Tonight, it's all about The Beastie Boys.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Seattle Attorney Andrew Basiago Claims U.S. Sent Him On Time Travels (VIDEO)
Sweet. Despite the really annoying interviewer and audio, the video is interesting. The Huffington Post. Excerpts:
A lot of people have a hard time trusting lawyers as it is, but what about one who claims he was part of a secret government time travel program when he was a kid?
Since 2004, Seattle attorney Andrew Basiago has been publicly claiming that from the time he was 7 to when he was 12, he participated in "Project Pegasus," a secret U.S. government program that he says worked on teleportation and time travel under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
"They trained children along with adults so they could test the mental and physical effects of time travel on kids," Basiago told The Huffington Post. "Also, children had an advantage over adults in terms of adapting to the strains of moving between past, present and future."
Exploits:
Basiago claimed he can be seen in a photograph of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg in 1863, which he said he visited in 1972 via a plasma confinement chamber located in East Hanover, N.J.
"I had been dressed in period clothing, as a Union bugle boy," he said. "I attracted so much attention at the Lincoln speech site at Gettysburg -- wearing over-sized men's street shoes -- that I left the area around the dais and walked about 100 paces over to where I was photographed in the Josephine Cogg image of Lincoln at Gettysburg." (The boy on the left in the photo below).(At the link..)
In addition, Basiago said he traveled to Ford's Theatre the night of Lincoln's assassination on five or six occasions. "I did not, however, witness the assassination," he said. "Once, I was on the theater level when he was shot and I heard the shot followed by a great commotion that arose from the crowd. It was terrible to hear."
Basiago said each of his visits to the past was different, "like they were sending us to slightly different alternative realities on adjacent timelines. As these visits began to accumulate, I twice ran into myself during two different visits."
Being sent back in time to the same place and moment, but from different starting points in the present, allowed two of himselves to be in Ford's Theatre at the same time in 1865.
Whether or not you believe him, he is articulate, focused and feels very comfortable with the topic at hand. I'm hopeful the concept is reality, so I hope Andrew Basiago is indeed telling the truth. Ladies and Gentlemen; Steve Burns with The Flaming Lips..
A lot of people have a hard time trusting lawyers as it is, but what about one who claims he was part of a secret government time travel program when he was a kid?
Since 2004, Seattle attorney Andrew Basiago has been publicly claiming that from the time he was 7 to when he was 12, he participated in "Project Pegasus," a secret U.S. government program that he says worked on teleportation and time travel under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
"They trained children along with adults so they could test the mental and physical effects of time travel on kids," Basiago told The Huffington Post. "Also, children had an advantage over adults in terms of adapting to the strains of moving between past, present and future."
Exploits:
Basiago claimed he can be seen in a photograph of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg in 1863, which he said he visited in 1972 via a plasma confinement chamber located in East Hanover, N.J.
"I had been dressed in period clothing, as a Union bugle boy," he said. "I attracted so much attention at the Lincoln speech site at Gettysburg -- wearing over-sized men's street shoes -- that I left the area around the dais and walked about 100 paces over to where I was photographed in the Josephine Cogg image of Lincoln at Gettysburg." (The boy on the left in the photo below).(At the link..)
In addition, Basiago said he traveled to Ford's Theatre the night of Lincoln's assassination on five or six occasions. "I did not, however, witness the assassination," he said. "Once, I was on the theater level when he was shot and I heard the shot followed by a great commotion that arose from the crowd. It was terrible to hear."
Basiago said each of his visits to the past was different, "like they were sending us to slightly different alternative realities on adjacent timelines. As these visits began to accumulate, I twice ran into myself during two different visits."
Being sent back in time to the same place and moment, but from different starting points in the present, allowed two of himselves to be in Ford's Theatre at the same time in 1865.
Whether or not you believe him, he is articulate, focused and feels very comfortable with the topic at hand. I'm hopeful the concept is reality, so I hope Andrew Basiago is indeed telling the truth. Ladies and Gentlemen; Steve Burns with The Flaming Lips..
The rise of the new Holy Roman Empire? EU technocrats plot to create powerful EU president
Let the cloak and dagger shenanigans begin! Spoiler alert: The takeover is spearheaded by a power mad German! Shocker, right? Express, via The Extinction Protocol. Excerpts:
Senior Eurocrats are secretly plotting to create a super-powerful EU president to realize their dream of abolishing Britain, we can reveal. A covert group of EU foreign ministers has drawn up plans for merging the jobs currently done by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, and Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission. The new bureaucrat, who would not be directly elected by voters, is set to get sweeping control over the entire EU and force member countries into ever-greater political and economic union. Tellingly, the UK has been excluded from the confidential discussions within the shady “Berlin Group” of Europhile politicians, spearheaded by German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle. Opponents fear the plan could create a modern-day equivalent of the European emperor envisaged by Napoleon Bonaparte or a return to the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne that dominated Europe in the Dark Ages. They are concerned that David Cameron’s coalition Government is doing nothing to prevent the sinister plot. The secret talks were uncovered by Independent Labour peer Lord Stoddart of Swindon.
This won't end well.
Senior Eurocrats are secretly plotting to create a super-powerful EU president to realize their dream of abolishing Britain, we can reveal. A covert group of EU foreign ministers has drawn up plans for merging the jobs currently done by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, and Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission. The new bureaucrat, who would not be directly elected by voters, is set to get sweeping control over the entire EU and force member countries into ever-greater political and economic union. Tellingly, the UK has been excluded from the confidential discussions within the shady “Berlin Group” of Europhile politicians, spearheaded by German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle. Opponents fear the plan could create a modern-day equivalent of the European emperor envisaged by Napoleon Bonaparte or a return to the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne that dominated Europe in the Dark Ages. They are concerned that David Cameron’s coalition Government is doing nothing to prevent the sinister plot. The secret talks were uncovered by Independent Labour peer Lord Stoddart of Swindon.
This won't end well.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Satellite Images Reveal an Ancient Network of Rivers in Arabian Desert
Evidence and Examples of Earth Changes Throughout History. The Truth Behind The Scenes. Excerpts:
Satellite images have revealed that a network of ancient rivers once flowed through the sands of the Arabian Desert, leading scientists to believe that the region experienced wetter periods in the past.
The images are the starting point for a major potentially ground-breaking research project led by the University of Oxford into human evolutionary heritage. The research team will look at how long-term climate change affected early humans and animals who settled or passed through and what responses determined whether they were able to survive or died out.
Until now this part of the world has been largely ignored by scholars despite its critical location as a bridge between Africa and Eurasia. In a project funded by the ERC (European Research Council), a multidisciplinary team of researchers will study the effects of environmental change in the Arabian Peninsula over the last two million years. The systematic study of the Pleistocene to Holocene periods will be unique in its length and level of detail.
