WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Royal Dutch Shell PLC is selling its century-old distribution and retail business in New Zealand, including hundreds of gas stations and a share in the country's only oil refinery, for 696 million New Zealand dollars ($490 million).
Europe's largest oil company said Monday the assets will be sold to New Zealand infrastructure investor Infratil Ltd. and the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, as part of its plan to reduce its exposure to refining and focus on growth markets.
Infratil Ltd. said the agreement, scheduled to be completed Thursday, is conditional on the drawdown of bank facilities, which have been signed, and finalizing certain third-party consents.
The base purchase price was $490 million plus an adjustment for actual net working capital in excess of $146 million at settlement date.
In addition to an extensive retail network and commercial customer base, the purchase involves nationwide distribution, storage, marine and aviation assets, rights to use Shell's retail brand and the ongoing supply of Shell fuels and products.
Shell's decision to sell because of changes in the global oil market had presented a "once in a generation" opportunity, Infratil managing director Marko Bogoievski said.
"The goal from here is to continue to provide high-quality fuels at competitive prices and to leverage the benefits of a New Zealand-owned and managed downstream business," he said in a statement.
Until now, minor energy supplier Challenge has been the only locally-owned fuel provider in a market dominated by transnational groups.
Monday, March 29, 2010
A bomb scare blamed on a passenger who had been drinking
A bomb scare blamed on a passenger who had been drinking caused a five-hour delay in Sunday's return to Port Canaveral for the Carnival Cruise Ship Sensation, authorities said.
No bomb was found and Brevard County deputies arrested a Virginia man accused of starting the scare.
The ship was on its way back from Nassau, Bahamas, early Sunday when witnesses heard the "highly intoxicated" passenger say that "a bomb was about to explode," and "We are Jihad," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Evanson.
"In 2010, in today's age, you can't take that lightly," Evanson said.
The Coast Guard, FBI and Brevard deputies boarded Sensation at about 9:30 a.m. and after interviewing witnesses and the suspect, determined there was no bomb. Ibrahim Khalil Zarou, 31, was arrested at 10:15 a.m.
He was being held Sunday night on a charge of falsely threatening to detonate a bomb, Brevard jail officials said. Bail was set at $10,000.
Although the delay complicated connections for some the Sensation's 3,470 passengers, "You can't put a time [limit] on safety and security," Evanson said
A sheriff spokesman said the case is being turned over to the Coast Guard and FBI.
No bomb was found and Brevard County deputies arrested a Virginia man accused of starting the scare.
The ship was on its way back from Nassau, Bahamas, early Sunday when witnesses heard the "highly intoxicated" passenger say that "a bomb was about to explode," and "We are Jihad," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Evanson.
"In 2010, in today's age, you can't take that lightly," Evanson said.
The Coast Guard, FBI and Brevard deputies boarded Sensation at about 9:30 a.m. and after interviewing witnesses and the suspect, determined there was no bomb. Ibrahim Khalil Zarou, 31, was arrested at 10:15 a.m.
He was being held Sunday night on a charge of falsely threatening to detonate a bomb, Brevard jail officials said. Bail was set at $10,000.
Although the delay complicated connections for some the Sensation's 3,470 passengers, "You can't put a time [limit] on safety and security," Evanson said
A sheriff spokesman said the case is being turned over to the Coast Guard and FBI.
Christian Militia Raid: Were the Hutaree Targeted for Threats Against Muslims
Investigators are expected to release more information today in the raid on a Christian militia group, with one person involved in the militia movement suggesting the shadowy group had made threats against Muslims.
The Huttaree group claims Jesus is their "top general."
"Obviously someone has a source or a wiretap or intel is coming to them in some form or fashion to trigger, 'Alright we are not going to let these guys take one step further in this operation. We are going to take them down,'" ABC News consultant and former FBI agent Brad Garrett said.
Federal officials have remained tightlipped about the three-state raid Sunday that nabbed three people and arrest records have been sealed. Michael Lackomar, the leader of Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, a separate Michigan-based militia group, told ABC News he heard that threats toward Islamic groups made by extremist group the Hutaree may have fueled the arrests.
