SYRIA The Empire clearly want Bashar al-Assad out of Syria, the regime changed to one more pro-Western. See the photo gallery on this group, and the 'Arish-Ashkelon' natural gas pipeline that runs through Homs (trust me, you really do want to read that if you wish to understand this conflict. I just went back to it now and there's a lot of info there). Who is arming who? When the opposition are pro-western interests, they are called 'rebels'. When they are not, they are called 'terrorists'. On this occasion, these two definitions have become somewhat blurred. Journalists being used as human shields - two French reporters returned home today, Friday 2nd. US Republican candidates point toward exploiting the conflict, Syria being an ally of Iran, in the push for war with the latter.
What is really happening?
RED CROSS BLOCKED FROM ENTERING BABA AMR DISTRICT Jerusalem Post
US-NATO SUPPORT AL QAEDA AFFILIATED REBELS Global Research
CLINTON ADMITS SAME BBC (Video)
PUTIN: WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SYRIA CONTRADICTS WHAT INTERNATIONAL NEWS IS BROADCASTING Syria News Agency
Obama administration has today (March 2) ruled out US military intervention.
I read this week that Israel say they may bomb Iran anyway, with or without American or international approval. One problem. Primary source is Alex Jones' Infowars. I do check there, then drill to source, but I will never lower myself to using them as a source on here. However, in barely 24 hours since I read that, two developments - Obama will meet Netanyahu this weekend to try and talk him out of it, and according to Wikileaks' Stratfor emails (see below), commandos with Kurdish help have already destroyed Iran's 'nuclear program' (I have never believed Iran were pursuing possession of a nuclear weapon. In their position, what is there to gain by pissing off the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel?).
HAVE SPECIAL FORCES ALREADY HIT IRAN? Wikileaks
SLG was designed exactly to be, at least Multiply's, #1 stop for this kind of information. First to bring this audience the latest, and going deeper under the 'established' news than most. Truth, regardless of political bias.
It hasn't become that, but I think that's just how people use the web... those who want to know about the latest Wikileaks cable, email or leak, go there. China? Xinhua. Israel? Haaretz. Russia? Novosti. That is the trend - to read widely, and be better informed. Hell, I do. Or maybe you just work all the hours you can. Been there... I don't work nights for fun of it, believe me.
People go where they can relax, find a connection, enjoyment, empathy, social interaction etc. You have to tailor the product to that, or be content with who comes and grow slowly. We're all good so far. Thanks for being part of it, and Happy Birthday :)
WIKILEAKS - STRATFOR EMAILS
Now, this is curious. I just went
to the site of German paper, Der Spiegel, who if you remember were one of those more trusted mainstream publications chosen to distribute previous Wikileaks material, along with Spanish paper El Pais, the UK Guardian and others. Der Spiegel happily posted the War Diaries... but after disapproval of the US Embassy cables, the flames of enthusiasm seem to have simmered somewhat. Der Spiegel - you have just been downgraded. I am not impressed.
THE GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE FILES Wikileaks
New today: Wikileaks emails show Stratfor intel on Iran is 'low-grade'
ANONYMOUS ARRESTS IN SPAIN AND LATIN AMERICA Nakedsecurity.sophos
Video: Anonymous on the Federal Reserve. Genuine, or CIA?
NORTH KOREA indicated this week they are ready for a nuclear moratorium in exchange for US food aid. South Korea says the 'door has slightly opened' once more for six-party talks. Meeting in Beijing next week.
Rothschild-run central bank of Pyongyang by end of the year, then? - RP
(with link to actual document) BBC
Looking increasingly like two tiers of Eurozone member states, with the stronger lording over the weaker 'slave' states, or pushing them out altogether. I'm not going to pretend I understand either the Eurozone, or its' economic policies. New 'tsar' will police member states to prevent them running up insurmountable debts in future. The truth is, Greece never should have joined the Eurozone, having national debt far higher than acceptable to be admitted in, even before they joined - see this video.
Two countries did not sign - Czech Republic and Britain.
