Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Underwear Appeal - donations needed
OK, you lot, fancy having some fun next week?
How about we send 6 top fashion models somewhere for a day. In just their underwear.
I'm not happy that UK airports think they can see me, my children and everyone else nude and scan me before I am allowed to travel just because it "might" stop one person setting fire to his shoe.
So the plan is to invite every tabloid and every TV crew in the land to watch 6 fashion models strip to their skimpies at the airport, get on a cheap flight and then fly back again in a day.
I reckon I'll need about £100 a girl to cover the flight and lingerie and I've already spoken to them. They're up for it (no, you cannot have their telephone numbers.)
It isn't illegal, no one is going to get arrested, it will raise the profile of my campaign in Cambridge and embarass our glorious leader and his government with just a few days left before a general election. In every national newspaper and every TV station.
Dig deep, guys, this could be fun. £600 to make Gordon look the proper authoritarian bastard that we know and love in his dying days.
Old Holborn
Are we sleepwalking into a surveillance society?
Personal Identity technology (ID-tech) is the complex of devices and techniques by which the identity of individuals is established and/or verified. It largely consists of biometric systems, that is, automated technical systems that measure physical human characteristics, some of them dynamically and in real time. The biometric device matches the input sample against a stored template, in order to include or exclude an individual from some action or activity. It is used for verifying who you are (with smart card, username or ID number) or identifying who you are. The data so collected could be used for purposes other than those initially intended.
Fingerprint biometrics were first used at the 2004 Olympic Summer Games, Athens. In the USA, Australia, UK, EU and other countries biometrics are being introduced into passport and visa control. For example, citizens of Brazil have their signature, photo, and 10 rolled fingerprints collected by passport requests. There is a very wide variety of uses e.g. in immigration, customs, ATMs, retail, schools, policing, and intelligence.
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Nails in the Global Warming Coffin
My silence since mid-February has not meant that I have taken my eye off the climate-change scene. Far from it, although I have to confess that I have become increasingly wearied and bored by the fatuous lack of reality exhibited on this topic by many UK politicians. It is so glaringly obvious that, since the debacle in Copenhagen, ‘global warming’ is dying as a major political trope that I find it less and less exercising as an issue. Indeed, I do not want to waste too much energy in flogging a fundamentally dead corpse.
This last week, however, the nails in the global warming coffin have been driven in so thick and so fast that I thought it might be worth bringing attention once again to what is happening around the world - “You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Global Warming is as dead as a door-nail,” although I suspect that the Global Warming Ghost will hang around moaning and wailing for quite a while yet.
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What has happened to education?
Click image for full graphic. The percentage of people of working age with no qualifications 2005 parliamentary constituencies. Conducted by the lecturers' union UCU, the research finds that the proportion of those with degrees or equivalent varies hugely across the country - from 62.3% in Kensington and Chelsea to just 9.91% in Birmingham Hodge Hill. Find out how your constituency does. Graphic: Jenny Ridley
Education in the UK has been transformed dramatically. Just over 20 years ago, the national curriculum was introduced as part of the Education Reform Act of 1988, and as recently as 1997 we had universal free higher education.
Many will say that one of the greatest changes has been an obsession with targets which dates back to 1997, when Labour came into power with the mantra of "education, education, education". This substantially shifted power, as Margaret Thatcher's education secretary Kenneth Baker put it, "from the hub to the rim of the wheel".
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Dilute till safe
John Brockman's Edge site has lots of short essay-lets on what the ash cloud episode means. Maybe because of the way it was reported in the USA, remarkably few of the commentaries seem to get that it was a huge buearucratic over-reaction to a theoretical model and based on a zero-tolerance approach to ash that makes no sense. And it caused real economic and emtoional pain.
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BP earns £463 a second... as motorists suffer record petrol prices
BP said on Tuesday that profits hit £3.6 billion ($US5.6 billion) in the first three months of 2010 - more than double the level last year.
The 135 per cent profits rise comes after the price of crude oil was pushed higher by recovery hopes for the global economy and due to market speculation.
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UK: Another unmanned drone takes to the skies...
We've been warned of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being planned to fly over Britain for monitoring antisocial motorists, protesters, agricultural thieves and fly-tippers.
We've had remote-controlled, flying CCTV cameras used by the police that break privacy laws by flying without permission over residential areas.
Now the Mail on Sunday reports that MI5 and GCHQ are set to buy up a series of £23million Global Hawk drones to 'search for terror cells' in the UK:
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Police breathalyse CHILDREN at village disco to stop anti-social behaviour
Children were breathalysed on the door of a village disco to ensure there was no anti-social behaviour from underage drunks inside, it was revealed today.
Teenagers as young as 14 were barred from a the village hall disco after failing the police breath tests.
The worst of the under-age offenders was found to have 65mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood - almost double the legal drink-drive limit of 35mg
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Can You Disappear in Surveillance Britain?
Back in January last year, David Bond packed a rucksack, kissed his pregnant wife Katie and toddler Ivy, climbed into his Toyota Prius and drove away from home. Nobody knew where he was going – he didn’t even know himself. One thing he was sure about was this: “I’m going to leave my life behind and disappear,” he said.
A 38-year-old Oxford graduate with a solid if unspectacular career in media, Bond wasn’t your typical runaway. But then, you might have said the same about Will Smith in Enemy of the State, or Robert Donat in The 39 Steps – two of Bond’s favourite films. For Katie, left alone with a toddler, his disappearance could not have come at a worse time. “I had to juggle the childcare and work,” she says, “and I was seven and a half months pregnant.”
Bond might never have thought of running away if he’d not received a letter, some months earlier, informing him that his daughter was among 25 million Britons whose records had been lost by the Child Benefit Office, along with bank details and other private information.
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Global downturn cushioned peak oil impact
One of the Federal Government's top infrastructure advisers is warning of an oil crunch that could send the global economy spiralling back toward recession.
Curtin University Professor Peter Newman sits on the Government's Infrastructure Australia Council and says peak oil - when demand outstrips dwindling supply - has already hit but that the global downturn has kept prices low.
Professor Newman even blames oil for causing the global recession in the first place, and he is not alone.