Over the course of five years the researchers will study the landscape features and excavate sites of likely archaeological interest, using the network of water courses as a map. They will use the latest dating techniques to pinpoint the ages of fossils of animals, plants and different stone tool technologies and compare the similarities and differences displayed in the region’s rock art.
The team’s main focus will be the Arabian Desert, but the work will also cover the wider Peninsula. One key question they will attempt to answer is when the first early modern humans are likely to have first arrived in the Arabian Peninsula from Africa and perhaps surrounding regions. They will also look for evidence that suggests how early modern humans were able to survive, or not, in arid and extreme conditions.
Project leader Professor Michael Petraglia, Co-Director of the Centre for Asian Archaeology at Oxford University’s School of Archaeology, said: ‘From NASA images (above) taken of the Arabian Desert we can see physical landscape features that are visible from space that denote a whole network of former river valleys and lake basins. These lines and dips in the sand provide us with a map of the region upon which we will focus our research activity. The presence of water is an accurate indicator of where early humans and animals migrated to or settled.
Given enough time, a completely, radically different understanding of Earth's physical history will develop. It's happening now, and when unified, will be awesome. Not now, but soon. Tomorrow's Started..
Satellite images have revealed that a network of ancient rivers once flowed through the sands of the Arabian Desert, leading scientists to believe that the region experienced wetter periods in the past.
The images are the starting point for a major potentially ground-breaking research project led by the University of Oxford into human evolutionary heritage. The research team will look at how long-term climate change affected early humans and animals who settled or passed through and what responses determined whether they were able to survive or died out.
Until now this part of the world has been largely ignored by scholars despite its critical location as a bridge between Africa and Eurasia. In a project funded by the ERC (European Research Council), a multidisciplinary team of researchers will study the effects of environmental change in the Arabian Peninsula over the last two million years. The systematic study of the Pleistocene to Holocene periods will be unique in its length and level of detail.
Over the course of five years the researchers will study the landscape features and excavate sites of likely archaeological interest, using the network of water courses as a map. They will use the latest dating techniques to pinpoint the ages of fossils of animals, plants and different stone tool technologies and compare the similarities and differences displayed in the region’s rock art.
The team’s main focus will be the Arabian Desert, but the work will also cover the wider Peninsula. One key question they will attempt to answer is when the first early modern humans are likely to have first arrived in the Arabian Peninsula from Africa and perhaps surrounding regions. They will also look for evidence that suggests how early modern humans were able to survive, or not, in arid and extreme conditions.
Project leader Professor Michael Petraglia, Co-Director of the Centre for Asian Archaeology at Oxford University’s School of Archaeology, said: ‘From NASA images (above) taken of the Arabian Desert we can see physical landscape features that are visible from space that denote a whole network of former river valleys and lake basins. These lines and dips in the sand provide us with a map of the region upon which we will focus our research activity. The presence of water is an accurate indicator of where early humans and animals migrated to or settled.
Given enough time, a completely, radically different understanding of Earth's physical history will develop. It's happening now, and when unified, will be awesome. Not now, but soon. Tomorrow's Started..
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
FCC urged to revoke Fox broadcast licenses
Wow. CREW's picking a HUGE fight. Now that Rupert's been ruled unfit for stewardship of NewsCorp International in Great Britain, there's a chance he can lose his American television licenses, too. It'll be interesting to see how the media covers this one.. The Raw Story. Excerpts:
A Washington-based ethics watchdog is calling on federal regulators to revoke News Corporation’s 27 Fox broadcast licences in the wake of the highly critical report on phone hacking from the UK parliament.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew) has written to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, calling on the regulator to pull the plug on Rupert Murdoch’s lucrative television licences on grounds of character.
The letter argues that the final report of the UK Commons culture, media and sport committee, which concluded that Murdoch was not fit to run a major international company, had implications for the US regulators that they had now to act upon.
Melanie Sloan, Crew’s director, said that the Murdochs had clearly failed the character test that is embedded within US media law as it is within British. “If they are not passing the character standard under British law, it seems to me that they are not going to meet the character standard in America.”
In their report, the British parliamentarians found Rupert Murdoch was “not a fit person” to exercise stewardship of a major international company. The Commons culture, media and sport select committee also concluded that James Murdoch showed “wilful ignorance” of the extent of phone hacking during 2009 and 2010.
Under FCC regulations, broadcast frequencies can only be handed to firms run by people of good “character” who serve the “public interest” and speak with “candor”. In making that judgment, the FCC is entitled to consider past conduct of media owners, including conduct that does not relate directly to their broadcasting interests, as well as any patterns of alleged misbehaviour.
..
But Crew insisted that as more information emerges about the failure of News Corp to deal with its hacking crisis, federal authorities would eventually be forced to act. The watchdog has also written to the US Senate and House committees on commerce calling for congressional hearings into whether the Murdochs were fit to hold the Fox TV licences. A similar request from Crew last year went unanswered.
And:
Some shareholders are intensifying their calls for a shake-up at the top of News Corp on the back of the British parliamentary report. Change to Win, an advisory group that works with pension funds with over $200bn in assets, called for Murdoch to resign. Senior policy analyst Michael Pryce-Jones said News Corp’s board should meet to form a succession plan immediately. “This is a company in crisis,” he said.
Pryce-Jones said that when he first saw the headlines about the report he had assumed they were talking about James Murdoch. “This is far worse than I had expected,” he said. “The focus is now on Rupert.”
He added: “In any other company James would have have been sacked in July and we’d be preparing for succession. [Rupert] Murdoch clearly can not stay on a CEO and chairman of this company.”
Pryce-Jones said he blamed News Corp’s independent directors for much of what had gone wrong. The directors include top US lawyer Viet Dinh, chief architect of the USA Patriot Act, Joel Klein, the former chancellor of the New York City department of education and Rod Eddington, former chief executive of British Airways. “They have said that they are going to act, but they have done nothing. They need a Plan B. Plan A was apparently to ignore this and hope it would go away,” he said.
The headwinds Rupert faces now just got stronger.
A Washington-based ethics watchdog is calling on federal regulators to revoke News Corporation’s 27 Fox broadcast licences in the wake of the highly critical report on phone hacking from the UK parliament.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew) has written to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, calling on the regulator to pull the plug on Rupert Murdoch’s lucrative television licences on grounds of character.
The letter argues that the final report of the UK Commons culture, media and sport committee, which concluded that Murdoch was not fit to run a major international company, had implications for the US regulators that they had now to act upon.
Melanie Sloan, Crew’s director, said that the Murdochs had clearly failed the character test that is embedded within US media law as it is within British. “If they are not passing the character standard under British law, it seems to me that they are not going to meet the character standard in America.”
