Tag: news

The Definition Of Insanity

… Is shown on the chart below, which compares indexed growth, or lack thereof, in G-5 GDP and compares it to consolidated central bank balance sheets. We bring this up because following this morning’s announcement by the ECB’s Praet that the European central bank may launch a round of QE (of questionable legality) it is only a matter of time before the red line really takes off and insanity hits truly unseen levels.

There is little to add to this except for the punchline from reformed QEaser Andrew Huszar, which was the following: “We were working feverishly to preserve the impression that the Fed knew what it was doing.“

Pretty much says it all.

h/t @not_jim_cramer


    



via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/4s1Lgt-lWoE/story01.htm Tyler Durden

John Stossel on the New Libertarian Era

Libertarian protestI
didn’t know what a libertarian was when I started reporting, writes
John Stossel. I was just another liberal. I knew the Republicans
were icky, and Democrats were more like me—except they didn’t care
about debt. I had no idea there was an actual movement of thinking
people who want to honor the principles of the Founders—liberty and
limited government. It took me a long time to wake up. Old
politicians—and old voters collecting Social Security—may never
change their minds. But libertarianism is growing fast among young
Americans.

View this article.

from Hit & Run http://reason.com/blog/2013/11/13/john-stossel-on-the-new-libertarian-era
via IFTTT

Italian Authorities 'Raid' Apple HQ After $1.4bn Tax Fraud Allegations

Milan prosecutors ordered the seizure of a substantial batch of computer and telephone equipment from Apple’s Italian HQ as part of an investigation into allegations of a one billion euro tax fraud. As L’Espresso reports, the allegations surround false representation of accounting records (EUR206mm in 2010 and EUR853mm in 2011) which were recorded by the Irish entity ‘Apple Sales International’ but, Italian authorities suggest were services rendered for business carried out in Italy. Beyond this investigation, it seems the growing tax divergences (and loopholes) that we have previously discussed (such as the Double Irish) are becoming a key focus for an increasingly cash-strapped European periphery (among others).

 

Via (Google Translate) L’Espresso,

The amounts deducted from the Italian tax authorities, according to initial investigations, it would be very relevant. If the investigative hypotheses are confirmed, Apple would have underestimated Italy of approximately EUR 206 million taxable income in 2010 of more than 853 million as of the 2011 tax year, based on a false representation of the accounting records and using fraudulent means thesis to hinder the investigation.

 

In practice, in the two years at issue so far, Apple would have concealed from the tax authorities a billion…

 

…

 

According to the accusation, the profits made ??in Italy by Apple were recorded by the Irish company Apple Sales International, following a scheme widely used in other multinational hi-tech and Internet, Google in the first place, due to which these groups fail to pay taxes on their laughable huge profits by taking advantage of a set of rules into Irish law which, recently, have been under observation by the European Union.

 

On the basis of these findings the deputy prosecutor charge of the investigation Adriano Squires, coordinated dall’aggiunto Francesco Greek, ordered the seizure of a substantial batch of computer equipment and telephone, after a search that took place at the headquarters of Apple in the Piazza San Babila in Milan, in order to find evidence of fraud once the material will be analyzed.

 

…

 

The hypothesis is that Apple upstream Italy not only deal with channel support to sales and service and ancillary services to Irish society, but the real heart of the business carried out in Italy. In other words it is that there is a stable organization well concealed behind that light which is instead indicated by Apple.

 

…

 

Looking beyond the single investigation, one can not but notice how the pressure to grow, even in Italy, to those architectures that enable corporate transnational corporations – and the technology are in the eye of the storm – to free themselves from the bulk of the taxation income from. And as also in this case again with tumbling force the Irish question in the fight circumvention of the rules of the Italian tax authorities, and not only.

 

We can’t wait to hear what the Irish think…


    



via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/V1MxBeI2Axk/story01.htm Tyler Durden

Italian Authorities ‘Raid’ Apple HQ After $1.4bn Tax Fraud Allegations

Milan prosecutors ordered the seizure of a substantial batch of computer and telephone equipment from Apple’s Italian HQ as part of an investigation into allegations of a one billion euro tax fraud. As L’Espresso reports, the allegations surround false representation of accounting records (EUR206mm in 2010 and EUR853mm in 2011) which were recorded by the Irish entity ‘Apple Sales International’ but, Italian authorities suggest were services rendered for business carried out in Italy. Beyond this investigation, it seems the growing tax divergences (and loopholes) that we have previously discussed (such as the Double Irish) are becoming a key focus for an increasingly cash-strapped European periphery (among others).