It is an issue being taken seriously by some local councils which have drawn up peak oil contingencies.
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Debt crisis spreads through Europe
Investors are treating Portugal as the next Greece as the sovereign debt crisis spreads through the Mediterranean.
Portuguese bonds slumped again Tuesday as bond holders took the view that the country’s credit quality is deteriorating, even though its deficit and debt ratios are not as dire as Greece’s.
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Nick Clegg will work with 'man from moon' but not Gordon Brown
The Liberal Democrat leader refused to rule out forming a government with other leading figures in Labour - such as Alan Johnson or David Miliband - or the Conservatives if no party wins an overall majority at the election.
He joked that he would even see “a man from the moon” as an acceptable partner in a coalition administration if it meant his cherished reforms to voting, taxes, education and banking were driven through
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A conspiracy of silence
The theme for Thursday's final leaders' debate is the economy. If the campaign so far is anything to go by, it will offer meagre pickings. The budget deficit presents the greatest threat to our economic wellbeing in 80 years, yet it has barely featured as a issue. At this perilous moment in our national fortunes, the politicians appear to have taken a collective vow of omerta on the one subject that should obsess them. It means the voters are being asked to make a fundamental choice about the direction of this country blindfolded
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Who Does Immigration Really Benefit?
Mass Third World immigration into Britain only benefits the super rich and is utterly destructive to ordinary Britons and immigrants alike, argues Maid of Kent in this thought-provoking article.
The news that the fortunes of the super rich in the UK have staged an astonishing recovery over the last 12 months, and that the collective wealth of Britain’s 1,000 richest people has increased by 30 percent in the last year, will enrage ordinary British people suffering from the adverse effects of the recession.
The combined wealth of these 1000 super rich rose by a staggering £77 billion to £333.5 billion in just 12 months, reflecting the biggest annual rise of the last 22 years.
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Volcanic ash crisis cost airlines £2.2 billion
Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said the economic impact of the weeklong crisis had caused losses of estimated at between €1.5-2.5 billion.
The closure of a large chunk of European airspace due to the volcanic eruption in southern Iceland caused the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights, and left 10 million passengers stranded.
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Cass report: police killed Blair Peach then covered it up
A police officer was probably responsible for the death of anti-racism activist Blair Peach but the killing was covered up, a Scotland Yard report revealed today - 31 years after the notorious incident.
Police officers conspired to conceal the circumstances surrounding the death of the 33-year-old New Zealand teacher during a demonstration against the National Front in Southall west London in 1979.
Mr Peach was struck on the head in the protest and members of the Metropolitan police riot squad, the Special Patrol Group, were suspected of dealing the fatal blow.
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MINISTERS AT WAR ON PM
A FORMER minister yesterday called for Alan Johnson to replace Gordon Brown as Labour leader as party feuding erupted into the open.
Former Home Office frontbencher Fiona Mactaggart said the Home Secretary was among contenders ready to take over after the election.
Lord Mandelson and his allies are understood to be backing Foreign Secretary David Miliband as the party’s next leader.
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Labour candidate John Cowan is sacked after boasting about his sexual exploits online
Labour was forced to suspend another candidate today after he boasted about his sex life and made offensive comments on the internet.
John Cowan, who was fighting for a seat in South East Cambridgeshire, made a series of inappropriate comments in chatrooms.
As well as talking about sex, Mr Cowan, a former manager of glamour models, posted adverts asking for people to pose nude for his photographic portfolio
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Distressed UK companies owe £55bn, new report warns
More than 160,000 companies are experiencing "significant" or "critical" financial distress and between them owe in excess of £55bn, according to Begbies Traynor.
In its latest Red Flag update, which highlights troubled businesses, the professional services group found a 14pc jump in the number of distressed companies. There were 161,601 red flagged companies in the first quarter of this year compared with the final quarter of 2009.
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The Middle Class Game Is Up: We’re Heading to a Slave Labor Planet
Class solidarity was such a good idea. It really was. Obviously, most of the people who need solidarity are in the world’s laboring classes. After all, the rich have more than enough solidarity already, as was recently demonstrated by their successful execution of the greatest global financial heist in history. Oh sure, we’ll see some state sponsored mock show trials of a few of them – they always throw a few of their own out of the sleigh to the wolves during their escapes. The big heist was big news. Working Americans will be applying Preparation H to their keisters for a long time to come.
But the ultimate accomplishment of the already rich, the newly rich and the corporate rich, has been their global solidarity on the corporate/financial front. It’s been a long run up to globalism, but the rich have great patience.
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Real Danger of Double Dip Recession Says Cable
Commenting on the latest GDP figures showing 0.2% growth between January and March this year, Vince Cable said:
“These figures show that the promised recovery is barely visible. There is a real danger of the UK going into a double dip recession. As people deal with their own debts and as the banks continue to strangle good British businesses by starving them of credit the recovery will remain fragile.
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Global warming: La CO2a Nostra
Although I am still quite concerned about the effect of underworld connections on the Oxburgh inquiry into Climategate, a bigger problem has obviously surfaced in the illegal use and exploitation of funds intended to finance green initiatives. (BTW, during research for this article I discovered many reports of theft of solar panels--if you've got 'em, keep an eye on 'em.)
Some of it is organised crime, as we reported yesterday and Friday. Some of it is just local initiative, taking advantage of lax monitoring procedures. Some of it is by indigenous people who consider it money being tossed around for no good reason that they are just as entitled to as the next person.
Read more ...
SNP begins TV debate legal bid after online donors raise £50,000 in a day
Hundreds of births at a Scottish hospital are to be investigated after a midwife was suspended over concerns about the care of mothers and babies
Three-horse race to a supranational nightmare
CHOICE is a luxury that is no longer on offer to British voters. The identical programmes of the three main political parties have effectively created a one-party state. It is the great irony of this general election that the expansion of the traditional two-horse race into a three-horse contest has brought not the slightest philosophical broadening of the electoral landscape
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Nick Clegg's demand for NHS to be broken up and replaced with European-style insurance system
The comments raise huge question-marks over the Lib Dems' commitment to such a cherished institution as the NHS.
They contrast with the course taken by David Cameron, who has made support for the NHS a key plank of his campaign.
