Those of us tuned in to the alt-media are awake to the fact that the Western powers have engineered a US-EU-NATO sponsored coup d'etat in the Ukraine, and (again) violated all international laws. So after being schooled by Mr Putin last fall in Syria, where Vlad managed to reveal who were the real terrorists (and from where they were receiving their bucks and bullets), why is the west so determined to poke the Putin? May I suggest that beyond the obvious profiteering by the blue bloods and their Wall Street cronies, and the chance for the lamestream media to spout off about saving the world from an evil tyrant, that the TPTB are desperate for an excuse to tip the financial domino that will set-off a chain reaction of exploding derivatives, and give them cause to deploy their third-world "toolkit" on the middle classes of the west? Que the Cyprus-style haircuts and savings taxes. Last week a close economic advisor to Mr. Putin suggested that there are many ways for Russia to retaliate against Western sanctions, including dumping US government bonds. We also heard from the Canadian ambassador to China that "Western Nations Would Be Hurting Themselves" with any sanctions and seizures of Russian assets. Meanwhile, the Russians have sunk their landmines in Crimea and the Ukrainian-NATO forces are on the move. The west is playing chess with a master who has the right and the might to hit back -- Russia is NOT Liberia, or Libya! Meanwhile, the physical demand for gold and silver continues to set records in China and India (see below), and even yours truly has sold more metal to more newbies over the past month than I have over the past two years. Silver and gold, in your hands, is money that is unencumbered and free of bankrupt counter-parties; please contact me if I can help ...