Can you believe it!? What's next? GM considers buyout from Norinco?*

According to the people close to the negotiations, I.B.M. is in serious discussions with Lenovo, China's largest maker of personal computers, and at least one other potential buyer for the unit. Lenovo was formerly known as Legend.

* Norinco is the front company for the Chinese Military.
posted by Kevin at 6:59 AM

Can you see the momentum building for an "event" related to the Internet? Look at the stories over the last few days:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Hits Cryptogon

Major Incident in New York Verizon Datacenter

And now a former Director of the CIA is calling for a lockdown of the Internet! They want to use the Internet to rape, pillage, steal and kill. Those of us who try to use the Internet to resit "are with the terrorists." I hate to say I told you so, but see the articles on Digital Rights Management going back YEARS!

While Tenet doesn't mention it, he's alluding to DRM and the "trusted user" scheme that Microsoft has been cooking up since 2000 (Longhorn/Athens). Those of us who have been following Microsoft's DRM strategy from the beginning saw that it was the epitome of evil; the end of general purpose computing. But now, you have a former CIA director talking up that system, even though he doesn't mention it by name:

Former CIA Director George J. Tenet yesterday called for new security measures to guard against attacks on the United States that use the Internet, which he called "a potential Achilles' heel."

"I know that these actions will be controversial in this age when we still think the Internet is a free and open society with no control or accountability," he told an information-technology security conference in Washington, "but ultimately the Wild West must give way to governance and control."

Mr. Tenet pointed out that the modernization of key industries in the United States is making them more vulnerable by connecting them with an Internet that is open to attack.

The way the Internet was built might be part of the problem, he said. Its open architecture allows Web surfing, but that openness makes the system vulnerable, Mr. Tenet said.

Access to networks like the World Wide Web might need to be limited to those who can show they take security seriously, he said.
posted by Kevin at 6:51 AM

Just don't buy it. This horror show ends if people stop shopping at WalMart. It's that simple. (It's not really that simple, but it's a damn good start.):

Stung by its poor showing over the Thanksgiving weekend, Wal-Mart Stores - which accounts for about 10 percent of the nation's retail sales, excluding autos - is quickly changing some selling strategies, executives said yesterday. Starting today, it is marking down two dozen of its most popular toys and electronics, from Elmos (now $16.88, they were $26.78) to portable DVD players ($149.87, formerly $179.87) to Black & Decker electric jar openers ($28.42, down from $34.88).

Yesterday's across-the-board retailing numbers for November were mixed, with the gap widening between the "haves," namely luxury stores, and the "have-nots," discounters and midlevel department stores whose customers are suffering most from high gasoline prices. And while retailers reported that the day after Thanksgiving was strong, the rest of the weekend, for many, did not live up to expectations.

Wal-Mart will also begin an unusual advertising blitz this morning. Wal-Mart, which does not usually advertise in newspapers - preferring the monthly color circular - will run full-page ads in 15 major markets and 35 secondary markets, Mona Williams, the vice president for communications, said yesterday. Next week, Wal-Mart will introduce seven 15-second television spots.

In addition, Wal-Mart, with $253 billion in sales last year, will run an Internet "circular" for the first time, giving it flexibility to reduce prices again if the competition gets too aggressive.
posted by Kevin at 6:50 AM

Longtime Cryptogon reader, TL, donated $100. Wow. I don't know if my mouth dropped open further when I saw the email from Paypal, or when I heard the fingerprint/retina scan/ID card news from Falluja.

Thanks again, TL.
posted by Kevin at 6:38 AM

Keep buying that crap from WalMart!

China's military has launched the first of a new class of ballistic missile submarines in what defense officials view as a major step forward in Beijing's strategic weapons program.

The new 094-class submarine was launched in late July and when fully operational in the next year or two will be the first submarine to carry the underwater-launched version of China's new DF-31 missile, according to defense officials.
posted by Kevin at 6:35 AM

I will occasionally comment on lesser known movies that Cryptogon readers may enjoy. What follows is actually from an email I sent to a friend of mine who's a documentary filmmaker:

I saw an interesting documentary called War Photographer. You might like to check it out as well. (It's somewhat depressing.) I was drawn to it because I had wanted to become a photojournalist---a long time ago---for the same reason Nachtwey did. He saw photography as a form of activism against war. The film is a somber look at Nachtwey, and the almost existential nature of covering war and crushing poverty. Nachtwey is a weird, interesting and intensely driven character. While, at first, I thought it seemed like a bit of a stretch to focus an entire film on one photographer, I think it worked. I liked it a lot.

Support Cryptogon by Joining Netflix!
posted by Kevin at 5:16 AM

In sixty days from Nov. 25 the new proposal could be accepted, giving biotech companies a major disincentive to control field tests contamination ­ which is therefore likely to increase.

It is already impossible to test for the presence of experimental GM food crops in foods imported from or processed in the US, because over two-thirds of US experimental GM crops contain genes classified as confidential which therefore can't be detected.

Juan Lopez from Friends of the Earth International said: "The Bush Administration, with the active support of the biotechnology industry, is about to force their untested genetically modified experiments into the world's food supply. This proposal should be ringing alarm bells in every consumer, every food company and every food agency of the planet."

Adrian Bebb of Friends of the Earth Europe added:
"Because of the secrecy behind experiments in the United States, no one ­ not food companies, not even governments ­ will be able to test food products or food imports for contamination because they won't know what to test for. This will leave consumers worldwide exposed to new risks from genetically modified foods."

Experimental GM crops are currently permitted to be grown on a minimum of 23,000 hectares in the United States, and some individual releases are over 400 ha in size. The approved acreage for GM crop tests since the late 1980s is over 200,000 ha. They include crops engineered for herbicide or insect resistance, altered nutritional properties, or sterile pollen or seeds. Other crops generate pharmaceuticals or anti-fungal compounds that resemble proteins that cause food allergies. The US government is not proposing any maximum threshold for "inadvertent" contamination of food, feed and seed stocks from experimental sites.