The interview is another serious embarrassment for Mr Clegg as he prepares to face nurses at the Royal College of Nursing conference today.
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Mum's anger at porn plan
FURIOUS mums have slammed Liberal Democrat plans to let 16-year-olds watch and star in PORN films.
The controversial policy has faced blistering criticism in the chatrooms of Mumsnet, a popular website for mothers.
Under the Lib Dems, the legal age for viewing or appearing in adult movies will be cut from 18 to 16.
But the policy - overwhelmingly passed at the party's conference in 2004 - has now been savaged on the internet by women who claim it is "essentially legalisation of child porn".
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Death of Anti-NWO Polish President Raises Questions
Airplane crashes have historically been a favorite method of political assassinations, with Ron Brown and John F. Kennedy Jr. being two recent examples. Can we now add Polish President Lech Kaczynski and nearly his entire government to the list? Although motive doesn’t need to be proved in a murder trial, plenty of motives certainly exist if we examine one primary set of culprits: those who head the European Union.
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VOLCANIC CLOUD CHAOS TO SEND FLIGHT COSTS SOARING
AIR travellers face devastating price rises as airlines struggle to recoup their losses from disruption caused by the volcanic ash cloud and soaring fuel bills.
A report out yesterday revealed that last week’s flight ban cost airlines £1.3billion and, combined with a recent surge in oil prices, many of them face a battle to survive.
As a result they are expected to put up fares by 5.2 per cent this year, costing travellers a total of £1.8billion or £48 per passenger. By 2012, prices are expected to have risen by 11.5 per cent.
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Confirmed: global warming zealots hate people
I’ve always suspected this. There can be only one logical conclusion to the anthropogenic global warming campaign: eliminate human beings. Or, at least, reduce to a minimum their number on the planet.
Have you had the sneaking suspicion that climate change activists were seeking to suppress every possible life-enhancing human activity from a long hot bath to a long-haul flight to an exotic destination? Have you ever had the sense that they would actually prefer it if you just ceased to occupy space on the earth, using up – as you do – its precious resources to facilitate your own pestilential selfish existence? That, if they could, they would at least manage to deter you from reproducing? Well, here it is: this report from the LSE says it all.
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There go the Russians: Oligarchs (and their bling) 'set to flee Britain because of Labour's tax policies'
Wealthy Russians will leave Britain or remove money from the City of London because of Labour's high tax policies, according to a leading investment guru.
Alexei Golubovich, chairman of Arbat Capital investment advisers, said the trend would cost the British economy hundreds of millions of pounds.
His warning of a capital flight comes after a decade which has seen affluent Reds-to-Riches billionaires buying up property, investing their vast fortunes, and using London as their gateway to the West.
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Monday, 26 April 2010
Somali pirates move hostage Britons
Militants from Somalia's al-Qaida-linked insurgent group have moved into the northern region where Somali pirates operate, forcing the gang that is holding a kidnapped British couple to flee, a self-proclaimed pirate chieftain and residents said.
Paul and Rachel Chandler were bundled into a car early on Monday after militants neared the town of Haradhere, said Maslah Yare, who leads the pirate gang that is holding the Chandlers............
SNP raises funds for TV debate challenge against BBC
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Eco-terrorists 'plot to blow up IBM headquarters' thwarted in routine traffic stop
The three members – two men and a woman – of the Italian terrorist group Il Silvestre were stopped just a few miles from their target with their explosive device primed and ready to go.
Italians Costantino Ragusa and Silvia Guerini, together with Italian-Swiss Luca Bernasconi, were arrested and jailed after a search of their vehicle revealed the bomb.
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Get Ready: Here's Everything You Need To Know About Tomorrow's HUGE Goldman Hearings
Goldman Sachs will be used as a "case study" and the Senators will ask the firm how investment banks brought the modern economy to its knees.
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1.1 Million Illegal Immigrants Have Invaded Britain, New Report Reveals
A new study by think tank MigrationwatchUK has revealed that there are in excess of 1.1 million illegal immigrants in Britain and that the figure could easily be as high as 2.2 million or more.
According to the report, titled “The Illegal Migrant Population in the UK,” previous estimates of illegal immigrants have seriously underestimated the scale of illegal entry and those who overstay their visas.
“A more plausible estimate for illegal immigrants in the UK would be 1.1 million. If they were granted an amnesty their relatives and dependants would have the right to enter Britain, approximately doubling the numbers concerned,” the report said.
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America's Impending Master Class Dictatorship
Thanks to the endless barrage of feel-good propaganda that daily assaults the American mind, best epitomized a few months ago by the “green shoots,” everything’s-coming-up-roses propaganda touted by Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke, the citizens have no idea how disastrous the country’s fiscal, monetary and economic problems truly are. Nor do they perceive the rapidly increasing risk of a totalitarian nightmare descending upon the American Republic.
One stark and sobering way to frame the crisis is this: if the United States government were to nationalize (in other words, steal) every penny of private wealth accumulated by America’s citizens since the nation’s founding 235 years ago, the government would remain totally bankrupt.
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Health trusts plan thousands of job cuts by stealth, nurses warn
Health trusts are planning to cut thousands of staff "by stealth" to deliver £20bn of "NHS efficiencies", according to a survey by the Royal College of Nursing. Labour reacted by promising that there would be more jobs in the health service at the end of the next Brown administration if it wins the election.
The move comes as Gordon Brown addresses the RCN's four-day annual conference today. More than 4,000 nurses have gathered in Bournemouth for the event, which is expected to be dominated by NHS finances.
The nurses' union has been riled by a warning from Sir David Nicholson, the chief executive of the health service, that up to £20bn of savings will have to be found by 2014.
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Labour withdraws 'sick’ David Cameron poster
On the night of the televised foreign affairs debate, Labour published as the main image on its official website a photomontage of the Tory leader pushing a wheelchair in which William Hague was seated.
Their faces were pasted on the bodies of two characters from the popular BBC comedy series Little Britain. “They’ll turn Great Britain into Little Britain,” says the caption. “Under the Tories, Britain would have less influence on the world stage.”
Mandrake understands that party officials removed the image from the website after
they received complaints about its tastelessness.