In their report, the British parliamentarians found Rupert Murdoch was “not a fit person” to exercise stewardship of a major international company. The Commons culture, media and sport select committee also concluded that James Murdoch showed “wilful ignorance” of the extent of phone hacking during 2009 and 2010.
Under FCC regulations, broadcast frequencies can only be handed to firms run by people of good “character” who serve the “public interest” and speak with “candor”. In making that judgment, the FCC is entitled to consider past conduct of media owners, including conduct that does not relate directly to their broadcasting interests, as well as any patterns of alleged misbehaviour.
..
But Crew insisted that as more information emerges about the failure of News Corp to deal with its hacking crisis, federal authorities would eventually be forced to act. The watchdog has also written to the US Senate and House committees on commerce calling for congressional hearings into whether the Murdochs were fit to hold the Fox TV licences. A similar request from Crew last year went unanswered.
And:
Some shareholders are intensifying their calls for a shake-up at the top of News Corp on the back of the British parliamentary report. Change to Win, an advisory group that works with pension funds with over $200bn in assets, called for Murdoch to resign. Senior policy analyst Michael Pryce-Jones said News Corp’s board should meet to form a succession plan immediately. “This is a company in crisis,” he said.
Pryce-Jones said that when he first saw the headlines about the report he had assumed they were talking about James Murdoch. “This is far worse than I had expected,” he said. “The focus is now on Rupert.”
He added: “In any other company James would have have been sacked in July and we’d be preparing for succession. [Rupert] Murdoch clearly can not stay on a CEO and chairman of this company.”
Pryce-Jones said he blamed News Corp’s independent directors for much of what had gone wrong. The directors include top US lawyer Viet Dinh, chief architect of the USA Patriot Act, Joel Klein, the former chancellor of the New York City department of education and Rod Eddington, former chief executive of British Airways. “They have said that they are going to act, but they have done nothing. They need a Plan B. Plan A was apparently to ignore this and hope it would go away,” he said.
The headwinds Rupert faces now just got stronger.
Music Spolight: Really Random 70's. Really.
Pay attention! Beginning at 10 seconds, going to 24, the man on the far right: Best dancing I've ever seen. Brilliant.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Sakurajima erupted
Short and sweet post from Fukushima Diary, and non-nuclear, to boot! The pictures are worth the click. Sakurajima's activity is not out of the ordinary, as they had 996 eruptions last year (Averaging almost three a day..). Scientists are concerned, though, that further crustal deformations might facillitate more serious eruptions. No event timeline predictions were included.
Today's Blind Items - The Hookers Return
Juicy. Crazy Days And Nights. Excerpts:
I have written about the hookers a couple of times. The famous duo that split when one had success and the other continued to keep selling her body for less and less money. The less successful hooker just has never been able to find that gold mine but now she figures she has a huge way to make money and has been shopping a book about her former partner in crime. It features stories that even I didn't know and apparently also documents how the more successful hooker has always planned to have happen what is happening in her life right now. There are e-mails and copies of texts from a few years ago when they were still speaking all the time about how the more successful hooker wanted to find a rich man who was good looking but in the closet. It turns out that the successful hooker hates sex. In fact, the less successful hooker says that pills are about the only way the more successful one can get through it. The successful hooker even named four guys she thought would be perfect for her and she got one of the four.
The book also names names and how much celebrities and athletes paid. It talks about every athlete they have been with and how many times they were busted by wives but because the hookers were celebrities they managed to not get accused of doing anything with the husbands. They would say they were with the husband for a reality show idea. The wives would get so excited at the prospect of being on a reality show they would not even wonder why the husband had been with one or both of the hookers in his hotel room.
Yowsah. The consensus from commenters appears to indicate either Brittany Gastineau or Paris Hilton(!) for the less successful hooker, and Kim Kardashian(!!) as the more successful one. Crazy? Maybe.. Other than that miserable, short lived "E" show, I've never heard of Gastineau, and if she has a sex tape out, it isn't nearly as famous as the other two. Also, that's how they became famous! Both of their biographies make more sense if this is indeed about them. The phenomenon of famous-for-being-famous has never made sense to me, especially considering none of these people seem to have "talent."
So if this indeed who the consensus thinks this is, when their sex tapes were released, were they "accidents" as much as they were "marketing strategy?" Also, would this really be that much of a stretch to believe that, with sex as pervasive as it is culturally, that nationally famous attention whores might have started their careers as bona-fide whores?
I feel bad for whomever this may be. Money, fame, fabulous-ity, surrounded by equally soul-less vessels, all dancing faster as The Void becomes larger, inescapable.. Chaos and flashbulbs and chasing the Next Big Fix slowly snuffs out any remains of humanity. The quiet of an empty room must be terrifying.
I have written about the hookers a couple of times. The famous duo that split when one had success and the other continued to keep selling her body for less and less money. The less successful hooker just has never been able to find that gold mine but now she figures she has a huge way to make money and has been shopping a book about her former partner in crime. It features stories that even I didn't know and apparently also documents how the more successful hooker has always planned to have happen what is happening in her life right now. There are e-mails and copies of texts from a few years ago when they were still speaking all the time about how the more successful hooker wanted to find a rich man who was good looking but in the closet. It turns out that the successful hooker hates sex. In fact, the less successful hooker says that pills are about the only way the more successful one can get through it. The successful hooker even named four guys she thought would be perfect for her and she got one of the four.
The book also names names and how much celebrities and athletes paid. It talks about every athlete they have been with and how many times they were busted by wives but because the hookers were celebrities they managed to not get accused of doing anything with the husbands. They would say they were with the husband for a reality show idea. The wives would get so excited at the prospect of being on a reality show they would not even wonder why the husband had been with one or both of the hookers in his hotel room.
Yowsah. The consensus from commenters appears to indicate either Brittany Gastineau or Paris Hilton(!) for the less successful hooker, and Kim Kardashian(!!) as the more successful one. Crazy? Maybe.. Other than that miserable, short lived "E" show, I've never heard of Gastineau, and if she has a sex tape out, it isn't nearly as famous as the other two. Also, that's how they became famous! Both of their biographies make more sense if this is indeed about them. The phenomenon of famous-for-being-famous has never made sense to me, especially considering none of these people seem to have "talent."
So if this indeed who the consensus thinks this is, when their sex tapes were released, were they "accidents" as much as they were "marketing strategy?" Also, would this really be that much of a stretch to believe that, with sex as pervasive as it is culturally, that nationally famous attention whores might have started their careers as bona-fide whores?