The new policy sets out loose "safety assessment" guidelines under which a company may voluntarily consult with the FDA to have its experimental GM crop material deemed "acceptable" as a contaminant in food. The "safety assessment" is based on paperwork and two inadequate tests that the FDA estimates will take companies just 20 hours to complete. The proposed review also excludes testing for unintended effects caused by genetic modification. This inadequate review would grant biotech companies the legal cover to allow their experimental GM crops to enter the American food supply. And the US biotechnology and grain industries are already calling on the US government to "vigorously promote global adoption" of this policy [2]

Bill Freese, Research Analyst with Friends of the Earth US said: "Allowing conventional food to be contaminated by experimental crops is a recipe for disaster. What is even more unbelievable is that the Bush Administration wants to promote this policy around the world as an international model."

Since over two-thirds of experimental GM crops grown in the US contain genes classified as confidential, there is little public information about what genes are being tested. Without this basic information, laboratories will be unable to look for their presence in food products. This will have serious consequences for food companies wishing to avoid such contamination and Governments carrying out checks on imports. Neither will be able to detect the contamination as they won't know what they are looking for.

The FDA policy comes in response to a 2002 initiative by the Bush Administration. FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford describes the policy as "a high priority for the Administration and the industry, to enhance public confidence, avoid product recalls, and provide an international model" for similar policies around the world [3]

In January, the US Dept. of Agriculture proposed a similar policy for its sphere of GM crop regulation (plant pest risks). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to issue its own contamination approval policy applicable to pesticide-producting GM crops in the near future.

A briefing paper with more information is available at: http://www.foei.org/publications/pdfs/contamination.pdf
posted by Kevin at 5:06 AM

If it's good enough for ravers, it's good enough for U.S. troops. That's the thinking, apparently, behind the Army's decision to test the animal tranquilizer ketamine as a way to soothe injured soldiers.

The drug -- known in clubs as Special K -- has been reducing partygoers to gurgling blobs for more than a decade. This year, the Army has been running final, phase III Food and Drug Administration trials on a quarter-dose nasal inhaler of ketamine to see if it can substitute for morphine.

"With morphine, the soldier's just gorfed, he can't do anything," said Col. Bob Vandre, of the Army's Medical Research and Materiel Command. "With this, he can drive his truck, or shoot his gun."

Vandre said he knew full well that ketamine "had been snorted by people at rave parties" and that "it makes you kind of weird, sort of like acid."

However, he promised, the military's dose of ketamine would not have the same effects.
posted by Kevin at 4:55 AM

This is, by far, the best news site for alternative energy developments. They cover it all. Please support their efforts. (The $5 I tossed in their jar came from the recent contribution of $20 to Cryptogon.) If you can, please put some of your money to work. Thanks!
posted by Kevin at 4:36 AM

VHeadline.com is reporting that this is a Top Secret document. I don't see any evidence of that. However, it isn't approved for public release either:

Distribution Restriction: Distribution authorized to the DOD and DOD contractors only to maintain operations security. This determination was made on 1 April 2004. Other requests for this document must be referred to Commander, US Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, ATTN: ATZL-CD (FMI 3-07.22), 1 Reynolds Avenue (Building 111), Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-1352.

Destruction Notice: Destroy by any method that will prevent disclosure of contents or reconstruction of the document.

Backup Link
posted by Kevin at 3:21 AM

A listener called in to Alex Jones today and said that the Evening News with Tom Brokaw reported that residents of Falluja would be allowed back into the city, but that they would be finger printed, retina scanned and issued ID cards. The Marines are authorized to shoot anyone who doesn't comply.

I sat there listening with my mouth agape. Alex Jones couldn't believe it either. Then the caller played the audio from the news broadcast over the phone.

It's real.

I captured the audio from the NBC Evening News. I haven't seen this reported anywhere else.

This aired on The Evening News with Tom Brokaw on 12/1/04. Here is a transcript of the audio:

So far, the plan is for most of the city's 250,000 residents to return in stages. At first, only a few thousand will be let in. They'll be finger printed, given a retina scan and then an ID card, which will only allow them to travel around their homes or to nearby aid centers, which are now being built. The Marines will be authorized to use deadly force against those breaking the rules.

This is shaping up to be some democracy! The CIA puppet is probably going to "win" the "election..." Assuming the entire place doesn't explode into civil war. The U.S. is increasing the number of troops in Iraq to 150,000, an all time high. It's illegal for farmers to save seeds for growing food. Falluja residents get a choice! Submit to retina scans, finger prints and ID cards, or be shot my U.S. Marines!

Man, if this isn't a victory for democracy, I don't know what is.

Get ready, America. These police state lockdown tactics will be coming to a town near you.
posted by Kevin at 3:07 PM

More than 40 percent of Americans take at least one prescription drug and one-in-six takes at least three, the government reported Thursday.

"Americans are taking medicines that lower cholesterol and reduce the threat of heart disease, that help lift people out of debilitating depressions, and that keep diabetes in check," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said in a statement.

The annual report on Americans' health found that just over 44 percent of all Americans take at least one prescription drug, and 16.5 percent take at least three.
posted by Kevin at 1:39 PM

Mark Robinowitz was kind enough to forward me Mike Ruppert's latest analysis on the dire financial/Peak Oil situation. This is MUST READ information, although none of it will come as a surprise to Cryptogon readers. I can't post the material because it's premium content from Mike Ruppert's site, fromthewilderness.com. It may, however, be circulated by other means. So, if you would like a copy, please email me a blank message with the word RUPPERT as the subject and I will email it to you.
posted by Kevin at 1:26 PM

Dear House.gov User,

Do you feel like chatting?

I will not reveal your identity without your permission. My PGP key is here.

Thanks,
Kevin
posted by Kevin at 1:18 PM

WARNING: It's very possible that this is a complete fraud. It's also possible that it's real. I post this simply because it might be worth following, if for entertainment value alone:

GMC Holding Corporation (GMCC), a publicly traded pink sheet company, has announced that they have a solution for the world's power and energy needs.

After twelve years of research and development GMCC announced Thursday that they have achieved a major breakthrough. They purport that the motor they have developed provides substantial mechanical power and/or electricity, without the need to consume fossil fuels, hydrogen or hydrogen fuel cells, substantial batteries or any other outside recharging source.

As such, their device would provide independence from the grid system, both electric and fuel.

