA attempts to pay each month to its Gazan employees actually find their way to Hamas or Hamas supporters.Observers speculate as to the amount of shekels circulating in Gaza. The BOI has established a history of routinely approving all requests from the Palestinian banks to exchange spoiled shekel notes from Gaza for new notes. This is not a security issue as it does not increase the total number of shekels in circulation.Unfortunately, since Gaza tends more and more towards a cash economy based upon movement of goods through its tunnels to the Sinai, it becomes increasingly difficult to estimate this amount with accuracy. Udi Levi (strictly protect), a high-ranking official in the Israeli security establishment, commented to Econcouns in October that at least 1.8 billion shekels are currently unaccounted for in Gaza.Hmmmm.....Someone is saving up in a piggybank?Read the full story here.

• Iran 'detains US woman on spying'.State media says authorities arrest 55-year-old woman who entered the country without visa and with "spying equipment".An American woman has been arrested in Iran on charges of spying, the Associated Press news agency has reported.Authorities arrested the 55-year-old woman near the border town of Norduz, 600km northwest of the capital Tehran, after she entered the country without a visa, the news wire quoted the state-owned IRAN newspaper as saying on Thursday.The report said that the women was carrying hidden spying equipment, without elaborating on what that equipment was or when she was arrested.Customs police were reported to have made the arrest after the woman had travelled from neighbouring Armenia to Iran.There are already two Americans in detention in Iran for spying allegations and illegally crossing into the country from northern Iraq.Shane Bower and Josh Fattal were arrested in July 2009 with Sarah Shourd, who was released last September.They deny that they were spying and the US has cast doubt that they crossed into Iran at all.Hmmmm....Here we go again?Read the full story here. Updated here.

• HT:AmericanThinker.Why Israel Is Losing the Information War.Many people who are informed about what's actually happening in the Middle East constantly wonder why Israel fares so badly in the information wars. The following example gives us a pretty good idea why.Jawaher Abu Rahmah, a "Palestinian" activist, died on January 1. Saeb Erekat, the right fork of Yasser Arafat's tongue, claimed that she died during a demonstration in the "Palestinian" town of Bil'in, killed by "poison" contained in tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers at the demonstrations after it deteriorated into what could best be termed a riot."Palestinian" President Mahmoud Abbas called Abu Rahmah's death a "new Israeli crime carried out by the occupation army against our helpless nation."She was given a martyr's funeral as the victim of an Israeli "war crime," with crowds of mourners and the usual "Palestinian" stringers who work for the dinosaur media in attendance.The real story? According to the IDF, there's no evidence that Abu Rahmah was even at the Bil'in demonstration, nor does she show up on any of the videos. There's no evidence that she died from inhaling tear gas (if it was in fact "poisonous," why weren't there other deaths?), and the death certificate shows the cause of death as "Inhaling gas of an Israeli soldier according to the family."That's an indication that no doctor actually examined Abu Rahmah, but that the death certificate was simply filled out by a nurse or orderly. And the accounts of her actual health are contradictory.Was Abu Ramah the victim of an honor killing exploited by the PA? It certainly wouldn't be the first Pallywood production we've seen.And really, none of the facts matter at this point.In today's media climate, you're left foundering, trying to decipher the facts while the other side has already made its impact.This is the sort of thing that happens when you play defense instead of offense: the other side controls the game, and you're limited to reacting.That's why Israel has been losing the information war.Israel would be far better off going on offense by publicizing the Palestinian Authority's inherent corruption, the status of women and homosexuals, its official endorsements of terrorism against Israel's civilians, and its refusal to make a single concession in any negotiationsAs for Abu Ramah, instead of reacting to the "Palestinian" narrative with frantic attempts to dredge up facts, Israel would be far better off simply calling out Erekat and Abbas for lying, challenging them to prove that Abu Ramah was there and that the IDF killed her, and reminding the world of all the other fairy tales the Palestinians have spun over the years.Hmmm.....The best defence is the attack..!Read the full story here.

• HT:FOX - Video : Should Americans Continue to Vacation in Mexico? I Don't Think So !Read and see the full story here.

