#NewWorldNextWeek: Episode221 - CIA Geoengineering, NSA Backdoor, Good News Updates

NewWorldNextWeek.com: Episode221 -
CIA Geoengineering, NSA Backdoor, Good News Updates

New World Next Week: Episode125 - Iceland Was Right, Terror Futures, West Nile Spraying

NewWorldNextWeek.com: Episode125 -
Iceland Was Right, Terror Futures, West Nile Spraying
Welcome to New World Next Week - the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news. This week:

Story #1: Iceland Was Right, We Were Wrong: IMF
Rothschild, Paulson, Soros All Betting Financial Disaster Coming For Euro
Shares, Euro fall as Greek meetings loom
Skilled Work - Without The Workers

Story #2: US Intelligence Tests Crowd-Sourcing Against Its Experts
Hackers Backdoor The Human Brain, Successfully Extract Sensitive Data
Goldman Sachs To Blame For Global Food-Oil Price Crisis
Evidence For Informed Trading On 9/11 Attacks
Sentient World Simulation: Meet Your DoD Clone

Story #3: CDC Claims Over 1,100 West Nile Virus Cases In US
Cities, Counties Nationwide Begin Mass Aerial Sprayings Of Toxic 'Anti-West Nile Virus' Pesticides
Pilots Told To Avoid George Bush's Home During Aerial Spraying
Opponents To Launch Signature-Gathering Initiative To Block Fluoridated Water In Portland

Visit NewWorldNextWeek.com to get previous episodes in various formats to download, burn and share. We also have weekly episodes from FoodWorldOrder.com. And as always, stay up-to-date by subscribing to the feeds from Corbett Report here and Media Monarchy here. Thank you.

Previous: Episode124 - USrael War Drums, TrapWire Octopus, Canadian Climate Con

corbett report: episode207 - more patriot mythology

listen to corbett report on @RBNlive weeknights at midnight
from corbett report: Did Lucky Larry Silverstein admit to blowing up WTC7 in front of documentary cameras? Did Benazir Bhutto say that Omar Sheikh murdered Osama Bin Laden? And just who was responsible for WTC 1993 after all? Find out in this week’s episode of The Corbett Report as we go in search of the truth wherever it might lead.

download episode207/subscribe

the latest corbett report videos:
cia front companies (eyeopener preview)
james corbett on the alex jones show - 2011/11/04
iceland's debt and the people's revolt - michael hudson on grtv

the latest corbett report audios:
#406 - daniel estulin

previous: episode206 - the gutenberg revolutions

12/2 newspurge: watch us explode

econocrash updates:
iceland faring better than ireland after letting banks fail*
fed employee pay freeze proposed to control deficit*
unemployment checks to 2m will stop without action*
new data: foreign banks biggest recipients of fed money*
fed wants to strip a key protection for homeowners*
100s line up in atlanta cold for help heating homes*
wv enters december $121m ahead on tax revenues*
more than 8m drop out of credit card use*
black friday chaos: americans willing to trample one another to get cheap foreign-made plastic crap even as the US turns into post-industrial wasteland*

history/mystery:
video: 271 picasso's turn up in france*
swedish royal family's nazi ties revealed by tv documentary*
video: lee harvey oswald's coffin up for sale*

media/memes:
mark ruffalo 'added to terrorism watchlist' over gasland*
mark ruffalo: when truth is scarier than fiction*
a million library books to be sent down the mines*
u2 & the concert no warmist would applaud*
nazi concentration camp survivor, horror star ingrid pitt dead at 73*
obituary: leslie nielsen dies at 84*
italian filmmaker mario monicelli jumps to his death at 95*
'harry potter' grave becomes tourist site in israel*
video: man possibly linked to publicist's murder commits suicide*
video: neighbor says deceased suspect bragged about killing*

can watered-down 'audit the fed' bill be strengthened in committee?

from paul joseph watson: While many are expressing disappointment and even despair that the Senate voted down Ron Paul’s audit the Fed bill while passing a weakened version, Congressman Alan Grayson is confident that the stronger provisions of the original House amendment can be added in Committee, ensuring the Federal Reserve doesn’t get off the hook, as Congressman Paul has warned.

The Senate last night voted 96-0 in favor of a compromise amendment that requires the GAO to conduct a one time audit of the Federal Reserve that will focus on which financial institutions received over $2 trillion dollars in bailout funds during the peak of the economic crisis.