GMCC says their stand-alone all-green power systems are 100% pollution-free, setting a new standard in energy efficiency and revolutionizing energy producing for the world market.

They say the systems can be adapted for powering all types of motor vehicles, including the trucking, RV, boating and golf cart industry, in addition to delivering energy for residential, commercial and agricultural markets.

Related: Several Videos Posted
posted by Kevin at 1:05 PM

The IRS user (host: internet3.irs.gov, ip: 152.216.3.5) navigated directly (no search or referral) to the following Cryptogon page:

http://www.cryptogon.com/2003_06_22_blogarchive.html

The IRS user then viewed the Cryptogon homepage.
posted by Kevin at 1:04 PM

Recently, I discussed the massive attempted "theft" of networking equipment from a New York Verizon datacenter. Part of my commentary included the following speculation:

If I had to guess, I'd say these "thefts" are probably related to some sort of Internet related terror attack that is nearing operational readiness. Consider the Federal Reserve's recent move to a packet switched (Internet) system and the decline of the dollar... Maybe the next "big" one will be the excuse for "The" financial collapse. The Big One. Who will have time to think about that national debt closing in on $8 trillion if terrorists wreck the financial system with a cyberwar attack? Hmm.

This morning, a Department of Homeland Security user (host: hscpx.hsi.dhs.gov, ip: 155.2.3.2) conducted the following Google search: worldcom uunet internet crash.

Probably---hopefully---nothing, but I thought it was interesting.
posted by Kevin at 11:39 AM

Reader AH is getting into the spirit of giving this holiday season! Thank you so much.
posted by Kevin at 6:11 AM

Here's another great article on the dire economic situation. Read through to the prescriptions. They make sense, too bad there isn't the slightest possibility that they will be implemented. Maybe after the crash:

The spectre of austerity measures, wages and prices controls, restricted working weeks and gas rationing, is floating above the American economy, an elephant in the room that the White House and Congress refuse to acknowledge. It is in possibly the deepest trouble its been in since the Wall Street Crash, a fully avoidable crisis into which its custodians have sleepwalked because of their refusal to face basic economic realities. The malaise of the Carter years happened in a very much smaller economic environment than the Bush one; the Bush malaise in on a truly global scale. When it all falls down, 1929 will look like a picnic.

President Bush seems to believe that he can deliver stability while massively increasing public spending; while cutting taxes; while presiding over the erosion of industrial capacity; while refusing to impose any form of meaningful import controls; while refusing to curb illegal immigration; while fighting a war.

Memo to the White House: IT'S NOT WORKING!

Research Credit: DC
posted by Kevin at 5:23 AM

This thing is one of the biggest slush funds for corrupt legislators. This investigation will go away soon enough:

FBI agents searched files and served subpoenas Wednesday at the offices of the major pro-Israel lobbying organization as part of an investigation into whether Israel improperly obtained classified U.S. information on Iran.
posted by Kevin at 4:11 AM

Charlie, a Cryptogon reader, sent me the following message:

Kevin,

Do you really think that e-gold is safe, and if so, why?

Thanks, Charlie

Here is what I wrote back to Charlie:

Charlie,

What do you mean by safe?

Is there fiat currency exchange rate risk?

Most definitely.

Is there a risk that your physical share of gold will be stolen/lost?

I'm not in a position to assess the security of the independent vaults tasked with physically securing E-Gold's holdings.

If the physical security of the bullion is your concern, you should contact Brinks, Transguard and MAT Securitas Express AG. These are the companies that physically secure E-Gold's holdings.

These companies are all LMBA members.

http://www.lbma.org.uk/members_list.html

-Kevin

posted by Kevin at 9:01 PM

Maybe Bush should land on an aircraft carrier and declare victory again:

The United States is dispatching an additional 1,500 troops to Iraq and extending the stays of more than 10,000 others to bolster security ahead of January's scheduled elections, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

The moves will bring the number of U.S. troops in Iraq from nearly 140,000 to an all-time high of about 150,000, the Pentagon said.
posted by Kevin at 8:17 PM

...plug and play modular armament payloads, which include the M202, the 40mm grenade launcher and the Telepresent Rapid Aiming and Pointing system...

Five non-commissioned officers from ARDEC's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit participated in the demonstration, which held was to show the operational utility of arming robots and to generate user interest in the concept of armed robots on the battlefield.

A live fire of all three armament systems engaging targets out to 450 meters in single fire and automatic fire modes followed.
posted by Kevin at 7:50 PM

WebMD is running a story about a new HIV vaccine.

Take a few moment to prepare yourself, especially if you or someone you know has fallen victim to the HIV scam...

HIV diagnosis is one of the grand frauds of establishment medicine. Why?

What's HIV?

That should be a simple question, right? (Especially if someone is proposing to stick you with a needle to vaccinate you against it!)

There is no objective, quantitative standard for HIV infection.

Let that sink in for a minute...

From The Ultimate Question: Do I Have HIV? The Answer: More Complex Than You Think, by Liam Scheff:

"You can be diagnosed HIV-positive if you possess antibodies formed in response to vaccinations, hepatitis, herpes, pregnancy, multiple infections or certain cancers. There are about 60 conditions that can trigger false positives."

And now there's going to be a vaccination against HIV?

The HIV antibody tests detect the presence of protiens that result from approximately 60 conditions. There are no FDA approved tests for the diagnosis of HIV infection.

If the diagnosis for HIV is arbitrary, how are They going to vaccinate you against it?

You do the math on this one. It's not difficult.

Read anything by Liam Scheff to find out more.
posted by Kevin at 6:55 PM

HAHA! Mainstream news is softening you up for the smackdown:

Despite the steady decline in the U.S. dollar, the greenback is still only halfway through its adjustment to the level where it belongs to avoid a global economic crisis, a group of leading economists said in a new book released Tuesday.
posted by Kevin at 6:06 AM

The elite are planning to stop the wheel of history from rotating between cycles of stability and revolution.

How?

Take everything I've been saying about technology over the last 2+ years on Cryptogon and extend it out to its logical conclusion. What do you get?

You get armed, autonomous robots patrolling massive, urban slums.

I know. I know... It's got to be bullshit.