I feel bad for whomever this may be. Money, fame, fabulous-ity, surrounded by equally soul-less vessels, all dancing faster as The Void becomes larger, inescapable.. Chaos and flashbulbs and chasing the Next Big Fix slowly snuffs out any remains of humanity. The quiet of an empty room must be terrifying.
Spain in recession as austerity bites deep
Austerity is Stasis/Immovable Object. Dynamic populations are Inertia/Irresistible Force. There's definitely going to be more trouble before stability and growth returns. Reuters. Excerpts:
Spain sank into recession in the first quarter and economists said spending cuts aimed at meeting strict EU deficit limits, together with a reeling bank sector, would delay any return to growth until late this year or beyond.
It is the second recession in just over two years for the euro zone's fourth largest economy and comes as the government tries to convince investors it will not need outside aid to put its house in order.
The country is caught between pressure from its European peers to fix public finances and growing domestic resistance to austerity measures that have helped push unemployment to more than double the EU average.
Ratings agency Standard & Poor's added to the country's problems with a two-notch rating downgrade last week and on Monday it chopped the credit score of 11 banks.
..
"The wheels are very clearly coming off," Jefferies economist David Owen said. "It wouldn't surprise me to see a very significant decline in GDP both in the second and third quarters this year."
..
Spain's demand for electricity, a good indicator of the strength of economic output, fell for the eighth month in a row in April, the national grid operator said.
Spanish bonds showed little reaction to the GDP report but yields have risen to around 6 percent in recent weeks. At around 7 percent, they are seen as financially unsustainable.
The IBEX share index finished April down 12.7 percent, its worst monthly showing in nearly 1-1/2 years..
The real problems haven't even begun. Spain and Greece are just the opening act. Followed by, in no particular order, Portugal, Italy, and Ireland. The others(E.U. and non-E.U.) will also be sucked asunder, victims of Austerity's implosion wave. How much pressure can France, and ultimately Germany, withstand?
The E.U.'s individual country/collective state implosion illustrates the concept of Immovable Object/ Irresistible Force: I'm unsure of the outcome, but the Victor will soon be known by all. These circumstances, at present, cannot sustain. There will be no dispute after this head-on, high-impact event.
Spain sank into recession in the first quarter and economists said spending cuts aimed at meeting strict EU deficit limits, together with a reeling bank sector, would delay any return to growth until late this year or beyond.
It is the second recession in just over two years for the euro zone's fourth largest economy and comes as the government tries to convince investors it will not need outside aid to put its house in order.
The country is caught between pressure from its European peers to fix public finances and growing domestic resistance to austerity measures that have helped push unemployment to more than double the EU average.
Ratings agency Standard & Poor's added to the country's problems with a two-notch rating downgrade last week and on Monday it chopped the credit score of 11 banks.
..
"The wheels are very clearly coming off," Jefferies economist David Owen said. "It wouldn't surprise me to see a very significant decline in GDP both in the second and third quarters this year."
..
Spain's demand for electricity, a good indicator of the strength of economic output, fell for the eighth month in a row in April, the national grid operator said.
Spanish bonds showed little reaction to the GDP report but yields have risen to around 6 percent in recent weeks. At around 7 percent, they are seen as financially unsustainable.
The IBEX share index finished April down 12.7 percent, its worst monthly showing in nearly 1-1/2 years..
The real problems haven't even begun. Spain and Greece are just the opening act. Followed by, in no particular order, Portugal, Italy, and Ireland. The others(E.U. and non-E.U.) will also be sucked asunder, victims of Austerity's implosion wave. How much pressure can France, and ultimately Germany, withstand?
The E.U.'s individual country/collective state implosion illustrates the concept of Immovable Object/ Irresistible Force: I'm unsure of the outcome, but the Victor will soon be known by all. These circumstances, at present, cannot sustain. There will be no dispute after this head-on, high-impact event.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Mysterious ‘Montauk Monster’ Washes Up In Seal Beach, CA – April 26, 2012
Aww yeah.. He, she, or it is back! The Truth Behind The Scenes. Excerpts:
An unidentified ‘Mountak’ creature was discovered Wednesday by a woman taking her daily walk along the shore in Seal Beach.
Karen Summers says the animal corpse didn’t look like anything she had ever witnessed.
And:
The discovery is reminiscent of the so-called “Montauk Monster,” an unidentified creature that allegedly washed up on a beach near the business district of Montauk, New York in July 2008.”
Techno Chimera? What remains of a test animal from a failed time travel experiment? Designer Pet? Montauk Monster; Explain yourself!
An unidentified ‘Mountak’ creature was discovered Wednesday by a woman taking her daily walk along the shore in Seal Beach.
Karen Summers says the animal corpse didn’t look like anything she had ever witnessed.
And:
The discovery is reminiscent of the so-called “Montauk Monster,” an unidentified creature that allegedly washed up on a beach near the business district of Montauk, New York in July 2008.”
Techno Chimera? What remains of a test animal from a failed time travel experiment? Designer Pet? Montauk Monster; Explain yourself!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Michael Krieger On The Rebirth Of Barter
From small Black Markets to organized governments, barter as exchange is here, and gaining momentum. Zero Hedge. Excerpts:
One of the most important articles I have read this week comes from Forbes contributor Gordon Chang. In it he states that China is preparing to avoid U.S. sanctions on Iran by paying for oil with gold. Not only that but he also mentions that China has already been bartering with Iran to get a hold of petroleum. He states:
Seems about right, doesn't it, considering the caliber of those exercising political control over economic matters.. And again, we return to the consideration of Unintended Consequences.. Seriously; doesn't this seem like the machinations of Universe "B," the "Murphy's Law" Universe? Well, events are in motion; Since we can't stop them, we might as well track 'em..
One of the most important articles I have read this week comes from Forbes contributor Gordon Chang. In it he states that China is preparing to avoid U.S. sanctions on Iran by paying for oil with gold. Not only that but he also mentions that China has already been bartering with Iran to get a hold of petroleum. He states:
So how can Beijing keep both Iran’s ayatollahs and President Obama happy at the same time? Simple, the Chinese can avoid the U.S. sanctions through barter. China has already been trading its produce for Iran’s petroleum, but there is only so much gai lan and bok choy the Iranians can eat. That’s why Iran is also accepting, among other goods, Chinese washing machines, refrigerators, toys, clothes, cosmetics, and toiletries.Thus, the leadership in America in its infinite stupidity has actually accelerated the demise of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. (Author's emphasis)
The barter trade works, but Iran needs cash too. As it is being cut off from the global financial system, the next best thing is gold. So we should not be surprised that in late February the Iranian central bank said it would accept that metal as payment for oil. Last year, China imported $21.7 billion in Iranian oil and exported $14.8 billion in goods and services. As the NDAA goes into effect, look for Beijing to ship gold to Iran to make up the difference.