However, the Senate voted down 37-62 Senator David Vitter’s audit the Fed amendment, which mirrored Ron Paul’s version that was passed by Congress.

'zionism is stupid' & other incendiary situations

israeli professor proclaims 'zionism is stupid'
from richard grove: During a recent interview, wherein Professor Shlomo Sand was being interviewed by a colleague of mine; I found myself witnessing a rare opportunity to take an apparent contradiction in history. As a result, herein I offer the data which helps to dissolve the illusions which are the root cause of these contradictions, thereby offering a unifying solution to the apparent schism...

Jan Irvin: "Is Judaism a Race or a Religion, and what do you say to those that claim that it is a Race?"

Prof. Shlomo Sand: "They are stupid, exactly like the anti-Semitics, I think the Zionists that thought in the past that Jewishness is a race, pure or not pure, are stupid - exactly like the anti-Semitics that thought that the Jewish are a Race. All my book is a kind of declaration, that Jewishness cannot be a Race, the origins of most of the Jews is not from Palestine… and most of the Jewish came from conversion."

Note that a few weeks prior to all of this, Irvin published this iconoclastic conversation, with a Rabbi who had presented Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with an award for his goodwill and outstanding relationship with Orthodox Jews living in Iran: “Against Zionism- An Interview with Rabbi Yisrel Dovid Weiss”; therein demonstrating Ahmadinejad to be anti-Zionist, not anti-Semitic.

related/updates:
netanyahu, in dc, remains defiant on settlements issue*
uk to expel israeli diplomat over uk passport abuse*
israeli mp likens british to 'dogs' for israeli expulsion*
'most moral army in the world' strikes again:
idf 'used child to check for booby-traps'*
despite 'row,' US seals military deal with israel*
'pirate' dies as ship's guards repel attack off somalia*
private army sets sights on iceland*
saudis arrest 50 militants planning attacks*
cia involvement in mumbai's false flag terrorism*

corbett report: episode122 - hello, iceland

from corbett report: Devastated by a banking collapse that has brought this once great nation to its economic knees, the people of Iceland are not giving up without a fight. Now they are gearing up to give the banksters and the globalists a taste of their own medicine with the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative. Get informed and get involved this week with The Corbett Report as we outline the efforts to make this small North Atlantic island a beacon of hope for freedom of expression the world over.

download episode122 [49.5mb mp3]


sunday update:
fbi terrorists, 9/11 updates, bad week to be a bankster

corbett report: episode121 - know your toxins: bpa

from corbett report: While the corporate-controlled environmental movement is worrying about life-giving CO2, our modern environment is awash in gender-bending, endocrine-disrupting, sterility-inducing chemicals. This week we examine one of those chemicals that are permeating our modern environment: Bisphenol A.

download episode121 [49.5mb mp3]


sunday update:
abc news fail, iceland rising, frankenfoods eu

econocrash/geopolitiks: coming together & falling apart

cia adds economy to threat updates
(or, cia + wall street = the real threat)
from washington post: The daily White House intelligence report that catalogs the top security threats to the nation has a grim new addition, reflecting the realities of the age: a daily update on the global financial crisis and its cascading effects on the stability of countries through the world. The first Economic Intelligence Briefing report was presented to the White House yesterday by the CIA, the agency's new director, Leon Panetta, revealed at a news conference. The addition of economic news to the daily roundup of terrorist attacks and surveillance reports appears to reflect a growing belief among intelligence officials that the economic meltdown is now preeminent among security threats facing the United States. "We've seen the impact of a worldwide recession occur throughout the world," said Panetta, who described the agency's newest product at his first news briefing since his confirmation. Instigated at the request of the White House, the daily report will ensure that U.S. policymakers are "not surprised" by the aftershocks from bank failures and rising unemployment, he said.

cia: secret operations, drug money

urban warfare drills linked to coming economic rage
from paul joseph watson: Urban warfare training drills are taking place across the country as top analysts as well as officials predict a potential “summer of rage” across Europe and America as civil unrest from the economic fallout builds. Earlier this month, 150 U.S. troops from the U.S. Special Operations Command in what officials described as a “training event”.whizzed around the streets of New Orleans in military helicopters and even dropped bombs. An Iowa National Guard training exercise in Arcadia, Iowa, scheduled for April was originally billed as an “invasion” before public opposition caused the drill to be scaled back. The exercise included Guard troops patrolling streets, searching houses and confiscating firearms. No less than 2,200 U.S. Marines were also involved in urban operations training in Richmond, VIrginia, throughout January, drills that involved landing troops in populated areas, allowing military pilots to “familiarize themselves with the area.”