Let's just say that I've been taking more than a casual look at this issue. Rather than spilling the beans on what I'm doing, I'd appreciate it if you would please read this Wired article in its entirety and fit this information into the framework of what you already know. I think it's pretty obvious where all of this is headed.

If we don't do something about this now, our kids will die trying to do something about it later:


Hunting for guerillas, handling roadside bombs, crawling across the caves and crumbling towns of Afghanistan and Iraq -- all of that was just a start. Now, the Army is prepping its squad of robotic vehicles for a new set of assignments. And this time, they'll be carrying guns.

As early as March or April, 18 units of the Talon -- a model armed with automatic weapons -- are scheduled to report for duty in Iraq. Around the same time, the first prototypes of a new, unmanned ambulance should be ready for the Army to start testing. In a warren of hangar-sized hotel ballrooms in Orlando, military engineers this week showed off their next generation of robots, as they got the machines ready for the war zone.

"Putting something like this into the field, we're about to start something that's never been done before," said Staff Sgt. Santiago Tordillos, waving to the black, 2-foot-six-inch robot rolling around the carpeted floor on twin treads, an M249 machine gun cradled in its mechanical grip.

For years, the Pentagon and defense contractors have been toying with the idea of sending armed, unmanned ground vehicles, or UGVs, into battle. Actually putting together the robots was a remarkably straightforward job, said Tordillos, who works in the Army's Armaments Engineering and Technology Center.

Ordinarily, the Talon bomb-disposal UGV comes equipped with a mechanical arm, to pick up and inspect suspicious objects. More than a hundred of the robots are being used in Iraq and Afghanistan, with an equal amount on order from the UGV's maker, Waltham, Massachusetts-based firm Foster-Miller.

For this new, lethal Talon model, Foster-Miller swapped the metal limb for a remote-controlled, camera-equipped, shock-resistant tripod, which the Marines use to fire their guns from hundreds of feet away. The only difference: The Marines' version relies on cables to connect weapons and controllers, while the Talon gets its orders to fire from radio signals instead.

"We were ready to send it a month ago," Tordillos said. Navigating the Pentagon bureaucracy and putting together the proper training manuals are what's keeping the Talon stateside, for now.

Back in December 2003, the Army's 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division tested an armed Talon in Kuwait. Now, the brigade wants 18 of the UGVs to watch the backs of its Stryker armored vehicles.

Four cameras and a pair of night-vision binoculars allow the robot to operate at all times of the day. It has a range of about a half-mile in urban areas, more in the open desert. And with the ability to carry four 66-mm rockets or six 40-mm grenades, as well as an M240 or M249 machine gun, the robots can take on additional duties fast, said GlobalSecurity.org director John Pike.

"It's a premonition of things to come," Pike said. "It makes sense. These things have no family to write home to. They're fearless. You can put them places you'd have a hard time putting a soldier in."

It's the same goal Army-funded researchers are keeping in mind as they develop an unmanned ambulance. The Robotic Extraction Vehicle, or REV, is a 10-foot-long, 3,500-pound robot that can tuck a pair of stretchers -- and life-support systems -- beneath its armored skin. The idea is for battlefield medics to stabilize injured soldiers, and then send them back to a field hospital in the REV. But the REV also carries an electrically powered, 600-pound, six-wheeled robot with a mechanical arm that can drag a wounded fighter to safety if there isn't a flesh-and-blood soldier around.

Ordinarily, it takes two to four men to get the wounded out of harm's way. Patrick Rowe, with Applied Perception of Pittsburgh, said he hopes the REV will cut that number, maybe by half. The firm is scheduled to show off prototypes of the robots to the Army's Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center in March.

But this early version will be limited, Howe said. Ideally, the REV would drive around on its own, with no help from human operators. In practice, the robot would either be driven by a person with a joystick, or it would get around by itself by sticking to carefully preplanned routes. As the limited performances in the Pentagon's robot off-road rally in March showed, unmanned drivers are still pretty lousy at handling open, unknown terrain.

That's one of the reasons why iRobot's new UGV will still have a steering wheel inside, so it can be driven by a human, too. The company -- best known for its Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner and the PackBot UGVs that the Army has been using to clear bombs and explore suspected terrorist hideouts in the Middle East -- is now working with agricultural equipment manufacturer John Deere to build a cargo-hauling robot.

The M-Gator is a six-wheeled, diesel mini-Jeep that soldiers use to schlep about 1,400 pounds of gear. IRobot wants to have a robotic version ready by next year, so it can show it off to the Army and try to get funding for a full line of the vehicles, which would work as mechanical pack mules. The company hopes to be in production by 2006.

By then, the armed Talon will have been in operation for about a year, if all goes according to plan. And for those of you who might be worried about the robot getting loose with a "runaway gun," Tordillos orders you to relax.

"The thing is not shooting on its own. You've got to have these," he said, waving a set of small, silvery keys, which fit into a lock on the Talon's briefcase-sized controller. A single switch causes the robot to reboot and return to safe mode.

GlobalSecurity.org's Pike isn't worried about the Talon going haywire. He's concerned about what the armed UGV represents for the future.

"This opens up great vistas, some quite pleasant, others quite nightmarish. On the one hand, this could make our flesh-and-blood soldiers so hard to get to that traditional war -- a match of relatively evenly matched peers -- could become a thing of the past," he said. "But this might also rob us of our humanity. We could be the ones that wind up looking like Terminators, in the world's eyes."
posted by Kevin at 4:24 AM

Cryptogon is now a Netflix affiliate. I joined Netflix a few weeks ago because I wanted to see a bunch of documentary films that just aren't available from any video rental shop. You've probably heard about Netflix, but I had no idea how amazing the service was. I liked it so much, in fact, that I wanted Netflix as a Cryptogon partner.

I started by rating films I'd seen and liked. Then the system began recommending other films based on my ratings. I've found films I never knew existed! And it's all-you-can-watch for $17.99 per month. I get the DVDs the day after I request them. (Your mileage may vary, batteries not included.)

I'll post mini reviews on films related to Cryptogon topics.

