Saturday, September 13, 2008
The European Union - An Insight Into The Coming Orwellian Superstate
Once You Have Read This Report You Will Realise We Are Now Moving To DEFCON SEVEREThe European Union is currently developing a new five year strategy for justice and home affairs and security policy for 2009-2014. The proposals set out by the shadowy “Future Group” set up by the Council of the European Union include a range of highly controversial measures including new technologies of surveillance, enhanced cooperation with the United States and harnessing the “digital tsunami”. In the words of the EU Council presidency:
“Every object the individual uses, every transaction they make and almost everywhere they go will create a detailed digital record. This will generate a wealth of information for public security organisations, and create huge opportunities for more effective and productive public security efforts.”
Seven years on from 11 September 2001 and the launch of the so-called “war on terorism” this major new report The Shape of Things to Come (60 pages) examines the proposals of the Future Group and their effect on civil liberties.
It shows how European governments and EU policy-makers are pursuing unfettered powers to access and gather masses of personal data on the everyday life of everyone – on the grounds that we can all be safe and secure from perceived “threats”.
The Statewatch report calls for a “meaningful and wide-ranging debate” before it is “too late” for privacy and civil liberties.
The report also contains four Case Studies:
The “digital tsunami” and the surveillance state;
The “convergence principle”;
Privacy and data protection;
EU-US area of cooperation.
YOU NEED TIME TO FULLY READ THIS IN DETAIL, BELIEVE ME YOUR TIME WILL BE WELL SPENT.
WE MUST STOP THIS NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE ( THAT IS ASSUMING IT ISN'T ALREADY TOO LATE)
IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO GO ABOUT DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS VISIT AND JOIN THE 'WHOLE TRUTH COALITION'
Park Life - A Derbyshire Tale
Millions of pounds of public funds are to be used to help a private company turn Britain's first ever country park into a golf Resort.
Elvaston Castle country park comprising a Grade 2 go tic revival mansion and more than 300 acres of parkland in Derbyshire , was the first country park to be purchased under the 1968 Countryside Act, intended to safeguard open spaces for future generations. More than 600,000 visit there every year.
Now Derbyshire county council hopes to get shot of an estimated £3million repair bill for the castle and the annual £500,000 spent on the grounds. It plans to turn Elvaston into a luxury hotel with wedding and conference facilities, along with bars, restaurants and a swimming pool.
Continued public access will be assured - as long as the public buys gym membership or pays to eat in the bars or restaurants.
The grounds are to be converted into two golf courses. Twelve acres of nature reserve will also have to go.
After the usual loaded public "consultation" exercise, the public consulted itself in the form of a 60,000 named petition in opposition.Nevertheless, Derbyshire announced its "preferred partner" Highgate Sanctuary Ltd. Director Tanya Spilsbury's father is Brian Ashby, head of commercial property firm Norseman Holdings.
The council protests that it is not selling Elvaston - but a 150 yr lease will see us all out. Once the planning permissions are in place by spring 2009 it is hoped that Highgate Sanctuary will provide and estimated £2.75 million match funding(along with a peppercorn rent for the lease) so the council can resubmit its bid for millions more pounds of public money to the heritage lottery fund to "restore" the castle and grounds for the benefit and profit of..... Highgate Sanctuary!
Elvaston Castle country park comprising a Grade 2 go tic revival mansion and more than 300 acres of parkland in Derbyshire , was the first country park to be purchased under the 1968 Countryside Act, intended to safeguard open spaces for future generations. More than 600,000 visit there every year.
Now Derbyshire county council hopes to get shot of an estimated £3million repair bill for the castle and the annual £500,000 spent on the grounds. It plans to turn Elvaston into a luxury hotel with wedding and conference facilities, along with bars, restaurants and a swimming pool.
Continued public access will be assured - as long as the public buys gym membership or pays to eat in the bars or restaurants.
The grounds are to be converted into two golf courses. Twelve acres of nature reserve will also have to go.
After the usual loaded public "consultation" exercise, the public consulted itself in the form of a 60,000 named petition in opposition.Nevertheless, Derbyshire announced its "preferred partner" Highgate Sanctuary Ltd. Director Tanya Spilsbury's father is Brian Ashby, head of commercial property firm Norseman Holdings.
The council protests that it is not selling Elvaston - but a 150 yr lease will see us all out. Once the planning permissions are in place by spring 2009 it is hoped that Highgate Sanctuary will provide and estimated £2.75 million match funding(along with a peppercorn rent for the lease) so the council can resubmit its bid for millions more pounds of public money to the heritage lottery fund to "restore" the castle and grounds for the benefit and profit of..... Highgate Sanctuary!
Big Brother is watching you.... Council to fingerprint staff as they clock in for work
Hundreds council workers are set to be fingerprinted before they are allowed to work, it has been revealed.
Staff at Westminster Council in London will 'clock in' by scanning their fingerprints in what is believed to be the first scheme of its type in Britain.
But today civil liberties and data protection watchdogs warned the scheme had 'Big Brother' overtones and should be abandoned.
Some of the workers affected are already considering industrial action over the plan. About 200 employees in the street management services department, including the borough's road sweepers, will be asked to provide their fingerprints
Read more...
Staff at Westminster Council in London will 'clock in' by scanning their fingerprints in what is believed to be the first scheme of its type in Britain.
But today civil liberties and data protection watchdogs warned the scheme had 'Big Brother' overtones and should be abandoned.
Some of the workers affected are already considering industrial action over the plan. About 200 employees in the street management services department, including the borough's road sweepers, will be asked to provide their fingerprints
Read more...
'Bush Destabilizing World Security'
A US congressman says President George W. Bush's authorization of American attacks inside Pakistan will further destabilize the world security. "The President is once again violating international law by invading yet another nation which has not attacked the United States. Once again, he places our troops and our reputation at risk," media reports quoted Dennis Kucinich as saying on Saturday. "Once again, he creates more enemies for America. Pakistan's objections to the illegal US Predator strikes inside the country's border should be a clear indication of how Pakistan would respond to another illegal attack upon their sovereign nation," the US Senator added. "Pakistan is a nuclear flash point on the Asian subcontinent. This situation requires intense diplomacy. The United States under George Bush is playing with fire, creating more instability, killing innocent Pakistanis, imperiling our troops in the region and weakening the hold our allies have on their democratic governments. Instead of limiting aggression, Bush expands it," Kucinich noticed.Read more...
Gazan students trapped as Israel withholds visas
JERUSALEM–More than 400 would-be university students remain trapped in the Gaza Strip, unable to leave for studies abroad – including one accepted at Ryerson University – and now the Israel Broadcasting Authority is refusing to accept paid advertisements calling attention to their plight."There's a clause in the broadcasting authority's rules that allows them to refuse a paid ad if the issue is `politically or ideologically controversial,'" said Sari Bashi, executive director of Gisha, an Israeli organization advocating freedom of movement for Palestinians.
"But it's not a controversial statement to say that everybody, including Gazans, deserves an education."
Read more...
Rule Changes Would Give FBI Agents Extensive New Powers
The Justice Department will unveil changes to FBI ground rules today that would put much more power into the hands of line agents pursuing leads on national security, foreign intelligence and even ordinary criminal cases.
The overhaul, the most substantial revision to FBI operating instructions in years, also would ease some reporting requirements between agents, their supervisors and federal prosecutors in what authorities call a critical effort to improve information gathering and detect terrorist threats.
The changes would give the FBI's more than 12,000 agents the ability at a much earlier stage to conduct physical surveillance, solicit informants and interview friends of people they are investigating without the approval of a bureau supervisor. Such techniques are currently available only after FBI agents have opened an investigation and developed a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed or that a threat to national security is developing.
Authorities say the changes would eliminate confusion for agents who investigate drug, gang or national security cases
Read more...
The overhaul, the most substantial revision to FBI operating instructions in years, also would ease some reporting requirements between agents, their supervisors and federal prosecutors in what authorities call a critical effort to improve information gathering and detect terrorist threats.
The changes would give the FBI's more than 12,000 agents the ability at a much earlier stage to conduct physical surveillance, solicit informants and interview friends of people they are investigating without the approval of a bureau supervisor. Such techniques are currently available only after FBI agents have opened an investigation and developed a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed or that a threat to national security is developing.
Authorities say the changes would eliminate confusion for agents who investigate drug, gang or national security cases
Read more...
Britain's worst polluters set for windfall of millions
A flagship European scheme designed to fight global warming is set to hand hundreds of millions of pounds to some of Britain's most polluting companies, with little or no benefit to the environment, an investigation by the Guardian has revealed.
Dozens of multinational firms stand to benefit from the windfall, which comes from the over-allocation of carbon permits under the European emissions trading scheme.
The permits are given to companies by the government, and are supposed to account for their carbon pollution over the next five years. But figures published by the European Commission show that many companies have been allocated far too many permits, which they can sell for cash.
The scheme is supposed to only distribute as many permits as companies require, with one permit allocated for each tonne of CO2 produced.
Read more...
Dozens of multinational firms stand to benefit from the windfall, which comes from the over-allocation of carbon permits under the European emissions trading scheme.
The permits are given to companies by the government, and are supposed to account for their carbon pollution over the next five years. But figures published by the European Commission show that many companies have been allocated far too many permits, which they can sell for cash.
The scheme is supposed to only distribute as many permits as companies require, with one permit allocated for each tonne of CO2 produced.
Read more...
Iraq Cancels Six No-Bid Oil Contracts
An Iraqi plan to award six no-bid contracts to Western oil companies, which came under sharp criticism from several United States senators this summer, has been withdrawn, participants in the negotiations said on Wednesday.
Iraq’s oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani, told reporters at an OPEC summit meeting in Vienna on Tuesday that talks with Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, Total, BP and several smaller companies for one-year deals, which were announced in June and subsequently delayed, had dragged on for so long that the companies could not now fulfill the work within that time frame. The companies confirmed on Wednesday that the deals had been canceled.
Read more...
Iraq’s oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani, told reporters at an OPEC summit meeting in Vienna on Tuesday that talks with Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, Total, BP and several smaller companies for one-year deals, which were announced in June and subsequently delayed, had dragged on for so long that the companies could not now fulfill the work within that time frame. The companies confirmed on Wednesday that the deals had been canceled.
Read more...
Hackers claim there’s a black hole in the atom smashers’ computer network
Hackers have broken into one of the computer networks of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
A group calling itself the Greek Security Team left a rogue webpage describing the technicians responsible for computer security at the giant atom smasher as “schoolkids” — but reassuring scientists that they did not want to disrupt the experiment.
The hackers gained access to a website open to other scientists on Wednesday as the LHC passed its first test, sending its protons off on their dizzying journey through time and space, close to the speed of light.
The work of the scientists was not derailed and insiders scoffed at claims that the hackers were “one step away” from the systems controlling the experiment itself. The engineering team completed four days of scheduled work in the first 24 hours but what physicists are really waiting for is the big bang machine’s first
Read more...
A group calling itself the Greek Security Team left a rogue webpage describing the technicians responsible for computer security at the giant atom smasher as “schoolkids” — but reassuring scientists that they did not want to disrupt the experiment.
The hackers gained access to a website open to other scientists on Wednesday as the LHC passed its first test, sending its protons off on their dizzying journey through time and space, close to the speed of light.
The work of the scientists was not derailed and insiders scoffed at claims that the hackers were “one step away” from the systems controlling the experiment itself. The engineering team completed four days of scheduled work in the first 24 hours but what physicists are really waiting for is the big bang machine’s first
Read more...