Related
FBI Raids Reportedly Target Christian Extremist
'Patriot' Movement Calling Joe Stack a Hero
WATCH: FBI Struggles to Define Stack's Act
A person claiming to be a member of the Hutaree posted a message online pleading for help and claiming that officials "broke into homes and took children and used the tasers on wives ... AND my son who is 12."
The raids were conducted Sunday in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois, federal officials confirmed to the Associated Press, though they did not mention the Hutaree specifically.
Lackomar, said several members of the Hutaree, which have trained with the SMVM on occasion, showed up on the doorstep of one of his colleagues shortly after the raid.
"They were asking for a place to hide as it were and he wasn't willing to assist them in that manner," Lackomar said.
On their Web site, the Hutaree -- which they say means "Christian warriors" -- say they are prepared to defend all those who belong to Christ and save those who aren't." A video shows members patrolling the woods with camouflage and weapons preparing for the arrival of the anti-Christ."
"The Hutaree will one day see its enemy and meet him on the battlefield if so God wills it," the Web site claims.
The Huttaree group claims Jesus is their "top general."
"Obviously someone has a source or a wiretap or intel is coming to them in some form or fashion to trigger, 'Alright we are not going to let these guys take one step further in this operation. We are going to take them down,'" ABC News consultant and former FBI agent Brad Garrett said.
Federal officials have remained tightlipped about the three-state raid Sunday that nabbed three people and arrest records have been sealed. Michael Lackomar, the leader of Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, a separate Michigan-based militia group, told ABC News he heard that threats toward Islamic groups made by extremist group the Hutaree may have fueled the arrests.
Related
FBI Raids Reportedly Target Christian Extremist
'Patriot' Movement Calling Joe Stack a Hero
WATCH: FBI Struggles to Define Stack's Act
A person claiming to be a member of the Hutaree posted a message online pleading for help and claiming that officials "broke into homes and took children and used the tasers on wives ... AND my son who is 12."
The raids were conducted Sunday in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois, federal officials confirmed to the Associated Press, though they did not mention the Hutaree specifically.
Lackomar, said several members of the Hutaree, which have trained with the SMVM on occasion, showed up on the doorstep of one of his colleagues shortly after the raid.
"They were asking for a place to hide as it were and he wasn't willing to assist them in that manner," Lackomar said.
On their Web site, the Hutaree -- which they say means "Christian warriors" -- say they are prepared to defend all those who belong to Christ and save those who aren't." A video shows members patrolling the woods with camouflage and weapons preparing for the arrival of the anti-Christ."
"The Hutaree will one day see its enemy and meet him on the battlefield if so God wills it," the Web site claims.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
HR 646: U.S. Preparing for Civil Unrest?
In their quest for the truth ~ over 60,000 infuriated Greek citizens take to the streets in central Athens because the cash strapped government faces a financial reckoning. The Obama administration has prepared itself for eventually the same demands for the truth with HR 645 which is, in essence, militarized FEMA internment camps: Allen L Roland
Recently, street clashes broke out on March11th between rioting youths and police in central Athens as tens of thousands demonstrated during a nationwide strike against the cash-strapped government. Hundreds of masked and hooded youths punched and kicked motorcycle police, knocking several off their bikes, as police responded with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1257243/Greek-riots-Up-60-000-people-streets-protest-government.html
It's only a matter of time before the American people take to the streets particularly when they realize the full extent of cash strapped America's indebtedness as well as the financial backlash of Wall Street's ponzi scheme of offshore derivatives which has also brought Greece to its knees. We are talking trillions of dollars here. Meanwhile the U.S. Defense budget for 2011 will go up 7.1% .
Robert Reich, RobertReich.org, writes of the present sham recovery ~ "Are we finally in a recovery? Who's 'we,' kemosabe? Big global companies, Wall Street, and high-income Americans who hold their savings in financial instruments are clearly doing better. As to the rest of us – small businesses along Main Streets, and middle and lower-income Americans ~ forget it."
www.truthout.org/the-sham-recovery57638
Since the Obama administration is just as committed as the Bush administration to shielding the American public from honestly disclosing the full extent of its indebtedness ~ relying instead on a bank bailout buoyed mini recovery with the hopes of re-inflating the same debt bubble that just burst ~ it's just a matter of time before infuriated American citizens realize what has really happened and take to the streets.
