Got a couple of new DVD's to watch... maybe a review if I can be arsed. I think I'll go for Gary Oldman in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', as for some reason 'Red State' leaves a bad taste in my mouth... ;) Also in the queue is Machine Gun Preacher, still! And last seen was 'District 9', brilliant South African alien flick with strong political undertones. I've noticed a few people seem overdosed on news & politics of late.. desensitized and past caring. I figure my regression to watching Sci-Fi is a symptom of the same thing. Is that just me, is it the time of year, or what?

Australian PM Julia Gillard, Tony Abbot and Australian Race Relations

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-16776349
This deserves a blog, most definitely...

DEFCON 18: Your ISP and the Government: Best Friends Forever

Sat 28 January : Hands Off Syria & Iran : US Embassy, London

http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/action-a-events/national-events/1004-sat-28-january-2pm-4pm-picket-at-us-embassy-no-western-intervention-in-the-middle-east
Stop The War Coalition are hosting an emergency protest this weekend at the US Embassy, London UK, in an attempt to 'stop the war before it starts', against Syria and Iran.

2-4pm GMT, Grosvenor Square. Near Marble Arch tube (if someone has a photobucket etc, drop a map shot in the replies please?)

Now, public outrage isn't anywhere near as high, at least not here, as it was for the Iraq War march nearly 10 years ago, with all the bull about WMD's that came with that. Neither Bashar al-Assad, the Ayatollah nor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are any more popular here than Saddam or Gadaffi were... but, while we can factually say Iran are pursuing a 'nuclear capability', it has yet to be proven this is intended to be weaponised, and is not just for energy. The deliberate mistranslation by MEMRI is well known.

Cue debate about the IAEA report ad infinitum...

If anyone can get there, I may be going along - let me know? I work until 7am Saturday morning, so I'll be tired. Will make the effort if I know there's someone to meet, and make a day out of it. Get here on Eurostar and I'll contribute to your ticket, within reason. It won't be as big as the Iraq protest, but it will sure as shit be on the news, and I figure there will be plenty of great photo opportunities, if nothing else.

Remind me, what have Syria done to us? This is another strategic stepping-stone to the Empire's full-spectrum dominance, and control of world oil and gas. And Israel are champing at the bit. That's not an anti-Israel comment... but isn't it obvious they are the only ones really up for this fight? It's insanity. You'd have to be a fundamentalist to be in it.

We stopped SOPA. We can stop this.

Last person here to realise what these warmongering lunatics could be about to start, please turn out the light?

Ramana's Garden: An American Woman Devotes Her Life To The "Untouchable" Children of India

This is an interesting article about her life's work:

[Maggie O'Hara (Prabhavati Dwabha's original name) came to Pune, India, for the first time in 1978. She was a woman escaping from a fragmented life. As a struggling actress in Hollywood, O'Hara was looking for anchorage, but that seemed to elude her then.......She was waiting for a fundamental shift in her life's perspective to occur but what began to impact her was the poverty of the local people, their poor health, malnourishment and illiteracy, particularly among the children. "I desperately wanted to do something for them," she says.]

http://gulfnews.com/life-style/people/showering-warmth-1.663029

This is her website:

http://www.sayyesnow.org/

A Blog That Has Shifted My Perspective

I read a blog a few months ago that has created a change in my perspective......a change in the way that I view my own country and the world around me. Actually, it wasn't a blog. It was a picture of the man in Norway who killed all of those children who were attending a Summer camp. The title given to the picture was "White Man's Disease".  So I went back and forth with the guy who posted the picture in an attempt to correct him by giving him examples of human rights abuses by people of all color down through the ages as well as in the present. This had absolutely no effect on his thinking. And so I quickly realised that he was just unbalanced and incapable of rational thought. To him, all of the evils of the world first appeared on this planet two hundred and some odd years ago in the United States of America. Slavery, greed, war and all the rest were first visited upon this planet in America a couple of centuries ago. And so while I was giving him examples of present day slavery in Africa, going all the way back into the dark recesses of our history, in Egypt and the Middle East, and while I was giving him examples of human rights abuses that have occurred throughout the entire history of the human race, abuses that are still so rampant today in many parts of the world, far worse than in the U.S., I began to realize how fortunate that I am to live in America. And I began to realize that despite all of the problems that exist here, there is so much to appreciate. There is so much to admire and to be grateful for, here. 

