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The Cia and the cartels P 32
Bill C-6 Reicarnated as Bill C-36
CIA? p 23
P 27
Mel Gibson: “I’ll end up dead if I keep talking sh*t,” P 26
Pop Music & The Babylon System P 21
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Film Land
The hidden costs of your mortgage How your mortgage is robbing you of your wealth by Vladimir Grigorescu
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he Canadian Association of Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP) recently did a survey and found that about half a million mortgage holders “may have trouble” with payments if their rates increased to 5.25%. It was also reported that about 375,000 mortgage holders are already struggling with payments at the current rates. What goes down must go up, and as we recover from the 2008-2009 recession we are already noticing an increase in interest rates. Economists are predicting deep discounted 5-year fixed rates could rise to roughly 4.79% by year end 2011. It’s very important to keep an eye on these rates, and your mortgage so that you can change your strategy accordingly and won’t end up in any financial trouble. When you set up your mortgage, did your lender run the numbers to show you exactly how much cash you’re paying over the life of your mortgage? In most cases, probably not! Let’s analyze an average mortgage in Vancouver and see how these rates are robbing you of your wealth. The average detached home price in Vancouver is nearing 1 million dollars. Say John Smith puts a 20% down payment and gets a conventional mortgage of $800,000 amortized over 35 years. The 5-year fixed rate he gets is 4.39% and his total monthly payment is $3,712. Now, did you know on a mortgage like that Mr. Smith’s total payment (principle and interest) over the 35 year mortgage life is $1,558,151? Of that total, is $760,000 cash out of his pocket, which goes to the lending institution as the interest portion. So Mr. Smith ends up paying his house over again in interest payments. The good news is there are strategies available where you can pay off your mortgage faster and end up paying allot less interest.
Would it be a shock to tell you that switching from a 25 year mortgage to a 35 year mortgage could actually pay your home off faster? I usually get this really confused look from people. After all, you don’t have to be a finance whiz to know that 35 years is more than 25 years. You’re probably wondering yourself... how is this possible? Essentially what you do is you find out what your payments would be on both a 25 year term and a 35 year term. You then make payments on the 35 year term while saving the difference you would have been paying on the 25 year term into an investment product that can vary depending on your time horizon. This could be a direct investment or a leverage loan depending on the circumstances. As time goes on, the money saved accumulates which provides two benefits. The first is that if it is growing at a rate higher than the percentage of the mortgage, you’re getting ahead which is typically very easy considering how low mortgage rates are currently. The next benefit is that with a typical mortgage, if you lose your job, you’re still on the hook to make those lofty monthly payments. With the example above, the savings that has been accumulated can be accessed and applied to make mortgage payments protecting you in such cases. While this strategy will not fit everyone, it is only one of an almost countless arsenal of tools I use on a regular basis with clients. Generally, banks cannot not offer these strategies and even if they could, would not likely be too transparent to offer them since it means that the mortgage vice-grips can be removed faster. Banks have always been in control, it’s time for a change.
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by C o r e y T. A b e l l
ancouver City has become well known for many things. These things range from whales, clocks that spew out steam, mountains and islands and of course a….film industry. This city has even made enough of a contribution to earn the title of Hollywood North. Oh Hollywood, the glamorous paradise in California where stars are made. Oh Hollywood North, the site of a massive sporting event, some studios and twilight shootings. Is the city living up to its glamorous title? Or are we just another dream-breaking destination for wanna-be film stars? James Clayton is an aspiring writer and producer, but more notably an up and coming star in the Canadian film industry. From a spot on “K19 The Widow Maker” to his lead feature in the latest movie “Foodland”, Clayton has been working and training all over the continent in his search for critical success and artistic fulfilment. I was fortunate enough to have a brief conversation with James about his life in Hollywood North, his goals and of course his new movie. C.A. - So James you are currently working and living in Vancouver. It has been proclaimed, in the past, as an industry hub. How have you noticed the change? J.C. - Vancouver is predominately a service based market; American company’s come up and use the local actors to fill in the gaps of the projects. That’s not to say there are not a lot of Vancouver talents being cast in large roles. It just that the pool is smaller and the competition is fierce. We’re competing not only with ourselves but Los Angeles actors. The action hasn’t been great in this city since the hay day ten years ago. You had shows like XFiles that were creating a stir internationally, an abundance of movie of the weeks, commercials, and many Hollywood films. Vancouver is rife with talent and despite recent difficulties, I believe this city and its industry has yet to impress the world with what it has to offer.
James Clayton
C.A. - You’ve been training over the years, was this to create your brand?
J.C. - I learned a lot of very valid techniques and they are absolutely helpful when you’re stuck on a scene or whatever, but I also find that relying solely on them can be disastrous because you’re not truly being yourself. You’re not expressing that thing that makes your acting special and worthwhile. When I first started off I was just running on instincts now I have a foundation which allows me to be comfortable with expressing myself fully as an art form.
C.A. - What does it take to turn art into success?
J.C. - You either have to be really eccentric or completely crazy to make acting your profession. I think I’m leaning towards crazy. (Laughs) No, everybody is crazy but I’m definitely eccentric. Eccentric is entertaining and that’s what us actors are here for ”
C.A. - In that case lets talk about the insanity of your new movie Foodland.
J.C. - Foodland is a caper comedy about a young grocer named Trevor Wolnick. He’s young and naive and because of this he inadvertently becomes involved in the robbery of the grocery store he works at called Foodland. He’s manager becomes implicated as well and the two of them set off to recover the stolen money before the authorities find out. They even hire a private detective to help them. The problem is they’re all idiots. They have no idea what the hell to do. I don’t want to ruin the ending so I’ll just say that at its core, Foodland is a coming of age tale. Trevor learns he needs to be a man and stand up for himself. The film has a Coen Bros. feel to it, but I say that not to cheapen what C.A. - The hard part is just finding it then. the writer/Director Adam Smoluk has created. J.C. - (laughs) not only. A lot of people He has his own style of comedy that focuses on think that acting in film or TV is just showing the psychological weaknesses of human beings. up and reading lines off a piece of paper. It’s This happens to be very, very funny. There is actually so much more than that. You have to a distinctive style emerging. He’s going to be a be good-it takes a lot of work to be good. You great director and make many great films. got to create a foundation to act upon; you got to make a brand that you can sell. Its easy to C.A. - Do you feel like you have hit a high read lines but to read lines in your own way is point with being a part of this production? actually difficult. J.C. - Yes most definitely. If Adam hadn’t believed in a young, prairie boy, my dreams C.A. - Can this pressure be discourag- wouldn’t be coming true. Without Juliette ing? Hagopian, who produced Foodland with her J.C. - Only if you let it be. You just got to tenacity, clarity, and gentleness, I know the film remember that its not like school where you would never have been what it is and I definitework your but off, get an A+, go on the honor ly wouldn’t have been a part of it. Foodland has role and everybody knows it. You can be an opened many doors for me as far as opportuniactor who works their butt off, be amazing but ties go. Who knows what else it brings once the nobody cares because you’re doing it in your movie is released. For that I’m eternally gratebasement. ful to both of them. Foodland is my first lead in a film. It couldn’t have been more perfect. I’m C.A. - So that’s where the branding happy just knowing I made this one film. Most comes in. people never get to do that! J.C. - Absolutely. Something distinct people can recognize you for. Learn more about this great local talent at
www.JamesClayton.ca
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Crime No Justic, No Peace: Update, by Dan Merchant Local Man to Return to Vatican and Confront Pope, by Kevin D. Annett
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July/Aug 2010
Hot LinX No Justice, Life-Choice.net BabylonYoga.com
No Peace: Update
Vancouver
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Canadian Human Rights Campaigner Unites Survivors of Church Terror across Borders in a New International Tribunal Rev. Kevin Annett and group to return to Europe in September and Confront Pope
www.hiddenfromhistory.org
Eiriu-Eolas.org RedPillPress.com CanadiansForHealthFreedom.org AliveWater.net MonikaBlichar.com VirtuMortgages.com .JamesClayton.ca FoodLandTheMovie.com
One Man’s Fight Against Big Pharma and the Health Care System: Justice and Peace one step closer.
JeremyArneysBlog.Wordpress.com HiddenFromHistory.org
Rev. Annett and survivors of Catholic Indian residential schools speak to government officials of the Province of Liguria , Genoa , Italy , April 2010, seeking their sponsorship for an inquiry into genocide in Canada
BloodAndIron.ca Axiomatica.org
ustice is on the horizon for Tim Moorley. Last month I brought you Mr. Moorley’s story, a man who has been lied to by the FHA and left to die in an effort to protect the worlds biggest drug manufacturer, Pfizer. For background information please visit www.TheAgoranational.ca and download our June-July PDF, where you’ll find his story on page 5. Tim has been trying for many years to settle the issue of whether or not he has a hole in his heart. After paying for tests in the U.S. which concluded that he does indeed have a large hole in his heart, he is unable to have that fact acknowledged by the FHA. This stonewalling of the truth by the FHA is putting Tim’s life in jeopardy on a daily basis. Harry Bains, MLA for Surrey-Newton, has written a letter to the Minister of Health Services, Kevin Falcon, asking him to look into Tim’s case. In it Mr. Bains expresses his, “great concern with Mr. Moorley’s allegations.” He also asks, “Why has there been three tests performed with different diagnoses? Is Mr. Moorley’s health care being impeded and why are there allegedly different results to the same test?” Mr. Moorley is trying to drum up more support for his case from other MLA’s. He hopes putting enough pressure on Mr. Falcon will compel him to call for a public inquiry. Lets hope that this added support from our elected representatives will force this case into the public eye. Lets hope that Justice is served and Peace is restored to Mr. Moorley and his family’s lives.
bunal into crimes of church and state. Between September 10 and October 31, in the accompaniment of his wife Carol, Ken Bearchief, a native lawyer spearheading residential school reparations in the United States, and Peter Yellow Quill from the Anishinabe Nation, he will travel to Ireland, England, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia and Germany, to hold vigils outside the Vatican and the United Nations in Geneva, and work with survivors of church terror in all these countries. While in Europe, Kevin will also publicly launch his new book, entitled “Unrepentant: Disrobing the Emperor”, published by O Books in England. Besides confronting the Pope and pressing for his arrest, Kevin’s group will also rally outside Buckingham Palace in London to seek a reply to a letter his network sent to the Queen of England over two years ago, concerning the fate of native children under her care. (see attachments) Following his historic memorial service and public exorcism outside the Vatican in October, 2009, Kevin and his group will also be meeting with senior politicians in Italy to win support for a motion in the European parliament to have Canada and its churches charged with crimes against humanity. “Kevin has become a lightning rod for all survivors of church abuse” said Chief Peter Yellow Quill of the Anishinabe nation, who will be touring with Kevin, and who recently presented a letter to the Queen of England about the missing residential school children. “Finally there’s a white man who understands what we suffer and is forcing his own people to face it, and be held accountable. And now he’s rallying victims of the church across borders. So I am honored to stand with him and present the truth of our genocide before European governments and people.”
nflation rate falls to 1% reads the heading of an article in todays CBC News, and from where I sit here in Greater Victoria, BC that is the most rediculous thing I have read or heard since Flaherty asked permisson of the House of Commons to be queer. I am trying hard to think of anything that has decreased in price sufficiently to conteract the 10% increase in gas prices, the additional green taxes, HST taxes, increases in Hydro rates, bus pass increases, and food
prices in the supermarkets to mention just a few. Maybe in Ottawa you are all fooled by the gobblegook of the financial department of Statistics Canada but here on the ground in the reality of living what I read in your article has no bearing on that reality. I am more inclined to believe that the reason for this absurd claim is to avoid real time increases in payments that are tied to inflation , such as pensions. We pay the extra taxes ( yes Harper and Campbell they
are taxes) with increasing difficulty and such “bs” statistics about the inflation rate stops a corresponding increase in pensions. So sorry we (old people) are such a burden to this Reform / Alliance coalition government that they have to lie about this too.
TheArtOfLoving.ca SuperNaturalWoman.com Sott.net BeforeItsNews.com WhatReallyHappened.com Vancouver.Mediacoop.ca SubMedia.tv TheTyee.ca CanadianActionParty.ca ReFedBC.com NaturalNews.com Infowars.com PrisonPlanet.com CommonDreams.org ThePirateBay.com atdhe.net VigilantCitizen.com GlobalResearch.ca HarmonyProjects. Dragonsuntech.com PhysOrg.com FairTradeVancouver.ca Rabble.ca AgoraNews.org
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he man who forced an apology from his government and held an exorcism rite outside the Vatican last April is raising the stakes on institutionalized child torture this fall. Rev. Kevin Annett of Canada is uniting with groups from seven nations to bring criminal charges and sanctions against the Roman Catholic church and its accomplices. And they’ll commence their efforts on Friday, September 17 in London, England, when Pope Joseph Ratzinger arrives there to address Parliament. “The Pope and his office is legally, morally and spiritually responsible for the terror and murder inflicted on countless children over centuries, and for the continued obstruction and evasion of justice being orchestrated by church and state” declared Rev. Annett today in a statement. “Not only must the Pope and those responsible be brought to justice, but the power of church bodies to stand outside the law must be ended forever. We need not simply court cases, but a radical reformation to ensure that never again will children be tortured by a false church.” Rev. Annett has led a fifteen year campaign to expose crimes by Canadian churches against children in Indian residential schools. He and a few others have won recognition, reparations and the beginning of justice for tens of thousands of aboriginal survivors of Canada’s murderous Indian residential schools. In June, 2008, Annett and his network forced the government of Canada to publicly apologize for the Indian residential schools and to admit that thousands of children died in them. This September and October, Kevin Annett and three others will be conducting his third European speaking and organizing tour to win support for an international Tri-
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by Dan Merchant
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Jeremy Arney If you don’t like what you see or hear do something about it instead of complaining. jeremyarneysblog.wordpress.com
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Vancouver
July/Aug 2010 DISCLAIMER: The information presented herein is for informational purposes only. Consult your naturopathic physician, medical doctor, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications.
Contact Dr. Dahl with your question : docisin.doc@gmail.com Dear Doc,
L
ast night I went to the emergency ward for chest pains. The doctor was very concerned, and my examination and x-rays were done immediately. The Doctor came and spoke to my wife and said he was concerned with a spot on my lungs which he felt may be a tumor, but said that he was going to treat me instead for pneumonia. Then he placed me on antibiotics for 10 days and told me that I may have lung cancer. Now I wait and put the matter in the Lord’s hands, till I get another x-ray. My only symptom other than the chest pains was a stubborn fever spiking for 5 days. I don’t like to wish for pneumonia, but I sure don’t want it to be the big C-monster. Can you offer me any advice while I wait?
Best regards, G.P. from Langley, BC Dear G.P.,
I
understand your grave concerns, but many people have spots on their lungs, and worry themselves sick, only to find out later that it is not cancer. Until you know the results of the tests, don’t jump to conclusions and open yourself up to the C-monster. Worrying about the unknown is torture: instead, dwell on the day and see yourself as being well, because right now, you are. While you await your lab results, why not try the following, to boost your body’s immune system and make you feel better overall: Tea mixtures can lower fevers when taken internally. Try a mix such as catnip, dandelion and lobelia. You can mix them in a tea pot, steeping one bag of each together
to make a good, restorative brew. You should be taking 10,000 mg per day of Vitamin C (Calcium Ascorbate and Ascorbic Acid half and half, in fluid as recommended), over a period of four hours. Note that with Vitamin C, sometimes the bowels complain at higher doses. Should yours do likewise, try cutting back on the dosage by 500 mg per day until you find the point at which your bowels stop barking at you. You will then have found your “Bowel Tolerance Limit”, which is the maximum daily dosage your body can manage before giving you the royal treatment and keeping you on the “throne” all day. You should take P5P (Pyroxidine-5Phosphate), 4 capsules per day, which will boost your immunity to infection; also, take (as directed on the label) L-taurine, which is good for the heart and builds the white blood cells that you especially need, because your immune system is coming under attack. Sweat it out in a sauna, if you can, for no more than thirty minutes a day; keep yourself warm afterward, and when the sauna sweat has passed, cool yourself in a lukewarm bath with three cups Epsom salts and Elderberry tea (steep 6 bags and pour into bathtub). Elderberry is an excellent remedy used to boost the immune system, improve heart health, and treat coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections. Before phar-
Anarchy in Bedrock T
oronto truly is the asshole of Canada. T-Dot is a city filled with idiots, the good people sadly few and far out numbered by a swarm of bumbling liberal morons who would be better off blowing a vuvuzela than speaking at all. Really, the buzz of the plastic African horn, would be both less annoying, and more intelligent, all at the same time. So, I was glad when I saw that the G20 came to Toronto. That pointless meeting was better held in Canada’s dumpster, than in one of Canada’s crown jewels... ie, Vancouver. Such stupid and expensive gatherings bring out the worst canadians. Out come the communists, the anarchists, the hippies; the majority of which are parasites on welfare, with a weak and illogical opinion on absolutely everything. So, it seems that every time a World meeting happens, (g8, g20, WTO, WHO, etc) the worst dregs of our citizens show up for the party. Having been to Toronto many times, I can say with authority that the worst of Toronto is easily the worst this country has to offer. So after a million Youtube videos of ‘police brutality’ and ‘human rights violations’, our university educated (indoctrinated) newspaper reporters will bitch and complain, and moan about how poor the anarchist was to get beaten up for smashing windows and hitting cops. I have watched a few videos of small mom and pop shops getting their windows smashed, and people looting from stores. So, is this what protest is now? Is this the change you parasites want? Hell, is this Los Angeles during an earthquake? I will be honest, I was happy when I watched these so called anarchists and professional protestors getting the shit kicked out of them by the riot police.
In fact, myself and many of my colleagues thought it would be awesome to pay to be a riot cop for a day, so we could have a chance to beat on a good selection of the parasites bleeding dry the average canadian taxpayer. Why? The majority of these so called protesters are not only fiscal leeches, they are also cowards. These idiots commit acts of vandalism with faces covered to express rage... but really they have no directed target because it’s ‘anarchy’; because they want to prove they are ‘hardcore’ in their scene... But you punks need to understand, this isn’t anarchy in the UK, this is anarchy in Bedrock... What you really are, are a bunch of ‘radical’ punk ass bitches, with no concern for anyone other than yourselves. You are little more than angry children throwing a temper tantrum; children who feel entitled to everything, all while contributing nothing. So, you’re an anarchist. You want to break things to demonstrate your hatred for ‘the New World Order’ or whatever you want to call it. Here is a suggestion; plan and focus your attacks, think your actions through... oh wait, that’s not anarchy. Nevermind. So, you want hope... You want change... Lets be honest, you want what we all really want; a decent job, a stable relationship, a nice place to live, with beer in the fridge and food on the table... maybe a couple kids to go with it. But ask yourself this, if you aren’t willing to work and contribute like everyone else than why should you have anything? These protests, they are pointless. Protests are nothing more than a street party to show your collective liberal indoctrination; a way to show your face in the hipster
maceuticals overwhelmed the marketplace with “science”, elderberry was very popular as a household remedy, and it is as effective as it ever was. Don’t take other vitamins besides the ones I mentioned, and take no zinc or iron, as they are not good with fevers. Get on homeopathic remedies as soon as possible to deal with the fevers: Belladonna and Aconite are recommended for this use. Get these two remedies at potency “9X” in pellet form and take as recommended, or if in liquid form, take six drops, first of Belladonna, mixed with three ounces of water, and take a swallow every ten minutes or so. After one hour, repeat, but mix in six drops of Aconite. You must make sure you keep your fluids up, so try the juice of three lemons in water, mixed with four tablespoons of honey in a quart container. Drinking 80-100 ounces of pure water daily is to be recommended for all of us, but for you it is not to be ignored. Adding the lemon juice, sweetened with honey, will help to alkalize your system as well. Do not consume alcohol or coffee during this time. Please let me know your results, and feel free to ask if you still have questions. Best of health, Dr. Dahl
by Lee Smith
liberal/socialist/communist scene. The people in power do not care about your anger, your demonstrations, your vandalism, and their lack of respect for those feelings are beyond completely obvious. Your huge gathering of the unwashed pachouli stinking masses do not scare or intimidate THEM. This meeting you are protesting; the people in charge have an army of highly trained professionals, armored riot cops, weapons, and the law of the land on their side. Your so called targets have employ mercenaries (lawyers and soldiers). What do you have by comparison? Some students, some pacifists, a bunch of parasites and petty criminals... maybe a law school drop out or C+ graduate. And you need to realize that these taxpayer funded mercenaries are directly between YOU and THEM. Furthermore, they used the taxpayer money to pay for all of the cops, lawyers (both yours and theirs), and the vandalism you caused. So here is your end result; you didn’t affect them negatively, you didn’t affect yourself because you’re probably on the dole. You just effected the average joe; the guy who pays the taxes; the guys and gals who were working while you were fucked up on booze or drugs, and smashing things in the street. Regardless of how much you scream about the NWO, you all bleat the slogans you learned in your overpriced university communist indoctrination classes, and at the Starbucks you are qualified to work at with your useless philosophy degree. So you want to make change, I get that. However, you need the regular everyday people on your side.
But, in order to have both the ability to make change; to get the average Canadian on your side, you first need to get some balls; then some brains, and start making individuals accountable for their actions. Until you are willing to do that; to step up, stand tall, and commit yourselves to a series of strategic and direct actions that would have a negative political impact on key individuals, this country will continue to degrade to the status of the third world. Please understand; my writings are not a call to arms or a call for the use of force. Rather, they are a call to the few honest barristers among us to find ways to seek legal retribution against corrupt and dishonest members of government, and to affect their personal wealth and careers through civil and legal means, as we all know that speech inciting violence is of course illegal in this country. As of this moment, your protesting and vandalism is doing nothing but making the situation much worse for your average Canadian citizen. What your collective, thoughtless, pointless and cowardly actions in reality have accomplished is to make it easy for our openly traded members of parliament to enact laws that will ensure that we have less rights than ever before. Thanks again you professional parasites, thank you for making it harder on the average joe.
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is time to say goodbye to the milleniumsold monster that we had all come to accept as a fixture in our lives. Letting go will not be easy, as the creature had such an impact on the lives of every one of us. This is the the story of its’ horrible life. Our monetary system was a Ponzi scheme. A racket whereby ‘investors’ were duped into putting their money into a ‘sure thing’ which rewarded them with ‘too good to be true dividends and zero risk. What the ‘investors’ didn’t know, was that they were getting paid off by the next sucker’s investment money. As long as they kept it flowing and growing, the scam worked. When the scam was inevitably exposed, the con (confidence) men, scurried away like cockroaches with their loot. In the case of our monetary system, the con men were the investment banks, and some of the investments were your bank deposits, but you didn’t know it. They actually leveraged your deposits and debts into more than 10 times their actual value, and used that to speculate (legalized gambling) on stocks, bonds, commodities, derivatives and hedge funds. Not only was this grossly unethical, but it used to be illegal. The Glass Steagall Act outlawed this practice and put a firewall between commercial and speculative banking. Imagine that you ask me to hold onto your wallet (containing $100) while you go swimming, and I run over to the casino and
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buy $1,000 in chips to play roulette. (In reality, if I win on my ‘bet’ it drives up the prices of things everyone needslike food, medicine, gas, fertilizers and the right to expell CO2/breathe). If I lose 10% of the money, i’m in trouble, because I only have an hour to get back to you with the money, and I don’t have the money to cover the other $900, so I bet harder. I keep betting until the entire $1000 is in play, and it is all riding on the outcome of a ball spinning around a wheel. I’m not broke until the ball stops rolling. When the inevitable happens, I have to face the music. What was backing the other $900 that I was betting? Well I have an Xbox, and my family is good for the rest. This is what the banks are saying, “I have some deposits and mortgages, and the people of (Canada) are good for the rest.” Some of these banks (rhymes with “gaping organ-face” and “cold ham snacks”) have 65 to 1 exposure ratios, which means they only have $1 in physical assets for every $65 they have on the roullette wheel. Well, for the world monetary system, the ball is on its final bounce, and the writing is on the walls that nobody won this round. The losers don’t have enough to pay the winners, and the winners are going bankrupt because their debts were dependant on the payouts from the losers. I am writing this eulogy, in hopes that this ‘sovereign debt crisis’ is the last harrah that it appears to be. So, what’s all this talk about bailouts and saving the system? When a ‘too big to fail’ Ponzisite bank goes bankrupt, it is the duty of any corporatist sellout government to foot the bill at the expense of its’ citizens. Almost all the world’s nations have sold their sovereignty to private international banks, which create money at a whim to bailout their fellow parasites. When money is created arbitrarily, it causes the money supply to be diluted because no additional wealth is created to balance out the inflation. Therefore, the value of your savings decreases and taxes
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are increased, as the banks quietly siphon out the difference. Since ‘he who makes the gold makes the rules,’ banking cartels call all the shots when it comes to economy. This means they save their friends when their bets go bad, or when too many of their ‘investors’ try to cash out their chips at once. It means that nations can be forced to privatize all their resources, and sell for pennies to friends of the IMF. It means a crisis can be easily induced, at which time a loan can be arranged, but with ‘conditionalities’. Conditionalities usually include austerity, meaning a severe reduction in social services, and public funding for things like education, infrastructure, social insurance, pensions, health care etc.. All these things are sacrificed so the system can continue a little longer, and so the people can be brought further into debt slavery, as the criminal banking syndicates further consolidate their power. The good news is that this system is predatory and self destructive by nature. It is an empire that survives only by destroying and feeding off of the weak and vulnerable. It must perpetually eat as it grows exponentially until it cannot possibly be supported by the diminishing host. Why is that good? As we can see today, it is now evident that this system has the seeds of its’ own destruction sewn into its’ very skin. This is because there is no investment in the future, no development; nothing but greedy exploitation and looting; it is limited to the existing food source, and that food source has been exhausted. It is clear that the cannibals are growing desperately hungry, and their reign
The V-Spot www.theartofloving.ca Dear Rubenesque,
Dear Vera, I am a young woman who is overweight. I am unhappy with my body, so I find it hard to show it to my husband, and do not enjoy sex as much as I did when I was proud of it. I know my husband is attracted to slim women, and I find it hard to believe he finds me sexy. Do you have any tips for someone with hang ups like mine? - Rubenesque in Richmond
The primary issue here is you are young, overweight and unhappy with your body. Most behaviour we do we do for a reason. Ask yourself what’s the payoff for me getting fat (Yes I am using the fat word here). Only you know the answer. When did you start packing it on? What was going on emotionally for you at that time in your life and what’s going on now? Simple tip which is a no brainer…EAT LESS & EXERCISE MORE! Start with small changes you can manage...no treats after dinner, smaller portions and no deserts etc….If you become unhappy enough, you will take action to lose weight for yourself and not because your husband is attracted to slim women. If you cannot do it on your
own, get help or support like a coach or a therapist. Guys are turned on by women who have confidence and enthusiasm about sex. If you are wavering in this department because of your unhappiness with your selfimage and low self-esteem, it will show up in more areas than just your pant size. Of course you could just build your confidence and decide that you are going to live your life as a big beautiful woman. But it may not be what holds your loving husband in the marriage for the long term depending on how important it is for him to have a slim lover. As we change and evolve our partners always don’t follow suit. It’s up to you darling to take the next step!
