What Adam Curry is reading

http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/financial-crime-as-events-unfold-senior-tories-regret-approaching-matters-with-an-open-mouth/
  Link to Article
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 13:49
  Julian Assange, Newscorp and Standard & Chartered were all dismissed too quickly by the Government. It shows no signs of learning from such mistake.
  People have often asked me in the past why the 'powers that be' are so keen to stitch up Julian Assange. And stitch him up they have '' be in no doubt about that. I have posted many times before about my sincere belief that Assange is a disturbed and controlling megalomaniac, but there can be no doubt that his invention of Wikileaks was an act of genius that has evoked a massive Establishment backlash.
  However, we must be very clear about the specific Establishment involved here.
  Whether those of Right or Left like it or not, it was the financial nature of actual and promised leaks from Assange's site that first fired up the Powers of Darkness. And Hague '' who turned left to America rather than right to the EU on the day he took office '' is taking his orders from Washington and Wall Street, not Brussels'...the last of that trio being a City he rarely visits. (In policy terms since 2010, let's face it '' it shows).
  Hague would've made a first class Chancellor, but the job was of course given on the basis of the Bullingdon Leg-Up into Camerlot. Sadly, the Mekon is a washout as Foreign Secretary. Having done the business up every American backside, he now compounds the crime by knee-jerking to classic US 'let's storm the place' by issuing a truly childish ultimatum to Ecuador. He has now, as the legal advice has finally been heard, been forced to back-pedal into 'wanting talks' about it.
  Last week, first Boris Gobson and then Gobeon Osborne had a crack at New York regulator Ben Lawsky'...only to watch 36 hours later as the 'entirely innocent' Peter Sands fessed up to 250 BILLION bucks of wrongdoing'...as opposed to 14 MILLION. I take the point of critics that SCB is stupid rather than malignant: but if that be entirely true, why feel the need to lie at all?
  Now a genuinely tragic dimension has entered the not entirely Standard behaviour of SCB and its advisors Deloittes, as news breaks that the family of a senior Deloitte partner has called for answers after he apparently committed suicide days after the auditing firm was linked to the Standard Chartered Iran dollar trades scandal.
  There is a great deal more to come out about this yet. But aproaching tricky issues with an Open Mouth has become a near-generic feature of the Coalition in general and the Conservative Party in particular. David Cameron himself led the way with his dismissive drivel about first Andy Coulson and then Rebekah Brookes, while his arch-enemy Boris dsimissed the entire Newscorp scandal two years ago as ''Left-wing poppycock''.
  Surely we deserve better people in charge of the Nation's affairs? People like'...and'....um, also'....and then there's, er, '.....
  Like this:Be the first to like this.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2190391/Panel-rules-MMR-jab-girl-deaf--payout.html
  Link to Article
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 13:40
  By Mail On Sunday Reporter
  PUBLISHED:17:09 EST, 18 August 2012| UPDATED:17:09 EST, 18 August 2012
  Loss of hearing: Katie Stephen was left deaf by an MMR jab
  A woman has won her fight to prove she was left deaf by the MMR jab '' only the second time it has been linked to disability.
  But a medical assessment panel ruled Katie Stephen, 21, will not receive compensation because she is not considered disabled enough.
  Katie was given the measles, mumps and rubella jab in 1991 when she was 15 months old.
  But she developed a fever and irreparable damage to the nerve between her brain and ear, and is deaf on her left side.
  Officials at the Vaccine Damage Payment Unit accepted the vaccine was the likely cause of her hearing problems.
  But the body, run by the Department for Work and Pensions, ruled out compensation as she was only '20 per cent disabled'.
  Katie, of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, said: 'If my disability can be cast aside so easily, why have I sufferedso many difficulties in my life as a consequence? This has put me in a negative place.'
  Injection: Katie had the measles, mumps and rubella jab when she was just 15-months-old
  She was part of a group action. However, her case was never heard because the lawyers only pursued cases involving children with autism.
  An alleged link with the condition has since been discredited.
  The family is now involved in a new group action being brought by Blacks Solicitors, pursuing their ex-lawyers for professional negligence.
  A spokesman for the DWP would not comment on the case.
Hitte trekt alle energie uit het festivalpubliek... Maar daar is de supersoaker! - Lowlands
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 13:19
  Door: Robert van Gijssel ''19/08/12, 14:20
  (C) anp. Festivalbezoekers nemen deel aan een watergevecht tijdens de twintigste editie van het muziek- en cultuurfestival Lowlands.
  We wisten dat het warm ging worden. Tropisch, zoals dat dan heet als we in Nederland de dertig gradengrens passeren. Maar de hitte die zaterdagmiddag over het evenemententerrein bij Biddinghuizen trekt, valt nauwelijks in te calculeren.
  (C) anp.
  (C) anp.
  Hij legt lam, trekt alle energie uit het festivalpubliek, dat vanaf een uur of twee vrijwel uitsluitend bezig is met het zoeken naar een schaars schaduwplekje. En naar de paar schamele watertappunten bij de toiletten, waar de kranen drie dagen lang non-stop openstaan.
  Lowlands kijkt dus uit naar een semi-spontaan evenement, dat op zaterdagmiddag festivalgeschiedenis moet gaan schrijven: het waterpistolengevecht. Aangekondigd op Facebook, rondgepompt op Twitter: om vier uur 's middags, op het heetst van de dag, moet Lowlands de strijd aangaan met zichzelf, de tropenmanie en de landerigheid, bij de wc-blokken naast hoofdpodium Alpha. En zo verzamelt zich rond de afgesproken tijd een man of tweeduizend bij de toiletten, worden de supersoakers en waterballonnen tot de rand gevuld, en begint het wachten.
  Want hoe werkt zoiets eigenlijk? De festivalorganisatie heeft niets met dit randverschijnsel van doen, en er wordt dus geen startschot gegeven, geen vlaggetje omhoog gestoken. De royale opkomst van fotografen en cameraploegen staat er ook maar een beetje doelloos bij. Komt er nog wat, krijgen we ons beloofde perfecte plaatje?
  Soort startschotMaar dan suist er, kwart over vier, een goedgevulde ballon richting drie heren, die zich uit voorzorg hebben verschanst onder een Jip en Janneke-paraplu. Toch een soort startschot: de hel breekt los, en binnen de minuut verdeelt het pistolenpubliek zich in twee kampen. Het slimste heeft zich opgesteld bij de kranen. Groep twee zal in de aanval moeten, en organiseert inderdaad een stevige charge. Wie er middenin staat, heeft een prachtig uitzicht. Loeiende menigte, waarboven een moesson lijkt uitgebarsten. Een waterige omarming van festivalgangers die ondanks de strijd even erg van elkaar lijken te houden.
  Filmpje maken met de iPhone? Beter niet doen: een meisje krijgt ruim een liter tegen haar apparaat gekwakt. Dag iPhone.
  Ook vandaag laat Lowlands zich van de creatiefste kant zien. Niet in het bezit van supersoaker of ballonnenpakket? Geen probleem: pak zo'n gele Lowlandsvuilniszak, laat hem halfvol lopen en smijt de bal met vijftig liter verkoeling in iemands nek.
  Zo kunnen we er weer tegen. Toch maar even naar de Bravo, waar het onder het tentzeil inmiddels plus veertig moet zijn.
Webster Tarpley Set You Free News
  Link to Article
  Source: Set You Free News
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 13:17
  by PressTVGlobalNews
  Syrian security forces have retaken control over more areas in the country's northern city of Aleppo, as neighborhoods are being cleared of insurgents.
  A Syrian Army official in Aleppo said on Thursday that after two days of a major operation in the city's Sayf al-Dawla neighborhood, Army troops managed to inflict heavy losses on the insurgents fighting the Syrian government, and forced many of the anti-government elements to surrender.
  The official added that there were foreign nationals among the insurgents.
  Security forces also engaged the insurgents in Aleppo's other neighborhoods, including al-Sukkari and al-Hellok.
  Press TV has conducted an interview with Dr. Webster Griffin Tarpley, an author and historian from Washington, to further discuss the issue.
Government minister among victims of Sudan air crash
  Link to Article
  Source: euronews
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 13:06
  At least two people were killed and two others wounded when three car bombs went off in the centre of the Libyan capital Tripoli.Both the dead were civilians.The blasts happened near to the Interior Ministry and women's police academy which has been used recently by'...