hershey plant closes & heads down highway to mexico

clinton urges china to keep buying US debt
from afp: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sunday [feb22] urged China to keep buying US debt as she wrapped up her first overseas trip, during which she agreed to work closely with Beijing on the financial crisis. Clinton made the plea shortly before leaving China, the final stop on a four-nation Asian tour that also took her to Japan, Indonesia and South Korea, where she worked the crowds to try to restore America's standing abroad. In Beijing, she called on authorities in Beijing to continue buying US Treasuries, saying it would help jumpstart the flagging US economy and stimulate imports of Chinese goods. "By continuing to support American Treasury instruments the Chinese are recognising our interconnection. We are truly going to rise or fall together," Clinton said at the US embassy here.

new cbs news vp tied to abramoff scheme

get ready for mass retail closings
from yahoo finance: About 220,000 stores may close this year in America, says our guest, retail consultant Howard Davidowitz of Davidowitz & Associates. As more Americans save and spend less, it's clear there's too much retail space. Just visit Web site deadmalls.com and track retail's growing body count. And luxury retailers? They're on "life support," Davidowitz says. Among the brandname stores Davidowitz says are in trouble: Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany, Jeweler Zale Corp., Saks, J.C. Penney & Sears... Plus, earlier we discussed: Retail goods on sale -- perhaps permanently. And the 'worst is yet to come:' Americans' standard of living permanently changed.

video: the crisis of credit

plan to nationalize american banks
from the australian: The Obama administration is considering a plan to temporarily nationalise US banks in a historic departure for the world's champion of free markets, prompting fears of further steep falls in US and world share markets. Despite tepid denials from the White House, there has been a steady drumbeat of signals over the past few days indicating the bank plan is under consideration, including comments from Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke, who acknowledged that government takeover was a possibility.

is america ready for recession rage?

financial crisis sparks unrest in europe
from reuters: The global financial and economic crisis has sparked many protests in parts of Europe. Here are some details:

* BOSNIA -- Workers of Bosnia's only alumina producer Birac protested on Feb. 9 in Banja Luka, demanding salary payments and government support to offset falling metal prices.

* BRITAIN -- British workers held a series of protests at power plants, demonstrating against the employment of foreign contractors to work on critical energy sites...

* BULGARIA -- Police officers, banned by law from striking, have held three "silent" protests since December to demand a 50 percent pay hike and better working conditions...

* FRANCE -- Up to 2.5 million protesters took to the streets of France on Jan. 29 in a day of strikes and rallies to denounce the economic crisis but the strike failed to paralyse the country and support from private sector workers was limited...

* GERMANY -- Thousands of Opel workers from around Germany took part in a mass rally at the company's headquarters, demanding on Thursday that parent General Motors scrap plans for plant closures in Europe...

* GREECE -- Greek farmers protesting low product prices ended a two week blockade of a border crossing with Bulgaria on Feb. 7 when their demands for compensation were met...

* ICELAND -- Prime Minister Geir Haarde resigned on Jan. 26 after protests. The first leader in the world to fall as a direct result of the financial crisis, he was replaced by Johanna Sigurdardottir, who heads a new centre-left coalition.

* IRELAND -- Nearly 100,000 people marched through Dublin on Feb. 21 to protest at government cutbacks in the face of a deepening recession and bailouts for the banks.

* LATVIA -- A new Latvian prime minister was appointed on Thursday after the four-party ruling coalition collapsed on Feb. 20 and the president called for talks to forge a new government to tackle a deepening economic crisis...

* LITHUANIA -- Police fired teargas on Jan. 16 to disperse demonstrators who pelted parliament with stones in protest at cuts in social spending...

* MONTENEGRO -- In Podgorica, aluminum workers demanded on Feb. 9 to be paid their salaries and an immediate restart of suspended production at the Kombinat Aluminijuma Podgorica (KAP), a Russian-owned plant.

* RUSSIA -- Hundreds of angry communists rallied in Moscow on Feb. 23 in protest at the Kremlin's handling of the crisis that has rocked the Russian economy, the latest in a series of demonstrations held across Russia as the economic crisis bites...