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The Imminent Crash Of The Oil Supply
The supply of the world's most essential energy source is going off a cliff. Not in the distant future, but in a year and a half. Production of all liquid fuels, including oil, will drop within 20 years to half what it is today. And the difference needs to be made up with "unidentified projects," which one of the world's leading petroleum geologists says is just a "euphemism for rank shortage," and the world's foremost oil industry banker says is "faith based."
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Europe human rights body calls on Britain to introduce total ban on smacking
Britain is being pressured by the Council of Europe to introduce a total ban on smacking children.
The UK is one of the few countries in the world not to have completely banned smacking, the Council of Europe has said.
It blamed the delay on a traditional British parent-child relationship based on 'authority', and on British resistance to the state meddling in family affairs.
Now the human rights body is turning up the heat with a demand for a complete ban on all smacking and corporal punishment of children
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Greek meltdown in danger of spreading
GERMANY, France and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) must act quickly to bail out Greece to prevent a slide in confidence in financial markets, Alistair Darling said yesterday.
“It’s absolutely imperative that the IMF, the euro group and Greece sort this out,” said the chancellor, attending the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington.
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UK News Weekly Video.
Here's the first attempt at the weekly news video. A bit of a rush job but you'll get the idea I'll do a proper one at the end of the week.
It only takes an hour and I spent most of the time trying to find a suitably haunting audio accompaniment and eventually settled on Barber's Di Aggio for Strings as it's copyright free.( anyone know of a better tune?)
I'm going to do 2 a week -one will be a UK news video(can anyone think of better title than the bland one I came up with?) and a weekly 'New World Order News' video which will deal with global news.
I'm hoping that people that view the video will check out this site, which will hopefully be a gateway to the excellent sites run by my esteemed friends in the blogroll. That's the (new) plan anyway.
let me know what you think
ukws
And Now for my next Trick
Blogs changed again-alas. It's for specific reasons. I've given up on trying to create a uk news website as there isn't enough interest, never mind. So instead I'm going to start making a weekly uk news video for youtube, which will be a montage/collection of the important headlines of the week and I'm going to embed the blogs site address on it.
Hence the blogs changes. It need's to be more visually interesting and the blogroll needs to be more interesting too.
Postings are going to change also- I'm going to put the headline in the headline box so they show up on a google search and include a picture too(like this one). I'm also starting to contribute on the DotConnectors blog and it will mean I can simply copy over the entire html entry for each post, this will mean there will be fewer posts as I'm going to go for quality over quantity. The site will still be UK orientated and the general theme and type of posts won't change.
Everybody and anybody are still welcome to post on the site.
ukws
Toddler flu vaccine death to be investigated
The Queensland Coroner plans to investigate the death of a two year-old-girl who died earlier this month, after receiving the flu vaccine.
On Friday the Australia's chief medical officer Professor Jim Bishop issued a nationwide ban on flu shots for children under five. His announcement came came after more than 20 children suffered severe side effects from the vaccine in Western Australia.
Do you know where your internet freedom is?
Here's a sobering repost from Above Top Secret that I fully endorse and wholeheartedly agree with. The question is, what do we do now.
Greek domino topples; Rest of the “PIIGS” next!
In the bond market, it’s been anything BUT quiet. In fact, the first major sovereign debt domino toppled this past week — in Greece.
The Mediterranean nation is buried under a massive load of debts and deficits, and the numbers are shocking
Nurses 'to bear the brunt of NHS cuts' as thousands face the sack after the election
Thousands of doctors and nurses face the sack after the election under devastating cuts being planned by NHS bureaucrats, according to two studies.
Despite repeated promises from Labour ministers to safeguard patient care, front-line staff look set to bear the brunt of a Whitehall diktat that the NHS slash its budgets by billions of pounds
Kevin Rudd’s e-Health bill paves the way for PositiveID human implantable RFID microchips
From July 1st every single Australian will be branded with a unique, 1.16 digit identification number courtesy of Medicare Australia in accordance with Kevin Rudd’s new e-health revolution.
Maastricht madhouse fuels EMU-wide contagion from Greece
If the chief purpose behind the EU-IMF bail-out for Greece – or for banks exposed to Greece – is to prevent a "full-blown and contagious sovereign debt crisis", the market verdict must be a sobering surprise
Failed German Bond Auction: An Evil Portent?
WHAT IF THEY GAVE a bond auction and nobody came?
That is the ultimate doomsday scenario with the unprecedented fiscal deficits around the world -- that governments' credit lines could run out and they couldn't raise the cash they needed in the bond markets. At that point, after bailing out banks that had faced the same dilemma, who's there to bail out the governments?
Is the Bank Tax a Major Step Toward World Government?
Finance ministers and central bank governors are in Washington D.C. this weekend for a G-20 meeting, in preparation for the G-20 Summit to held in November in South Korea.
We've got to find £100bn in cuts or tax - give thanks we're not in the euro The third and final debate between the party leaders this Thursday focuses on the economy. On the latest evidence, how do things stack up? Last week's GDP figures were undoubtedly a disappointment. The reported increase of 0.2pc in the first quarter was only half what the market expected and it was well below the increase of 0.4pc recorded in the previous quarter. The economy is struggling
Labour's 'secret weapon' Blair makes £350,000 for four hours' work (to top up his £25m fortune)
Nice work if you can get it: Former PM Tony Blair was paid £350,000 for two short speeches in Asia
Tony Blair had just romped through a feelgood lecture to 3,000 would-be millionaires in a vast convention centre near Kuala Lumpur (sample sound-bite: 'Power is shifting east! You guys are at the cutting edge of things here in Malaysia!').
More than 7,000 parents hit by truancy convictions as courts punish soaring levels of school absenteeism
More than 7,000 parents a year are being convicted over their children’s truancy, figures show.
Future Police: Meet the UK's Armed Robot Drones
Police forces all over the UK will soon be able to draw on unmanned aircraft from a national fleet, according to Home Office plans. Last month it was revealed that modified military aircraft drones will carry out surveillance on everyone from protesters and antisocial motorists to fly-tippers, and will be in place in time for the 2012 Olympics.
