Business

Submitted by Thad Beversdorf via FirstRebuttal.com,

Free trade is a great concept, as are free markets and freedom.  The problem is none of these things exist in practice because they don’t provide sufficient advantages to the ruling class.  The Fed and HFT systems now dominate global markets, western nations systematically overthrow any (freely elected) foreign government that doesn’t bow down to them and free trade agreements are put in place to ensure investors maximize profits no matter what the costs to society.  Let’s focus on this last one.

Submitted by Boyd Roddy of the Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation

Globus Medical’s Inside Job

Last February spinal orthopedic device maker Globus Medical purchased Branch Medical Group, a key supplier and contract manufacturing operation based just three miles away from its Audubon, Pa. headquarters.

The BMG deal was announced on the same day Globus released fourth quarter and 2014 earnings and little attention was paid to what looked like another instance of a high-profile, larger company merging with a small, privately-held one.

For six years, the world has operated under a complete delusion that Central Banks somehow fixed the 2008 Crisis.

All of the arguments claiming this defied common sense. A 5th grader would tell you that you cannot solve a debt problem by issuing more debt. If the below chart was a problem BEFORE 2008… there is no way that things are better now. After all, we’ve just added another $20 trillion in debt to the US system.

Submitted by Eric Peters via EricPetersAutos.com,

Termites start low and work their way up. By the time you notice them, it’s often already too late to save the place. All you can do is rebuild, start over.

Until recently, the bulk of the attention on the insolvent North American oil and gas sector fell squarely on the US.