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is all but over. There will be much suffering as everything we thought had value is painfully adjusted to realistic valuations. Much that we have come to take for granted will soon be little more than a memory. This comes with the inevitable collapse of the system that makes virtual slaves of us all. It will not be easy, but those of us that understand it will survive, and flourish in the renaissance that follows. We must be the leaders that take advantage of the chaos that follows, and use the opportunity to build something beautiful. Our system will have no ponzi schemes, no gambling, no trillionaires, no wars, and no bailouts. What should you do to prepare for this onrushing collapse? Cash out all your chips, and trade them for tangible things of real value to your survival and well being. Do it while the chips still have value, because the casino can make all the chips they want, and their games are rigged. Do it before the casino realizes there’s $1.4 quadrillion in chips, and only 140 trillion in wealth. The chips and dollars only have the value we place on them, and the great awakening promises a big adjustment. The ball is about to bounce. Website - www.axiomatica.org Forums - www.axiomatica.ning.com Facebook - www.facebook.com/axiomatica.org Facebook Group - www.facebook.com/group. php?gid=338677557538 Twitter - www.twitter.com/axiomatica_org Radio Archives - www.archive.org/search. php?query=kevin%20kelso Youtube - www.youtube.com/user/NeoMorpheus911
With vera Zyla,
otherwise known as V to my inner circle. Suffice to say that all that is sexual is my passion and if I am not talking and teaching seminars on the topic I am reading about it or doing it! I acquired a degree as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Acupuncturist prior to the career shift into the pleasure realms so my knowledge has a holistic Taoist bent at times. After discovering this passion for pleasure I helped pioneer a unique education based sex shop in Kits called The Art of Loving. After 8 successful years and many learning opportunities that involved the latest research, state of the art toys, the sex positive community, the kink world as well as hearing thousands of personal stories from people, I am here to offer up my knowledge. So send me those burning questions or maybe those flirting thoughts about something you can’t bring yourself to talk to your intimates about. I hope to share my V-verbiage and answer your questions straight up with zero Viagra.
v_spot@TheAgoraNational.ca
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July/Aug 2010 2010 June/July
Against The HST? Give Your MLA The BOOT!
Fed up with spineless politicians who are unwilling to listen to their constituents? Tired of the lies about how the HST will be good for the economy and put more money in your pocket? Disillusioned with our ineffective political process? Angry that the Provincial Government doesn’t have to call a referendum on the HST for years to come? Pissed off that Gordon Campbell lied to your face... Again? Cut out the image of your Lieberal MLA’s face and name on the next page and paste it next to THE BOOT! Then mail your glued and signed letter to your MLA’s local office. Let them know their treachery will not be forgotten and if they do not renounce their back-stabbing ways, they will not get re-elected. We are offering a free 6 month subscription to the first 10 people to mail THE BOOT to their MLA. To confirm that you have indeed mailed THE BOOT, we will need a response from your MLA in email form. Cut Along Dotted Line
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Your MLA’s Face Here
I, _____________________________ would officially like to inform you that I am giving you the BOOT; due to your inaction against the HST, your blatant disregard for our democratic principles, your cowardice, and your inability to represent your constituent’s desires. The will of the people is obvious, the majority of British Columbians do not want the HST! You have demonstrated that you care more about keeping your job and appeasing your master, Gordon Campbell, than you do about listening to your Boss, We The People. I will not vote for you again, and during the next election will do my best to ensure you do not get re-elected by reminding people that you are a traitor and a sell-out. Your Boss, ________________________________________________________________________________________ Please cc your response to danmerchant@theagoranational.ca
April/may 2010 July/Aug 2010 2010 June/July
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Choose your duplicitous LIEberal ML A
The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable Mike DeJong George Abbott Gordon Campbell
The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable Mary Polak Moira Stilwell Steve Thomson
The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable Ben Stewart Margaret MacDiarmid Mary McNeil
The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable Colin Hansen Bill Bennett Barry Penner
The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable Kevin Falcon Ida Chong Pat Bell
The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable Iain Black Rich Coleman Murray Coell
The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable Shirley Bond John Yap Kevin Krueger
The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable The Dis-hounourable Naomi Yamamoto Randy Hawes John van Dongen
Harry Bloy
Richard Lee
Donna Barnett
John Les
Don MacRae
Douglas Horne
Terry Lake
Norm Letnick
Marc Dalton
John Rustad
Jane Thornthwaite
Ron Cantelon
Pat Pimm
Bill Barisoff
Rob Howard
Stephanie Cadieux
Dave Hayer
Gordon Hogg
Kash Heed
Eric Foster
Ralph Sultan
Joan McIntyre
Ben Stewart
John Slater
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CO-CREATING A CONSCIOUS COMMUNITY FABULOUSLY FIT, FRESH, FREE, FIFTY, AND FEARLESSLY FOLLOWING A FULL MOON by Katherine Marrion “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” - Albert Einstein magine for a moment ... living all your moments as magically as you were meant to! What might possibly happen if you cut off all your golden Goddess locks at the age of 50? Forced to leave the breast’s alone, as God meaningfully meant, relegated to live your luscious life in virtual sexless-clusion since one whom is so often misunderstood and misinterpreted; surely will not misrepresent her most healing and sacred self. Forcing to look at yourself in the unmarred mirror of your subconscious, you see a beautiful creature looking back at effortlessly youthful you ... What would you do? Biking under a full and resplendent Mother Moon, swelling with the happiness of her own joyous self, this past evening, one single Mommy rode victoriously under the light of her own shining beacon of infinite love. Knowing herself to be as impenetrable as the beautifully burstingopen bubble she was born unto, one fearless feline feasts on the divinity that is truly hers. Guided by a faceless force that speaks to the highest parts of precious her, one guiless gust of gorgeous gratitude glides effortlessly... Upon wheels of wounded wonderment and windswept wishes - effortlessly and endlessly coming true. Preciously pedaling full-circle as she initiates the latest and greatest adventure that starts now and lasts forever. Taking the luscious lead, as two brave boys, growing and glowing under a setting sun, take tumultuous turns playing in the playground of loving life. As gleefully as the birds that chirp and sing in conscious chorus for all that rings right and true. A troupe of untroubled troubadour’s; laughing and loving every minute of mesmerizing glory they are able to get their divinely dirty hands on! Smiling into the downcast eyes of a downtrodden society that casts scorn upon those whom remember to frolic in the fearful face of adversity. Tasting only the freedom of their own hearts as they bend to pick up one more juicy berry, and another handful of sweetest sand, as they seize each morsel of goodness with the greatness that never stoops low enough to lie ..within the nondeceiving depths of their own highest intentions. Barreling down empty cement squares; colored with chalk drawings and divided by dirtfilled divider’s of city sidewalks, walked upon by many and never enjoyed as readily as by a favored and flavorful few. A couple of single Mother’s little men in the making, find themselves at home, with wings spread high and wide, simply gleefully happy to be so boldly and beautifully alive! Feeding a testosterone-fueled 14 year young teen homeschooler and his borrowed 7 year old next door neighbor play-pal might seem to be a ‘drain on the notebook’ of some, yet to this prosperity consciousness-raising Mommy, a well deserved visit to www.organclives.org is in the organically-enriched offering. “To Wendy’s”, we make wise choice to have never been. Pistachio nuts with sea salt, living foods vegan meatless pizza, egg-free caesar salad, Curried Thai Soup, and soaked Teriyaki Almonds; merely a few magical morsels fed to a couple of hungry for life, real love, and substantially sustaining seeds to bloom on. Broken-down Vancouver transit buses towed by trucks that pay other boys with Daddy’s ... double time, simply give more space for a my untroubled troupe to double up on one bicycle after another drops like a stead worn out by it’s younger ride,r whom relishes whatever comes his wondrous way; as allowed by an unanxious other whom fearlessly fosters the innate freedom that one handsome he has so frustratedly been forced to sheepishly shed, as dead layers of loveless life; no breath of freshest air should ever be asked to un-enchantingly enter into. A conscientious cycle over to Whole Foods
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off of Cambie, for a gargantuan veggie salad; consisting of multiple colored phytonutrientrich vegetables to grow a garden meant to gallantly graze upon. Pure cocoa macaroons to feast and fight over; fueling an uphill migrating flight, as any stalwart and well-fed army of supernaturally-stuffed soldiers can gleefully attest. Let’s remember that purest Kangen Water, so generously supplied .. and downed by three drowning in delicious waters of alkaline nonacidity. Multiple mouthfuls upon overflowing mouthful of mesmerizing liquid that fills the vessel, sustains the soul and blesses the generous giver and rawstruck receiver with all that any bestowed upon believer could conceivably be gifted with in a grateful lifeline of a loving lifetime. Following Mother Moon, after awaiting an upper Granville Blue Bus, for well over half an untroubled happening and happiest hour, I finally depart for my upwards journey, filled with joy, aware that a couple of conscious beings are safely seated for their supervised ride home, while the 50 years chrono-time youthful forever ... feisty feline that had tenacity and audacity to spare, makes her conscious climb, heavenward’s as ever ... As I write my welcoming words, at 5:30 am, I can still feast upon the fresh, banana icecream; topped with exotic blended mango and served to me on close enough to a silver platter by my sumptuous rising-son. Still tasting the treat of unconditional love sitting beside me as I type upon the congested keyboard, I am slowly remembering our surprise a few hours ago ... whereupon Constable Kevin Bernardin came to visit after he was alerted that a young boy was missing from his home, downstairs, and complaining that he was “starving.” There is a lot more to this story than what reads between the laughing lines of love. I am glad that writing for The Agora causes a kind and decent police officer to allow the, Mother Of All Mother’ whom feeds all ... to be allowed to sit upon her eco-friendly hand-made bed, with her brilliant boy’s computer firmly attached to her well-loved lap, as she speaks her truth. I knew full well that this evening when we left, while one Mom slept and another young heart rode into his own shining sunset, there may surely be a later un-supported upset. Yet, I listened to my happy heart and followed my instincts. Look where it lead me ... One kindly officer, offered that the universe does surely bring what is needed, after a laughingly noted that I really did prefer the freshest inspiration. I kept mine own humble self open for providence to enter into into its splendid own. The Ministry Of Children and Families shall be visiting me, anytime soon. I shall be asked about the health and welfare of one excited child who played Wii for a couple of precious hours, after free-form play, where he was not forced to conform or barely live in virtual combat, for fear of being who he truly is and what he really aches to deliciously do. Is this story really any different than a couple of un-Goddess-like weekends ago, when the locally hired “Good Samaritan” Moving man decided to literally chase me down the neighboring streets of Marpole; guilelessly following me into the hallowed entrance-way of Sevona Restaurant and more ... Scaring an ‘older’ woman into having her husband call the police, and causing grave concern for other patrons whom felt and feared that “he might come back to shoot you.” All because my boobies got the breast of hymn, after he yelled out his slanderous projections: “You Fu....g Slu., you think you think you can get away with anything, just because you have big tit’s!” Or, the way my wealthy landlord lorded over a kangaroo court hosted by him and whereupon the only judge and jurors whom gladly chose to attend were those un-attending to their highest selves, selfish in their maddening motives for malicious slander and jealous for revenge for all that they feel has been taken from them, since a doomsayer’s day that I can
never recover for them or their endlessly blamed family of origin. Smirking over the hopes of my eventual eviction, asking to have me banned from the wearing my bikini - at 50 - from the front lawn I share with my gifts of potted roses and multi-hued happiest of perfectly well- attuned posies. “You don’t look like much of a threat to me.”, my often kept too tumultuously busy,legal-aid lawyer once so kindly offered me. He actually went on to add that he felt me to be “fragile.” Coming from all 6 ft 5 inches of ‘never to be retiring’ and ever- perspiring bicycling-loving him, this was quite the compliment. No wonder I continue to lift heavy weights in the confines of the community gym. While offering my gentleness and gratitude to all of those whom may choose to hear the beat of my thought-provoking hopeful heart. Bless the fearless light that enters through my very veins and the vain who find others to be
far less deserving of desserts that they would wish to salivate over and save for their lowered chakra’d selves. Give me comfort and calm in understanding that my compassion does not encompass all and asses shall continue to attempt to wipe theirs. Rise above the debris under another’s nails that wish to bury me into an unearthly early coffin. And, best of all, keep abreast of all the joy and wonder within ... For as long as they are chasing you, they are are already long-lost, and fitfully falling behind ... www.SupernaturalWoman.com www.Rawsomechef.com www.KatherineTheGreat.com www.youtube.com/lifeofagreatmommy www.facebook.com/katherinemarion www.twitter.com/myrawtruth
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Permaculture, tour De Australia This is part one of a four part series about two Canadian permaculture enthusiasts and their three month journey exploring, visiting and learning about the what’s going on in the permaculture scene in Australia.
by Michelle avis
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he idea to do a tour de Australia permaculture emerged when my partner Rob and I seriously started talking about me leaving my full time corporate job to join him in his permaculture consulting business. I have to admit that although exciting, the idea of officially crossing the line was also terrifying. We agreed that a trip to Australia to seek out similar businesses, do some research, gain some experience and make connections would be a great launching point. Although we would have needed a year to visit and see all the great things going on here (Australia is really, really big!) I can’t hardly express how valuable of an experience this three month journey alone has been. Before I start, I have to express a big thank-you to all of the wonderful Australians that we met along the way, who hosted us in their homes and treated us like family. Know that we are working hard to set up our own demonstration site and hope that you will come visit us in Canada. Over the next four articles I have tried to broadly capture some of the ideas, experiences and adventures from our trip. Enjoy the journey. Seymore Alternative Ag Expo Arriving in Sydney, we bought a car and hit the road. Destination: The Melbourne Sustainable Living Fair. However, on our way we happened across the Seymore Alternative Ag Expo. With hundreds of exhibitors and demonstrations and numerous seminars (including topics such as aquaculture, soil biology, micro-livestock, etc) this made for a very interesting and well suited first stop – basically an overview of what is going on in mainstream Australia in the realm of alternative living and agriculture. We spent hours browsing the exhibitions. Several interesting off-the shelf home-scale waste treatment systems on display included a system based on using naturally occurring bacteria and enzymes in a two tank process, a vermiculture system that converts household toilet waste, bathroom and kitchen greywater and food scraps into valuable worm castings, and a composting toilet system with chambers set on a turntable. We also saw numerous solar hot water manufacturers (Australia currently has an excellent government rebate program) as well as several domestic hot water heating businesses with air-to-air and air-to-water heat pumps, a concept that is re-emerging back in Canada. Australians seem to be leading the world in broad acre soil regeneration equipment and sustainable land management (for instance Natural Sequence Farming, Keyline Design, Permaculture all originated here). I suspect that this has to do with the fact that their soils are poor and there are no government subsidies. It was interesting to see the large variety of plows, aerators and large-scale composting equipment which is easily available. We spent some time chatting with the folks at the Soil Food Web booth. This organization is pushing an innovative branch of soil science that looks at soil system health quite differently from conventional approaches. They advocate that the use of chemicals and biocides is unnecessary and is, in fact, detrimental as these products also kill beneficial
organisms and disrupt healthy soil ecosystems. We couldn’t agree more. Being an Ag Expo, we also got to cozy up to a few cows, pet a llama and view some beautiful and rare chicken breeds. Melbourne Sustainable Living Fair Next stop – the Melbourne Sustainable Living Fair. A neat event, set right in the heart of the city. We were extremely impressed with the level of coordination, the organization and the high profile for an event which was centered on climate change and the need to act. The focus on urban strategies was a lovely contrast from the prior days focus on livestock, broad acre and rural farming practices. Exhibitors included co-housing associations, alternative energy companies, the transition town movement, fairtrade organizations, recycling, environmental groups and a plethora of eco-consumer products (including a fair share of green washing). The free how-to workshops were fantastic: how to design your backyard garden, how to start your own organic food co-op, how to make clothes from recycled material. Our favorite talk was called The Power of the Chook which presented a great debate on why chickens make great additions to an urban backyard. Chook, by the way, means chicken in Australian lingo. We were particularly interested in visiting the Permaculture Melbourne booth, with is a non-profit community organization. As members of the newly formed Calgary Permaculture Group, we hoped to gain some tips, pointers and resources for our own startup. Strolling up to the stall I was pleased to recognize David Holmgren sitting out and promoting his book Permaculture: Principles and Pathways to Sustainability. Curious of his perspective, Rob quizzed him on the appropriateness of swales versus keyline design. Next stop was to meet the guys behind Very Edible Gardens (VEG). Nathan, Dan and Adam run a business which has grown out of the permablitz network (www.permablitz.net). A permablitz is a day on which volunteers come together to install edible gardens, share knowledge, build community networks and have fun.We are very interested in bringing the permablitz concept back to Calgary and back to our community group and were grateful for the tips and resources that Adam shared with us. We were extremely impressed with how permaculture played an important role in the Melbourne Sustainable Living Fair. For a concept that is nearly unheard of in much of Canada, there were talks on permaculture, numerous booths promoting permaculture and tons of promotional literature. With hundreds of thousands of people participating in the two day event I believe that we can definitely argue that permaculture in Australia has hit the mainstream. Exciting indeed. A short visit to Dalpura We received an invitation to stop in and catch up with a friend who was working at a farm called Dalpura. The site was designed by Darren Doherty several years ago and when Rob took Darren’s keyline design
course in Tennessee back in September, Darren frequently refereed to the place. Keyline design was developed by farmer and engineer P.A Yeomans and is described in his book, Water for Every Farm. This is a technique for maximizing beneficial use of water resources on a piece of land is based on specific topographical features linked to water flow. The system is focused around the keypoint in landscape - the point where deposition is higher than erosion, also known as the inflection point. From this point a contour line is drawn and a deep ripping plow is run parallel to the contour above and below this contour line. This pattern has an interesting effect of encouraging water that would normally focus and erode in the valley spread out onto ridges. We were grateful for the opportunity to see first-hand this experimental farm forestry operation designed on keyline layout. Over 120 different species are being grown with native hardwoods trees such as Box ironbark, Eucaplypts, Acacias, Casuarinas as well as numerous exotics. Nitrogen-fixing leguminous trees such as Acacias were interplanted with Eucaplypts and other broad-leafed species to support one of the key intents of the project: enhance soil fertility. Another main difference between this site and conventional projects is its attempt to mimic natural forest ecologies in its design. For instance, revegetation and mulching between rows encourages many supporting functions: habitat for a larger range of biodiversity, reduces water evaporation, encourages fungal relationships and provides food for soil biota. With a goal of planting several forests in our lifetime, this relatively mature site was a well worthwhile visit.
quickly moving cattle through small cells was pioneered by Allan Savory and popularized by Joel Salatin (featured in Michael Pollens book, Omnivore’s Dilemma). Although Ben doesn’t plan on grazing his cattle with chickens (as Joel does), cell grazing prevents overgrazing and ensures that nutrients (i.e. cow poo) are distributed evenly. When a blade of grass is chewed down past the emerging growth shoot (overgrazing), its recovery and regrowth is stunted. However, when grass is only slightly mowed, it self prunes its roots, drops carbon into the soil which in turn supports more biological life. Add in the cow’s own dropped nutrients and ensure that the cows are moved fast enough to prevent compaction and... bada bing bada boom... topsoil increases and soil biodiversity flourishes. A fantastic example of how we can use planning, management and most importantly, design, to create systems that regenerate ecosystems. A huge contrast from current practices that only serve to erode soil, destroy rivers and creeks and create pollution. Another great permaculture concept demonstrated here is that some resources can increase with use. Ben is certainly using design to ensure that instead of depleting his topsoil resource, he is supporting it and improving it. Now that is sustainable! Daylesford Organics Our last stop on this leg of the journey was to visit a small market garden called Daylesford Organics. The owner and his wife left their city jobs about 10 years ago to make a go at becoming farmers and living the rural life. They run a small market garden and sell produce to high end restaurants and cafes in the area. What was neat about their set up was the integration and management of chickens in their market garden system. Using large trailers outfitted with shelter, these chicken tractors are placed on a large fenced-off section of garden bed at the end of harvest. The chickens happily remove remaining scraps, scratch up the surface of the beds, deposit highly nutrient dense fertiliser and basically prep the garden bed for its next planting. This means less work for the farmer and an income greatly supplemented with the sales of organic free-range eggs. A perfect matching of needs and yields. To protect the chickens from potential predators (the movable electric fence is not fox-proof), three Maremma dogs have been bonded with the chickens. Maremmas are an Italian sheep dog, which have been bred to bond with livestock and protect them. They are being used more and more with unconventional stock such as chickens, and have even been bonded to penguins. Although not yet in use at Daylesford Organics, the owner also recommended walkbehind tractors built by a company in the US called Earth Tools. These nifty two wheel “tractors” are perfect for small-scale farm, horticulture, landscaping and home-use and are designed to run with numerous attachments. Check them out - we think you’ll agree.
Another Keyline Design at Taranaki Farm We met Ben Falloon of Taranaki Farm (Fusion Farms) at the Seymore Alternative Ag Expo where he was promoting some upcoming courses on regenerative agriculture and sustainable land management. Ben extended an invitation for us to stop in at his place, which is about an hour north of Melbourne. A student of Darren Doherty, Ben and Darren have re-designed a section of the family cattle farm. Where many conventional cattle operations degrade land, reduce topsoil and erode riparian zones, this site has been designed using keyline principles and pasture management to do the exact opposite. The redesign required fencing-off the main creek on the property (which had been severely eroded and polluted from cattle having direct access). To fix the water cycle several dams were installed in strategic positions, with diversion drains and thoughtfully planned overflows. The pasture was then plowed in a specific pattern (called a keyline pattern) using what’s called, you guessed ita keyline plow. Simplistically, this pattern and plow is used to encourage water to flow from the valley to the ridge, which ensures a more uniform distribution and higher retenStay tuned for the remainder of the series tion of water in the pasture. Although not up yet, Ben explained to our Australian Permaculture Tour. us how the fencing would be installed for rotational or cell grazing. This method of
July/Aug 2010 12 Vancouver Something is wrong in the Ministry of Child and Family Development by Walker Morrow
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ately, there’s been some tension between the office of BC’s children and family watchdog and the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). Indeed, the watchdog, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, has been engaged in a minor series of skirmishes with the minister in charge of the MCFD – Mary Polak – for quite some time now. It seemed to come to a head a few months ago when Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, trudging toward an end to her audit of the MCFD’s Child in the Home of a Relative program, asked for access to certain cabinet documents in her capacity as the children and families representative. Just one problem: the government didn’t want to release those cabinet documents to Mrs. Turpel-Lafond. They wanted to keep the documents private, and while they didn’t have any particular problem with Mrs. Turpel-Lafond seeing them, they didn’t trust her not to release the information contained within to the public. That Mrs. Turpel-Lafond is a highly-trained professional with years of experience in just such matters of disclosure apparently didn’t matter. The BC government had a point to prove, and they set out to prove it. In fact, they threatened to enact retroactive legislation to enforce their sense of privacy. So what did Mrs. Turpel-Lafond do? Well, she took the BC government to court for disclosure. And won. But there was still the matter of that pesky legislation, which the government had not rescinded even upon being slapped down in court. It was only after Ted Hughes – the BC political powerhouse upon whose recommendation Mrs. Turp e l - L a f o n d ’s position even exists – stepped in to mediate the dispute that the government finally agreed not to pass their legislation and gave Mrs. Turpel-Lafond access to the documents that she wanted to see. Upon which point Mary Polak began to insist that this was just the sort of outcome that she’d been hoping for all along - apparently forgetting the stonewalling that she’d been subjecting Mrs. Turpel-Lafond to in the past. But that’s just the beginning. Because, you see, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond did finally end up finishing her report on the Child in the Home of a Relative program, just last month. Her diagnosis? Well, the program, which has placed around 4,500 children without proper parental care into the homes of their relatives (duh), and which is providing these new caregivers with monthly assistance payments, lacks proper background checks. In fact, the report recommended that all adults in the program be immediately rescreened. Are chills running up and down your spine yet? How about if I told you that Mrs. Turpel-Lafond’s report also happened to mention that because of this inadequacy in background checks, some of the adults in the program had criminal records for child-care concerns in the past, or for assault? Or that the report estimated around twenty-eight percent of children in the program were at risk? Worried yet? Mrs. TurpelLafond certainly was, saying, according to the Times Colonist’s report on the matter: “Some children today are left at risk of potential harm. We’ve seen in the past the cases where that potential became a tragic reality.”