Seems about right, doesn't it, considering the caliber of those exercising political control over economic matters.. And again, we return to the consideration of Unintended Consequences.. Seriously; doesn't this seem like the machinations of Universe "B," the "Murphy's Law" Universe? Well, events are in motion; Since we can't stop them, we might as well track 'em..
Rupert Murdoch Blames his Journalists for Conspiring to Cover up a Culture of Phone-Hacking at Media Empire
Blaming the minions, eh, Rupert? Things seem to be reaching Critical Mass. Al Jazeera. Excerpts:
Rupert Murdoch blamed News of the World journalists for conspiring to cover up a culture of phone-hacking at the tabloid, saying they hid their activities from his son James and protegee Rebekah Brooks and that he personally was not paying attention.
In a second day of testimony in Britain’s High Court on Thursday, Murdoch painted a picture of a rogue culture at the best-selling Sunday tabloid, in an echo of his company’s now abandoned defence that a single “rogue reporter” was to blame.
“I think in newspapers, the reporters do act very much on their own, they do protect their sources, they don’t disclose to their colleagues what they are doing,” Murdoch told a judicial inquiry into press ethics.
Showing frequent flashes of annoyance as the questioning became more pointed, the media mogul admitted he had not paid enough attention to the News of the World but did not accept that he had allowed a culture of illegality to flourish.
Asked where the culture of cover-up had originated, Murdoch answered: “I think from within the News of the World. There were one or two very strong characters there who I think had been there many, many years and were friends of the journalists.”
“The person I’m thinking of was a friend of the journalists and a drinking pal and clever lawyer and forbade them... to report to Mrs Brooks or to James,” said Murdoch, in a thinly veiled reference to the News of the World’s former top lawyer Tom Crone, who has accused James Murdoch of lying.
“That’s not to excuse on our behalf at all. I take it extremely seriously that that situation had arisen.”
The appearance at the inquiry of a man who has courted prime ministers and presidents for the last 40 years is a defining moment in a scandal that has laid bare collusion between British politicians, police and Murdoch’s News Corp.
On Wednesday, Murdoch had appeared calm and considered, but Thursday’s tone was more hostile as the inquiry’s top counsel Robert Jay ratcheted up the pressure and described the culture of phone-hacking as a “cancer”.
When Jay suggested that the response of News International, the British newspaper arm of News Corp, was a “desire to cover up, not expose”, Murdoch snapped back: “Well, to people with minds like yours,” before quickly adding “I take that back.”
Jay, keeping his cool, assured him: “I’m very thick-skinned Mr Murdoch. Do not worry one moment.”
The comment caused consternation among Murdoch’s legal team in the courtroom, forcing Judge Brian Leveson to ask one of the party to sit down before resuming proceedings.
I do believe there will be several, if not many, individuals who will gleefully tear his testimony apart. And they'll do so in part with videotape of Rupert himself talking about how hands on he is regarding all facets of his news empire. The twin Cultures of Influence and Corruption are too big to be repudiated. Blamed minions will be out for revenge. The politicians and police are in damage mode. The Leveson Inquiry, in hindsight, will be looked at as the acceleration of the demise of the Murdoch Empire
More shoes will be dropping shortly..
Rupert Murdoch blamed News of the World journalists for conspiring to cover up a culture of phone-hacking at the tabloid, saying they hid their activities from his son James and protegee Rebekah Brooks and that he personally was not paying attention.
In a second day of testimony in Britain’s High Court on Thursday, Murdoch painted a picture of a rogue culture at the best-selling Sunday tabloid, in an echo of his company’s now abandoned defence that a single “rogue reporter” was to blame.
“I think in newspapers, the reporters do act very much on their own, they do protect their sources, they don’t disclose to their colleagues what they are doing,” Murdoch told a judicial inquiry into press ethics.
Showing frequent flashes of annoyance as the questioning became more pointed, the media mogul admitted he had not paid enough attention to the News of the World but did not accept that he had allowed a culture of illegality to flourish.
Asked where the culture of cover-up had originated, Murdoch answered: “I think from within the News of the World. There were one or two very strong characters there who I think had been there many, many years and were friends of the journalists.”
“The person I’m thinking of was a friend of the journalists and a drinking pal and clever lawyer and forbade them... to report to Mrs Brooks or to James,” said Murdoch, in a thinly veiled reference to the News of the World’s former top lawyer Tom Crone, who has accused James Murdoch of lying.
“That’s not to excuse on our behalf at all. I take it extremely seriously that that situation had arisen.”
The appearance at the inquiry of a man who has courted prime ministers and presidents for the last 40 years is a defining moment in a scandal that has laid bare collusion between British politicians, police and Murdoch’s News Corp.
On Wednesday, Murdoch had appeared calm and considered, but Thursday’s tone was more hostile as the inquiry’s top counsel Robert Jay ratcheted up the pressure and described the culture of phone-hacking as a “cancer”.
When Jay suggested that the response of News International, the British newspaper arm of News Corp, was a “desire to cover up, not expose”, Murdoch snapped back: “Well, to people with minds like yours,” before quickly adding “I take that back.”
Jay, keeping his cool, assured him: “I’m very thick-skinned Mr Murdoch. Do not worry one moment.”
The comment caused consternation among Murdoch’s legal team in the courtroom, forcing Judge Brian Leveson to ask one of the party to sit down before resuming proceedings.
I do believe there will be several, if not many, individuals who will gleefully tear his testimony apart. And they'll do so in part with videotape of Rupert himself talking about how hands on he is regarding all facets of his news empire. The twin Cultures of Influence and Corruption are too big to be repudiated. Blamed minions will be out for revenge. The politicians and police are in damage mode. The Leveson Inquiry, in hindsight, will be looked at as the acceleration of the demise of the Murdoch Empire
More shoes will be dropping shortly..
Masters Of Shoegaze, Volume One - The Birth Of The Drone..
Because Shoegaze is good for your soul, that's why..
In 1995, I wouldn't have included Jesus and Mary Chain or The Cure in a pure shoegazer playlist, but it's easy to see both groups' influence on the movement: The droning guitars of Jesus and Mary Chain, and The Cure's wall of sound trance-inducing atmospherics. For optimal enjoyment, please utilize headphones. Play loud. Enjoy.
In 1995, I wouldn't have included Jesus and Mary Chain or The Cure in a pure shoegazer playlist, but it's easy to see both groups' influence on the movement: The droning guitars of Jesus and Mary Chain, and The Cure's wall of sound trance-inducing atmospherics. For optimal enjoyment, please utilize headphones. Play loud. Enjoy.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Intergalactic Hooligans Vandalize Saturn's Weirdest Ring. Yes. That.