* UKRAINE - Hundreds of Ukrainians protested at separate demonstrations on Feb. 23, with some urging President Viktor Yushchenko to quit while others demanded their money back from banks hit by the financial crisis.

will the economic crisis split europe?

britain faces summer of rage
from guardian: Police are preparing for a "summer of rage" as victims of the economic downturn take to the streets to demonstrate against financial institutions, the Guardian has learned. Britain's most senior police officer with responsibility for public order raised the spectre of a return of the riots of the 1980s, with people who have lost their jobs, homes or savings becoming "footsoldiers" in a wave of potentially violent mass protests.

warning for the west as crisis spills onto streets*
cia says drone attacks inside pakistan will continue*
greeks shut airports, services to protest economy*
mexico sending extra troops to violent border city*
after threats, juárez mayor in el paso*
ecuador says expelled US official was cia operative*
there are now more slaves on the planet than at any time in human history*

geopolitiks: occupation, colonization, assimilation

italians occupy site of proposed US military base in vicenza
from global research: Opposition to what would be a major new hub for the U.S. military in Europe is not new. Protest marches have filled Vicenza's streets. The Italian Prime Minister has lost his job. But now construction has neared, and protesters have occupied the site to prevent it. See background here. This morning around 10 a.m. the movement opposing the new U.S. base in Vicenza, Italy, entered and occupied the site. The police were caught completely off guard and the activists were able to cut the fence and gates and occupy the area. Once the police arrived, they were planning to forcibly remove the protesters. However, the protesters are occupying an area that was the airport Dal Molin, which is technically under control of the Italian civilian aviation authority, ENAC, who has said the protest is legitimate. So far the police have backed off. Tonight there will be a public assembly followed by a dinner and concert. Monday, Feb 2, had been announced by the movement as the start of a week of initiative to protest the demolition work that is being carried out in preparation for the construction of the base, but it looks like the activists got off to an early start!

israel hopes to colonize parts of iraq as 'greater israel'

doctors spooked by israel's mystery weapon
from danger room: Critics continue to press the case that Israel committed "war crimes" in its war with Hamas, because of the civilian casualties in Gaza. Ironically, many of these wounds may have been caused by a weapon designed to reduce collateral damage. Not that the Israelis admit they have the thing. We first reported on Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME) munitions in 2006... There are a large number of reports from Gaza that suggest this type of weapon has been used, and, unfortunately, caused civilian deaths. There are reports and pictures of victims peppered with small particles, and descriptions which are consistent with very localized blast... Erik Fosse, a Norwegian doctor working in Gaza says that the weapon "causes the tissue to be torn from the flesh. It looks very different [from a shrapnel injury]. I have seen and treated a lot of different injuries for the last 30 years in different war zones, and this looks completely different." According to Fosse and his colleague Mads Gilbert, the weapon typically amputates or tears apart lower limbs and patients often do not survive. It's no more illegal than normal blast-and-shrapnel weapons, but it is a mystery.

iceland to be assimilated into the eu
from guardian: Iceland will be put on a fast track to joining the European Union to rescue the small Arctic state from financial collapse amid rising expectations that it will apply for membership within months, senior policy-makers in Brussels and Reykjavik have told the Guardian. The European commission is preparing itself for a membership bid, depending on the outcome of a snap general election expected in May. An application would be viewed very favourably in Brussels and the negotiations, which normally take many years, would be fast-forwarded to make Iceland the EU's 29th member in record time, probably in 2011.

chinese state media goes global
from asia times: Even as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is projecting hard power across the four corners of the earth, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is mapping out a multi-pronged strategy to publicize globally the apparent viability of the "China model". The administration of President Hu Jintao is spending around 45 billion yuan (US$6.58 billion) to boost what party insiders call "overseas propaganda" (waixuan gongzuo). Prominent state media including CCTV and Xinhua news agency will vastly enhance programs and news feeds in different languages for Western and Asian audiences, and an English news channel modeled on al-Jazeera is set to let the world get the Chinese take on issues and events ranging from politics and finance to culture and religion.

dea quits bolivia on morales' order
from upi: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has removed all its agents from Bolivia, complying with orders by President Evo Morales, officials said. The DEA began pulling agents out several weeks ago and the last agents left Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported. The development comes even as Bolivian officials say coca cultivation and cocaine processing are growing. Morales ordered the DEA out in November, more than three decades after the DEA began working there. He expelled U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg last year and the Bush administration has decertified Bolivia's anti-drug campaign. Citing senior law enforcement officials, the Times reported this is the first time the DEA has been ordered to pull its entire operation out of a country. Officials said DEA personnel would be redeployed to bordering countries, where they could monitor developments in Bolivia.