IRELAND - REFERENDUM ON EURO FISCAL TREATY Irish Times
RUSSIA - I don't see that there's much to say... Putin will win by a landslide. The foiled 'assassination attempt' came at all too convenient a time to be anything but cynical about it. It looked stage-managed, as I blogged earlier in the week.
Some election coverage from Russian media is in order... but on the like of the 30,000 strong protest last week, I will just point out that thirty thousand in a city of millions, is not really a 'revolution' (I stole that from Bill lol).
He's a politician, and some are getting tired of him. One will always have opponents and critics in that job. But, however western media try to skew the data, Putin and United Russia are not as unpopular as some would have us believe. Polls are healthy in their favour, and always were. Opponents such as Alexei Navalny, the Communist Party and chess-master Garry Kasparov, will not even get close to a run-off. Putin to win by knockout, first round.
Dmitry Medvedev is to be appointed Prime Minister. Business as usual...
US MEDIA RIGGED AHEAD OF RUSSIAN ELECTIONS Tony Cartalucci
RIA Novosti
RAMPANT CORRUPTION al-Arabiya
VOTERS TURN ELECTION MONITORS Economist
THE OTHER RUSSIA website for Kasparov's opposition party
MILITANT CHIEFS IN CHECHNYA WILL BE 'SWEPT AWAY' WITHIN THE YEAR - RAMZAN KADYROV, LAST SEPTEMBER Liveleak
Video - Argentina go to UN; accuse Britain of sending nuclear weapons to the islands:
IRAQ: THE FORGOTTEN UPRISING LIVES ON al-akhbar.com
Bahrain News Agency
Gulf Daily News
BBC
Manlio Dinucci, for Voltairenet
(extract) - They give rise to unanimous condemnation and, if caught, these criminal gangs of killers are punished by the death penalty or jailed for life. However, when commissioned by the State, they are generally regarded as legitimate and rewarded for their merits.
Such is the case of the professional killers belonging to the U.S. special forces. Born as Green Berets [1], formalized by Democratic President Kennedy in 1961 and deployed in the Vietnam War, the Special Forces were promoted by the Republican Reagan, who in 1987 purposely created a Special Operations Command, the USSOCOM. After being used by the Republican Bush in the "global war on terror," especially in Afghanistan and Iraq, they have acquired an even greater stature under Democratic President Obama.
As it emerges from a Washington Post investigation, special operations forces are currently deployed in 75 countries, instead of 60 two years ago.
SOMALI PIRATES ARE ORGANISED A GoodStuff Photo-blog
Bloomberg
US ELECTION RACE Do you know, I really haven't been following this one. I'm not in any of the predominantly US political groups here, although I'm not against America-centrism as much as I do probably come across. That's just something I've always worked to keep at bay in this group, because if allowed to, it will take over. Majority on Multiply are American, simple as that. We focus on the international stage, upon which the United States is a significant actor.
As with Russia, I think Obama's victory is as much a certainty as Putin's. Nothing much to see here. Are the GOP still in disarray? Do you think that's deliberate? What can you tell us that we don't already know? Who is Rick Santorum? Are McKinney or Kucinich in the race, I liked them? How's Ron Paul doing? Do we have a clear Dem and Rep nominee yet? How about the Tea Party - are they running?
The New American (via Mr Rat, thanks...)