Well, kind of..Mysterious Objects Punching Holes In Weird Saturn Ring Space. Excerpts:
Mysterious objects appear to be doing some damage to Saturn's "weirdest ring," scientists say.
The discovery comes from detailed photos taken of the Saturn system by NASA's Cassini orbiter. In these images, researchers spotted strange objects about a half-mile (kilometer) wide tearing through Saturn's F ring, the thin outermost discrete ring around the planet.
As they pass through the ring, these interlopers drag glittering ice particles out with them, creating visible trails of debris scientists are calling "mini jets."
"I think the F ring is Saturn's weirdest ring, and these latest Cassini results go to show how the F ring is even more dynamic than we ever thought," Carl Murray, a Cassini imaging team member based at London's Queen Mary University, said in a statement. "These findings show us that the F ring region is like a bustling zoo of objects from a half mile in size to moons like Prometheus a hundred miles in size, creating a spectacular show."
The F ring is held in check by two tiny moons, Prometheus and Pandora, which weave inside and outside the outer ring. Sometimes these moons perturb the ring, creating channels and snowballs. Now scientists think that some of these snowballs survive to become the weird objects punching new holes in the ring. [Video: Saturn's F Ring Bashed by Weird Objects]
The objects appear to collide with the ring at mild speeds of about 4 mph (6.4 kph), but can leave relatively long trails extending between 20 to 110 miles long (40 to 180 kilometers).
There's a video at the link that's worth watching. At the end of said video, the view of Saturn from one of its poles looks very much like a human eyeball. I like similar images at different scales of magnification. It reminds me of the Synchronicity already at work effecting us all, all of us mostly unaware. And still, the pieces continue to lock together.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
There Goes Greek GDP: Nazional Lampoons Greek Vacation Just Got Cancelled
What we have here is some of them "Unintended Consequences" mixing with "Negative Death Sprial." Greece is boned, and that's good news for no one, including Germany. The entire post from Zero Hedge. Wow(Emphasis theirs)..
As if the Greeks haven't suffered enough from Northern European actions (admittedly in response to their own actions), it seems the anti-German sentiment is keeping the wealthy tourists away from the beaches. As Reuters notes today, 'German tourists are in short supply in Greece these days, frightened away by reports of visceral anti-German sentiment in some places'. Data for the main summer holiday season shows pre-bookings from Germany down by some 30 percent. We guess the pictures of Molotov cocktails being thrown, city-wide strikes, and cardboard cities full of unemployed youths was too much but as one Greek tourist-shop-owner clarified "They're not coming because of the problems. But we don't have a problem with German people, only their government." Tourism - the one remaining possibility for Greece to drag themselves out of the quagmire (aside from olive oil and yoghurt) - is now under pressure as The Germans ("That's just the way Germans are: if there's trouble in some country, then Germans just don't go there on their holidays.") wage "an economic war against Greece". Sadly the xenophobic and nationalist tensions are indeed rising (as we warned many times in the past - and suggest will be the ultimate undoing of the political compact in Europe) as the crisis had revived anti-German sentiment from World War Two that most thought had long since disappeared. "The Greeks moved on and tried to forget, then this. If you ask me, Germany owes Greece billions for all the murders and war crimes. Germany should pay Greece what it owes."
I think German economic reparations as a theme could have legs, especially in countries Germany destroyed just 77 to 83 years ago, especially in countries like Greece that faces yet another type of destruction, again by German hands.. This situation could hop, skip, and jump from old wounds, to bad blood, to visceral hatred much faster than the Germans can understand or quantify. Greece's economic crisis is just beginning to bloom. Germany, and the rest of the E.U. will all be impacted. After that, how much longer will it be before diplomacy, decorum, and civility are fully abandoned?
As if the Greeks haven't suffered enough from Northern European actions (admittedly in response to their own actions), it seems the anti-German sentiment is keeping the wealthy tourists away from the beaches. As Reuters notes today, 'German tourists are in short supply in Greece these days, frightened away by reports of visceral anti-German sentiment in some places'. Data for the main summer holiday season shows pre-bookings from Germany down by some 30 percent. We guess the pictures of Molotov cocktails being thrown, city-wide strikes, and cardboard cities full of unemployed youths was too much but as one Greek tourist-shop-owner clarified "They're not coming because of the problems. But we don't have a problem with German people, only their government." Tourism - the one remaining possibility for Greece to drag themselves out of the quagmire (aside from olive oil and yoghurt) - is now under pressure as The Germans ("That's just the way Germans are: if there's trouble in some country, then Germans just don't go there on their holidays.") wage "an economic war against Greece". Sadly the xenophobic and nationalist tensions are indeed rising (as we warned many times in the past - and suggest will be the ultimate undoing of the political compact in Europe) as the crisis had revived anti-German sentiment from World War Two that most thought had long since disappeared. "The Greeks moved on and tried to forget, then this. If you ask me, Germany owes Greece billions for all the murders and war crimes. Germany should pay Greece what it owes."
I think German economic reparations as a theme could have legs, especially in countries Germany destroyed just 77 to 83 years ago, especially in countries like Greece that faces yet another type of destruction, again by German hands.. This situation could hop, skip, and jump from old wounds, to bad blood, to visceral hatred much faster than the Germans can understand or quantify. Greece's economic crisis is just beginning to bloom. Germany, and the rest of the E.U. will all be impacted. After that, how much longer will it be before diplomacy, decorum, and civility are fully abandoned?
SOHO Lasco C2 – Giant UFO flying close to the Sun
The Truth Behind The Scenes. Excerpts:
An unusually shaped, gigantic UFO was spotted on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) – April 24, 2012.
The strange object flying close to the sun looks unnervingly like a huge, metallic Alien Craft with jointed metallic arms.
Just say it! It's a fucking Transformer! SAY IT! For the love of God; somebody call Shia Le Bouf!
An unusually shaped, gigantic UFO was spotted on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) – April 24, 2012.
The strange object flying close to the sun looks unnervingly like a huge, metallic Alien Craft with jointed metallic arms.
Just say it! It's a fucking Transformer! SAY IT! For the love of God; somebody call Shia Le Bouf!
Mystery boom and shaking in Georgia identified as an earthquake
The Extinction Protocol. Excerpts:
A mysterious boom that shook portions of Appling late Monday was confirmed Tuesday as a minor earthquake, according to Columbia County authorities. The event, which registered a 2.1 magnitude on the Richter scale, occurred at 9:26 p.m. and was located near Columbia and Appling-Harlem roads, Emergency Services Director Pam Tucker said. The temblor was not listed on national earthquake monitors, but was confirmed by a seismologist at Savannah River Site, she said. “This would explain the loud boom and shaking that many residents felt,” she said. Earthquakes occur periodically in the area, which lies along the fall line, where the Coastal Plains and Piedmont regions meet.