Surveillance is only the start, however. Military drones quickly moved from reconnaissance to strike, and if the British police follow suit, their drones could be armed – but with non-lethal weapons rather than Hellfire missiles.
FURY OVER 1M ILLEGAL MIGRANTS
MORE than a million people have breached Britain’s chaotic border controls and are living here illegally, according to a shocking study.
Iran slams silence on US nuke threat
Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani has condemned international human rights groups for remaining tight-lipped on the recent nuclear threat made by the US against the Islamic Republic of Iran
‘LABOUR IS PLANNING TO HIT FAMILY HOMES WITH BIN TAX
LABOUR is planning to hit families with a pay-as-you-throw “bin tax” while cutting refuse collections to just one a month, Government documents reveal.
Millions of householders already suffer fortnightly collections as half the councils in England have cut their services.
They also face fines of up to £70 for leaving sacks beside bins, putting out refuse too early or in the wrong place, or leaving bin lids open a fraction
Sunday, 25 April 2010
What would happen if Greece went bankrupt?
If Greece defaults, 7 percent of the entire European Union financial institution liquidity disappears. Likewise, you cannot get paid in drachmas (Greece’s original currency) that are worth next to zero, and the Greek economy would likely still operate on Euros with or without EU approval. In fact, they’d be a constant 6% pain to the system through arbitrage.
The coming $600 trillion debt bubble
“As interest rates begin to rise worldwide, losses in derivatives may end up bankrupting a wide range of institutions, including municipalities, state governments, major insurance companies, top investment houses, commercial banks and universities.”
China To Sterilise 10,000 To Curb Births
Health authorities are planning to sterilise nearly 10,000 people in southern China over the next four days as part of a population control programme
JIM ROGERS: THE NEXT CRISIS IS ALREADY UNFOLDING
Kirby Daley, senior strategist at Newedge Group Jim Rogers claim the next crisis has already started to unfold as sovereign debt worries increase and global central banks only exacerbate the issues:
Millennials Are The Brokest Generation Ever
No group in America has been hit harder during the current recession than young adults. Millions of Americans are graduating from college with virtually no money, lots of debt and with very dim employment prospects
China opens missile plant in Iran
China inaugurated a missile plan in Iran last month, even as the United States and its allies were pressing Beijing to support a new round of tough economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, Jane's Defense Weekly reports.
New speed cameras trap motorists from space
A new type of speed cameras which can use satellites to measure average speed over long distances are being tested in Britain
U.S. Police may use trash to get a suspect's DNA
Police may sift through a suspect's trash, collect a genetic sample and send it off for DNA testing without a warrant, the state's highest court ruled last week in upholding a 2007 county rape conviction.
Hyperfast missile to hit anywhere in an hour
HAUNTED by the memory of a lost opportunity to kill Osama Bin Laden before he attacked the World Trade Center in New York, US military planners have won President Barack Obama’s support for a new generation of high-speed weapons that are intended to strike anywhere on Earth within an hour.
The ash cloud that never was: How volcanic plume over UK was only a twentieth of safe-flying limit and blunders led to ban
BBC lectures us incessantly on climate change. So why did their bosses make 68,000 domestic flights in two years?
Its viewers are frequently subjected to warnings about climate change. Yet the BBC has spent nearly £5million on tens of thousands of short-haul flights across Britain for its executives, staff and guests.
At a time when programmes regularly highlight the environmental impact of air travel, licence-fee payers have funded more than 68,000 internal trips over the past two years – an average of nearly 100 flights a day.
Ex-minister wants young jobless starved into work
THE former government minister Lord Jones has suggested that unemployed young people who refuse to look for a job should be “starved back to work” rather than continue to claim thousands of pounds in benefits.
Iran devises retaliation 'scenarios'
Amid threats of a nuclear attack against Iran, a top official with Iran's Armed Forces says the country has "retaliation scenarios" against any aggressor.
Climate change bill collapses in Senate
A long-awaited climate change bill that would put a price on excessive carbon emissions and generate billions of dollars has been postponed indefinitely.
Opinion: If there is a hung Parliament
If there is a hung Parliament with the Tories with the largest number of seats:-
1 The Queen MUST ask Cameron as leader of the largest Party to try to form a government.
2. Cameron should do so. He should follow the lead of Alex Salmond and form a minority government with NO FORMAL COALITION with the LibDems.
3. Cameron must immediately launch into the fastest possible drive to introduce localism (all the aspects of The Plan), electoral reform (to remove the Labour bias and fraud) and reform of the scandal of Broadcast News actively promoting Labour. Dare the LibDems to vote against that agenda, and shame them if they don't.
Iceland volcano: eruption 'could just be rehearsal' for worse ash chaos if Katla blows
Iceland's powerful Katla volcano is a brooding reminder that Britain and Europe face even worse chaos unless they learn lessons from the ash eruption at Eyjafjallajökull
New figures underline the fragility of economic revival
The economy grew by only 0.2% in the first quarter of the year, a slower pace than expected by City analysts, as the harshest winter weather in 30 years hit output hard.
Final economic "test" paints bleak picture for UK
GORDON Brown has been dealt another blow after the fragility of the UK economy was exposed in new figures showing slower than expected economic growth
Your account now pays minus 2.82%
Savers have been dealt another blow as inflation jumped to 3.4% in March. The annual Consumer Prices Index was 3% the previous month. As savings rates lie in the doldrums --with the best-paying 90-day notice accounts struggling to pay three% interest - savers are effectively losing money by holding it on deposit.
MIGRANT ARREST TEAM AXED AS NEW GORDON BROWN LIE EXPOSED
GORDON Brown’s lies on immigration were exposed again yesterday after it emerged that frontline officers who have arrested 1,000 illegal immigrants in a year are to be axed.
Violent crimes are up by 750 a week... and Labour's preferred figures prove it
Violent crime rose sharply in the past year, according to Labour's preferred recording method.
Ministers consistently cite the British Crime Survey as they look to trumpet their record.
But figures released yesterday showed there were 750 more violent attacks leading to injury every week last year compared with the year before.
Clegg flew economy but took business-class fares from EU
Nick Clegg has admitted taking expenses for business-class air travel while actually flying economy as a member of the European Parliament.