GUL OFFERS YEMEN-INSPIRED EXIT FOR ASSAD Hurriyet News
Hurriyet News
HOW TO HIJACK THE ARAB SPRING Hurriyet
Liveleak Video: Libyan rebels cage black African workers in a zoo and force them to EAT the old Libyan flag:
EU INSTITUTIONS TAKE ON GOOGLE EU Observer
TAHRIR SQUARE, ONE YEAR ON - DID WE MAKE IT? Bikya Masr
Leadership
The Punch (Nigeria's most widely read newspaper)
KENYA / SOMALIA - THE 'ENOUGH' PROJECT GlobalPost
DEVELOPMENT - WHAT IS AFRICA'S PROBLEM? Monitor, Uganda
'OCCUPY' EVICTED FROM CITY OF LONDON Coalition of Resistance
A poll from the same publication, published online Sunday (GMT) put Kevin Rudd to lead at 83% , versus Gillard on 16%. Explain please, Australia? Need your help here, I can't do everything.... lol
JAPAN HID DATA ON FALLOUT FROM PUBLIC Japan Times
Straits Times
DIRTY DEALS DOG ZIMBABWE DIAMOND FIELDS Straits Times
RUSSIAN MARKETS GET A PUTIN BUMP WallStreet Journal
A question for everybody... (as I write), by now Vladimir Putin has become the new President of the Russian Federation. One story I haven't linked on this post, but surely of interest to most of us, is the fact that oil prices went up this week, therefore also petrol, plastics, manufacturing costs etc.
How is the political situation in Russia - or Iran, Sudan, China, Syria - wherever... likely to affect global oil prices? Let's look at how this hits the common working 'man' (or woman)... one graph I saw this week showed a huge fall in such costs in the last quarter of 2011... because of 'victory' in Libya? I know precious little about economics / markets etc... fill us in?
Much food for thought.... in writing that, I notice as always, we still tend to overlook the southern hemisphere. More Australia, NZ, S Africa and Latin America, por favor!
Happy 3rd Birthday! I must fly...
Thanks everyone who's been here... I'll leave you with Moscow...
Yours, Remixedphoenix
Ah... 1 more. 'Bio' news.
AntwortenLöschen'Scientists', I saw on BBC yesterday, are researching whether they can / should, bring extinct species (such as the Tasmanian tiger) back to life.
Corporate patenting of seeds, and of the blueprint for life itself.
Google's research into genetics...
World Health Org, food control. Water.
And so on.
Happy Birthday to SLG!
AntwortenLöschenLike a San Francisco transvestite, high on acid, attending a Garth Brooks concert in Nashville - SLG is still trying to figure out the nature of what it is.
The number one concern is this; There are many smart people who belong here but do not contribute. How do we change that?
If you are one of those people who choose to not post but would like to please tell the group why.
"That red neck from Idaho posts here too often" is a perfectly acceptable answer.
RSR
Oh, wow, it's one year that I inherited the group from you, Mike! I had forgotten to look into the calendar! Good that you are still around to remind us! Thank you and thanks to Randy! You have quite some humor, you can't be a red neck (for my idea of red necks, at least)! Thank you for being a constantly active poster here.
AntwortenLöschenI said from the start, that I am not a great writer, especially because English is not my mother tongue and I have to fight hard sometimes to express the stuff I have in mind. Sometimes I know things could be said better, and it makes me unhappy that I'm not able to do so. I'm an artist always searching for the perfect form, not an expert for languages and not a political analyst, although I'm watching what's going on, and try to understand. That is, what I'm doing here in the group too. I follow most of the threads, sometimes slightly adjusting screws in the background to keep things in balance.
And I rely on a great team of admins, who all give me support! Experts on different subjects, very helpful, when needed. Thank you, admins.
And thank you all, members, although we are not the busiest group at Multiply, you posted some great threads. And tons of information from very different sources. And the ones who read only, without giving comments, it's you, too, this group was founded for. Enjoy to have this collecting tank for information. Or just feel good being here. A bit more activity would be nice, though.
A birthday gift from the artist:
I don't think that's the case. It's just how I word things. We know very well what it is. It just maybe isn't something people want?
AntwortenLöschenI am not even an admin, but I'll tell you exactly what it is, if you wish? I don't need to... you already know.
It's probably seen as leaning Euro-Liberal. But I'm happy not having the Robust Debate gang here anyway.
50% of the initial idea was to gather the great writers I saw, around. Aardvark, Bill, Jan, Astra, Translucence, Gurcan.
But by their very nature, the most talented and most intense cannot be 'herded' in that manner, and some are simply not into the group format. A good few of them have fallen out with me, permanently. That may be my fault. Dunno.
Yes, some chose not to be here because of you. I have been told that. But I think I scared away more.