Zimbabwe deal 'leaves Robert Mugabe in charge of army'
Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change will gain control of the police while President Robert Mugabe will continue in charge of the military under a groundbreaking deal between the two sides, according to MDC officials.
The sources told the Associated Press that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai broke a deadlock in talks by proposing a new Council of State made up of Mr Mugabe and two deputies from his party, and Mr Tsvangirai and two of his deputies.
Mr Mugabe, who has governed Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, has made no statement on the issue. But, addressing traditional chiefs before talks had resumed on Thursday, he reiterated that "We will never allow the (opposition) MDC to govern this country."
Read more...
That sounds fair to me, Mugabe in charge of the Air force and Army and Tsvangirai in charge of the police who will be armed with peashooters by the time it is all agreed.
The sources told the Associated Press that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai broke a deadlock in talks by proposing a new Council of State made up of Mr Mugabe and two deputies from his party, and Mr Tsvangirai and two of his deputies.
Mr Mugabe, who has governed Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, has made no statement on the issue. But, addressing traditional chiefs before talks had resumed on Thursday, he reiterated that "We will never allow the (opposition) MDC to govern this country."
Read more...
That sounds fair to me, Mugabe in charge of the Air force and Army and Tsvangirai in charge of the police who will be armed with peashooters by the time it is all agreed.
GM plants found in Scotland
Safety regulations to stop the planting of genetically modified plants in Britain are too weak, environmentalists have claimed, after GM plants were found in Scotland.The oil seed rape was being grown on two sites near Aberdeen and one near Arbroath as part of a trial into new varieties.
Read more...
'Who the fuck are you to lecture me?': Russian minister's extraordinary rant at David Miliband
David Miliband was subjected to an astonishing four-letter tirade from his Russian counterpart at the height of the Georgia crisis.
The Foreign Secretary received the undiplomatic tongue-lashing over the telephone after expressing the EU's anger with the Kremlin, it was revealed yesterday.
At one point Sergei Lavrov, the colourful Russian foreign minister, became so incensed that he reportedly barked: 'Who the fuck are you to lecture me?'
Read more...
Miliband is just a lightweight , i bet he went away blubbering like a baby after that
The Foreign Secretary received the undiplomatic tongue-lashing over the telephone after expressing the EU's anger with the Kremlin, it was revealed yesterday.
At one point Sergei Lavrov, the colourful Russian foreign minister, became so incensed that he reportedly barked: 'Who the fuck are you to lecture me?'
Read more...
Miliband is just a lightweight , i bet he went away blubbering like a baby after that
NATO Won’t Participate in US Strikes in Pakistan
Yesterday, Admiral Mullen announce his new “comprehensive strategy” for the war in Afghanistan, the centerpiece of which is ratcheting up attacks in neighboring Pakistan. The American intelligence community has warned the administration against such attacks, saying they were destabilizing a nation perceived as a key ally in the broader war.
This strategy, typified by last week’s attack on a South Waziristan village by US helicopters and ground troops, was rebuffed by Pakistan’s military. Chief of Army Staff General Parvez Kayani declared yesterday that foreign troops would no longer be allowed to conduct missions on Pakistani soil, citing the rules of engagement which do not permit coalition forces to operate inside of Pakistan. Now, the American plan faces another obstacle in NATO.
During a news briefing, NATO spokesman James Appathurai agreed with Pakistan that NATO’s mandate ends at the Afghan border, and insisted that NATO forces would not take part in “ground or air incursions” into Pakistan. Despite NATO’s seeming disinterest in participating in such operations, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised to press newly elected Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to allow NATO forces to enter the country.
Read more...
There goes Brown again sticking his nose in when he should be dealing with all the shit he has caused at home.
This strategy, typified by last week’s attack on a South Waziristan village by US helicopters and ground troops, was rebuffed by Pakistan’s military. Chief of Army Staff General Parvez Kayani declared yesterday that foreign troops would no longer be allowed to conduct missions on Pakistani soil, citing the rules of engagement which do not permit coalition forces to operate inside of Pakistan. Now, the American plan faces another obstacle in NATO.
During a news briefing, NATO spokesman James Appathurai agreed with Pakistan that NATO’s mandate ends at the Afghan border, and insisted that NATO forces would not take part in “ground or air incursions” into Pakistan. Despite NATO’s seeming disinterest in participating in such operations, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised to press newly elected Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to allow NATO forces to enter the country.
Read more...
There goes Brown again sticking his nose in when he should be dealing with all the shit he has caused at home.
Israeli Army: Settlers have crossed red line
Senior IDF officers on Thursday lambasted the legal system's inability to effectively crack down on radical West Bank settlers after a group of young far-right activists went on a rampage that culminated in an attack on an IDF position near Ramallah.
Late Wednesday night, some 40 activists arrived at an IDF position - manned by reservists - near the settlement of Talmon, just west of Ramallah. The activists attacked the reservists, tried to enter the post and damaged the pipe system that carries water to the base. The reservists tried to fend off the attackers, who called the soldiers "Nazis."
Read more...
If they had been Palestinians they would have all been butchered on the spot
Late Wednesday night, some 40 activists arrived at an IDF position - manned by reservists - near the settlement of Talmon, just west of Ramallah. The activists attacked the reservists, tried to enter the post and damaged the pipe system that carries water to the base. The reservists tried to fend off the attackers, who called the soldiers "Nazis."
Read more...
If they had been Palestinians they would have all been butchered on the spot
Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory No. 37/2008 (04 - 10 Sep. 2008)
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
IOF killed a Palestinian civilian in Nablus.
11 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, and 2 human rights defenders were wounded by the IOF gunfire in the West Bank.
Dozens of school girls suffered from tear gas inhalation as IOF fired tear gas canisters at their school in Ne’lin village west of Ramallah.
IOF used a liquid with a disgusting smell against demonstrators in Bal’ein and Ne’lin villages near Ramallah.
IOF conducted 55 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
IOF arrested 29 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children.
IOF transformed 3 houses into military sites.
IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
A Palestinian woman gave birth to a dead baby at an IOF checkpoint in the West Bank as IOF troops denied her passage towards a hospital for more than an hour. .
IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
IOF confiscated 472 donums[1] of land in Jayous village near Qalqilya to construct a section of the wall.
IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.
IOF started to establish an Israeli electricity network near Hebron and Bethlehem.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron
Read more...
IOF killed a Palestinian civilian in Nablus.
11 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, and 2 human rights defenders were wounded by the IOF gunfire in the West Bank.
Dozens of school girls suffered from tear gas inhalation as IOF fired tear gas canisters at their school in Ne’lin village west of Ramallah.
IOF used a liquid with a disgusting smell against demonstrators in Bal’ein and Ne’lin villages near Ramallah.
IOF conducted 55 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
IOF arrested 29 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children.
IOF transformed 3 houses into military sites.
IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
A Palestinian woman gave birth to a dead baby at an IOF checkpoint in the West Bank as IOF troops denied her passage towards a hospital for more than an hour. .
IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
IOF confiscated 472 donums[1] of land in Jayous village near Qalqilya to construct a section of the wall.
IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.
IOF started to establish an Israeli electricity network near Hebron and Bethlehem.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron
Read more...
Friday, September 12, 2008
A Tale of Spines, Surgeons and Skullduggery in British Colombia by Pandora Jones
Ever heard anybody say how the Workers Compensation Board often tells injured people that they aren’t covered because of a "pre-existing condition"? If you haven’t, get your head out of the sand!Let’s talk about the Workers Compensation Board. For many years, WCB files on claimants were kept secret. Ever applied for WCB benefits after a work injury? They make you see one of "their" doctors, on whose opinion their judgement on you is based. That’s the first scam. These doctors are well paid whether or not they adjudge that your injury is work-related. The second scam is that nobody can (or rather, could) see your file except the doctor and the WCB, along with the fact that the WCB, in true corporate style, operates just like a commercial insurance company. And what do commercial insurance companies do? They employ "adjusters", whose sole job is to find reasons to not pay out, or to pay out as little as possible. Oh, never mind that it’s your tax dollars at work or that your current government might boast about accountability. If you believe any of that, I’ve got a bridge for sale…
Read the full article here...
Read the full article here...
Devon and Cornwall Police Complaint
This is a genuine complaint to Devon & Cornwall Police Force from an angry member of the public
True email sent to the force, lengthy but brilliantly written.....
Dear Sir/madam/automated telephone answering service,
Having spent the past twenty minutes waiting for someone at Bodmin police station to pick up a telephone I have decided to abandon the idea and try e-mailing you instead.
Perhaps you would be so kind as to pass this message on to your colleagues in Bodmin, by means of smoke signal, carrier pigeon or Ouija board.
As I'm writing this e-mail there are eleven failed medical experiments (I think you call them youths) in St Marys Crescent, which is just off St Marys Road in Bodmin.
Six of them seem happy enough to play a game which involves kicking a football against an iron gate with the force of a meteorite.
This causes an earth shattering CLANG! which rings throughout the entire building.
This game is now in its third week and as I am unsure how the scoring system works, I have no idea if it will end any time soon.
The remaining five walking abortions are happily rummaging through several bags of rubbish and items of furniture that someone has so thoughtfully dumped beside the wheelie bins.
One of them has found a saw and is setting about a discarded chair like a beaver on speed.
I fear that it's only a matter of time before they turn their limited attention to the bottle of calor gas that is lying on its side between the two bins.
If they could be relied on to only blow their own arms and legs off then I would happily leave them to it.
I would even go so far as to lend them the matches.
Unfortunately they are far more likely to blow up half the street with them and I've just finished decorating the kitchen.
What I suggest is this - after replying to this e-mail with worthless assurances that the matter is being looked into and will be dealt with, why not leave it until the one night of the year (probably bath night) when there are no mutants around then drive up the street in a panda car before doing a three point turn and disappearing again.
This will of course serve no other purpose than to remind us what policemen actually look like.
I trust that when I take a claw hammer to the skull of one of these throwbacks you'll do me the same courtesy of giving me a four month head start before coming to arrest me.
I remain sir, your obedient servant???????
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr ??????,
I have read your e-mail and understand you frustration at the problems caused by youth playing in the area and the problems you have encountered in trying to contact the police.
As the Community Beat Officer for your street I would like to extend an offer of discussing the matter fully with you.
Should you wish to discuss the matter, please provide contact details (address / telephone number) and when may be suitable.
Regards
PC ?Community Beat Officer
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear PC ?
First of all I would like to thank you for the speedy response to my original e-mail.
16 hours and 38 minutes must be a personal record for Bodmin Police station, and rest assured that I will forward these details to Norris McWhirter for inclusion in his next book.
Secondly I was delighted to hear that our street has its own community beat officer.
May I be the first to congratulate you on your covert skills?
In the five or so years I have lived in St Marys Crescent, I have never seen you.
Do you hide up a tree or have you gone deep undercover and infiltrated the gang itself?
Are you the one with the acne and the moustache on his forehead or the one with a chin like a wash hand basin?
It's surely only a matter of time before you are headhunted by MI5.
Whilst I realise that there may be far more serious crimes taking place in Bodmin, such as smoking in a public place or being Muslim without due care and attention, is it too much to ask for a policeman to explain (using words of no more than two syllables at a time) to these twats that they might want to play their strange football game elsewhere.
The pitch on Fairpark Road, or the one at Priory Park are both within spitting distance as is the bottom of the Par Dock.
Should you wish to discuss these matters further you should feel free to contact me on If after 25 minutes I have still failed to answer, I'll buy you a large one in the CAt and Fiddle Pub.
Regards?
P.S If you think that this is sarcasm, think yourself lucky that you don't work for the cleansing department, with whom I am also in contact!!
