Two concerning stories have surfaced out of Asia in the past few weeks. To begin with, China put out stories in its state run newspapers that its submarine fleet is capable of launching nuclear weapons that can take out millions of Americans. This was predicted by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission last year. The report said, “China is on the cusp, perhaps within two years, of attaining a true ‘‘nuclear triad’’ of land-based ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and air-dropped nuclear bombs. For planning purposes, Chinese strategists consider the United States as the principal threat.” Turns out they were correct. As you can see in the Department of Defense map of Chinese missile ranges below, the JL-2 missiles (green circle), which China has loaded aboard its submarines couldn’t effectively reach over the North Pole from mainland China to strike U.S. targets in the 48 contiguous states. But once loaded aboard Xia class submarines, the missiles can reach from sea to shining sea. And according to the Chinese report, “The 12 JL-2 nuclear warheads carried by one single Type 094 SSBN can kill and wound 5 million to 12 million Americans.”

This week Americans learned from South Korea’s spy agency (NIS) that North Korea is working on EMP weapons. The intelligence explains that North Korea has purchased Russian electromagnetic weapons and intends to build domestic copies. In 2008 Pravda, the Russian state news mouthpiece, reported on the country’s newly developed EMP weapons.

It transpired recently that Russian scientists developed a generator, the capacity of which is comparable to that of a nuclear unit. It is a genuine scientific breakthrough, and it is already clear that the defense industry will not be the only field where the new super device is going to be used.

An individual, who is miles away from physics and is only familiar with home electricity, will not be able to imagine the power of several billions of watts. It will be even harder to imagine that such power can be generated by a device that is fit to be placed on a table.

“The devices generating such power – billions of watts – used to be very large in size before. This appliance has a very short impulse, which makes it possible to have it on a desk – it is a very compact device,” the Director of Lebedev’s Institute of Physics, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Gennady Mesyats said.

Mikhail Yalandin, one of the creators of the miraculous machine, said that the scientists had assembled two of such devices in Yekaterinburg – a bigger and a smaller one.

Never before had a relatively small device ever been able to generate electromagnetic impulses the capacity of which could be comparable to a huge water power plant. It is ten times as much as any foreign-made analogue.

The new device can be used practically anywhere. The invention will let specialists create radar telescopes and radars of new generation. Missile troops and defense departments on the whole will most likely be the first customers to order the appliance. The new generators can also be used to check the stability of large energy objects and systems. The device is capable of imitating the strays which appear as a result of a lightning strike or even a nuclear blast.

Is it likely that much of the bluster from these nations is propaganda? Yes. But is it also possible that some of it is true? Yes. Americans must be wary. Find out how to start preparing yourself for potential EMP attacks by reading EMP Threat: Be Prepared. Follow that up by reading through all of our articles on EMP, solar flare and disaster preparedness.

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Pat Buchanan presents a well-founded, opposing view that makes a lot of sense.

Will Christie be the candidate in 2016?

Put me down as a skeptic.

Some of us yet recall James “Scotty” Reston of the New York Times writing in 1963 that Nelson Rockefeller had as much chance of losing the Republican nomination as he did of going broke.

Comes the retort: Christie is no Nelson Rockefeller, but a pro-life conservative with five kids and Middle American values.

Why then the skepticism?

Geography, persona and culture — for openers.

The Republican Party is a Southern, Midwestern and Western party, suburban and rural. Not since Tom Dewey in 1948 has the GOP nominated a candidate from the urban Northeast.

And Chris Christie is not only from New Jersey; he is indelibly and proudly so.

The candidate who comes closest to him is Rudy Giuliani, hero of 9/11.

Christie may be the hero of Hurricane Sandy, but Sandy is not remembered nationwide like the shock and horror 9/11.

As Rudy won two terms in the toughest turf in America for a Republican, New York City, Christie has now won two terms in New Jersey.

So, how did Rudy, who started off 2008 as the front-runner in the Republican polls, do? He did not win a single primary.

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There are so many reasons that require international perspective as your investment horizon expands. And needless to say, it can be difficult to gain perspective by sitting home. Debbie and I have found after repeated trips that the world comes to Paris! More than any other international base we would wish to consider, Paris stands out. We have spent untold hours visiting with travelers and business people from around the world. Simply, Paris five star hotels draw people of interest. The intelligence we glean regarding the international landscape is but part of the equation. We also benefit greatly by what we hear from foreigners about America. On our last trip, we heard a great deal that we would have been just as happy not to have. The administration in Washington is universally held in the lowest esteem. The words confidence and trust surface regularly.