She was referring to the death of Percy Tooshley in 1997. Percy was starved and beaten by caregivers who were all the while receiving assistance from, you guessed it, the Child in the Home of a Relative program. This prompted calls for greater safety measures within the program at the time – just as Mrs. Turpel-Lafond is calling for them now. But no matter how concerned Mrs. TurpelLafond was, Mary Polak certainly didn’t seem too worried, because she completely ignored the children and youth representative’s recommendations, saying: “[W]e’re not going to go back and retroactively screen unless there is some indication that we ought to be concerned based on a child-protection matter.” Concern which, of course, had just been provided by the children and families representative. But then, if the BC government ever did get concerned it would have to fork over a lot of money to overhaul the checks in the Child in the Home of a Relative program. And why spend all that money? Particularly when you can get in a good jab at someone who has caused embarrassment to your administration in the past by not doing so. Perhaps I’m being cynical, but there seems to be little reason for the government or the Ministry of Children and Family Development to ignore Mrs. Turpel-Lafond’s report. She provided multiple areas of concern which need to be addressed and there are very few arguments – other than money, other than pride – which would exclude immediate action in response. The Child in the Home of a Relative program was replaced with another, ostensibly better, program by the MCFD last spring, but there are thousands of children still under its purview. And quite frankly, one gets the impression that Mary Polak just doesn’t care. Certainly, she seems to care less about the children it is her job to care for than she does about scoring political points with someone who has given her, and her government, a black eye. She is putting childrens’ lives in danger doing so, wasting precious time and taxpayers’ dollars fighting in court rather than working toward a solution to clear and obvious problems. In short, Mary Polak isn’t doing her job. Perhaps it’s time we started asking ourselves why we’re allowing her to do so on the public dime.
Mary Polak just doesn’t care. Certainly, she seems to care less about the children it is her job to care for than she does about scoring political points with someone who has given her, and her government, a black eye.
Any comments, love notes, or hate mail? Drop me a line or four at dresdenmorrow@ gmail.com, or give me grief on Twitter @ wmorrow1. Sources: 1) http://www.timescolonist.com/news/ todays-paper/Poor+checks+relatives+kids+risk +report/3160392/story.html 2) http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/BCPolitics/2010/05/27/ChildCabinet/ 3) http://www.publiceyeonline.com/archives/004961.html 4) http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/BCPolitics/2010/04/30/RightInfo/ 5) http://www.publiceyeonline.com/archives/005029.html
Apocalypse for Dummies: Peak What?
I
t would take my friend Susan about 6 months of dropping hints and invitations to watch this or that documentary before I made some time to listen to her. It makes more sense now, but I had really never thought about it before. Peak oil? My first contact with this information was much like being told there are aliens landing on planet Earth. I mean, I am a fairly bright girl but wrapping my head around this concept was a challenge I was not ready to take on. But are we ever truly ready for the BIG news? So there I was, a “dummy” staring at the screen long after the film was done. Being born in a country that is considered an unstable region and constantly surrounded by war machines in my childhood, I wasn’t quick to disregard the information. I was born and raised in the civil war in Former Yugoslavia. We grew up knowing that anything can happen. War can start. A bomb can explode. There could be shortages of food or gas. We could wait in hours long lineups to get both. I guess living in an affluent country for the past 6 years has wiped my memory clean and it all seemed like a bad dream, what once used to be daily living. Nevertheless, when faced with this seriously disturbing fact it all came back like riding a bike. Peak oil. Fossil fuels are the bloodstream of industral human civilization. As a matter a fact, everything we currently regard to as civilization was built upon the discovery of oil. We use it to manufacture everything, drive, fly and fertilize the land. Our agriculture is entirely dependent on fossil fuels. Look around you. Everything your eyes land on has some plastic component. We use fossil fuels to build stuff, and build stuff that builds stuff. Oil runs deep into our lives. Not many of the necessities and commodities we enjoy today would be possible without it. We have explored our entire planet and we dared to reach for the stars thanks to the black liquid. We made movies, we created the Internet. We connected. Our lives in many ways became easier and more meaningful. We are daring to cure cancer and extend our lifespan. For centuries we were making some progress in one area or another, but in the last 150 years we skyrocketed in most. Is it because we suddenly became more intelligent? It really looks like good luck when one casts an objective eye. It might be just that. And now we are running out of it. Peak oil. It makes sense. Even though we live on a big planet (at least to us), yet it is a finite one. It means we have limited resources to work with. At first the notion flew over my head. What does this really mean though? It means that it is possible to run out of oil, forests, water, metals and minerals or good topsoil for growing food, amongst many other natural resources. When I became somewhat familiar with this idea I started asking my friends what they think about it, and realized that the popular opinion is that this wouldn’t happen in the next 50 years. According to the average person we will figure it out before anything severe goes down. The experts beg to differ. I went on to research the topic myself. I looked for information in other documentaries, websites, blogs, books and magazines. It was all there already. And to many it was not news. A recurring reference is Hubbert’s Peak Theory. M. King Hubbert was a geoscientist who worked at the Shell research lab at Houston, Texas. He made several important contributions to the fields of geology, geophysics and
by Aleksandra Rea petroleum geology. In a paper1 presented to the American Petroleum Institute in 1956 Hubbert predicted that US oil production would peak in 1970’s. This theory applies to any given geographical area, from an individual oil-producing region to the planet as a whole. The Hubbert Theory posits that petroleum production follows a bell shaped curve, which means after the initial exponential growth there is a peak after which the production goes into a gradual, terminal decline. (RUUUUUUUN!!) Author and Professor Kenneth S. Deffeyes who worked with Hubbert in the same research laboratory in Shell, in his book Beyond Oil: the View from Hubbert’s Peak argues that globally we reached the peak in December 2005. So how long do we have? No one knows for sure. The skeptics say 5 years. In 2005 the United States Department of Energy published a report known as the Hirsch Report2 that predicts about a decade left. The report also states: “The peaking of world oil production presents the U.S. and the world with an unprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached, liquid fuel prices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and, without timely mitigation, the economic, social, and political costs will be unprecedented.” When you ‘get into it’ the peak it self it’s not so mind-boggling. Here is where it gets messy: there are 7 billion people on this planet and the demand for energy is growing. The demand for our oil-dependent production of food is growing. The oil (and all other energy) reserves are declining. I suggest we start thinking of our Earth as an isolated oasis in the middle of an endless desert. This point of view certainly put things into perspective for me. I thought that I had escaped hell many years back and in North America we would live the life of our dreams forever. We were immune to shortages of anything. These days I am balancing my thinking against the facts. It’s clearer than ever that it’s time to reevaluate the lifestyle of abundance we were sold on. It’s time to re-evaluate the consumer culture. There is no endless growth. Not on planet Earth. We are going to be facing, not in the sci-fi movie kind of future but soon, shortages of natural resources that sustain life, and everything is going to change. Our appetites will have to change. Forget about commercial flying, or even driving a car. We are running out of energy and even if we might have the technology to replace the traditional energy sources (re: fossil fuels) we need those fuels to set up the infrastructure for the new power grid. There is a significant time discrepancy in the process of transition. And it’s going to be, well, different… In elementary school we learned that we use fossil fuels to fertilize the land and produce food. We also use fossil fuels to run the machines we use to work it. We package this food in plastic that is a fossil fuel product. We then use oil to transport it to the cities. I forgot about this. I mean, why would the urban manicureindulgent, Prada-wearing, BMW-driving queen even think about all that? Or the Average Jane for that matter….Who cares? As long as it’s on the shelf no one cares where it comes from, what goes into it and how it comes about. No one cares if it was fair trade or not. As long as I have an iPhone I really don’t care if some person on the other end of the world was slaving for me to get it. At the end of the day even if anything goes wrong I am sure someone ELSE will fix it…that’s my story and I am sticking to it…peak what?
July/Aug 2010
National
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Ponerology 104: The Truth Behind the War on Terror “Giving psychopaths power and influence and expecting them to be adequate leaders is like expecting a blind man to drive a bus.” by Harrison Koehli
Goaded on by a disdain for human morality, a drive for power and influence, and a desire to create a world where they are the ones calling the shots, they have created an enemy to strike fear into the hearts of humanity. Terrorism does not exist. Not in the way governments and the media present it. Terrorist groups have long been infiltrated, created, or otherwise controlled by these political psychopaths.
H
uman relationships are plagued by fear. A young child’s emotional needs for comfort, security, trust, and the loving acceptance of those closest to him – the weakness and dependency of a child – are betrayed by his own parents, too self-absorbed to recognize what their child truly requires of them. As a parent, this boy comes to fear and be threatened by the emotional needs of his own child; becomes weak and dependent on his own children and spouse. The vicious cycle spirals on, and in turn, his own children learn to stifle their needs, deny their feelings, and live as hollow reflections of the needs of their father. When a child must meet the emotional needs of a parent, and not the other way around, the parent–child dynamic is inverted. Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman and Robert Pressman call this the ‘narcissistic family dynamic’. Such children, like their parents, seek some source of comfort, some sense of security, but not knowing where to look, they often find it in all the wrong places: their own children, their lovers, their work, some religious or political cause. As much as they may deny it, they are motivated by the very fears they experienced as children – fear of being alone, afraid, uncertain, unloved, confused, abandoned. They find shelter from the pain in some literal or symbolic arms of embrace, yet it is incomplete in some way – the security of a sinking ship, of a house built on foundations of sand. Not wanting to let go, and face that pain again, they shore up their defenses. A rallying of troops to give ‘the people’ – their own fragmented personalities – a sense of security. But it is built upon lies, things half-seen through the lens of denied and distorted emotion. We may be denying that we are in a relationship with a psychopath, someone who despite the abuse and mental torture they
“it is always a simple matter to drag the people along [to war] … Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders... All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” -Hermann Goering
subject us to offers us some sense of comfort and stability in life. Or we may deny our own betrayal of our loved ones’ emotional needs: the child we criticize and deform to our own twisted ideals or the lover we demand to be someone they are not. I find it fascinating how these dynamics of a single human soul mirror so well the delusions of the many. Just as we rally our mental forces to hold onto that equilibrium we desperately fear losing, we rally our military forces to protect us from enemies that do not exist. How does this come to be? So far in this series, I’ve described psychopaths – individuals devoid of conscience, incapable of remorse, and hungry for power – and their infiltration of corporations and politics – two seats of power in the modern era. Manipulating mass emotion, particularly fear, is their modus operandi. It’s commonly said that politicians exploit fear, but what is missing from this is an understanding of exactly what motivates them to do so, why they’re so good at it, and the extent to which they go in doing so. Psychopaths understand human behavior, often better than we understand ourselves. In the last article I quoted a diagnosed psychopath, Sam Vaknin, describing how he used emotional abuse and insults to break his victims down. It was just one example of the special psychological knowledge possessed by psychopaths, refined after a lifetime of observing and interacting with ‘others’ whose foreign emotional reactions strike them as so comical and ridiculous. When this is translated onto the global stage, you get geopolitics and all the propaganda and lies that accompany it. Yes, psychopaths crave power and will do anything they can to hold on to it, but even that does not get to the heart of the matter. If a psychopath is not born into a position of influence and power, he feels like a slave in a system he cannot quite understand. He is hindered by incomprehensible laws, arbitrary social customs and interpersonal rules which make no sense to him. He is not free to be himself. To a psychopath, true freedom is simply license to use, abuse, and torture other people. Any hindrance on that is a nuisance he dreams of removing by creating a system of his own creation. This is the true definition of ‘totalitarianism’, ‘fascism’, or a ‘new world order’ – a system of government where the psychopath is not arrested for beating his wife, killing his enemies, stalking those who know his true nature and threaten to reveal it to more of those ‘others’ who so persecute him. And in our world, the ‘war on terror’ is the means to this end. New words are created, with ordinary meanings understood by the common people, and special ones for those ‘in the know’. In an interview in 1989 entitled “Recollections of 23 Years of Service to the US”, Pentagon insider Col. Fletcher Prouty de-
www.redpillpress.com
scribed how the days of traditional warfare easy. All you have to do is tell them they are bewere over. The new wars would be economic, ing attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for and the new enemy terrorism. This is exactly lack of patriotism and exposing the country to what has happened (see Naomi Klein’s The danger. It works the same in any country.” More Shock Doctrine). But as many have come to truthfully, attack them, tell them they have been know, there is much more to the ‘War on Ter- attacked by ‘communists’ or ‘terrorists’, and ror’ than meets the eye. With its long history denounce the ‘liberals’, ‘bleeding hearts’, and of COINTELPRO-type operations, infiltrat- ‘peace-lovers’ as ‘terrorist sympathizers’. ing potential ‘dissident’ groups in the US, and If we look closely at any terrorist attack in ECHELON surveillance of anyone deemed a the last 10 years, even the foiled attempts, we potential ‘threat’ by the political psychopaths see a long list of connected intelligence assets, in power, it’s a given that any potential ‘ter- FBI informants acting as ‘Al Qaeda recruiters’, rorist’ group in the US has long since been and patsies manipulated for the cause (see the identified, observed, and infiltrated by US in- analyses at sott.net, for example). Put simply, telligence. In fact, this has been the case the political psychopaths are in control of the govworld over. ernments of our world. Goaded on by a disdain In the aftermath of WWII, and with the for human morality, a drive for power and influadvent of a new ‘Cold War’, various stay-be- ence, and a desire to create a world where they hind operations were formed in the countries are the ones calling the shots, they have created of Europe (see Daniele Ganser’s NATO’s Se- an enemy to strike fear into the hearts of hucret Armies). These groups formed the basis manity. Terrorism does not exist. Not in the way of national resistance movements against the governments and the media present it. Terrorist threat of Communist takeover. Unbeknownst groups have long been infiltrated, created, or to many involved, they were sponsored largely otherwise controlled by these political psychoby NATO and the CIA. When it became clear paths. In essence, these men and women have that the threat of Communist invasion was murdered their own civilians and blamed a fictiminimal (these movements were active in such tious enemy in order to gain popular support in countries as Italy, France, Belgium, and West a cause that will never be won. The War on TerGermany), the focus ceased to be on external ror is an endless one, because these people want threats and more on potential internal threats – their power to be endless. And while we delocal Communists and the ‘threat’ they posed nounce the ‘evil terrorists’ and the ‘homegrown to the then-current power structures. The CIA radicalizaton’ of our own citizens, the political funded and supported various extremist right-wing groups in this cause. Neo-Nazi groups, and other extremist groups, were infiltrated and controlled by the CIA and the secret services of the various European countries. What was the result? A series of terror attacks struck the civilian populations of these countries. Left-wing groups and individu1969 Piazza Fontana bombings: 17 killed, 88 wounded. als were blamed by the governThe “terrorists” responsible were part of Operation Glaments, who then dio, a secretive U.N. sanctioned leave behind force that entrenched their power with the was operational in Europe after WW2. Operation Gladio support of terrified was tasked with spying on and disrupting communist and populations who socialist organizations vying for power after WW2. It turned to them for has come out in testimony that the CIA had supplied the ‘support’ and ‘security’. However, bombs used in the Piazza Fontana bombings. the attacks were in fact carried out by the very groups infiltrated psychopaths merely see us as suckers. They’re and controlled by the governments – groups like the con man who says, “Well if they were who were then protected by these govern- so stupid as to believe me, they deserved it!” ments. Similarly, as former BBC Middle East If anything is to change, and if we are ever correspondent Alan Hart observes (see his Zi- to end this ridiculous ‘war’ against an abstract onism: The Real Enemy of the Jews), Israel noun, two things are needed. First, we need to and its intelligence service, Mossad, has in- take steps towards removing political psychofiltrated every Arab government and ‘terror- paths from office, making it impossible for psyist’ organization. In fact, Mossad had agents chopaths to achieve any position of political, tailing several of the alleged 9/11 hijackers in corporate, or economic power. Giving psychothe months prior to the attacks (see Justin Rai- paths power and influence and expecting them mondo’s The Terror Enigma). to be adequate leaders is like expecting a blind When you put these facts together, they man to drive a bus. Psychopaths are colour paint a striking picture. Western intelligence blind when it comes to issues having to do with agencies have long had inside access to vari- the wellbeing of humanity. Second, we must ous ‘terrorist’ groups. And yet the US and its come to grips with our true history, and what allies are currently fighting an endless war is really behind the spin of the current ‘war on against these nebulous groups that in fact CIA terror’. We are arresting, torturing, and murderassets. Why? As Hermann Goering said to his ing innocent people along with patsies whose captors at Nuremberg, “it is always a simple controllers get away with murder by operating matter to drag the people along [to war] … behind the scenes. Without ponerology, things Voice or no voice, the people can always be will only get worse. brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is
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National
CONTENT ADVISORY
July/Aug 2010
BLACK BLOC REDECORATES YONGe STREET, NEVER LOOKED BETTER Editor’s Note: The Agora reminds readers that the following content constitutes the views and dispositions of the author exclusively, and does not reflect the viewpoints of The Agora directly. As an open source news venue, The Agora strives to make available a wide range of perspectives on all issues. As always, we trust in the reader to make his or her own determinations regarding views expressed.
by
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oronto, the rest of this country might hate you, but right now, I love your pretentious ass. The trade summits and consequent police state have done more for canadian radicalization in two weeks than decades of leftwing propaganda ever could. Give the pigs such a long leash and the only lasting result is whole new generations of anti-authoritarian sentiment. You’re minting militants! Modern capitalism’s true nature on steroids and on display for the cameras. As more footage circulates, trials proceed and details emerge, more folks will politicize and polarize and their analysis and ideas about the society they want to live in will grow more sophisticated. All of which makes our job easier. For my part, I wasn’t prepared for what 10,000+ cops looks like. I’ve seen my share of pigs, but still had to pick my jaw up off the floor when watching footage where you’re looking down a street filled with them, only to realize as the camera pans around that it’s the same view for a full 360 degrees. Think of the money evaporating for their wages every minute, and 98% of the time they’re standing around bored! I see those riot squads in formation and think tax-dollar bonfire, but I have to admit it looks pretty badass when a phalanx in full gear stretches for an entire city block, depth as well as width. Of course, that’s about all they’re good for is looking like badasses, because aside from posing for the cameras, and harassing/assaulting/ detaining peaceful protestors, they didn’t accomplish a single thing. The black bloc made its point with impunity, and thousands of other peaceful demonstrators did exactly what they set out to do as well, so the ultimate result is 1 billion dollars to brutalize peaceful citizens and deprive them of their rights, and a police state photo-op to swell the ranks of resistance for years to come. Way to go piggers! Congratulations Toronto tax-payer! Give yourselves a hand fools. Go ahead and reach for some tired old line about hypothetical terrorist threats and see if anyone with half a brain is still buying that shit. Oh yeah, and arresting a geek with some gardening supplies in his garage and trying to bill them as explosives? Just sad ... allegedly he was monitoring your communications/surveillance networks, so why not just say that? Are we avoiding a public discussion on the extent of police surveillance perhaps? Better to trump up some weapons and explosives charges and toss him down the memory hole. A healthy chunk of the activist population of the country got to rub up against the largest assemblage of police and security in canadian history and judging by the horror stories, people have fewer illusions today. Note that certain segments of the population (read: poor and/or not-white) are already aware of the realities that some of us are still getting acquainted with. Aside from all the incidents caught on camera where police initiated violence against peaceful demonstrators, there’s some truly disgusting stories coming out about
archists with too
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Sid Ishon is one of yourn fri on include smashing good health. His turns-
many opinions for his ow who’ve been retired for y punching politicians es for the threat the state and randoml ough our streets. He liv thr ed ort esc un lk wa d years an manity will learn against all logic that hu pes ho d an le mp exa d of a goo ... The struggle continues before it destroys itself.
misogynist police conduct in the mass detention centres which I urge readers to look in to; the kinds of stories that will kill the last of your naiveté if you still have any. A painful process which I don’t intend to make light of, but vitally important too. Mass delusions about a free democratic society and “police restraint” can go into the ground and if I’ve been drinking, you might see me dancing on the graves. We need to look long and hard at the ugliest truths before real progress is possible. So again, I love you Toronto, especially when your financial district smells like burnt cop-car.
Speaking of! Not bad for canadian riot porn outside of Quebec, eh? Closest thing I’ve felt to patriotism since they made me sing the stupid anthem when I was a kid. July 1st wasn’t so obnoxious this year because I could hold the image in my mind. Ahh, the burning cop-car, I’ll never get tired of seeing that shit if I live to see one on every corner. Dare to dream; OH ... KAN-A-DUH! But it’s got the tin-foil-hat crowd out in force, so let’s talk about them. I’ve mentioned these folks (web-activists? e -protestors? whatever) before. Subsisting on a steady diet of Alex Jones, they see satan-worshipping illuminati conspiracies pulling the strings on every single real live event in the streets. For the record, I keep an open mind about the more extreme elite conspiracy theories and avoid speculating on things I have no direct experience with, but you folks need to check yourselves over this gibberish about how the cops “let the riot happen” and “let their cars be burned” and so on. A lot of high profile intellectuals who do good work for the movement have succumbed to this trend, including Naomi Klein,
and it’s worth examining why. Nobody “let the riot happen”. This is simply wrong, and I think the fallacy springs from some weird pathology about an imaginary all-powerful state, the myth of the invincibility of rome, and a defeatist mindset that is as much a product of with no command structure and downtown Toronto is wall-to-wall symbols of capitalism to be smashed. You could spend 10 billion dollars and still not stop us, the rules of conventional crowd-control don’t apply and the harder the pigs bring the hammer down, the bigger the bloc gets next time. Checkmate! Say it with me, they can’t stop us. CAN NOT. All that’s left is to promote silly conspiracies on the one hand, and predictable condemnations on the other. (ie “You’re just a bunch of thugs!” etc) No matter what, certain theorists will continue to speculate about shadowy figures, who sit in board-rooms tenting their fingers and chuckling all evil-like. “The anarchists are playing right into our plans MUAHAHA!” It’s a comic-book world-view, strangely comforting to think there’s real-life arch-villains out there but it’s never that simple. I sent a nasty e-mail to Alex Jones’ cadre after they wrote an article about how “the elites” want the population to riot, because it allows them to crack down on dissent. The implication being that the black bloc is furthering the agenda of the powers that be, agent provocateurs and genuine articles alike. Economic imbalance triggers riots, which expands the police state which causes more riots which presumably leads to death camps and it’s all somehow the fault of the regular folks who actually bothered to fight back. Their objection is that the beautiful bourgeois liberal american dream will be destroyed amidst all the confrontation. Boo fucking hoo. It’s a perspective of relative privilege, politics from safely behind the keyboard and it doesn’t relate very well to people who have almost nothing, or aren’t interested in material gratification. More likely, such a grossly inefficient system will destroy itself without any master plan. Arguably it’s already happening. The deprivation of many, means more coercion is needed to maintain luxury for the few. The system will produce more commissars and security fencing to deal with the disorder for as long as it can find the resources to do so. Then it will collapse, quite destructively. As for the Dr. Evil characters out there, their sense of control is an illusion, as they’re swept along with the rest of us. Come see for yourself next time. We’re the ones who’re mad as hell and not taking it anymore. Smashy smashy!
our complacency as it is a result of all this pacifism-only rhetoric . Peaceful, orderly, state-sanctioned marches have produced a counter-culture that just can’t comprehend it when cops lose control of the situation. It happens all the time folks, but in a large scale event with cameras everywhere it’s harder for them to rewrite history. THEY can’t be everywhere, no matter how big the budget, they’re only mere mortals like the rest of us. WE however, are EVERYWHERE and as the misguided principles that rule this society continue to fuck everyone over, WE are waking up. They’re paid to do what they do, we have no alternative but what we do. Voting is for chumps and peaceful marches ain’t enough on their own, so the future looks militant. It’s as simple as the Toronto PD not having much experience with this kind of thing, not that it would matter except in terms of how much gear they abandon as they turn tail and run. I’ve spoken to many folks who were standing right there in the intersections WHEN those cop cars were abandoned, and there’s footage of it too if you won’t take my word for it. The fact is, the cops were out manoeuvred, panicked, and ran from what they perceived to be a dangerous situation. In one case, a staff sergeant trapped in his car, surrounded by righteously pissed-off black bloc , had to cry for his buddies to come fish him out as the windows of his car were smashed in from all sides. In the video, they “rescue” EDITOR’S NOTE: We would like him and they run, quite shamelessly, with great big bug-eyed expressions on their faces. to hear from police about the G20 events. The bloc keeps moving so it can’t be ket- Please send your thoughts and opinions to tled (boxed in by police lines), it’s a fluid force submissions@theagoranational.ca
July/Aug 2010
MARIJUANA
FILLED
FIRE-
WOOD IN NEWFOUNDLAND
What Problem?
By Garth Turner
‘Hello, is this the Police office?’