 

Via (Google Translate) L’Espresso,

The amounts deducted from the Italian tax authorities, according to initial investigations, it would be very relevant. If the investigative hypotheses are confirmed, Apple would have underestimated Italy of approximately EUR 206 million taxable income in 2010 of more than 853 million as of the 2011 tax year, based on a false representation of the accounting records and using fraudulent means thesis to hinder the investigation.

 

In practice, in the two years at issue so far, Apple would have concealed from the tax authorities a billion…

 

…

 

According to the accusation, the profits made ??in Italy by Apple were recorded by the Irish company Apple Sales International, following a scheme widely used in other multinational hi-tech and Internet, Google in the first place, due to which these groups fail to pay taxes on their laughable huge profits by taking advantage of a set of rules into Irish law which, recently, have been under observation by the European Union.

 

On the basis of these findings the deputy prosecutor charge of the investigation Adriano Squires, coordinated dall’aggiunto Francesco Greek, ordered the seizure of a substantial batch of computer equipment and telephone, after a search that took place at the headquarters of Apple in the Piazza San Babila in Milan, in order to find evidence of fraud once the material will be analyzed.

 

…

 

The hypothesis is that Apple upstream Italy not only deal with channel support to sales and service and ancillary services to Irish society, but the real heart of the business carried out in Italy. In other words it is that there is a stable organization well concealed behind that light which is instead indicated by Apple.

 

…

 

Looking beyond the single investigation, one can not but notice how the pressure to grow, even in Italy, to those architectures that enable corporate transnational corporations – and the technology are in the eye of the storm – to free themselves from the bulk of the taxation income from. And as also in this case again with tumbling force the Irish question in the fight circumvention of the rules of the Italian tax authorities, and not only.

 

We can’t wait to hear what the Irish think…


    



via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/V1MxBeI2Axk/story01.htm Tyler Durden

Guest Post: The Three Types Of Politicians

Submitted by Charles Hugh-Smith of OfTwoMinds blog,

Solving profoundly structural problems by establishing a new foundation of values that most can embrace positively is the hallmark of leadership.

We can usefully classify politicians into three categories: caretakers, practical visionaries and values-transformers.

Caretakers maintain the status quo, a task that boils down to throwing a fiscal bone to every politically powerful constituency and doing so in a manner that does not create career-threatening blowback.

Caretaker politicians may or may not have what President George H.W. Bush famously called "the vision thing," but their actions are all of the caretaker variety, regardless of their soaring rhetoric.

Caretaker politicians take credit for things that would have happened even if they'd lost the election and some other caretaker politician had held the office: the new school would have built anyway, the strike settled one way or another, and the nation would have exited from the unpopular discretionary war.

The signature accomplishments of caretaker politicians always leave the status quo power structure and constituencies firmly in place; ObamaCare is an excellent example.

Practical visionaries use their political capital to push through long-term, unsexy infrastructure projects that do not necessarily have powerful constituencies pushing for them and may have politically potent enemies. Examples include rebuilding or extending sewer systems, systemwide renovation of water works or power transmission lines, etc.

These long-term projects require major commitments of funds and competent long-term management, both of which must be cultivated by the practical visionary politician. They may also require overcoming significant political resistance from constituencies who are not benefiting (at least in their view) from the immense investment of public treasure.

Where the caretaker is happy to glad-hand his/her way through the short-term fray of competing demands, putting our fires and resolving minor battles, the practical visionary must have the vision and fortitude to keep investing effort and political capital in long-term projects that may not be sexy or popular.

The signature accomplishments of practical visionaries tend to be large-scale projects that were not slam-dunks: caretakers do not risk their political capital on long-term, unsexy projects, nor do they have the persistence, vision and character needed to work diligently for years to persuade or cajole doubters and then ensure the project is competently managed to completion.

Practical visionaries have "the vision thing" for concrete projects: revamp teacher education from the ground up, a new water treatment plant, an interstate highway system, etc. Their values are oriented toward improving the basics of civilization: water, waste, transport, education, etc. in fundamental, long-term ways.

Practical visionaries are often under-appreciated in their own time; they may only be appreciated long after they have retired or passed on.

Practical visionaries are also capable of wreaking great damage because they grind through even formidable opposition: those pushing "urban renewal" projects that bulldozed "slums" (i.e. affordable housing for marginalized populations) so freeways could tear the heart out of neighborhoods were convinced that making it easier for suburbanites to drive to their jobs in the city was worth far more than intact neighborhoods. Their confidence in that suburban mindset laid waste to many U.S. urban centers.