LIVE! Politici vs uitgeput Lowlandspubliek
  Link to Article
  Source: GeenStijl
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:52
  Zondag. De beruchte Derde Dag van Lowlands. De kater is erger dan ooit. En wat de alcohol niet heeft vermoord, is wel gesloopt door de coke. Bovendien is het snikkelheet en wordt dat vandaag alleen maar erger. Gesloopt. Verwoest. Verzombificeerd. Kortom, ideaal publiek voor een stevig politiek debat in een snikhete tent. Om 11:00 gaan diverse politici met elkaar in debat in een poging de zielen van de doorgesnoven en kapot gezopen lowlandshipsters voor zich te winnen. Geinig. Gewoon geinig. Wij verheugen ons met name op leadgitarist Halbe Zijlstra die door drie half doorgebakken hippies en een paardenkop uitgejouwd gaat worden in de India. Verder, on the bassgitar, Volksmennertje DiederIKKUH Samsom. *beleefd applaus*. On the drums... ARROGANDER SMEAGOLD! *krekelgetjirp*. Ladies and gentlemen, our backing vocals, Sharon G-Houses, Mona Kaiser and, all the way from de zelfkant of Limburg, Jolande Juice! *geil gefluit, na opkomst een zucht van teleurstelling*. Deze band, genaamd FINROW (Fuck It's Not Roemer Or Wilders, vanwege de algehele reactie als men ze in de line-up ziet staan), zal hits ten gehore brengen als "Everything I Do... I Do It For Your", "You're Beautiful" en natuurlijk "Free Beer For Everybody". Ook zal FINROW een brute cover van 'Fight For Your Right... to Party' ten gehore brengen, genaamd 'Vote For Your Left... Party'. Afijn, bedelende politici met de cultuurbezuinigingen als Leitmotif voor een hardzwetend publiek dat bereid is met volle bierglazen te gooien. Must see Sundaymorning TV. Kijk doet u via Polifreak24 of LowlandsTube, waar u de rest van de dag ook live concerten kunt zien.
  Johnny Quid | 19-08-12 | 10:29 | Link |
Mail. Tesco buys its bottled water from UK blogger.
  Link to Article
  Source: the tap
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:50
  PA | Posted: 18/08/2012 08:55 Updated: 18/08/2012 08:55 Water cheek: The Daily Mail claims that some supermarket bottled water is from a tapTwo supermarkets have denied claims that the economy-price own-brand bottled water they sell is in fact tap water.The Daily Mail reported that bottles of Tesco Everyday Value Still Water and Asda Smartprice Still Water were sitting on shelves alongside big brands of mineral water such as Evian and Perrier.But it claimed they were simply a filtered version of what is supplied to almost all domestic homes and that there was no labelling on the bottles saying so.It was likened to the fictional situation in the sitcom Only Fools And Horses where protagonists Del Boy and Rodney Trotter start selling "Peckham Spring", which is in fact water from the taps of their London council flat.Both supermarkets denied misleading their customers in any way, saying the bottles gave customers a clear idea of what they were buying.Tesco profits have been well down this year as the campaign to boycott them for supporting middle east terror, particularly in Palestine and selling foods stolen from the occupied territories"Tesco sells a wide range of waters to suit all tastes and budgets. All of our products are clearly labelled so customers know what they are buying."Jeanette Longfield of campaigning ethical food group Sustain told The Daily Mail: "I hope people return to trustworthy tap water - saving money, saving energy and saving waste in the process."TAP - sorry about the awful joke in the title. I couldn't resist the opportunity. If the water is from the tap and filtered, that might be OK, but the filtration needs to be down to half a micron to take out toxic metals. I would be surprised they go down so low as it slows down the process. They should admit what they're doing and explain about filtration. How many microns, Tesco? The point about bottled water is that the water is permitted to have higher levels of toxic substances than tap water. These do not have to be declared on the list of ingredients. Filtered fresh water from the tap is actually safer than bottled water, as you all the toxins are taken out. The water in bottles has to contain preservatives as it sits in bottles for weeks before being consumed. It also absorbs plastic from the bottles. Get glass filled bottles if you have to drink bottled water.Tesco should sell half micron-filtered flowing water which people can bottle in the store. Then I'd allow them to use this blog's trademark, but not otherwise!
BBC News - Jay Leno takes pay cut to save staff
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:48
  19 August 2012Last updated at 06:11 ET US TV host Jay Leno has taken a pay cut to save the jobs of other members of staff working on the popular late night talk show The Tonight Show.
  Some 20 staff reportedly lost their jobs on Friday, as broadcaster NBC moves to reduce the show's costs.
  "Jay's foremost concern is for the wonderful people who work with him at The Tonight Show," said Bruce Bobbins, a spokesman for Leno.
  Reports suggest his salary will drop by more than $5 million (£3m) to $20m.
  "He did what was necessary to ensure their well-being," said Mr Bobbins.
  Leno's current salary is between $25 million and $30 million (£16-19m), and it is understood he volunteered to take a pay cut if it would save some jobs.
  Reports suggest his annual pay will now be closer to $20 million (£12.8m). He reportedly brings home another $15-$20m annually through personal appearances as a stand-up comedian.
  Other senior staff on The Tonight Show are also believed to have agreed to pay cuts.
  Weekly budget
  While the show remains the most watched late night show in the US, it struggles to make any money, according to experts inside the industry.
  The job cuts and salary reductions - first reported by Deadline.com - are believed to be part of a restructuring programme that will see the show's weekly production budget, estimated to be around $2.3 million, cut by 25% to $1.7m.
  NBC Universal has declined to comment.
  Leno has presented the talk show since taking over from host Johnny Carson in 1992. However, he briefly left in 2009 for a primetime slot on the network, and was replaced by Conan O'Brien.
  But ratings for both shows slumped and NBC took the decision to move Leno's new show to his original 23:35 slot and move O'Brien and the Tonight Show to after midnight.
  Following an acrimonious dispute, O'Brien evenutally quit with a $33m (£20m) pay-off after eight months, and Leno returned as host of The Tonight Show in March 2010.
Philippines widens sea search for missing interior minister| Reuters
  Link to Article
  Source: Reuters: World News
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:47
  MANILA | Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:07am EDT
  MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines has widened a search for the interior minister and two pilots a day since they went missing after a twin-engine light plane carrying them plunged into the sea off the central island of Masbate, the navy commander said on Sunday.
  Five navy and coastguard ships, nine aircraft and eight teams of divers searched waters off Masbate for the wreckage of a six-seat Piper Aircraft Seneca plane carrying Interior Minister Jesse Robredo on Saturday.
  Security officials said Robredo, 54, was aboard with his bodyguard and two pilots. Only the bodyguard is known to have survived. Fishermen found him floating about 300 meters from the shoreline.
  A U.S. military aircraft, equipped with infrared and Sonar, has also joined the search after one navy ship detected some metal on the seabed.
  "The process is that if something is detected, it will have to be checked by divers," Vice Admiral Alexander Pama, the navy chief, told reporters in Manila. "There is still no confirmation. We don't want to call it search and recovery."
  Pama said there is still hope for a miracle to find the minister alive, but he told Reuters the search area has been widened every hour that passed because of the strong currents in the sea around Masbate.
  President Benigno Aquino and his defense minister Voltaire Gazmin, flew to Masbate on Sunday to monitor developments in the search and rescue.
  Robredo visited the police training centre in Cebu on Saturday and was returning home to Camarines Sur province when his plane malfunctioned, forcing the pilots to seek the nearest airfield on Masbate.
  Witnesses told police they saw the plane crash into the sea, about 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the airport runway.
  Robredo is Aquino's close political ally and was presented with a Magsaysay Award, Asia's equivalent of the Nobel prize, in 2000 for reforms introduced as mayor of Naga City in the central Philippines.
  (Reporting By Manuel Mogato; Editing by Ed Lane)
Drugs are behind the Bushes, the Clintons and Obama
  Link to Article
  Source: the tap
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:45
  Let's see...Bush Sr. starts an illegal drug operationand one of its centers is in Arkansas.Then - out of the blue - an Arkansaspolitican comes out of nowhere andbecomes President. The operation continues unimpeded.Bush Jr. starts an illegal drug operation. One of its centers is in Chicago.Then - out of the blue - a Chicagopolitician comes from nowhere tobecome President and the operationcontinues unimpeded.Am I seeing double, or is there apattern here?Video:- BrasscheckMena Connection: Compromised: Clinton, Bush and the CIA, Drug smuggling
There's a war on for your mind!