--------------------If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. - Mark Twain
True email sent to the force, lengthy but brilliantly written.....
Dear Sir/madam/automated telephone answering service,
Having spent the past twenty minutes waiting for someone at Bodmin police station to pick up a telephone I have decided to abandon the idea and try e-mailing you instead.
Perhaps you would be so kind as to pass this message on to your colleagues in Bodmin, by means of smoke signal, carrier pigeon or Ouija board.
As I'm writing this e-mail there are eleven failed medical experiments (I think you call them youths) in St Marys Crescent, which is just off St Marys Road in Bodmin.
Six of them seem happy enough to play a game which involves kicking a football against an iron gate with the force of a meteorite.
This causes an earth shattering CLANG! which rings throughout the entire building.
This game is now in its third week and as I am unsure how the scoring system works, I have no idea if it will end any time soon.
The remaining five walking abortions are happily rummaging through several bags of rubbish and items of furniture that someone has so thoughtfully dumped beside the wheelie bins.
One of them has found a saw and is setting about a discarded chair like a beaver on speed.
I fear that it's only a matter of time before they turn their limited attention to the bottle of calor gas that is lying on its side between the two bins.
If they could be relied on to only blow their own arms and legs off then I would happily leave them to it.
I would even go so far as to lend them the matches.
Unfortunately they are far more likely to blow up half the street with them and I've just finished decorating the kitchen.
What I suggest is this - after replying to this e-mail with worthless assurances that the matter is being looked into and will be dealt with, why not leave it until the one night of the year (probably bath night) when there are no mutants around then drive up the street in a panda car before doing a three point turn and disappearing again.
This will of course serve no other purpose than to remind us what policemen actually look like.
I trust that when I take a claw hammer to the skull of one of these throwbacks you'll do me the same courtesy of giving me a four month head start before coming to arrest me.
I remain sir, your obedient servant???????
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr ??????,
I have read your e-mail and understand you frustration at the problems caused by youth playing in the area and the problems you have encountered in trying to contact the police.
As the Community Beat Officer for your street I would like to extend an offer of discussing the matter fully with you.
Should you wish to discuss the matter, please provide contact details (address / telephone number) and when may be suitable.
Regards
PC ?Community Beat Officer
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear PC ?
First of all I would like to thank you for the speedy response to my original e-mail.
16 hours and 38 minutes must be a personal record for Bodmin Police station, and rest assured that I will forward these details to Norris McWhirter for inclusion in his next book.
Secondly I was delighted to hear that our street has its own community beat officer.
May I be the first to congratulate you on your covert skills?
In the five or so years I have lived in St Marys Crescent, I have never seen you.
Do you hide up a tree or have you gone deep undercover and infiltrated the gang itself?
Are you the one with the acne and the moustache on his forehead or the one with a chin like a wash hand basin?
It's surely only a matter of time before you are headhunted by MI5.
Whilst I realise that there may be far more serious crimes taking place in Bodmin, such as smoking in a public place or being Muslim without due care and attention, is it too much to ask for a policeman to explain (using words of no more than two syllables at a time) to these twats that they might want to play their strange football game elsewhere.
The pitch on Fairpark Road, or the one at Priory Park are both within spitting distance as is the bottom of the Par Dock.
Should you wish to discuss these matters further you should feel free to contact me on
Regards?
P.S If you think that this is sarcasm, think yourself lucky that you don't work for the cleansing department, with whom I am also in contact!!
--------------------If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. - Mark Twain
WARNING NEW VIRUS VARIANT
A new virus variant is being distributed with the subject “Your internet access is going to get suspended” and contains the following message:
Your internet access is going to get suspended
The Internet Service Provider Consorcium was made to protect the rights of software authors, artists.
We conduct regular wiretapping on our networks, to monitor criminal acts.
We are aware of your illegal activities on the internet wich were originating from You can check the report of your activities in the past 6 month that we have attached.
We strongly advise you to stop your activities regarding the illegal downloading of copyrighted material of your internet access will be suspended.
Sincerely
ICS Monitoring Team
The message contains a zip file named user-EA49943X-activities.zip and after extracting the file is user-EA49943X-activities.exe. File names can be different with each email.
The malware registers a Winlogon notification package so that the installed module is loaded into the address space of winlogon.exe. The files cabpck.dll (known as theMal/TinyDL-T by Sophos), k86.bin and krnlcab.sys (known as the Backdoor:Win32/Haxdoor by Microsoft)) are created in the %System% folder.
A directory %Temp%\msi_setup will be created and a new connection with some host is made: http://****-****.biz/jerken/data.php?trac kid=706172616D3D6 or http://*****.net/22/data.php?trackid=7061 72616D3D636D64266C616E6
Only 8 of the 36 anti virus engines detect this one. F-Secure recognise it as Suspicious:W32/Malware!Gemini, TrendMicro as PAK_Generic.001, AVG as SHeur.CIKH.
Virus Total permalink and MD5: 6ba40e29db8fb6f9145fde7a45708875.
Your internet access is going to get suspended
The Internet Service Provider Consorcium was made to protect the rights of software authors, artists.
We conduct regular wiretapping on our networks, to monitor criminal acts.
We are aware of your illegal activities on the internet wich were originating from You can check the report of your activities in the past 6 month that we have attached.
We strongly advise you to stop your activities regarding the illegal downloading of copyrighted material of your internet access will be suspended.
Sincerely
ICS Monitoring Team
The message contains a zip file named user-EA49943X-activities.zip and after extracting the file is user-EA49943X-activities.exe. File names can be different with each email.
The malware registers a Winlogon notification package so that the installed module is loaded into the address space of winlogon.exe. The files cabpck.dll (known as theMal/TinyDL-T by Sophos), k86.bin and krnlcab.sys (known as the Backdoor:Win32/Haxdoor by Microsoft)) are created in the %System% folder.
A directory %Temp%\msi_setup will be created and a new connection with some host is made: http://****-****.biz/jerken/data.php?trac kid=706172616D3D6 or http://*****.net/22/data.php?trackid=7061 72616D3D636D64266C616E6
Only 8 of the 36 anti virus engines detect this one. F-Secure recognise it as Suspicious:W32/Malware!Gemini, TrendMicro as PAK_Generic.001, AVG as SHeur.CIKH.
Virus Total permalink and MD5: 6ba40e29db8fb6f9145fde7a45708875.
'Georgia should join NATO even with war' States Palin
Republican vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin welcomes NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine even if it raises the risk of a war. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in her first media interview since accepting her party's nomination with ABC News' on Thursday called Georgia and Ukraine to join NATO no matter if it would lead to military confrontation between the US and Russia. John McCain's running mate called for Georgia and the Ukraine to be included in NATO, a treaty that requires the United States to defend them militarily. Asked to clarify that she'd support going to war over Georgia, she said: "Perhaps so." "I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help," she said.
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Obviously god told her to say it !!!
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Obviously god told her to say it !!!
US offers $7m bribe to Somali pirates
The US has offered USD 7m to the pirates, who hijacked an Iranian ship in the Gulf of Aden, to receive entry permission and search the vessel. The hijackers have yet to respond to the seven-million-dollar offer, but a source close to the pirates told Press TV that the pirates are likely to accept the bribe and allow American onboard the vessel. The US alleges that The Iran Diyanat was carrying 'uranium and chemical weapons'. Iran's shipping company, however, has declared that the Iranian bulk carrier hired by a German company had no weapons or uranium on board and was carrying 42,500 tons of minerals and industrial products.
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Banned Interview with Vladimir Putin
Owing to the Zionist occupation of the Western press, not only will crucial news be distorted, but essential news will also be suppressed. The mainstream media in the West has banned an August 29, 2008 interview with Vladimir Putin conducted by Thomas Roth of the National German Broadcast Services. Even in Germany, the interview was censored. Because of my contacts in Germany, the full length interview in German was sent to me. Through much expense and effort, I now make this crucial interview available in English.
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So Now Osama Bin Laden Was NOT The Mastermind Behind 9/11
Just because they can't get Osama Bin Laden The White House choose to change the responsibility to someone else who they have captured.
Pakistan To Defend Borders Against US Military Incursions
They expressed fears of a popular uprising in the lawless Tribal Areas on the north-west frontier with Afghanistan if the US continues its new aggressive policy. Admiral Michael Mullen, the US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said earlier this week that he had commissioned "a new, more comprehensive military strategy for the region that covers both sides of that border".
His statement followed an unprecedented US helicopter-borne commando assault on a village inside Pakistani territory last week in which 20 people were killed, including women and children.
General Ashfaq Kiyani, Pakistan's army chief, criticised the raid. "The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country will be defended at all cost," he said, adding that there was no "agreement or understanding with the coalition forces whereby they are allowed to conduct operations on our side of the border".
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His statement followed an unprecedented US helicopter-borne commando assault on a village inside Pakistani territory last week in which 20 people were killed, including women and children.
General Ashfaq Kiyani, Pakistan's army chief, criticised the raid. "The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country will be defended at all cost," he said, adding that there was no "agreement or understanding with the coalition forces whereby they are allowed to conduct operations on our side of the border".
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Prisoner data loss firm allowed to work on database of every child in England
The private firm which lost the details of the entire prison population is being allowed to continue working on the controversial project to build a database of every child in England
PA Consulting was branded "completely unacceptable" by ministers and lost its three-year contract with the Home Office after an employee mislaid an unencrypted memory stick containing the names, addresses and expected release dates of all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales.
Its other contracts with the Home Office, worth £8million a year, are now under review.
But the firm is being allowed to continue working on the highly sensitive £224million ContactPoint scheme to create a computerised record of the names, addresses, dates of birth, parents, schools and GPs of all 11 million children in England, which has already been delayed by security concerns.
Critics said the involvement of PA Consulting – which is also working on the national ID card scheme – in the project should lead to it being scrapped completely, before any serious mistakes can be made.
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PA Consulting was branded "completely unacceptable" by ministers and lost its three-year contract with the Home Office after an employee mislaid an unencrypted memory stick containing the names, addresses and expected release dates of all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales.
Its other contracts with the Home Office, worth £8million a year, are now under review.
But the firm is being allowed to continue working on the highly sensitive £224million ContactPoint scheme to create a computerised record of the names, addresses, dates of birth, parents, schools and GPs of all 11 million children in England, which has already been delayed by security concerns.
Critics said the involvement of PA Consulting – which is also working on the national ID card scheme – in the project should lead to it being scrapped completely, before any serious mistakes can be made.
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Iran Renews Nuclear Weapons Development
Nuclear experts responsible for monitoring Iran's nuclear programme have discovered that enough enriched uranium, which if processed to weapons grade level could be used to make up to six atom bombs, has disappeared from the main production facility at Isfahan.
American spy satellites have identified a number of suspicious sites, which the Iranians have not declared to nuclear inspectors, that intelligence officials believe are being used for covert research.
The new discoveries emerged as it was revealed that Israel had asked America for military supplies, including "bunker buster" bombs and re-fuelling planes, suitable for an attack on Iranian nuclear installations.
The Israeli paper Haaretz reported yesterday that Israel has also asked for permission to use an air corridor through Iraqi airspace, currently controlled by America, to Iran.
So far the requests have been turned down by Washington, which is currently not as keen as Israel to consider a military strike against Iran.
But concern that Iran has resumed work on building atom bombs has deepened following the revelation that large quantities of uranium has gone missing from Iran's conversion facility at Isfahan.
The Isfahan complex, which enriches raw uranium "yellow cake" into material that can be used for either nuclear power or atomic weapons, is supposed to be subject to close supervision by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). But the Iranians only allow IAEA inspectors access to the final stage of the production process, where the uranium in gas form - UF6 - is stored.