OK then, there’s a big benefit from the perspective you gain from associating with a wide group of international travelers. Where best to base yourself to achieve as wide an array of goals possible on your visit to Paris? If you are scheduling meetings in Paris, you’ll want to base yourself at one of Paris’ five star palace hotels on the right bank. As I have explained in the past, Debbie and I are not as big fans of the right bank as we are of the left. Were it not for our continued desire to stay at the Hotel Bristol and to try the hotels Daniel and Raphael, a right bank stay would not happen for us. Your situation, however, may make a right bank palace hotel the prudent if pricey move. As you probably are aware, a five star palace hotel stay comes with a ghastly price tag. You are going to take a financial hit of serious proportions. Somehow Mr. Bernanke seems to have convinced naïve American investors that he has inflation under control. Mr. Bernanke fools himself to imagine such folly. When you pull out your mini dollars for conversion into Euros and then price out your Paris five star stay, you will receive a sharp awakening.

So with the understanding that a right bank palace hotel is an indulgence and with so many of them closed for renovations, what do I advise? Clearly my first choice is the Hotel Le Bristol. This city landmark is old Paris and not the least bit trendy. The public spaces are decorated in refined woodwork and luxurious fabrics and rooms are beautiful, classic Parisian.  The staff and the two-Michelin-star restaurant are world class. Views of Paris are stunning from the hotel’s rooftop swimming pool. Make Hotel Le Bristol your first choice.

The Shangri-La is located in the 16^th arrondissement, where you’ll find wonderful views of the Eiffel Tower, just across the Seine in the 7^th.  The mansion was built for the great nephew of Napoleon and has been restored to its opulent best. We had several lovely meals at La Bauhinia, the brasserie set under a stunning glass dome. Authentic Cantonese food can be found at the highly recommended Shang Palace. The Shangri-La’s ground floor bar has a warm, clubby atmosphere. The Jardins du Trocadero, with its magnificent views of the ET, is a short walk from the hotel, as is one of our favorite bistros on the right bank, Le Stella.

The legendary Fouquet’s Brasserie at the corner of the Champs-Elysees is adjacent to the Hotel Fouquet’s Barrier, located on Avenue George V. We found the staff at the hotel to be young and most helpful. But after informing the front desk (twice) that the smell of cigarette smoke was wafting into our room, we were told they would check on it. It wasn’t until we were checking out (early) that we were told that we were on a smoking floor. But it was also the staff at Fouquet’s that suggested we wait 15 minutes for the hotel’s recommended taxi service, rather than randomly grabbing one of the many cabs dropping guests off. A great idea. (That was before we had downloaded the Uber app.) In the end, we found the hotel to be a little too retro for our taste. Le Diane, the hotel’s Michelin starred restaurant, however, was excellent, as was the service—certainly worthy of another evening.

The post What I Learned in Paris Fall 2013: Part II appeared first on RichardCYoung.com.

Gail Wise bought what’s believed to be the first Ford Mustang on April 15, 1964 for $3,447.50, as reported here. Next year the legendary Mustang will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Ford is expected to unveil the new look ‘Stang in December but images have already been leaked.

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A big new statin drug study from American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology is causing controversy for many good reasons. The study indicates that the number of Americans taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs could rise to 72 million from 36 million. Purely from the mathematics of NNT (number needed to treat), I am no fan of the new study’s recommendations. The study says that statin drugs can reduce a type-2 diabetic’s chances of yearly heart complications risk to 4 percent from 5 percent. One may conclude that 40 patients per 1000 would be at risk rather than 50 patients per thousand. This equates to a NNT of 100 to 1. Of every 100 patients treated with statins, only 1 patient might benefit. Yet all the other 99 patients would be at risk for any number of potentially ugly side benefits. One can attack this new study on a number of fronts. At the end of the day, the NNT numbers alone would give me a great deal of concern. Here you can read in detail about the controversial new study. The study now advises that driving down LDL levels to certain target measurements should not be a target. I have been writing for years against this targeting. There is no doubt in my mind that statin drugs can drive down LDL readings, but my question has been, is this a good idea?

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