Looks Like Gaddafi's Doing Some Last Minute Shopping For His Extended Vacation In Hell..

1000s die in Libya, reports of poison gas

Libya's deputy ambassador to the UN says thousands of people have been killed during protests, as unconfirmed reports have come in claiming the regime has used poison gas on demonstrators.

Ibrahim Dabbashi, who has turned against the Gaddafi regime, said the death toll is expected to rise as Muammar Gaddafi continues his bloody crackdown against the opposition.

"There are already thousands of people who have been killed, we expect more. They are gathering all the bodies and they are taking them to the desert or somewhere. No one knows where are the bodies of the victims," AFP quoted Dabbashi as saying.
And:
Meanwhile, there are reports that forces loyal to Gaddafi's crumbling regime have mounted attacks in towns west of Tripoli.



The regime has already lost control of Misurata and Zuara in the west. Opposition protesters are now in control of major cities in the east, including Benghazi.

According to reports, security forces loyal to Gaddafi have stormed hospitals in Tripoli and murdered protesters who were being treated.


There are also unconfirmed reports that the regime has used poison gas against demonstrators in Misarata (Misurata).

Karma, babies..  Gaddafi's really generating some massive negativity right before his upcoming violent and probably recorded death.  Personally, I'd like to see him captured alive and sent before the I.C.C..  But I just don't see that in the cards for any of them, really..  If the focused hatred of Libya towards Gaddafi and his family and inner circle doesn't manifest in him/them being torn to shreds on camera and the videos posted on You Tube; if he is indeed, captured alive, he/they won't make it to trial.  Gaddafi and his core group know too much, and can't be allowed to talk.  Therefore, they'll be killed.

Not that this is entirely bad.  Maybe the only way Libya can move forward is to bear witness to the lifeless carcasses of the cabal that previously commanded them. Their dead bodies, the evidence needed that their murderous spirits have moved on, and The People don't have to be afraid anymore. 

After this bullshit, I have no idea what it would take for the people of Libya to be able to move on, process the collective wounds still being inflicted, and not live in fear.  It feels strange to write this while Gaddafi is still alive..  But it really doesn't feel like he is.  Maybe I'm wrong, but it feels like he's already gone, and damn, was that video gross.. 

Discovery Astronauts Inspect Shuttle For Damage

From The Two-Way

A large piece of foam had fallen away from an external fuel tank after Thursday's launch, which appeared to then hit the shuttle's thermal tiles.


But the incident occurred four minutes into the flight — a time, NASA analysts say, that presents far less danger than in the first moments after launch. The foam reportedly did no damage to the tiles.

Good luck, Astronauts.  Come home safely.

Meanwhile:  Short term conspiracy effect:  Ed Dames' credibility got a big shot in the arm /or amazingly lucky break, didn't it?

In "Universe B," Education Is Not A Priority.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- February 2011  Excerpts:

In the wake of the health reform repeal vote in the U.S. House and the ongoing legal challenges over the individual mandate, nearly half the country either believes that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been repealed and is no longer law (22 percent) or doesn’t know enough to say whether it is still law (26 percent). Roughly half of Americans (52 percent) accurately report that the ACA is still the law of the land.

48 percent of Americans are either wrong, or don't know enough to be wrong about Health Care Reform even being a law.  That's fucked up.  You can agree or disagree with a bill or law on its merits; that's your right.  Your responsibility is learning as much unbiased information you can, and acting accordingly.  Again, agree, disagree with Health Care (This time, of course.  Insert next "National Issue" here..), but do the rest of us a solid by at least knowing what you're talking about before you start talking..  Would it be so bad if we all stepped up our game and brought back some..  Some..  Discourse?  And "Discourse" cannot be without  "Educated Response."

Korean Conflict: South Korea Takes A New Tactic; Ups The Ante

South Korea drops leaflets into North about Egypt, Libya

South Korea's military has been dropping leaflets into North Korea about democracy protests in Egypt and also sent food, medicines and radios for residents as part of a psychological campaign, a legislator said on Friday.

The campaign was aimed at encouraging North Koreans to think about change, conservative South Korean parliament member Song Young-sun said.

