German Chancellor Merkel was very busy last week. Angela Merkel had a number of meetings with the leaders of France and Italy. The meetings took place on the Italian island of Ventotene. Afterwards, Merkel went to Warsaw to hold meetings with the so-called "Visegrad Four" (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary). She also visited Estonia and the Czech Republic. Merkel also plans to meet French President Francois Hollande to discuss foreign policy issues.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of the "Weimar Triangle" - Germany, France and Poland - gathered for a meeting in Germany. All of those meetings were dedicated to the creation of the so-called "European army." This question is served as a "natural response" to Britain's exit from the European Union and the growth of external threats (Syria, terrorism, Ukraine) that Europe should deal with.

No doubt, Europe has to deal with a lot of problems. However, the politicians, who have been very good at being irresponsible so far, are not likely to change. Naturally, responsible politicians need to be created first, if one may say so. Whatever the meaning of all the talking might be, the goal is clear: Germany aspires to the role of a global military power.

The "EU partners" must now "decide how to handle Germany's power." Some have expressed resentment; others have "centered their EU strategies around Germany," and look for "ways to influence Berlin's policy machinery." None of this leaves any doubt that "Germany's political class" continues to see the EU as "the best available framework for the articulation of its national interest."

Whereas the ECFR's analysis concentrates its attention primarily on the political establishment of the other EU countries, the supplementary question to be raised in how to deal with German dominance is becoming increasingly urgent. Berlin is impelling the militarization of foreign policy as well as domestic surveillance and repression, measures, serving the preparation for war - a concern of everyone.

Whereas the ECFR concentrates its attention on the political establishment of the EU member countries, the question of how to deal with German dominance has become more urgent even beyond political elites. Berlin is pursuing an openly heralded globalist policy, a massive military and intelligence service buildup, and is demanding the same of its "EU partners." "The objective must be a common European military," declared Germany's Minister of the Economy and Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) in July.

However, despite claims that every virtual gram of gold is backed by the same amount of physical gold, clients have been refused the precious metal upon demand. Thus, troubles with delivering even small gold amounts to retail clients by Deutsche Bank may indicate that a global physical gold shortage is only growing.

The majority of Germany's gold held in country is being stored in Frankfurt. In December 2015 there were reserves of 1,402.5 metric tons. The Deutsche Bundesbank reports it still holds more than 1,347 metric tons of gold in New York, 434.7 metric tons in London and more than 196 metric tons in Paris. Germany has repatriated more than 177 metric tons from Paris, and about 189 metric tons from New York.

For those unfamiliar with the company, here is a brief overview from its website: Hanjin Shipping is Korea's largest and one of the world’s top ten container carriers that operates some 70 liner and tramper services around the globe transporting over 100 million tons of cargo annually. Its fleet consists of some 150 containerships and bulk carriers.

As Reuters reports, banks led by state-run Korea Development Bank withdrew backing for the world's seventh-largest container carrier on Tuesday, saying a funding plan by its parent group was inadequate to tackle debt that stood at 5.6 trillion won ($5 billion) at the end of 2015.

As part of the company's insolvency process, the court will now decide whether Hanjin Shipping should remain as a going concern or be dissolved, a process that usually takes one or two months but is expected to be accelerated in Hanjin's case, the judge said. A bankruptcy for Hanjin Shipping would be the largest ever for a container shipper in terms of capacity, according to consultancy Alphaliner, exceeding the 1986 collapse of United States Lines.

The report was co-authored by former Chief of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University Dr Paul McHugh and Arizona State University Professor of Statistics and Biostatistics Lawrence Mayer. They concluded that “gender identity” is not separate from biological sex.

“Examining research from the biological, psychological, and social sciences, this report shows that some of the most frequently heard claims about sexuality and gender are not supported by scientific evidence,” the report prefaced. “The hypothesis that gender identity is an innate, fixed property of human beings that is independent of biological sex — that a person might be ‘a man trapped in a woman’s body’ or ‘a woman trapped in a man’s body’ — is not supported by scientific evidence,” stated the researchers.