Michel Chossudovsky spelled it out the consequences on March 18, 2009 Global Research , in an article entitled Preparing for Civil Unrest in America Legislation to Establish Internment Camps on US Military Bases
Excerpt: " A bill entitled the National Emergency Centers Establishment Act (HR 645) was introduced in the US Congress in January. It calls for the establishment of six national emergency centers in major regions in the US to be located on existing military installations.www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-645
The stated purpose of the "national emergency centers" is to provide "temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster." In actuality, what we are dealing with are FEMA internment camps. HR 645 states that the camps can be used to "meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security."
There has been virtually no press coverage of HR 645.
These "civilian facilities" on US military bases are to be established in cooperation with the US Military. Modeled on Guantanamo, what we are dealing with is the militarization of FEMA internment facilities.
Once a person is arrested and interned in a FEMA camp located on a military base, that person would in all likelihood, under a national emergency, fall under the de facto jurisdiction of the Military: civilian justice and law enforcement including habeas corpus would no longer apply.
HR 645 bears a direct relationship to the economic crisis and the likelihood of mass protests across America. It constitutes a further move to militarize civilian law enforcement, repealing the Posse Comitatus Act. "
Theodore Roosevelt once said that Honesty is the prerequisite for a strong and healthy Republic and our government, in that sense, obviously does not trust the people it represents with the truth ~ "We cannot afford to differ on the question of honesty if we expect our republic permanently to endure. Honesty is not so much a credit as an absolute prerequisite to efficient service to the public. Unless a man is honest, we have no right to keep him in public life; it matters not how brilliant his capacity.": Theodore Roosevelt - (1858-1919) 26th US President
We are no longer a Republic, we are now a Oligarchy where corporations now have tremendous financial and political leverage and their deepest fear is an informed, angry and rebellious public seeking the truth.
Take to the streets but be forewarned ~ the chips are increasingly being stacked against us.
Recently, street clashes broke out on March11th between rioting youths and police in central Athens as tens of thousands demonstrated during a nationwide strike against the cash-strapped government. Hundreds of masked and hooded youths punched and kicked motorcycle police, knocking several off their bikes, as police responded with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1257243/Greek-riots-Up-60-000-people-streets-protest-government.html
It's only a matter of time before the American people take to the streets particularly when they realize the full extent of cash strapped America's indebtedness as well as the financial backlash of Wall Street's ponzi scheme of offshore derivatives which has also brought Greece to its knees. We are talking trillions of dollars here. Meanwhile the U.S. Defense budget for 2011 will go up 7.1% .
Robert Reich, RobertReich.org, writes of the present sham recovery ~ "Are we finally in a recovery? Who's 'we,' kemosabe? Big global companies, Wall Street, and high-income Americans who hold their savings in financial instruments are clearly doing better. As to the rest of us – small businesses along Main Streets, and middle and lower-income Americans ~ forget it."
www.truthout.org/the-sham-recovery57638
Since the Obama administration is just as committed as the Bush administration to shielding the American public from honestly disclosing the full extent of its indebtedness ~ relying instead on a bank bailout buoyed mini recovery with the hopes of re-inflating the same debt bubble that just burst ~ it's just a matter of time before infuriated American citizens realize what has really happened and take to the streets.
Michel Chossudovsky spelled it out the consequences on March 18, 2009 Global Research , in an article entitled Preparing for Civil Unrest in America Legislation to Establish Internment Camps on US Military Bases
Excerpt: " A bill entitled the National Emergency Centers Establishment Act (HR 645) was introduced in the US Congress in January. It calls for the establishment of six national emergency centers in major regions in the US to be located on existing military installations.www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-645
The stated purpose of the "national emergency centers" is to provide "temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster." In actuality, what we are dealing with are FEMA internment camps. HR 645 states that the camps can be used to "meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security."
There has been virtually no press coverage of HR 645.
These "civilian facilities" on US military bases are to be established in cooperation with the US Military. Modeled on Guantanamo, what we are dealing with is the militarization of FEMA internment facilities.
Once a person is arrested and interned in a FEMA camp located on a military base, that person would in all likelihood, under a national emergency, fall under the de facto jurisdiction of the Military: civilian justice and law enforcement including habeas corpus would no longer apply.