The food and medicines were delivered in light-weight baskets tied to balloons with timers programed to release the items above the target areas in the impoverished North, Song said in a statement.
..
Analysts say the level of Pyongyang's control over communications and movement of people is too tight to make it likely for North Koreans to rise up to the similar type of protests against their leaders.

South Korea's military has resumed its campaign of speaking directly to North Korean residents after the North bombarded an island near a disputed sea border in November..

While I think this is a much more subtle alternative to the previous forceful military presence-as-response, South Korea knows North Korea doesn't like these shenanigans, neither, from either South Korean groups or the government..  Is this the beginning of a long term investment regarding the "Inspire the North Koreans to get strong and take the government in 5 to 10 years" movement, or is this South Korea's "Head's up--We're coming" message to the North Korean people?  To what extent will North Korea view this as provocation, and how will they respond?

Springtime in the Northern Hemisphere is already active.  It's not even March, people.. 

2011:  The "Interesting Times" from the Chinese saying, "May you live in interesting times.."

Global Events: File Under: What You Might Have Missed..

Double volcanic eruption in Kamchatka

Markets get jitters as oil price heads for the sky

Fears that the unrest in North Africa and the Middle East could seriously disrupt oil supplies and throttle the world economy turned to reality yesterday and propelled the price of oil to more than $108 a barrel during trading, the highest since September 2008. It was $85 at the start of the year. The region supplies a third of the world's oil needs.



Analysts said that if the unrest in Libya, a major oil exporter, spread to more important powers such as Iran and Saudi Arabia then "the sky's the limit" for oil prices and $150 a barrel could be reached "without breaking a sweat", with grim implications for economic recovery, inflation and living standards worldwide.

Supposedly quake-proof buildings collapsed

Technically any new structure built in New Zealand has to be able to withstand intense quakes but footage has shown that, although older buildings in Christchurch seem to have been hit the hardest, plenty of newer ones that should have been able to survive a 6.3 quake have also collapsed.

Earthquake Shakes Up Suez Canal as Iran Warships Approach

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale shook up residents at the entrance to the Suez Canal early Monday morning, 48 hours before two Iranian ships, a frigate and a supply vessel, are expected to enter the canal.

The National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research reported that tremors from the 3 a.m. quake lasted for 27 minutes, but caused no damage.

The ships had originally been expected to enter the Suez today (Monday), but Egyptian officials announced the delay this morning, without explanation.
And:
Egypt’s agreeing to allow Iranian ships to pass through the Suez is seen by many analysts as a signal that the new regime in Egypt is leaning towards ties with Iran, but Suez Canal officials have pointed out that an international convention requires it allow passage to all ships.  Egypt has reportedly agreed to allow the Iranian boats to pass through the canal en route to Syria. The Obama administration is concerned about “what’s the cargo on board, where is it going, to whom, for what benefit," U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters. Iran has said that the ships are headed for Syria for training, Crowley commented, as laughter was heard in the audience: “My initial response to that would be that we’re highly skeptical of that claim.”

Does a cat's purr hold holistic powers?

Which brings me back to that mystical side of a cat’s purr: it’s been suggested that one of the function of the purr is to enable natural healing of the cat’s own body. Cats purr during both inhalation and exhalation with a consistent pattern and frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz. Various investigators have suggested that sound frequencies in this range can improve bone density and promote healing.

THE DUBAI WASTELAND: 40% Of Buildings Are Vacant And Prices Keep Falling

Forty percent of the buildings in Dubai are vacant, according to Arabian Business.

For comparison only 28 percent of homes are vacant in America's ghost town, Detroit.

Now here's the scary part. Dubai hasn't stopped building:
And:
Real estate values have already fallen by over 60 percent

10 American Cities That Are Dead Forever

A city does not die when its last resident moves away.  Death happens when municipalities lose the industries and vital populations that made them important cities.

The economy has evolved so much since the middle of the 20th Century that many cities that were among the largest and most vibrant in America have  collapsed. Some have lost more than half of their residents. Others have lost the businesses that made them important centers of finance, manufacturing, and commerce.

Global community isolates Gaddafi

EU calls for investigation into possible crimes against humanity while US says "all options" are on the table.