Question to silent members : how do you perceive this forum? See... I frequent about 3 or 4 groups on Multiply...
WorldWide Debate, belongs to a friend, and I think baglava is also on the team there. I find it very friendly, polite, British.
Elephant's Memory, and all his groups, I have a loyalty to, but have presently left there... troll invasion. Culture is minimal moderation, so more free speech, which is excellent... until the phobes and haters show up. SLG has always been the opposite... and that has scared away some, for example 'Mila', whose presence here would otherwise be of great value.
Same as all these groups that I've been in, there may be hundreds of members but there are only a core of about 30 faces I see all the time. Some of these do not have English as their first language... including baglava, the host.
Randy... if it appears 'uncertain' what we are, that's because of the flexibility. It can change, adapt. It's world news.
I think a lot of people just don't post, at all. That can't be 'forced'. In the last 2 years, some migrated to blogs, and some migrated in the other direction and spent more time on that *other* social network... including me. I don't have Twatter.
I hope this post is enough to get the quiet ones talking... that's not random. We know who you are, lurkers :)
Happy Birthday SLG
Nous vous invitons à discuter avec nous
AntwortenLöschenندعوكم للحديث معنا
Wir laden Sie ein mit uns zu sprechen
Le invitamos a hablar con nosotros
Convidamos você para falar conosco
Ми запрошуємо вас поговорити з нами
אנו מזמינים אתכם לדבר איתנו
Мы приглашаем вас поговорить с нами
हम आप को आमंत्रित करने के लिए हमारे साथ बात
Biz bizimle konuşmaya davet ediyoruz
Σας προσκαλούμε να μιλήσετε μαζί μας
ہم آپ کو ہمارے ساتھ بات کرنے کی دعوت دیتے ہیں
Before I go... never doubt... yes, I have a sense of humour.
AntwortenLöschenChuck Norris toilet paper would never work. It takes no shit.
Ok, better flesh this out with some links... dunno where to start. Guess from the top, down. Syria first.
AntwortenLöschenPM me some good stuff, help me out here, people?
Personal favourite is the Anonymous storyline... as well as Russia. If you're a hacker, is hitting Interpol etc not just painting an even bigger target on your own back?
AntwortenLöschenThey will NEVER mess with - say, nuclear launch codes. Nor do anything that causes mass loss of life. They are not 'terrorists' in that sense. It's a Robin Hood ethic, and I think as long as they stick to that, they will stay endeared to the people. As for '25 members' arrested - that might seem a big win for the establishment. But it misses the point. Anonymous is NOT and has never been, a cohesive group of specific people, with members. You cannot kill an idea.
Getting there slowly... almost done.
AntwortenLöschenBack later! Feel free to drop anything brand new, here...
Not gonna finish today.
AntwortenLöschenStill to add:
bio NEWS
Markets / Wall Street etc
Turkey
nIGERIA
sOMALIA
sUDAN
kENYA
uGANDA
cONGO
AFRICOM
jULIA gILLARD
Japan
Philippines
pAKISTAN
iNDIA
gULF nEWS
iSRAEL tv STATIONS wEST BANK
lONDON oLYMPICS TERROR THREAT
oCCUPY EVICTED
iRAN SPACE PROGRAM
Given the effort that goes into these kind of posts, I begin to wonder if it's worth it.
AntwortenLöschenI enjoyed looking through this, thank you. Those Libyan rebels making those black guys eat the flags are real scumbags. If that's who's in charge of Libya now, they've had it.
AntwortenLöschenI figured Iran would want nukes because Israel and everyone else has them.
Define worth it. I pull up the posts like this and click on each and every link. Then I slowly research the links. So to me...
AntwortenLöschenITS VERY WORTH IT!
Thank you.
That's good, because I'd like to do a special on Africa... before US elections dominate news. Perhaps you'd like to co-write that? ;)
AntwortenLöschenThanks James. Don't mind me... it's just slow here. A 'blog' this big, as I've always said, takes a few days to generate discussion and become a quality 'thread' anyway. Glad you liked it.