By conducting a careful study of the amount of material stored at Isfahan, and the amount of "yellow cake" known to have been processed at the plant, nuclear experts believe between 50-60 tons of uranium - which if enriched to weapons grade level would be sufficient to produce five or six atom bombs - has gone missing from the plant.
American spy satellites have identified a number of suspicious sites, which the Iranians have not declared to nuclear inspectors, that intelligence officials believe are being used for covert research.
The new discoveries emerged as it was revealed that Israel had asked America for military supplies, including "bunker buster" bombs and re-fuelling planes, suitable for an attack on Iranian nuclear installations.
The Israeli paper Haaretz reported yesterday that Israel has also asked for permission to use an air corridor through Iraqi airspace, currently controlled by America, to Iran.
So far the requests have been turned down by Washington, which is currently not as keen as Israel to consider a military strike against Iran.
But concern that Iran has resumed work on building atom bombs has deepened following the revelation that large quantities of uranium has gone missing from Iran's conversion facility at Isfahan.
The Isfahan complex, which enriches raw uranium "yellow cake" into material that can be used for either nuclear power or atomic weapons, is supposed to be subject to close supervision by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). But the Iranians only allow IAEA inspectors access to the final stage of the production process, where the uranium in gas form - UF6 - is stored.
By conducting a careful study of the amount of material stored at Isfahan, and the amount of "yellow cake" known to have been processed at the plant, nuclear experts believe between 50-60 tons of uranium - which if enriched to weapons grade level would be sufficient to produce five or six atom bombs - has gone missing from the plant.
And these would be the same 'Intelligence Agencies' that told us there are WMD in Iraq are they?
This stinks to high heaven of media disinformation to justify a strike on Iran
Don't fall for it !!!
Microchips In Tablets Could Monitor Pills
Patients could soon be swallowing microchips in their tablets. The chips would then report when treatments had been taken and what effect they had on the patient.
Other microchips could also be placed under the skin to deliver drugs ranging from pain medication to chemotherapy. These chips, in the advanced stages of trials, are designed with tiny compartments loaded with multiple drugs and covered with caps. Applying an electrical signal dissolves the caps and releases the medication.
The “smart” delivery systems are being pioneered by Robert Langer, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He said several smart pills that can release drugs for days, months or years were being tested.
Separately, a Silicon Valley company called Proteus Biomedical is developing what it calls the Raisin system of microchipped pills to help to tackle the problems of patients forgetting or refusing to take medicines.
Other microchips could also be placed under the skin to deliver drugs ranging from pain medication to chemotherapy. These chips, in the advanced stages of trials, are designed with tiny compartments loaded with multiple drugs and covered with caps. Applying an electrical signal dissolves the caps and releases the medication.
The “smart” delivery systems are being pioneered by Robert Langer, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He said several smart pills that can release drugs for days, months or years were being tested.
Separately, a Silicon Valley company called Proteus Biomedical is developing what it calls the Raisin system of microchipped pills to help to tackle the problems of patients forgetting or refusing to take medicines.
Microchips leak radiation like crazy FACT !
You can bet your bottom dollar that this will become mandatory for Dementia patients, Altzheimers sufferers and other people with mental problems!
It seems to have changed from a tip toe to an all out headlong rush
BE AWARE
WAKE UP EVERYONE YOU CAN TO THIS!
Do Not let them get away with this!!!
Cost of £1bn energy relief plan 'will end up on household bills'
Gordon Brown faces a double revolt despite announcing a £1 billion package yesterday to help struggling households to cope with soaring energy prices.
The Prime Minister said that energy companies and generators had agreed to stump up £910 million to pay for all low-income and pensioner families to get free loft and cavity insulation, with six million others offered half-price deals. The measures were a “better alternative” to a windfall tax.
Families could save up to £400 a year from the help offered, ministers said. Mr Brown confirmed that the payments from the companies would be authorised by legislation to be introduced into the Commons shortly, insisting that he did not expect the cost to be passed on to the consumer.
That aspiration was immediately called into question when industry figures suggested that part of the bill always ended up with the customer.
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You have to hand it to Gordon Brown he really does know how to shaft the public.
He gives us a £1billion pound deal which we end up paying for in higher energy bills
This man has no bollocks at all. Could it be because his brother Andrew is a Hea Of Media at EDF energy?
The Prime Minister said that energy companies and generators had agreed to stump up £910 million to pay for all low-income and pensioner families to get free loft and cavity insulation, with six million others offered half-price deals. The measures were a “better alternative” to a windfall tax.
Families could save up to £400 a year from the help offered, ministers said. Mr Brown confirmed that the payments from the companies would be authorised by legislation to be introduced into the Commons shortly, insisting that he did not expect the cost to be passed on to the consumer.
That aspiration was immediately called into question when industry figures suggested that part of the bill always ended up with the customer.
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You have to hand it to Gordon Brown he really does know how to shaft the public.
He gives us a £1billion pound deal which we end up paying for in higher energy bills
This man has no bollocks at all. Could it be because his brother Andrew is a Hea Of Media at EDF energy?
Green light to anarchy: Eco-activists cleared of power station damage after using climate change as defence
Protesters have been given a legal 'green light' to commit crime after six Greenpeace activists accused of vandalising a power station were cleared, an ex minister has warned.
The eco-campaigners admitted causing damage to the value of ?30,000 when they climbed a chimney and began painting a slogan.
But a judge allowed them to base their 'lawful excuse' defence around their cause: the fear that the power station could contribute to climate change.
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A defense based on a lie but it does make things far more interesting as far as protest goes!!
The eco-campaigners admitted causing damage to the value of ?30,000 when they climbed a chimney and began painting a slogan.
But a judge allowed them to base their 'lawful excuse' defence around their cause: the fear that the power station could contribute to climate change.
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A defense based on a lie but it does make things far more interesting as far as protest goes!!
Olbermann: Republicans Hijacked 9/11
In a Special Comment, Keith Olbermann talks about the politicization of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, especially by the Bush administration and the GOP who use the event to terrify Americans into thinking the only safe option is to vote Republican “or this will happen again and you will die.”
French Comic Forced To Apologise For 9/11 Truth Statement
France's favourite stand-up comedian has been forced to apologise for claiming that the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US seven years ago tomorrow were an "enormous lie" orchestrated by the American government.
The allegations by Jean-Marie Bigard have caused consternation in France because the comedian - who specialises in foul-mouthed, scatological and sexist humour - is a close friend of President Nicolas Sarkozy.
On a radio show last Friday, the comedian interrupted a discussion on American politics, to say that it was "absolutely sure and certain" that the US government had stage-managed the 9/1l attacks in which 2, 896 people died
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Forced to apologise for telling the truth, How surreal is that !
The allegations by Jean-Marie Bigard have caused consternation in France because the comedian - who specialises in foul-mouthed, scatological and sexist humour - is a close friend of President Nicolas Sarkozy.
On a radio show last Friday, the comedian interrupted a discussion on American politics, to say that it was "absolutely sure and certain" that the US government had stage-managed the 9/1l attacks in which 2, 896 people died
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Forced to apologise for telling the truth, How surreal is that !
Iraqi Human Rights Group Finds Secret Prison In Basra
Uruknet
'Iraqi Parliament’s Human Rights Commission has found up to 200 malnourished and disease-stricken Iraqi detainees locked in a secret prison in the southern city of Basra.
The commission’s spokesman, Amer Thamer, said many of the detainees bore signs of torture. "They are crammed in a circular room surrounded with slabs of concrete with no roof," Thamer said.
He said the prison is operated by the Defense Ministry and none of the inmates has ever been tried or given access to legal assistance.
"We put the blame for the horrific conditions of the inmates squarely on the Defense Ministry," he said.
Members of the commission came across the prison during a routine tour of Basra.
"Searing temperatures and extremely hot sun had almost grilled some inmates," he said."We were told of grave instances of abuse which violate basic human rights conditions," he added.
"To leave prisoners in the open under the scorching heat is inhuman and a flagrant violation of human rights," he said.
Thamer said the 200 prisoners only had access to one flooded and dirty latrine."The prison is an example of the denial of the most basic rights of inmates," he said.
"The Human Rights Commission in the Parliament considers these violations an example of barbaric and inhuman practices … and a serious violation of human rights,"He said the commission has demanded the authorities shut down the prison immediately'
'Iraqi Parliament’s Human Rights Commission has found up to 200 malnourished and disease-stricken Iraqi detainees locked in a secret prison in the southern city of Basra.
The commission’s spokesman, Amer Thamer, said many of the detainees bore signs of torture. "They are crammed in a circular room surrounded with slabs of concrete with no roof," Thamer said.
He said the prison is operated by the Defense Ministry and none of the inmates has ever been tried or given access to legal assistance.
"We put the blame for the horrific conditions of the inmates squarely on the Defense Ministry," he said.
Members of the commission came across the prison during a routine tour of Basra.
"Searing temperatures and extremely hot sun had almost grilled some inmates," he said."We were told of grave instances of abuse which violate basic human rights conditions," he added.
"To leave prisoners in the open under the scorching heat is inhuman and a flagrant violation of human rights," he said.
Thamer said the 200 prisoners only had access to one flooded and dirty latrine."The prison is an example of the denial of the most basic rights of inmates," he said.
"The Human Rights Commission in the Parliament considers these violations an example of barbaric and inhuman practices … and a serious violation of human rights,"He said the commission has demanded the authorities shut down the prison immediately'
'Tens of thousands to be laid off every week' as UK falls into recession
Tens of thousands of people could be laid off every week in the run-up to Christmas as the UK economy falls into recession, David Blanchflower of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee warned today.
Blanchflower told MPs to expect "a large increase in unemployment", and warned that a "horrible surprise" could be just around the corner. The gloomy assessment sent shares in London falling, and also weakened sterling yet further against the dollar.
Blanchflower told MPs to expect "a large increase in unemployment", and warned that a "horrible surprise" could be just around the corner. The gloomy assessment sent shares in London falling, and also weakened sterling yet further against the dollar.
This is all part of the engineering of the global elite through their control of the money supply and the Bank of England.
Less Jobs = more mortgage reposessions = Government control of the housing market
George Bush isn't in charge, says Vladimir Putin
In a thinly veiled dig at George Bush, Vladimir Putin today suggested that the US President was not in charge of American affairs, saying that it was “the court that makes the king”.
Amid heightened tensions with the US in the wake of the war in Georgia, the Russian Prime Minister insisted that the US leader was a man of honour and integrity, but blamed members of the administration for the sharp deterioration of relations with Russia
Amid heightened tensions with the US in the wake of the war in Georgia, the Russian Prime Minister insisted that the US leader was a man of honour and integrity, but blamed members of the administration for the sharp deterioration of relations with Russia
' A man of honour and integrity' Putin can't be that perceptive then, can he!
Kucinich: Seek truth, not 'fake political unity'
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) says he won't cease his efforts to hold the president and his administration accountable for their alleged abuses of power just because George W. Bush will be returning to his Texas ranch come January. Kucinich says he wants Congress to create a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" to examine what really went on within the Bush White House in the aftermath of 9/11 and the lead up to the Iraq war. He says only an independent body with truth-seeking as its goal -- rather than "fake political unity" -- can repair divisions that have emerged in an increasingly polarized nation.
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EU officals expect Ireland to hold second Lisbon Treaty referendum
An internal EU briefing paper, entitled The Solution to the Irish Problem, predicts that Dublin will accede to the re-run at a meeting of Europe's leaders on October 15.