‘Yes. What can I do for you?’
debt.
Days ago a prestigious national financial professional group asked me to keynote their autumn convention. Sure, I said, and agreed to deliver a talk on the causes, impact and legacy of runaway societal
When asked the title of my talk, I gave it. “House porn.” Not sure, but I think I heard little fainting and gurgling noises on the other end of ‘I’m calling to report ‘bout my neighbor Jack the line. I am so looking forward to that talk. You know my thoughts on mortgage debt. It’s the leveller. Perhaps the greatest financial irMurphy...he’s hidin’ marijuana inside his fire- responsibility of this generation was to give hundreds of thousands of people with little money billions of dollars at rates which will reset 200% wood! Don’t quite know how he gets it inside or 300% higher. This alone is reason to believe we are headed for a multi-year housing melt. Slagging sales and rising listings now, price them logs, but he’s hidin’ it there….’ crumbles by Christmas, desperate sellers in 2011, vultures in 2012, then three years of mortgage renewals as VRM victims meet interest rate reality. If you think there’ll be housing bargains in a year or two, just wait for 2014. You’ll be able to buy houses and write the womenfolk into the offer. ‘Thank you very much for the call, sir.’ But perhaps I’m a tad conservative. I received this note hours ago from a guy who was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley in Manhattan, chopping toxic mortgage paper at the height of the US housing bubble: The next day, twelve St John’s police officers descend on Jack’s house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept.
Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They sneer at Jack and leave.
Shortly, the phone rings at Jack’s house.
‘Hey, Jack! This here’s Floyd....did the Police come?’
‘Yeah!’
‘Did they chop your firewood?’
‘Yep!’
‘Happy Birthday, buddy!’
(Newfies know how to get’er done)
http://www.greaterfool.ca/
“Straight from the horse’s mouth, the Toronto Real Estate Board, Toronto prices in May averaged $446K, and in the first two weeks of July they’ve crashed down to $427K, putting Toronto prices on a pace to hit $340,000 in 1 years time— but in my experience, the acceleration of the downward trajectory will increase exponentially once the mortgage holders attempt to get out of their mortgages. I foresee prices breaking below $400K by Christmas, and then a steady progression towards below $300K for most of 2011. He continues: “Canada will see the same housing crisis as the States has been, and for the naysayers, must I remind them that Canada did and does have subprime mortgages— 0/40 & 5/35 mortgages (with the 5% downpayment amortized across the mortgage essentially resulting in 0-down mortgages), artificially and historically unprecedented interest rates, and a general mentality that Canada is different, that housing prices can only go up. But we all know how that ended in the States. In Spain. In Australia. In Japan. In Ireland. Sigh.” Yesterday US Fed chairman Ben Bernanke rattled markets when he told Congress the American economy faces “unusually uncertain prospects.” That spoiled a perfectly good stock rally, sank our dollar and dashed hope that recent bad economic news was a fluke. The reality is sinking in that even after tanking interest rates to zero, paying people to buy houses, bailing out whole industries and spending $1.5 trillion buying back crappy mortgages and government bonds, Washington is stymied.
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Now I mention these things because you should know them. Most people don’t. They’re busy buying Capri pants and riding mowers. Credit’s been so easy to come by in our society, so normal and accepted, so routine and innocuous, that we’re now addicted. Using other people’s money to buy houses cars and plasma TVs has made us immune to the fact we don’t generate enough ourselves, that we’re living beyond our means. So, we have the phenomenon of young firsttime homeowners padding around in 2,400 square feet of perfectly finished space in a manicured burb, replete with stainless and stone, while their parents never achieved anything close – after a lifetime of work. The kids get luxury. Their folks get adequate. But the old ones also have equity, and safety. The housing market, and the Canadian middle class, is at serious risk. There’ll be no job-filled recovery here while the US stumbles. No chance mortgage rates will ever sink back below 2%. No planes full of rich Chinese or Iranian greater fools to save us. Instead, next year’s headlines will be about negative equity and the TV casts will feature first-time sellers stunned they’re losing everything. This is the pornography of debt, thanks to the lust for houses. Finally, to remind how we got here, believing we’re different, and could make the same mistakes as America without consequences, is former Stephen Harper speechwriter Michael Taube. In Sun newspapers this week he wrote: “In Canada, we don’t offer subprime mortgages to potential clients. Most importantly, credit checks matter. If you don’t have sufficient personal income or assets, you ain’t getting the deed to the house.” Sigh.
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World
July/Aug 2010
By Callum Coats
V
iktor Schauberger’s theories afford new insights into the naturally correct management of water. This encompasses its proper handling, storage, and conduction by means that promote its self-purification, the retention and enhancement of its natural energies and health. The close interrelationship between water and the forest (AS A WATER PRODUCER - NOT A WATER CONSUMER) and the problems of soil salinity, how this comes about through over-exposure of the soil to the radiance of the sun through deforestation and faulty agricultural practices, are also addressed. Indications are given as to how these may be avoided and overcome, due to Viktor Schauberger’s radical and fundamentally new understanding of the coming into being and functioning of the groundwater table in relation to soil temperature. As a natural organism, water is formed and functions according to Nature’s laws and geometry, the latter exhibiting none of the elements of the straight line, circle and point, the basis of modern mechanical and technological constructs. Reflecting Nature’s principal constant, namely that of continuous change and transformation, the vortex epitomises this form of open, fluid and flexible motion. Through his study of the vortices occurring naturally in flowing water and in the air in the form of cyclones and tornadoes, Viktor Schauberger developed his theories of Implosion. It was through the research and development of these theories that he was able to produce spring-quality water and generate considerable energies in and with water and air. In listing some of his accomplishments one could not do better than to quote from his book, Our Senseless Toil, written in 1933: “It is possible to regulate watercourses over any given distance without embankment works; to transport timber and other materials, even when heavier than water, for example ore, stones, etc., down the centre of such water-courses; to raise the height of the watertable in the surrounding countryside and to endow the water with all those elements necessary for the prevailing vegetation.”
“Furthermore it is possible in this way to render timber and other such materials non-inflammable and rot resistant; to produce drinking and spa-water for man, beast and soil of any desired composition and performance artificially, but in the way that it occurs in Nature; to raise water in a vertical pipe without pumping devices; to produce any amount of electricity and radiant energy almost without cost; to raise soil quality and to heal tuberculosis, cancer and a variety of physical disorders.” “... the practical implementation of this ... would without doubt signify a complete reorientation in all areas of science and technology. By application of these new found laws, I have already constructed fairly large installations in the spheres of log-rafting and river regulation, which as is known, have functioned faultlessly for a decade, and which today still present insoluble enigmas to the various scientific disciplines concerned.” “THIS CIVILISATION IS THE WORK OF MAN, WHO, HIGH-HANDEDLY AND IGNORANT OF THE TRUE WORKINGS OF NATURE, HAS CREATED A WORLD WITHOUT MEANING OR FOUNDATION, WHICH NOW THREATENS TO DESTROY HIM, FOR THROUGH HIS BEHAVIOUR AND HIS ACTIVITIES, HE, WHO SHOULD BE HER MASTER, HAS DISTURBED NATURE’S INHERENT UNITY.” - V.S. Water and its vital interaction with the
forest was Viktor’s principal pre-occupation. He viewed water as a living entity, the “Blood of Mother-Earth”, which is born in the womb of the forest. Our mechanistic, materialistic and extremely superficial way of looking at things, however, prevents us from considering water to be anything other than inorganic, i.e. supposedly without life, but which, while apparently having no life itself, can nevertheless miraculously create life in all its forms. Life is movement and is epitomised by water, which is in a constant state of motion and transformation, both externally and internally. In confirmation of this fact, water is able to combine with more substances than any other molecule and, flowing as water, sap and blood, is the creator of the myriad life-forms on this planet. How then could it ever be construed
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as life-less in accordance with the chemist’s clinical view of water, defined as the inorganic substance H2O? This short description is a gross misrepresentation. As the fundamental basis of all life, water is itself a living entity and should be treated as such. Failure to do so quickly transforms it into an enemy, rather than the nurturer and furtherer of all life that it should be. According to Viktor Schauberger, apart from the more familiar categories of water, there are as many varieties of water as there are animals and plants. Were water merely the sterile, distilled H2O as claimed by science, it would be poisonous to all living things. H2O or “juvenile water” is sterile, distilled water and devoid of any so-called “impurities”. It has no developed character and qualities. As a young, immature, growing entity, it grasps like a baby at everything within reach. It absorbs the characteristics and properties of whatever it comes into contact with or has attracted to itself in order to grow to maturity. This “everything” - the so-called “impurities” - takes the form of trace elements, minerals, salts and even smells ! Were we to drink pure H2O constantly, it would quickly leach out all our store of minerals and trace elements, debilitating and ultimately killing us. Like a growing child, juvenile water takes and does not give. Only when mature, i.e. when suitably enriched with raw materials, is it in a position to give, to dispense itself freely and willingly, thus enabling the rest of life to develop. Before the birth of water, life was not. But what is this marvellous, colourless, tasteless and odourless coolness, which quenches our thirst like no other liquid ? Did we but truly understand the essential nature of water - a living substance - we would not treat it so churlishly, but would care for it as if our lives depended on it, which undoubtedly they do. “The Upholder of the Cycles which supports the whole of Life, is WATER. In every drop of water dwells the Godhead, whom we all serve; there also dwells Life, the Soul of the “First” substance - Water whose boundaries and banks are the capillaries that guide it and in which it circulates.” “More energy is encapsulated in every drop of good spring water than an averagesized powerstation is presently able to produce.” Indeed in accordance with the famous Hasenöhrl-Einstein equation E = mc2, in 1 gram of substance, or 1 cubic centimetre of water, 25 million kilowatt hours of energy are stored ! Water is a being that has life and death. With incorrect, ignorant handling, however, it becomes diseased, imparting this condition to all other organisms, vegetable, animal and human alike, causing their eventual physical decay and death, and in the case of human beings, their moral, mental and spiritual deterioration as well. From this it can be seen just how vital it is, that water should be handled and stored in such a way as to avert such pernicious repercussions. “Science views the blood-building and character-influencing UR-ORGANISM -
I’ll feel better with my Alive Water Vortex Water Revitalizer because: • It performs far beyond any filtration, distiller or reverse osmosis system • Easy to swallow revitalized water is instantly absorbed by my body • It is superior in eliminating waste and toxins from my cells • It improves nutrient assimilation to my cells with no bloated stomach feeling • It has nothing to replace or wear out
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“WATER” merely as a chemical compound and provides millions of people with a liquid prepared from this point of view, which is everything but healthy water.” But what does modern, de-naturised civilisation care, as long as it receives a suitably hygienised, clear liquid to shower, wash its dishes, clothes and cars. Once down the plug-hole in company with all manner of toxic chemicals and detergents, all is comfortingly out of sight and out of mind. Although the chlorination of drinking and household water-supplies ostensibly removes the threat of water-borne diseases, it does so, however, to the detriment of the consumer. In its function of water steriliser or disinfectant, chlorine eradicates all types of bacteria, beneficial and harmful alike. More importantly, however, it also disinfects the blood (about 80% water) or sap (ditto) and in
doing so kills off or seriously weakens many of the immunity-enhancing micro-organisms resident in the body of those organisms constantly forced to consume it. This eventually impairs their immune systems to such a degree that they are no longer able to eject viruses, germs and cancer cells, to which the respective host-bodies ultimately fall victim. “OUR PRIMEVAL MOTHER EARTH IS AN ORGANISM THAT NO SCIENCE IN THE WORLD CAN RATIONALISE. EVERYTHING ON HER THAT CREEPS AND FLIES IS DEPENDENT UPON HER AND ALL MUST HOPELESSLY PERISH IF THAT EARTH DIES THAT FEEDS US.” - V.S. The appearance of AIDS, therefore, and the enormous increase in all forms of disease, cancer in particular, would have come as no surprise to Viktor Schauberger. Apart from the other inevitable disturbances to the ecology and the environment occasioned by humanity’s unthinking activities, he foresaw it all as early as 1933. “For a person who lives 100 years in the future, the present comes as no surprise.” Apart from other factors (some cannot be defined quantitatively), encompassing such aspects as turbidity (opaqueness), impurity, and QUALITY, the most crucial factor affecting the health and energy of water is TEMPERATURE. As a liquid, the behaviour of water differs from all other fluids. The latter become consistently and steadily denser with cooling, water reaches its densest state at a temperature of +4° Celsius (+39.2° Fahrenheit), below which it grows less dense. In contrast, water’s behaviour is anomalous, because it reaches its greatest density at a temperature of +4°C (+39.2°F). This is the so-called Continued on page 25
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432 Dollarton Hwy North, North Vancouver, BC, Canada V7G 1N1
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STORYBOX ALL YOUR WALLS
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FACING THE WIND 151 W. CORDOVA VANCOUVER, CANADA CREATIVETECHNOLOGY.ORG
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All Your Wal
Opening Reception: Runs July 30-Augu
SURGE JULY 30TH TO AUGUST 28TH 2010 FIRST ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF URBAN DIGITAL CULTURE
At the core of this year’s inaugural Surge Festival program are four visual and media arts exhibitions which are free and open to the public. Surge also features live A/V events, film screenings, workshops, and youth and children's programs. Weekly performances in our W2 Summer Nights series feature some of Vancouver's most innovative urban DJs and VJs, with all proceeds supporting the development of W2’s inner-city community media programs. Formerly street-wise and counter-culture, urban art has found its way into powerful institutions, advertising, and art market galleries. This mainstreaming also exposes that street art traditions are connected globally across borders, and open up space to contest the privatization of public space, battles for free speech, while building creative inner cities. Urban art has its roots in the undercurrents of social alienation and resistance to power, and artists can create relevant and transformative cultural experience for neighbourhoods and people of all ages. Surge exhibition viewing hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 12-6pm. W2 Summer Nights kick off at 10pm. The Festival takes place in one of Vancouver's best exhibition and festival venues, W2 Storyeum at 151 W Cordova, just steps north of W2’s future media centre site in the Woodward’s Atrium. Program subject to change. For updates and new screening and workshop announcements check our website.
StoryBox
StoryBox Reception: Friday, August 6, 7-10pm. Free. Catering by W2 Cafe. Runs July 30 to August 28, Wednesday to Sunday, 12-6pm. C
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Five video and sound installations are the result of a collaborative process involving ten media artists and over eighty members of DTES community-based writing groups. urban ink, an interdisciplinary theatre company connected artists with residents to develop their individual stories utilizing personal artifacts as inspiration and illustration. The manifold stories held common threads bound to universal themes. StoryBox presents five such themes as representative of the powerfully spoken words by the most demo-diverse voices. Media artists include: Frederick Brummer, Shawn Chappelle, Su-an Ng, Sepideh Saii, Justin Sekiguchi, Rupinder Sidhu, Lenke Sifko, Cease Wyss, Krista Lomax and Sammy Chien. DTES participants contributing in the media production: Julia Aleynikova, Samuel Beaudry, Colin Beiers, Hendrick Beune, Afuwa Granger, Lenore Herb, Jezebel S. Jones, Quest Kabuki, Bill Lim, Joan Morelli and Antonette Rea.
The centrepiece of th by the dark, Take5, street artists join in w and walls of W2 Sto
Weekly DJ/VJ even culture are also in media works presen artists’ issues.
After-party 11pm w W2 Summer Nights
Facing the W
Opening Reception: July 30 to August 2
In celebration of the Art & Social Change festival mainstays recordings, video a
Facing the Wind is Park) which is in (North Vancouver). of the first, largest a of the earliest outdo BC gatherings for co relocated (for one d W2, this is the la organizations in BC
REZilliance
Opening Reception: Runs July 30 to Au
This exhibition from cultural, political an media arts, readin practices are cha majority of urban Ab are making and exhibition presents using traditional an
A solely aural exploration of the Story Box themes, AudioBox simultaneously looks at the relationship between chaos, order and form. [Frederick Brummer/Rupinder Sidhu] Resistance for Existence exposes four different realities of people forced to hold firm against adverse forces even as they need to shift their perspectives in order to survive. [Cease Wyss/Shawn Chappelle] Natural beauty and magic have been lost within the distractions of materialism yet we conjure different illusions & myths to help make sense of things in Myth in Magic. [Su-an Ng/Sepideh Saii] A suspension of story, image and object triangulate as audience members weave their way inside and outside the Mother Tongue musings of four multilingual tellers. [Justin Sekiguchi/Lenke Sifko] ShadowBox presents a random interplay of silhouetted actors with the stories and key phrases from StoryBox’s eighty participants. The results of this 6-month project are revealed to pedestrian onlookers in W2 Storyeum windows [Krista Lomax/Sammy Chien] Curated by urban ink and W2, with financial assistance of the City of Vancouver, and produced in association with: Vancouver Society of Storytelling, Raycam Community Centre, Interurban, Fearless City Mobile, Musqueam Nation Writer's Group, DTES Women’s Centre Writing Group, Carnegie Centre’s Thursday Writing Collective, Life Skills Centre, Native Court Workers’ Saturday Family Storytelling, Ugnayaan Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance, Surrey Urban Youth Project, Gathering Place Megaphone project, Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society (ACCESS).
‘Summer Nig
July 16 to Septemb
‘Summer Nights’ is support of W2 inne
Guest hosts/ progra spectrum of local Selecta Brown, Age Jesse Proudfoot, C Speakerbruiser Rob Dubbin Hook, Nat Megasoid, Calama Rico Uno, Bles-sed, Ajk). Surge Festiva Catalog Gallery and Radio event (w. B Wyatt, Glory Days MacLeod).
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: July 30, 8-11pm, Free. ust 28, 2010
his urban art exhibition is a massive mural installation , Sensr and Indigo. Vancouver's lively underbelly of with new stencil and graffiti works on the gallery floors oryeum.
nts and battles, plus breakdancing and crowd-sourced the mix. Look for special guests, special events, and nting current debates on remix, copyright, and urban
What is W2?
W2 Community Media Art Society is an artist-run centre in Vancouver's inner-city that works for cross-cultural dialogue, social inclusion, and breaking the digital divide. W2 provides marginalized communities with access to gear, training, multi-platform production and distribution. W2 is committed to community cultural and economic development in the Downtown Eastside - without displacement of low-income residents. W2 operates W2 Storyeum as a festival, conference and exhibition venue for the benefit of the citizens of Vancouver. The 31,000 sq ft complex features a large exhibition space, Community Media Lab, W2 Cafe catering, Sound Lab, Woodward’s Heritage Letterpress, W2 and community offices, and W2 storage. W2 Storyeum, 151 West Cordova, Vancouver, BC, V6B 1E1
with DJ Kilocee, Take5 & The Phonograff, part of the s series, $5 at the door.
Later this year, W2 will open W2 Woodward’s community media centre which has been in development since 2004. With construction nearing completion in the Woodward's heritage building, we are preparing to occupy 8,800 sq ft of space for W2 Cafe, a community radio and TV station, community meeting rooms, Open Web Lab, Creative Technology Incubator, Woodward’s Heritage Letterpress Studio, and a community lounge. W2 Woodward's, 100 - 111 W Hastings, Vancouver BC V6B 1H4
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W2 is people-powered! Join our online community at www.creativetechnology.org, follow us on twitter: @W2Woodwards or join our W2 Facebook group. To volunteer or apply for internships: http://www.creativetechnology.org/page/volunteer-intern, drop by W2 Storyeum, phone 604.698.9896, or email volunteer@creativetechnology.org.
: July 30, 8-11pm, Free. 28, Wednesday to Sunday, 12-6pm.
e 20th Anniversary of the Under the Volcano Festival of e, this exhibition from the vaults of one of Vancouver’s features original art, t-shirts, stickers, posters, and live performance.
s an English translation of Whey-ah-Wichen (Cates the Unceded Territory of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation . In its early days, Under the Volcano produced some and most ethnically diverse hip hop shows in BC, some oor raves, and continues to feature the largest annual ommunity organizations in BC. This exhibition will be day only - August 8) to the Festival site. Curated by argest annual gathering for community and activist C and UTV.
: July 30, 8-11pm, Free. ugust 28, Wednesday to Sunday, 12-6pm.
m Coast Salish-based Aboriginal Artists tells the story of nd social revival and resilience. Through visual and ngs and live performance, colonial policies and allenged. Predominantly a younger population, a boriginal People find the ‘Urban rez’ to be 'home' and keeping their cultural identity strong. This survey various perspectives from emerging and senior artists nd new technologies.
ghts’
Creative Tech Summer Camps
A fun way for young people to participate in art making, learning new skills, creating the future, and making new friends. All workshops are taught by professional Vancouver artists, and are offered at affordable rates. *additional subsidies available. W2’s partnership with Simon Fraser University School for Contemporary Arts equips our media lab with the most current technology. All camps run from 9:30am – 4pm, at W2 Storyeum. Healthy lunches are included in the summer camp fees. Creative Tech Boot Camp: A fun, week-long, mixed media exploration that introduces the fundamentals of traditional and contemporary art and technology. Includes these workshops: Letterpress Printmaking; PixelCount Portraits/Digital Photo; Street & Stencil Art; Short Film-making. August 9-13, Ages 10-13, $250 August 16-20, Ages 14-18, $250
ber 26, Weekends.
Abstract Motion: Live Visual Media, Graphics and Film July 26-30. Ages: 14-18, $250
s a series of eclectic DJ nights at W2 Storyeum in er-city community media programs.
Open Music: Electronic Music Production August 2-4. Ages: 14-18, $150
ammers/ performers for the series include a broad talent, including: Ting! (w. Tank Girl, Lady Vishus, ent Mulda + Natural). Love Dancing & Good Faith (w. Chris Allen + Jordan Matt). Deeper! (club night with b, Eames + Andy Dixon). Version (w. B.Riddim, ture Boy, Jim Carrico). Deeper! (bass night with alka, Max Ulis and Guests). HI-5! (w. Hedspin, Illo, , Niña Mendoza, U-Tern, Trevor Risk, Zeeaa, Cherk + al Opening (w. Take 5, The Phonograff + Kilo Cee). d Tin Can Studio present : Olio closing night / Go Low Babe Rainbow, Megasoid, Calamalka, Tassels, Ian DJs, Bob Masse & a film installation by Cameron
Sonik Youth: Electro Acoustic August 16-18 Ages: 10-13, $150 August 23-25 Ages 14-18, $150 Register at http://www.creativetechnology.org/page/camp-registration. Pay fees at: http://w2summercamps2010.eventbrite.com/
STORYEUM 151 W Cordova, Vancouver, Canada / www.creativetechnology.org
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SURGE JULY 30TH TO AUGUST 28TH 2010 1ST ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF URBAN DIGITAL CULTURE
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William Blake’s “Whore of Babylon”
Popular Music Is The Babylon System
Dumbed-down, amoral, nihilistic drivel from the likes of Gaga and Katy Perry serves to keep the masses in a state of spiritual decay. by Paul Joseph Watson
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t has never been more apparent to those who have awakened from the slumber imposed upon them by popular culture that the establishment music industry now pumps out the most dumbed-down, monotonous, garbage which actually serves to induce depression and despair in those who are enlightened and aware, while providing hypnotizing bread and circuses for those still transfixed by the babylon system. If the readers of infowars.com sat down and watched MTV for an hour, they’d probably come away feeling dazed, confused, and disgusted at the parade of sickness, idolatry and worship of everything that’s wrong in our society. Love of money, the evisceration of morality, the exaltation of post-modern nihilism, the attack on the family, the normalization of the bizarre, the sick and the twisted. Mainstream popular culture is nothing more than a tool which the elite use to make us feel worthless, pathetic, powerless and hopeless. They want us to believe that the most significant thing we can ever achieve in life is to look cool and garner the approval of our peers by wearing the uniform of whatever cult we are mandated to belong to, and that we can only accomplish this by mimicking the retarded behavior of the people we see in music videos. This is why legions of young people, whatever color they are or background they come from, walk around trying to look like and imitate rappers who wear their pants half way down their legs, can barely talk, and only live for getting smashed out of their skulls and having meaningless random sex with women who they objectify as instruments of carnal pleasure. Easily the biggest stumbling block in trying to educate people as to why they are depressed, leading increasingly insular and emotionally unstable, unhealthy lives with declining living standards is dragging them away from the very distractions that contribute to their downfall. The power of entertainment as an opiate of the masses has never been stronger, and with the widespread rollout of 3D technology, the tools of hypnotism are only becoming more and more potent. A London Guardian report entitled “Lady Gaga and the New World Order” gives serious credence to a website that not only discusses how popular music is used to keep people downtrodden and distracted, but how it is replete with messages and symbolism bragging about how the elite are using entertainment to keep the masses enslaved. The Vigilant Citizen has a good claim to be the world’s most distinctive music critic. On his website, vigilantcitizen.com, he describes himself as a graduate in communications and politics and a producer for “some fairly wellknown ‘urban’ artists”. He has spent five years researching “Theosophy, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, the Bavarian Illuminati and Western Occultism”. All of these interests converge in his insanely detailed analyses of the
symbolism of pop videos and lyrics. Thus Pink’s MTV awards performance mimics a Masonic initiation; Jay-Z’s Run This Town trumpets the coming of the New World Order (NWO); and the video for Black Eyed Peas’ Imma Be Rocking That Body advances “the transhumanist and police state agenda”. What’s surprising is the methodical, matter-of-fact, occasionally humorous tone of his essays. He does not write like a swivel-eyed
loon rambling about Obamunism (although, inevitably, there’s an unsavoury fascination with Jewish influence). To those who don’t study occult symbolism, he concedes, it might all seem “totally far-fetched and ridiculous”, but for those in the know “I was simply stating the obvious”. His examinations are certainly exhaustive. Scrolling down his densely illustrated posts, you may find yourself thinking, “Say, Lady Gaga really does very often cover up one eye. And a lot of pop stars really do pretend to be robots.” Although the Vigilant Citizen insists he is neither a political conservative nor a religious fundamentalist, he is heir to such offpiste 60s pop critics as the Reverend David A Noebel, author of Communism, Hypnotism and the Beatles, and Gary Allen, who theorised that post-Rubber Soul Beatles material was so technically sophisticated that it must have been “put together by behavioural scientists in some think tank”. Leftwing thinkers at the time had their own take on pop as mind control. Peter Watkins’ 1967 movie Privilege starred Manfred Mann’s Paul Jones as a puppet of the state, pacifying the populace with catchy patriotic tunes. In such analysis, the villains may change but the mechanisms remain the same. The fact that the Guardian writer seriously discusses how popular music is littered with elitist symbolism without sneering the whole thing off as a conspiranoid delusion is an ex-
ample of how abundantly clear this process is becoming. This kind of subject matter is no longer “out there,” it’s no longer considered wild to simply point out that popular culture and particularly popular music is exercising an undue and insidious influence on the moral, societal, and spiritual development of younger generations and humanity in general. Nowhere was it more obvious than during a recent Beyonce performance where she was surrounded by dancing riot cops. As the vigilant citizen website explains, this is about indoctrinating people to accept “the “robotization” of the human body and the gradual introduction of a virtual police state”. In other essays, Gaga’s habit of covering one eye is explained as her rejection of God and her induction as a Luciferian priestess. Notice (Above) how people like Christina Aguilera copy Gaga’s symbolism of humans as soulless robots. The one-eyed Luciferian theme is also seen here with Rihanna. While the website sometimes uses too broad a brush with which to identify servants of the babylon system, for example, a Bob Dylan clip is misconstrued as him saying he sold his sold to the devil, when in fact as any Dylan fan will
know, in the late 70’s he became a Christian and started releasing gospel music, it does an excellent job in pointing the finger at those who really have metaphorically sold their souls - people like Katy Perry – to be used as tools with which to keep the masses in a perpetual state of disorder and spiritual decay. Tearing down the facade of this babylon system and dragging people away from the constant hypnotic distractions of sports, dumbed-down music, fashion and every other sideshow offered up to turn our heads from our true spiritual development is as if not more important than educating people about the political aspects of the new world order agenda. We need to make it “cool” to be informed about what is happening to our world and how we can change its course. This process has accelerated over the past decade and many music artists have incorporated this awakening into their work. Bands like Muse and the Foo Fighters, rappers like Paris and Eminem, are pushing back against the tide of zombie brainwashing being fostered on us by the likes of Gaga and Katy Perry. There’s no better way to conclude than with Bob Marley’s “Babylon System” song, which perfectly illustrates everything we are up against in this battle.