But this has also had another effect on me. I realized that I was only focusing on the problems in my own country. And I also started noticing that people from other cultures seem so quick to criticize the U.S. but never mention the problems that plague their own cultures. It has become almost fashionable to find fault the U.S. while ignoring the most hideous examples of abuse that are occurring elsewhere. And while it is understandable that as a citizen of this country, I am concerned about the problems that exist here, I am also a citizen of this planet. I care about people everywhere. And I think that it's a good idea to start seeing the world as a whole. So I will be trying to find a more balanced approach in my blogging and videos etc... What effects one nation effects us all. We are all a part of a greater whole.

Deforestation, Amazon

Oil & Gas Libya 2012

http://www.oilandgaslibya.com/

Canadian resident sentenced to death for writing a computer program

by Lachlan Urquhart on January 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

Last week, the Iranian Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence for computer programmer Saeed Malekpour, whose photography program was used without his knowledge, to upload pornography to the internet.

Canadian resident Mr Malekpour was arrested while visiting his dying father in Iran during October 2008. He was held in solitary confinement in Tehran's Evin Prison for a year without charge, according to Amnesty.

He made confessions, which were later televised, to his charges, which according to the EFF include "acting against national security through propaganda" and "production and publication of obscene materials through computer systems".

However, in a letter sent from the prison in March 2010, Mr Malekpour states, he retracted these confessions, stating they had been given under duress after prolonged interrogation and torture by the "Revolutionary Guards Cyber Counterattack" team. He also wrote that he still not been allowed to visit his lawyer.

A Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death in October 2010 for his alleged confessions but the Supreme Court later overturned the sentence. When referred back to the same Revolutionary Court for reassessment, the death sentence was reinstated.

Last week, the Supreme Court approved this execution.

The Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird is reported to have condemned the Supreme Court's decision, but there is little practical means of challenging this order outside Iran.

This is not the first death sentence for an internet-related crime in Iran. Iranian blogger Vahid Asghari was sentenced to death for allegedly hosting a pornography network.

The recent OpenNet Initiative (ONI) Report "In the Name of God" and ONI Iran profile both provide necessary context to the broader approach of internet control in Iran.

A broader question that could be drawn from Mr Malekpour's case is to what extent should software creators have control over end use of their programs?

Software designers could retain greater control and lock down end use to prescribed functions, preventing their software being used outside its intended purpose.

Of course, in this context it could prove complicated to implement. For Mr Malekpour, he would have had to invest in image recognition capabilities and impose restrictions if the images were deemed inappropriate. This would move the original program beyond its modest remit.

Importantly, requiring restrictions and lockdown of software might stifle innovation. New ideas and applications are often realised by allowing the end user to tinker. Oxford and Harvard Law Professor Jonathan Zittrain is a proponent of the 'generativity' of technologies that maintain openness and allow modification.

Professor Zittrain accredits the creation of the internet as spawning from such an ideology, but 'generativity' is a double-edged sword and innovation of destructive applications also occurs, with malware being a key example.

All this debate, however, is of little consolation to Saeed Malekpour who is facing a bleak future. He can't have imagined that when he started writing a photography program, his code would put his life in peril.

Obama: Abortion Enables 'Our Daughters' To 'Fulfill Their Dreams'...

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-defends-roe-v-wade-way-our-daughters-have-same-chance-sons-fulfill-their-dreams
(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama says the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade is the chance to recognize the “fundamental constitutional right” to abortion and to “continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.”

The 1974 U.S. Supreme Court nationalized abortion law, prohibiting states from deciding on the matter. In his written statement, Obama acknowledged that abortion has been a divisive political issue.

Obama, while serving in the Illinois State Legislature and as president of the United States, has taken a hard line on abortion rights.

In his statement on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling, Obama said it reflects the broader principles of America.

Divide & Conquer? The Russian Plan For Ownership of The Caspian Sea

http://www.bc.edu/dam/files/schools/law/lawreviews/journals/bciclr/27_1/03_TXT.htm
Just found this, one for our archive, will keep here to read later. Not sure how old it is...

Will They Bomb Iran?

Do you think there will be a war, or any kind of military confrontation between Iran and the West, any time before 2020?