  Link to Article
  Source: News 1 Stop
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:34
  jeff4justicesays:
  August 19, 2012 at 4:13 amAt least Richard Belzer made a pro-gay reference on his recent visit to the Alex show as Alex continues his anti-libertarian attack on LGBT people.
  I've never been ashamed of Alex until now.
  Log in to Reply
GeenStijl : Roemers grote witte behind
  Link to Article
  Source: GeenStijl
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:32
  SP-voorman Emile Roemer onder vuur. Afgelopen week deed hij een uitspraak over de drie procents-regel van de Europese Unie. Over zijn dead body dat Nederland een boete zou betalen wanneer het koninkrijk niet aan de begrotingseisen van de Unie zou voldoen. Dat is een leuk gedachte-experiment, want wat zou er gebeuren als we die boete niet zouden betalen? Zouden de tanks van Bundeskanzler Angela Merkel door de Duitse laagvlakte oprukken naar Den Haag? Gelukkig hebben we majesteits cavalerie dan nog om de aanval af te sla'... oh wacht. Gekkigheid natuurlijk, Nederland zou vooral een pleefiguur slaan in Europa. Dat zou een slechte start betekenen voor premier Roemer. De grote roerganger kampt met een urgent probleem: hij staat voor een dilemma.
  Roemer moet nu kiezen: of hij toont zich de door hem en de zijnen gedroomde staatsman en hij neemt virtuele verantwoordelijkheid of hij volgt de Wilders-achtige radicale weg en gaat dat Europa zieken totdat hij 76 zetels heeft. Maar Roemer kiest niet en dat gaat tussen nu en 12 september hoe dan ook in de peilingen zetels kosten. Het is ook een moeilijke keuze. De verleiding van positieve peilingen heeft een enorme aantrekkingskracht op politici maar Roemer weet ook dat hij na 12 september met andere partijen een levensvatbaar kabinet moet zien te vormen. En die waren niet al te enthousiast over zijn uitspraken.
  Gisteren ontving dat deel van de natie dat geabonneerd is op de nieuwsbrief van Roemer het bericht dat hij met 'open vizier' wil strijden. ''Als stimulerend beleid ertoe leidt dat we in 2013 de werkloosheid aanpakken en de publieke sector '' zorg, onderwijs, zekerheid '' overeind houden dan is dat een goede zaak. En als dat dan niet precies binnen de Brusselse normen past, dan is dat maar zo. Mensen gaan bij mij v""r centen. En ik geloof er niets van dat Brussel ons dan een of andere boete gaat opleggen. Dertien van de zeventien eurolanden zitten boven het drie procent tekortpercentage. Wie gaat er dan wie de maat nemen?''
  Da's niet zo moeilijk, dat is de Europese Commissie. En dat weet Emile Roemer ook, vandaar zijn mistige formulering. De keus waar hij zich voor gesteld ziet is of hij de regels onderschrijft en zijn best doet aan de voorwaarden te voldoen '' dat is iets anders dan de doelstellingen daadwerkelijk halen, mind you - of dat hij tegen Europa zegt: mijn naam is Emile Roemer en dit is mijn grote witte socialistische behind. Maar hij maakt die keuze dus niet.
  Roemer moet met de billen bloot.
  Bas Paternotte | 19-08-12 | 12:29 | Link |
Madonna doet oproep voor Pussy Riot - Priv(C)
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:31
  zo 19 aug 2012, 13:52
  van onze redactieAMSTERDAM - Madonna heeft zich uitgelaten over de veroordeling van de Russische meidengroep Pussy Riot.
  Madonna vindt de veroordeling 'hardvochtig' en 'onmenselijk'. Ze doet een oproep om de meiden zo snel mogelijk vrij te krijgen.
  "Ze hebben lang genoeg vast gezeten.Ik roep Rusland op Pussy Riot vrij te laten."
  De drie zangeressen werden vrijdag veroordeeld tot twee jaar celstraf. Jekaterina Samoetsjevitsj (29), Maria Aljochina (24) en Nadja Tolokonnikova (22) zouden opzettelijk de orde hebben verstoord en de gevoelens van gelovigen uit haat tegen het Russisch-orthodoxe geloof enorm hebben gekwetst.
  Pussy Riot drong op 21 februari tijdens een dienst de kathedraal van Christus de Verlosser vlak bij het Kremlin binnen en zongen een 'punkgebed' over de huidige president Vladimir Poetin en de Russisch-Orthodoxe Kerk. Zij vroegen de Maagd Maria om Poetin af te zetten.
  Proefabonnement, 10 weken '‚¬ 30,-!(C) 1996-2012 Telegraaf Media Nederland | Landelijke Media B.V., Amsterdam.Alle rechten voorbehouden.e-mail: redactie-i@telegraaf.nlPrivacy | Cookies | Disclaimer
http://landdestroyer.blogspot.com/2012/08/who-or-what-is-russias-pussy-riot.html
  Link to Article
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:24
  West's "Pussy Riot" media coverage worse than "Soviet era" propaganda. by Tony Cartalucci August 6, 2012 - Accurately described as bigots and hooligans, the 3 member musical band known as "Pussy Riot" is now on trial for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred." This came after they burst into a church in Moscow, disturbing the peace while mocking the beliefs of practitioners in an attempt to protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Had skinheads done something similar in a synagogue in the West, surely they'd have long ago paid steep fines and begun their lengthy jail sentences for "public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity" (and here).
  The Guardian's article titled, "Pussy Riot trial 'worse than Soviet era'," opens immediately with overt propaganda, describing the courtroom and Russian flag as "shabby" and a police dog as "in search of blood." The British paper attempts to portray Russia itself as having a "stark divide" between conservatives and liberals, the latter fighting against the state "with any means it can."
  Already the Guardian runs into trouble - by portraying Russia as "divided" it is dismissing recent elections that granted Vladimir Putin and his United Russia party a sound mandate to lead the country. And while it is true that in reality, between voter turnout and Putin's garnering the support of 63% of those that did turn out (in a 5-way race), only about 40% of Russia's total registered voters actually voted for Putin, his mandate is still sounder than that of US President Barack Obama's 32% in a mere 2-way race, or last year's victory here in Thailand by Yingluck Shinawatra with a tenuous 35%, a victory hailed by the Western media as a "sweeping" mandate.
  Image: Screenshot taken from the National Endowment for Democracy website featuring US funding for the NGO "GOLOS." GOLOS allegedly was searching for "election irregularities" in Russia's recent elections" GOLOS and other US-backed NGOs and opposition parties are now attempting to trigger an "Arab Spring" in Russia. (click to enlarge.)
  It should also be noted that Russia's recent elections were marred by election monitoring NGO "GOLOS" attempting to call the results fraudulent. It would be later revealed that this NGO, billed as "independent" by the Western press, was in fact funded and directed by the US State Department via the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Attempts by Wall Street and London to frame the elections as fraudulent set the groundwork for a wider campaign of political destabilization - a campaign "Pussy Riot" has now become a key player in.Tasteless PR Stunt the Work of the US State Department
  The Guardian however is absolutely correct when they call the "Pussy Riot" proceedings a "show trial." However, they are wrong in claiming that the showmanship is the work of the Russian Federation. Instead, it is showmanship put on by the Western media and the US State Department's vast network of faux-NGOs.
  The Guardian's entire article is propaganda written with a literary rather than journalistic tone. The article itself cites the defendant's lawyer whose comments form the very basis of the article's title. And while the Guardian may prey successfully on the emotions of ill-informed, unsuspecting, but well-intentioned readers, it lets slip several telling clues as to who is really behind the showmanship.
  According to the Guardian, the defense "tried to call 13 witness, including opposition leader Alexey Navalny." Navalny, of course, is a longtime operative receiving both political and financial support from the West in efforts to undermine the Russian government and bring back the days of Wall Street and London's unhindered plundering that marked the 1990's.