n korea cancels military & political agreements with s korea
from wikinews: According to media reports in North Korea, the government has severed all political and military ties with its neighbor, South Korea. The North also canceled cooperation, non-aggression and reconciliation agreements that were agreed upon in the early 1990's. N. Korea claims that the South is acting with hostile intent towards their government. The report comes as the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) was quoted as saying that the South reduced North Korea to dead documents, "[pushing the two] to the brink of a war." "All the agreed points concerning the issue of putting an end to the political and military confrontation between the North and the South will be nullified," said the CPRK in a statement which also said that there is no hope of improving relations. "They have reached the extreme point where the clash of fire against fire, steel against steel, has become inevitable." A spokesman for the Unification Ministry of South Korea, Kim Ho-Nyoun, says the South Korean government deeply regrets the decisions made by the North.

bbc won't play this gaza aid appeal
from 9/11 blogger: The BBC has been joined by Sky News in their boycott of this aid appeal for the children of Gaza. But you can watch it on YouTube, as the Disasters Emergency Committee has posted the ad:

confusion over british cannabis status

police state int'l: fema camps, biofuels, cyborg kill-bots & dhs

new legislation authorizes fema camps in US
from paul joseph watson: A new bill introduced in Congress authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to set up a network of FEMA camp facilities to be used to house U.S. citizens in the event of a national emergency. The National Emergency Centers Act or HR 645 mandates the establishment of “national emergency centers” to be located on military installations for the purpose of to providing “temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster,” according to the bill. The legislation also states that the camps will be used to “provide centralized locations to improve the coordination of preparedness, response, and recovery efforts of government, private, and not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations”. Ominously, the bill also states that the camps can be used to “meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security,” an open ended mandate which many fear could mean the forced detention of American citizens in the event of widespread rioting after a national emergency or total economic collapse. Many credible forecasters have predicted riots and rebellions in America that will dwarf those already witnessed in countries like Iceland and Greece. With active duty military personnel already being stationed inside the U.S. under Northcom, partly for purposes of “crowd control,” fears that Americans could be incarcerated in detainment camps are all too real.

saic awarded $25m biofuels contract by darpa
from prnewswire: Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) today announced it has been awarded a prime contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to help develop an affordable alternative to petroleum-derived jet fuel (JP-8) from agricultural and aquacultural feedstock materials. The contract has a total value of up to $25 million if all phases of the development program are completed. Work will be performed primarily in Georgia, Florida, Hawaii and Texas. DARPA's BioFuels program explores energy alternatives and fuel efficiency efforts in a bid to reduce the military's reliance on traditional fuel. For an alternative to be viable, the fuel must be produced at a cost that is economically competitive with current supply costs. Under this contract, SAIC will lead a team of industrial and academic organizations to develop an integrated process for producing JP-8 from algae at a cost target of $3/gal. SAIC and its team will develop technologies and processes to help achieve DARPA's goal including integrating algae strain selection, water and nutrient sourcing, farming, harvesting, separation, triglyceride purification, algal oil processing, and economic modeling and analysis.

update: saic awarded $85m contract by the library of congress

will 2009 become the year of the kill-bot?
from techradar: Robot maker iRobot announced its 2008 financial figures today, but more interestingly predicted that sales of military robots would soar in 2009. The cybernetic manufacturer revealed that its government and industrial business grew more than 50 per cent in the last quarter compared with the same period a year ago, taking its revenues for the year to over $305 million (£210 million). Domestic robots like the robo-cleaner Roomba 500 and the gutter-scouring Looj helped international sales double year-on-year, but it's in the military sector that iRobot predicts the greatest growth. iRobot has already been awarded $2 million (£1.4 million) by the US Congress to develop the Warrior 700: a powerful and rugged robot for use in danger zones and inaccessible areas. The Warrior 700 will perform a variety of critical missions, including providing real-time video, audio and sensor readings to combat troops and local law-enforcement SWAT teams. The robot features an advanced digital architecture and a multi-mission chassis that supports payloads of up to 68kg (roughly equivalent to a skinny adult or fat kid). The company expects more military sales in 2009, which should supplement the fall in US consumer sales as they slacken off due to the recession.