HR 645 bears a direct relationship to the economic crisis and the likelihood of mass protests across America. It constitutes a further move to militarize civilian law enforcement, repealing the Posse Comitatus Act. "
Theodore Roosevelt once said that Honesty is the prerequisite for a strong and healthy Republic and our government, in that sense, obviously does not trust the people it represents with the truth ~ "We cannot afford to differ on the question of honesty if we expect our republic permanently to endure. Honesty is not so much a credit as an absolute prerequisite to efficient service to the public. Unless a man is honest, we have no right to keep him in public life; it matters not how brilliant his capacity.": Theodore Roosevelt - (1858-1919) 26th US President
We are no longer a Republic, we are now a Oligarchy where corporations now have tremendous financial and political leverage and their deepest fear is an informed, angry and rebellious public seeking the truth.
Take to the streets but be forewarned ~ the chips are increasingly being stacked against us.
FEMA Detention Site Plans Exposed
If, God forbid, Americans are ever rounded up in large numbers during a natural or manmade disaster, where could they be detained? Well, perhaps look no further than the school building next door, the office building around the corner or the stadium downtown. And besides existing military installations, state fair grounds, horse stables, airports “and maybe even a hotel” also could be used as detention centers.
That’s according to Restore the Republic’s Gary Franchi at Freedom Law School’s recent Health & Freedom Conference. Franchi was one of several speakers who gathered at the Airport Hilton in Ontario, Calif., March 12-15 to talk about cutting-edge developments in health and politics.
Many vigilant Americans have become aware of some apparently underutilized military facilities and other installations around the nation that seem designed to detain large numbers of people but are largely empty.
Unsubstantiated rumors and urban legends have been circulated, and Franchi was careful not to overstate this issue. But he said there is cause for considerable concern in these post-9-11 days when the normal patriotic impulses of Americans are being relabeled as radical or even on par with terrorism by federal agencies.
Franchi told the conference audience that on April 1, 1979, under Executive Order 12127, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created but it unfortunately was “no joke” for April Fools Day. Just as FEMA was absorbed nearly 25 years later by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FEMA at its birth absorbed the Department of Defense civil-preparedness functions that designated schools, office buildings and other structures as atom bomb “fallout shelters” starting in the 1950s during the Cold War days with the Soviet Union.
DHS, created on the direct recommendation of the 9-11 Commission, that purported to deeply study what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, says, under its “Goals and Objectives” statement (Part VI), that its mission is to “protect our nation from dangerous people.”
Now under the DHS umbrella, FEMA’s three basic objectives, according to its own policy, are: national emergency recovery, continuity of government and “to combat perceived threats to the social and political order,” Franchi emphasized.
He showed an aerial picture of “FEMA City,” the drab barracks set up in Florida after Hurricane Charlie. These cookie-cutter mobile homes were “free housing with nosebleeds,” Franchi said, referring to the effects of chemical fumes emitted from the shoddy building materials.
The area, courtesy of FEMA, became a crime haven. Any genuine public benefit was marginal at best.
Fast-forward to Highland Mall in Austin, Texas, claimed by FEMA in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a place to put Louisiana refugees entering Texas. The New Orleans Superdome itself was “another
private building used to house refugees,” Franchi added.
Given the ongoing “war on terror” and the threat to the people’s liberties that can arise from “anti-terror” measures, combined with steep economic decline and the procedures and policies that FEMA and DHS have developed or are still developing, Franchi says the situation looks grim unless Americans protest now and show they are informed of, and actively opposed to, potential plans to imprison large numbers of people, lest Americans bite the dust the way the USSR people did when they were sent to brutal labor camps amid political turmoil and the demonizing of “unlawful” political beliefs.
Pointing to the World War II detention of thousands of Japanese-Americans, Franchi said the detaining of Americans has already happened. Recall that during Woodrow Wilson’s days, many notable war dissenters were imprisoned in a nation supposedly dedicated to free speech. So it’s only a question of circumstance, as Franchi sees it.
The FBI’s Project Megiddo in 1999, the Missouri Information Analysis Center “militia” report from February 2009 and the April 2009 DHS report Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, are among the reports that have tried to tie Americans’ concerns and beliefs to supposed violent tendencies, so these linkages can be transformed into the “truth” and used to arrest political dissidents, just like what happened in the early 20th century, said Franchi.