  Alexey Navalny was a Yale World Fellow, and in his profile it states:
  "Navalny spearheads legal challenges on behalf of minority shareholders in large Russian companies, including Gazprom, Bank VTB, Sberbank, Rosneft, Transneft, and Surgutneftegaz, through the Union of Minority Shareholders. He has successfully forced companies to disclose more information to their shareholders and has sued individual managers at several major corporations for allegedly corrupt practices. Navalny is also co-founder of the Democratic Alternative movement and was vice-chairman of the Moscow branch of the political party YABLOKO. In 2010, he launched RosPil, a public project funded by unprecedented fundraising in Russia. In 2011, Navalny started RosYama, which combats fraud in the road construction sector."The Democratic Alternative, also written DA!, is indeed a National Endowment for Democracy fund recipient, meaning that Alexey Navalny is an agent of US-funded sedition. And despite posing as a champion for "transparency," Navalny is willfully hiding this from his followers. The US State Department itself reveals this as they list "youth movements" operating in Russia:"DA!: Mariya Gaydar, daughter of former Prime Minister Yegor Gaydar, leads DA! (Democratic Alternative). She is ardent in her promotion of democracy, but realistic about the obstacles she faces. Gaydar said that DA! is focused on non-partisan activities designed to raise political awareness. She has received funding from the National Endowment for Democracy, a fact she does not publicize for fear of appearing compromised by an American connection."Navalny was involved directly in founding a movement funded by the US government and to this day has the very people who funded DA! defending him throughout Western media. The mention of co-founder Mariya Gaydar is also revealing, as she has long collaborated, and occasionally has been arrested with, Ilya Yashin, yet another leader of a NED-funded Russian "activist" opposition group.Photo: Alexei Navalny, Yale World Fellow and co-founder of US National Endowment for Democracy Da! or "Democratic Alternative/Yes in Russian." It is yet another Otpor-esque organization courtesy of the United States government and willful traitors to their motherland.If "Pussy Riot's" defense is calling up a documented agent of Western interests as a "witness," one wonders under what context and to what degree Navalny, and by consequence, the National Endowment for Democracy, is involved with the defendants. Navalny admits that he is "acquainted" with one of the band members, but was not actually a "witness," and rather would have testified in order to "defend law and justice."Clearly then, the defense's attempts to include him in the trial were politically motivated, having nothing to do with either law or justice, and serves simply as a means to link "Pussy Riot" to the US State Department's subversive opposition, many of whose leaders were caught filing into the US Embassy in Moscow earlier this year.
  Also telling, is that Oksana Chelysheva - board member of the Finnish-Russian Civic Forum and a steering committee member of the NED, convicted criminal George Soros Open Society-funded FIDH, Open Society, Ford Foundation, Sigrid Rausing Trust-funded Front Line Defenders, and US State Department-run Amnesty International-affiliated EU-Russia Civil Society Forum - is heading "Pussy Riot's" support campaign.
  Images: "Pussy Riot's" support campaign is spearheaded by Oksana Chelysheva of the US State Department-funded "Russian-Chechen Friendship Society," a clearing house for Chechen terrorist propaganda. Along with US State Department-subsidized Alexey Navalny and the West's media outlets on their side, the hooligan anti-establishment "punk rockers" now on trial in Moscow have a decidedly "establishment" backing. (click images to enlarge) Chelysheva was also "Deputy Executive Director" of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society, fully funded by the US State Department via the National Endowment for Democracy. The "Friendship Society" was essentially a public relations front of Al Qaeda-aligned Chechen terrorists ravaging Russia's Caucasus region - a plot offered new relevance as the US, NATO, and Gulf States openly support similar groups of terrorists now ravaging Syria. The "Friendship Society" served a similar function to the now discredited "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights." While it is unknown, so far, whether or not the members of "Pussy Riot" were contacted by any of these groups, or by the US State Department or its subsidiaries to carry out their hooliganism, it is clear that these groups and the US State Department itself has turned an otherwise tasteless disturbance of peace and a violation of Church-goers' rights to practice their faith without harassment, into a point of political leverage against Russia.
  Helping to push down on this political lever are propaganda outfits like the Guardian, portraying the trial as a case of liberal Russian opposition groups fighting against a judicial throwback to the Soviet Union. In reality, it is another Wall Street-London production in the same vein as Serbia's US-funded Otpor movement, the Kony 2012 fraud and the US-engineered "Arab Spring."
Russia's "Pussy Riot" Stunt Supported by US State Department
  Link to Article
  Source: ZapLog - externe links
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:18
  America's troupe of "activists" continue attempts to divide and undermine Russian society. When the US is overtly backing
  the terrorist invasion of Syria, seeing to the death, displacement, and disruption of millions of lives abroad, while hosting a mass murdering fugitive dictator at home, what then is it to back an act of hooliganism in a Russian church targeting a geopolitical rival? The US State Department-backed so-called "punk band" going by the name of "Pussy Riot," stormed into a Moscow church, defaming the Russian government while mocking the beliefs of churchgoers with vulgarity and disruptive behavior. Marketed as an act of "freedom of expression" by the Western media and the West's collection of foreign ministries, it was in reality what would be called both a hate-crime and disorderly conduct in the West. Furthermore, in the West, such an act would come with it steep fines and lengthy jail sentences. In fact, similar cases have played out in the West - minus the feigned indignation over the perceived violation of free speech of alleged bigots, racists, and hooligans that have preceded "Pussy Riot." In many cases, the West has actively pursued not only people harassing others and creating public disturbances, but also those distributing material to like minded people who's beliefs are simply perceived as "socially harmful."
  The West Has Jailed Many For Similar or Lesser Offenses
  3 Years in Jail for Revising History: In 2006, the BBC reported, "British historian David Irving has been found guilty in Vienna of denying the Holocaust of European Jewry and sentenced to three years in prison." The BBC also reported, "the judge in his 2000 libel trial declared him "an active Holocaust denier... anti-Semitic and racist."" Irving's beliefs, as unpopular as they may be, were expressed in his writings and speeches, not in the middle of a synagogue he had burst into. 4 Years and 2 Years in Jail for Operating "Racist" Website: For the crime of operating a US-based "racist" website and possessing with intent to distribute "racist material," two British men, Simon Sheppard and Stephen Whittle were sentenced to 4 years and 2 years respectively in the UK in 2009. The presiding judge, according to the BBC, "told the men their material was "abusive and insulting" and had the potential to cause "grave social harm."" Unlike Pussy Riot, however, these 2 men only crammed their leaflets into the door of a synagogue - instead of bursting in. Still they received 3-4 years in prison. 5 Years in Jail for Disagreeing With Mainstream History: Also in 2009, a man was jailed for 5 years for "propagating Nazi ideas and Holocaust denial" in Austria, Reuters reported. Gerd Honsik apparently wrote books and magazines which he attempted to distribute in schools, though it was the content of the material, not the manner in which he tried to distribute it that earned him his lengthy jail sentence. Unpopular though his ideas may be, according to the latest tirade by the West, he not only should've been allowed to proclaim them publicly, but do so in a place of worship amongst those he despised. 3 Years in Jail for Harassing a Jewish Man and Public Hate Speech: In 2011, an Australian man posted an "anti-Semitic" video on YouTube earning him a 3 year jail sentence. The video apparently showed the convicted man insulting a Jewish man before going on a tirade "in front of the Perth Bell Tower," reported ABC of Australia. Clearly insulting someone in Australia and creating a public disturbance is a punishable crime, yet somehow the Australian government sees insulting churchgoers in Russia as "freedom of expression." Equally as clear, is that hypocrisy and selective principles are being liberally exercised. Detainment for "Hateful" Public Disturbance: This year, the British Daily Mail reported in their article, "Elmo in cuffs: Man dressed as Sesame Street character is carried away in Central Park after anti-Semitic rant in front of kids," that "the appearance of a hate-spewing man dressed up as Elmo was a jarring one for many New Yorkers who visited Central Park on Sunday afternoon." The article elaborated by saying that though the man was put in handcuffs and taken away, he was not arrested. While no arrest or sentence was handed down, the story clearly indicates that there is a line drawn as to what is "freedom of speech" and what is "disturbing the peace" in the United States. Arrested for Aggravating "religious and racial" Facebook Comments: For the crime of posting "anti-Semitic" remarks on Facebook, the BBC reported that "five men and a 15-year-old youth" were arrested in May, 2012. The BBC would elaborate by reporting, "the six people arrested were charged with a breach of the peace with religious and racial aggravations." Politically-Motivated Hypocrisy and Proxy Poseurs
  Regardless of what one's beliefs may be on "freedom of expression" and what lines if any exist between responsible and irresponsible use of this freedom, one cannot ignore the astounding hypocrisy exhibited by the West - now wringing their hands in feigned disapproval over the jailing of "Pussy Riot" while their jails are full of "hate speech" perpetrators - many of whom did not even specifically target or disturb the subjects of their perceived scorn.