Ireland has been under French and German pressure to hold a second vote and Autumn 2009 has emerged as the favoured date among officials and diplomats ahead of the European Union summit on the future of the Lisbon Treaty next month.
Ireland has refused to deny that a second referendum could occur, following the 'No' vote in June.
The document has been written by an influential group of French officials, called Le Amis du Traite de Lisbonne or Friends of the Lisbon Treaty.
According to the briefing, a second Irish vote will follow a guarantee that Ireland will not lose its European Commissioner and "declarations" on neutrality, abortion and taxation - all issues that dominated the Irish campaign.
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NO MEANS NO !!!
Ireland has been under French and German pressure to hold a second vote and Autumn 2009 has emerged as the favoured date among officials and diplomats ahead of the European Union summit on the future of the Lisbon Treaty next month.
Ireland has refused to deny that a second referendum could occur, following the 'No' vote in June.
The document has been written by an influential group of French officials, called Le Amis du Traite de Lisbonne or Friends of the Lisbon Treaty.
According to the briefing, a second Irish vote will follow a guarantee that Ireland will not lose its European Commissioner and "declarations" on neutrality, abortion and taxation - all issues that dominated the Irish campaign.
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NO MEANS NO !!!
Israel asks US for arms, air corridor to attack Iran: Report
United States has refused to provide Israel a security aid package fearing that the Jewish state would use it to attack Iran to foil its nuclear ambitions, a media report said.Israel has requested the US for large number of "bunker-buster" bombs, refueling of planes and permission to use an air corridor to Iran, which has raised eyebrows in Washington in an apparent hint of advanced stage of preparations to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, an online news agency reported.
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Bush okays hitting Pakistan
President George W. Bush allowed US forces to conduct ground operations in Pakistan without that government's prior approval, a report says. The New York Times reported that the secret July decision allowing special operations forces to carry out assaults within the borders of a key "war on terror" ally marked a turning point for the Bush administration which has struggled with Islamabad over how to combat Al-Qaeda and a resurgent Taliban. "The situation in the tribal areas is not tolerable," a senior American official told the paper on condition of anonymity. "We have to be more assertive. Orders have been issued."
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Chief Superintendent who dressed as Bin Laden is sent to Afghanistan
During a 24-year police career, Colin Terry has risen to the rank of chief superintendent.He was chosen to represent his force at a memorial service at Ground Zero in New York, after which he said: 'I have never felt so proud to be a British police officer.'
The 48-year-old father of two is currently on leave from his secondment to an EU mission training police in Afghanistan, where the Taliban is a constant threat.
All of which makes it hard to understand why, days before the anniversary of the September 11 atrocities, he chose to attend his village's carnival dressed as Osama Bin Laden.
Spectators were left aghast at the sight of the officer wearing robes and a mask of the master terrorist.
Today colleagues at Devon and Cornwall Police accused Mr Terry of 'unacceptable' behaviour.
They said he would have been subject to misconduct proceedings had he not been on secondment to the Foreign Office and therefore beyond the force's discipline.
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Iraq Appeals to Japan For Help With Depleted Uranium Contamination
According to a report carried by The Tokyo Newspaper on Sept. 5, 2008, Ms. Nermeen Osman, Iraqi Minister of Environment visited Japan last week to attend a UNEP meeting in Kyoto, said in an interview : 105 sites have been found contaminated by the DU shells used during the Iraq War of 2003, and she was to visit Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that of Environment to ask for assistance in decontamination and health measures for residents.
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Iraq to US: We have no problem with Iran
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has told the US President George W. Bush that Iran and Syria had caused no problem for his country. "I'm glad to tell you Mr. President that our relations with our neighbors is improved very well, with Turkey, with Syria, with Iran with the Arab countries," AFP quoted the Iraqi president as saying in his meeting with the US president in Washington on Wednesday
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I kinda bet old George didn't like that one !!!
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I kinda bet old George didn't like that one !!!
French Against Big Brother Project
The French people have signed an online request against the country's new controversial security database called EDVIGE. About 130,000 people signed the request which forced the French government to revise the initial plans which would have allowed the police to collect information on anyone considered a threat to public order, EuroNews reported. Even civil rights groups and unions are demanding that the database project not be implemented and a protest day has been scheduled for October 16. This is while the French Defense Minister, Michelle Alliot-Marie for her part said, "The majority of people recognize there are guarantees but they fear that these will not be put in place. So what we can do is into writing. And also, what we can do is limit the amount of time that the data is held." It is noteworthy that the new system would allow officials to track youths as young as 13.
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Civil liberties 'erosion' slammed
EU governments and policy-makers are eroding civil liberties and privacy at a "breathtaking" rate in the name of security policy, a damning report has claimed.
Civil liberties watchdog Statewatch slammed the EU's post-9/11 security strategy as a "frightening" grab for every aspect of individual information.
The 60-page report - published on the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington - said that the EU now saw data privacy and judicial scrutiny of police surveillance tactics as obstacles to efficient law enforcement co-operation, rather than rights to be safeguarded.
The report, The Shape Of Things To Come, described a so-called EU "Future Group" preparing a new five-year security strategy as "shadowy", in its plans to co-operate with the US on "extremely controversial" techniques and technologies of surveillance and "enhanced" co-operation.
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Civil liberties watchdog Statewatch slammed the EU's post-9/11 security strategy as a "frightening" grab for every aspect of individual information.
The 60-page report - published on the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington - said that the EU now saw data privacy and judicial scrutiny of police surveillance tactics as obstacles to efficient law enforcement co-operation, rather than rights to be safeguarded.
The report, The Shape Of Things To Come, described a so-called EU "Future Group" preparing a new five-year security strategy as "shadowy", in its plans to co-operate with the US on "extremely controversial" techniques and technologies of surveillance and "enhanced" co-operation.
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Large Hadron Collider (LHS): A “Doorway” To The New World Order?
“The eyes of the world are on Geneva, where scientists are expected to throw the switch … on what may be the biggest experiment ever conducted. It’s certainly the most expensive. The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, has spent roughly $8 billion digging a 27-kilometer tunnel on the outskirts of the city and filling it with equipment that pushes the limits of technology …”
Reading this Newseek report (Sep 6, 2008, announced for Sep 15, 2008 issue) and thinking…
The governments of 20 European countries, plus the U.S., invest $8 billion to reproduce conditions just after the Big Bang… But “Big Bang” is a theory, one of many hypotheses of how the universe came to be. The fact that it is the most popular and best supported theory doesn’t prove it in any way.
The problem with theories is that we’re never sure of the results of their experimental checking. In his very optimistic interview to the Telepgraph, Prof. Stephen Hawking, of the University of Cambridge, says: “Whatever the LHS finds or fails to find, the results will tell us a lot about the structure of the universe”. Thus, the scientists know that the experiment can fail. It happens in science. But does it happen in politics? In other words, should we all understand that governments of 21 countries paid $8 billion without being sure they didn’t throw such a huge sum away?
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Reading this Newseek report (Sep 6, 2008, announced for Sep 15, 2008 issue) and thinking…
The governments of 20 European countries, plus the U.S., invest $8 billion to reproduce conditions just after the Big Bang… But “Big Bang” is a theory, one of many hypotheses of how the universe came to be. The fact that it is the most popular and best supported theory doesn’t prove it in any way.
The problem with theories is that we’re never sure of the results of their experimental checking. In his very optimistic interview to the Telepgraph, Prof. Stephen Hawking, of the University of Cambridge, says: “Whatever the LHS finds or fails to find, the results will tell us a lot about the structure of the universe”. Thus, the scientists know that the experiment can fail. It happens in science. But does it happen in politics? In other words, should we all understand that governments of 21 countries paid $8 billion without being sure they didn’t throw such a huge sum away?
Read more...
Ron Paul - Do You Even Think About Americans?
Ron Paul Telling it how it is when he questions a state depratment official on the wisdom of using a warship to deliver 50 tons of 'AID' to Georgia.
How To Organise A Major Terrorist Scare
The Big Dummy’s guide to security booga-booga Brushtail.com
How easy is it to organise a major terrorist scare like the one that’s currently gridlocking the world’s airports? Dead easy. If you follow a few simple points you can panic the populace and stampede the media with virtually no risk of getting caught. All it takes is a little confidence. Here’s a simple “how-to” for aspiring top-level spooks:
1. The politicians don’t want to know
Have confidence that the government really doesn’t want to know what it is you’re getting up to, as long as the effect benefits them. By their very nature, secret police intelligence and espionage organizations operate in secret and often do, “in the national interest”, illegal things or stuff which ordinary folk would regard as grossly unethical – things that would embarrass the government if they were to be exposed. If anything goes wrong the politicians want to be able to “plausibly deny” they were involved. This relationship hands enormous, uncontrolled, power to your small, ultra-secretive, self-governing elite clustered at the top of the nation’s security “service”. Your colleagues are invariably drawn from the upper reaches of the political and economic elite and of course you know better than anybody what’s in “the national interest” and you have a God-given right to rule. Breaking ranks and talking isn’t in your colleagues’ class nature.
2. Keep things on a need-to-know basis
Keep your security organization compartmentalised and discourage specialist sections from talking to each other. You can plausibly plead security reasons for this. Make sure all information gets passed up the line to your small group at the top who compile and “assess” the overall threat and decide when to act. Thus you control the “narrative” and the timing of the scam. The foot soldiers may shake their heads and wonder at some of the things you come up with, but they’ll be in no position to contradict you. And if they do, it’s a very serious offence. It’ll ruin their careers and could land them a very long stretch in gaol.
3. At the right time, get the president or prime minister involved
When you’ve decided on the optimum time for your security scare and sorted out who your “plotters” will be, it’s important to involve the head of the government. He’ll want to broadcast to the nation, taking credit for keeping the people safe from the terrible plot. He’ll automatically be followed by the leaders of the mainstream opposition parties, all eager to prove their credibility, responsibility and patriotism. As soon as you’ve made the official line clear, the media and the state apparatus will fall into line.
4. “Prove that we lie”
Always remember: it’s breathtakingly easy to claim you’ve “thwarted” something horrible and almost impossible for sceptics to prove that you haven’t. This applies especially if you “thwart” the plot in its early stages. Invariably you’re acting against individuals from a group that’s already been demonised and will be scared to speak up or fight back. The majority will be inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt. Questioning the government in a time of “national emergency” isn’t an easy gig.
5. Don’t worry, they’ll all play their part
Complex conspiracies involving lots of people are entirely unnecessary. All that’s needed is for your close knit, unaccountable group to order those lower down the chain to act on “information received”. They don’t even have to know what the information was. They just have to know the addresses to raid and who to arrest. When they do, they’re sure to find some political or religious literature, or something on the hard drives, or some household chemicals that will, under the circumstances you’ve created, look suspicious. If you’re using agents provocateur, they’ll be able to plant “evidence” and report suspicious conversations to “sex-up” the case. Of course, details will never be available officially or in a verifiable form, but fragments and hints of purported “evidence” can be leaked to selected journalists (see below).
6. Feed the chickens
Keep information in official news releases to an absolute minimum. There’s a plausible excuse for this: more information will harm ongoing investigations and might prejudice the case when it gets to court. In place of any hard attributable facts, provide a steady stream of small leaks “under condition of anonymity” to selected journalists from politically reliable mainstream news organizations. These people are carefully selected for political conservatism and journalistic “responsibility”. Even if they weren’t, they need a story and they’re totally reliant on you for one. It doesn’t matter if the leaked details are outrageously illogical. Even if they’re suspicious of the story, your contacts will run it rather than lose a scoop. In this way you’ll establish an unofficial official narrative that most members of the public will be inclined to accept as something like the truth. They’ve already been conditioned by the media attack-dogs to thoroughly distrust the group from which your victims come so they’ll figure that if the charges are a fit-up the victims are probably guilty of something and it would be prudent to put them away.