This is not exactly groundbreaking news to those who exercise common sense, of course. Simply because an individual purports to identify as something doesn't make it true, particularly if it is biologically impossible. It does not take a scientific study to confirm that a person who identifies as a horse, for example, is not a horse, or one who identifies as a chair is not in fact a chair. But the study should provide some weight to the common sense approach to transgenderism, while simultaneously exploding the beliefs of some social justice warriors who may have difficulty reconciling this scientific study with their own sense of reality.

Victims of microaggressions are “more at risk for illness & decreased immune system.” Erected as part of the university’s “Language Matters” campaign, the bulletin board instructs students to ask themselves whether their choice of words is “true,” “helpful,” “inspiring,” “necessary,” and “kind” before speaking out, and also includes a list of potentially-offensive terms, such as “retarded” and “illegal aliens.”

The board warns students that failing to follow these guidelines could lead them to commit a microaggression, which include “microassaults,” “microinsults,” and “microinvalidations.”

The “Language Matters” website includes a presentation similar in nature to the flyer, outlining the “big impact” of “little things” and providing examples of the three types of microaggressions. A microassault may include “avoiding someone,” for instance, while an example of a microinsult is telling someone they are strong for a girl. A microinvalidation, meanwhile, could involve asking an Asian or Latino person where they are from.

From August 25th to September 5th (Labor Day Monday), revelers from all over the world will dance, carouse and “express themselves” in a temporary city that has been created entirely by its citizens. This festival is part Mad Max, part Woodstock and part Eyes Wide Shut, and many “Burners” look forward all year long to these eight days of completely unrestrained hedonism.

30 years ago, Burning Man began as a small beach gathering in San Francisco. Initially held during the Summer Solstice, it quickly took on a life of its own and was moved to Nevada in 1990. Ever since then, this eight day party has not stopped growing, and people literally fly in from all over the world to witness one of the most bizarre spectacles in America.

To say that Burning Man is “weird” would not be doing it justice. In this very isolated corner of the Black Rock Desert, you will find nudists (lots of them), palm readers, neopagans, “ecosexuals”, witches, sorcerers, shamans, New Age gurus, “goddesses”, Satanists, “polyamorists” and just about every type of fetishist that you can possibly imagine.

The reason why the festival is called “Burning Man” is because of the gigantic effigy that is burned toward the end of the eight day celebration. Nobody is physically harmed during the burning of this enormous “wicker man”, but it does seem to parallel the human sacrifices that the Druids would do in ancient times

Ultimately, the truth is that you are not going to find meaning in life through sex, drugs, public nudity, weird art and loud techno music. You can try every pleasure under the sun, but it is still not going to fill that hole that you feel deep inside of you. In America today, there is a greater spiritual void than ever before. People are searching for meaning and purpose in all sorts of places and not finding it.

In the 'Swap this for that’ section, parents were advised to swap sugary cola and juice for water (great) or diet and sugar-free drinks (shocking!). It also suggested swapping chilled desserts (ice cream and similar) for fruit (great), low-fat yogurt or sugar-free jelly (so misleading and so wrong).

Finally, there’s a chart for parents to reward their children with stickers that say, 'sugar smart’ – a lovely idea, if only the advice were correct. I consider foods advertised as 'low-sugar’, 'diet’ or 'sugar-free’ as wolves in sheep’s clothing. They look harmless, but they often have their sugar replaced with artificial sweeteners, which encourage our taste buds to want more sugar and so sugar cravings continue.

New research has also found that when we’re eating artificially sweetened foods the body triggers a range of hormonal and metabolic responses ready to take on a blood-sugar increase. So if you’re eating a low-sugar jelly, your body suffers the metabolic consequences of eating sugar regardless. This is why dieters who depend on diet drinks and foods often don’t experience the weight loss they were expecting.

Artificial sweeteners are also heavily processed and full of man-made ingredients that are not great for the body. So my advice to my client was to forgo them entirely. At breakfast, try boiled eggs instead of sugary cereals, swap fizzy drinks for water and eat fresh fruit for dessert.