Police, protesters clash again in Greece amid budget strike

Police fired tear gas near the Greek parliament on Wednesday as clashes broke out with protesters throwing stones and firebombs during a demonstration against austerity measures, an AFP reporter said.

The confrontation occurred near the finance ministry on central Syntagma Square with police seeking to block protesters from approaching the building as thousands marched in Athens and other major cities in this year's first general strike against wage and pension cuts.
..
At least 36,000 people according to police demonstrated on Wednesday in Athens, Thessaloniki and the port of Piraeus ..  Union sources put the Athens turnout at over 60,000 people.

Baby dolphins dying along oil-soaked US Gulf Coast

GULFPORT, Mississippi – Baby dolphins are washing up dead along the oil-soaked US Gulf Coast at more than 10 times the normal rate in the first birthing season since the BP disaster, researchers said.

Some 17 baby dolphin corpses have been found along the shorelines of Alabama and Mississippi in the past two weeks, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies said.

"The average is one or two a month. This year we have 17, and February isn't even over yet," said Moby Solangi, director of the Gulfport, Mississippi-based institute.

"For some reason, they've started aborting or they were dead before they were born."
And:
Adult dolphin deaths tripled last year to 89 from a norm of about 30.

CIA Agent Caught Red-Handed Aiding Pakistani Terrorism?

The U.S. at first falsely claimed that Davis was a diplomat with the State Department and should therefore be granted diplomatic immunity:

But the deeper story is that Davis allegedly actively aided and abetted terrorism.

Oh, By The Way, The Country Of Greece Is On Strike..

Greek strike disrupts flights, cripples services.  Excerpts:

A general strike halted public transportation across Greece on Wednesday and led to the cancellation of more than 100 flights at Athens International Airport, as unions stepped up opposition to the country's austerity measures.


State hospital doctors, ambulance drivers, pharmacists, lawyers and tax collectors also joined school teachers, journalists and thousands of small businesses in the 24-hour strike as more middle-class groups took part in the protest than have in the past. Athens' main shopping district was mostly empty, as many small business owners shuttered their stores.
..
The strike halted trains, ferries and most public transport across the country, and idled many airlines at the international airport.
And:
The IMF has said some of the frequent demonstrations against the Greek government's reforms were being carried out by groups angry at losing their "unfair advantages and privileges."  (Can you believe someone from the IMF said that, without a trace of irony?  C'mon..  The group controlling All The Money calling the "have nots"/everyone else on anger for losing privileges? Wow..  Wow..)

Global Revolution, meet Greece;  Greece?  Global Revolution..  But you have met before, right?

Christchurch Earthquake: Update, And Eerie Precursors..

From Raw Story via Agence France-Presse.  Excerpts: 

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand – New Zealand declared a national state of emergency Wednesday after one of its worst earthquake disasters left nearly 400 people dead or missing.


Rescuers worked frantically to reach survivors under collapsed buildings in the stricken city centre of Christchurch, after recovering 75 bodies. About 300 people are still missing after Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude quake.
..
New Zealand's second city was a scene of "incredible carnage", police said.
..
"There is incredible carnage right throughout the city," he told Radio New Zealand. "There are bodies littering the streets, they are trapped in cars and crushed under rubble."
..
Prime Minister Key, who has described the disaster as possibly "New Zealand's darkest day", said dozens of aftershocks continued to rock the city, hampering rescue efforts.


"There is no reason that can make sense of this event. No words that can spare our pain," he said. "We are witnessing the havoc caused by a violent and ruthless act of nature."
And:
The quake is the deadliest to hit New Zealand since a 7.8-magnitude tremor killed 256 people in the Hawke's Bay region in 1931.
..
30m tons of ice set loose from glacier by NZ quake 

WELLINGTON: The 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck New Zealand on Tuesday, killing at least 75 people in Christchurch, also shook loose 30 million tons of ice from the nation’s longest glacier, sending boulders of ice into a nearby lake.

Update coupled with gallery of devastation in the aftermath of the quake.  From the Daily Mail.
Now for some events directly ahead of this quake, noted before the event.

List of Magnitude 4 or higher earthquakes.