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~News Blitz~ || World Headlines Of The Month ||
See Sources For Full Articles
Amazon River Dolphins Being 24 multinationals move HQ to Chinese rating agency strips Slaughtered for Bait Shanghai Western nations of AAA status AOLNews.com reported: China’s leading credit rating agency “The bright pink color gives them a has stripped America, Britain, Germany and France of their AAA ratings, accusing Anglo- striking appearance in the muddy jungle Saxon competitors of ideological bias in fa- waters. That Amazon river dolphins are also gentle and curious makes them easy targets vour of the West. for nets and harpoons as they swim fear‘Walls of fat’ removed from lessly up to fishing boats.” “Now, their carcasses are showing up London’s sewers in record numbers on riverbanks, their flesh torn away for fishing bait, causing researchers to warn of a growing threat to a species that has already disappeared in other parts of the world.” “The population of the river dolphins will collapse if these fishermen are not stopped from killing them,” said Vera da Silva, the top aquatic mammals expert at the government’s Institute of Amazonian Research. “We’ve been studying an area of 11,000 hectares for 17 years, and of late the population is dropping 7 percent each year.” Independent.co.uk reported: “Enough fat to fill nine double-decker buses is being removed from sewers under London’s Leicester Square.” “A team of “flushers” equipped with full breathing apparatus has been drafted in with shovels to dig out an estimated 1,000 tonnes of putrid fat.” “We couldn’t even access the sewer as it was blocked by a four-foot wall of solid fat.” The build-up is the result of years of “sewer abuse” - when anything other than water, human waste and toilet paper is put down drains - according to Thames Water. That’s admittedly a stretch.
Japan’s Debt - $80K Per Person William Pesek reported for Bloomberg. com:
Haitian Farmers Reject Monsanto Earthquake Relief Donation “24 multinational companies, have de- and Burn GMO Seeds cntv.cn reported:
cided to move their regional headquarters to Shanghai, including 6 Fortune 500 companies such as Vale, Walt Disney and Kraft Foods.” “This will push the total number of companies with regional headquarters in Shanghai to nearly 300. Nearly 500 have regional research and development centers there.”
Iran scientist: CIA offered me $50m to lie about nuclear secrets
Tony Isaacs reported for NaturalNews. com The public relations war waged by the US-Euro-Israel axis block was dealt an In an attempt to backdoor GMO seeds unfortunate blow this week when it was reinto a new market, Monsanto has taken the vealed that an Iranian nuclear scientist was opportunity to donate hundreds of tons of kidnapped by CIA and Israeli assets during GMO seeds to Haiti and is calling it an effort a Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, drugged to help the people in Haiti with earthquake and spirited away to the US, then offered relief. However, Monsanto’s “generosity” is millions for information regarding Iran’s being met with skepticism and outright rejecalleged nuclear weapons ambitions, only to tion. return back to Iran to tell all. In his most Recently, a large group of small farmrecent article, The Independent’s awarders burned a symbolic quantity of Monsanwinning journalist Patrick Cockburn outto’s donated hybrid corn seed in the central lines this story which you can read here. It’s square of the agricultural town of Hinche. a bizarre one to say the least. A 200,000-member national coalition is encouraging Haiti farmers to burn all Monsanto Independent.co.uk reported: seeds that have already been distributed, and “Shahram Amiri said that he was on has called on the government to reject addithe hajj pilgrimage when he was seized at tional shipments. Peasant leader Chavannes Jean-Baptiste gunpoint in the city of Medina, drugged and Top Government adviser taken to the US, where he says Israel was in- told IPS News: Farmers want to preserve warns children ‘send text messag- volved in his interrogation. In the US, offi- their traditional “organic agriculture that respects the environment and fights against its es instead of making mobile calls cials were reported to have admitted that Mr degradation. We defend native seeds and the Amiri was paid more than $5m (£3.2m) by - it may be safer’ the CIA for information about Iran’s nuclear rights of peasants on their land.” Jean-Batiste also said “Fighting hybrid and GMO seeds ambitions.” dailymail.co.uk reported: “He says he was offered $50m to stay in is critical to save our diversity and our agthe US. Mr Amiri denied that he had ever had riculture” and maintained that a “county has “Children are being warned to send text any information about the Iranian nuclear a right to define it own agricultural policies, messages instead of making calls on their programme. ‘I am an ordinary researcher... I to grow first for the family and then for local mobile phones because of safety fears.” have never made nuclear-related researches. market, to grow healthy food in a way which “A top Government medical expert to- I’m not involved in any confidential jobs. I respects the environment and Mother Earth.” day urged youngsters to cut down on the had no classified information.’“ amount of time they spend chatting on moIsrael paves the way for killing biles.” A Puzzling Collapse of Earth’s by remote control “‘We don’t expect young people to stop using mobile phones altogether - but there Upper Atmosphere are steps they can take to protect their health science.nasa.gov reported: for the future.’”
“Before Greece’s debt crisis, it was perhaps possible to downplay Japan’s burden. Now, investors are questioning whether Japan can avoid an eventual default.” “Japanese households are sitting on trillions of dollars in savings and more than 90 percent of government debt is held domestically. Also, Chinese demand for Japan’s debt is growing markedly, as Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda told Bloomberg News yesterday. Japan is neither Greece today, nor Thailand circa 1997.” “Yet attention is turning to a depressing US military says school lunchfigure: $80,000. Last November, the media worked itself into a tizzy over news that Ja- es are a threat to national security pan owed $76,000 for each of us 126 million Ethan A. Huff reported: people residing here. Around the same time, former IMF Chief Economist Simon Johnson A group of retired military officials retold the U.S. Congress that there is a “real risk that Japan could end up in a major de- cently expressed concern that school lunchfault.” Well, that figure has grown to $80,000 es are a threat to national security. According to them, the food being fed to children per person.” at public schools is making them “too fat to fight”, leaving a potentially considerable South Korea deploys robot ca- gap in military recruitment. pable of killing intruders along “Mission: Readiness”, the non-profit group of over 130 retired military leaders border with North that is calling for healthier federal food for “South Korea has deployed sentry robots children, is expressing support for new legcapable of detecting and killing intruders islation that would outlaw junk food from along the heavily-fortified border with North schools so that more children will qualify to Korea, officials said on Tuesday.” enroll in the military.
NASA-funded researchers are monitoring a big event in our planet’s atmosphere. High above Earth’s surface where the atmosphere meets space, a rarefied layer of gas called “the thermosphere” recently collapsed and now is rebounding again. Thermosphere (atmosphere, 200px) Layers of Earth’s upper atmosphere. Credit: John Emmert/NRL. [larger image] “This is the biggest contraction of the thermosphere in at least 43 years,” says John Emmert of the Naval Research Lab, lead author of a paper announcing the finding in the June 19th issue of the Geophysical Research Letters (GRL). “It’s a Space Age record.” The collapse happened during the deep solar minimum of 2008-2009—a fact which comes as little surprise to researchers. The thermosphere always cools and contracts when solar activity is low. In this case, however, the magnitude of the collapse was two to three times greater than low solar activity could explain. “Something is going on that we do not understand,” says Emmert.
ae:
Jonathan Cook reported for TheNatonal.
“Female soldiers are preferred to operate remote killing devices because of a shortage of male recruits to Israel’s combat units.” “It is called Spot and Shoot. Operators sit in front of a TV monitor from which they can control the action with a PlayStationstyle joystick.” “The aim: to kill.” “Played by: young women serving in the Israeli army.” “Spot and Shoot, as it is called by the Israeli military, may look like a video game but the figures on the screen are real people – Palestinians in Gaza – who can be killed with Continued Page 33
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Group Calls for Hearings Into Google’s Ties to CIA and NSA
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ore information has emerged about Google’s relationship with the government and spook agencies (see PR Newswire below). The revelations should come as no surprise. CIA-NSA connected Google has been collecting more than “streetviews” in your neighborhood. In 2006, Robert David Steele, a 20-year Marine Corps infantry and intelligence officer and a former clandestine services case officer with the CIA, told the Alex Jones Show that the CIA helped bankroll Google at its inception. “I think Google took money from the CIA when it was poor and it was starting up and unfortunately our system right now floods money into spying and other illegal and largely unethical activities, and it doesn’t fund what I call the open source world,” said Steele, citing “trusted individuals” as his sources. Google is a key intelligence asset. It has supplied the core search technology for Intellipedia, a highly-secured online CIA system and has shared a close relationship with both the CIA, NSA, and government national security officials. In February, it was reported that Google and the NSA have forged a partnership after Google purportedly suffered a cyberattack in December. “This is not the first time the NSA has been tapped to help a U.S. corporation with cyber security, but the purported partnership would certainly be unique since Google’s servers house such a vast collection of user data including search histories, email, and personal documents,” reports PC World. “Google’s connection with the CIA and its venture capital firm extends to sharing at least one key member of personnel. In 2004, the Director of Technology Assessment at InQ-Tel, Rob Painter, moved from his old job
Infowars.com
directly serving the CIA to become ‘Senior Federal Manager’ at Google.,” writes Eric Sommer. In-Q-Tel, a venture capital firm established by the CIA, also had a hand in creating the wildly popular social network Facebook. “The second round of funding into Facebook ($US12.7 million) came from venture capital firm Accel Partners. Its manager James Breyer was formerly chairman of the National Venture Capital Association, and served on the board with Gilman Louie, CEO of In-Q-Tel,” writes Matt Greenop. Thus it should not be shocking that Google executives are holding meetings with U.S. national security officials for undisclosed reasons, according to the Washington Post, itself a prized CIA asset under the venerable Operation Mockingbird media asset program. Google insists its vacuuming up of WiFi network data as it gathered images for its Streetview program was a mistake, even though information “published Jan. 28 shows that the data collection program was a very deliberate effort to assemble as much information as possible about U.S. residential and business WiFi networks,” according to the press release below. SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 19 / PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Citing new information about Google’s classified government contracts and the Internet giant’s admitted Wi-Spying activity, Consumer Watchdog today said it is more imperative than ever for the Energy and Commerce Committee to conduct hearings into possible privacy violations by Google. In a letter to Committee Chairman Henry Waxman and Ranking Member Joe Barton, the
nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest group’s John M. Simpson wrote: “Based on today’s Washington Post, it appears that Google holds classified U.S. government contracts to supply search and geospatial information to the U.S. government. In addition, White House records show that Google executives have been holding meetings with U.S. national security officials for undisclosed reasons. Finally, it also appears that Google’s widely criticized efforts to collect wireless network data on American citizens were not inadvertent, contrary to the company’s claims.” “As history has repeatedly shown, alliances between the U.S. intelligence community and giant corporations that collect data on American citizens can be a toxic combination where the U.S. Constitution is concerned,” the letter said. In a June 9 letter to the Energy and Commerce Committee, Google director for public policy Pablo Chavez asserted that Google “mistakenly included code in our software that collected samples of ‘payload data’” from private WiFi networks. But review of a patent application from Google covering the gathering of WiFi data published Jan. 28 shows that the data collection program was a very deliberate effort to assemble as much information as possible about U.S. residential and business WiFi networks. The letter continued: “…what the patent does show is that Google’s recent claims about how the Street View program was designed are not accurate, and that the company always intended to collect and store the ‘packets’ of wireless data that contain so-called payload information. “The patent makes repeated reference to ‘capturing’ packets, including paragraph
women, until revulsion on the part of these consumers forced conditions to better. By contrast, today, there is by Naomi Wolf no major movement led by developed-world women to stop this global exploitation Naomi Wolf is a political activist and social critic whose most recent book is Give Me Liberty: by cut-rate manufacturers – A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. even though our money is the one tool powerful enough to problem for us, too, since one can shop at confess: I do it, too. Like most force manufacturers to change their ways. length – a pleasure that may well be hardWestern women, I do it regularly, The reason is simple: we like things wired in the female brain, owing to our and it is a guilty pleasure every the way they are. evolutionary development as gatherers time. It is hard to listen to one’s conscience But it will become increasingly dif– without feeling sick about one’s overwhen one is faced with so much incredible ficult for us to maintain our “out of sight, spending by the end of the exercise. temptation. out of mind” attitude. To their credit, But what has been liberating for I am talking, of course, about cheap women in the developing world – some Western women is a system built litertrendy fashion. I’ll visit a Zara – or H&M, of the most exploited and coerced women ally on the backs of women in the deor, now that I am in the United Kingdom on earth – are raising their voices. veloping world. How do Primark and its for the summer, the amazing Primark – and For example, The Financial Times competitors in the West’s shopping malls snap up items that are “cute,” effectively reported on June 23 that, “Hundreds of and High Streets keep that cute frock so disposable, and so shockingly inexpensive Bangladeshi garment factories supplying cheap? By starving and oppressing Banthat one does a double take. western buyers such as Marks and Spengladeshi, Chinese, Mexican, Haitian, and I need to face my addiction – and so do cer, Tesco, Walmart, and H&M gradually other women, that’s how. all women like me. reopened under heavy police protection… We all know that cheap clothing is Fashion has been transformed by the after days of violent protests by tens of usually made in sweatshop conditions – recent emergence of retail chains that hire thousands of laborers demanding higher and usually by women. And we know – or good designers to make throwaway clothwages.” A thousand riot police used rubshould know – that women in sweatshops ing and accessories that are right on trend. ber bullets and tear gas on the workers, around the world report being locked in This evolution has freed Western women and forbidden to use bathrooms for long and hundreds were injured, but they did from the tyranny of a fashion industry that periods, as well as sexual harassment, not back down. in the bad old days would dictate a style, Most of the two million people workviolent union-busting, and other forms of compelling women to invest heavily in uping in Bangladesh’s garment industry are coercion. dating their wardrobes, and then blithely women, and they are the lowest-paid garBut, like any family secret that would declare their entire closets obsolete – again ment workers in the world, earning $25 cause us discomfort if faced directly, we and again, with no end in sight. a month. But they are demanding that Western women turn a blind eye to it. Enter the mass-production style emtheir monthly wage be almost tripled, to Boycotts of sweated college t-shirts in poria, and Western women have the seem$70. Their leaders make the point that, at the United States led to fairer manufacingly delicious and liberating option of current pay levels, workers cannot feed turing practices, and boycotts of coffee getting this summer’s must-have tiny floral themselves or their families. and produce, led mostly by women conretro eighties print sundress – which will Economists predict that strikes and sumers, resulted in fair-trade purchases look appallingly frumpy by next summer unrest will escalate in Bangladesh, and by major supermarkets. And more afflu– for $12. They – we – can invest in clasalso in Vietnam, with even investment ent women do have a history of effective sic items that don’t age so fast, and absorb bankers quoted by The Financial Times sweated labor boycotts in the past: in the these low-cost trendy disposables as the calling wages for women garment workVictorian era, impoverished women were mood hits. ers in these countries “unsustainably low.” going blind in the `needle trades’, turning These stores solve a psychological The factories have reopened – for out elaborate embroideries for wealthy
The High Cost of Cheap Fashion
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[0055], which states that the system will enable geolocations so long as the equipment being used ‘is able to capture and properly decode a packet…’ “This raises serious questions about whether Google has engaged in a reckless effort to amass private data without giving any thought to the possible misuse of that information, and whether it can be trusted to safeguard the information it collects from the prying eyes of the U.S. government.” Read the patent here: http://insidegoogle.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ US20100020776.pdf Read the letter here: http://insidegoogle. com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/LtrWaxman071910.pdf In addition, White House visitor logs show that Alan Davidson, Google’s Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs, has had at least three meetings with officials of the National Security Council since the beginning of last year. One of the meetings was with White House senior director for Russian affairs Mike McFaul, while another was with Middle East advisor Daniel Shapiro. It has also been widely reported that Google has been working in “partnership” with the National Security Agency, the very same government body that illegally intercepted the private communications of millions of Americans during the Bush administration. Consumer Watchdog, formerly the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights is a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization with offices in Washington, DC and Santa Monica, Ca. Consumer Watchdog’s website is www.consumerwatchdog.org. Visit our new Google Privacy and Accountability Project website: http://insidegoogle.com.
now. But Bangladesh’s government is considering an increase in the minimum wage. If it happens, one of the world’s most oppressed legal workforces will have scored a major victory – largely symbolic for now, but one that will inspire other women garment workers around the world to rise up in protest. Western women, we should challenge ourselves to follow this story and find ways to do what is right in changing our own consumption patterns. It is past time to show support for women who are suffering systematic, globalized, cost-effective gender discrimination in the most overt ways – ways that most of us no longer have to face. Let us support a fair-trade economy, and refuse to shop at outlets targeted by activists for unfair employment practices (for more information, go to http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1485). If women around the world who are held in the bondage of sweated labor manage to win this crucial fight, that cute dress at Primark may cost a fair amount more. But it already costs too much to the women who can’t afford to feed and house themselves and their children. That $3 pair of adorable lace-up sandals? The price – given the human costs – really is too good to be true. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2010. www.project-syndicate.org
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Derrick Jensen
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just got off the phone with my friend John Keeble. He is an extraordinary novelist and thinker, and the author of I think the best novel yet written about the murky and necessarily unacknowledged relationship between transnational corporations and hate groups. “It’s not that corporations always funnel money to hate groups,” he told me, “although that does happen.” His voice was thoughtful and slow, resonant, with always a slight hesitation before speaking, as though checking his sentence one last time before sending it into the world. He continued, “The connection between Henry Ford and fascism is well known. I think the same is true of Joe Coors. Rupert Murdoch. And of course in the third world—in the colonies—transnationals routinely support death squads and vice versa.” I thought of the words of Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1994: They are going to arrest us all and execute us for Shell. [The Flames of Shell] Saro-Wiwa said this after reading a leaked Nigerian military memo that stated, “Shell operations still impossible unless ruthless military operations are undertaken for smooth economic activities to commence.” It went on to recommend that soldiers begin “wasting” Ogoni leaders, “especially vocal individuals,” and concluded by recommending pressure on oil companies for “prompt, regular” payments to support the cost of military operations. [Lean] Four days after this memo was written, four traditional Ogoni leaders were murdered by a mob at a rally, and although Saro-Wiwa was in military custody at the time, nine months later he was charged with inciting the riot. He was executed. After this I thought of another memo, this by a spokesperson for Shell Nigeria: “For a commercial company trying to make investments, you need a stable environment; dictatorships can give you that.” [Flames of Shell] And I thought also of something else Ken Saro-Wiwa said before his murder: “Human life does not mean much to those who have benefited from the oil.” [Flames of Shell] I thought of Weyerhaeuser, the first company to sign contracts with the military dictatorship in Indonesia, and of the use of the Indonesian military to support Freeport McMoRan. Occidental in Columbia, where as I write this 5000 U.S.-backed troops are marching into U’Wa territory to force the U’Was to accept more oil wells on their homeland. Dictatorships and transnationals. Hand in glove. I came back to the conversation in time to hear John say, “But that’s not the connection that interests me the most.”