At the start of the meeting, she told ministers: "We must continue to be very clear that 'Brexit means Brexit', that we’re going to make a success of it. That means there’s no second referendum, no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door, that we’re actually going to deliver on this.

"This really is a very significant moment for the country, as we look ahead to the next steps that we need to take. We have the opportunity to forge a new positive role for the UK in the world." Mrs May was warned earlier by former chancellor Lord Lawson that she should get Britain out of the EU sooner rather than later by dropping any negotiations over access to the single market.

Lord Lawson said that the Prime Minister should not "negotiate the unnegotiable" because the EU would not be interested in allowing UK access to the single market without free movement of people. He urged Mrs May to "get on" with triggering Article 50, the process by which formal talks to leave begin.

To make matters worse, it could happen in Angela Merkel’s back yard.

The refugee crisis continues to dominate the political landscape across Germany, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the country’s most sparsely-populated state, and home to Angela Merkel’s constituency, is no exception. The AfD has used the crisis to woo disaffected voters and makes it very clear who it thinks is responsible for the country’s problems: Merkel.

Whatever happens, the AfD will almost certainly enter its ninth state parliament out of 16. Number 10 will likely follow two weeks later when voters go to the polls in Berlin, where the AfD is polling at 10 percent.

The changing face of German politics was on display when Merkel traveled to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in mid-August to meet with farmers, traditionally staunch supporters of her conservatives.

The farmers weren’t angry, but they were concerned. “I’m not just a farmer, I am also a worried citizen,” one man told Merkel, without explaining what he was worried about. “Please use your power so that our children will have a safe future.” The chancellor is aware that, as her popularity has been decreasing, her new far-right rival is trying to capitalize on these hard-to-explain fears.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that, among other high-tech equipment, the Japanese are keen to purchase 11 AAV7 amphibious assault craft produced by British arms giant BAE Systems. The move has been inspired by the ongoing confrontation between Japan and China over a set of small islands northeast of Taiwan – known in Japan as the Senkakus – over which both nations have staked a claim.

The Defense Ministry is also trying to convince the government to free up around 100 billion yen (about US$965 million) to buy a fleet of F-35 jets like those Britain is bringing into service, as well as Osprey V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft and Chinook helicopters. Also on the agenda are new submarines and a version of the Global Hawk surveillance drone, which the British Royal Air Force (RAF) already has in service.

The ‘pivot to Asia’ – as the strategic reorganization of forces towards a rising China is known in academic circles – recently came under scrutiny when it was revealed that British troops were embedded with American units based in Okinawa.

As I've publicly predicted numerous times over the last year, if Donald Trump wins, the radical extreme leftists go on a violent rampage that leads to the rest of us begging for martial law. After half a dozen cities burn with riots and looting, Trump invokes a national emergency, deploying National Guard troops across the most devastated urban areas, and the radical left finds itself in a shooting war with the government.

If Hillary Clinton wins, all the Trump supporters who have been violently assaulted, spat upon and physically attacked by the radical left un-holster their concealed weapons and start shooting back. This quickly escalates into open warfare between lunatic leftist Hillary supporters and armed Trump "Second Amendment" people who basically figure they've got nothing left to lose anyway, so why not fight to save America?

Hundreds of millions of guns across America are now in the hands of people who are fed up with being stomped on, ridiculed and marginalized by a corrupt leftist regime that's destroying America

Do the math on this one: You've got 44% of US households that now own guns (and not just one gun each, but several different types of guns). Over the last 8 years, President Obama's anti-gun rhetoric has resulted in the largest surge of gun sales to private citizens ever recorded in American history. As a result of Obama's criminal efforts to try to destroy the Second Amendment via false flag operations such as Operation Fast and Furious, more Americans than ever now own battle rifles such as ARs, AKs and PTR 91s. People bought all these guns for a reason. And they sure didn't buy them just to turn them over to a corrupt criminal government.