7. Politicians who aren’t 100 per cent with you are friends of terrorists
No politician enjoys being attacked as “irresponsible” or accused of being unpatriotic or soft on terrorists. Very few will dare question the allegations in case they’re proved wrong. Most are venal politics junkies making a very good living doing something they enjoy. It’s safer for them to join the chorus condemning terrorism and congratulating you on your vigilance. With any luck, some politicians will show their credentials by loudly criticising you for not acting sooner and more ruthlessly. Those few who are troubled will probably just say nothing.
8. Don’t worry about proving links to real terror groups
Once upon a time, not so long ago, it was felt necessary to show that your local “terrorist cell” was recruited by, and in communication with, al-Qaeda, or some group with actual form some time in the not-too-distant past. This requirement brought its own problems, since evidence of the links often failed to convince, or, worse still, unearthed shady figures with a track record of collaboration with the CIA or M16 or Mossad.
It’s still a good idea to hint at such links but it isn’t de rigueur because the problem disappeared with the happy invention of the “spontaneously-forming, self-activating” (SFSA) terror cell theory in the aftermath of the 7/7 London bombings. According to the SFSA theory, terrorists don’t have to be recruited or trained. Wherever any three integrated, happy, and successful young Muslim men get together to discuss politics or religion or even just to play cricket, they spontaneously decide to set up a do-it-yourself terror cell. They scour the internet for recipes for powerful but highly unstable explosives made from sports drinks, peroxide, hair gel, acetone and baby formula. Without outside direction they select targets and decide the day. All you need to “prove” conspiracy was that they met, discussed politics and had in their possession common household chemicals, fizzy drinks and a mobile phone. It doesn’t matter if their conversations show nothing explicit. Just say they were talking in code. If you can show at least one of them has travelled overseas, that’s a plus. If not, assert that they “investigated” booking airline tickets or showed an interest in travelling overseas.
The SFSA theory not only relieves you of having to prove connections to international terror groups, there’s a bonus: it also increases public fear. Any group of young Muslims kicking a ball around in the park is actually planning to blow up trains. Or airliners. Anything you do to these people is likely to be “overlooked”, if not vocally supported by patriotic simpletons.
9. It doesn’t really matter if a court finds them innocent
Your victims won’t get their day in court for months, maybe years, and if you’ve organised things well, you’ll be operating under laws that ensure that the public and your tame media are prevented from reporting key details or even excluded from court altogether. By the time your victims get to court, the scare you used them to create will have done its job. Even if your victims are found innocent, that fact will get little press attention from a media who are embarrassed by their role in such an obvious scam, and anyway, the accused terrorists’ acquittal will be lost in the next big scare.
Good luck, and have fun.
How easy is it to organise a major terrorist scare like the one that’s currently gridlocking the world’s airports? Dead easy. If you follow a few simple points you can panic the populace and stampede the media with virtually no risk of getting caught. All it takes is a little confidence. Here’s a simple “how-to” for aspiring top-level spooks:
1. The politicians don’t want to know
Have confidence that the government really doesn’t want to know what it is you’re getting up to, as long as the effect benefits them. By their very nature, secret police intelligence and espionage organizations operate in secret and often do, “in the national interest”, illegal things or stuff which ordinary folk would regard as grossly unethical – things that would embarrass the government if they were to be exposed. If anything goes wrong the politicians want to be able to “plausibly deny” they were involved. This relationship hands enormous, uncontrolled, power to your small, ultra-secretive, self-governing elite clustered at the top of the nation’s security “service”. Your colleagues are invariably drawn from the upper reaches of the political and economic elite and of course you know better than anybody what’s in “the national interest” and you have a God-given right to rule. Breaking ranks and talking isn’t in your colleagues’ class nature.
2. Keep things on a need-to-know basis
Keep your security organization compartmentalised and discourage specialist sections from talking to each other. You can plausibly plead security reasons for this. Make sure all information gets passed up the line to your small group at the top who compile and “assess” the overall threat and decide when to act. Thus you control the “narrative” and the timing of the scam. The foot soldiers may shake their heads and wonder at some of the things you come up with, but they’ll be in no position to contradict you. And if they do, it’s a very serious offence. It’ll ruin their careers and could land them a very long stretch in gaol.
3. At the right time, get the president or prime minister involved
When you’ve decided on the optimum time for your security scare and sorted out who your “plotters” will be, it’s important to involve the head of the government. He’ll want to broadcast to the nation, taking credit for keeping the people safe from the terrible plot. He’ll automatically be followed by the leaders of the mainstream opposition parties, all eager to prove their credibility, responsibility and patriotism. As soon as you’ve made the official line clear, the media and the state apparatus will fall into line.
4. “Prove that we lie”
Always remember: it’s breathtakingly easy to claim you’ve “thwarted” something horrible and almost impossible for sceptics to prove that you haven’t. This applies especially if you “thwart” the plot in its early stages. Invariably you’re acting against individuals from a group that’s already been demonised and will be scared to speak up or fight back. The majority will be inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt. Questioning the government in a time of “national emergency” isn’t an easy gig.
5. Don’t worry, they’ll all play their part
Complex conspiracies involving lots of people are entirely unnecessary. All that’s needed is for your close knit, unaccountable group to order those lower down the chain to act on “information received”. They don’t even have to know what the information was. They just have to know the addresses to raid and who to arrest. When they do, they’re sure to find some political or religious literature, or something on the hard drives, or some household chemicals that will, under the circumstances you’ve created, look suspicious. If you’re using agents provocateur, they’ll be able to plant “evidence” and report suspicious conversations to “sex-up” the case. Of course, details will never be available officially or in a verifiable form, but fragments and hints of purported “evidence” can be leaked to selected journalists (see below).
6. Feed the chickens
Keep information in official news releases to an absolute minimum. There’s a plausible excuse for this: more information will harm ongoing investigations and might prejudice the case when it gets to court. In place of any hard attributable facts, provide a steady stream of small leaks “under condition of anonymity” to selected journalists from politically reliable mainstream news organizations. These people are carefully selected for political conservatism and journalistic “responsibility”. Even if they weren’t, they need a story and they’re totally reliant on you for one. It doesn’t matter if the leaked details are outrageously illogical. Even if they’re suspicious of the story, your contacts will run it rather than lose a scoop. In this way you’ll establish an unofficial official narrative that most members of the public will be inclined to accept as something like the truth. They’ve already been conditioned by the media attack-dogs to thoroughly distrust the group from which your victims come so they’ll figure that if the charges are a fit-up the victims are probably guilty of something and it would be prudent to put them away.
7. Politicians who aren’t 100 per cent with you are friends of terrorists
No politician enjoys being attacked as “irresponsible” or accused of being unpatriotic or soft on terrorists. Very few will dare question the allegations in case they’re proved wrong. Most are venal politics junkies making a very good living doing something they enjoy. It’s safer for them to join the chorus condemning terrorism and congratulating you on your vigilance. With any luck, some politicians will show their credentials by loudly criticising you for not acting sooner and more ruthlessly. Those few who are troubled will probably just say nothing.
8. Don’t worry about proving links to real terror groups
Once upon a time, not so long ago, it was felt necessary to show that your local “terrorist cell” was recruited by, and in communication with, al-Qaeda, or some group with actual form some time in the not-too-distant past. This requirement brought its own problems, since evidence of the links often failed to convince, or, worse still, unearthed shady figures with a track record of collaboration with the CIA or M16 or Mossad.
It’s still a good idea to hint at such links but it isn’t de rigueur because the problem disappeared with the happy invention of the “spontaneously-forming, self-activating” (SFSA) terror cell theory in the aftermath of the 7/7 London bombings. According to the SFSA theory, terrorists don’t have to be recruited or trained. Wherever any three integrated, happy, and successful young Muslim men get together to discuss politics or religion or even just to play cricket, they spontaneously decide to set up a do-it-yourself terror cell. They scour the internet for recipes for powerful but highly unstable explosives made from sports drinks, peroxide, hair gel, acetone and baby formula. Without outside direction they select targets and decide the day. All you need to “prove” conspiracy was that they met, discussed politics and had in their possession common household chemicals, fizzy drinks and a mobile phone. It doesn’t matter if their conversations show nothing explicit. Just say they were talking in code. If you can show at least one of them has travelled overseas, that’s a plus. If not, assert that they “investigated” booking airline tickets or showed an interest in travelling overseas.
The SFSA theory not only relieves you of having to prove connections to international terror groups, there’s a bonus: it also increases public fear. Any group of young Muslims kicking a ball around in the park is actually planning to blow up trains. Or airliners. Anything you do to these people is likely to be “overlooked”, if not vocally supported by patriotic simpletons.
9. It doesn’t really matter if a court finds them innocent
Your victims won’t get their day in court for months, maybe years, and if you’ve organised things well, you’ll be operating under laws that ensure that the public and your tame media are prevented from reporting key details or even excluded from court altogether. By the time your victims get to court, the scare you used them to create will have done its job. Even if your victims are found innocent, that fact will get little press attention from a media who are embarrassed by their role in such an obvious scam, and anyway, the accused terrorists’ acquittal will be lost in the next big scare.
Good luck, and have fun.
'Israel cutting off Gaza from West Bank'
An Israeli human rights group says Israel is trying to separate the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip from those who live in the West Bank. Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, in its latest report, accused the Israeli regime of taking unilateral steps in order to institutionalize a new reality of separation among Palestinians.Read more...
Strong Quake Devastates Southern Iran
massive earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale has jolted the southern port city of Bandar Khamir in Iran's Hormozgan Province. According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the Wednesday quake, which struck around 1100 GMT, was about 53 km (33 miles) west of Bandar Abbas at a depth of 34.6 miles (55 km). Head of Hormozgan's provincial disaster management headquarters, Yasser Hazbavi, said that the quake has demolished nearly 200 villages, killing at least four people and injuring 26 others. Rescue teams have been dispatched to the area.
Read more...
Have a HAARPY day
Read more...
Have a HAARPY day
Council threatens families with a £1,000 fine... for parking on their own driveways
Furious residents have been left stunned after a council threatened to fine them £1,000 - for parking on their own driveways.
Homeowners in a quiet village have been told they have the wrong type of kerbs, despite having driven over them for the 50 years since the properties were built.
Councillors are using a law passed 30 years ago to stop them from parking beside their own homes.
Homeowners in a quiet village have been told they have the wrong type of kerbs, despite having driven over them for the 50 years since the properties were built.
Councillors are using a law passed 30 years ago to stop them from parking beside their own homes.
But residents each face a £1,200 bill if they install 'dropped kerbs' that allow easier access to their driveways.
The council threat came in a letter delivered to 12 houses on Pinfold Street, a quiet road with smart semi-detached houses worth around £200,000 in Eastrington, East Yorkshire.
The properties were built between 1949 and 1952. Some were built with driveways and others were added years later.
The council threat came in a letter delivered to 12 houses on Pinfold Street, a quiet road with smart semi-detached houses worth around £200,000 in Eastrington, East Yorkshire.
The properties were built between 1949 and 1952. Some were built with driveways and others were added years later.
Mother slapped with £700 fine for putting her rubbish out on wrong day
A mother has been hit with a £700 fine for putting her rubbish out early so her daughter had more room to play in the family's backyard.
Victoria Clarke, 21, had put the bags out on the pavement to create more space for her four-year-old.