A minute by minute description of the quake's first day.

Now the eerie precursors..

This guy got it almost exactly right.  Yeah, he said an 8 magnitude quake, but this 6.3 mimicked an 8, didn't it?  He ties solar flares to an increase in earthquake activity, with the location of the solar flare on the sun's surface effecting areas here on earth that correlate to said location.  His information regarding New Zealand starts at 4:40..

This was an odd, not too realistic bit of news when it broke several days ago.  What to make of it?

107 Pilot whales offed themselves on a New Zealand beach.

SILENCE - do you hear that? At dawn hardly a bird can be heard.  Here's a conspiracy thread from New Zealand started February 17th.

And finally, 9 Members Of US Congress Left Christchurch New Zealand Hours Before Earthquake.  Man!  That was lucky, right?

Iran not behind Mideast protests: Mullen

From SpaceWar. And no, Mike Mullen's no lefty freak Iran apologist.  He's the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Excerpts:

Iran foments instability in the Middle East but is not behind popular protests in Bahrain and other countries in the region, top US military officer Admiral Mike Mullen said Monday in Qatar.

"Iran, I still believe, is a country that continues to foment instability in the region, take advantage of every opportunity," But "from my perspective that has not been the principal focus of what happened in Egypt or what happened in Bahrain or any of these other countries,"

"Those are by and large internal issues, as opposed to issues fomented by some external forces," Mullen said, although "there's always concerns in this region with Iran and certainly the US has them as well as all the regional players."
..
"As far as Fifth Fleet operations, no, the demonstrations have not had any impact here -- we're continuing to conduct our regular business out here," a spokesman for the Fifth Fleet told AFP on Monday.

In the Qatari capital Doha, Mullen met with Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and army chief of staff General Hamad al-Attiyah.

He's right. Say what you want about Iran, but they didn't provide/provoke the tipping-point influence needed for either uprising in Tunisia or Egypt.  Tunisia fell after years of combination economic hardship, no jobs, a corrupt, nepotistic regime, and no future prospects for its citizens.  Tunisia reached its flash point when a 26 year old self-immolated(who was no revolutionary himself), frustration morphed into rage, and Revolution took hold within the Tunisian collective consciousness.

Egypt's revolution was not only a response to Mubarak's authoritarianism, but it was mostly a food riot extrapolated out to governmental overthrow, brought on by Ben Bernanke.  Thanks Ben!  The Washington Post's analysis is about half right:  Let's do some excerpts:

DOES BEN S. BERNANKE, the Federal Reserve chairman, deserve the blame - or the credit, depending on your point of view - for Hosni Mubarak's plight? Some seem to think so. Last August, Mr. Bernanke announced further Fed asset purchases known colloquially as "quantitative easing II," or "QEII" for short. The goal was to ease monetary conditions in the United States and fuel growth. But cheaper money lowered the costs and raised the rewards of speculating on food and energy, relative to some other investments. The latest rise in commodity prices began around the time of Mr. Bernanke's announcement; expensive food triggered unrest first in Tunisia and then in Egypt. Ergo, Mr. Bernanke undermined Mr. Mubarak - or so the argument goes.

Here's where The Post doesn't go far enough..

Still, Mr. Bernanke was probably right to deny that the Fed is "primarily responsible" for the current price run-up. The spike in wheat prices, which determines the price of bread in Cairo, began before QEII, when drought destroyed Russian crops. (Yes, but QEII exacerbated the crisis to boiling point. The absence of a single(or two, for that matter..)crop/commodity, even wheat, won't necessarily throw a society into chaos.  17 percent yearly inflation on people who make 2 dollars a day?  Now the promise of inevitable starvation, that's the kind of thing that freaks societies out.)  Subsequent floods in Australia have destroyed more wheat. As for other foodstuffs and oil, the continuing rapid growth of investment and middle-class consumption in China and India probably explains much recent inflation - just as it will probably drive future price increases in those goods. (Damn China and India for growing.  Just because their economy's are growing does not mean they're eating That Much More food to cause a significant Global agricultural distortion that would cause double digit inflation.  Yes, their populations are growing, but this cause/effect is too rapid for population increase to be a primary factor.).  Ugh.  Not a mention here as to how commodities traders influence global food prices, so when disaster does strike a crop, traders make much more money while doubling the effects of drought or flood on those who couldn't afford prices BEFORE said drought or flood happened..)