If you've been thinking about joining Netflix, here's your chance to help Cryptogon at the same time. Just click any Netflix links you see on Cryptogon. Thanks!
posted by Kevin at 3:26 AM

I've been saying the same things for years on Cryptogon, but here it is from someone else, just in case you're sick of hearing it from me. Seriously, though, this is an excellent essay that describes the hard reality of what we're facing, and, as far as I can tell, the best (if not the only) way of achieving a future worth living:

Interestingly, work as we know it is on the chopping block as soon as petroleum supplies fail us – as they will shortly, as global production peaks –: Working for bosses and institutions is largely unnecessary, just as slavery has no justification. Working for ourselves and the community are millennia-proven, dating from our early evolution. To adjust to the imminent post-petroleum future, physical work must return massively to today's mechanized societies to mostly make up for the permanent depletion and virtual disappearance of cheap, abundant energy from petroleum.

What people really need from employment is what the paycheck and money are supposed to buy: food, housing, clothing, etc. How to go about getting these and other essentials – without the middle man or the boss or the taxman – is the real revolution. When people get together to collect or grow food, barter, and help one another with housing, no one needs to be paid on the basis of abstract symbols of wealth – especially something like the dollar or Euro which are tied to the world oil market.
posted by Kevin at 3:12 AM

Keep an eye on this one. It's unthinkable that he prevails in this:

A former IRS agent who believes citizens are not required to pay federal income taxes will appear in U.S. District Court in Sacramento tomorrow to face charges for numerous alleged tax crimes.

Joseph Banister, 41, a leading figure in the "tax honesty" movement, was taken into custody Nov. 19 by IRS agents and released on $25,000 bond after pleading not guilty.

A Certified Public Accountant in San Jose, Calif., Banister has been telling his clients they don't need to file federal income tax returns because the 16th Amendment, which gives Congress "power to lay and collect taxes on incomes," was never properly ratified.
posted by Kevin at 3:00 AM

Anyone who thinks this is about al Qaeda has another thing coming.

The fact that people are reading and supporting Cryptogon, and others sites like it, is the problem. Knowing that .mil and .gov does nothing but lie, cheat and steal, and having the proof of their criminal behavior, is the problem. And Abizaid wants more control over the Internet because of al Qaeda...

I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Internet will be turned into a locked down system that requires all users to be "trusted." Don't worry, B Gates has the solution and it will be rolled out (legislated into existence for national security purposes) soon:

A top US general called on Friday for bolder international action to stop the "spread of Muslim extremism", suggesting curbs were needed to prevent the Internet and other media from being used by groups like Al Qaeda.

"Why is it that people have the right to get on the Internet and spread this hatred and insanity without there being some curb, some law?" said Gen John Abizaid, the chief of the US Central Command.

"To me if we think this is some kind of freedom of speech to put on a picture of someone getting their head chopped off on the Internet and people have the right to purvey that, that's not the world I want to live in, and it just encourages this kind of behavior," he said.
posted by Kevin at 2:31 AM

Private banking is all about laundering drug money, and other ill gotten gains. It provides the appearance of legitimacy (and the infrastructure) necessary to launder billions of dollars through the global financial markets, primarily via corporate bond offerings.

Well, the appearance of legitimacy isn't maintained all of the time:

The new chief executive of Citibank Japan apologized at a parliament committee Tuesday and promised that customers who were misled about financial investment risks will be compensated.

In rare testimony by a foreigner in Japan's parliament, Douglas Peterson said 14 company officers were fired, including eight managing directors, for their dubious actions, including inappropriate dealings with customers, and lax implementation of internal and Japanese regulations.

In September, Japan's Financial Services Agency yanked Citigroup Inc.'s private-banking license and charged it with failing to implement safeguards against money laundering, misleading customers about financial investment risks, and other violations.

"We will work with those customers to ensure that those customers are compensated and treaty fairly," he told Japan's Fiscal, Financial and Monetary Policy Committee.

Citigroup has acknowledged that management at its private bank had "failed to establish a culture that ensured ongoing compliance with laws and regulations."
posted by Kevin at 2:22 AM

This is very bizarre! Who are the officers and shareholders of these corporations? If anyone can get this information, or add anything to this, please let me know:

"Still think you're free? Still think all you have to do is vote the incumbent out of office and everything will automatically return to 'normal.' It's too late. Protesting, voting, or - laughably - letters to the editor won't change anything.

Look at the corporate info I found at the Delaware Secretary of State website:

INTERNAL REVENUE TAX AND AUDIT SERVICE (IRS) For Profit General Delaware Corporation Incorporation date 7/12/33 File No. 0325720

FEDERAL RESERVE ASSOCIATION (Federal Reserve) Non-profit Delaware Corporation Incorporation date 9/13/14 File No. 0042817

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AUTHORITY INC. (CIA) For Profit General Delaware Corporation Incorporation Date 3/9/83 File No. 2004409

background info: Transfers: With the National Security Council to the Executive Office of the President by Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1949, effective August 20, 1949; to independent agency status by EO 12333, December 4, 1981.

Central Intelligence Group established under the National Intelligence Authority by Presidential directive, January 22, 1946, to plan and coordinate foreign intelligence activities. By National Intelligence Authority Directive 4, April 2, 1946, NIA assumed supervision of the SSU dissolution during spring and summer 1946, assigning some components to Central Intelligence Group at request of Director of Central Intelligence, and effecting incorporation of the remaining units into other War Department organizations. SSU officially abolished by General Order 16, SSU, October 19, 1946. Central Intelligence Group and National Intelligence Authority abolished by National Security Act, which created the CIA, 1947. SEE 263.1.

FEDERAL LAND ACQUISITION CORP. For-profit General Delaware Corporation Incorporation Date 8/22/80 File No. 0897960

RTC COMMERCIAL ASSETS TRUST 1995-NP3-2 For-profit Delaware Statutory Trust Incorporation Date 10/24/95 File No. 2554768

SOCIAL SECURITY CORP, DEPART. OF HEALTH, EDUCATION AND WELF For-Profit General Delaware Corporation Incorporation date: 11/13/89 File No. 2213135

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, INC. Non-profit Delaware Corporation Incorporation Date 4/19/89 File No. 2193946

http://www.state.de.us/corp/directweb.shtml
posted by Kevin at 2:09 AM

A U.S. human rights group urged German prosecutors Tuesday to investigate accusations that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and senior U.S. officers are guilty of war crimes over the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal.