The two groups I maily post on and attend to are WWDC and Elephant's Memory. I've always deemed Elephant's Memory to be a 'sister group' to WWDC because both groups have their roots in the old MSN, and are run by people from WWDC. But I suddenly wonder why I've stayed so loyal to it, considering what it has become. I think I'd probably get a lot more out of coming to SLG instead.
AntwortenLöschenLibya was meant to be in ruins and as long as it remains as such, then the vultures can pick at the bones for as long as they wish.
AntwortenLöschenGreat post BTW, and happy birthday to the group.
AntwortenLöschenGoogle's new privacy policy has already been declared in violation of law by the EU; nothing, as far as I know, from the US.
AntwortenLöschenAs for the US election, the republicans are mainly courting Christian cults at this time. A lot will depend on the US Supreme Court ruling on Obama's healthcare law (I am too lazy to cite the full name of the law). The republicans managed to take control of a lot of state and local governments in the US due to the Healthcare law (43% of Americans did not want the new healthcare law). If the US Supreme Courts upholds Obama's Healthcare law, that will give the republicans an edge that could very well help them win the 2012 election.
AntwortenLöschenAgree that Putin has no worries in having to find a new job.
AntwortenLöschenI still think that Israel is close to an attack on Iran as a means to force the US in attacking. The US will not sit by, they will join in due to the control the Israel lobbyists holds on the US Congress.
AntwortenLöschenWhich has got to be one of the saddest things.
AntwortenLöschenHappy Birthday S.L.G, I hardly know you.
AntwortenLöschenNo disrespect to MGE...
AntwortenLöschenI was getting round to asking you, specifically, and Bill.... to make a point of dropping in here, if poss. Both understand. He would like more readers and activity on his blogs, off-Multiply, and you got me back on here in your drive to revive WWDC.
So... will be good to see you around here a bit more. Add SLG to your favourites. Anything international... goes here.
Good to see you too, Kim. One thing I do know about you... you speak your mind, with confidence. Bienvenida!
AntwortenLöschen"MOSCOW — Russian voters overwhelmingly granted Vladimir V. Putin a six-year term as president on Sunday"
AntwortenLöschenI shall part-quote our good friend Bill the Butcher, something he said to me this week - it's going to be a more fractured, multipolar world. The Russia-China axis will endure.
AntwortenLöschenEnd quote.
As ever with Jewish matters, I must state that I have no anti-semitic intent, but am looking at the extent to which Jewish oligarchs control Russia. Not least Mr Prokhorov (see new post here, today). A new politics is being built in that country, with left and right parties, more democratic like the West - at least by appearances. But so many of the major players are Jewish, as well as a few who are clearly not friends of the Putin government, such as Khodorkovsky and Berezovsky.
Is this significant, when considering relations with other nations ... Israel / Iran, and China, not least? And the Islamic breakaway states to Russia's south...
Anyone who doesn't know, there was a group, which I used to regard as a spin-off of this one (which ALWAYS happens, as it did at the old War & Peace a few times, as it did with World Opinion/Robust Debate, with the old MSN gang and the myriad versions of WWDC, and now RobustDebate 'Uncensored' lol, and most recently with Elephant's Memory)... a 'spin-off' which I thus didn't take kindly to, in the beginning, not least because the founder had, I think, either left here or been kicked out.
AntwortenLöschenThat sort of thing happens on this network, and probably any. Even Astra started one, if I remember, after I kicked him out of here. For my part, I've had my nose too close to the screen for these first three years... or for most of that, anyway. Having been away, handed the gavel to Ulla and more interested in creating a more personalised writing space for myself somewhere, in addition to this, I've begun to care less and less about the internal squabbling that goes with the territory. I may even have 'chilled out'. At last. This was my 'baby', and I've been over-protective, lost friends on Multiply over it. The core element of bringing the best minds together in one place, I am convinced cannot be done. And some people - not least myself - just don't get on with certain others. Can't be helped.