The Liberal Democrat leader used the budget airline BMI Baby to fly between Brussels and the UK, but was paid what he admits was 'whopping' expenses based on the price of a business-class seat on a major airline.
Britain's borrowing doubles over a year: Debt now adds up to £15,000 for every Briton
Britain's public borrowing has soared to record levels, according to official figures that underline Labour’s legacy of deficits and debt.
The Government borrowed £163.4billion in the last financial year ending in March, to fund unprecedented public spending amid tumbling tax receipts.
The nation’s borrowing almost doubled from £96.5billion in the previous year – and now stands at 11.5 per cent of national output, the Office for National Statistics said
AN energy crisis will plunge Britain into darkness in just SIX years' time, warn Government experts.
They predict that power cuts will start by 2016 - THREE years earlier than previously thought
First Annual Everybody Draw Mohammad Day
Via Dan Savage's blog at The Stranger, some clever chappie (I don't know who) has declared May 20, 2010 "Everybody Draw Mohammad Day," in support of Matt Stone and Trey Parker and in opposition to religious thuggery. Why May 20? I haven't a clue, though it could have something to do with Otto ascending the throne of Greece. Or, more likely, King Sancho IV of Castile's founding of the Study of General Schools of Alcalá.
An Act Of War: The US Congress is Actively Pushing for War on Iran
Statement on Motion to Instruct Conferees on HR 2194, Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act
April 23, 2010 "United States House of Representatives" -- Mr. Speaker I rise in opposition to this motion to instruct House conferees on HR 2194, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act, and I rise in strong opposition again to the underlying bill and to its Senate version as well. I object to this entire push for war on Iran, however it is disguised. Listening to the debate on the Floor on this motion and the underlying bill it feels as if we are back in 2002 all over again: the same falsehoods and distortions used to push the United States into a disastrous and unnecessary one trillion dollar war on Iraq are being trotted out again to lead us to what will likely be an even more disastrous and costly war on Iran. The parallels are astonishing.
The Swine Flu Panic of 2009: Reconstruction of a Mass Hysteria
We bring to the attention of our readers a report by the German Magazine Der Spiegel which suggests in no uncertain terms that the World Health Organization was serving the interests of Big Pharma in blatant violation of its mandate. We are dealing with the outright criminalization of a UN specialized agency, whose ranking officials are serving private corporate interests to the detriment of the broad objectives of global public health and social development
Halt Flu Vaccines to Children
AUSTRALIA'S chief medical officer has told doctors to stop giving the seasonal flu vaccine to children.
Tony Blair, Very Close to being Indicted for War Crimes
While on a speaking engagement in Malaysia organized by "Success Resources Company", former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was the object of an articulate protest movement demanding his indictment for war crimes.
This was no ordinary protest. Tony Blair has been accused of war crimes in a legal initiative led by the country's former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
Thousands Of Slippers To 'Greet' Tony Blair In Malaysia
PUTRAJAYA, April 21 (Bernama) -- Thousands of slippers are expected to 'greet' former British prime minister Tony Blair if he were to set foot in this country this week.
No Where to Hide: Fears of Arrest and Prosecution by Tony Blair on Charges of War Crimes
War criminal Blair, the keynote speaker at the National Achievers Conference organised by Success Resources, a sycophant Singapore outfit at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, hid in fear at the threat that members of the Malaysian anti-war NGOs would throw slippers at him and that members of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission would serve an indictment for war crimes.
Greece hit by new riots as pressure grows to quit euro
Support for the bail-out of debt-ridden Greece was in doubt last night, leaving the country on the brink of financial meltdown as top German politicians said it should be forced to quit the euro.
Riots erupting during workers’ protests over planned public spending cuts, just hours after Greek Premier George Papandreou sought emergency £35billion of loans from eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund
Miliband wastes £80,000 changing official font on Foreign Office logo
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has spent tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on a new logo – which is almost identical to the previous design.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband ordered the £80,000 makeover at the same time as the department was being forced to draw up a hit list of embassies and consulates around the globe it will close to save money.
Superspy in the sky could soon be patrolling over British cities to search for hidden terror cells
A Top-secret US unmanned drone used to locate Al Qaeda and Taliban hideouts in Pakistan and Afghanistan could soon be patrolling over British cities to search for hidden terror cells.
Labour 'cannot meet its pledge of 400,000 new green jobs'
Government forecast of slower growth in eco sector belies manifesto promise, say critics
Millions drink toxic water in the USA, but it's EPA-approved!
It has been so long since the federal law regulating tap water has been updated that since 2004, more than one-fifth of the U.S. population has consumed tap water that the government classifies as toxic, but still approves for human consumption
Genetically Modified Soy Linked to Sterility, Infant Mortality in Hamsters
“This study was just routine,” said Russian biologist Alexey V. Surov, in what could end up as the understatement of this century. Surov and his colleagues set out to discover if Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) soy, grown on 91% of US soybean fields, leads to problems in growth or reproduction. What he discovered may uproot a multi-billion dollar industry.
After feeding hamsters for two years over three generations, those on the GM diet, and especially the group on the maximum GM soy diet, showed devastating results. By the third generation, most GM soy-fed hamsters lost the ability to have babies. They also suffered slower growth, and a high mortality rate among the pups.
Obama administration spending billions on new global strike weapons
The Obama administration is spending billions of dollars to develop new weapons systems, including powerful conventional warhead missiles capable of striking any target in the world within less than an hour.
HOUSE PRICES SOAR BY 10%
HOUSE prices have leapt nearly 10 per cent in a year, figures will show this week.
LABOUR PLAN TO EMPTY BINS JUST ONCE A MONTH
RUBBISH collections just once a month are “inevitable”, the Government’s bin quango has announced.
LABOUR SPENT ALMOST £5BN ON BENEFITS FOR DRUNKS AND DRUG ADDICTS
LABOUR has spent almost £5billion on benefits for drug addicts and drunks, figures show.
Nick Clegg: I will not prop up Gordon Brown
NICK CLEGG has declared that he will refuse to prop up an “irrelevant” Gordon Brown even if Labour secures the largest number of seats in a hung parliament.
UK home to 1million illegal immigrants
THE government is allowing illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to stay in the country because it fails to send staff to one in five appeal hearings.