In an unusual legal move, the U.S. Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) has filed a criminal complaint with Germany's Federal Prosecutors along with four Iraqis who say they were tortured and humiliated alongside other prisoners by U.S. soldiers at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.

CCR is taking advantage of a 2002 German law allowing prosecutions for human rights and war crimes regardless of where the acts took place or the nationalities of the perpetrators.

The group says Rumsfeld, former CIA Director George Tenet, a senior defense official and seven U.S. military officers, including the former top U.S. commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, were ultimately responsible for the torture and humiliation of the Iraqis by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib.

CCR says the action is a last resort after the failure of the U.S. Congress to properly investigate Abu Ghraib. It argues that the Pentagon has essentially appointed investigators into the abuse, while U.S. prosecutors look away.
posted by Kevin at 2:00 AM

Every time we buy something made in China we support evil... Try NOT buying things made in China:

China has been accused of blocking access to Google News by the media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders.

The Paris-based pressure group said the English-language news site had been unavailable for the past 10 days.

It said the aim was to force people to use a Chinese edition of the site which, according to the watchdog, does not include critical reports.
posted by Kevin at 11:22 PM

The federal government is considering the creation of a national database to collect information and track the progress of every college student in the country, triggering criticism from education and civil liberties advocates worried that it would amount to a loss of privacy for millions of Americans.

"An incredible potential exists for confidential information being used inappropriately" under the proposal, said Sarah Flanagan, vice president for government relations at the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. "There is a Big Brother aspect of all of this that concerns us."
posted by Kevin at 11:14 PM

To combat the Bush administration's penchant for secrecy, U.S. citizens have been forced to unearth new sources for information they once read in their daily newspapers. But thanks to a few dedicated individuals and not-for-profit groups---and the Internet---such material is easier to come by than ever before.

So is nonsense and propaganda... Stay vigilant.
posted by Kevin at 6:42 PM

If the mainstream media starts taking the U.S. election fraud situation seriously, brother, you better be ready. In a banking crisis, the government will move to stop a mass exodus out of dollars. Well, if you want to see how it could go, substitute the word Ukraine for U.S. in the following story:

Angry pensioners in eastern Ukraine jostled for a place in line to a bank Tuesday as a crisis over a bitterly disputed presidential election spilled into the financial sector.

"If only they would let me withdraw at least 1,000 hryvnas (190 dollars)," said 76-year-old Yulia Kopran, one of thousands of Ukrainians who have rushed to convert their hryvnas into foreign currency over the past few days.

The run on bank deposits was sparked by a crisis that followed a November 21 runoff presidential vote, including mass opposition demonstrations and threats of separatism by southeastern regions.

"This is an artificially created problem, it's the political instability that is making people do this," said Irina Panaseyko, chief accountant of the Ukrainsky Biznes Bank in Donetsk.

The rush to buy up dollars and euros prompted the central bank Tuesday to impose limits on purchases of foreign currency, barring individuals from buying more than 1,000 dollars at a single location.

"If individuals want to buy more than 1,000 dollars (755 euros) they have to wait until the next day," a spokeswoman said, but added that people could visit several exchange booths and change 1,000 dollars each time.

Meanwhile currency exchange booths throughout the city of Donetsk had stopped selling foreign currency and many of the city's bank machines had "out of order" signs taped to their windows.

Related: Need an E-Gold Account?
posted by Kevin at 5:03 PM

The collapse will be delicious:

The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, says its inventory of stock produced in China is expected to hit US$18 billion this year, keeping the annual growth rate of over 20 per cent consistent over two years.

The trend is expected to continue, company officials revealed.

"We expect our procurement stock from China to continue to grow at a similar rate in line with Wal-Mart's growth worldwide, if not faster," said Lee Scott, the president and CEO (chief executive officer) of Wal-Mart.

An unnamed company official also stated the firm will extend its procurement base from South China's Pearl River Delta to the North and East China in the coming few years.

A market rumour says the retailer has its eyes on a 340,000-square metre warehouse at a logistics garden of the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Bonded Area.
posted by Kevin at 4:56 PM

A large portion of the United States' milk and lettuce supply may be contaminated with potentially unsafe levels of a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel, according to data released by the Food and Drug Administration on Monday.

The data, part of a preliminary survey of milk and lettuce in 15 states, revealed perchlorate contamination in nearly 94 percent of reviewed samples. The results echo earlier findings by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit watchdog that issued a warning about perchlorate contamination in California-produced milk in June.

"The study confirms what we and some other people have been saying for a while -- that perchlorate is not only a problem in areas with known water contamination but for anyone who eats food grown in the U.S.," said Bill Walker, vice president of the Environmental Working Group's West Coast operations.
posted by Kevin at 4:49 PM

Firefox users should notice the Live Bookmark icon on the bottom right corner of the browser window.

Read about Live Bookmark support in Firefox. WOW! Cool stuff.

A note on browsers:

Just a couple of years ago, Microsoft Internet Explorer accounted for 97% of traffic on Cryptogon. Today, it's down to 66%. Mozilla class browsers now represent nearly 20% of the traffic, up from about 2%! I like this trend.

I've been using Firefox for a while and I love it. It's mature, fast and packed with so many features that IE looks like a child's toy in comparison. Then there are the security issues associated with IE... * doh! * Anyway, check out Firefox if you're ready for the best browsing experience possible.
posted by Kevin at 5:04 AM

You're not going to believe this one!

EPA scientists and environmentalists said the two-year study, with $2 million in backing from a chemical makers' trade group, might encourage poor families to use more pesticides. Families that participated were to get $970 each plus a camcorder and children's clothes.
posted by Kevin at 3:07 AM

Is it a coincidence that US puppet Allawi is calling for the death penalty to be administered to the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) Sunni clerics who oppose elections, while, at the same time two of these clerics have been gunned down by unknown forces? This coincidence seems to be more intentional than coincidental. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it turns out that these two men were killed by death squads employed by the US and its client government in Baghdad. John Negroponte, the current US ambassador to Iraq, organized such death squads while he was the ambassador to Honduras during the US wars in Central America and was quite successful at the endeavor. It is not a real stretch of the imagination to assume that he and his employer are up to the same thing in Iraq.
posted by Kevin at 3:02 AM

With the prospect of continued fighting in Iraq, the Marine Corps is offering bonuses of up to $30,000 - in some cases tax-free - to persuade enlisted personnel with combat experience and training to reenlist.
posted by Kevin at 2:58 AM

A third or more of the government property Halliburton was paid to manage for the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq could not be located by auditors, investigative reports to Congress show.