Yes

 

 7

No

 

 3

World news on the Iranian nuclear issue and their alleged threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, seems to indicate today that things are cooling off.  I wanted to post something on this, because I'm betting Mossad are getting busy while everyone's attention is on the US Congress' vote on their online piracy bill, trying to legislate on something they don't even own.  More on that elsewhere... this post is to remind you what goes on while we're not looking.

Iran have recently dropped the US dollar and warned American and British military to back off the Strait, but in general I'd be wary of skewed reporting in western press, which can easily be manipulated to support the case for a 'pre-emptive strike' on Iran's non-existent nuclear weapons program.  Times of India reported just over an hour ago that Tehran say they're ready to engage in six-party talks, but the US deny this.  Ehud Barak says any attack on Iran is 'far off'.  Wen Jibao defends Chinese oil trade with the Persians in the face of western sanctions.  Iranian Interior Minister is due to visit Russia, and trade is on the increase between Iran and Turkey, who insist on IAEA talks.  So it does look as if the warmongers are going to be disappointed. For now.  

I have one simple question.  We know that a 'covert war' is already underway, with the politics of sanctions, the assassination of a fourth Iranian nuclear scientist, widely thought to have been a Mossad hit, and of course the cyber-terrorism of Stuxnet.  Troops moved en masse to Israel last month and the Saudis have just bought lots of new F16's.  I'd be very surprised if Special Forces were not on the ground inside Iran long ago... so we see, the preparations for an all-out military confrontation are taking place, but there lies my question...

Q:  Do you think there will be a war, or any sort of military attack on Iran, this decade?

Please stick to just yes or no.  The question is whether there will be a military manifestation of some of the things that are already being done to Iran, whether shots will be fired in the Gulf, a ship sunk, the Strait of Hormuz closed or nuclear sites bombed.  Regardless of your wishes as to whether or not this happens - do you think it will?  Feel free to elaborate on your reasons, in the replies...   

"She's buried chest high"

This is a poem written by a girl, Nessrriinn, who was bullied off of youtube:

She's Buried Chest High

New American Century (Documentary)

Had to post this via embed in the blog, nearly 2 hours, would never upload...

Standard & Poor? That's the name of a financial company? Seriously? One with authority to 'rate' European countries, and 'downgrade' nine of them? S&P is owned by McGraw-Hill companies. Who owns them? Just a hunch, but this latest 'downgrading' benefits [the bankers], right?

Israeli Terrorism: Another Dead Iranian Scientist

Kudos to Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com, for addressing this and calling it what it is - terrorism. We are not accustomed, as he points out, to calling it that, when it's perpetrated by the US, Israel, or her allies...

http://www.salon.com/2012/01/12/iran_and_the_terrorism_game/singleton/

In the few venues which yesterday denounced as “Terrorism” the ongoing assassinations of Iranian scientists, there was intense backlash against the invocation of that term. That always happens whenever “Terrorism” is applied to acts likely undertaken by Israel, the U.S. or its allies — rather than its traditional use: violence by Muslims against the U.S. and its allies — because accusing Israel and/or the U.S. of Terrorism remains one of the greatest political taboos (even when the acts in question involve not only assassinations but also explosions which kill numerous victims whose identities could not have been known in advance). But the case of these scientist assassinations particularly highlights how meaningless and manipulated this term is.

(continued)

Pirates hijack Iranian ship in Gulf of Aden

http://news.yahoo.com/pirates-hijack-iranian-ship-gulf-aden-report-070702266.html
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Pirates in the Gulf of Aden have hijacked an Iranian ship carrying 30,000 tonnes of petrochemical products to a North African country, Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday.

Somali sea gangs have seized vessels and crews across the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, extracting millions of dollars in ransoms.

Mehr did not say where the information on the latest reported attack came from.

Separately on Tuesday, the Pentagon said American forces had rescued six Iranian mariners who said their ship was taking in water off the coast off Iraq.

The announcement came less than a week after U.S. naval forces rescued 13 Iranian fishermen who were taken hostage by pirates in the Arabian Sea for more than a month.

Afghan Girl Tortured After Refusing Prostitution

Full text at LINK

Despite progress in women's rights and freedom since the fall of the Taliban 10 years ago, women throughout the country are still at risk of abduction, rape, forced marriage and being traded as commodity.

However it can be hard for women to escape violent situations at home, because of huge social and sometimes legal pressure to stay in marriages.