Will this be an one-off event, or the beginning of a new cycle of booms? As one commenter pointed out, "Why all the sudden are these earthquakes being accompanied by booming sounds?" She's right: It's weird, and rather recent. Rumbles and cracks, yes. The booms, and those weird skyquakes and apocalypse trumpets are new. And disconcerting, as Core-De-stabilization-or-Magnetic-Pole-Shift-as-possibility should be considered.
A mysterious boom that shook portions of Appling late Monday was confirmed Tuesday as a minor earthquake, according to Columbia County authorities. The event, which registered a 2.1 magnitude on the Richter scale, occurred at 9:26 p.m. and was located near Columbia and Appling-Harlem roads, Emergency Services Director Pam Tucker said. The temblor was not listed on national earthquake monitors, but was confirmed by a seismologist at Savannah River Site, she said. “This would explain the loud boom and shaking that many residents felt,” she said. Earthquakes occur periodically in the area, which lies along the fall line, where the Coastal Plains and Piedmont regions meet.
Will this be an one-off event, or the beginning of a new cycle of booms? As one commenter pointed out, "Why all the sudden are these earthquakes being accompanied by booming sounds?" She's right: It's weird, and rather recent. Rumbles and cracks, yes. The booms, and those weird skyquakes and apocalypse trumpets are new. And disconcerting, as Core-De-stabilization-or-Magnetic-Pole-Shift-as-possibility should be considered.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Time-bomb? Residents too afraid to sleep, ‘It’s making sounds we never heard before’
Popocatepetl follow up, File Under: Uh-Oh.. The Extinction Protocol. Excerpts:
Residents at the foot of Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano no longer sleep soundly since the towering mountain roared back into action over a week ago, spewing out a hail of rocks, steam and ash. “We close our eyes, but we don’t sleep much. In the past, there was only smoke but this time it’s stronger,” said Francisco Jimenez, who lives in the nearby town of Xalitzintla in central Mexico, 55km from Mexico City. The volcano, Mexico’s second highest peak at 5 452m, started rumbling and spurting high clouds of ash and steam on 13 April, provoking the authorities to raise the alert to level five on a seven-point scale. The alert extended a security cordon around the volcano but stopped short of starting evacuations of about 685 000 residents from nearby communities. Over the weekend, residents watched as Popocatepetl, which means “smoking mountain” in the indigenous Nahuatl language, lived up to its name, spouting glowing rocks and shaking the ground beneath their feet.
And:
Popocatepetl is an explosive volcano that can suddenly erupt at tremendous force, thrusting out rocks and ashes at large distances. That kind of volcano can be more dangerous than those releasing only flowing lava. Residents say they are used to the permanent threat of the volcano but many say the new activity makes them nervous again. “We’ve been watching out for many nights, waiting to see what happens,” said Gabino Santibanez, mayor of San Pedro Benito Juarez, a small town only 9km from the glowing crater. Locals said that most frightening was the unusual rumbling coming from the volcano, which many compared to an aircraft turbine. “We’ve never heard a noise like it,” said Maximiliano Grajales. About 4.5 million people live on the outskirts of the volcano, which lies at the crossroads of the states of Puebla, Morelos and Mexico.
Residents at the foot of Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano no longer sleep soundly since the towering mountain roared back into action over a week ago, spewing out a hail of rocks, steam and ash. “We close our eyes, but we don’t sleep much. In the past, there was only smoke but this time it’s stronger,” said Francisco Jimenez, who lives in the nearby town of Xalitzintla in central Mexico, 55km from Mexico City. The volcano, Mexico’s second highest peak at 5 452m, started rumbling and spurting high clouds of ash and steam on 13 April, provoking the authorities to raise the alert to level five on a seven-point scale. The alert extended a security cordon around the volcano but stopped short of starting evacuations of about 685 000 residents from nearby communities. Over the weekend, residents watched as Popocatepetl, which means “smoking mountain” in the indigenous Nahuatl language, lived up to its name, spouting glowing rocks and shaking the ground beneath their feet.
And:
Popocatepetl is an explosive volcano that can suddenly erupt at tremendous force, thrusting out rocks and ashes at large distances. That kind of volcano can be more dangerous than those releasing only flowing lava. Residents say they are used to the permanent threat of the volcano but many say the new activity makes them nervous again. “We’ve been watching out for many nights, waiting to see what happens,” said Gabino Santibanez, mayor of San Pedro Benito Juarez, a small town only 9km from the glowing crater. Locals said that most frightening was the unusual rumbling coming from the volcano, which many compared to an aircraft turbine. “We’ve never heard a noise like it,” said Maximiliano Grajales. About 4.5 million people live on the outskirts of the volcano, which lies at the crossroads of the states of Puebla, Morelos and Mexico.
Tsuruga Nuke Plant Reactor 2 May Have Been Sitting on Top of Active Fault All These Years
Like Fukushima and that new petrochemical fire, today's discovery is not terribly surprising; Just terrible. EX-SKF. Excerpts:
As the mayor of Tsuruga City was strongly promoting nuclear power generation in the county in China that has a nuclear power plant with 6 operating reactors and 4 under construction, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency warned the operator of Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant that Reactor 2 of the plant may be sitting on an active fault.
Even in Japan, the national guideline is not expecting a reactor to be built on top of an active fault.
And:
On April 24, an expert in active faults and officials from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) studied the area where the strata are exposed at JAPC's Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant in Tsuruga City in Fukui Prefecture. They particularly looked at the crack called "fracture zone".
As the result, the expert pointed out that the crack that runs underground at about 150 meters west of Reactor 2 "may be an active fault, and it may move together with the active fault called Urazoko Fault that runs through the compound, making the shaking from an earthquake bigger than anticipated".
There is another crack that runs right beneath Reactor 2. It needs to be studied to determine if it is also an active fault. NISA has instructed JAPC to do the survey again.
When it comes to Japan's nuclear capabilities, this doesn't feel like the last colossal fuck up we'll hear about, now does it? Unsafe and unstable safety policies applied to substances that require the highest standards of safety and stability is a terrible path to follow, and the country of Japan probably has several more examples.. The question then being: Can Earth handle it?
Related: What shoe drops next?
As the mayor of Tsuruga City was strongly promoting nuclear power generation in the county in China that has a nuclear power plant with 6 operating reactors and 4 under construction, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency warned the operator of Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant that Reactor 2 of the plant may be sitting on an active fault.
Even in Japan, the national guideline is not expecting a reactor to be built on top of an active fault.
And:
On April 24, an expert in active faults and officials from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) studied the area where the strata are exposed at JAPC's Tsuruga Nuclear Power Plant in Tsuruga City in Fukui Prefecture. They particularly looked at the crack called "fracture zone".