The Culture Of Make Believe There was that hesitation, and had I not known him so well I would have asked what he meant. But I knew to wait. He said, “They’re cousins.” I just listened. “Nobody talks about this,” he said, “but they’re branches from the same tree, different forms of the same cultural imperative. . . .” “Which is?” “To rob the world of its subjectivity.” “Wait—“ I said. “Or to put this another way,” he continued, “To turn everyone and everything into objects.” Again he paused before he said, “The methodology used by each is different. Corporations are carriers of ruin, turning everything they touch to money. They are culturally sanctified, supported, and protected in their role of turning the living—forests, oceans, mountains, rivers, human lives—into the dead: money. And because they are culturally sanctified they get to act above ground.” “And hate groups?” “Beneath, hidden, hated. But serving that same function of objectifying. Their entire self-definition is based on this objectification.” He paused before he said, trailing off, “Of course that’s true for corporations as well, in a different way.” Neither of us spoke, until finally he returned to the subject of hate groups. “I can hate another person because of who he is without denying his individuality. In fact it’s possible to hate him because of who he is. But if I hate a person because she’s black, or an Indian, or a Jew, or a woman, or a homosexual, I’m not even giving her the honor of hating her in particular. I’m hating a stereotype that I’m projecting onto her.” That movement toward depriving others of their subjectivity, I thought, is the central movement of our culture. Indian after Indian has told me that the most basic difference between Western and Indigenous ways of being is that Westerners view the world as dead, and not as filled with speaking, thinking, feeling, subjects as worthy and valuable as themselves. I asked him why he’s spent so long—a decade, nearly twenty percent of his life— studying both hate groups and big oil. He said, “They provide fingerholds by which we can pry our way in, gain access to the hidden workings of our culture. The way big oil provides the fingerhold should be pretty clear. Each individual member of an oil company may not intend to commit a hate crime. They are merely attempting to maximize profits, and in so doing they talk themselves into committing the most horrible of atrocities. That brings us to hate groups. Hate groups state openly that they’re racist and afraid. We’re all racist, and we’re all afraid. It’s just that most of us are afraid to admit it. This means we all get to hate the hate groups, for their heavy handed, comicbook propaganda, and especially for the hatred that is there in the culture, but which we cannot acknowledge.” He paused, then continued, “And that’s too bad, because a threat unacknowledged is ultimately—on a bone level—far more disturbing than an acknowledged and understood threat. Of course it’s also more dangerous. This is true whether we’re talking about something as simple, and as easy to fix, as a broken stairstep, or something as convoluted and confusing as an abusive family, or an abusive culture.” The psychiatrist R.D. Laing once formulated three rules by which a pathological family—one plagued by alcoholism or se-
vere abuse—can keep its pathology hidden even from the family members themselves. Adherence to these rules allow perpetrators, victims, and bystanders alike to maintain the delusion that they’re one big happy family. “Rule A: Don’t [talk about it]. “Rule A.1: Rule A does not exist. “Rule A.2: Do not discuss the existence or non-existence of Rules A, A.1, or A.2.” [Edwards, 81, citing Goleman, 175] It should be obvious that these rules apply not only to social systems as small as nuclear families, but equally to those as large as cultures. It really isn’t possible to talk about hate without talking about children as objects of hatred. I know that age isn’t a protected class under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, but bear with me. Each year an estimated 20,000 Mexican children disappear, many for use as mules to transport drugs inside their bodies, others taken for the harvest of their organs, to be transplanted into children in the United States. [Chomsky] Worldwide, entire economies have been founded specifically on the sexual trade in children. Eight hundred thousand Thai girls and boys work as prostitutes [Vachs] (A brochure distributed in England advertising a Thai resort reads “If you can suck it, use it, eat it, feel it, taste it, abuse it or see it, then it’s available in this resort that truly never sleeps”). [Hechler] Nearly all of them are enslaved or indentured. A good portion have received death sentences from HIV. There are 1.5 to 2 million child prostitutes in India [Robinson] (those in Bombay, for example, are often held in cages; fifty cents buys half an hour of sex with a twelve-yearold). [Lukas] Five hundred thousand child prostitutes work in Brazil [Vachs] (a child of thirty-five pounds is considered “good” in many mining towns [Dimenstein]). There are 200,000 child prostitutes in or from Nepal (most of these girls are kidnapped, sold for between forty and a thousand dollars, “broken in” through a process of rapes and beatings [Raymond], and then rented out up to thirty-five times per night for one to two dollars per man). Between 100,000 and 300,000 children work the sex trade in the United States [Lukas] (one study of US survivors of prostitution found that seventyeight percent were victims of rape by pimps and buyers an average of forty-nine times per year; eighty-four percent were the victims of aggravated assault; forty-nine percent had been kidnapped and transported across state lines; fifty-three percent were victims of sexual abuse and torture; and twenty-seven percent had been mutilated). [Raymond] On average, a child prostitute services more than two thousand men per year. [Robinson] At least a million new girls per year are forced into prostitution. [Galeano, 17] Kids are not, of course, injured only through sexual exploitation. A half million children die every year as a direct result of debt repayment by the third world—by the colonies—and eleven million children die annually from easily treatable diseases. This latter has been called by the World Health Organization Director-General “a silent genocide.” [Edwards, Burning, 141] This is not counting the children who are simply beaten. In 1993, approximately 614,000 American children were physically abused, 300,000 were sexually abused, 532,000 were emotionally abused, 507,000 were physically neglected, and 585,000 were emotionally neglected. 565,000 of these children were killed or seriously injured. That’s just in the United States. [Cen-
ters for Disease Control] So here’s the question: Do all these numbers—or more precisely the reality behind these numbers—imply that we hate children? Perhaps the answer would be more evident if we simply invert the question: “Do we value children?” The answer, of course, is yes. One to two dollars per fuck, unless we happen to be in the Philippines, in which case it will cost us six dollars to have sex with a six-year-old. [Lukas] So let me put the question another way: was slavery in the United States based on hatred of the Africans, or was it based on economics? The problem we have in answering (or even asking) these questions comes from the fact that hatred felt long enough and deeply enough no longer feels like hatred. It feels like economics, or religion, or tradition, or simply the way things are. Rape is not a hate crime because our hatred of women is transparent. Child prostitution is not a hate crime for the same reason that beating a child is not a hate crime, because our hatred of children is transparent. The economic murder of children (or creating the economic conditions for their slavery as prostitutes) is not a hate crime because we’ve held this hatred long enough to enshrine it into our macroeconomic policies. If we did not hate children, we would not cause or even allow them to be destroyed by any of these means. And if we do not love even our children, what, precisely, can we truly say that we love? Derrick Jensen is an activist, author, small farmer, bee-keeper, teacher, and philosopher whose speaking engagements in
recent years have packed university auditoriums, conferences and bookstores nationwide. His acclaimed book, A Language Older Than Words, has been said to accomplish the rare feat of both “breaking and mending the reader’s heart,” as well as energizing the mind. Jenson was one of two finalists for the 2003 J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, which cited his book The Culture of Make Believe as “a passionate and provocative meditation on the nexus of racism, genocide, environ-mental destruction, and corporate malfeasance, where civilization meets its discontents.” Jensen’s latest books are Endgame Volume 1: The Problem of Civilization and Endgame Volume 2: Resistance.http://www.derrickjensen.org/
July/Aug 2010 Continued from page 16
“anomaly point”, or the point of water’s anomalous expansion, which is decisive in this regard and has a major influence on its QUALITY. Below this temperature it once more expands. This highest state of density is synonymous with its highest energy content, a factor to be taken carefully into account, since energy can also be equated with life or lifeforce. Therefore if water’s health, energy and life-force are to be maintained at the highest possible level, then certain precautions must be taken, which will be addressed later. Conceived in the cool, dark cradle of the virgin forest, water ripens and matures as it slowly mounts from the depths. On its upward way it gathers to itself trace elements and minerals. Only when it is ripe, and not before, will it emerge from the bowels of the Earth as a spring. As a true spring, in contrast to a seepage spring, this has a water temperature of about +4°C (+39.2°F). Here in the cool, diffused light of the forest it begins its long, life-giving cycle as a sparkling, lively, translucent stream, bubbling, gurgling, whirling and gyrating as it wends its way valleywards. In its natural, self-cooling, spiralling, convoluting motion, water is able to maintain its vital inner energies, health and purity. In this way it acts as the conveyor of all the necessary minerals, trace elements and other subtle energies to the surrounding environment. Naturally flowing water seeks to flow in darkness or in the diffused light of the forest, thus avoiding the damaging direct light of the sun. Under these conditions, even when cascading down in torrents, a stream will only rarely overflow its banks. Due to its correct natural motion, the faster it flows, the greater its carrying capacity and scouring ability and the more it deepens its bed. This is due to the formation of in-winding, longitudinal, clockwise - anticlockwise alternating spiral vortices down the central axis of the current, which constantly cool and re-cool the water, maintaining it at a healthy temperature and leading to a faster, more laminar, spiral flow. To protect itself from harmful effects of excess heat, water shields itself from the sun with over-hanging vegetation, for with increasing heat and light it begins to lose its vitality and health, its capacity to enliven and animate the environment through which it passes. Ultimately becoming a broad river, the water becomes more turbid, the content of small-grain sediment and silt increasing as it warms up, its flow becoming slower and more sluggish. However, even this turbidity plays an important role, because it protects the deeper water-strata from the heating effect of the sun. Being in a denser state, the colder bottom-strata retain the power to shift sediment of larger grainsize (pebbles, gravel, etc.) from the centre of the watercourse. In this way the danger of flooding is reduced to a minimum. The spiral, vortical motion mentioned earlier, which eventually led Viktor Schauberger to the formation of his theories concerning ‘IMPLOSION’, creates the conditions, where the germination of harmful bacteria is inhibited and the water remains disease-free. In this regard another of its life-giving properties is its low specific heat - lowest at +37.5°C (+99.5°F). The term “specific heat” refers to the capacity and rapidity of a body to absorb or release heat. With a relatively small input of heat, fluids with a high specific heat warm up less rapidly than those with a lower specific heat. How strange then, and how remarkable, that the lowest specific heat of this “inorganic” substance - water - lies but 0.5°C (0.9°F) above the normal +37°C (+98.6°F) blood temperature of the most highly evolved of Nature’s creatures - human beings. This property of water to resist rapid thermal change enables us, with blood composed of 80% water, to survive under large variations of temperature. Pure accident so we are told,
or is it by clever, symbiotic design ?! However, since we are used to thinking about temperature in gross terms (car engines operate at temperatures of 1,000°C (1,832°F) or so and many industrial processes employ extremely high temperatures) and despite the fact that we begin to feel unwell if our temperature rises by as little as 0.5°C (0.9°F), we fail to see that non-mechanical, organic life and health are based on very subtle differences in temperature. When our body temperature is +37°C (98.6°F) we do not have a “temperature” as such. “WHEREVER WE LOOK THE DREADFUL DISINTEGRATION OF THE BRIDGES OF LIFE, THE CAPILLARIES AND THE BODIES THEY HAVE CREATED, IS EVIDENT, WHICH HAS BEEN CAUSED BY THE MECHANICAL AND MINDLESS WORK OF MAN, WHO HAS TORN AWAY THE SOUL FROM THE EARTH’S BLOOD – WATER.” - V.S. We are healthy and in a state that Viktor Schauberger called “indifferent” or “temperature-less”. Just as good water is the preserver of our proper bodily temperature, our anomaly point of greatest health and energy, so too does it preserve this planet as a habitat for our continuing existence. Water has the capacity to retain large amounts of heat and were there no water-vapour in the atmosphere, this world of ours would be an icy-cold, barren wasteland. Water in all its forms and qualities is thus the mediator of all life and deserving of the highest focus of our esteem. “TO BE OR NOT TO BE: In Nature all life is a question of the minutest, but extremely precisely graduated differences in the particular thermal motion within every single body, which continually changes in rhythm with the processes of pulsation.” “This unique law, which manifests itself throughout Nature’s vastness and unity
and expresses itself in every creature and organism, is the LAW OF CEASELESS CYCLES that in every organism is linked to a certain time span and a particular tempo.” “The slightest disturbance of this harmony can lead to the most disastrous consequences for the major life forms.” “In order to preserve this state of equilibrium, it is vital that the characteristic INNER temperature of each of the millions of micro-organisms contained in the macroorganisms be maintained.” The No. 1 enemy of water is excess heat or over-exposure to the sun’s rays. It is a well-known fact that oxygen is present in all processes of organic growth and decay. Whether its energies are harnessed for either one or the other is to a very great extent, if not wholly, dependent on the temperature of the water as itself or in the form of blood
or sap. As long as the water-temperature is below +9°C (+48.2°F), its oxygen content remains passive. Under such conditions the oxygen assists in the building up of beneficial, high-grade micro-organisms and other organic life. However, if the water temperature rises above this level, then the oxygen becomes increasingly active and aggressive. This aggressiveness increases as the temperature rises, promoting the propagation of pathogenic bacteria, which, when drunk with the water, infest the organism of the drinker. “Thus the development of microorganisms and the opportunities for their propagation are simply a result of the condition in which the respective sickening macro-organism finds itself, which will be attacked by these parasites and which eventually must fall victim to them if its inner climatic conditions are no longer strictly regulated.” But this aggressiveness is not confined to the domain of oxygen alone. When water becomes over-heated, due principally to the increasingly widespread clear-felling of the forest, the health-maintaining pattern of longitudinal vortices changes into transverse ones. These not only undermine and gouge into the riverbanks and embankment works, eventually bursting them, but also create pot-holes in the riverbed itself, bringing even greater disorder to an already chaotic channel-profile. According to Viktor Schauberger, water subjected to these conditions loses its character, its soul. Like humans of low character, it becomes increasingly violent and aggressive as it casts about hither and thither seeking to vent its anger and restore to itself its former health and stability. However, due to the senseless malpractice of the clear-felling of forests, we are destroying the very foundation of life. For with the removal of the forest, two very serious things happen: 1). During its flow to the sea, the water warms up prematurely to such an extent that it is warmed right down to the channel-bed. No cool, dense, waterstrata remain and the sediment is left lying on the bottom. This blocks the flow, dislocates the channel and results in the inevitable, often catastrophic floods. Yet we still have the effrontery to call these awesome events “natural disasters”, as if Nature herself were responsible. Furthermore, due to the broadening of the channel, even more water is exposed to the sun’s heat, resulting in over-rapid evaporation to the atmosphere. In many cases this overloads the atmosphere with water-vapour, which it is unable to retain in suspension. Deluges follow. 2). With the forest-cover now removed, the ground also begins to heat up to temperatures much higher than normal and natural. Dry soil heats up as much as 5 times faster than water. This has a two-fold effect: a). The rejection and repulsion by the warmer soil of any incident rain-water, whose temperature in this case is generally lower. Cold rain will not readily infiltrate into warm soil. This results in rapid surface run-off and no groundwater recharge. The soil dries out. b). An increase in pathogenic microbial activity, harmful to plant life. The upshot of all this is more flooding, reduced groundwater quantity and lower groundwater table. One flood therefore begets the next in rapid succession. But since there is no groundwater recharge, the waterbalance and natural distribution are completely upset. The remaining trees - the vital retainers of water - die, leaving the land barren and desiccated with the necessary sequel of drought. The less the tree-cover, the more extensive the flooding and the lon-
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ger the period of drought, of water-less-ness, which is synonymous with life-less-ness ! “THEY CALL ME DERANGED. THE HOPE IS THAT THEY ARE RIGHT ! IT IS OF NO GREATER OR LESSER IMPORT FOR YET ANOTHER FOOL TO WANDER THIS EARTH. BUT IF I AM RIGHT AND SCIENCE IS WRONG, THEN MAY THE LORD GOD HAVE MERCY ON MANKIND !!” - V.S. Unnatural, quantity-inspired forestry practices, ignorant of Nature’s laws, and the over-warming of the soil arising from massive deforestation are the primary causes of the deterioration in water quality, climate and the sinking of the watertable. The channelling of water through straight, unnaturally constructed, trapezoid canals, steel pipelines and other misguided systems of river regulation also force the water to move in an unnatural way and accelerate its degeneration and increase its disease-carrying capacity. First published April 1997 in Nexus Magazine About the Author: Scientist and architect Callum Coats spent twenty-three years translating, collating and editing Viktor Schauberger’s books, articles and letters. The result is ‘Living Energies’. He is also the translator and editor of the four-volume Eco-technology series encompassing a large and representative spectrum of Schauberger’s work, also published by Gateway Books - ‘The Water Wizard’, ‘Nature as Teacher’, ‘The Fertile Earth’ and ‘The Energy Evolution’.
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Mel Gibson: “I’ll End Up Dead If I Keep Talking Shit”
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Scene from Braveheart
“Captured by King Edward”
he mainstream media is again abuzz with voices denouncing Mel Gibson for alleged misdoings. Self-declared “voice of the left” Arianna Huffington has even argued for a revival of “Hollywood values” [sic] and for Gibson to be burned at the stake: “(…) Now is the time”, invokes Huffington, “for Hollywood to show what those values really are by making Gibson pay the price for his bigotry and intolerance.” Meanwhile, new evidence has emerged that raises serious doubts as to the veracity of the claims made against Gibson. “These copies were professionally made for distribution,” said forensic audio and video expert, Arlo West, CEO of Creative Forensic Services in an interview with HollyWoodLife, “Their quality is extraordinary … I would be willing to bet that someone with a background in recording these types of messages helped Oksana do so to entrap Gibson. I would also expect that a person or persons also helped her edit the recordings.” Arlo insists the recordings have been professionally edited, probably to eliminate words or piece together phrases. “The audio files were most certainly edited intentionally and the forensic terminology for this, is tampering,” says Arlo. “The edits that I found would have been done postrecording and are clearly done to redact dia-
log — which means to intentionally remove words,” says Arlo. “I can tell there are gaps and edits in several ways by using waveform analysis and zero crossing analysis. These are most certainly digital recordings so there is no tape involved.” HollywoodLife.com went on to report that “another forensic expert, Frank Piazza, is the President of Legalaudio.com and also worked on the Natalee Holloway case as well as others including the famous Jon Benet Ramsey murder case of 1996. Frank tells us that he can support Arlo’s finds that there were edits in the audio. “There are redactions, things were taken out, there were obviously things people didn’t want others to hear,” says Frank. “The most interesting piece of information that Frank found was that Mel was coming through a standard phone while Oksana was speaking through a high tech microphone,” reported HollywoodLife. “Oksana was speaking through a large diaphragm microphone,” according to Frank. “Mel’s responses are on another channel and he is on a speaker phone. Whoever is helping her is patching it through to her. They are using something called a hybrid coupler which is used to separate the two voices. The coupler’s purpose is to accept a phone line and enable you to record what’s coming back from the phone conversation.” The blogosphere is saturated with independent reporting on the case, many arguing that Gibson has been deliberately targeted for politically motivated reasons. Paul Watson of Infowars.com reported: “Just like in the days of J. Edgar Hoover, when every important person both inside and outside Hollywood had the dubious honor of reserved blackmail-space in the FBI-director’s desk, the arrows have now
been directed at Gibson, not for anything he might have done mind you, but rather with the aim of stopping the man from capturing audiences around the world with any more influential films about freedom versus tyranny. In other words: the current “controversy” serves to hinder the filmmaker from doing his job. In an age where many filmmakers, sniffing it up in the bathroom, are instruments for the New World Order by producing predictive programming to audiences everywhere, the crusade launched against Gibson should raise all thinking people’s eyebrows.” Watson elaborates as to the motivation for Gibson’s character assassination by pointing to an interview conducted by Playboy in 1995, wherein “Gibson identified the power behind the throne with stunning accuracy”. “With the conversation turning towards then-president of the United States, Bill Clinton, Gibson suggested that he was obviously groomed for the job early on in his career”. “Do you really believe that?”, asked the surprised interviewer (which he shouldn’t be), to which Gibson replied: “I really believe that. He was a Rhodes scholar, right? Just like Bob Hawke. Do you know what a Rhodes scholar is? Cecil Rhodes established the Rhodes scholarship for those young men and women who want to strive for a new world order. Have you heard that before? George Bush? CIA? Really, it’s Marxism, but it just doesn’t call itself that. Karl had the right idea, but he was too forward about saying what it was. Get power but don’t admit to it. Do it by stealth. There’s a whole trend of Rhodes scholars who will be politicians around the world.” “Flabbergasted by his words,” continued Watson, “the interviewer retreaded
by The Agoraphile
to the mantra of the numb and the ignorant when confronted with a sudden outburst of truth:” “This certainly sounds like a paranoid sense of world history. You must be quite an assassination buff.” Gibson: “Oh, fuck. A lot of these guys pulled a boner. There’s something to do with the Federal Reserve that Lincoln did, Kennedy did and Reagan tried. I can’t remember what it was, my dad told me about it. Everyone who did this particular thing that would have fixed the economy got undone. Anyway, I’ll end up dead if I keep talking shit.” “Not dead, thank God. Although the New World Order is pulling all the stops to make sure his career will be.”, concludes Watson. Others in the blogosphere have raised questions about Oksana herself, pointing out that “twice-divorced 39 year-old Oksana is an ambitious girl from the former Soviet Union, with ties to individuals such as Sergey Kuzmin, who had ties with career criminals and underworld figures throughout Russia and EU.” One blogger ends with the question, “Could it be that she was introduced to Gibson for the purpose of blackmail and subversion?” In an interesting juxtaposition to the Gibson drama, polish jew Roman Polanski, it was reported, will not be extradited to the U.S. from Switzerland for drugging, raping, and sodomizing a 13-year old girl. Much of the Hollywood crowd and corporate media have been supportive of Polanski, marginalizing the scandal and holding him in high regard. Polanski
Oliver Stone’s New Film: The Secret History Of America beforeitsnews.com
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irector Oliver Stone, who has built his career on controversial Films like JFK , Platoon and W , is staying true to form with his newest project, The Secret History of America , a 10-part Documentary mini-series that will air on Showtime. www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jul/18/ oliver-stone-chavez-wall-street Director Oliver Stone’s upcoming Showtime documentary miniseries “Secret History of America” promises to put mass murderers such as Stalin and Hitler “in context.”
“Stalin, Hitler, Mao, McCarthy — these people have been vilified pretty thoroughly by history,” Stone told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s semi-annual press tour in Pasadena. “Stalin has a complete other story,” Stone said. “Not to paint him as a hero, but to tell a more factual representation. He fought the German war machine more than any single person. We can’t judge people as only ‘bad’ or ‘good.’ Hitler is an easy scapegoat throughout history and its been used cheaply. He’s the product of a series of actions. It’s cause and effect … People in America don’t know the connection be-
tween WWI and WWII … I’ve been able to walk in Stalin’s shoes and Hitler’s shoes to understand their point of view. We’re going to educate our minds and liberalize them and broaden them. We want to move beyond opinions … Go into the funding of the Nazi party. How many American corporations were involved, from GM through IBM. Hitler is just a man who could have easily been assassinated.” “You cannot approach history unless you have empathy for the person you may hate,” Stone said during the show’s trailer, which promised to put historical villains “in context.”
Stone also warned that the same military industrial complex forces that he’s explored in movies such as “JFK” and in “Secret History,” are now corrupting Barack Obama. Photo: George Jefferies
Science historian cracks the ‘Plato code’
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science historian at The University of Manchester has cracked “The Plato Code” - the long disputed secret messages hidden in the great philosopher’s writings. Make a Photo Memory Book - Beautiful, Fun, Easy-to-Make Books. 25% Off Until July 31st. - www.picaboo.com Plato was the Einstein of Greece’s Golden Age and his work founded Western culture and science. Dr Jay Kennedy’s findings are set to revolutionise the history of the origins of Western thought. Dr Kennedy, whose findings are published in the leading US journal Apeiron, reveals that Plato used a regular pattern of symbols, inherited from the ancient followers of Pythagoras, to give his books a musical structure. A century earlier, Pythagoras had declared that the planets and stars made an inaudible music, a ‘harmony of the spheres’. Plato imitated this hidden music
in his books. The hidden codes show that Plato anticipated the Scientific Revolution 2,000 years before Isaac Newton, discovering its most important idea - the book of nature is written in the language of mathematics. The decoded messages also open up a surprising way to unite science and religion. The awe and beauty we feel in nature, Plato says, shows that it is divine; discovering the scientific order of nature is getting closer to God. This could transform today’s culture wars between science and religion. ”Plato’s books played a major role in founding Western culture but they are mysterious and end in riddles,” Dr Kennedy, at Manchester’s Faculty of Life Sciences explains. “In antiquity, many of his followers said the books contained hidden layers of meaning and secret codes, but this was rejected by modern scholars.
“It is a long and exciting story, but basically I cracked the code. I have shown rigorously that the books do contain codes and symbols and that unraveling them reveals the hidden philosophy of Plato. “This is a true discovery, not simply reinterpretation.” This will transform the early history of Western thought, and especially the histories of ancient science, mathematics, music, and philosophy. Dr Kennedy spent five years studying Plato’s writing and found that in his best-known work the Republic he placed clusters of words related to music after each twelfth of the text - at one-twelfth, two-twelfths, etc. This regular pattern represented the twelve notes of a Greek musical scale. Some notes were harmonic, others dissonant. At the locations of the harmonic notes he described sounds associated with love
or laughter, while the locations of dissonant notes were marked with screeching sounds or war or death. This musical code was key to cracking Plato’s entire symbolic system. Dr Kennedy, a researcher in the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, says: “As we read his books, our emotions follow the ups and downs of a musical scale. Plato plays his readers like musical instruments.” However Plato did not design his secret patterns purely for pleasure - it was for his own safety. Plato’s ideas were a dangerous threat to Greek religion. He said that mathematical laws and not the gods controlled the universe. Plato’s own teacher had been executed for heresy. Secrecy was normal in ancient times, especially
Continued page 28
July/Aug 2010
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The Bitch is Back: Bill C-6 reincarnates as C-36
attle-worn health freedom activists waited six months for the shoe to drop, knowing full well that at any moment, their latest nemesis, the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act called C-6, might reappear. Last month, their impatience was rewarded, as Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq rose to introduce Bill C-36, complete with the same troublesome, rights-stomping provisions as in its momma. And of course, the same really, really nasty language making Canadians “subject to the dictates of foreign authorities”, the words that allow foreign committees (like trade groups) to decide how we’re going to run things. It’ll be their way, or the highway. Witness the fact that the 106th US Congress voted to change American corporate tax law, not because it wanted to, but because it was ordered to – by the World Trade Organization. Now, if the WTO can yank the chains of the Yankees that easily, do we really think domestic Canadian laws are any less vulnerable? There have been ten major trade agreements signed by Canada over the past sixteen years, and there are twelve more pending, including the “Free Trade Area of the Americas”. These trade obligations, signed eagerly by our successive governments, have Canada in shackles, and somehow, hardly anybody’s noticing. Recently, master filmmaker Kevin P. Miller released a documentary showing Canadians how this has happened, in a dynamic retrospective leading to a dubious future: “A Question of Sovereignty” is now online for viewing at http://vimeo. com/13024940, and every red-blooded Canadian needs to see it, and now. It’s 23 minutes of jaw-dropping wakeup call. Miller describes the film as “patriotic and sentimental” and I have to admit that it brings an uncomfortable lump to the throat as you watch our sovereignty being hijacked. But it also sets your couch on fire. Miller’s take: “Quietly, over a period of many years, unconstitutional legislation encompassed in Bills C-51, C-6, and the current Bill C-36 have placed not only basic civil liberties and freedoms at risk, but Canada’s national sovereignty as well. The film shares how entangling alliances with groups like the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, Codex Alimentarius, the United States and even multinational corporate interests have become so powerful that they literally threaten to make elected officials in Parliament irrelevant.” I have to thank Kevin for saving me a whole lot of time explaining what’s going on, and let the film speak for itself, because it does. And it’s going to play an important role in how Canadian health freedom fighters will be approaching the nascent battle
By Dee Nicholson dnicholson@yaknet.ca
against Bill C-36, while proving especially valuable in rousing more Canadians from their sleepwalking state. Take a moment to absorb the very real danger of Canada’s virtual absorption into a global trade network that hovers over this nation right now. Piece by piece, department by department, our self-rule is being eroded by obligations to committees where our vote doesn’t matter. For example, at the World Trade Organization, Canada is one out of nearly 200 nations. One. None of the other members really give a rat’s behind what we want. Worse yet, if we insist on doing our own thing, we face sanctions, in some cases cross-industry trade sanctions of millions per day, or quitting and being viewed as anathema by all the other suckers in the group. So, no sovereignty, no health freedom. No freedom guaranteed at all. That candle is going out, bit by bit, as the trade groups meet and decide what the whole group will do, and if our laws conflict, too bad, so sad
org)
Bear in mind that Health Canada, with C-36, is asking to be granted police and judicial powers, the right to be judge, jury and executioner at will, to impose fines and imprisonment, without recourse to courts or recompense. But we’re supposed to be satisfied by the fact that they promise to call a judge for a warrant? These are the powers that Leona Aglukkaq says are necessary for her agency to “protect Canadians against hazardous consumer products”. The posts at www.canadiansforhealthfreedom.org show what sort of “protection” Canadians got from their government when Health Canada foisted that particular hazardous product on the population. Bear in mind, they did so at the advice of whom?