Running away from an abusive husband or a forced marriage are considered "moral crimes", for which women are currently imprisoned in Afghanistan.

Libya Rendition Claims to be Investigated by UK Police

Libya rendition claims to be investigated by UK police

12 January 2012 Last updated at 13:04

British police are to investigate claims that UK secret services helped in the rendition of a man to Libya.

The Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service said MI5 and MI6 officers would not be charged over separate torture collusion claims.

One of the leaders of the anti-Gaddafi forces is suing the UK over his transfer to Libya and subsequent torture.

The government has set up an inquiry into claims of rendition.

In the statement, the Metropolitan Police said that it had received a complaint from a detainee relating to his rendition to Libya and information relating to a second similar case.

The statement said: "The allegations raised in the two specific cases concerning the alleged rendition of named individuals to Libya and the alleged ill-treatment of them in Libya are so serious that it is in the public interest for them to be investigated now rather than at the conclusion of the Detainee Inquiry."

Abdel Hakin Belhaj, a commander of the rebel forces in Libya, says he was tortured after being arrested in 2004. He says that he was taken from Bangkok to Libya by a joint CIA and MI6 operation which was set up to help Col Muammar Gaddafi round up his enemies.

Last year, Mr Belhaj told the BBC that he deserved an apology from the UK.

Binyam Mohamed allegations

The investigations into allegations of collusion began after a former Guantanamo detainee, Binyam Mohamed, told the courts that London knew that he was being abused while held in Pakistan in 2002.

An MI5 officer known only as Witness B, who interviewed Mr Mohamed in Pakistan, was cleared of wrongdoing.

The investigation then looked into whether the Security Service had colluded in Mr Mohamed's later torture in Morocco, prior to his transfer to Guantanamo.

In the joint statement, the Crown Prosecution Service and Metropolitan Police said that there was insufficient evidence to show that any British officer had supplied questions for interrogation knowing that Mr Mohamed could be tortured.

The second case related to an MI6 officer that the service itself referred to investigators.

The officer interviewed a detainee who was being held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in January 2002.

The CPS said that despite "strenuous efforts" it had not been able to get an account of what happened from the detainee or potential eye witnesses who were not British officials. Given the lack of evidence, the CPS said that there was insufficient evidence to launch a prosecution.

Related Stories From BBC:

UK-Libya intelligence links probe 05 SEPTEMBER 2011, UK

No charges for MI5 Binyam officer 17 NOVEMBER 2010, UK

Torture 'abhorrent' says MI6 head 28 OCTOBER 2010, UK

Guantanamo papers reveal UK role 15 JULY 2010, UK

Profiles: Guantanamo Bay Britons 16 NOVEMBER 2010, UK

Police torture investigations hobbled by political pressure for sham inquiry

12 Jan 2012

Responding to today's joint statement by the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police on investigations into UK complicity in the torture of detainees, Reprieve's Director Clive Stafford Smith said:

 

“I have nothing but praise for the line police who have been investigating the case, but they are being hobbled, just as they were in the hacking inquiry. They know as well as I do that Shaker Aamer is key to this case, and it goes without saying that they need to interview him. But there seems to be political pressure to move forward with the sham Gibson Inquiry, at the cost of a proper police investigation.

 

“Today’s statement by the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police on the abuse of detainees makes a number of things clear:

 

“First, it shows that evidence of British complicity in the torture of Libyans Sami al Saadi and Abdulhakim Belhaj by the Gaddafi regime is so blatant that a criminal inquiry must go ahead before the Government’s deeply flawed Gibson Inquiry can get started.

 

“Second, the decision to set up a panel to look at other allegations is clearly aimed at the case of Shaker Aamer, the last British resident in Guantanamo Bay. Reprieve has provided the Police with information on his abuse.

 

“Third, this is the first time any official in any country has conceded that Binyam Mohamed was tortured – and it is clear from this statement that the CPS accepts that Mr Mohamed was tortured and it was a criminal offence.

 

“Finally, it is unsurprising that they have decided not to prosecute ‘Witness B’. MI5 and MI6 should of course discipline any staff involved, even if there is no criminal inquiry. But the main focus of all this should not be the rank and file, but those who were signing off the torture policy at the top. In that sense, there remain very real questions for Tony Blair, Jack Straw, and David Miliband, who were in power when these dreadful abuses took place.