Bowen’s findings mark the latest bad news for Vice President Dick Cheney’s former company, which is the focus of both a criminal investigation into alleged fuel price gouging and an FBI inquiry into possible favouritism from the Bush administration.

FBI agents have extensively interviewed an Army contracting officer who last month went public with allegations that the Bush administration was improperly awarding contracts to Halliburton without competitive bidding.

Halliburton and the Pentagon deny wrongdoing, and say they are co-operating in all investigations.
posted by Kevin at 2:56 AM

The new law, officially called the DNA Fingerprint, Unsolved Crime and Innocence Protection Act, is expected to add the genetic data of 1 million people to California's databank over the five years, making it the largest state-run DNA databank in the country.

The law, approved by 62 percent of the state's voters in the Nov. 2 election, allows police to take DNA samples from every adult and juvenile convicted of a felony and from all adults arrested for specific felonies such as sexual assault and murder. In 2009, the law will be broadened to enable police to gather DNA data from anyone arrested for any felony -- ranging from residential burglary to murder -- whether or not they are ever charged or convicted with a crime.
posted by Kevin at 2:54 AM

A DOSSIER giving sickening new details of alleged abuse suffered by Army recruits at the notorious Deepcut training centre emerged yesterday.

A leaked police file lists 173 accusations of horrifying acts ranging from gang rape and sexual humiliation to racial bullying and beatings.
posted by Kevin at 1:45 AM

Put that in your hummer and smoke it:

Experimental study of glow discharge in light water with W electrodes
posted by Kevin at 6:24 PM

CIA 2004 = NSA 1985?

As part of the effort to keep America secure from future acts of violence, the U.S. is looking at monitoring Internet chat rooms to identify potential terrorists.

According to CNET News.com, the CIA is quietly funding research into surveillance of online discussion halls.

In April 2003, the intelligence agency reportedly agreed to finance a series of research projects that newly disclosed government documents indicate were intended to create "new capabilities to combat terrorism through advanced technology."

One of the projects at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., centers on profiling the behavior of those who talk in chat rooms.

The money is said to come from the National Science Foundation, but the CIA was part of the process for choosing which parties would receive the research grants.
posted by Kevin at 6:15 PM

The idiot Left is finally starting to get it:

Go to JohnKerry.com and you will find absolutely nothing about the mounting evidence of vote fraud- why? There is no mention of the official voting receipts found in the garbage, or about the vote suppression in Ohio, or about the GAO starting an investigation into the 57,000 reported cased of voting ’irregularities’ nationwide. 13 Members of Congress have asked for an investigation into the voting problems, heaven forbid JohnKerry.com mention that. Why is it that VoteNader.com and VoteCobb.org both address the voting problems right on the front page, but the Democratic ticket of Kerry and Edwards won’t address the issue at all?
posted by Kevin at 6:11 PM

Rise of the machines:

Boeing developers say a robotic airplane called Scan-Eagle has done more than a thousand hours of intelligence and reconnaissance work for the Marines in Iraq.
The unmanned aircraft was developed and built by the St. Louis-based defense unit of Boeing Co. and the Washington-based Insitu Group.

Boeing officials said they could not comment on specific Scan-Eagle missions. But they spoke generally of its use.

It travels above insurgent positions and sends real-time video images to Marines on the ground. The unmanned craft can relay facial expressions on enemy soldiers. It can transmit in such detail that it shows steam rising from their coffee.

Boeing officials say the four-foot-long aircraft has a ten-foot wingspan and can fly up to 15 hours at a time on less than two gallons of fuel.
posted by Kevin at 6:08 PM

Of all the revelations that have rocked the Israeli army over the past week, perhaps none disturbed the public so much as the video footage of soldiers forcing a Palestinian man to play his violin.

The incident was not as shocking as the recording of an Israeli officer pumping the body of a 13-year-old girl full of bullets and then saying he would have shot her even if she had been three years old.

Nor was it as nauseating as the pictures in an Israeli newspaper of ultra-orthodox soldiers mocking Palestinian corpses by impaling a man's head on a pole and sticking a cigarette in his mouth.

But the matter of the violin touched on something deeper about the way Israelis see themselves, and their conflict with the Palestinians.

The violinist, Wissam Tayem, was on his way to a music lesson near Nablus when he said an Israeli officer ordered him to "play something sad" while soldiers made fun of him. After several minutes, he was told he could pass.
posted by Kevin at 6:46 AM

I commented on an incident that occurred back in May that might be related to this. You may wish to check that out before continuing.

Thieves strolled into a Verizon datacenter in White Plains, NY and removed 150 network interface cards from equipment kept in the heavily guarded facility.

Oh sure...

I wrote the following back in May:

It would be impossible to enter/exit the rackspace in a datacenter like this without passing through (probably armed) security guards, keyscanners and maybe even biometric access control measures. Security cameras would be everywhere... In other words, it shouldn't be a mystery as to who was in the "cage" where these DS-3 units were located at the time of the outage.

Are you with me so far?

Now, consider what the Verizon spokesman said about the latest incident:

Dan Diaz Zapata, a spokesman for Verizon, said the building had many levels of security - from video cameras to security badges to on-site guards - and that the company was cooperating with local and federal authorities.

How did a couple of guys manage to stroll into a facility like this AND remove 150 carrier class network interface cards from caged and locked client rackspace?

Brother, something stinks!

THERE IS NO WAY THIS IS A SIMPLE BURGLARY CASE! I'm sorry. It's impossible. All I can tell you is that something very weird happened here. The left hand wasn't communicating with the right hand and these guys got busted. It's kinda like when $30 million worth of cocaine gets discovered on a Walmart truck, or Italian Customs intercepts an illegal shipment of 8,000 AK-47s headed to private U.S. company, or George Bush Senior's plane crashes immediately before he was supposed to board the thing. The media reports this stuff like it's everyday news---nothing to see here, move along---and then it just disappears. (The Cryptogon archives are packed with stories like this.)