Years of austerity for bailed-out Greece
FOR Mike Sirakoulis, an unemployed graduate, enough is enough.
“I’ve got three degrees, including a master’s from a leading Australian university, and my prospects are bleak,” he said. “I send out about four or five CVs a week, with minimal response. I was even delayed going to a job interview because of disruption from a civil servants’ strike. It’s not just me. I’m now looking to go back abroad to find a decent job, as are many of my Greek friends.”
Americans Dont Give A **** About Global Warming, Survey Says
Retail investors from cities other than in the U.S. feel that climate change is the biggest issue facing the world, according to the HSBC Bank Global Pulse survey.
Representing 11 cities around the world, the 2,044 respondents answered questions about their preferences and behaviors regarding economic outlook, financial concerns and other topics. Responses came from Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, Paris, Sao Paulo, Sydney and Toronto/Vancouver.
When asked what the three main issues facing the world are, the respondents from the U.S. put the economy and terrorism (40 percent and 39 percent, respectively) in the number one and number two spots. Twenty-six percent said climate change was the biggest issue.
CARRYING A SWISS ARMY KNIFE COULD LAND IN COURT
MAKERS of the Swiss Army knife have warned owners that they risk prosecution if they are found carrying one.
Labour civil war as support slumps in new poll
Labour's general election campaign is in crisis amid damaging rows between senior cabinet ministers and a new poll showing support for the party dropping to a six-month low
British Taxpayers to Fund Greece up to £1 Billion per Year
Though Britain is buried in debt due to decades of Tory and Labour mismanagement, British taxpayers could be forced to pay an additional £1 billion per year to bail out the Greek economy, and if the Lib Dems have their way, that figure will be much higher.
UK home to 1million illegal immigrants
THE government is allowing illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to stay in the country because it fails to send staff to one in five appeal hearings.
Secret NHS cuts axe thousands of medics
Hospitals across England are planning to shed at least 650 doctors and 2,000 nurses under new cost-cutting plans
SNP launches legal bid against third TV debate
Plans to open Scotland's first goldmine raise environment concerns
Key services across council boundaries in the north of Scotland could be merged to cut costs in the face of the expected financial squeeze in the public sector
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Welfare state could be the real loser from Britain's debt crisis
Good news from the deficit front. It's not as bad as we thought, chaps. It's just the £163.4bn for 2009-10, rather than the £167bn we feared
Alex Jones: Global Bank Conspiracy
The IMF has proposed levying two global taxes on the worlds banks to make sure the banks dont get us into trouble again. If that sounds dubious that’s because it is, in reality what is being proposed, and has been falling into place for some time, is the framework for an unelected global authority with powers above and beyond those of sovereign governments
'Fabricating Terrorism' - Victims Of UK Injustice
Launched in October 2003, Cageprisoners is a human rights organization dedicated to raising the "awareness of the plight of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay" and other War on Terror victims. As a "comprehensive resource," six words explain its mission: "education, campaign, support, motivation, co-operation (and) prevention" for its efforts to educate the public, campaign for Guantanamo and other detainee repatriations or their asylum, and have prisoner rights guaranteed under international law, including humane treatment not to be:
7/7 families call for victim inquests to examine intelligence services
Bereaved families of the 7/7 bombing victims are calling for their inquests to examine whether the intelligence services could have prevented the tragedy.
Town that scrapped 'motorist tax' speed cameras sees no increase in accidents
The first town in Britain to scrap fixed speed cameras has seen no increase in accidents, it was revealed yesterday.
But the number of motorists prosecuted for speeding there dropped by more than 40 per cent.
Swindon switched off its cameras over claims they were a ' blatant tax on the motorist' which did nothing to improve safety.
Labour slumps to six month low in latest ICM poll
Labour's election campaign suffers a fresh blow with support for the party slumping to its lowest level for six months, a new ICM poll for The Sunday Telegraph has found
How a hung parliament could hit you in the pocket
Many people attracted by the prospect of a hung parliament may be shocked to see how much it could cost them
VP Stresses Iran's Preparedness to Repel Enemy Attacks
TEHRAN (FNA)- The massive wargames conducted by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Persian Gulf showed that any enemy threats against the country will be reciprocated by Iran's powerful response, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday
Large cloud over the UK economy
Despite the fact that the UK economy is finally showing signs of growth there is still a large cloud looming over UK with growth in first-quarter of 2010 confirmed at just 0.2% against expectations of 0.4%. After the return to growth in the final quarter of 2009 there were hopes that 2010 would start much stronger and give the UK economy a springboard for the future. Unfortunately it looks as though the UK is set for a further period of disappointing growth with the budget deficit needing to be slashed, national debt spiralling out of control and a potential change of government all on the cards.
The looming global food crisis
Food prices have been rising. As reported here , world food prices started rising in 2007 and climbed to a record in June 2008 with rising prices of wheat, rice and corn sparking riots from Haiti to Ivory Coast. Around the world, food security is the big issue now. In the United States, food prices are spiraling ever upwards , with the price of fresh and dry vegetables up 56.1% and eggs up 33.6%,
Tipping Point for European Debt?
For nations living the good life, the party's over, IMF says
To keep the global economy on track, people in the United States and the rest of the developed world need to work longer before retiring, pay higher taxes and expect less from government. And the cheap imports lining the shelves of mega-chains such as Wal-Mart and Target? They need to be more expensive
18 veterans kill themselves every day: report
The suicide rate among war veterans is extraordinary, new data reveals.
Thirty try to commit suicide each day, on average, reports the Army Times. Eighteen succeed, roughly five of whom receive medical care from Veterans Affairs, rated one of the best health programs in the country.
EU wants united airspace after ash cloud
European authorities have seized on this week's airline crisis to fast-track their control of airspace, but they appear to have less interest in helping airlines pay the bills left by the volcanic ash cloud.
Scientist says Arctic getting colder
A Russian scientist says the Arctic may be getting colder, not warmer, which would hamper the international race to discover new mineral fields
The nine-bin nightmare: Families forced to follow green zealots' new recycling diktats
Families are facing a nightmare future of recycling confusion.