 

“Sadly, the current Government’s Gibson Inquiry simply has neither the clout nor the independence it needs to get to the bottom of this, and as a result is set to be little more than a whitewash. Meanwhile, current Government proposals to bury our justice system under a blanket of secrecy when intelligence issues are involved look set to hamstring any future accountability in the courts.”

 

ENDS

 

Notes to editors

1. For further information, please contact Donald Campbell in Reprieve’s press office: +44 (0) 207 427 1082 / (0) 7791 755 415

 

2. The full text of the statement can be found on the Crown Prosecution Service's website.

3. Reprieve, a legal action charity, uses the law to deliver justice and save lives, from death row to Guantánamo Bay. Reprieve investigates, litigates and educates, working on the frontline, to provide legal support to prisoners unable to pay for it themselves. Reprieve promotes the rule of law around the world, securing each person’s right to a fair trial and saving lives.  Clive Stafford Smith is the founder of Reprieve and has spent 25 years working on behalf of people facing the death penalty in the USA.Reprieve’s current casework involves representing 15 prisoners in the US prison at Guantánamo Bay, assisting over 70 prisoners facing the death penalty around the world, and conducting ongoing investigations into the rendition and the secret detention of ‘ghost prisoners’ in the so-called ‘war on terror.’ Follow Reprieve on twitter: @ReprieveUK; if you were forwarded this release, sign up to join our press mailing list.

RT:

Majority of Gitmo prisoners innocent

http://rt.com/news/innocent-guantanamo-prisoners-protest-585/

Guardian:

Guantanamo's Last British Inmate, Shaker Aamer

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/11/shaker-aamer-guantanamo

Reuters:

Libyan Islamist sues UK over rendition claims

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/12/19/uk-libya-islamist-rendition-idUKTRE7BI1MB20111219

From the archives - Abu Ghraib sexual abuse of prisoners

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5395830/Abu-Ghraib-abuse-photos-show-rape.html

AG Marshall's Podcast: Empire, Power & People - Episode 1

http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2012/01/11/empire-power-and-people-with-andrew-gavin-marshall-episode-1/
Andrew Gavin Marshall, formerly of Global Research, teams up with Sibel Deniz Edmonds' 'Boiling Frogs Post', to bring us a soundbite of his work, in audio form.

This one is entitled 'The American Empire in Their Own Words'.

Edmonds' credentials are unquestionable - Google her - and Marshall is a dedicated scholar rapidly becoming an 'internet celebrity', in the footsteps of the likes of Gore Vidal, Noam Chomsky and Peter Dale Scott.

I'm a fan, I must say. This is how it should be done. Considerably younger than many of his contemporaries, I regard Marshall as showing the way for a new generation, online, in this field of research. This stuff makes me wish I'd gone to university, really.

He's also working on a multi-volume book - The People's Book Project.

I'm privileged to be in touch with him - and Sibel - personally, and I'll make them aware of this post. I can quite imagine some Americans might find his work a little 'uncomfortable', so here is an opportunity for you to share some 'constructive criticism', if need be. Otherwise, his research is outstanding... lend an ear. The source material for this first podcast comes from direct quotes by the Neocon intellectual elite.

Worth the time. Get to know!

Anonymous Target Germany's Political Right

01/10/2012

 

Anonymous Under Fire

Criticism Mounts against Anti-Nazi Website

By Marcel Rosenbach

A group of online activists associated with the loose-knit hacker collective Anonymous has set its sights on Germany's far-right scene. But its method of publishing private information in its raw form, creating the potential for further abuse, has drawn criticism from both its supporters and targets.

The activist says that he and his associates were prompted to act by revelations in early November that a neo-Nazi terror group calling itself the National Socialist Underground (NSU) had apparently murdered at least 10 people in a seven-year killing spree. The activist is hard to get a hold of. For him, speaking on the phone is too risky, and emailing even more so. Instead, he prefers to communicate via encrypted online chats.

A little over a week ago, he and some friends launched a new Internet portal, nazi-leaks.net (German only), advertising it as "Operation Blitzkrieg." The site aims to publish hacked confidential data, much like Julian Assange's whistleblowing platform WikiLeaks. But, in this case, the platform is a place for amassing confidential information about the far-right scene in Germany.

RP - I couldn't access it using Google, I don't know if it's been taken down altogether...