He added that the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has long tried to influence law enforcement and legislation, has issued yet another report that follows a similar tack. His research is in the documentary Camp FEMA. “We cannot let these people . . . intimidate us; we are sovereign U.S. citizens, and nothing is going to stop us from [resisting] this tyranny,” Franchi said, noting that public television stations may help.
——
* For a great primer on FEMA camps, get a copy of AFP’s special report Concentration Camps in America. One copy is $3, six copies are $10 and 40 or more are 50 cents each. Send check or money order to AFP at 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Suite 100, Washington, D.C. 20003.
That’s according to Restore the Republic’s Gary Franchi at Freedom Law School’s recent Health & Freedom Conference. Franchi was one of several speakers who gathered at the Airport Hilton in Ontario, Calif., March 12-15 to talk about cutting-edge developments in health and politics.
Many vigilant Americans have become aware of some apparently underutilized military facilities and other installations around the nation that seem designed to detain large numbers of people but are largely empty.
Unsubstantiated rumors and urban legends have been circulated, and Franchi was careful not to overstate this issue. But he said there is cause for considerable concern in these post-9-11 days when the normal patriotic impulses of Americans are being relabeled as radical or even on par with terrorism by federal agencies.
Franchi told the conference audience that on April 1, 1979, under Executive Order 12127, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created but it unfortunately was “no joke” for April Fools Day. Just as FEMA was absorbed nearly 25 years later by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FEMA at its birth absorbed the Department of Defense civil-preparedness functions that designated schools, office buildings and other structures as atom bomb “fallout shelters” starting in the 1950s during the Cold War days with the Soviet Union.
DHS, created on the direct recommendation of the 9-11 Commission, that purported to deeply study what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, says, under its “Goals and Objectives” statement (Part VI), that its mission is to “protect our nation from dangerous people.”
Now under the DHS umbrella, FEMA’s three basic objectives, according to its own policy, are: national emergency recovery, continuity of government and “to combat perceived threats to the social and political order,” Franchi emphasized.
He showed an aerial picture of “FEMA City,” the drab barracks set up in Florida after Hurricane Charlie. These cookie-cutter mobile homes were “free housing with nosebleeds,” Franchi said, referring to the effects of chemical fumes emitted from the shoddy building materials.
The area, courtesy of FEMA, became a crime haven. Any genuine public benefit was marginal at best.
Fast-forward to Highland Mall in Austin, Texas, claimed by FEMA in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a place to put Louisiana refugees entering Texas. The New Orleans Superdome itself was “another
private building used to house refugees,” Franchi added.
Given the ongoing “war on terror” and the threat to the people’s liberties that can arise from “anti-terror” measures, combined with steep economic decline and the procedures and policies that FEMA and DHS have developed or are still developing, Franchi says the situation looks grim unless Americans protest now and show they are informed of, and actively opposed to, potential plans to imprison large numbers of people, lest Americans bite the dust the way the USSR people did when they were sent to brutal labor camps amid political turmoil and the demonizing of “unlawful” political beliefs.
Pointing to the World War II detention of thousands of Japanese-Americans, Franchi said the detaining of Americans has already happened. Recall that during Woodrow Wilson’s days, many notable war dissenters were imprisoned in a nation supposedly dedicated to free speech. So it’s only a question of circumstance, as Franchi sees it.
The FBI’s Project Megiddo in 1999, the Missouri Information Analysis Center “militia” report from February 2009 and the April 2009 DHS report Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, are among the reports that have tried to tie Americans’ concerns and beliefs to supposed violent tendencies, so these linkages can be transformed into the “truth” and used to arrest political dissidents, just like what happened in the early 20th century, said Franchi.
He added that the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has long tried to influence law enforcement and legislation, has issued yet another report that follows a similar tack. His research is in the documentary Camp FEMA. “We cannot let these people . . . intimidate us; we are sovereign U.S. citizens, and nothing is going to stop us from [resisting] this tyranny,” Franchi said, noting that public television stations may help.
——
* For a great primer on FEMA camps, get a copy of AFP’s special report Concentration Camps in America. One copy is $3, six copies are $10 and 40 or more are 50 cents each. Send check or money order to AFP at 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Suite 100, Washington, D.C. 20003.
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