These are glitches in the Matrix. We are catching fleeting glimpses of events that are so far outside the realm of "normal news" that we can't even begin to imagine the puzzle within which the pieces fit. All we can do is pay attention when veil between worlds becomes thin and make the connections when we can.

If anyone has experience with carrier class network interface hardware, I'd like to know just how anonymous this stuff is. My guess is NOT VERY ANONYMOUS. Some unnamed, bullshit source in the story said, "There apparently is a strong, robust black market for this stuff."

Apparently. Imagine that!

Or, apparently, the burglary story was the quickest thing the spook perception management team could come up with on short notice. Come on guys, how stupid do you think we are? This is a lie that is feeble at best. Are you drunk when you write this nonsense?

Ever hear the one about the "renegade" NSC officer who went around to wealthy "patriotic" Americans and asked permission to steal their aircraft for U.S. covert operations? We'll steal it, and then you can file a claim with the insurance company. *wink* *blink* *nod* God Bless America!

Never heard that one, eh? The "renegade" NSC officer was Col. Oliver North. And in order for the Contra/Cocaine operations to get off the ground (no pun intended), Ollie and the boys needed some aircraft. Also remember that when a covert op gets too big, the spooks need to bring in increasingly older, drunker and/or less competent contractors in order to get to job done. Eugene Hasenfus looked pretty stupid being perp walked through the jungle... As Bush was talking about how NO Americans were involved with the nastiness in Nicaragua. The point, for our purposes, is that these things sometimes blow up in the Their faces. See Compromised: Clinton, Bush and the CIA by Terry Reed.

Ponder on that one the next time the New York Times tries to convince you that a couple of guys bypassed multiple layers of high security in a Verizon datacenter and then nearly sauntered off with $1 million plus worth of carrier class networking gear. (At least it wasn't Hasenfus. He's been busy with other matters.)

If I had to guess, I'd say these "thefts" are probably related to some sort of Internet related terror attack that is nearing operational readiness. Consider the Federal Reserve's recent move to a packet switched (Internet) system and the decline of the dollar... Maybe the next "big" one will be the excuse for "The" financial collapse. The Big One. Who will have time to think about that national debt closing in on $8 trillion if terrorists wreck the financial system with a cyberwar attack? Hmm.

I don't want to get into how the hardware in question might be used in such an attack (mentioning offensive cyberwar techniques will result in a door knock from the feds), but it's not difficult to see the angles.

I've included the entire NY Times story below because the entire matter will disappear soon:

A Burglary Foiled by Calls That Didn't Reach 911
By MARC SANTORA

Published: November 27, 2004

The plan seemed simple enough. The building had been cased and the burglars knew exactly what they wanted - advanced computer circuit panels that could be sold on the black market for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The night before Thanksgiving, about 8 p.m., they entered the Verizon building in White Plains undetected and set to work.

But as the criminals removed the panels, they soon triggered problems across Westchester County. Most problematic, 911 systems across the region began to crash. By the time some 150 panels were removed, roughly 25,000 people had lost 911 service.

At 9:51 p.m., the White Plains Police received a call alerting them to the fact that there might be a problem at the Verizon building. Still unaware that burglars were at work inside, a patrol car rolled up to the site, according to Inspector Daniel Jackson.

"Literally, the two guys were walking out the door," Mr. Jackson said. They were carrying two large boxes when the officer shouted for them to stop. The men dropped the stolen boxes, fled on foot and were eventually run down by the officer and arrested, Mr. Jackson said.

The two men were identified in a criminal complaint as Larry D. Davis, 43, of Brooklyn, and Gailican Phillips, 34 of Manhattan.

They have been charged with conspiracy to commit interstate shipment of stolen property, a federal crime with a maximum sentence of five years in jail, according to the complaint.

Mr. Jackson said that the burglary itself was not as disturbing as the widespread effect it had on the 911 system.

The police are working with the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security on the case. Terrorism has been ruled out as a possible motive.

Although the burglary occurred in the Verizon building, the stolen equipment belonged to some half-dozen other telecommunications companies that use the premises to house part of their operations. No Verizon customers were affected, a company official said.

Dan Diaz Zapata, a spokesman for Verizon, said the building had many levels of security - from video cameras to security badges to on-site guards - and that the company was cooperating with local and federal authorities. Mr. Zapata said that Verizon had redundancy capabilities built into its system that would have prevented a theft of their own equipment from having such a wide impact.

Mr. Jackson said that there had been a theft at the building once before, in 2003, and the police had reason to believe one of the two men involved Wednesday also took part in that operation. He would not elaborate on other details in that case. However, much less was stolen then.

According to the complaint filed in Southern District of New York, the circuit boards ranged in value from $5,000 to $70,000 each and, all told, were worth in excess of $1 million. The plan was to deliver them to an unnamed co-conspirator who, in turn, planned to sell them to an unnamed company in California, according to the complaint.

"There apparently is a strong, robust black market for this stuff," said a federal law enforcement official, who insisted on anonymity for fear of saying something that would compromise the investigation.

There have been two other similar burglaries in New York City and New Jersey in recent years, according to Mr. Jackson. Those thefts were much smaller in scale.

National Infrastructure Coordination Center of the Department of Homeland Security is also working with local police because of concern that the 911 system could be relatively easily compromised.

After arresting the two men and photographing the stolen circuit panels, the police returned them to the companies that owned them. Once reinstalled, the 911 problems ended, and by 7 a.m. the system was back to normal, Mr. Jackson said.

Police said the panels that were stolen were each about the size of a legal pad and are used by telecommunications companies to transmit data and connect calls. There is an industry standard for the panels and they can easily be transferred from one computer to another.

Potential buyers of the panels on the black market range from small telecommunications companies to overseas clients, the police said.
posted by Kevin at 6:05 AM

A Cryptogon reader signed up for an E-Gold account through Cryptogon. E-Gold will pay me a few specs of gold based on the normal fees associated with the account. Thanks!
posted by Kevin at 3:42 AM