During an online chat, the anonymous activist says that there is a team of "five to 10" individuals behind the platform, and that they have brought together several data sets, many of which have previously been published elsewhere. These have included the names of alleged donors to Germany's far-right National Democratic Party (NPD), internal NPD emails, a list of contacts from the right-wing weekly newspaper Junge Freiheit and customer data from neo-Nazi online stores. The activist adds that he and his associates decided "it would be appropriate to simply offer everything in one central place."

When asked who is behind this campaign and what the group aims to achieve, the activist simply types "We are Anonymous" before signing off.

(Full text at LINK)

'Secret War' - CIA on AFPAK border, ISI complicity with insurgents?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/secret-war/
From PBS Frontline. If I find this on youtube etc I'll post as a video...

Russia may close Ukrainian border: Cholera

http://for-ua.com/ukraine/2012/01/08/121219.html
Russia may close borders with Ukraine due to an outbreak of cholera last summer. Outbreak was in the Donetsk region, which will be receiving a large influx of tourists due to the European football tournament this year.

http://www.euro.who.int/en/where-we-work/member-states/ukraine/sections/news/2011/06/ukraine-reports-14-cholera-cases

Ukraine reports 14 cholera cases
06-06-2011
Ukraine has reported to WHO 14 laboratory confirmed cases of cholera between 30 May and 6 June 2011 from Mariupol on the Azov Sea in Donetsk oblast. A local laboratory in Donetsk has confirmed Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1, biotype El Tor, serotype Ogawa as the causative agent in all cases.

http://news.kievukraine.info/2011/12/bio-attack-fears-for-england-fans.html

LONDON, England -- The England squad and thousands of fans travelling to see them in the Euro 2012 football finals are under threat of a terrorist attack, according to intelligence sources.

http://ua-traveling.com/en/sports

The Mourners of DPRK

I can scarcely imagine anyone - never mind myself - being this emotional about the passing of a head of state, spiritual leader or favourite celebrity.  People cared about JFK, Pope John Paul II or Elvis, sure, but please tell me we weren't like this?

Thing is, Kim was all three rolled into one. 

It has been suggested that these are actors playing to the press - notice the absence of any real tears?

Images from  http://publicintelligence.net/kim-jong-il-hysterical-mourners/

One has to wonder about this nation's 'rehabilitation' from this bizarre cult of hero-worship, how, assuming the present dynasty is not permanent, they might as a nation 'recover' from the brainwashing and be a part of the modern world. We can call it batshit crazy and laugh at them, or we can feel sorry for them and realise what a humanitarian tragedy their isolation is.  Do you suppose people there have any idea how the rest of the world sees them?  It's like a giant social experiment gone horribly wrong. 

North Korea is not, of course, 'Communist'.  It's just called that because of relations with Maoist China.  Kim Jong Un is the new Emperor.  

Soros.org is in the business of 'helping nations make the transition from communism' ... perhaps they'll be able to help?  But for now, can't see the DPRK having much to do with outsiders, least of all America, can you?  

The defamation of 'people's choice' in the coming Russian Presidential race, Alexei Navalny, opponent to Vladimir Putin, has begun... http://navalny.livejournal.com/661833.html

In Depth with Author and Journalist Chris Hedges

http://www.c-span.org/Events/In-Depth-with-Author-and-Journalist-Chris-Hedges/10737426679-1/
"The Empire is over and the descent is going to be horrifying".

3 hour video. Enjoy :)

Ponzi Planet: The Danger Debt Poses to the Western World - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,806772,00.html
Countries around the world, particularly in the West, are hopelessly in the red, with debt rising every day. Even worse, politicians seem paralyzed, unable -- or unwilling -- to do anything about it. It is a global disaster that threatens the immediate future. But there might be a way out.


A work by the graffiti artist Banksy in London

When Carlo Ponzi, a dishwasher from Parma, Italy, immigrated to the United States in 1903, he had $2.50 in his pocket and a million-dollar dream in his head. He was able to fulfill that dream, at least temporarily.

Ponzi promised people that he would multiply their money in a miraculous way: by 50 percent in six weeks. With his carefully parted hair and charming accent, Ponzi beguiled investors and fueled their avarice. The first investors raked in fantastic returns. What they didn't know was that Ponzi was simply using the next investors' money to pay them their profits.