In a regime set to spread across the country, residents are being forced to juggle an astonishing nine separate bins.
There has already been a storm of protest with warnings that the scheme is too complex and homes simply don't have the space to deal with the myriad bins, bags and boxes
The World Is Running Out of Stuff
There are numerous investors, companies, and even countries speculating in “Peak Oil”, but there could be an even bigger shortage looming. What could possibly be as important as the world’s energy supply? A very interesting article in Foreign Policy magazine presents the case for “Peak Phosphorous”, an element on which the global food supply could depend
US Food Inflation Spiraling Out of Control
Things are going to get ugly in the US this summer
BRITAIN TO HELP BAIL OUT GREECE
BRITISH taxpayers’ money is poised to join a multi-billion pound bail-out of Greece after the debt-ridden nation formally asked for an international loan deal to be activated.
BLOW AS THE RECOVERY FALTERS
BRITAIN’S battered economy suffered another setback yesterday after official figures showed the recovery slowed during the winter.
Oceans die, while humans trivialize
When I look at the news, I am often struck by the trivial matters with which people seem to be obsessed, while the world around them is going to hell in the proverbial handbasket. For example, So-and-So's ugly dress at the latest Hollywood party gets 5,000 retweets, while nobody seems to care much about the fact that our oceans, seas, rivers and waterways in general are becoming cluttered with junk and toxic chemicals.
Stunted growth leaves Bank facing interest-rate dilemma
The economic recovery lost momentum in the first three months of the year as January’s snowy weather held back businesses, official data indicated yesterday
‘Pakistan may let Taliban use its nuclear weapons against India’
Conservatives plan for a coalition
Kenneth Clarke has become the first senior Conservative to suggest how the party might negotiate with the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition government in the event of a hung parliament.
Alistair Darling favours bank 'super tax'
Alistair Darling has thrown his weight behind a new "super-tax" to be levied on banks' profits and signalled that the G20 could agree on the international tax later this year.
Another Drug Record for Afghanistan
In addition to being the world’s leading producer of opium, Afghanistan has now become the largest producer of hashish, according to the first ever cannabis survey released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) earlier this month. Again, the US invasion is behind the new record.
Peak oil predictions
The peak oil debate has always been about reserves and costs. But it's clean, green technologies that now spell oil's demise
Flu shots suspended after kids hospitalised
The Health Minister, Kim Hames, says 45 children have been taken to hospital suffering high temperatures and febrile convulsions after receiving the vaccination.
German troops in Afghanistan call on Angela Merkel to explain why they're at war
German soldiers are wearing their hearts on their sleeves - in the form of a badge that protests their country's involvement in the war in Afghanistan.
Some troops have taken to wearing the cloth accessory that states - ironically - 'I fight for Merkel' in a bid to persuade the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to explain exactly what they are fighting and dying for.
Fitch warns of debt 'shock' for Japan
Fitch Ratings has warned that Japan's sovereign debt is rising to ominously high levels as the workforce shrinks and deflation grinds deeper, while the government's reserve assets may prove unusable for defence in a funding crisis.
Leicestershire to dim street lights
A county council is planning to switch off or dim thousands of street lights next month in a bid to cut costs
Tony Blair Stands Accused
Malaysia must not allow this mass murderer to be immune from justice.
Dangerous Crossroads: US Deploys Patriot Missiles in Poland directed against Russia
MOSCOW -- Moscow is deeply concerned with the plans of the United States to deploy Patriot missiles in Poland near the Russian border, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
Bias of Weather Models: Britain's Met Office Computer Accused of 'Warm Bias'
A BBC weather forecaster has suggested that the Met Office's super-computer has a 'warm bias' which has stopped it predicting bitterly cold spells like the one we have just endured.
British grandmother returns home after 23 years in Spain... and is branded an asylum seeker
A British grandmother who returned home destitute after living in Spain for 23 years has complained after being barred from claiming benefits.
Lorraine Marsland, 52, says officials are classing her alongside asylum seekers even though she was born here and holds a British passport.
Since arriving in Britain in January with her grandson Dylan, she has been denied housing benefit, child benefit, and Jobseeker's Allowance.
In hiding, the mother accused of abuse for cuddling her child
A mother alleged to have 'emotionally abused' her daughter by telling her she was born by caesarean has fled to Ireland with the child.
Fearing that social workers would take her daughter away, Shahnaz Malik smuggled five-year-old Amaani out of the country.
After allegations that included Mrs Malik cuddling Amaani for too long while dropping her off at nursery, social services placed the little girl on a 'child protection plan' and scheduled a child mental health assessment
Mother's fury as children as young as EIGHT are being offered free condoms
Charity youth workers have been criticised after offering free condoms to children as young as eight who were playing in a park.
Angry mother Samantha Fuller says her 13-year-old daughter was given the contraceptives - but she also claims her eight-year-old nephew was asked if he wanted some.
Governments Will 'Bankrupt Us': Marc Faber
"They will all bankrupt us and expropriate us, but it may not happen tomorrow. They'll give us something to play with, until the whole system breaks down...they'll just print money and print more money," he said on CNBC Thursday
Demonizing Iran: US Media Continue Beating War Drums
Just yesterday, the New York Times, had a lead story about Israeli planning to possibly “go it alone” in an attack on Iran if the US were not to “succeed” in its diplomatic efforts to get Iran to “stop” it’s alleged attempts to develop a nuclear weapon capability.
Aside from the fact that there is no hard evidence that Iran is trying to make a nuclear bomb or even to refine uranium to obtain nuclear-grade material, the paper ignored one crucial point: Israel cannot “go it alone” in any strike on Iran, since its key weapons – F15 and F-16 fighter-bombers – are supplied to it, and kept flying, thanks to the equipment and spare parts provided by the United States. Indeed the entire Israeli military machine is largely financed and armed by the US.
Wikileaks and the Internalized National-Security-Virtual-State
The magnetism of US censorship is that people 'think' they are free and knowledgeable, but they do not 'know' they have internalized and have been imprisoned by a national-security-virtual-state. It purports fear, ignorance, confusion, and misinformation, notes Dallas Darling.
And we would've gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for that damned Internet
There are now a whole lot of newly-minted, well-informed skeptics out there
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