Reforming those misbegotten programs(Involving Sugar and Cotton--my clarification) would probably improve global commodity markets more than abolishing QEII, which ends in a few months anyway. (Bullshit.  The damage is done.  After QEII, will prices magically decrease, or will they stay at the same level/continue to rise as they do during inflationary periods?  My Unicorn says prices will decrease.)

Higher food prices do, indeed, hurt the poor. But the focus should be on alleviating their suffering - not on alleged political effects(Overthrowing their corrupt, misery causing governments IS Alleviating Their Suffering, ya big dumb douche!  Put differently:  Focus on the political effects of food inflation again, led to governmental overthrow, thereby alleviating the people's suffering.  Hey!  We ended up in the same place..). Costlier food all by itself is not destabilizing; there are no food riots in democratic India or the Philippines(Yet.  Yet.).  As Egypt and Tunisia prove, it's the combination of misery and tyranny that's combustible(At present.  Let's check back in December).

Bahrain might be the likeliest candidate for Iranian influence, or it might be the Shia majority is sick of the Sunni minority's oppressive rule.  This might be why:

"In Bahrain, you have the majority Shia, who are oppressed, and the minority Sunnis, who have all the money and all the power. That's a pretty volatile combination."



The extent of the economic divide between the Sunni ruling class and the Shiite majority is shocking, said Toby Jones, an assistant professor of history at Rutgers University and an editor at the Middle East Report political journal, who lived in Bahrain for several years in the mid-2000s.

"Nationally, Bahrain is a very poor country and the wealth that does get created is concentrated in the hands of the rulers and the influential," he said. "… I’ve never seen wretched poverty like I’ve seen in Bahrain."

Factors that spurred Libya's current bloodbath?  Inertia, and Gaddafi as mass murderer are two good guesses, for the moment..  Again, Iran just isn't a factor.  Iran's own protests have been squelched for the moment, so whether Revolution Inertia ultimately spread to Tehran remains to be seen. 

Until any credible evidence actually surfaces regarding Iran's influence on any effected country's problems, all narratives regarding factors should be assumed Internal, not due to External pressures from anyone in Iran.  If evidence points otherwise, I'll revisit my stance.  But right now, no such evidence seems to exist.  

 

And They All Got It "Wrong.."

Or they all knew it was bullshit, but did it anyway..
Rumsfeld: WMD issue was "the big one" in deciding to invade Iraq. Rummy must not have been paying attention. Curveball came out Last Week and told the World what we already knew: His claims of Weapons of Mass Destruction was a pack of lies, he knew it when he said it, and said it anyway. For profit, for power, whatever, Curvy. Are you enjoying the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocents on your conscience? Hint: You can NEVER scrub it off. Sweet dreams, bitch.

Weather experts predict major flooding in Midwest

From The Watchers Short answer: North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and residents along the Mississippi south to St. Louis are all at risk after the snow starts melting. The floods probably start early next month. Gentlemen; start your sandbags..

Mid-East Uprising: Libya Edition

"Libya on the brink."

It's clear Qadafi's regime won't go quietly, and it seems like the tide is turning.. Moammar Gadhafi's son warns of civil war in Libya if father's leadership not recognized Excerpts:

After anti-government unrest spread to the Libyan capital and protesters seized military bases and weapons Sunday, Moammar Gadhafi’s son went on state television to proclaim that his father remained in charge with the army’s backing and would “fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet.”
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, in the regime’s first comments on the six days of demonstrations, warned the protesters that they risked igniting a civil war in which Libya’s oil wealth “will be burned.”
The speech followed a fierce crackdown by security forces who fired on thousands of demonstrators and funeral marchers in the eastern city of Benghazi in a bloody cycle of violence that killed 60 people on Sunday alone, according to a doctor in one city hospital. Since the six days of unrest began, more than 200 people have been killed, according to medical officials, human rights groups and exiled dissidents.
..
Although the elder Gadhafi did not appear, his son has often been put forward as the regime’s face of reform.
..
Protesters had seized some military bases, tanks and other weapons, he said, blaming Islamists, the media, thugs, drunks and drug abusers, foreigners — including Egyptians and Tunisians. (It's amazing the feats drug users are capable of, huh?)
He also admitted that the unrest had spread to Tripoli, with people firing in central Green Square before fleeing.
The rebellion by Libyans frustrated with Gadhafi’s more than 40 years of authoritarian rule has spread to more than a half-dozen eastern cities — but also to Tripoli, where secret police were heavily deployed on the streets of the city of 2 million.
And:
In other setbacks for Gadhafi’s regime, a major tribe in Libya was reported to have turned against him and Libya’s representative to the Arab League said he resigned his post to protest the government’s decision to fire on defiant demonstrators in Benghazi, the second-largest city.
Khaled Abu Bakr, a resident of Sabratha, an ancient Roman city to the west, said protesters besieged the local security headquarters, driving out police and setting it on fire. Abu Bakr said residents are in charge, have set up neighborhood committees to secure their city.
The Internet has been largely shut down, residents can no longer make international calls from land lines and journalists cannot work freely, but eyewitness reports trickling out of the country suggested that protesters were fighting back more forcefully against the Middle East’s longest-serving leader.
“We are not afraid. We won’t turn back,” said a teacher who identified herself only as Omneya. ..“If we don’t continue, this vile man would crush us with his tanks and bulldozers. If we don’t, we won’t ever be free,” she said.

The Renaissance of the Arab World?

It's never good when your country's diplomats resign in disgust..

And finally, is global unrest starting to effect China?

Global Unrest Beginning In South America?

Could be bad news for Evo Morales.. Thousands Protest in Bolivia Over Rising Prices. Again with the Reuters "intellectual property" crap, so here we go.. Summary:
Bolivian Unions have been protesting higher food and fuel prices for the last five days. President Evo Morales announced he's going to raise gas by 73 percent and diesel by 83 percent. Even though Morales raised the minimum wage, people are still angry. Bus and taxi drivers and the Workers Union are striking.

Looks like Bolivia's fixin' to go hot. The take-away? Whatever your political affiliation(Morales is a major Populist/Leftist who began his career within the Coca growers Union and usually supported by Unions), when you have to raise prices for Necessary Commodities, people Flip Out. How Morales responds to the increasing pressure from economic setbacks, criticism and action from factions usually aligned with him, and mounting pressure from his political enemies remains to be seen.
Will the unrest seen towards authoritarian regimes in the Mid-East extend to Socialist governments in South America?

I'm sure Hugo Chavez is monitoring and analyzing the events in Bolivia very carefully.

Iranian warships pass through Suez Canal

Nothing's exploded yet, but Israel certainly isn't happy.. Since Reuters regards every word from all their articles as sacred and every other news organization is too lazy to write their own damn version of events, no excerpts are forthcoming. Summary: Iranian State TV said the ships are already through the canal and headed towards a port in Syria. Iranian ships through the Suez? Not since 1979, baby.. Israel's freaked out and will bitch about it for weeks to come.

Diplomatic tensions in the region just ticked upward.. Satisfied, Reuters?

Magnetic field changes activate the trigeminal brainstem complex in a migratory bird

Non-nerds need not apply.. After reading the Abstract, I think my ears are bleeding.. Bottom line: The trigeminal nerve in birds transmit magnetic information to the brain, and magnetic disturbance effects that information. Two pronged thought(s): If this is, in part, an explanation for the mass bird deaths, can the same be said for the fish/amphibian die offs? Might fish have a similar "sonar" navigational system, and/or might their nervous systems be effected by a sudden change in magnetism? As of yesterday, no official explanation for the fish deaths in Ozark, Arkansas(according to this horribly written article--scroll down mid-way) has been identified as the cause.
Solar magnetic activity during the three week apex of animal die-offs was low(Jan.1-21), so could tectonic activity or a pole shift generate enough and varied magnetic disturbance to this end? Or maybe, something else..
Now that Solar flare activity has increased, might we see similar events? If not; why?