Editor’s Note: Reprinted from May 26, 2015 Melanius Alphonse, The Lucian People’s Movement – Accepting recurring themes of low growth and a downturn in oil prices as the new normal in world economy, and activities in China that slowed marginally to 7.4 percent in 2014 compared to growth of 7.8 percent in 2013, places Trinidad and Tobago to endure alternatives to…
Category: Global Economy
Puerto Rico is Bankrupt: Will the IMF Bail-Out Puerto Rico?
Former IMF Officials Propose Austerity Measures to Solve Puerto Rico’s Debt Crisis, Governor Agrees Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – Puerto Rico is bankrupt according to Governor Alejandro Padilla because it is mathematically impossible to pay its $73 billion debt it owes to creditors. In an interesting turn of events, the Associated Press reported that Padilla met privately with…
The Bilderberg’s “Cashless Society” Proposal and Rwanda’s US Supported Cashless Payment System
Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News– One of the main topics at the Bilderberg Group meeting held last week in Telfs-Buchen, Austria was the idea of promoting a cashless society. It seems like governments in Africa think that a cashless society is a good idea, which is good news for the Bilderberg elite, but really bad news for the rest of…
All is not lost in the midst of downgrades
Melanius Alphonse, The Lucian People’s Movement – The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is under enormous scrutiny following Moody’s Investor Service downgrade of its bond rating and issuer rating to Baa2 from Baa1; changing the outlook to negative from stable. Added to that, Moody’s downgraded the long term local and foreign currency deposit ratings of First Citizens Bank Limited (FCBL) – 82.64%…
Suicide Mission: Why a War With Iran Will End in Another Defeat for the U.S. Military Machine
Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – On Hardball with Chris Matthews, a U.S. mainstream media program interviewed President Barack Obama and was asked about Russia’s decision on lifting a ban on the sale of S-300 air-defense missile systems to Iran. According to the Jerusalem Post, Obama said “Our defense budget is somewhere just a little under $600 billion. Theirs…
Is Puerto Rico on the Brink of Economic Disaster?
Mass Migration, Poverty, Unemployment and the “VAT” Initiative Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – Puerto Rico’s unemployment rate hovers around 14 percent but of course, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does count those who dropped out of the labor force completely. If you did count every working age person not participating in the labor force, you would probably…
Politics, Financial Fraud and the “Big Three” Credit Ratings Agencies
China and Russia to Launch Credit Rating Agency that will Challenge U.S. Financial System Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – The “Big Three” Credit rating Agencies Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings are a powerful monopoly and a very influential actor in the World of finance. Since 1975, these same rating agencies gained power with assistance from the…
The Economic War on Cuba: Western Media Remains Silent as Obama Extends U.S. Embargo
Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – As the world pays close attention to the war on terror with ISIS in the Middle East, the ongoing civil war in the Ukraine and the spread of Ebola that began in West Africa, another war has been silently extended for another year with hardly any media coverage especially in the U.S. It…
Financial Tyranny in Puerto Rico: The Puerto Rico Government and the Creation of the New Tax Police
Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – Puerto Rico has hit a brick wall. A financial tyranny is slowly emerging as desperation is starting to reflect on the Puerto Rican Government. Not only Puerto Rico’s underground economy will face a tax burden that will be enforced by the government, but also businesses, both small and large. According to Reuters they…
Will South Africa Allow Shale Gas “Hydraulic Fracking” in the Karoo?
Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – South Africa is possibly moving forward with a plan to allow Shell Oil Company to explore and develop natural gases through the highly controversial ‘Hydraulic Fracking’ technology in the region of Karoo. The South African based company that produces liquid fuels, chemicals and electricity ‘Sosal’ is optimistic that that the shale gas industry…
Puerto Rico’s Debt Bomb. Could Puerto Rico become “The New Greece” in the Caribbean?
Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – Puerto Rico is heading towards a pivotal moment in history. Standard & Poor’s (S&P), a US-based credit rating agency located in New York City has decided to put the Government Development Bank of Puerto Rico concerning the island’s debt “on watch” concerning its credit rating according to a recent report conducted by Reuters…
As War Lingers in Mali, Western Powers Target its Natural Resources
Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – France’s intervention in the West African nation of Mali under Operation Serval drove Islamic groups associated with Al-Qaeda out of Northern Mali in February 2013. When the Tuareg rebellion occurred in early 2012, it was against the Malian government lead by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) for the independence…
Wall Street Pirates of the Caribbean: Puerto Rico’s Public Pension System Teetering on Collapse as Retired School Teacher’s Face Cuts
Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – Protests erupted this past Thursday in San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capitol building. The ongoing economic stagnation of Puerto Rico continues with proposed pension cuts for retired public school teachers according to the Associated Press: The protest interrupted a special legislative session that Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla had called to debate reform measures amid…
The Debt Matrix: Consumption and Modern-Day Slavery
“Home life ceases to be free and beautiful as soon as it is founded on borrowing and debt” Henrik Ibsen Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – According to Oxford Dictionary the term Slave is defined as “a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them” as in the case of the United States…
Beijing’s Race to Diversify out of US Treasuries: New Agreements would Allow Singapore to become “Leading Offshore Trading Centre” for the Chinese Yuan
Timothy Alexander Guzman, Silent Crow News – China is accelerating the role of the Chinese Yuan with agreements with Singapore that would allow “direct trading between each other’s currency” according to Singapore’s central bank. The Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported that China and Singapore will cooperate on a number of agreements that would boost economic ties for both countries. China is…