Mr. Mayor for our laws. And our self-rule. Meanwhile, there are massive collisions set to happen. All these contracts with all sorts of terms, and what happens when they start to need enforcing? Gridlock. And what do you need when you have gridlock? A traffic cop. Do you see the platform for global government being “necessitated into existence” by the ongoing commitments of our governments, no matter which party was in power? Commitments to trading. Mr. Mayor To profit. Not to people. To share wealth, meaning spread what we have across the whole slice of bread while they retain the loaf. This is what Harper meant at the G8 when he spoke of “shared prosperity”. And those were the exact words used by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at the UN this past week. Bill C-36 swings the doors to Canada wide open to outside domination by foreign authorities that we will never vote for and who could not care less what we want. These are the same foreign authorities waiting, butter knife in hand, to spread the wealth, which really means to bring the world equal-opportunity poverty. Without sovereignty, we have nothing, and Bill C-36 takes away a sizeable chunk of it with Codex looming, as well as a big pact with the EU, where the food regulations are just as bad as Codex already. You need to understand the depth and breadth of what Codex will do, and how our government is absolutely committed to going there. (See www.thenhf.com for full details on Codex, and read constitutional lawyer and health freedom advocate Shawn Buckley’s analysis of Bill C-36 at www.nhppa.
The same WHO that’s been exposed as being in a huge conflict of interest beneficial to Big Pharma for its re-jigging of the very definition of a pandemic in order to declare one, on the advice of people connected to Big Pharma, which made a gazillion dollars feeding the toxic stuff to people around the world, from which many people suffered severe health problems. People like the ones on that page. This is the same Health Canada that is asking for quasi-judicial powers, to “protect Canadians from hazardous products”. Remember Leona Aglukkaq, cajoling the Senate with portents of babies dying from faulty crib and playpen designs, if Bill C-6 didn’t pass? She’s trotted that one out already again for its doppelganger, C-36. Now, unfortunately for Aglukkaq, there are actual dead babies which would today in all likelihood be alive, were it not for Health Canada’s following of foreign “suggestions” in the promotion of the largely-untested H1N1 vaccine to Canadians, with the full expectation of “collateral damage”. And this Minister wants us to believe that this agency could be trusted with police and judicial powers? This Minister wants us to believe that the agency honors the rights of Canadians, after the shameful raid against Dr. Eldon Dahl last year, holding his family at gunpoint for 11 hours because he sold some vitamins in a sting operation by the health police? Dahl had what looked to him like the G20 security force bash in his front door. This protects Canadians, how? In my humble opinion, it doesn’t. Instead, it endangers the very fabric of
our nation. Thankfully, there is a new army being assembled against Health Canada’s assault on our sovereign right to health freedom, with the establishment of The National Health Federation (Canada). Its parent organization, the NHF (www.thenhf.com), is the world’s largest and oldest health freedom organization, with branches in nine nations and membership in thirty countries, and is a recognized International Non-Governmental Organization. The move gives Canada, for the first time, standing as delegates to Codex Alimentarius with the right to speak to the committee, and to Canadians, the ability to speak truth to power. In addition, the organization’s international scope means that we speak with the voices of twenty-nine other nations behind us, sharing the same concerns. That’s more votes than Canada has at the WTO. I am honored to be one of three Co-Executive Directors of the new NHF Canada, and am gleefully sharpening my teeth. My partners in crime are both heroines in health freedom: Marilyn Nelson, founder of Freedom of Choice in Health Care and veteran of decades of skirmishes with ministers of health; and Candace Hill, nutritionist, passionate educator, and master instigator of stuff happening. With us will be many of the health warriors from Canadians for Health Freedom who barraged the Senate last year with a demand they couldn’t refuse. Bill C-36, the bitch, is back. We think that calls for neutering. The author of two books, Dee Nicholson is a degreed metaphysician, Reiki Master, and life coach, as well as an activist for human rights, especially the right to choose our food, medicine, and health care. Today finds Dee delving into the real nature of the health care system world-wide, and exposing the fist of controls tightening around our health freedoms, notably through the World Health Organization’s Codex Alimentarius Committee. She was one of the first in the health freedom movement to point to Canada’s expanding loss of sovereignty and ultimate vulnerability to regulations set by foreign, unelected committees of her trade group memberships. Dee is the National Director of Communication for Freedom in Canadian Health Care, which is a charter group member of Canadians for Health Freedom (www. canadiansforhealthfreedom.org). She is a frequent blogger on the site, offering commentary on a wide range of topics.
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The End of Sin By Devrah Laval
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hen we no longer believe in sin the world as we know it will end. A new world will arise, a world without doubt, fear, unworthiness and guilt. A world founded on love, forgiveness, compassion and oneness. We will remember who we are, we will remember what we forgot, and we will know where we belong. In a dream, I was play-wrestling with a friend by a pool of water. We were both wearing big boots and what looked like battle fatigues. I could not see a face, but I could feel how much I cared for this person . As we continued, our wrestling became more intense and I vividly recall accidentally kicking my friend with my heavy boot, which unbalanced him and caused him to fall into a deep pool of dark water. I remember being shocked, as I’d had no intention of harming him. I desperately tried to save him, but his body felt like a dead weight. I was worried that the kick might have knocked him out. I called for help, but no one was around. I struggled for what seemed like an eternity until finally I managed to retrieve his body, only to discover that he was dead. In a panic, I dragged the body to a treed area and dug him a shallow grave. I felt I needed to hide what had happened because I somehow knew that no one would understand that my actions were innocent, without malicious intent. The next morning, I awoke to my normal environment in deep shock. As I looked around the room, I barely recognized the surround-
ings—it was almost as though I was still in the dream. It was as if time had dissolved and no boundaries existed between the present and past. I didn’t know what was a dream and what was reality anymore because I felt that I was traversing through unknown territory. Terrified and confused, I began grasping pieces of furniture and objects in the room, I recall even grabbing hold of the rim of the bathroom sink just to see if it was solid and real – fully expecting it to completely dissolve in my hand. I tried with all my might to ground myself in the midst of this transcendental experience. The veil that separates the dream world from the waking state had evaporated and left me feeling like Alice in Wonderland. As I tried to go about my day, I kept asking myself, “Whom did I kill?” I traced back through my whole life from the time I was a young child to try to recall if I had actually harmed someone. I was grief-stricken, and I was unable to function normally, so I just cancelled my day. I sat down on the floor, exhausted, leaned against a wall, and prayed, “Please forgive me, please show me what I did.” I felt I committed the ultimate Sin, but I no longer could distinguish between my sleeping dream and my so-called waking life. I’d heard about this sort of thing, but I had no understanding of how to deal with it. Feeling helpless, I just closed my eyes and started meditating, hoping to get some insight. Then, after a long while, something began to change in my conscious awareness. I was no longer in an uneventful meditation; instead, I was suddenly catapulted into a greatly expanded perspective. I relived my “bad” dream, except I was now witnessing it from a higher level of consciousness—higher than I had viewed anything before. I felt as though I were at the very top of a mountain sitting with a divine or God-like presence that was giving me a true vision of what was real. Simultaneously, I also experienced the most love I’d ever been bestowed in my whole life. Together, as one set of eyes, this divine presence and I reviewed this “bad” dream once again but as a detached observer. It was shown to me in an odd way: as I watched what appeared to be below me, I recall looking upon my own confused self with the utmost compassion and love, rather than the guilt and
fear that I had felt when I had experienced the dream the first time. What had the greatest impact on me was that I was shown how absolutely pure and innocent I really was, contrary to a belief I had always carried that I was a sinner and somehow inherently bad. I was awestruck at the recognition of my inherent purity. This sin that I thought I had committed was shown to be just a bad dream. As I kept viewing these images, and myself I saw that the entire world, that we believe to be real, is no different—it is just a dream as well. We awaken from our night time dreams, believing them to be true and real while in them, only to enter into our daytime dream actually believing that we are awake when in fact this world that we call ‘reality’ is simply another dream. But we are not awake, we are still asleep and now I understood why great master’s come here – to teach us to awaken from this worldly dream/illusion. The experience of witnessing the dream we call the world was like watching a movie with a myriad of characters coming and going in meaningless movements that to them were serious and real. It was like observing a madeup child’s game, similar to cowboys and Indians, where the worldly characters just keep on fighting and knocking one another down. I felt I was waking up from the dream I had thought was my life, and I saw just how much time and energy had been wasted by living in conflict within myself as well as with others, when what was really true was this overwhelming feeling of peace and love. As I sat in this exalted place, I realized that nothing was real but this profound love. No judgment, no blame, no guilt of any kind existed here. Only One—only love. Everything else was an invented illusion based on some strange belief in separation and sin. In fact, I understood that we are loved unconditionally, and at the absolute level, sin does not exist. Sin is just our confusion about the truth, so we feel guilty and punish ourselves and others, thereby keeping this movie—the illusion that we call “life”—going. I saw that the rules of our illusory world are very different from what is real. The truth as I experienced it is that we are loved beyond our limited forms more than we can possibly imagine—we are with this source or God always. In fact, we’ve never left, as our illusion would have us believe: the physical world is just a dream; it is illusory and therefore, sin is unreal in that it exists only in the illusion.
The moment when I truly understood this, deep shivers of the words, “You are forgiven,” reverberated throughout my whole being and I felt as if every sin I thought I had committed was cleansed from me. Once I saw that at the real level, which is where we truly exist – that being with God/absolute reality, there is no sin, hence there is no “other” to sin against because we are already one. The truth is there is only One, only Love. And if there were such a thing as sin, it would be the belief that we are separate from this exquisite source. Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God. Vancouver-based Devrah Laval is author of The Magic Doorway Into the Divine.She has had numerous mystical experiences and has spent over 30 years studying withdifferent Masters and Gurus including the same guru as mentioned in Eat, Pray, Love by Liz Gilbert.She has been a spiritual counsellor and has facilitated numerous groups and workshops. http://www.themagicdoorway.com
Continued from page 26 for esoteric and religious knowledge, but for Plato it was a matter of life and death. Encoding his ideas in secret patterns was the only way to be safe. Plato led a dramatic and fascinating life. Born four centuries before Christ, when Sparta defeated plague-ravaged Athens, he wrote 30 books and founded the world’s first university, called the Academy. He was a feminist, allowing women to study at the Academy, the first great defender of romantic love (as opposed to marriages arranged for political or financial reasons) and defended homosexuality in his books. In addition, he was captured by pirates and sold into slavery before being ransomed by friends. Dr Kennedy explains: “Plato’s importance cannot be overstated. He shifted humanity from a warrior society to a wisdom society. Today our heroes are Einstein and Shakespeare - and not knights in shining armour because of him.” Over the years Dr Kennedy carefully peeled back layer after symbolic layer, sharing each step in lectures in Manchester and with experts in the UK and US. He recalls: “There was no Rosetta Stone. To announce a result like this I needed rigorous, independent proofs based on crystal-clear evidence. “The result was amazing - it was like opening a tomb and finding new set of gospels written by Jesus Christ himself. “Plato is smiling. He sent us a time capsule.” Dr Kennedy’s findings are not only surprising and important; they overthrow conventional wisdom on Plato. Modern historians have always denied that there were codes; now Dr Kennedy has proved otherwise. He adds: “This is the beginning of something big. It will take a generation to work out the implications. All 2,000 pages contain undetected symbols.” Plato quoted: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” “If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things.” “Ignorance: the root of all evil.” “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” “The price good men pay for indifference to publiuc affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
29 Placebo Effect Regularly Beats Pharmaceutical Drugs July/Aug 2010
What About Polio? By Dr Sherri Tenpenny
This 1963 poster featured CDC’s national symbol of public health, the "Wellbee", who was depicted here encouraging the public to receive an oral polio vaccine.
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tion for their discovery. However, when Dr. Eddy discovered tumors in 70 percent of hamsters injected with a simian (monkey) virus called SV40, a virus routinely found in tissue cultures used to grow polioviruses, the results were less than well received. Instead of being rewarded for her efforts to protect the public, her discovery eventually cost her everything: her laboratory, her staff, her position, and essentially her career as a serious investigator. Two years later, in 1961, the Technical Committee on Poliomyelitis Vaccine met to discuss the safety of the existing Salk polio vaccine. It was concluded that “no untoward effects” had been attributed to the SV40 virus, which was acknowledged to be in the vaccine. The virus was assumed to be harmless. The committee recommended no change in the current vaccination policy. Vaccinations continued until all the contaminated vaccine was used up. The lax concern of the committee allowed millions of children to be injected with vaccines that contained a virus known to cause cancer rather than suffer the embarrassment of a vaccination recall. Here’s an excerpt from the final report: “The first official health decisions had been made…there would be no recall of old vaccine containing SV40. Millions of children would continue to receive live SV40 because the nation’s polio program was simply too important to interrupt. There would be no announcement to suppliers and physicians to stop administering SV40 contaminated vaccine. And there would be no warning to consumers that the vaccine they and their children were receiving contained a live monkey virus whose effects on humans was entirely unknown. US citizens were not going to be afforded the chance to decide for themselves whether they were willing to be exposed to SV40; the government had decided that they would.” (p 93) These are only a few of the highlights found in The Virus and The Vaccine. The methods used today by government agencies and committees to ignore, diminish and dismiss concerns about vaccination are long-standing, stemming from the railroading of the polio vaccine into generalized use. The vaccine machine is entrenched and backed by billion dollar budgets. Small wonder why public watchdog groups, vaccine activists, and concerned parents and physicians make little headway when attempting to address problems surrounding vaccination. Every parent assumes that the multiple doses of 16 different vaccines injected into their children have been proven to be safe, and that governmental agencies have children’s best interest in mind. However, this monumental work documents a different truth. Because vaccination is a part of routine healthcare for people of all ages, The Virus and The Vaccine is a “must read”. While the book is dense with scientific information, it reads like a suspense thriller. The authors invested nine years investigating the details of the book, including the methodical way in which the FDA ignored and silenced Dr. Michael Carbone’s work connecting the SV40 vaccine to a myriad of cancers that are epidemic today. More people are questioning vaccine safety and efficacy than ever before. The information provided is wonderfully researched and should cause everyone—parent and healthcare providers alike—to reevaluate their trust in the vaccines, and their blind confidence in the manufacturers who produce them and governmental agencies who regulate them.
hen people start to investigate vaccines, the first two questions that almost always come up are, “What about smallpox eradication?” and “What about the polio vaccine?” The book, The Virus and the Vaccine: Contaminated Vaccine, Deadly Cancers, and Government Neglect (2005), is an impeccably researched expose’ to fill in the details of that second question. Beyond documenting the historical saga of the vaccine and SV40, this book has a much larger and more foreboding message. It definitively connects the incestuous interrelationships between the federal government, the major governmental health agencies [the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI)] and the pharmaceutical industry. If there were ever any misgivings as to how deeply entrenched these groups are, this book removes all doubt. The impeccable research exposes the extensive use of power, coercion and cover up used to maintain the public’s “confidence” in vaccines. Stories about problems with vaccines go something like this: A researcher documents a serious problem with a vaccine. The government and/or the Industry publishes a “definitive study” to “set the record straight.” A flurry of media campaigns and medical journal articles are commenced to ensure support for the conclusions of the “definitive study.” Upon critical examination, the “definitive study” is found to have serious flaws. Although broadcast via many venues—journal publications, radio broadcasts and over the internet—the rebuttals are barely acknowledged. The “definitive study” becomes “established medical fact” and the original concerns are negated and ignored. Pressure from the public watchdog groups is placed on Congress to force the hand of the government agencies. Hearings are held to give the appearance of concern. But instead of acting decisively, the hallmark of government committee meeting has become to delay taking action against a vaccine or manufacturer, using the justification, “temporal association does not prove causality.” The Story of the Polio Vaccine In 1959, researcher Dr. Bernice Eddy from the US National Institutes of Health was working with Dr. Sarah Stewart from the National Cancer Institute. Together, the two proved that a mouse virus could cause cancer when it was injected into other small animals. www.drtenpenny.com Both researchers received national recogni- www.osteomed2.com
world
Kim Evans
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Wired UK article a while back told us a dirty little secret that the pharmaceutical drug world would rather keep quiet. That fact is: drugs are having a difficult time beating the placebo effect, and increasingly so. In fact, they’re finding the placebo effect is getting stronger in people, making it more difficult for drugs to show any improvement over it. The credit for the increased placebo effect has been attributed to the increase in consumer advertising, which makes many consumers “believe” more in the drugs and their effects. Because the placebo effect is getting stronger, many widely distributed drugs would have had a hard time getting approval to begin with, if they were tested against today’s placebo effect. Many drugs, notably Prozac, have also been shown to falter when compared to placebo - after they’re already on the market. A Saatchi & Saatchi advertising executive explains the key to producing a good pharmaceutical ad: it’s in making the association between the drug and other aspects of life that promote peace of mind, like playing with your kids or reading a good book. It’s Madison Avenue type stuff, designed to play on your emotions and specifically, to boost sales. These messages appear to be working because many people keep calling on doctors for more drugs, which is the drug company’s number one goal. But, interestingly, the same mechanism also seems to be messing up the new drug approval process for drug companies. Wired tells us, “The fact that an increasing number of medications are unable to beat sugar pills has thrown the industry into crisis” and that “half of all drugs that fail in late-stage trials drop out because of their inability to beat sugar pills.” Eli Lilly’s next-generation antidepressants haven’t been doing better than a placebo in seven out of ten trials. It wasn’t long ago that Merck withdrew its “highly anticipated medical breakthrough” antidepressant for the same reason; it didn’t beat sugar pills. It’s interesting because placebo pills are often sugar pills, and sugar is known to depress the immune system for hours after it’s taken. So, in truth, drug companies are having a difficult time competing against an immune system depressant. William Potter, psychiatrist turned Eli Lilly drug developer, found himself baffled by the evidence that drugs he’d long been prescribing were now failing against placebos. So, he started digging around in Eli Lilly’s trial database, a database that included trials the company didn’t make public and preferred to keep quiet. Inside that database, Potter found there were tremendous differences in the results of drug trials, based on things like the size and color of the pills, and even where in the world the trial was located. For example, blue tranquilizer pills have better effects than red pills, even with the same stuff inside. This is the case in all but Italian men, which with whom the color blue is associated with their national football team. And Valium often beats the placebo in France and Belgium, but regularly fails in the U.S. Other research has found that patients do better with a caring doctor who takes time with them, compared to a non-caring doctor who doesn’t bother with communication, even if they are both given the same placebo.
These random factors can sway drug trials one way or the other, yet drug companies aren’t required to submit for regulatory review all of the tests they run on a particular drug. They can submit just the ones they do well in and keep the ones that they fail to themselves, even if the factors for “doing well” are as esoteric (and non-scientific) as the color of the pill given, the branding of the pill, the price of the pill, or which country the trial was held. Fabrizio Benedetti studied the placebo effect on his own, because funding couldn’t be found to study something the drug industry considers to be getting in the way of profits. Building on previous research, Benedetti found that when someone is given a pill, the brain expects change to happen. Based on that expectation, the brain often then starts producing its own pain-relieving medicine, which can reduce pain and even regulate heart and respiratory functionality. Instead of working to understand how the body can heal itself, drug companies see this, the placebo effect, as a nuisance. In fact, these days, daily doses of immune-depressing sugar pills might cause bigger problems for drug companies than their direct competitors do. It’d be curious to see what would happen if the sugar pills were replaced with a whole foods diet, or supplementation with placebo herbs like cat’s claw, garlic, or other known immune system enhancers. Perhaps, this should become the standard for the testing of pharmaceutical drugs, as testing against substances that are known to depress the immune system isn’t really a level playing field, even if the drug companies are routinely failing. Of course, if this were to happen, far fewer drugs would pass the already flimsy approval requirements that allow for the cherry picking of data and hiding of negative results. And this isn’t something the drug industry wants. Kim Evans is a natural health writer, phot o g r a p h e r, and author of Cleaning Up! The Ultimate Body Cleanse. Deep cleansing has helped her eliminate over a dozen problems in her body - including several that medical professionals had said that there were no solutions for, except long-term drugs. Learn more about cleansing at www.cleaningupcleanse.com.
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July/Aug 2010
Inside The LC: The Strange But Mostly True Story of Laurel Canyon and The Birth of The Hippy Generation by Dave Mcgowan Part III
“I mean, fuck, he auditioned for Neil [Young] for fuck’s sake.” Graham Nash, explaining to author Michael Walker how close Charlie Manson was to the Laurel Canyon scene.