The scheme continued. Ten investors turned into 100, and 100 investors turned into 1,000, until the scam was discovered. Ponzi spent many years in prison, and he died a pauper in 1949. But his name remains important to every criminologist today -- and every economist.

Economists use the term "Ponzi scheme" to describe a disastrous mechanism in which someone pays off old debt by constantly taking on new debt. The repayment of the debt -- the most recent loans, plus interest -- is deferred into the distant future, fueling an eternal process of debt refinancing.

It's the classic pyramid, or snowball scheme, practiced by thousands of con artists after Ponzi. The most spectacular case was that of New York financier Bernard Madoff, who was responsible for losses of about $20 billion by 2008. Snowballs are set into motion, becoming bigger and bigger as they roll along. In the worst case, they end in an avalanche that takes everything else with it.

Western economies have not acted much differently than the fraudster Madoff. In 2011, they were virtually inundated with bad news and old sins. Almost everyone -- in Europe and in the United States -- has been living beyond their means, from consumers to politicians to entire countries. Governments have become servants to the markets upon which they have become dependent.

Bigger Snowballs

On an almost weekly basis, the reports have become more worrisome and the sums of money involved more staggering. Many are now concerned that, as 2012 begins, the snowballs will only get bigger -- and roll faster:

There are the banks in Europe, which will have to repay about €725 billion in combined debt in 2012, including €280 billion in the first quarter alone. With the private market largely off-limits to them, the banks have had to rely on the European Central Bank (ECB) to bail them out. The ECB is now lending them fresh money -- as much as they want -- at minimal interest rates.
There is a country like Italy, which has an exorbitant amount of debt to service at the beginning of the year. About €160 billion in debt will mature between January and April; the total for the entire year is about €300 billion. The government in Rome is already having trouble finding buyers for its bonds.
There is the ECB, which is creating billions essentially out of nothing. On an almost weekly basis, it is acquiring bonds that no one else would buy from Portugal, Spain and Italy and, in the process, it is turning into a reluctant financier of nations. This financial aid already amounts to €211 billion.
There is the European Commission, whose president, José Manuel Barroso, supports the use of so-called euro bonds. These bonds, which would be issued jointly by the countries in the monetary union, would amount to an accumulation of collective debt on top of national debts.
There is the €440-billion euro bailout fund, of which €150 billion are already promised to Greece, Ireland and Portugal. But because this amount is still not enough, the finance ministers have decided to "leverage" the fund, a seemingly harmless term for bringing in additional lenders, thereby multiplying the volume of credit.
And then there is the United States, which only remains solvent because the Congress in Washington keeps raising the debt ceiling. The American government already owes its creditors about $15 trillion. Stay tuned for the next installment.


In other words, there are plenty of snowballs that have started rolling and getting larger with each rotation. Some aspects of the economic system in the industrialized countries resemble a gigantic Ponzi scheme. The difference is that this version is completely legal.

Please read the whole article at
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,806772,00.html The Danger Debt Poses to the Western World
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,806772-2,00.html Of Good Debt and Bad Debt
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,806772-3,00.html Germany's True Liabilities
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,806772-4,00.html The Failures of the Political Class
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,806772-5,00.html Strategies for Reducing Debt

The Late Colonel Gaddafi & Libyan Oil

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/08/24/302759/mccain-lieberman-graham-qaddafi/

http://geopolitics.multiply.com/links/item/755/Washingtons_Close_Ties_to_Gaddafi

BBC News - Global terror: Potential flashpoints in 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16399275
A fairly unsurprising list of speculative terror 'flashpoints'.

All Islamist, except perhaps the last two.

More cyber attacks? Probably.

I do think that if the British establishment need an excuse to invade somewhere, say Somalia, any attack on the Olympics in London is more likely to be outright false flag. Do al Qaeda have the means and organisation? Do MI5? What about the likes of the Real IRA? Bombing a packed Olympic stadium, worst case scenario, is huge. I just can't see it.

Trouble... as in riots, not bombs... is, I think, more likely to come from the domestic protestors. The Republican or Democrat conventions in the US, maybe. Sure the powers that be would like to have some more ammo to throw at the Occupy movement. But it doesn't benefit them to have people's attention turned toward Yemen or Pakistan. Troubles in such places will undoubtedly continue, but as for attacks on western shores, no. They'll want American eyes on the election.

What's your view?