But litter patrols spotted the rubbish - and hauled Victoria into court for the offence of 'the advancement of waste.'
She was accused of leaving eight bags outside her house and eventually fined £350 with £350.12 costs
The court also ordered her to pay a £15 victim surcharge under the terms of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Miss Clarke, a single parent from Reddish, near Stockport, said: 'This is totally over the top and I'm flabbergasted at what's happened.
There are people out there beating each other up getting drunk in the street and causing all sorts of trouble yet most of them seem to get a slap on the wrist.
'Meanwhile I'm getting a massive fine for putting out rubbish on the wrong day. It's ridiculous and I will definitely appeal.
'I'm a single mum and cannot afford to pay it. The sum of £700 represents two months rent on this house.
'There was no way I had eight bin bags out there. It's just me and my daughter and I put three bags out.
'The fact is there are other people living on the same row of terraces and they put their bin bags at the end of the entry as well.
'It's absolutely shocking and like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Read more...
Victoria Clarke, 21, had put the bags out on the pavement to create more space for her four-year-old.
But litter patrols spotted the rubbish - and hauled Victoria into court for the offence of 'the advancement of waste.'
She was accused of leaving eight bags outside her house and eventually fined £350 with £350.12 costs
The court also ordered her to pay a £15 victim surcharge under the terms of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Miss Clarke, a single parent from Reddish, near Stockport, said: 'This is totally over the top and I'm flabbergasted at what's happened.
There are people out there beating each other up getting drunk in the street and causing all sorts of trouble yet most of them seem to get a slap on the wrist.
'Meanwhile I'm getting a massive fine for putting out rubbish on the wrong day. It's ridiculous and I will definitely appeal.
'I'm a single mum and cannot afford to pay it. The sum of £700 represents two months rent on this house.
'There was no way I had eight bin bags out there. It's just me and my daughter and I put three bags out.
'The fact is there are other people living on the same row of terraces and they put their bin bags at the end of the entry as well.
'It's absolutely shocking and like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Read more...
The US Has 761 Military Bases Across the Planet, and We Simply Never Talk About It
America garrison the globe in ways that really are unprecedented, and yet, if you live in the United States, you basically wouldn't know it.
Here it is, as simply as I can put it: In the course of any year, there must be relatively few countries on this planet on which U.S. soldiers do not set foot, whether with guns blazing, humanitarian aid in hand, or just for a friendly visit. In startling numbers of countries, our soldiers not only arrive, but stay interminably, if not indefinitely. Sometimes they live on military bases built to the tune of billions of dollars that amount to sizeable American towns (with accompanying amenities), sometimes on stripped down forward operating bases that may not even have showers. When those troops don't stay, often American equipment does -- carefully stored for further use at tiny "cooperative security locations," known informally as "lily pads" (from which U.S. troops, like so many frogs, could assumedly leap quickly into a region in crisis).
Read more...
Here it is, as simply as I can put it: In the course of any year, there must be relatively few countries on this planet on which U.S. soldiers do not set foot, whether with guns blazing, humanitarian aid in hand, or just for a friendly visit. In startling numbers of countries, our soldiers not only arrive, but stay interminably, if not indefinitely. Sometimes they live on military bases built to the tune of billions of dollars that amount to sizeable American towns (with accompanying amenities), sometimes on stripped down forward operating bases that may not even have showers. When those troops don't stay, often American equipment does -- carefully stored for further use at tiny "cooperative security locations," known informally as "lily pads" (from which U.S. troops, like so many frogs, could assumedly leap quickly into a region in crisis).
Read more...
Missile Defense: Americas Maginot Line
Between 1929 and 1940, France embarked on a huge and costly project to build a line of fortifications which stretched from Switzerland to the Ardennes in the North, and from the Alps to the Mediterranean in the South. The aim of the wall was to defend France against any further invasions by Germany. In 1940, even as new pillboxes were being poured along the Belgian frontier, Hitler invaded France.
While Hitler's successful invasion is often viewed as the failure of the Maginot concept, in point of fact the French defenses did all they were designed to do. Hitler did not try to fight the battle the Maginot line had been designed to fight; he found an alternative.
But it was less the Maginot Line than the "Maginot Mind set" that led to France's conquest. France's leadership, having spent a great deal of money and effort on the line itself, placed all of their faith in it, and failed to plan for attacks the Maginot fortresses were not prepared to deal with. Their wargames always assumed that Germany would attack the Maginot Line head-on, and in such wargames, the French always won. When Hitler invaded, he did not try to punch through the Maginot line, he simply went around it.
Today's version of the Maginot Line is the Nuclear Missile Defense System, aka "Star Wars". The concept is that the US will build these anti-missile missiles, which will prevent a head on attack with nuclear-tipped ICBMs, and we will all be safe.
Read more...
While Hitler's successful invasion is often viewed as the failure of the Maginot concept, in point of fact the French defenses did all they were designed to do. Hitler did not try to fight the battle the Maginot line had been designed to fight; he found an alternative.
But it was less the Maginot Line than the "Maginot Mind set" that led to France's conquest. France's leadership, having spent a great deal of money and effort on the line itself, placed all of their faith in it, and failed to plan for attacks the Maginot fortresses were not prepared to deal with. Their wargames always assumed that Germany would attack the Maginot Line head-on, and in such wargames, the French always won. When Hitler invaded, he did not try to punch through the Maginot line, he simply went around it.
Today's version of the Maginot Line is the Nuclear Missile Defense System, aka "Star Wars". The concept is that the US will build these anti-missile missiles, which will prevent a head on attack with nuclear-tipped ICBMs, and we will all be safe.
Read more...
UK Town Launches Its Own Currency
CNN
'Tired of soaring prices and uncertain financial markets, a small town in southern England is fighting back -- with its own local currency.
Tuesday evening, the wealthy English town of Lewes plans to launch the Lewes Pound as a complementary currency to the British pound. About 50 local traders have agreed to accept it, and organizers are selling the notes at a discount to entice people to buy them.
"If you spend a pound in a supermarket," campaigner Adrienne Campbell told CNN, "it almost immediately goes out of the community, leaks away, and then isn't remaining in the community serving the local people."
Organizers say the Lewes Pound benefits shoppers by strengthening local shops and increasing a sense of pride in the community. For traders, it increases customer loyalty, minimizes the cost of card-based transactions, and attracts attention to the town. The Lewes Pound also benefits the environment by keeping transactions local, thus reducing carbon emissions, organizers say.
Local cheese shop Cheese Please -- which plans to accept the new currency -- offers an example in the economics. Owner Fiona Kay fills her counter with local cheeses, and a customer would use the Lewes Pound to buy them. Kay would then pay the dairy with Lewes Pounds, and the dairy owner would use the Lewes Pound to buy local supplies.
The Lewes Pound is a basically a voucher worth one British pound that can only be redeemed at locally-owned participating stores. Customers can buy it at several issuing outlets around town and trade it back for sterling at any time.
"I think we will be keen to take it," said Hamish Elder, managing director of the local Harveys Brewery. "For us, it's as much about how well it's welcomed by the people who are using it. If they find it a nuisance, and there is no real benefit for them, they they are not going to back it, so there is no point (in) us backing it."
To encourage people to buy the currency, organizers are offering a 10-percent discount on the notes for the next two weeks. It's all part of a year-long pilot program designed to test how well the system works.
Lewes Mayor Michael Chartier plans to launch the program Tuesday evening in a ceremony at the Lewes Town Hall, unveiling the nearly 10,000 Lewes Pounds that have so far been designed. Lewes has a history of being a bit rebellious.
U.S. revolutionary Thomas Paine spent six years in Lewes until 1774, and for hundreds of years the town has hosted a wild and colorful annual bonfire parade. The town has also had its own currency once before, between 1789 and 1895.
The current currency initiative has the backing of Transition Towns, a non-profit organization that works with local communities to develop their own initiatives to address high oil prices and climate change.'
Great idea but the backing of Transition Towns is slightly worrying !
'Tired of soaring prices and uncertain financial markets, a small town in southern England is fighting back -- with its own local currency.
Tuesday evening, the wealthy English town of Lewes plans to launch the Lewes Pound as a complementary currency to the British pound. About 50 local traders have agreed to accept it, and organizers are selling the notes at a discount to entice people to buy them.
"If you spend a pound in a supermarket," campaigner Adrienne Campbell told CNN, "it almost immediately goes out of the community, leaks away, and then isn't remaining in the community serving the local people."
Organizers say the Lewes Pound benefits shoppers by strengthening local shops and increasing a sense of pride in the community. For traders, it increases customer loyalty, minimizes the cost of card-based transactions, and attracts attention to the town. The Lewes Pound also benefits the environment by keeping transactions local, thus reducing carbon emissions, organizers say.
Local cheese shop Cheese Please -- which plans to accept the new currency -- offers an example in the economics. Owner Fiona Kay fills her counter with local cheeses, and a customer would use the Lewes Pound to buy them. Kay would then pay the dairy with Lewes Pounds, and the dairy owner would use the Lewes Pound to buy local supplies.
The Lewes Pound is a basically a voucher worth one British pound that can only be redeemed at locally-owned participating stores. Customers can buy it at several issuing outlets around town and trade it back for sterling at any time.
"I think we will be keen to take it," said Hamish Elder, managing director of the local Harveys Brewery. "For us, it's as much about how well it's welcomed by the people who are using it. If they find it a nuisance, and there is no real benefit for them, they they are not going to back it, so there is no point (in) us backing it."
To encourage people to buy the currency, organizers are offering a 10-percent discount on the notes for the next two weeks. It's all part of a year-long pilot program designed to test how well the system works.
Lewes Mayor Michael Chartier plans to launch the program Tuesday evening in a ceremony at the Lewes Town Hall, unveiling the nearly 10,000 Lewes Pounds that have so far been designed. Lewes has a history of being a bit rebellious.
U.S. revolutionary Thomas Paine spent six years in Lewes until 1774, and for hundreds of years the town has hosted a wild and colorful annual bonfire parade. The town has also had its own currency once before, between 1789 and 1895.
The current currency initiative has the backing of Transition Towns, a non-profit organization that works with local communities to develop their own initiatives to address high oil prices and climate change.'
Great idea but the backing of Transition Towns is slightly worrying !
Iraqi Political Prisoners and the Anti-War Movement
The political prisoners in U.S. occupation jails in Iraq have been suffering for more than five years. They are being tried by the Criminal Court of Iraq, created by the occupiers, on false and fabricated charges and some have been unjustly murdered. There is a hidden and declared agenda behind all these trials. The agenda is specifically designed to serve the interests of the occupation powers, whether Persian or American, to rid Iraq of its leadership by any means.These leaders who were tried, or being tried, represent the finest of Iraqis who stood up in defense of Iraq’s independence and unity. Among those being tried is Abdul Ghani Abdul Ghafoor whom I have known since the 1970s. I knew him as a writer and as a leader, an honorable man who was dedicated to serving his country to the best of his ability. Like the rest of the prisoners, this man is facing hostile and adversarial brutal actions and humiliation. He was severely beaten inside the dock by court guards and some employees under the sight of the court judge (Mohammed Al Khalifa Irebi ), the prosecutor and his aides.
Airline bomb trial: Ex-Met terror chief calls for radical overhaul of anti-terror policing
Andy Hayman, who was closely involved with the liquid bomb inquiry as assistant commissioner of the Met, said the current situation was "a mess".
"A national counter-terrorism agency would streamline operations and achieve economies of scale, but most importantly, it would strengthen operational effectiveness," he said.
He added: "We cannot allow the complicated, and frequently petty, politics of policing to get in the way of the fight against terrorism."
