By Heidi Blake and Christopher Hope, The Daily Telegraph February 1, 2011
Al-Qaida is on the verge of producing radioactive weapons after sourcing nuclear material and recruiting rogue scientists to build “dirty” bombs, according to leaked diplomatic documents.
A leading atomic regulator has privately warned that the world stands on the brink of a “nuclear 9/11”.
Security briefings suggest that jihadi groups are also close to producing “workable and efficient” biological and chemical weapons that could kill thousands if unleashed in attacks on the West.
Pamela Gerloff
Writer and educator, specialist in transformational change
Huffington Post, January 2, 2011 12:49 AM
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What's happening in Brazil and Chile heralds a new era emerging now on the planet, vividly demonstrating that there is a way to solve the problems we currently face. That path to resolution, and the term for the phenomenon Arianna describes, is dignitarian. In its simplest form, it means acting to protect, enhance, and serve the dignity of all. Not just special interests and lobbyists, banks and financiers, corporations, or political factions; not just friends and family or your network of buddies; and not just the people who voted for you or whom you officially represent. To be dignitarian means to protect the dignity of all. All of the people, all of the time. Regardless of our role in life–whether we're considered a “somebody” or a “nobody” or something in between–we can all be dignitarians, and now a few countries are showing us how.
Dignity is the principle that explains why, in one moment, a conservative politician might choose a course of action that's considered politically liberal and, in another, stick to the party line. Or why two opposing political parties can find common goals, such as becoming the first country to eliminate poverty. The deciding factor–whether articulated or not–is dignity. The question to ask is always: Does this decision, this initiative, this approach, serve the dignity of all? This is transpartisan politics at its best. It is also leadership in its purest form.
Google Comes Under Fire for ‘Secret' Relationship with NSA. Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group largely focused in recent years on Google's privacy practices, has called on a congressional investigation into the Internet giant's “cozy” relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama's administration. In a letter sent Monday, Consumer Watchdog asked Representative Darrell Issa, the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, to investigate the relationship between Google and several government agencies. Read more….
Phi Beta Iota: Google is to modern cyber-space as Standard Oil & ATT were to previous monopolies. It is doing great evil, no least because it enables violations of the Constitution at the same time that it fails to contribute to an educated citizenry (sense-making). Its computational mathematics are out of this world and neither understood nor regulated–Google can sell the right to show any searcher what the sponsor wants them to see, not what is relevant.
In all fields of endeavor, across the United States, Latinos are working to uphold their place in American society. Fox News Latino is proud to present “Our American Dream” – a series of snapshots and profiles of Latino success stories.
Following a week of political unrest, capped off by Friday’s organized pro-democracy uprising across the USA, President Barack Obama dismissed his Cabinet on Saturday and stepped before television cameras calling for an end to the protests.
But he stopped short of resigning—as his people were demanding. They blame him for poverty, unemployment, widespread corruption and police brutality including over a dozen internment camps for “disobedient citizens” carried over from his predecessor's “homeland security” program.
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On Saturday, protestors throughout the world including outside the United Nations in New York were also calling for Obama's resignation. By day’s end, dozens of protestors had been killed and dozens more injured. Then the military stepped in closing roads and sending F-16 fighter jets over downtown Washington. Ron Paul, while refusing to talk to Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney or anyone else, asked the crowd to remain non-violent but persistent.
“My impression is that a revolutionary process has begun that might be impossible to stop—so I believe that the 30-year two-party tyranny has outlived its pretensions,” said Dr. Alfred Gerteiny of Westport, a retired professor of American studies and author of The Terrorist Conjunction (Praeger Security International). “It took the uprising in Tunisia and Egypt to lead me to posit that a domino effect will probably ensue, involving America as well.”
In related news, a US inquiry on Thursday found that the 2008 financial crisis could have been prevented and that many of the conditions that led to Wall Street's near collapse have yet to be addressed. The findings could also lead to some people in the financial world facing criminal charges for the failures that led to the turmoil. The 10-member Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, created in May 2009 by…read more
Extract: ‘Our financial system is, in many respects, still unchanged from what existed on the eve of the crisis,' the report said. ‘Indeed, in the wake of the crisis, the US financial sector is now more concentrated than ever in the hands of a few large, systemically significant institutions.' While much of its findings have already been well documented by others, the panel painted a gloomy picture of questionable ethics, irresponsibility and incompetence by Wall Street bankers who dabbled in the US housing market using complex financial products that few of them could understand.
Historic events in the Arab world gripped the world's attention in January. In Tunisia weeks of escalating riots and demonstrations over dire economic conditions, corruption and government repression culminated in the ouster of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on 14 January. He was replaced by an interim government which announced the country's first free elections since independence.
The direction of Tunisia's transition, and its significance for the region, are not yet clear. But, assuming a successful transition, this could mark the first genuine popular revolt leading to a democratic government in the Arab world.
Inspired by the Tunisian uprising yet fuelled by their own long-standing grievances, hundreds of thousands took to the streets across Egypt towards the end of the month, protesting against authoritarian rule and poor living standards, and calling for President Hosni Mubarak to step down. Over 135 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured during the initial police response. The army was deployed at the end of the month to curb increasing chaos and looting, but vowed not to use force against the protesters.
Seemingly somewhat similar approach to “monkeywrenching” ecotage (sabotage) of Earth Liberation Front originating in American Southwest…..not sure The Atlantic has done its homework–apart from the naivete of thinking that this would remain “controlled” it reads like a CIA-version of a faux activist plan.
Anonymous flyers provide practical and tactical advice for confronting riot police, and besieging government offices
Phi Beta Iota: Agree with Marcus Aurelius. A simpler plan is “be on the street, be respectful and non-violent at all times, be patient.” This is a word of mouth revolution, 26 pages is suspect and we have to wait to see the entire product as well as verification that this has gone anywhere other than The Atlantic. This is the kind of thing CIA would do (violate the law, feed this to The Atlantic) to try to get on the boards “virtually.” Fairly stupid to want to occupy buildings, the key is public presence, non-violent, nothing more. V-sign? Is this a 1960's annuitant on modern drugs? We wait with bated breath to learn who is actually behind what the UK Guardian calls “the slickly produced 26-page document.”
Pamela Gerloff