  Images: "Pussy Riot's" support campaign is spearheaded by Oksana Chelysheva of the US State Department-funded "Russian-Chechen Friendship Society," a clearing house for Chechen terrorist propaganda. Along with US State Department-subsidized Alexey Navalny and the West's media outlets on their side, the hooligan anti-establishment "punk rockers" now on trial in Moscow have a decidedly "establishment" backing. Read more here. (click images to enlarge)
  ....
  The real reason why the Western media outlets have been so keen on covering the "Pussy Riot" trial has nothing to do with "free speech."
  The West, and more specifically, the corporate-financier interests of Wall Street and London, see Russia's current government as a barrier to not only the return to the unmitigated plundering of the Russian people they had enjoyed in the 1990's, but a check and balance inhibiting their hegemonic ambitions globally. The West has propped up with money and political support the opposition movement from which "Pussy Riot" has emanated.
  This latest stunt was designed specifically to breath new life into the crumbling, overtly foreign-backed "opposition" that has been attempting to divide and undermine both Russia and the government of President Vladamir Putin, before, during, and after his return to the presidency. Instead, this latest stunt does little more than further expose the increasingly visible hypocrisy and injustice pervading all parts of Western society.
  Finally, "Pussy Riot" are not punk rockers. They are US State Department-backed instruments of corporate-financier hegemony, used as leverage against a Russian government standing in the way of Wall Street and London's order of international corporatocracy. The punk culture, ironically represents the antithesis of such an international order - ironic indeed that so many have superficially defended "Pussy Riot" as targeted "punkers" when substantively they are "poseurs."
Sudan plane crash in south kills all 32 on board
  Link to Article
  Source: Twitter / BreakingNews
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:16
  KHARTOUM, Sudan '-- The office of the Sudanese president says all 32 people on board died when a plane carrying a government delegation crashed in the country's south.
  The crash in the early hours of Sunday killed the country's minister of endowment, Ghazi al-Sadeq, and a leading member of Sudan's Peace and Justice Party, Makki Balayela.
  They were en route to the volatile South Kordofan state, to attend prayers for a Muslim holiday.
  Earlier reports from Sudan's state news agency SUNA said the plane crashed "due to harsh weather conditions" in a mountainous area near Talodi, a small town about 650 kilometers, or 406 miles, southwest of the capital, Khartoum.
BBC News - Queen advertises chauffeur position for Royal household
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:16
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Bashar al-Assad makes first public appearance for six weeks | World news
  Link to Article
  Source: The Guardian World News
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:14
  Bashar al-Assad attends prayers at al-Hamad mosque in Damascus. Photograph: Sana/REUTERS
  Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, has attended Eid prayers in a mosque in Damascus, his first appearance in public after a bombing in the Syrian capital last month that killed the defence minister and three other top security officials.
  Elsewhere across Syria on Sunday, thousands held anti-government protests in mosques and cemeteries to mark Eid al-Fitr, a holiday when pious Muslims traditionally visit graves and pray for the dead.
  The three-day holiday marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which was particularly deadly in Syria as the 18-month-old uprising reached the country's two largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.
  Amateur video posted by activists on the internet showed a large group of worshippers in a mosque at al-Zahera district in Damascus shouting: "There is no God but Allah and Assad is the enemy of God," while clapping their hands over their heads.
  "May God protect the Free Syrian Army!" they also cried, referring to the main rebel group fighting to topple Assad.
  Syrians also protested in many other parts of the country, demanding freedom and calling for Assad to go.
  Opposition groups reported fierce artillery shelling that targeted a main cemetery in the rebel-held town of Rastan, north of the central city of Homs, as people visited the graves of dead relatives, but the reports could not be independently confirmed.
  The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one woman was killed in the shelling on Rastan.
  Meanwhile, Syrian state TV broadcast footage showing Assad praying at the city's Rihab al-Hamad mosque, a relatively small mosque in al-Muhajireen district only a few hundred metres from the presidential palace, to mark the start of Eid.
  Residents of Damascus said security forces blocked streets and encircled several central mosques in the capital on Saturday evening, possibly to confuse people about where Assad would attend the traditional holiday prayers.
  Unlike previous years, Assad was not shown arriving or leaving in his convoy '' only seated on the mosque floor, wearing a suit and tie, and later, standing and briefly shaking hands with officials.
  "All this points to a state of confusion and lack of confidence at the leadership level," said Syria-based activist Mohammad Saeed. "It shows they don't have security in the capital under control."
  The last time Assad appeared in public was on 4 July, when he gave a speech in parliament.
  Since then, there has been a sharp escalation in the civil war with almost daily fighting in some districts of the capital between security forces and rebels seeking to topple Assad.
  The Syrian regime has suffered a series of setbacks over the past month that point to a loosening of its grip on the country.
  The 18 July rebel bombing of the state security headquarters in the capital was a major blow to Assad. His brother-in-law was among the four officials killed.
  There has also been a steady stream of high-level defections by government officials, diplomats and generals, though Assad's inner-circle and military have largely kept their cohesive stance behind him. And the regime has been unable to fully subdue rebel challenges in the two major cities, Damascus and Aleppo.
  Assad's appearance comes amid much speculation on the whereabouts of Syria's vice president, Farouk al-Sharaa, who was said by some members of the Free Syrian Army to have defected to the opposition. On Saturday, his office denied the reports and said Sharaa "did not think, at any moment, of leaving the country".
  Sharaa did not appear in the footage at the mosque with Assad, but observers note the two rarely attend the same functions for security reasons.
PANETTA AND NAOMI WOLF LOCK HORNS
  Link to Article
  Source: VENITISM
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:13
  Free Speech Debate declares we must be free and able to express ourselves, andto receive and impart information and ideas, regardless of frontiers. We defendthe internet and all other forms of communication against illegitimateencroachments by kleptocrats. We require and create open, diverse media so wecan make well-informed decisions and participate fully in political life. Weallow no taboos in the discussion and dissemination of knowledge.Panetta announced an order to Pentagon officials to begin monitoring major newsstations to see if any media outlets are disclosing classified information.Samuel Adams pointed out it does not take a majority to prevail, but rather anirate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds ofmen.
  Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states thateveryone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includesfreedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impartinformation and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
  Naomi Wolf's immediate take is a profound feeling of nausea and a sense thatsomehow, the United States has collapsed into the Soviet Union circa themid-1930s. This was horribly foreseeable, but Wolf can't believe it's come tothis. The Bush administration began its trajectory several years ago by sayingthat they were going to start to reactivate the Espionage Act, and theythreatened to go after The New York Times when they broke the SWIFT bankingstory about how the government was monitoring people's financial transactions.But a journalist's job is to publish classified information.
  The First Amendment of the American Constitution provides a baseline level ofprotection for speakers who choose to communicate their messages to the worldanonymously or pseudonymously. Investigating agencies cannot force emailservices to disclose the identities of their customers.
  First of all, these two White Houses, Obama's and Bush's, have beensystematically over-classifying everything, especially wrong-doing '' anythingrelated to what whistleblowers want to release, torture they've engaged in, themethods of torture, fraud, corruption '' they're classifying it all.
  The freakish government of Greece in 2010 was so stupid that it hoodwinked allmedia that I conspired to trigger a war between Greece and Turkey and blameMariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece,for it! Accusing dissident bloggers of treason, Graecokleptocrats havemanufactured a blood libel in cyberspace, which in turn incites hatred andviolence. The government of Greece gave my head on plate to Erdogan. BrutalGraecokleptocrats have destroyed my life. My life is stolen. Now I demand mylife back! For those who are kind enough to contribute to my legal defense,please click the Donate button on the right column of venitism blogspot.