pentagon's cyborg beetle spies take off
from danger room: Perhaps you are not particularly worried about the idea of remote-controlled insects spying on you, on behalf of the Pentagon. Darpa-funded researchers at the University of California, Berkeley would like to disabuse you of that notion. They've succeeded in "controlling a live rhinoceros beetle by radio," Tech-On reports. Researchers hooked a series of six electrodes up to the brain and muscles of the insect. Then, during a demonstration at the MEMS 2009 academic conference in Sorrento, Italy, "they equipped the beetle with a module incorporating a circuit to send signals to the electrodes, wireless circuit, microcontroller and battery. The university has so far succeeded in several experiments of electrically controlling insects, but it used a radio control system this time." ... It's one of a number of Darpa-backed experiments, to develop insect spies. The University of Michigan has its own cyborg beetles. University of Georgia researchers are implanting mini-machines into larval moths, so they can live to a ripe, old, remote-controlled age. Then there's the idea to use sex-starved insects to follow bank robbers. Seriously.

flashback: darpa to create brain-chipped cyborg moths

dhs publishes 315-page book honoring chertoff’s ‘select speeches'
from thinkprogress: The Department of Homeland Security recently sent out an entire book honoring former Secretary Michael Chertoff’s “Select Speeches” from 2005-2008. The 315-page book contains 36 of Chertoff’s speeches and press conferences (many of which — if not all — are most likely available online). ThinkProgress recently obtained a copy of the book and contacted DHS to find out how much taxpayer money was spent on the book’s production. However, we received no response. But Michele Nix, a former top official for former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, told ThinkProgress that this homage seemed to be exclusive to Chertoff, as the department did “nothing” similar for her former boss. Let us know in the comments section if you remember any of Chertoff’s speeches being particularly memorable.

geopolitiks: iceland, iraq, iran & ops

iceland's government collapses
from cnn: Iceland's ruling coalition resigned Monday, three months after the collapse of the country's currency, stock market and several major banks, and following months of public protests, Kristjan Kristjansson, a spokesman for the prime minister said. The government also fell after the resignation of the government's commerce minister in response to the country's financial mess. The minister, Bjorgvin Sigurdsson, resigned Sunday, saying the government had failed to restore confidence in the three months after the collapse of the financial system.

iraq to reopen notorious abu ghraib prison
from ap: Iraq will reopen the notorious Abu Ghraib prison next month, but it's getting a facelift and a new name, a senior justice official said. The heavily fortified compound of gray, stonewalled buildings and watchtowers has come to symbolize American abuse of some prisoners captured in Iraq after photos were released showing U.S. soldiers sexually humiliating inmates at the facility. The scandal stoked support for the insurgency and was one of the biggest setbacks to the U.S. military effort to win the peace in Iraq. The renovated facility will be called Baghdad's Central Prison because the name Abu Ghraib has left a "bitter feeling inside Iraqis' hearts," deputy Justice Minister Busho Ibrahim said Saturday. Abu Ghraib, which was a torture center under Saddam Hussein, has been closed since 2006.

US seizing of iranian ship 'a covert op'
from jpost: The interception of an Iranian arms ship by the US Navy in the Red Sea last week likely was conducted as a covert operation and is being played down by the US military due to the lack of a clear legal framework for such operations, an American expert on Iran told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday evening. International media reported that an Iranian-owned merchant vessel flying a Cypriot flag was boarded early last week by US Navy personnel who discovered artillery shells on board.

2009 heralds 'a new age of rebellion'

from paul joseph watson: 2009 heralds the start of a “new age of rebellion” according to an editorial in the highly influential London Times newspaper, and the year in which masses of people will take to the streets to riot in response to drastically falling standards of living. Riot police were again deployed to combat demonstrators in Iceland last night after protesters all but stormed the parliament building in Reykjavik during its first session of chamber after the Christmas holiday. Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde also became the target of an angry mob today who pelted his car with eggs. According to a London Guardian report, the Icelandic government is now on the verge of collapse as “the first revolution in the history of the republic” unfolds. Similar scenes have unfolded in Bulgaria and Latvia, where rapid growth has been replaced by large GDP contractions, wage cuts and unemployment. Greece was also recently gripped by some of the worst riots in its turbulent history in response to both police brutality and the economic downturn. According to Times columnist Roger Boyes, this is merely a “sign of things to come: a new age of rebellion”.