The third category of politician is very rare: those who can change the values of the populace and thereby transform the political landscape.

This type of politician is adept at transforming what appears to be unresolvable conflicts by establishing a values-based common ground that enables warring constituencies to bypass the old battle lines. This rare breed is not ideological, as ideologies are what create and solidify the conflicts and battle lines.

Values-transformers find a way to make every constituency feel as if they have participated in the solution, or even better, that the solution arose from their core values. Those constituencies that lose power as a result are treated with respect rather than denigration.

Solving profoundly structural problems by establishing a new foundation of values that most can embrace positively is the hallmark of leadership.

Either those with these leadership skills are avoiding politics or the voters are rejecting them in favor of caretakers who are incapable of challenging political powerful constituencies or finding common ground for desperately needed systemic reforms.


    



via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/Xzqq2-LFdHo/story01.htm Tyler Durden

Rand Paul's Latest Speech Did Contain Footnotes, But That Doesn't Mean it Was Accurate

Yesterday Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) gave his first
major speech since the recent plagiarism scandal. Speaking at
The Citadel, Paul outlined his views on the military and foreign
policy in a speech that included 33 footnotes. Unfortunately, Paul
did not outline much new in this speech, and it is already being
criticized for its lack of accuracy.

Anyone who has been following Paul’s beliefs on foreign policy
would not have been surprised to hear him highlight his disapproval
of foreign aid to Egypt, his constitutionalism, his opposition to
intervention in Syria, as well as his anger over the
administration’s response to the attack on the American consulate
in Benghazi last year. Although Paul did not voice any new
complaints, he did say that he will soon be announcing the
formation of a task force “to bring together great minds from the
world of national defense, and put forward a plan to modernize our
military, and strengthen our defenses,” which will include an audit
of the Pentagon.

While Paul may have included 33 footnotes in his speech, The
Daily Beast’s Josh Rogin points out that although more information
was cited, the speech included factual errors relating to claims
about the situations in Egypt and Syria as well the attack on the
American consulate in Benghazi:

From
The Daily Beast:

For example, in the following two sentences about Egypt, Paul
makes at least four factual errors.

“In Egypt recently, we saw a military coup that this
Administration tells us is not a military coup. In a highly
unstable situation, our government continued to send F-16s, Abrams
tanks and American-made tear gas,” Paul said.

In fact, the State Department has repeatedly said it would not
weigh in on whether the July overthrow of Egyptian President
Mohamed Morsi was a “coup,” deciding that the administration was
not required to make a determination one way or the other.

Following the military takeover of the Egyptian government, the
administration quietly halted all shipments of heavy weapons to
Egypt, mostly adhering to a law requiring a cutoff of military aid
to any country that has experienced a coup, while maintaining a
position of ambiguity over whether a coup had taken place.

Rogin also points out that Paul’s claims relating to the
situation in Syria also contain factual errors:

“As we continue to aid and arm despotic regimes in Egypt, we are
also now sending weapons to the rebels in Syria,” Paul said.
“According to a recent poll from Pew Research, over 70 percent of
Americans are against arming the Islamic rebels in Syria, yet the
Senate continues to arm these Islamic radicals. [15] [16] This is
unacceptable!”

The Obama administration has sent little, if any, weapons to the
Syrian rebels, something that has angered several Republican
colleagues of Paul, most notably Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). The Free
Syrian Army, the armed wing of the Syrian opposition has received
only Meals Ready to Eat, first aid kits, and 10 pickup trucks. The
CIA is reported to be vetting some arms shipments to the rebels
coming from third countries such as Saudi Arabia, but the White
House has repeatedly shot downState Department proposals to arm the
Syrian rebels.

Paul also incorrectly quotes the Pew poll that he footnotes. The
Pew Research Center wrote “overall, 70% oppose the U.S. and its
allies sending arms and military supplies to anti-government groups
in Syria.” Paul instead used the phrase “Islamic rebels” to
substitute for “anti-government groups.”

Finally, Rogin points out that Paul managed to contradict
himself when he talked about Benghazi:

Perhaps the most confusing part of Paul’s speech is a passage
about Benghazi where the Kentucky senator contradicts himself in
back-to-back sentences.

“When Hillary Clinton was asked for more security, she turned
the Ambassador down. [27] Under cross-examination, she admitted
that she never read the cables asking for more security. [28],”
Paul said.