  Wolf has conversations with legal representatives of people at Guantanamo whotell her that they can't tell her how their clients have been tortured becauseit's classified and they would get in trouble because of the way government isover-classifying information. It's not national security information, it's thegovernment classification as a way of protecting its own corruption and fraud.
  Cybercensorship encourages freakish governments, such as the brutal governmentof Greece. On October 18, 2010, the Greek government stole my life at gunpoint.Mr. Samaras, bring my life back! Enough is enough! Greece, the bully ofblogosphere, has crossed the Rubicon against civility, terrorizing and robbingdissident bloggers.
  Giving cybercensorship to blogbusters is giving gin to alcoholics! Blogbustersgalore! Freak! Freak! Freak! The freakish government of Greece, the mostcorrupt country in Occident, steals computers! Robbing dissident bloggers andlocking them in jail is a freakish behavior that does not belong to the EuropeanUnion, not even to this galaxy! No wonder some vain Greeks boast they come fromAndromeda galaxy!
  Wolf laments what's so scary about this is that anyone who's a journalist, whotells the truth '' and there's nothing wrong with this '' it's journalists doingtheir job. Wolf said this when Julian Assange was arrested '' that up and downthe eastern seaboard in dinner parties, in cocktail parties in the elite mediastream, all we do is talk about classified information and trade classifiedinformation, share classified information, and show off when we have classifiedinformation, because it means that we are being effective at our jobs. That'snot the same as leaking it.
  Civil society must persuade the freakish blogbusters of the enemies of internetto stop persecuting and robbing dissident bloggers. The enemies of internet areBahrain, Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, Iran, North Korea, SaudiArabia, Syria, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. The freakishgovernment of Greece stole my life!
  Wolf agrees that someone who actually leaks classified information knows that heis breaking the law. Wolf is not saying there's no reason not to haveclassification in a working democracy, but the job of journalists is to publishclassified information that is brought to them that's in the public interest.And so now, it's like mafia tactics; the government is saying to journalistseverywhere in America, we're going to intimidate you. And we're threatening youwith serious legal penalties like prison time if you do your job. That's whatthey do in China. Wolf can't believe it's come to this. Obviously journalistspublish classified information because that's how we know that we're living in ademocracy.
How Bankrupt taxpayer became BT and then Bonkers Troll
  Link to Article
  Source: A diary of deception and distortion
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:11
  First of all, thank you all so much for the simplicity of your Dickhead's Guide to the WordPress commenting system. I think there were something like eleven in all, and every last one was more helpful than WP's own 'guide'.
  I confess to finding WordPress software skitty at times. For example, on trying to publish this post in 'quickpost', it told me the request was invalid. It does this now and then. But overall, I do like the system. However, I wonder if (or even when) software suppliers are going to realise that technogeeks are wired differently to the rest of the human race.
  But that's not important right now, because I have made a fascinating discovery over the last twelve hours: that over 50% of all Slog trolling since its inception has been carried out by one bloke with no fewer than thirteen aliases.
  He's been quite clever, Bankrupt Taxpayer aka MaxC aka Coco aka BT aka bollixdeconstruction aka all the rest of the IDs. He posted in different tones depending on the ID. Sometimes he posed as Mr Angry, sometimes as Mr Reasonable, sometimes even as Mr Helpful, and frequently as Mr Don't-be-so-hard-on-BT. But the eventual supremacy of Mr Supremely Bonkers-Troll started appearing about two months ago. I asked him by email a couple of times if he was ''alright'' (he now claims I've never emailed him) but that only seems to have made things worse.
  However, there were three consistently obsessive thoughts running through his comments:
  1. Anti-semitism
  2. Resentment of success
  3. Violent hatred of all authority forms.
  As he didn't seem able to tear himself away from The Slog, he has now been barred from every entrance in perpetuity. So we can (most of us) breathe a sigh of relief.
  Like this:Be the first to like this.
BBC News - Mobile phone throwing in Finland
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 06:42
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Time for a Shock Doctrine Crisis
  Link to Article
  Source: Untitled Feed
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 06:36
  "Only a crisis, real or perceived produces real change." -- Milton Friedman
  The global elite plutocrats may seek a "crisis" to push the presidential election toward the challenger. There are numerous ways to set up a crisis. As the IMF's banking crisis frequency chart shows below, historically crises tend to erupt between late August and September anyway. The global economy is currently staged for catastrophic financial crises without even a push. All it takes is the slightest deviation away from governments' heavy handed intervention in the markets. It could stem from another U.S. credit downgrade or the collapse of yet another lingering Lehmen Bros.-like zombie. I rate a Grexit (Greece's exit from euro) high on the list of possibilities (US Looks to Exploit Greek Re-default) .
  The elite plutocrats are concerned about regulation and whether Obama might take a more populist turn, such as actually implementing a millionaire tax, during a second term. The kleptocrats have already milked Obama and the U.S. Treasury more than ever imaginable. Having already successfully carried forth their looting agenda with their Presidente Hopium puppet, the financial elite are tossing him out like a used-up rag. Obama will be replaced with other sycophants readily willing to set up new types of loots.
  Given that the U.S. Treasury is insolvent, held up only by financial rigging, the next major plutocratic objective will be to subject the developed nations of Europe and the U.S. to the economic model practiced under the Washington Consensus (WC). Western governments and banking interests created the WC in the '80s as a neoliberal policy to severely indebt and trap developing nations and capture their governments during financial crises.
  The type of WC actually practiced will ignore sounder recommendations of capitalism such as free market interest rates, a degree of fiscal discipline, controlling rent seeking subsidies, and good property rights. Instead the focus or guise is on a corrupted exploitation version of WC doctrine: severe austerity, dismantled social safety nets, privatizing key assets, and distributing even more wealth from the gente, or lower and middle classes, to the elites. All of this was done in favor of the alternative: The restructuring of debt so that the losses fall on global banksters. This is the classic "shock doctrine" or "disaster capitalism" discussed by Naomi Klein. The pick of elitist neoliberal Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney's running mate all but ices the implementation of the neoliberal corrupted version of the WC approach for America's future.
  The next reason for impetus could play out around Israel. Israel distrusts Obama, sees him as too weak, and wants a U.S. administration that is motivated to provide military backup against Iran. Romney has not only been courting Israel for money, he has all but endorsed its position in a speech in Jerusalem.
  In the U.S., Israel has the support of strange bed fellows: The evangelicals or "Christian Right." Listen to this American pastor explain why. Romney stated the U.S. with Israel would use ''any and all measures'' to lead the effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Romney even held an unprecedented campaign fundraiser in Israel. Three days after being put on the ticket, Paul Ryan beat a path to Las Vegas, to meet with Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate and a key American bag man for Israeli interests.
  Although the U.S. on its face is a center-right country, the majority of Americans would never give carte blanche support an extreme neoliberal political economy or a Zionist foreign policy agenda. Now leading by a very small margin, Obama needs to shuffle through to the election without troublesome events interfering with the election. Surveys show his previous support base has little enthusiasm for his "hope"-based candidacy, so Obama is depending mostly on a negative campaign to convince voters to support him as the lesser of two evils. I think such a campaign leaves him vulnerable. To ensure his vulnerability will require a crisis or "surprise." The plutocratic agenda requires that the crisis tree be shaken to push the marginal voter into staying home, thus swaying the election toward the GOP and paving the way for the implementation of the WC model.
  For additional analysis on this topic and related trades subscribe to Russ Winter's Actionable '' risk free for 30 days. The subscription fee is $69 per quarter and helps support Russ's work. Click here for more information.
  Copyright (C) 2012 The Wall Street Examiner. All Rights Reserved. The above may be reposted with attribution and a prominent link to The Wall Street Examiner.
BBC News - Shamoon virus targets energy sector infrastructure
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Middle East
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 06:35
  17 August 2012Last updated at 15:22 A new threat targeting infrastructure in the energy industry has been uncovered by security specialists.
  The attack, known as Shamoon, is said to have hit "at least one organisation" in the sector.
  Shamoon is capable of wiping files and rendering several computers on a network unusable.
  On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's national oil company said an attack had led to its own network being taken offline.
  Although Saudi Aramco did not link the issue to the Shamoon threat, it did confirm that the company had suffered a "sudden disruption".