As the result, the expert pointed out that the crack that runs underground at about 150 meters west of Reactor 2 "may be an active fault, and it may move together with the active fault called Urazoko Fault that runs through the compound, making the shaking from an earthquake bigger than anticipated".
There is another crack that runs right beneath Reactor 2. It needs to be studied to determine if it is also an active fault. NISA has instructed JAPC to do the survey again.
When it comes to Japan's nuclear capabilities, this doesn't feel like the last colossal fuck up we'll hear about, now does it? Unsafe and unstable safety policies applied to substances that require the highest standards of safety and stability is a terrible path to follow, and the country of Japan probably has several more examples.. The question then being: Can Earth handle it?
Related: What shoe drops next?
North Korea's nuclear test ready 'soon'
Kim Jong Un is working overtime to test global boundaries and push American buttons. Inter Aksyon. Excerpts:
North Korea has almost completed preparations for a third nuclear test, a senior source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters, which will draw further international condemnation following a failed rocket launch if it goes ahead.
The isolated and impoverished state sacrificed the chance of closer ties with the United States when it launched the long-range rocket on April 13 and was censured by the UN Security Council, including the North's sole major ally, China.
Critics say the rocket launch was aimed at honing the North's ability to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States, a move that would dramatically increase its military and diplomatic heft. (Which did not work, by the way..)
Now the North appears to be about to carry out a third nuclear test after two in 2006 and 2009.
"Soon. Preparations are almost complete," the source said when asked whether North Korea was planning to conduct a nuclear test.
This is the first time a senior official has confirmed the planned test and the source has correctly predicted events in the past, telling Reuters about the 2006 test days before it happened.
The rocket launch and nuclear test come as Kim Jong-un, the third of his line to rule North Korea, seeks to cement his grip on power.
Kim took office in December and has lauded the country's military might, reaffirming his father's "military first" policies that have stunted economic development and appearing to dash slim hopes of an opening to the outside world.
Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, which have most to fear from any North Korean nuclear threat, are watching events anxiously and many observers say that Pyongyang may have the capacity to conduct a test using highly enriched uranium for the first time.
And:
South Korean defense sources have been quoted in domestic media as saying a launch could come within two weeks and one North Korea analyst has suggested that it could come as early as the North's "Army Day" on Wednesday.
Other observers say that any date is pure speculation.
And:
Pyongyang desperately wants recognition from the United States, the guarantor of the South's security. It claims sovereignty over the entire Korean peninsula, as does South Korea.
"North Korea may consider abandoning (the test) if the United States agrees to a peace treaty," the source said, reiterating a long-standing demand by Pyongyang for recognition by Washington and a treaty to end the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in a truce
What I'd like to know, with finality, about North Korea's actions is this: Are these random, angry, attention-seeking events the whim of Kim Jong Il's, and now Kim Jong Un's impulse and temper? Or, is there Motive and Rationale behind each action? Does the U.S. know this, thererfore diplomatically treating the country like a permissive parent does a petulant child?
Also, will Obama really view a nuclear test as an Act of War? No matter what it is, Our (American) response will be interesting. Personally, I think the failed rocket launch will factor in American assessment, even if the nuclear test proceeds. They can build bombs, but they can't fly rockets. They're still several years out from being a serious threat, and by then, America's diplomatic relationship with North Korea might be in a very different place..
North Korea as political system cannot continue sustaining itself. It's also a potentially HUUUUUUUGE untapped market for Capitalists world wide(after the peace treaty or collapse, whatever.). Provided we can make it to that day, I can see a time where North Korea will be a peaceful, successful member of the global community, the beneficiary of both the world's goodwill and cutting-edge technology. Without the threat of war, North Korea is a blank slate.
(Me staying Positive and Optimistic)Think of the potential!
North Korea has almost completed preparations for a third nuclear test, a senior source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters, which will draw further international condemnation following a failed rocket launch if it goes ahead.
The isolated and impoverished state sacrificed the chance of closer ties with the United States when it launched the long-range rocket on April 13 and was censured by the UN Security Council, including the North's sole major ally, China.
Critics say the rocket launch was aimed at honing the North's ability to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States, a move that would dramatically increase its military and diplomatic heft. (Which did not work, by the way..)
Now the North appears to be about to carry out a third nuclear test after two in 2006 and 2009.
"Soon. Preparations are almost complete," the source said when asked whether North Korea was planning to conduct a nuclear test.
This is the first time a senior official has confirmed the planned test and the source has correctly predicted events in the past, telling Reuters about the 2006 test days before it happened.
The rocket launch and nuclear test come as Kim Jong-un, the third of his line to rule North Korea, seeks to cement his grip on power.
Kim took office in December and has lauded the country's military might, reaffirming his father's "military first" policies that have stunted economic development and appearing to dash slim hopes of an opening to the outside world.
Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, which have most to fear from any North Korean nuclear threat, are watching events anxiously and many observers say that Pyongyang may have the capacity to conduct a test using highly enriched uranium for the first time.
And:
South Korean defense sources have been quoted in domestic media as saying a launch could come within two weeks and one North Korea analyst has suggested that it could come as early as the North's "Army Day" on Wednesday.
Other observers say that any date is pure speculation.
And:
Pyongyang desperately wants recognition from the United States, the guarantor of the South's security. It claims sovereignty over the entire Korean peninsula, as does South Korea.
"North Korea may consider abandoning (the test) if the United States agrees to a peace treaty," the source said, reiterating a long-standing demand by Pyongyang for recognition by Washington and a treaty to end the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in a truce
What I'd like to know, with finality, about North Korea's actions is this: Are these random, angry, attention-seeking events the whim of Kim Jong Il's, and now Kim Jong Un's impulse and temper? Or, is there Motive and Rationale behind each action? Does the U.S. know this, thererfore diplomatically treating the country like a permissive parent does a petulant child?
Also, will Obama really view a nuclear test as an Act of War? No matter what it is, Our (American) response will be interesting. Personally, I think the failed rocket launch will factor in American assessment, even if the nuclear test proceeds. They can build bombs, but they can't fly rockets. They're still several years out from being a serious threat, and by then, America's diplomatic relationship with North Korea might be in a very different place..
North Korea as political system cannot continue sustaining itself. It's also a potentially HUUUUUUUGE untapped market for Capitalists world wide(after the peace treaty or collapse, whatever.). Provided we can make it to that day, I can see a time where North Korea will be a peaceful, successful member of the global community, the beneficiary of both the world's goodwill and cutting-edge technology. Without the threat of war, North Korea is a blank slate.
(Me staying Positive and Optimistic)Think of the potential!
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