geopolitiks: troops, bases, pills & 'greek syndrome'

at least 20,000 more US troops for afghanisurge by mid-2009
from afp: The United States plans to send between 20,000 and 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan by summer 2009, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, said here Saturday. General David McKiernan, the US commander in Afghanistan, has asked for more than 20,000 extra US troops to counter a rise in insurgent violence, including four combat brigades, an aviation brigade and other support forces... The build up would nearly double the US military presence in Afghanistan, raising it from 31,000 troops to over 50,000. On Friday, a US military official said Defence Secretary Robert Gates had already ordered the deployment of a combat aviation brigade with 2,800 troops to Afghanistan next year.

video: US 'to set up bases' in central asia
from russia today: The U.S. is planning to set up military bases in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, according to Russia’s head of the General Staff. He said Washington already has forces in Bulgaria and Romania that can become operational within hours, raising concern in Moscow.

little blue pills among the ways cia wins friends in afghanistan
from bbc: America's CIA has found a novel way to gain information from fickle Afghan warlords - supplying sex-enhancing drug Viagra, a US media report says. The Washington Post said it was one of a number of enticements being used. In one case, a 60-year-old warlord with four wives was given four pills and four days later detailed Taleban movements in return for more. "Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people," the Post quoted one agent as saying. "Whether it's building a school or handing out Viagra."

the pentagon is muscling in everywhere.
it's time to stop the mission creep.
from washington post: We no longer have a civilian-led government. It is hard for a lifelong Republican and son of a retired Air Force colonel to say this, but the most unnerving legacy of the Bush administration is the encroachment of the Department of Defense into a striking number of aspects of civilian government. Our Constitution is at risk. President-elect Barack Obama's selections of James L. Jones, a retired four-star Marine general, to be his national security adviser and, it appears, retired Navy Adm. Dennis C. Blair to be his director of national intelligence present the incoming administration with an important opportunity - and a major risk. These appointments could pave the way for these respected military officers to reverse the current trend of Pentagon encroachment upon civilian government functions, or they could complete the silent military coup d'etat that has been steadily gaining ground below the radar screen of most Americans and the media. While serving the State Department in several senior capacities over the past four years, I witnessed firsthand the quiet, de facto military takeover of much of the U.S. government. The first assault on civilian government occurred in faraway places - Iraq and Afghanistan - and was, in theory, justified by the exigencies of war.

elements of an inside job in mumbai attacks
from foreign policy journal: Indian police last week arrested Hassan Ali Khan, who was wanted for investigations into money laundering and other illicit activities, and who is also said to have ties to Dawood Ibrahim, the underworld kingpin who evidence indicates was the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last month. Ibrahim is also alleged to have close ties with both Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) agency and the CIA. Another character linked to the CIA whose name is now beginning to figure into the web of connections between the Mumbai attacks, criminal organizations, and intelligence agencies is Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, of Iran-Contra infamy. Khashoggi has been implicated in arms deals with drug traffickers and terrorist groups, including within India. Dawood Ibrahim is a known major drug trafficker whom India claims is being protected by Pakistan. As Foreign Policy Journal previously reported, there are also some indications that the CIA has a similar interest in preventing Ibrahim from being handed over to India. Ibrahim is wanted by India for the recent Mumbai attacks as well as for bombings that occurred there in 1993.

'greek syndrome' is catching as youth take to streets
from independent: With Europe, and the world, pitching headlong into a deep recession, the "Greek Syndrome", as one French official calls it, was already being monitored with great care across the European Union. The attempt to politicise and link the disputes across EU frontiers may prove to be a random act of self-dramatisation by an isolated group on the Greek far left. But it does draw attention to the similarities – and many differences – between the simultaneous outbreaks of unrest in three EU countries. Thousands of young Greeks have been rioting on and off for almost two weeks. They are protesting against the chaotic, and often corrupt, social and political system of a country still torn between European "modernity" and a muddled Balkan past. They can be said, in that sense, to be truly revolting.

greek cops caught on video posing as anarchists
from kurt nimmo: A Greek television show has revealed how Greek police posed as anarchists and destroyed property. Inciting violence and blaming it on legitimate activists is a favorite tactic of the state in order to crack down on protest and dismiss genuine grievances.


undersea cables cut; 14 countries lose web

is the internet going down? undersea sub-cables have just broken...