  In a statement, the company said it had now isolated its computer networks as a precautionary measure.
  The disruptions were "suspected to be the result of a virus that had infected personal workstations without affecting the primary components of the network", a statement read.
  It said the attack had had "no impact whatsoever" on production operations.
  Rendered unusableOn Thursday, security firms released the first detailed information about Shamoon.
  Experts said the threat was known to have had hit "at least one organisation" in the energy sector.
  "It is a destructive malware that corrupts files on a compromised computer and overwrites the MBR (Master Boot Record) in an effort to render a computer unusable," wrote security firm Symantec.
  Continue reading the main storyWhy would someone wipe files in a targeted attack and make the machine unusable?''
  End QuoteSeculertThe attack was designed to penetrate a computer through the internet, before targeting other machines on the same network that were not directly connected to the internet.
  Once infected, the machines' data is wiped. A list of the wiped files then sent back to the initially infected computer, and in turn passed on to the attacker's command-and-control centre.
  During this process, the attack replaces the deleted files with JPEG images - obstructing any potential file recovery by the victim.
  'Under the radar'Seculert, an Israel-based security specialist, also analysed the malicious code and concluded that it had unusual characteristics compared with other recent attacks.
  "The interesting part of this malware is that instead of staying under the radar and collect information, the malware was designed to overwrite and wipe the files," the company said.
  "Why would someone wipe files in a targeted attack and make the machine unusable?"
  Shamoon is the latest in a line of attacks that have targeted infrastructure.
  One of the most high-profile attacks in recent times was Stuxnet, which was designed to hit nuclear infrastructure in Iran.
  Others, like Duqu, have sought to infiltrate networks in order to steal data.
Federal Register | Unblocking of One (1) Individual Designated Pursuant to Executive Order 13573
  Link to Article
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 04:28
  The removal of this individual from the SDN List is effective as of August 14, 2012.
  Assistant Director, Compliance Outreach & Implementation,Office of Foreign Assets Control,Department of the Treasury,1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (Treasury Annex),Washington, DC 20220, Tel.: 202/622-2490.
  This document and additional information concerning OFAC are available from OFAC's Web site (www.treas.gov/ofac) or via facsimile through a 24-hour fax-on-demand service, Tel.: 202/622-0077.
  On May 18, 2011, the President issued Executive Order 13573, ''Blocking Property of Senior Officials of the Government of Syria,'' (the ''Order'') pursuant to, inter alia, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-06). In the Order, the President took additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, which was expanded in scope in Executive Order 13572 of April 29, 2011. The Order authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to designate additional persons or entities determined to meet certain criteria set forth in Executive Order 13573.
  The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has determined that this individual should be removed from the SDN List.
  The following designation is removed from the SDN List:
  1. HIJAB, Riyad (a.k.a. HIJAB, Riyad Farid), Syria; DOB 1966; POB Deir Ezzor, Syria; Prime Minister (individual) [SYRIA].
  The removal of this individual from the SDN List is effective as of August 14, 2012. All property and interests in property of the individual that are in or hereafter come within the United States or the possession or control of United States persons are now unblocked.
  Dated: August 14, 2012.
  Barbara C. Hammerle,
  Acting Director, Office of Foreign Assets Control.
  [FR Doc. 2012-20386 Filed 8-17-12; 8:45 am]
  BILLING CODE 4811-AL-P
Microsoft eyes the iPad | Microsoft
  Link to Article
  Source: CNET News
  Sun, 19 Aug 2012 00:07
  The 10.6-inch Microsoft Surface RT tablet.
  (Credit:Josh Lowensohn/CNET)Microsoft conceived Windows RT and Surface to compete with theiPad.
  And IDC's Bob O'Donnell believes that will dictate pricing. For both Microsoft-branded Surface RT and other Windows RT products from companies like Asus and Dell.
  The 32GB iPad (currently $599) has a big bull's eye on its back, O'Donnell told me yesterday. For both Surface and RT devices from Microsoft partners. And throw Windows 8 Pro devices based on Intel's power-efficient system-on-a-chip, aka Atom, into that mix too, said O'Donnell.
  Remember, RTtablets use power-frugal ARM chips and come with a version of Windows 8 that is not compatible with older Windows software. Windows 8 Pro tablets, on the other hand, are powered by Intel chips and can run the millions of older Windows programs out there.
  The only product lines that won't compete directly with the iPad are high-end tablets (and tabletlike devices) based on Intel's fast Core i series chips used in ultrabooks, said O'Donnell. They will be priced in the $899 to $999 ballpark, he said.
  And that will include Microsoft's Surface Pro tablet coming out in early 2013.
  And what about that rumored $199 Microsoft Surface tablet that theoretically would compete with Google's $199 Nexus 7?
  For guidance, I have been told repeatedly by Microsoft that "suggested retail pricing...is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC." (The same statement Microsoft made in June when it launched Surface.)
  And I was told yesterday by someone familiar with Microsoft's Surface strategy that "comparable" does not apply to a 7-inch tablet, like the Nexus 7. Comparable products are 10-inch class tablets with the latest versions ofAndroid from a first-tier player like Samsung.
  So, that means theoretically that Surface RT and other RT products could compete with a low-end 10-inch class Wi-Fi-only Android product from Samsung, for example.
  Whatever the case, all of the low-end 10-inch class Android tablets from top-tier vendors, like the $399 Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, are competing with the $399 iPad 2.
  But $199? I'll leave that to readers to speculate (e.g., $199 with a monthly Microsoft subscription), but I don't see any new 10-inch $199 tablets from Samsung, Motorola, or Asus.
Man Arrested In Texas Mall Shooting
  Link to Article
  Source: Twitter / BreakingNews
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 23:59
  KWES-TV
  One person was shot and two others wounded after a person opened fire at the Music City Mall in Odessa, Texas.
  Odessa police said the man accused in a deadly shooting in a mall parking lot turned himself into police.
  Police say they were on their way early Saturday to the Music City Mall because some people were refusing to leave a bar and grill when several 911 calls came in saying that shots had been fired in the mall parking lot.
  When officers arrived, they found two people who had been shot. A third person was taken to the hospital by private vehicle. Police say 23-year-old Pablo Jimenez died at the hospital from gunshot wounds.
  Odessa police detectives said 25-year-old Baushlyon Richardson turned himself into police. He will be charged with Murder First Degree Felony. He was transported and booked into the Ector County Law Enforcement Center. The department said no other suspects are being sought in connection with this incident.
  Copyright Associated Press / NBC 5 Dallas-Fort WorthGet the latest headlines sent to your inbox!
If you don't Sharia law, you must be far right.
  Link to Article
  Source: usfollowme
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 23:47
  http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120818-44441.html
The PJ Tatler >> So, Hillary Clinton Adviser Huma Abedin was on the Board of a Muslim Brotherhood Front?
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 23:46
  According to Walid Shoebat, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton adviser and former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner wife, Huma Abedin, was an executive board member of the Muslim Students Association circa 1996-97.
  In addition to Huma Abedin returning to the United States circa 1996 and landing a job with both Hillary Clinton and the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs (IMMA), she also joined the Muslim Students Association (MSA) Executive Board at George Washington University.
  The following screen shot is courtesy of Wayback Machine and shows that in 1997, Huma Abedin served on the MSA Executive Board as the Head of Social Committee.
  The Muslim Students Association is a bona fide Muslim Brotherhood front group. Patrick Poole wrote a report on the MSA here at the Tatler in February 2011, in which he detailed connections between the MSA, the Muslim Brotherhood, and international Islamist terrorism.
  Abedin's past membership in the MSA does not mean that she agrees with the group or its goals now. But that membership does indicate that Abedin agreed with the MSA at one time, and shows that Rep. Michele Bachmann et al's questions about Muslim Brotherhood influence on the US State Department are based in facts about the past and present beliefs of figures like Abedin.
  At a time when the Muslim Brotherhood is taking power across the Middle East, and when its offspring include Hizballah, Hamas and al Qaeda, it is reasonable to expect that such a group would seek to influence the US government and its foreign policy. It would be delusional and naive to assume that the group has no such interest.
US Drone Strike in Pakistan Kills Five People -- News from Antiwar.com
  Link to Article
  Source: News From Antiwar.com
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 23:42
  A US drone strike launched in northern Pakistan killed five people reported as militants in a suspected militant hideout. The target was an unnamed warlord leader, who was not among the five killed.