• Saudi parliament to debate allowing women to drive.Saudi Arabia’s appointed parliament is set to debate a law to break a long-standing ban on women to drive cars after receiving a letter signed by more than 100 people, newspapers in the Gulf kingdom reported on Wednesday.The letter, signed by 128 men and women, was addressed to Shura Chairman Sheikh Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al Shaikh, asking him to open a debate on a law allowing women in the conservative Moslem nation to drive.“The Shura council agreed to discuss the issue of allowing women to drive in Saudi Arabia at its sessions in the next few weeks,” Kabar daily said.The letter noted that many Saudi women drive cars outside the kingdom, the world’s largest oil exporter, as they hold international driving licences. The signatories said the new law is needed to match the development of the Saudi society and save women from daily agonies of trying to find a taxi. “You and any Saudi national should not accept that the dignity of the Saudi woman is spilt on streets every day as she struggles to find a taxi cab to go shopping, or to go to work, hospital or school…we ask you to discuss allowing women to drive and enforce this law on a trial basis in the beginning.”The papers quoted a Shura member, Abdul Malik Khayal, as saying driving is “a natural right for women” on the grounds there are no “legal or security barriers.” Hmmmm.....Welcome to the "Normal" world where men curse women drivers?Read the full story here.

• He's back: Fears of sectarian violence in Iraq as radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr returns from exile with eyes firmly fixed on grabbing political power.Hundreds of supporters mobbed the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as he returned home to Iraq after nearly four years in self-imposed exile in Iran.The sight of the firebrand, once dubbed the 'single biggest threat to the U.S. in Iraq', will be a depressing one for American troops and politicians.He left Iraq in 2007 an unpredictable leader of a street-fighting organisation with huge popular support but returns a legitimate political figure likely to play a key part in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's new government.A swarm of al-Sadr's bodyguards - dressed in black clothes and flak jackets and toting automatic rifles - deployed around his house in the al-Hanana neighborhood in central Najaf where followers were waiting to meet him.One of the youngest among those gathered outside al-Sadr's house was nine-year-old Mohammed Sadiq, who was accompanied by his uncle. 'I'd like to kiss his hands and tell him: I miss you and don't leave us again,' said Sadiq.Supporters hung banners on nearby buildings, one of which read: 'Yes, Yes to our leader. Here we are at your service our Master Muqtada.' Another banner said: 'We renew our allegiance to our leader Muqtada al-Sadr.'The cleric was believed to be meeting with Iraq's most revered Shiite figure, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, today.Al-Sadr's implementation of Sharia Law is also strict. In 2006 he banned the use of shorts and even executed the coach and two members of the national tennis team.He has tried to ban football, claiming sport is a Zionist plot to distract Arabs from religion, and two weeks ago banned Iraqis working with foreign companies.His fervour is likely to have been increased by his last few years studying Islam in Qom, Iran, the seat of Shiite education. The sojourn was a way for the 37-year-old cleric to burnish his theological credentials, but he also faced an arrest warrant for his alleged role in assassinating a rival Shiite cleric.Al-Sadr visited the holy shrine of Imam Ali, revered among the country's Shiite majority, wearing a black turban distinguishing him as one of the descendants of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.Hmmmm.....Obama "If We Work Hard, Afghanistan Could Be a Success...Like Iraq!" Yeah that's clear by now.Read the full story here.

• HT:Arstechnica.Warrantless cell phone search gets a green light in California.The contents of your cell phone can reveal a lot more about you than the naked eye can: who your friends are, what you've been saying and when, which websites you've visited, and more. There has long been debate over user privacy when it comes to various data found on a cell phone, but according to the California Supreme Court, police don't need a warrant to start digging through your phone's contents.The ruling comes as a result of the conviction of one Gregory Diaz, who was arrested for trying to sell ecstasy to a police informant in 2007 and had his phone confiscated when he arrived at the police station. The police eventually went through Diaz's text message folder and found one that read "6 4 80." Such a message means nothing to most of us, but it was apparently enough to be used as evidence against Diaz (for those curious, it means six pills will cost $80). Diaz had argued that the warrantless search of his phone violated his Fourth Amendment rights, but the trial court said that anything found on his person at the time of arrest was "really fair game in terms of being evidence of a crime." The decision was not unanimous, though. "The potential intrusion on informational privacy involved in a police search of a person‟s mobile phone, smartphone or handheld computer is unique among searches of an arrestee's person and effects," Justices Kathryn Mickle Werdegar and Carlos Moreno wrote in dissent. They went on to argue that the court majority's opinion would allow police "carte blanche, with no showing of exigency, to rummage at leisure through the wealth of personal and business information that can be carried on a mobile phone or handheld computer merely because the device was taken from an arrestee's person. The majority thus sanctions a highly intrusive and unjustified type of search, one meeting neither the warrant requirement nor the reasonableness requirement of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution."Gershowtiz suggested a number of possibilities for how courts could distinguish between an appropriate cell phone search and an inappropriate one, but no such rules exist yet. In the meantime, California citizens may want to be extra careful about what gets stored on their devices, lest the police find a reason to dig up your sexy texts or communications with your private "dispensary." Hmmmm....You don't want those highly compromising pics on your cellphone?Read the full story here.