The article Paul footnotes as proof for his first sentence
explains that witnesses were “expected” to testify that Clinton was
personally involved in the refusals to place more security in
Benghazi in the attack; not that this was a fact. The second
sentence confirms that Clinton was not personally involved in the
Benghazi security request, refuting what Paul said one sentence
earlier.

James Rosen at
McClatchyDC has also written on the factual inaccuracies in
Paul’s speech at The Citadel.

Paul is widely expected to run for president. If he wants to
have a shot at securing the GOP nomination he will have to make
further steps to ensure that his public statements are not only
free of possible plagiarism, but that they are also accurate. As
Reason’s Editor-in-Chief
Matt Welch wrote earlier this month, “…these sloppy,
undergraduate-level infractions suggest strongly that Sen. Paul is
running a loose ship, one not currently ready for the prime time of
winning a national election.”

The lack of accuracy and the accusations of plagiarism are
frustrating for those, like myself, who agree with many of Paul’s
positions on foreign policy (even if I might wish he would change

some of the rhetoric and
more fully explain the policies that would be implemented in a
Paul administration). Paul is one of the United States’ most
prominent non-interventionists, and it would be a shame if his
positions foreign policy continue to be overshadowed by the sort of
errors that have been highlighted recently.

from Hit & Run http://reason.com/blog/2013/11/13/rand-pauls-latest-speech-did-contain-foo
via IFTTT

Rand Paul’s Latest Speech Did Contain Footnotes, But That Doesn’t Mean it Was Accurate

Yesterday Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) gave his first
major speech since the recent plagiarism scandal. Speaking at
The Citadel, Paul outlined his views on the military and foreign
policy in a speech that included 33 footnotes. Unfortunately, Paul
did not outline much new in this speech, and it is already being
criticized for its lack of accuracy.

Anyone who has been following Paul’s beliefs on foreign policy
would not have been surprised to hear him highlight his disapproval
of foreign aid to Egypt, his constitutionalism, his opposition to
intervention in Syria, as well as his anger over the
administration’s response to the attack on the American consulate
in Benghazi last year. Although Paul did not voice any new
complaints, he did say that he will soon be announcing the
formation of a task force “to bring together great minds from the
world of national defense, and put forward a plan to modernize our
military, and strengthen our defenses,” which will include an audit
of the Pentagon.

While Paul may have included 33 footnotes in his speech, The
Daily Beast’s Josh Rogin points out that although more information
was cited, the speech included factual errors relating to claims
about the situations in Egypt and Syria as well the attack on the
American consulate in Benghazi:

From
The Daily Beast:

For example, in the following two sentences about Egypt, Paul
makes at least four factual errors.

“In Egypt recently, we saw a military coup that this
Administration tells us is not a military coup. In a highly
unstable situation, our government continued to send F-16s, Abrams
tanks and American-made tear gas,” Paul said.

In fact, the State Department has repeatedly said it would not
weigh in on whether the July overthrow of Egyptian President
Mohamed Morsi was a “coup,” deciding that the administration was
not required to make a determination one way or the other.

Following the military takeover of the Egyptian government, the
administration quietly halted all shipments of heavy weapons to
Egypt, mostly adhering to a law requiring a cutoff of military aid
to any country that has experienced a coup, while maintaining a
position of ambiguity over whether a coup had taken place.

Rogin also points out that Paul’s claims relating to the
situation in Syria also contain factual errors:

“As we continue to aid and arm despotic regimes in Egypt, we are
also now sending weapons to the rebels in Syria,” Paul said.
“According to a recent poll from Pew Research, over 70 percent of
Americans are against arming the Islamic rebels in Syria, yet the
Senate continues to arm these Islamic radicals. [15] [16] This is
unacceptable!”

The Obama administration has sent little, if any, weapons to the
Syrian rebels, something that has angered several Republican
colleagues of Paul, most notably Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). The Free
Syrian Army, the armed wing of the Syrian opposition has received
only Meals Ready to Eat, first aid kits, and 10 pickup trucks. The
CIA is reported to be vetting some arms shipments to the rebels
coming from third countries such as Saudi Arabia, but the White
House has repeatedly shot downState Department proposals to arm the
Syrian rebels.

Paul also incorrectly quotes the Pew poll that he footnotes. The
Pew Research Center wrote “overall, 70% oppose the U.S. and its
allies sending arms and military supplies to anti-government groups
in Syria.” Paul instead used the phrase “Islamic rebels” to
substitute for “anti-government groups.”

Finally, Rogin points out that Paul managed to contradict
himself when he talked about Benghazi:

Perhaps the most confusing part of Paul’s speech is a passage
about Benghazi where the Kentucky senator contradicts himself in
back-to-back sentences.