  As is usual, no hard information was provided about the individuals killed in the strike. Despite the fact that everybody knows about the drone war in Pakistan, the program is still technically secret and so the Obama administration refuses to answer questions about it. The underlying premise here being that it's none of the American people's business who their own government is killing.
  The intended target was Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a militant commander whose forces frequently target US troops in neighboring Afghanistan. The five killed were said to be ''supporters'' of his, although this is unknown given the Obama administration's policy of automatically counting military age males in a strike zone a militant, unless posthumously proved otherwise.
  Pakistan considers drone strikes into its territory a severe breach of its sovereignty. Despite repeated demands for Washington to stop bombing their country, the Obama administration has continued the drone war unabated.
  Christof Heyns, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, has questioned the legality of America's drone war. ''Current targeting practices weaken the rule of law,'' he said. ''Killings may be lawful in an armed conflict [such as Afghanistan] but many targeted killings take place far from areas where it's recognized as being an armed conflict.''
  UN rights chief Navi Pillay has raised similar concerns. ''Drone attacks do raise serious questions about compliance with international law,'' she said, after urging an investigation in June.
  ''I see the indiscriminate killings and injuries of civilians in any circumstances as human rights violations,'' she said, adding that, ''Because these attacks are indiscriminate it is very, very difficult to track the numbers of people who have been killed.''
  Last 5 posts by John Glaser
What's in a tabbed river?
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 23:40
  World OutlineSign-inSign-upv0.64;
  Threads > 8/16/12 by DWThread started by Dave Winer yesterday.A very quick technical overview of what's in a tabbed river.First, a river is a list of items in reverse-chronologic order from a collection of feeds, also known as a subscription list. Feeds are RSS 2.0, 1.0, 0.9x or Atom 1.0. Subscription lists are in OPML 2.0. An example of a subscription list.The rivers are in a new JSON-based format. Example.I would like to see others build on the JSON format, providing new flows, and also providing new user interfaces. A tabbed river is a collection of rivers, presented in a tab format. I'm using the Bootstrap Toolkit for the tabs. View the forum thread.
Lomborg: Paul Krugman is wrong to say that climate change causes extreme weather.
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 22:33
  We don't know whether global warming is causing the droughts seen around much of the United States this summerPhotograph by Scott Olson/Getty Images.
  ''Everyone knows'' that you should drink eight glasses of water a day. After all, this is the advice of a multitude of health writers, not to mention authorities like Britain's National Health Service. Healthy living now means carrying water bottles with us, sipping at all times, trying to drink our daily quota to ensure that we stay hydrated and healthy.
  Indeed, often we drink without being thirsty, but that is how it should be: As the beverage maker Gatorade reminds us, ''your brain may know a lot, but it doesn't know when your body is thirsty.'' Sure, drinking this much does not feel comfortable, but Powerade offers this sage counsel: ''You may be able to train your gut to tolerate more fluid if you build your fluid intake gradually.''
  Now the British Medical Journalreports that these claims are ''not only nonsense, but thoroughly debunked nonsense.'' This has been common knowledge in the medical profession at least since 2002, when Heinz Valtin, a professor of physiology and neurobiology at Dartmouth Medical School, published the first critical review of the evidence for drinking lots of water. He concluded that ''not only is there no scientific evidence that we need to drink that much, but the recommendation could be harmful, both in precipitating potentially dangerous hyponatremia and exposure to pollutants and also in making many people feel guilty for not drinking enough.''
  The drink-more-water story is curiously similar to how ''everyone knows'' that global warming only makes climate more extreme. A hot, dry summer (in some places) has triggered another barrage of such claims. And, while many interests are at work, one of the players that benefits the most from this story are the media: the notion of ''extreme'' climate simply makes for more compelling news.
  Consider Paul Krugman, writing breathlessly in the New York Times about the ''rising incidence of extreme events'' and how ''large-scale damage from climate change is '... happening now.'' He claims that global warming caused the current drought in America's Midwest, and that supposedly record-high corn prices could cause a global food crisis.
  But the United Nations climate panel's latest assessment tells us precisely the opposite: For ''North America, there is medium confidencethat there has been an overall slight tendency toward less dryness (wetting trend with more soil moisture and runoff).'' Moreover, there is no way that Krugman could have identified this drought as being caused by global warming without a time machine: Climate models estimate that such detection will be possible by 2048, at the earliest.
  And, fortunately, this year's drought appears unlikely to cause a food crisis. According to the Economist, ''price increases in corn and soybeans are not thought likely to trigger a food crisis, as they did in 2007-08, as global rice and wheat supplies remain plentiful.'' Moreover, Krugman overlooks inflation: Prices have increased six-fold since 1969, so, while corn futures did set a record of about $8 per bushel in late July, the inflation-adjusted price of corn was higher throughout most of the 1970s, reaching a whopping $16 in 1974.
  Finally, Krugman conveniently forgets that concerns about global warming are the main reason that corn prices have skyrocketed since 2005. Nowadays 40 percent of corn grown in the United States is used to produce ethanol, which does absolutely nothing for the climate, but certainly distorts the price of corn'--at the expense of many of the world's poorest people.
  Bill McKibben similarly frets in The Guardian and The Daily Beast about the Midwest drought and corn prices. Moreover, he confidently tells us that raging wildfires from New Mexico and Colorado to Siberia are ''exactly'' what the early stages of global warming look like.
  In fact, the latest overview of global wildfire incidence suggests that, because humans have suppressed fire and decreased vegetation density, fire intensity has declined over the past 70 years and is now close to its preindustrial level.
  When well-meaning campaigners want us to pay attention to global warming, they often end up pitching beyond the facts. And, while this may seem justified by a noble goal, such ''policy by panic'' tactics rarely work, and often backfire.
  Remember how, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Al Gore (and many others) claimed that we were in store for ever more devastating hurricanes? Since then, hurricane incidence has dropped off the charts; indeed, by one measure, global accumulated cyclone energy has decreased to its lowest levels since the late 1970's. Exaggerated claims merely fuel public distrust and disengagement.
  That is unfortunate, because global warming is a real problem, and we do need to address it. Warming will increase some extremes (it is likely that both droughts and fires will become worse toward the end of the century). But warming will also decrease other extremes, for example, leading to fewer deaths from cold and less water scarcity.
  Similarly, there are real health problems'--and many of them. But focusing on the wrong ones'--like drinking a lot of water'--diverts our attention from more important issues. Telling tall tales may benefit those with a stake in the telling, but it leaves us all worse off.
  This article was originally published by Project Syndicate. For more from Project Syndicate, visit their new Web site, and follow them on Twitter or Facebook.
BBC News - Egypt President Mursi 'to visit Iran'
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Middle East
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:06
  18 August 2012Last updated at 15:37 ET The Egyptian president is to visit Iran to attend meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement at the end of August, Egyptian media report.
  If the visit to Tehran goes ahead, Mohammed Mursi's trip will be the first visit by an Egyptian head of state since the 1979 Iranian revolution.
  Previous reports suggested he might send his deputy, Mahmoud Mekki.
  Egypt currently heads the movement, created during the Cold War to promote the interests of the developing world.
  A visit by Mr Mursi could mark a thaw in relations between Iran and Egypt after decades of discord.
  Egypt's formal recognition of Israel and Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution led, in 1980, to the breakdown of diplomatic relations between the two states.
  Under former President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt sided with Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-dominated Arab nations in a bid to isolate Shia-led Iran.
  In June, Mr Mursi said he would sue an Iranian news agency after it quoted him as saying he would seek to restore relations with Tehran.
WikiLeaks Julian Assange Press Conference On Release Of Military Documents pt.1
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  Source: Uploads by wwwMOXNEWScom
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:05
FREE PUSSY RIOT
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  Source: Uploads by wwwMOXNEWScom
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:05
Julian Assange BBC Interview
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  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:04
Norway's Top Cop Resigns After Report Say Police Could Have Stopped Anders Breivik's Attack
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  Source: Uploads by wwwMOXNEWScom
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 19:10
Julian Assange Possible Escape Scenarios
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  Source: Uploads by wwwMOXNEWScom
  Sat, 18 Aug 2012 19:00