"A national counter-terrorism agency would streamline operations and achieve economies of scale, but most importantly, it would strengthen operational effectiveness," he said.
He added: "We cannot allow the complicated, and frequently petty, politics of policing to get in the way of the fight against terrorism."
Tip I Toe
Gordon Brown triggers row with John McCain by 'backing' Barack Obama
The Prime Minister heaped praise on Mr Obama and the Democrats in a magazine article, saying they were "generating the ideas to help people through more difficult times."
Dealing with economic problems is the crucial battleground in the US elections and Mr Brown's comments were interpreted as backing the Democrat candidate.
The Prime Minister's office and the British Embassy in Washington were last night involved in an embarrassing behind-the-scenes operation to try and limit the fallout from the incident. They were alerted after the highly influential Drudge Report website picked up the story, sparking a flurry of comment and analysis from election watchers in the US.
Well-placed sources claimed that Mr Brown may not have read the article written in his name by a "junior Labour official".
A source said: "It is clearly going to annoy the Republicans and is a naive mistake by a junior Labour person. The American Embassy is doing a lot of work to reassure the McCain campaign that this is not an endorsement of Obama."
Read more...
Dealing with economic problems is the crucial battleground in the US elections and Mr Brown's comments were interpreted as backing the Democrat candidate.
The Prime Minister's office and the British Embassy in Washington were last night involved in an embarrassing behind-the-scenes operation to try and limit the fallout from the incident. They were alerted after the highly influential Drudge Report website picked up the story, sparking a flurry of comment and analysis from election watchers in the US.
Well-placed sources claimed that Mr Brown may not have read the article written in his name by a "junior Labour official".
A source said: "It is clearly going to annoy the Republicans and is a naive mistake by a junior Labour person. The American Embassy is doing a lot of work to reassure the McCain campaign that this is not an endorsement of Obama."
Read more...
Time machine launches quest of discovery: how existence began 13.7 billion years ago
A story that began 13.7 billion years ago is starting a new chapter this morning. Since the big bang threw space and time into being, no living creature of which we know has been able to discern just what happened in the moments at which existence began.
The human race has now constructed a machine — a time machine, if you like — that will open a window on scenes that have hitherto been limited to our imagination. And today, at 8am, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) began its quest.
In a tunnel buried 100 metres below ground, on the shores of Lake Geneva, scientists are attempting to thread a stream of sub-atomic particles around a 27km (17 mile) ring without touching the sides. When the protons snake all the way around the circle, and begin to orbit it more than 11,000 times a second, a new eye will have been cast on the nature of everything.
The human race has now constructed a machine — a time machine, if you like — that will open a window on scenes that have hitherto been limited to our imagination. And today, at 8am, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) began its quest.
In a tunnel buried 100 metres below ground, on the shores of Lake Geneva, scientists are attempting to thread a stream of sub-atomic particles around a 27km (17 mile) ring without touching the sides. When the protons snake all the way around the circle, and begin to orbit it more than 11,000 times a second, a new eye will have been cast on the nature of everything.
Money well spent? You can make your own minds up on this one (if we are still all here!)
Drug watchdog NICE 'spends more on 'spin' than tests on new treatments'
The health rationing watchdog has come under attack for spending more money on spin than on evaluating drugs which could save patients' lives.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which has been widely criticised for banning drugs from NHS use as too expensive, squandered £4.5million on 'communications' last year.
This was £1.1million more than the £3.4million the controversial organisation spent on assessing new medicines.
The money forked out on press officers, marketing executives and consultants included £25,000 on top public relations firm Weber Shandwick to defend NICE's ban on Alzheimer's drugs.
It could have paid for 5,000 Alzheimer's sufferers to get £2.50-a-day drugs for a year. Alternatively it would have funded nearly 200 patients with advanced kidney cancer to have a drug for 12 months that would double their life expectancy.
Tens of thousands of people across the country are waiting for NICE to assess drugs that could extend their lives or alleviate conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and thinning bones.
MPs, patients groups and medical organisations branded the amount spent on communications as a 'scandalous waste of money'
Read more...
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which has been widely criticised for banning drugs from NHS use as too expensive, squandered £4.5million on 'communications' last year.
This was £1.1million more than the £3.4million the controversial organisation spent on assessing new medicines.
The money forked out on press officers, marketing executives and consultants included £25,000 on top public relations firm Weber Shandwick to defend NICE's ban on Alzheimer's drugs.
It could have paid for 5,000 Alzheimer's sufferers to get £2.50-a-day drugs for a year. Alternatively it would have funded nearly 200 patients with advanced kidney cancer to have a drug for 12 months that would double their life expectancy.
Tens of thousands of people across the country are waiting for NICE to assess drugs that could extend their lives or alleviate conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and thinning bones.
MPs, patients groups and medical organisations branded the amount spent on communications as a 'scandalous waste of money'
Read more...
Air Hell For Five Fears: No End To Anti-Terror Baggage Measures Despite Jury Verdicts
Problem - Reaction - Solution
'Air passengers face five more years of bans on carrying liquids in their hand luggage, it has emerged.
The news comes despite the result of a high-profile court trial on Monday which saw eight suspects escape conviction over an alleged plot to blow up planes.
The prosecution alleged they had plotted to target transatlantic airliners with home-made liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks.
But the jury failed to return a verdict on that charge, instead convicting three of conspiracy to murder and clearing one man of all charges.
After the men were arrested in August 2006, restrictions on liquids were brought into place overnight, causing immediate chaos and lengthy delays for travellers at airports across the country.
On Tuesday airlines called for a review of the rules, with the most vociferous comments coming from Virgin Atlantic'
Read more...
'Air passengers face five more years of bans on carrying liquids in their hand luggage, it has emerged.
The news comes despite the result of a high-profile court trial on Monday which saw eight suspects escape conviction over an alleged plot to blow up planes.
The prosecution alleged they had plotted to target transatlantic airliners with home-made liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks.
But the jury failed to return a verdict on that charge, instead convicting three of conspiracy to murder and clearing one man of all charges.
After the men were arrested in August 2006, restrictions on liquids were brought into place overnight, causing immediate chaos and lengthy delays for travellers at airports across the country.
On Tuesday airlines called for a review of the rules, with the most vociferous comments coming from Virgin Atlantic'
Read more...
What Is The Secret Killing Weapon In Iraq?
Woodward compares clandestine program to Manhattan Project, could secret weapon be terrifying radiation canon?
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward revealed to Larry King last night that the U.S. has embarked on a "secret killing program" in Iraq which has dramatically reduced attacks on coalition troops by wiping out terrorists, but what could this secret weapon possibly be?
A CNN report details Woodward’s revelations.
The program — which Woodward compares to the World War II era Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb — must remain secret for now or it would "get people killed," Woodward said Monday on CNN’s Larry King Live.
"The top secret operations will "some day in history … be described to people’s amazement," Woodward told King.
While he would not reveal the details, Woodward said the terrorists who have been targeted were already aware of the capabilities.
"The enemy has a heads up because they’ve been getting wiped out and a lot of them have been killed," he said. "It’s not news to them."
For the weapon to be comparable to the atomic bomb, one would speculate that it must employ some kind of exotic new technology and is potentially related to neutron bomb and electromagnetic weapons research.
Read more...
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward revealed to Larry King last night that the U.S. has embarked on a "secret killing program" in Iraq which has dramatically reduced attacks on coalition troops by wiping out terrorists, but what could this secret weapon possibly be?
A CNN report details Woodward’s revelations.
The program — which Woodward compares to the World War II era Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb — must remain secret for now or it would "get people killed," Woodward said Monday on CNN’s Larry King Live.
"The top secret operations will "some day in history … be described to people’s amazement," Woodward told King.
While he would not reveal the details, Woodward said the terrorists who have been targeted were already aware of the capabilities.
"The enemy has a heads up because they’ve been getting wiped out and a lot of them have been killed," he said. "It’s not news to them."
For the weapon to be comparable to the atomic bomb, one would speculate that it must employ some kind of exotic new technology and is potentially related to neutron bomb and electromagnetic weapons research.
Read more...
Not One Cent For Gaza
JUST when you think the Zionist leaders have peaked in arrogance and the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has peaked in ignorance, a new scheme comes along that is almost beyond belief, prompting me to wonder if they are all taking crack cocaine.Apparently Defence Minister Ehud Barak and the Pharonic Mubarak opened serious discussions about the deployment of an Arab force in the Gaza Strip consisting largely of Egyptian and some Saudi troops.Apparently the two said they would eventually like to expand the deployment of Arab and international forces to the West Bank as well, with those troops consisting largely of Jordanian forces, according to the Israeli plan.The reason for this nonsense? Well I believe it is because Hamas, the democratically elected government (certainly in Gaza) is doing such a good job of maintaining law and order and are growing in popularity with ordinary Palestinians that their continued rise is viewed as a huge threat ... not just to the Zionist interlopers but to the rest of the leadership in the Arab world.Gaza is the world's largest open air prison and its infrastructure, emergency services and day to day operations have been crippled by the brutal Israeli-led siege.Yet despite this, Hamas - since it kicked out the corrupt Fatah fat cats last year - has managed to try and hold things together for its 1.5m citizens on the Gaza Strip.They are living a hand-to-mouth existence and innocent men, women and children are dying in this collective punishment because they are being denied vital medicines and access to the outside world, but their support of Hamas is growing by the day. I've seen it with my own eyes and so, unlike most of the outside politicians including the Quartet's Peace Envoy Tony Blair, I am coming from a point of knowledge.Read more...
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
This Time, the World Is Not Buying It
The success of the Bush Regime's propaganda, lies, and deception with gullible and inattentive Americans since 9/11 has made it difficult for intelligent, aware people to be optimistic about the future of the United States. For almost 8 years the US media has served as Ministry of Propaganda for a war criminal regime. Americans incapable of thinking for themselves, reading between the lines, or accessing foreign media on the Internet have been brainwashed.
As the Nazi propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, said, it is easy to deceive a people. You just tell them they have been attacked and wave the flag.
It certainly worked with Americans.
The gullibility and unconcern of the American people has had many victims. There are 1.25 million dead Iraqis. There are 4 million displaced Iraqis. No one knows how many are maimed and orphaned.
Iraq is in ruins, its infrastructure destroyed by American bombs, missiles, and helicopter gunships.
We do not know the death toll in Afghanistan, but even the American puppet regime protests the repeated killings of women and children by US and NATO troops.
We don't know what the death toll would be in Iran if Darth Cheney and the neocons succeed in their plot with Israel to bomb Iran, perhaps with nuclear weapons.
What we do know is that all this murder and destruction has no justification and is evil. It is the work of evil men who have no qualms about lying and deceiving in order to kill innocent people to achieve their undeclared agenda.
As the Nazi propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, said, it is easy to deceive a people. You just tell them they have been attacked and wave the flag.
It certainly worked with Americans.
The gullibility and unconcern of the American people has had many victims. There are 1.25 million dead Iraqis. There are 4 million displaced Iraqis. No one knows how many are maimed and orphaned.
Iraq is in ruins, its infrastructure destroyed by American bombs, missiles, and helicopter gunships.
We do not know the death toll in Afghanistan, but even the American puppet regime protests the repeated killings of women and children by US and NATO troops.
We don't know what the death toll would be in Iran if Darth Cheney and the neocons succeed in their plot with Israel to bomb Iran, perhaps with nuclear weapons.
What we do know is that all this murder and destruction has no justification and is evil. It is the work of evil men who have no qualms about lying and deceiving in order to kill innocent people to achieve their undeclared agenda.
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