But... I want to say here, I absolutely give my highest recommendation and 'endorsement', for what that's worth, to that 'spin-off', namely Betsy's 'Dogma & Geopolitics'. Just stuck my head in the door over there, and it's looking VERY good... good material, which I haven't seen elsewhere, and pleasing to the eye, with a good mix of people, some of whom will not take part here any longer. Grudges, feuds, my bad. Oh well.
So... tis what it is. I'm flogging a dead horse trying to work out why it's gotten so quiet here. This post has been viewed 72 times by 18 people, with 6 respondents which include myself and the group manager. There is choice, and that group, if I once saw it as a 'rival'... I don't any longer. It has developed a character of its own, and I like what I see.
SLG is not 'over' by a long shot, but we as 'consumers' of information have other options. And that's good for us, I think.
So, do pay them a visit. Betsy, Gurcan, water2juice and anyfink running the show...
http://dogmaandgeopolitics.multiply.com
I think I'm going to focus mainly on a new project from now on, if any.
No can do, completely closed to non-members.
AntwortenLöschen"Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned against allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons in his speech to the AIPAC Convention in Washington Monday night local time, vowing to never let Israel live under a nuclear shadow."
AntwortenLöschenHowever, Israel has nuclear weapons and had offered to sell them to South Africa at one time. It could be said that Iran is living under a nuclear shadow cast by Israel.
"A nuclear-armed Iran, he said, would provide a nuclear umbrella and thereby increase global terrorism, it could choke off the world's oil supply, and could threaten the world with nuclear terrorism."
This is nothing but fear-mongering.
"Israel, the prime minister added, has been waiting for years to see if diplomacy and sanctions against Iran's nuclear program to work, but said they have not been successful. He warned that Israel cannot wait much longer."
Well, this seems to be rather clear and goes along with what I said above in an earlier comment. Israel is more or less telling the US that if you don't go ahead and attack Iran then we will.
""In every generation, there are those who wish to destroy the Jewish people. In this generation, we are blessed to live in a time when there is a Jewish state capable of defending the Jewish people," he concluded, thanking AIPAC and the United States for supporting Israel and its right to self-defense."
However, Israel is not talking about self-defence, it is not talking about defending itself against an attack by Iran but in being the aggressor, being the one to start a war, not merely defending itself after an attack. This thing about preventive attacks is bullshit, a nation does not have the right to attack another nation just because it has weapons and that includes nuclear weapons. If that was the case, then any country would be in the right to blow the US to bits because it has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons of any nation on earth.
Quotes are from http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=260636
It also helps to keep the Empire at bay. Would the US had attack Libya if Gaddafi had not been mislead in disarming Libya and abandoning its nuclear programme? I have to believe the answer is no.
AntwortenLöschenGaddafi had nukes? I never knew that!
AntwortenLöschenNo, Gaddafi did not have nukes. At the time of the US invasion Gaddafi had already disarmed. If you go back and read what I said, you will see that I said Gaddafi abandoned his nuclear programme. I can not recall the year but could go out and find it if you need the time line.
AntwortenLöschenI did read what you said, properly, Kim. 'Had' need not refer to the point in time of the US invasion. And yes, my bad... I do understand that a country having a nuclear programme does not mean it has a nuclear weapon. Iran, for example.
AntwortenLöschenWhat if a country has a nuclear programme for the purpose of armament? I do not know if Gaddafi had intentions of building nuclear weapons for defence of Libya. I could do the research. The question I posed was what if Gaddafi had not disarmed, if Gaddafi had develop nuclear weapons would the US have been so willingly to destroy Libya. The truth is, Libya could not properly defend itself against the US invasion. I believe one reason the US has not attacked North Korea is the fact that North Korea has nuclear weapons.
AntwortenLöschenWith all due respect, I really did not understand you coming back with the response that you did not know Gaddafi had nuclear weapons. I was merely engaging in a "What if" scenario of nuclear weapons as a deterrent to invasion.
This would say that yes, Gaddafi did have a nuclear weapons programme and halted it at the end 2003. Now we know what a mistake that was.
AntwortenLöschenhttp://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/LibyaChronology