icelandic tv program w/ prime minister forced off air
from ap: A nationally televised meeting between Iceland's prime minister and other political leaders was forced off the air Wednesday night when angry protesters disrupted the broadcast. For more than two decades, the leaders of Iceland's political parties have met every New Year's Eve over champagne and spiced herring to talk about the year ahead on Iceland's Channel 2 television. But this year's show with Prime Minister Geir Haarde was cut short 45 minutes into the program when a torch-wielding crowd stormed Reykjavik's Hotel Borg in an attempt to get to the studio. Protesters inside and outside the hotel clashed with police, who fired pepper spray to disperse the 500-strong crowd. Some demonstrators threw water balloons, while others tossed firecrackers. At one point, the broadcaster's television cables caught fire, interrupting the live broadcast. The program cut to commercials, followed by an announcement that Channel 2's equipment had been damaged and the show would be suspended. Outside the hotel, a policeman hit on the head with a brick had to be hospitalized. Three protesters were arrested.

georgia/russia, mossad/turkey, iceland/melts & crisis/canada

saakashvili confesses: we started the war
from russia today: For the first time ever, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has admitted that his country started the military conflict in South Ossetia in August. But the Georgian leader is adamant the action was justified. He was testifying before a parliamentary commission investigating the five-day war.


mossad role in turkey coup plot revealed
from presstv: Israel's national intelligence agency Mossad has been behind a failed coup in Turkey, the Turkish daily newspaper, Milliyet reports. A secret investigation into detained Ergenekon group members and other studies outside Turkey indicate that Mossad orchestrated the coup plot against the Turkish government, the report says. The Ergenekon group is a Turkish neo-nationalist organization with alleged links to the military, members of which have been arrested on charges of plotting to foment unrest in the country. Investigators uncovered evidence that show a Jewish rabbi named Tuncay Guney, who worked for Mossad and fled to Canada in 2004, was a key figure behind attempts to overthrow the Turkish government.

icelanders protest economic meltdown
from iht: Thousands of Icelanders marked the 90th anniversary of their nation's sovereignty with angry protest Monday, and several hundred stormed the central bank to demand the ouster of bankers they blame for the country's spectacular economic meltdown. Tiny Iceland has seen its banks and currency collapse in just a few weeks while prices and unemployment soar - leaving a country regarded as a model of Scandinavian prosperity in a state of shock. "The government played roulette and the whole nation has lost," writer Einar Mar Gudmundsson told a noisy but peaceful anti-government rally of several thousand people in downtown Reykjavik.

crisis-torn canada suspends parliament
from afp: Canada's crisis-torn parliament was suspended Thursday in a move which helped Prime Minister Stephen Harper block an opposition bid to topple his government and take over without fresh elections. Acting head of state, Governor General Michaelle Jean, agreed to Harper's demand to suspend the two-week old assembly during two hours of crisis talks. "On my advice, the governor-general has agreed to prorogue parliament," Harper said, after a week of turmoil when three opposition parties banded together to oust his new government. The Liberal opposition led by Stephane Dion has spearheaded the moves to topple the Conservative government, accusing Harper of failing to shore up the plunging economy in the Group of Eight nation. The opposition had scheduled a parliamentary vote of no-confidence on Monday, leaving Harper fighting for his survival just seven weeks after being re-elected at the head of a minority government in snap elections. But Harper vowed Thursday: "When parliament resumes on January 26, the first order of business will be the presentation of a federal budget."

a near-riot & parliament besieged: iceland boiling mad at credit crunch

from scotsman: Thousands of Icelanders have demonstrated in Reykjavik to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Geir Haarde and Central Bank governor David Oddsson, for failing to stop the country's financial meltdown.

It was the latest in a series of protests in the capital since October's banking collapse crippled the island's economy. At least five people were injured and Hordur Torfason, a well-known singer in Iceland and the main organiser of the protests, said the protests would continue until the government stepped down.

As crowds gathered in the drizzle before the Althing, the Icelandic parliament, on Saturday, Mr Torfason said: "They don't have our trust and they are no longer legitimate."

The value of the Icelandic krona has been cut in half since January...

Iceland was the first country to ask the IMF for help as the turmoil in the credit markets in October hit home.

The UK government used anti-terrorism legislation to freeze money deposited by UK savers in Icelandic banks in order to ensure that their money was protected.

update: icelanders attack police station as bankster plan unfolds
from kurt nimmo: In October, the CBC reported on the “exceedingly polite protest” in Iceland as the bankers looted the country. A placard at a demo outside of Iceland’s parliament in Reykjavik stated: “Stay calm while we rob you.” CBC asked: “How long will these people stay polite about their losses?”