• UFC Fighter Jacob Volkmann Calls Out President Barack Obama, Gets A Visit From the Secret Service.UFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann, following his win over Antonio McKee, declared that he wanted to fight U.S. President Barack Obama for his next fight. His words got him a visit from the Secret Service on Wednesday.Volkmann, who is based out of Minnesota, told MMAFighting.com after his win over McKee that he wanted to face Obama because he disagreed with many of his policies.Well, if anyone ever wondered if a potential threat against the President goes unnoticed, you just got your answer.The Secret Service showed up at both his residence and during his youth wrestling camp to interview him about the potential threat made to the President.Read the full story here.

• HT:IsraelMatzav. Video : Great news: TSA stealing stuff at checkpoints.Channel 7 news in New York reports that TSA employees have been stealing. No, not from your checked bags, at least according to this report. Rather, they are stealing things from people going through the checkpoints who remove jewelry, watches, laptop computers and other valuable items in order to go through the checkpoints.Hmmmm....Don't you feel safe?At least terrorists wont destroy your stuff?Read the full story here.

• Proposed bigger government cut of gas field revenue roils Israel.A panel reviewing Israel's policy on oil and gas resources has recommended more than doubling the government's take of profits. But Israeli and U.S. firms behind recent discoveries are fighting back.Big natural gas fields found recently off Israel's coast could be a game-changer for the small country, pumping billions of dollars into the economy. But the prospect of huge profits is igniting a battle to divide the spoils, long before drilling gets underway.A government committee appointed to review Israel's policy on oil and gas resources recommended late Monday more than doubling the government's take of production profits to as much as 62%.Committee Chairman Eytan Sheshinski, a retired Hebrew University economics professor, said the revised rate, which still must be approved by the parliament, would create a "balance between the companies' profitability and the public."But a consortium of Israeli and American companies behind the recent gas discoveries is fighting the move, warning that the higher rate could make the project unfeasible.The previous 30% rate, established in 1952, reflected a period when the young country had no funds for exploration and no known natural resources. The low rate was designed to encourage private companies to undertake risky investment.Read the full story here.

• HT:RightWingNews.Obama Plans another Massive Land Grab.Nothing better sums up the Left's antidemocratic and antihuman agenda that the Obama Administration's policy of circumventing Congress to seal off our own land from use.An Obama administration directive designed to preserve more public lands as wilderness is stirring anger in the West, where ranchers, sportsmen and energy companies say they could lose access to acreage they count on for their recreation and livelihood.The regulatory change … directs the Bureau of Land Management to survey its vast holdings stretching between Alaska, Arizona, California and Colorado, in search of unspoiled back country. The agency can then designate these tracts — potentially millions of acres — as "wild lands.""Wild lands" are lands expropriated from the human race on behalf of the lizards and chipmunks. If we aren't allowed to use them, they may as well have fallen into the sea. Not only development, but drilling, mining, cattle grazing, and even recreational activities may be forbidden. Obama's latest power grab does not require legislative approval, but there is something Congress can do, in the unlikely event Republicans show some spine.House Republicans, who will hold the majority in the new Congress that arrives next week, say they plan hearings on the new policy and perhaps seek to cut funding to the BLM for identifying and managing wild lands.They had better. Like the nefarious EPA, the BLM exists to grow the government and shrink the economy.Given moonbats' disdain for cowboys and for eating the meat we require for proper nutrition, it's unsurprising that ranchers stand to take a beating.Some worry that American land is being used as collateral, and will end up being seized by the communist Chinese when it becomes clear that there is no way we can ever pay back the massive sums of money Obama has been borrowing and squandering. But if ChiComs owned the land, at least the resources wouldn't be completely wasted.Before the income tax, land sales to the private sector constituted a major source of revenue for the government. Now it works the other way; the government eats up land, growing ever larger as America grows smaller.Hmmmmm......Look at the Map "They are dividing America in two parts! WHY?Perhaps restitution to the Native Americans? Read and see the full story here.