“When Hillary Clinton was asked for more security, she turned
the Ambassador down. [27] Under cross-examination, she admitted
that she never read the cables asking for more security. [28],”
Paul said.

The article Paul footnotes as proof for his first sentence
explains that witnesses were “expected” to testify that Clinton was
personally involved in the refusals to place more security in
Benghazi in the attack; not that this was a fact. The second
sentence confirms that Clinton was not personally involved in the
Benghazi security request, refuting what Paul said one sentence
earlier.

James Rosen at
McClatchyDC has also written on the factual inaccuracies in
Paul’s speech at The Citadel.

Paul is widely expected to run for president. If he wants to
have a shot at securing the GOP nomination he will have to make
further steps to ensure that his public statements are not only
free of possible plagiarism, but that they are also accurate. As
Reason’s Editor-in-Chief
Matt Welch wrote earlier this month, “…these sloppy,
undergraduate-level infractions suggest strongly that Sen. Paul is
running a loose ship, one not currently ready for the prime time of
winning a national election.”

The lack of accuracy and the accusations of plagiarism are
frustrating for those, like myself, who agree with many of Paul’s
positions on foreign policy (even if I might wish he would change

some of the rhetoric and
more fully explain the policies that would be implemented in a
Paul administration). Paul is one of the United States’ most
prominent non-interventionists, and it would be a shame if his
positions foreign policy continue to be overshadowed by the sort of
errors that have been highlighted recently.

from Hit & Run http://reason.com/blog/2013/11/13/rand-pauls-latest-speech-did-contain-foo
via IFTTT

And Now It's Time To Blame Hackers For Obamacare's Failure

Back in October, when Obamacare’s birthing problems first became evident, and when healthcare.gov was revealed as the best website ever built… using ForTran… we suggested that it was only a matter of time before Obama blames the evil, terroristy hackers of the world and mostly of Syria. Moments ago, that just happened.

  • U.S. CYBERSECURITY OFFICIAL SAYS AWARE OF ONE ATTEMPTED DENIAL OF SERVICE ATTACK ON HEALTHCARE.GOV

Good old administration: predictable to a fault. Now go get those evil, terroristy hackers.


    



via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/0PWeoVwPZuc/story01.htm Tyler Durden

And Now It’s Time To Blame Hackers For Obamacare’s Failure

Back in October, when Obamacare’s birthing problems first became evident, and when healthcare.gov was revealed as the best website ever built… using ForTran… we suggested that it was only a matter of time before Obama blames the evil, terroristy hackers of the world and mostly of Syria. Moments ago, that just happened.

  • U.S. CYBERSECURITY OFFICIAL SAYS AWARE OF ONE ATTEMPTED DENIAL OF SERVICE ATTACK ON HEALTHCARE.GOV

Good old administration: predictable to a fault. Now go get those evil, terroristy hackers.


    



via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/0PWeoVwPZuc/story01.htm Tyler Durden

"Unruffled" Export-Stimulating Germany Blasts Back At Barroso's Bureaucratic Blathering

First it was the Treasury, next it was European Commissioner Barroso who indicated he has never read “Export-led growth through exports for idiots” and announced the launch of a probe into Germany’s so-called “export surplus.” Because how dare Germany produce stuff that the world needs and buys, instead of flooding its economy with record debt to fund consumption-driven “groath.” Well, it didn’t take long for the German Economic Ministry to retort to Europe’s unelected economic titans of thought, for whom it is far more important that all sink together dragged down by cement boots made out of debt, and blasted Barroso bureaucratic blather.

From Bloomberg:

  • German Ministry Says Unruffled by EU Probe Into Export Surplus
  • The EU Commission has previously said that current account surpluses are “unproblematic” provided they are as in Germany’s case the result of “competitiveness of companies in functioning markets” and not supported by subsidies, the German Economy Ministry said today in an e-mailed statement.
  • “Diverse” factors will cause account balance in EU to diminish
  • “There is no weakness in structural investment in Germany”; domestic investment gap emerged since 2011 caused by investor tremors over euro debt crisis and is showing betterment: ministry
  • 40% of German exports rely on intermediate imported goods from
    EU partners, underling the benefits of exports to those partners:
    ministry

Translation: you “investigate” us, and 40% of Europe’s internal exports to Germany get it. Passive-aggressively of course. Oh yeah, and kiss that ECB QE idea goodbye.


    



via Zero Hedge http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zerohedge/feed/~3/FZzIxi8igxo/story01.htm Tyler Durden