ALEC - America’s Secret Political Power | Truthout

http://www.truth-out.org/americas-secret-political-power/1325535857
Had you heard of this before?

http://alec.org

Secret plan to muster army of 500,000 in event of nuclear war - Independent.ie

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/secret-plan-to-muster-army-of-500000-in-event-of-nuclear-war-ireland-was-ready-to-help-out-uk-2976673.html
I know we've a few Irish-Americans in here, and maybe even some fully Irish. This one's for you. Athbhliain Shona!

Far East & Australasia : Weather-Watch

Typhoons, floods and earthquakes may not be new phenomena to that part of the world, but some of the footage that dominated last year's news - and still does - damn sure makes me glad I live in Europe.  News today tells of a 6.8 magnitude earthquake off Japan's Izu islands, and Christchurch, New Zealand hit by 17 smaller quakes in 18 hours.

So, what happens after?  How can we help?  If you know a site or phone number where we can donate, volunteer or anything useful... please share?  

What is the forecast for 2012?  The nuclear meltdown following the Japan tsunami early last year really grabbed the world's attention, but otherwise, are these devastating weather conditions any worse than usual?  Goodstuff in particular, with your sailing experience in the region, or indeed anyone here with any specialist maritime knowledge, meteorology etc, are you able to tell us anything more?  Websites of relief efforts?  Local news?

Fukushima Crisis - New Scientist Special Report

National Geographic - Tsunami gallery

Great collection of links, news, concerns about nuclear fallout etc here

Cyclone Thane

Thailand - worst floods for 50 years

 

SENDONG RELIEF (TYPHOON 'WASHI' - LOCAL NAME 'SENDONG')

RESCUE-UK.ORG

CHRISTIAN AID

OXFAM

UNESCAP 

CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE APPEAL

Questions ...  1)  How do I know that any money I donate will get to those who need it?

2)  It doesn't affect me, why should I help?  Nobody helps my country...

3)  It's mother nature, what can we do about it?

4)  What is the danger of radiation reaching the US?

5)  Is my church organising anything that could make a difference?

6)  Haven't we got enough financial problems of our own?

"They don't mind the procrastination; they say 'we'll kill them off, then go there for a holiday' "

~  Anon.

2011 - What a Year!

I probably should have posted this a week ago... but I think we can all agree that 2011 was one hell of a year for news consumers like us, of any stripe, anywhere?  I spent a large part of it away from Multiply, and watching current affairs much less altogether... took my eye off the ball, and I won't make that mistake again! 

If this reads like I'm over-excited, well... I guess I am.  World news, current affairs, geopolitics, whatever you want to call it, is my hobby, I guess... and there's so much going on it's difficult to know where to start.

Osama bin Laden, Libya and the Arab Spring were key stories, so too were the Occupy movement, financial crisis and of course the Fukushima disaster. Below, are gathered ten videos to jog your memory, and this is testament to just how much of note happened in 2011... we will all be able to think of others that might, or should, have been included.

It depends on the lens through which you view the world.  If you're in Latin America, Hugo Chavez' 'Bolivarian' revolution might well be the most significant event of the last year, for you.  Or in Germany or Italy, the Euro economic crisis.  Or in Pakistan, the capture of CIA's Raymond Davis, or NATO attacks on military bases there, not to mention the aftermath of the floods.  Australia and New Zealand had their share of natural disasters and freak weather.  Certain parts of Africa are rarely out of the news.  In Russia, profound social change is afoot.  And it seems to be all eyes on next year's election race, in the States, once more. 

For those in computing, Dennis Ritchie's passing might be more worthy of the publicity than that of Apple founder Steve Jobs (inset), and on a global scale, Kim Jong Il surely surpasses either.  That could yet prove to be a 'game changer'.  

What were the high - and low - lights, for you?  And perhaps more importantly, any predictions for 2012?  China are planning to send a man to the moon, nuclear sabres are rattling, currencies on verge of collapsing; some say we have just 12 months left before it's Game Over...  interesting times indeed.

COSMIC Cabdrivers' Guide to the Universe

http://www.cosmicrat.com/
The Cosmic Cabdrivers' Guide to the Universe, in its various sections and blog pages, is dedicated to providing useful information and stimulating thoughts, ideas, and humor for intelligent beings everywhere, seeking peace, justice, and equal prosperity for all. Contributions and feedback are welcome.