• Could you pass a US citizenship test?In order to become a US citizen, immigrants must pass the Naturalization Test. American citizenship bestows the right to vote, improves the likelihood of family members living in other countries to come and live in the US, gives eligibility for federal jobs, and can be a way to demonstrate loyalty to the US. Applicants must get 6 answers out of 10 in an oral exam to pass the test. According to US Citizenship and Immigration services, 92 percent of applicants pass this test.You must get 58 or more of these test questions correct in order to pass.Read and take the test if you wish so here.

• White House Issues Negative Response to Request for Pollard Clemency.The White House stressed today that Jonathan Pollard was guilty of “the most serious crimes” after a public Israeli request for clemency. Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu made the unusually public appeal to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, and the White House said Tuesday it was reviewing the issue.But many observers feel it is unlikely that Obama would immediately grant the request, reasoning that the US intelligence community is opposed to such a step.“I think it is important to underscore that Mr. Pollard was convicted of some of the most serious crimes that anybody can be charged (with),” said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.Gibbs would not be drawn on the manner of the request, which saw Netanyahu, who has had a sometimes rocky relationship with the Obama administration, read out a letter to the US president in the Israeli parliament.“‘Honourable president, in the name of the Israeli people I am turning to you to request a pardon for Jonathan Pollard,’” Netanyahu said.But Israelis say Pollard’s punishment and the longstanding US refusal to commute his sentence have been particularly harsh, given that he gave information to a friendly nation.Hmmmm.....Somehow the US has no problem releasing (Swap) Russian spies?Read the full story here.

• Straight into battle: High-tech anti-whaling vessel clashes with Japanese fleet in freezing Southern Ocean.Anti-whaling campaigners have clashed with the Japanese fleet using a state-of-the art interceptor vessel as they bid to disrupt the annual hunting campaign.Activists on board the £2.57million Gojira trimaran catapulted glass bottles at the Yushin Maru-2 and threw ropes aimed at its propeller in the second clash already this year.Two ships belonging to campaign group Sea Shepherd have been pursuing Japanese whaling factory vessel the Nisshin Maru for the last six days after discovering the fleet on December 31.Since then, the two fleets have covered more than a thousand miles as the whalers attempt to shake off their pursuers.Confrontations have become increasingly hostile, with activists firing stink bombs made from rotten butter on to Japanese ships as well as trying to get ropes wrapped around the propellers and rudders.Japanese ships have responded with water cannons, acoustic weapons and even stun grenades.Sea Shepherd has managed to severely disrupt the annual whale hunt, where the Japanese fleet attempts to capture and kill more than 1,000 whales.Read and see the full story here.

• Turkey considering Iran’s invitation to visit nuclear sites.Turkey is among countries that were invited by Iran on Tuesday to visit key nuclear facilities, officials said, while noting that the invitation was conveyed to Turkey’s permanent representative to the UN nuclear watchdog in Vienna. Iran’s surprise invitation, which was also conveyed to representatives of Russia, China, the European Union and others, left out Britain, France, Germany and the United States -- the countries most opposed to its nuclear program.Turkish diplomatic sources, speaking on Tuesday evening, confirmed that Iran’s permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conveyed an invitation to Turkey’s representation in Vienna. The same sources said no final decision has yet been made and that Turkey is still considering its response to Iran’s invitation.Hmmmm....Erdogan being the shadow of Ahmadinejad the answer is pretty predictable,probably just stalling just to have some air of credibility?Read the full story here.

• U.N. Data Notes Sharp Rise in World Food Prices.World food prices continued to rise sharply in December, bringing them close to the crisis levels that provoked shortages and riots in poor countries three years ago, according to newly released United Nations data. Prices are expected to remain high this year, prompting concern that the world may be approaching another crisis, although economists cautioned that many factors, like adequate stockpiles of key grains, could prevent a serious problem. The United Nations data measures commodity prices on the world export market. Those are generally far removed from supermarket prices in wealthy countries like the United States. In this country, food price inflation has been relatively tame, and prices are forecast to rise only 2 to 3 percent this year. Joseph Glauber, the Agriculture Department’s chief economist, said that rising world commodity prices could be expected to have their greatest impact in this country on meat and dairy prices because they can push up the price of livestock feed. As feed prices go up, farmers often cut the size of herds, meaning less meat ultimately reaches the market. Beef, pork and dairy prices rose faster last year than overall food prices and are expected to continue that trend this year.Read the full story here.