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uring the ten-year period during which Bruce, Novarro, Mineo, Linkletter, Stevens, Tate, Sebring, Frykowski and Folger all turned up dead, a whole lot of other people connected to Laurel Canyon did as well, often under very questionable circumstances. The list includes, but is certainly not limited to, all of the following names: * Marina Elizabeth Habe, whose body was carved up and tossed into the heavy brush along Mulholland Drive, just west of Bowmont Drive, on December 30, 1968. Habe, just seventeen at the time of her death, was the daughter of Hans Habe, who emigrated to the U.S. from fascist Austria circa 1940. Shortly thereafter, he married a General Foods heiress and began studying psychological warfare at the Military Intelligence Training Center. After completing his training, he put his psychological warfare skills to use by creating 18 newspapers in occupied Germany - under the direction, no doubt, of the OSS. * Christine Hinton, who was killed in a head-on collision on September 30, 1969. At the time, Hinton was a girlfriend of David Crosby and the founder and head of The Byrd’s fan club. She was also the daughter of a career Army officer stationed at the notorious Presidio military base in San Francisco. Another of Crosby’s girlfriends from that same era was Shelley Roecker, who grew up on the Hamilton Air Force Base in Marin County. * Jane Doe #59, found dumped into the heavy undergrowth of Laurel Canyon in November 1969, within sight of where Habe had been dumped less than a year earlier. The teenage girl, who was never identified, had been stabbed 157 times in the chest and throat. * Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson, singer, songwriter and guitarist for the Laurel Canyon blues-rock band, Canned Heat, was found dead in his Topanga Canyon home on September 3, 1970. His death was written off as a suicide/OD. Wilson had moved to Topanga Canyon after the band’s Laurel Canyon home - on Lookout Mountain Avenue, next door to Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash’s home - burned to the ground. “Blind Owl” was just twenty-seven years old at the time of his death. A little more than a decade later, Wilson’s former bandmate, Bob “The Bear” Hite, who had once acknowledged in an interview that he had partied in the canyons with various members of the Manson Family, died of a heart attack at the ripe old
age of 36. * Jimi Hendrix, who reportedly briefly occupied the sprawling mansion just north of the Log Cabin after he moved to LA in 1968, died in London under seriously questionable circumstances on September 18, 1970. Though he rarely spoke of it, Jimi had served a stint in the U.S. Army with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. His official records indicate that he was forced into the service by the courts and then released after just one year when he purportedly proved to be a poor soldier. One wonders though why he was assigned to such an elite division if he was indeed such a failure. One also wonders why he wasn’t subjected to disciplinary measures rather than being handed a free pass out of his ostensibly court-ordered service. In any event, Jimi himself once told reporters that he was given a medical discharge after breaking an ankle during a parachute jump. And one biographer has claimed that Jimi faked being gay to earn an early release. The truth, alas, remains rather elusive. At the time of Jimi’s death, the first person called by his girlfriend - Monika Danneman, who was the last to see Hendrix alive - was Eric Burden of the Animals. Two years earlier, Burden had relocated to LA and taken over ringmaster duties from Frank Zappa after Zappa had vacated the Log Cabin and moved into a less highprofile Laurel Canyon home. Within a year of Jimi’s death, an underage prostitute named Devon Wilson who had been with Jimi the day before his death, plunged from an eighthfloor window of New York’s Chelsea Hotel. On March 5, 1973, a shadowy character named Michael Jeffery, who had managed both Hendrix and Burden, was killed in a mid-air plane collision. Jeffery was known to openly boast of having organized crime connections and of working for the CIA. After Jimi’s death, it was discovered that Jeffery had been funneling most of Hendrix’s gross earnings into offshore accounts in the Bahamas linked to international drug trafficking. Years later, on April 5, 1996, Danneman, the daughter of a wealthy German industrialist, was found dead near her home in a fumefilled Mercedes. * Jim Morrison, who for a time lived in a home on Rothdell Trail, behind the Laurel Canyon Country Store, may or may not have died in Paris on July 3, 1971. The events of that day remain shrouded in mystery and rumor, and the details of the story, such as they are, have changed over the years. What is known is that, on that very same day, Admiral George Stephen Morrison delivered the keynote speech at a decommissioning ceremony for the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard, from where, seven years earlier, he had helped choreograph the Tonkin Gulf Incident. A few years after Jim’s death, his common-law wife, Pamela Courson, dropped dead as well, officially of a heroin overdose. Like Hendrix, Morrison had been an avid student of the occult, with a particular fondness for the work of Aleister Crowley. According to super-groupie Pamela DesBarres, he had also “read all he could about incest and sadism.” Also like Hendrix, Morrison was just twenty-seven at the time of his (possible) death. * Brandon DeWilde, a good friend of David Crosby and Gram Parsons, was killed in a freak accident in Colorado on July 6, 1972, when his van plowed under a flatbed truck. In the 1950s, DeWilde had been an in-demand child actor since the age of eight. He had appeared on screen with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Alan Ladd, Lee Marvin, Paul Newman, John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Henry Fonda. Around 1965, DeWilde fell in with Hollywood’s ‘Young Turks,’ through whom he met and befriended Crosby, Parsons, and various
other members of the Laurel Canyon Club. DeWilde was just thirty at the time of his death. * Christine Frka, a former governess for Moon Unit Zappa and the Zappa family’s former housekeeper at the Log Cabin, died on November 5, 1972 of an alleged drug overdose, though friends suspected foul play. As “Miss Christine,” Frka had been a member of the Zappa-created GTOs, a musical act, of sorts, composed entirely of very young groupies. She was also the inspiration for the song, “Christine’s Tune: Devil in Disguise” by Gram Parson’s Flying Burrito Brothers. Frka was probably in her early twenties when she died, possibly even younger. * Danny Whitten, a guitarist/vocalist/songwriter with Neil Young’s sometime band, Crazy Horse, died of an overdose on November 18, 1972. According to rock ‘n’ roll legend, Whitten had been fired by Young earlier that day during rehearsals in San Francisco. Young and Jack Nietzsche, Phil Spector’s former top assistant, had given Whitten $50 and put him on a plane back to LA. Within hours, he was dead. Whitten was just twenty-nine. * Bruce Berry, a roadie for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, died of a heroin overdose in June 1973. Berry had just flown out to Maui to deliver a shipment of cocaine to Stephen Stills, and was promptly sent back to LA by Crosby and Nash. Berry was a brother of Jan Berry, of Jan and Dean. (Dean Torrence, the “Dean” of Jan and Dean, had played a part in the fake kidnapping of Frank Sinatra, Jr., just after the JFK assassination. The staged event was a particularly lame effort to divert attention away from the questions that were cropping up, after the initial shock had passed, about the events in Dealey Plaza.) * Clarence White, a guitarist who had played with The Byrds, was run over by a drunk driver and killed on July 14, 1973. White had grown up near Lancaster, not far from where Frank Zappa spent his teen years. At least one member of White’s immediate family was employed at Edwards Air Force Base. The driver who killed young Clarence, just twenty-nine years old at the time of his death, was given a one-year suspended sentence and served no time. * Gram Parsons, formerly with the International Submarine Band, The Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, allegedly overdosed on a speedball at the Joshua Tree Inn on September 19, 1973. Just two months before his death, Parson’s Topanga Canyon home had burnt to the ground. After his death, his body was stolen from LAX by the Burrito’s road manager, Phil Kaufman, and then taken back out to Joshua Tree and ritually burned on the autumnal equinox (Kaufman had been a prison buddy of Charlie Manson’s at Terminal Island; when Phil was released from Terminal Island in March of 1968, he quickly reunited with his old pal, who had been released a year earlier.) By the time of Gram’s death, his family had already experienced its share of questionable deaths. Just before Christmas, 1958, Parson’s father had sent Gram, along with his mother and sister, off to stay with family in Florida. The next day, just after the winter solstice, “Coon Dog” caught a bullet to the head. His death was recorded as a suicide and it was claimed that he had sent his family away to spare them as much pain as possible. It seems just as likely, however, that “Coon Dog” knew his days were numbered and wanted to get his family out of the line of fire. The next year, 1959, Gram’s mother married again, to Robert Ellis Parsons, who adopted Gram and his sister Avis. Six years later, in June of 1965, Gram’s mother died the day after a sudden illness landed her in the hospital. Accord-
ing to witnesses, she died “almost immediately” after a visit from her husband, Robert Parsons. Many of those close to the situation believed that Parsons had a hand in her death (very shortly thereafter, Robert Parsons married his stepdaughter’s teenage babysitter). Following his mother’s death, Parsons briefly attended Harvard University, and then launched his music career with the formation of the International Submarine Band, which quickly found its way to - where else? - Laurel Canyon. Gram’s death in 1973 at the age of 26 left his younger sister Avis as the sole surviving member of the family. She was killed in 1993, reportedly in a boating accident, at the age of 43. * “Mama” Cass Elliot, the “Earth Mother” of Laurel Canyon whose circle of friends included musicians, Mansonites, young Hollywood stars, the wealthy son of a State Department official, singer/songwriters, assorted drug dealers, and some particularly unsavory characters the LAPD once described as “some kind of hit squad,” died in the London home of Harry Nilsson on July 29, 1974 (Nilsson had been a frequent drinking buddy of John Lennon in Laurel Canyon and on the Sunset Strip). At thirty-two, Cass had lived a long and productive life, by Laurel Canyon standards. Four years later, in the very same room of the very same London flat, still owned by Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon of The Who also died at thirty-two (on September 7, 1978). Though initial press reports held that Cass had choked to death on a ham sandwich, the official cause of death was listed as heart failure. Her actual cause of death could likely be filed under “knowing where too many of the bodies were buried.” Moon reportedly died from a massive overdose of a drug used to treat alcohol withdrawal. * Amy Gossage, Graham Nash’s girlfriend at the time, was murdered in her San Francisco home on February 13, 1975. Just twenty years old at the time, she had been stabbed nearly fifty times and was bludgeoned beyond recognition. Amy’s father, a famed advertising/PR executive, had died of leukemia in 1969. Not long after, her half-sister had been killed in a car crash. In May of 1974, her mother, the daughter of a wealthy banking family, died as well, reportedly of cirrhosis of the liver. That left just Amy, age 19, and her brother Eben, age 20, both of whom reportedly had serious drug dependencies. Amy’s brutal murder, cleverly enough, was pinned on Eben. Police had conveniently found bloodstained clothes, along with a hammer and scissors, sitting on the porch of Eben’s apartment, looking very much as though it had been planted. A friend of Eben’s would later remark, perhaps quite tellingly, “If Eben did kill her, I’m convinced he doesn’t know he did it.” * Tim Buckley, a singer/songwriter signed to Frank Zappa’s record label and managed by Herb Cohen, died of a reported overdose on June 29, 1975. Buckley had once appeared on an episode of The Monkees, and, like Monkee Peter Tork (and so many others in this story), he hailed from Washington, DC. Buckley was just twenty-eight at the time of his death. His son, Jeff Buckley, also an accomplished musician, managed to remain on this planet two years longer than his dad did; he was thirty when he died in a bizarre drowning incident on May 29, 1997. * Phyllis Major Browne, wife of singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, reportedly overdosed on barbiturates on March 25, 1976. Her death was - you all should know the words to this song by now - ruled a suicide. She was just thirty years old. There are a few other curious deaths we could add here as well, though they were only indirectly related to the Laurel Canyon scene. Nevertheless, they deserve an honor-
July/Aug 2010 able mention, especially the Bobby Fuller and Phil Ochs entries; the former because it is a rather extraordinary example of the exemplary work done by the LAPD, and the latter because it just may contain a key to understanding the Laurel Canyon phenomenon: * Bobby Fuller, singer/songwriter/guitarist for the Bobby Fuller Four, was found dead in his car near Grauman’s Chinese Theater on July 18, 1966, after being lured away from his home by a mysterious 2:00-3:00 AM phone call of unknown origin. Fuller is best known for penning the hit song “I Fought the Law,” which had just hit the charts when he supposedly committed suicide at the age of twenty-three. There were multiple cuts and bruises on his face, chest and shoulders, dried blood around his mouth, and a hairline fracture to his right hand. He had been thoroughly doused with gasoline, including in his mouth and throat. The inside of the car was doused as well, and an open book of matches lay on the seat. It was perfectly obvious that Fuller’s killer (or killers) had planned to torch the car, destroying all evidence, but likely got scared away. The LAPD, nevertheless, ruled Fuller’s death a suicide - despite the coroner’s conclusion that the gas had been poured after Bobby’s death. Police later decided that it wasn’t a suicide after all, but rather an accident. They didn’t bother to explain how Fuller had accidentally doused himself with gasoline after accidentally killing himself. At the time of his death, one of Fuller’s closest confidants was a prostitute named Melody who worked at PJ’s nightclub, where Bobby frequently played. The club was co-owned by Eddie Nash, who would, many years later, orchestrate the Wonderland massacre. A few years after Bobby’s death, his brother and bass player, Randy Fuller, teamed up with drummer Dewey Martin, formerly of Buffalo Springfield. * Gary Hinman, a musician, music teacher, and part-time chemist, was brutally murdered in his Topanga Canyon home on July 27, 1969. Convicted of his murder was Mansonite Bobby Beausoleil, who had played rhythm guitar in a local band known as the Grass Roots. To avoid confusion with the more famous band already using that name, the Laurel Canyon band changed its name to Love. Beausoleil would claim that the band’s new name was inspired by his own nickname, Cupid. * Janis Joplin, vocalist extraordinaire, was found dead of a heroin overdose on October 4, 1970 at the Landmark Hotel, about a mile east of the mouth of Laurel Canyon, where she occasionally visited. Indications were that she had taken or been given a “hot shot,” many times stronger than standard street heroin. Joplin’s father, by the way, was a petroleum engineer for Texaco. And though it might normally seem an odd coupling, it somehow seems perfectly natural, in the context of this story, that Janis once dated that great crusader in the war on all things immoral, William Bennett. Like Morrison and Hendrix, Joplin died at the age of twenty-seven. * Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, lead guitarist and bass player for the Allman Brothers, were killed in freakishly similar motorcycle crashes on October 29, 1971 and November 11, 1972. Allman was the son of Willis Allman, a US Army Sergeant who had been murdered by another soldier near Norfolk, Virginia (home of the world’s largest naval installation) on December 26, 1949. In 1967, Duane and his younger brother, Gregg, then billing themselves as The Allman Joys, ventured out to Los Angeles. While there, Gregg auditioned for and was almost signed by the Laurel Canyon band Poco, which featured Buffalo Springfield alumni Richie Furay and Jim Messina, as well as future Eagle Randy Meisner. Duane was killed when a truck turned in front of his motorcycle at an intersection and inexplicably stopped. Just over a year later, Oakley had a similar runin with a bus, just three blocks from where Allman had been killed. Following the crash, Berry had dusted himself off and declined
medical attention, insisting that he was okay. Three hours later, he was rushed to the hospital, where he died. Both Oakley and Allman were just twenty-four years old. * Phil Ochs, folk singer/songwriter and political activist, was found hanged in his sister’s home in Far Rockaway, New York on April 9, 1976. Throughout his life, Ochs was one of the most overtly political of the 1960s rock and folk music stars. A regular attendee at anti-war, civil rights, and labor rallies, Ochs appeared to be, at all times, an unwavering political leftist (he named his first band The Singing Socialists). That all changed, however, and rather dramatically, in the months before his death. Born in El Paso, Texas on December 19, 1940, Phil and his family moved frequently during the first few years of his life. His father, Dr. Jacob Ochs, had been drafted by the US Army and assigned to various military hospitals in New York, New Mexico and Texas. In 1943, Dr. Ochs was shipped overseas, returning two years later with a medical discharge. Upon his return, he was immediately institutionalized and didn’t return to his family for another two years. During that time, he was subjected to every ‘treatment’ imaginable, including electroshock ‘therapy.’ When he finally returned to his family, in 1947, he was but a shell of his former self, described by Phil’s sister as “almost like a phantom.” Beginning in the fall of 1956, Phil Ochs began attending Staunton Military Academy, the very same institution that future ‘serial killer’/cult leader Gary Heidnik would attend just one year after Ochs graduated. During Phil’s two years there, a friend and fellow band member was found swinging from the end of a rope (I probably don’t need to add here that the death was ruled a suicide). Following graduation, Phil enrolled at Ohio State University, but not before, oddly enough, having a little plastic surgery done to alter his appearance (doing such things, needless to say, was rather uncommon in 1958). In early 1962, just months before his scheduled graduation, Ochs dropped out of college to pursue a career in music. By 1966, he had released three albums. In 1967, under the management of his brother, Michael Ochs, Phil moved out to Los Angeles. Michael had begun working the previous year as an assistant to Barry James, who maintained a party house at 8504 Ridpath in Laurel Canyon. In the early 1970s, with his career beginning to fade, Phil Ochs began to travel internationally, usually accompanied by vast quantities of booze and pills. Those travels included a visit to Chile, not long before the US-sponsored coup that toppled Salvador Allende. In early summer of 1975, Phil Ochs’ public persona abruptly changed. Using the name John Butler Train, Ochs proclaimed himself to be a CIA operative and presented himself as a belligerent, right-wing thug. He told an interviewer that, “on the first day of summer 1975, Phil Ochs was murdered in the Chelsea Hotel by John Train ... For the good of societies, public and secret, he needed to be gotten rid of.” That symbolic assassination, on the summer solstice, took place at the same hotel that Devon Wilson had flown out of a few years earlier. One of Ochs’ biographers would later write that Phil/John “actually believed he was a member of the CIA.” Also in those final months of his life, Ochs began compiling curious lists, with entries that clearly were references to US biological warfare research: “shellfish toxin, Fort Dietrich, cobra venom, Chantilly Race Track, hollow silver dollars, New York Cornell Hospital ...” Many years before Ochs’ metamorphosis, in an interesting bit of foreshadowing, psychological warfare operative George Estabrooks explained how US intelligence agencies could create the perfect spy: “We start with an excellent subject ... we need a man or woman who is highly intelligent and physically tough. Then we start to develop a case of multiple personality through hyp-
notism. In his normal waking state, which we will call Personality A, or PA, this individual will become a rabid communist. He will join the party, follow the party line and make himself as objectionable as possible to the authorities. Note that he will be acting in good faith. He is a communist, or rather his PA is a communist and will behave as such. Then we develop Personality B (PB), the secondary personality, the unconscious personality, if you wish, although this is somewhat of a contradiction in terms. This personality is rabidly American and anti-communist. It has all the information possessed by PA, the normal personality, whereas PA does not have this advantage ... My super spy plays his role as a communist in his waking state, aggressively, consistently, fearlessly. But his PB is a loyal American, and PB has all the memories of PA. As a loyal American, he will not hesitate to divulge those memories.” Estabrooks never explained what would happen if the programming were to go haywire and Personality B were to become the conscious personality, but my guess is that such a person would be considered a severe liability and would be treated accordingly. They might even be find themselves swinging from the end of a rope. Phil Ochs was thirty-five at the time of his death. And with that, I think we can move on now from the Laurel Canyon Death List. The list is not yet complete, mind you, since we have only covered the years 1966-1976. Rest assured then that we will continue to add names as we follow the various threads of this story. Some of those names will be quite familiar, while others will be significantly less so. One of the names from that era that has been all but forgotten is Judee Lynn Sill, who was once favorably compared to such other Laurel Canyon singer/ songwriters as Joni Mitchell, Judi Collins and Carole King. By the time of her death on November 23, 1979, however, she had been all but forgotten, and not a single obituary was published to note her passing. Judee was born in Studio City, California, not far from the northern entrance to Laurel Canyon, on October 7, 1944. Her father, Milford “Bud” Sill, was reportedly a cameraman for Paramount Studios with numerous Hollywood connections. When Judee was quite young, however, Bud moved the family to Oakland and opened a bar known as “Bud’s Bar.” He also operated a side business as an importer of rare animals, which required him to spend a considerable amount of time traveling in Central and South America. Such a business, it should be noted, would provide an ideal cover for covert intelligence work. In any event, Bud Sill was dead by 1952, when Judee was just seven or eight years old. Depending on who is telling the story, Bud died either from pneumonia or a heart attack. Following Bud’s death, the family relocated back to Southern California and Judee’s older brother Dennis, still in his teens, took over the family importing business. That didn’t last long though as Dennis soon turned up dead down in Central America, either from a liver infection or a car accident. The animal importing business, I guess, is a rather dangerous one. Judee’s mother, Oneta, met and married Ken Muse, an Academy Award winning animator for Hanna-Barbera who was described by Judee as an abusive, violent alcoholic. At fifteen, Judee fled her violent home life and lived with an older man with whom she pulled off a series of armed robberies in the San Fernando Valley. Those activities landed her in reform school, which did little to curb her appetite for drugs, crime and alcohol. She spent the next few years with a serious heroin addiction, which she financed by dealing drugs and turning tricks in some of LA’s seedier neighborhoods. By 1963, Judee had cleaned herself up enough to enroll in junior college. In the early winter of 1965, however, Judee’s
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mom, her last surviving family member, died either of cancer or of complications arising from her chronic alcoholism (take your pick; the details of this story will likely remain forever elusive). Barely an adult, Judee was left all alone in the world, and thus began another downward spiral into drugs and crime, which culminated in her being arrested and possibly serving time on forgery and drug charges. In the late 1960s, with her addictions apparently temporarily curbed, Sill joined the Laurel Canyon scene, where she attempted to forge a career as a singer/songwriter. Her first big break came when she sold the song “Lady O” to The Turtles (yet another Laurel Canyon band to hit it big in the mid-1960s; best known for the hit single “Happy Together,” The Turtles were led by lead vocalist/songwriter Howard Kaylan, who happened to be, small world that it is, a cousin of Frank Zappa’s manager and business partner, Herb Cohen). The band released the song, which featured Judee’s guitar work, in 1969. The next year, Sill became the first artist signed to David Geffen’s fledgling Asylum record label. The year after that, her self-titled debut album became Asylum’s first official release. The first single from the album, “Jesus Was a Crossmaker,” was produced by Graham Nash, whom she opened for on tour following the album’s release. Though critically well-received, the album’s sales were disappointing, in part because the record was overshadowed by the debut albums of Jackson Browne and The Eagles, both released by Asylum shortly after the release of Judee’s album. Sill’s second album, 1973’s “Heart Food,” was even more of a commercial disappointment. Nevertheless, in 1974 she began work on a third album in Monkee Mike Nesmith’s recording studio. Prior to completion, however, she abandoned the project and promptly disappeared without a trace. What became of her between that time and her death some five years later remains largely a mystery. It is assumed that she once again descended into a life of drugs and prostitution, but no one seems to know for sure. It is alleged that she was seriously injured when her car was rear-ended by actor Danny Kaye, causing her to suffer from chronic back pain thereafter, thus contributing to her drug addictions. According to a friend of hers, she lived in a home that featured an enormous photo of Bela Lugosi above the fireplace, a large ebony cross above her bed, and racks of candles. She is said to have read extensively from Rosicrucian manuscripts and from the writings of Aleister Crowley, to have possessed a complete collection of the work of Helena Blavatsky, and to have been a gifted tarot card reader. What is known for sure is that, on the day after Thanksgiving, 1979, Judee Sill, the last surviving member of her family, was found dead in a North Hollywood apartment. The cause of death was listed as “acute cocaine and codeine intoxication.” It was claimed that a suicide note was found, but friends insisted that the supposed note was either a portion of a diary entry or an unfinished song. One of her friends would later note that, at some point in her life, Judee began to realize that “there was a part of her that wasn’t under her conscious control.” I’m guessing that Phil Ochs, and quite a few other characters in this story, could relate to that. To Be Continued ... ********** It has occurred to me, as I have been working on these first posts of this new series, that a lot of this information will probably make more sense to those of you out there in Readerland who have successfully waded through my last book, Programmed to Kill. Those of you who haven’t done so may find yourselves pondering the significance of some of the references contained herein. Much of this material is tied in, to varying degrees, with material that is covered in the book, which last time I checked could be had in the E-version from www.IUniverse.com for the low, low price of just $6. And what else are you going to do with $6 - buy a gallon of gas?
July/Aug 2010 world 32 Is the CIA behind Mexico’s There’s no way to verify whether the Calderon administration is in bed with the Sinaloa cartel, but Al Jazeera’s report is Bloody Drug War? pretty damning. A similar report appeared in sor, George W. Bush. By Mike Whitney But the need for change is urgent. globalresearch.ca Mexico is unraveling and, as the oil wells run dry, the prospect of a failed state run by drug kingpins and paramilitaries on US’s n Friday, two patrol cars were southern border becomes more and more ambushed by armed gunman in downtown Ciudad Juarez. In the ensuing firefight, seven policemen were killed as well as a 17-year old boy who was caught in the crossfire. All of the assailants escaped uninjured fleeing the crime-scene in three SUVs. The bold attack was executed in broad daylight in one of the busiest areas of the city. According to the Associated Press: “Hours after the attack, a painted message directed to top federal police commanders and claiming responsibility for the attack appeared on a wall in downtown Ciudad Juarez. It was apparently signed by La Linea gang, the enforcement arm of the Juarez drug cartel. The Juarez cartel has been locked in a bloody turf battle with the Sinaloa cartel, led by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. “This will happen to you ... for being with El Chapo Guzman and to all the dirtbags who support him. Sincerely, La Linea,” the probable. The drug war is merely a sympmessage read.” (“7 Mexican police officers tom of deeper social problems; widespread killed in Ciudad Juarez”, Olivia Torres, AP) political corruption, grinding poverty, soarThe massacre in downtown Juarez is just ing unemployment, and the erosion of confithe latest incident in Mexico’s bloody drug dence in public institutions. But these issues war. Between 5 to 6 more people will be are brushed aside, so the government can killed on Saturday, and on every day thereaf- pursue its one-size-fits-all military strategy ter with no end in sight. It’s a war that cannot without second-guessing or remorse. Meanbe won, but that hasn’t stopped the Mexican while, the country continues to fall apart. government from sticking to its basic gameplan. THE CLASHING CARTELS The experts and politicians disagree about the origins of the violence in Juarez, The big cartels are engaged in a ferobut no one disputes that 23,000 people have cious battle for the drug corridors around been killed since 2006 in a largely futile mili- Juarez. The Sinaloa, Gulf and La Familia tary operation initiated by Mexican president cartels have formed an alliance against the Felipe Calderon. Whether the killing is the upstart Los Zetas gang. Critics allege that result of the ongoing turf-war between the ri- the Calderon adval drug cartels or not, is irrelevant. The pres- ministration has ent policy is failing and needs to be changed. close ties with The militarization of the war on drugs has the Sinaloa carbeen a colossal disaster which has acceler- tel and refuses to ated the pace of social disintegration. Mex- arrest its memico is quickly becoming a failed state, and bers. Here’s an Washington’s deeply-flawed Merida Initia- excerpt from an tive, which provides $1.4 billion in aid to the Al Jazeera video Calderon administration to intensify military which points to operations, is largely to blame. collusion beThe surge in narcotics trafficking and tween Sinaloa drug addiction go hand-in-hand with destruc- and the governtive free trade policies which have fueled their ment. growth. NAFTA, in particular, has triggered a “The US massive migration of people who have been Treasury identipushed off the land because they couldn’t fies at least 20 compete with heavily-subsidized agricultural front companies products from the US. Many of these people that are launderdrifted north to towns like Juarez which be- ing drug money came a manufacturing hub in the 1990s. But for the Sinaloa Juarez’s fortunes took a turn for the worse a c a r t e l . . . T h e r e few years later when competition from the are allegations Far East grew fiercer. Now most of the plants that the Mexican government is “favoring” and factories have been boarded up and the the cartel. According to Diego Enrique Oswork has been outsourced to China where orno, investigative journalist and author of subsistence wages are the norm. Naturally, the “The Sinaloa Cartel”: young men have turned to the cartels as the “There are no important detentions of only visible means of employment and up- Sinaloa cartel members. But the governward mobility. That means that free trade has ment is hunting down adversary groups, not only had a ruinous effect on the economy, new players in the world of drug traffickbut has also created an inexhaustible pool of ing.” recruits for the drug trade. International Security Expert, Edgardo Washington’s Merida Initiative--which Buscaglia, says that “of over 50,000 drug provides $1.4 billion in aid to the Calde- related arrests, only a very small percentron administration to intensify military op- age have been Sinaloa cartel members, and erations--has only made matters worse. The no cartel leaders. Dating back to 2003, law public’s demand for jobs, security and social enforcement data shows objectively that the programs, has been answered with check- government has been hitting the weakest orpoints, crackdowns and state repression. The ganized crime groups in Mexico, but they response from Washington hasn’t been much have not been hitting the main crime group, better. Obama hasn’t veered from the poli- the Sinaloa Federation, that’s responsible http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niqrrmev4mA cies of the prior administration. He is as com- for 45% of the drug trade in this country.” mitted to a military solution as his predeces- (Al Jazeera)
O
the Los Angeles Times which revealed that the government had diverted funds that were earmarked for struggling farmers (who’d been hurt by NAFTA) “to the families of notorious drug traffickers and several senior government officials, including the agriculture minister.” Here’s an excerpt from the
Los Angeles Times: “According to several academic studies, as much as 80% of the money went to just 20% of the registered farmers...Among the most eyebrow-raising recipients were three siblings of billionaire drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, head of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, and the brother of Guzman’s onetime partner, Arturo Beltran Leyva”. (“Mexico farm subsidies are going astray”, Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times) There’s no doubt that if the LA Times knows about the circular flow of state money to drug traffickers, than the Obama ad-
ministration knows too. So why does the administration persist with the same policy and continue to support the people they pretend to be fighting? In forty years, US drug policy has never changed. The same “hunt them down, bust them, and lock them up” philosophy continues to this day. That’s why many critics believe that the drug war is really about control, not eradication. It’s a matter of who’s in line to rake in the profits; small-time pushers who run their own operations or politically-connected kingfish who have agents in the banks, the intelligence agencies, the military and the government. Currently, in Juarez, the small fries’ are getting wiped out while the big-players are getting stronger. In a year or so, the Sinaloa cartel will control the streets, the drug corridors, and the border. The violence will die down and the government will proclaim “victory”, but the
flow of drugs into the US will increase while the situation for ordinary Mexicans will continue to deteriorate. Here’s a clip from an article in the Independent by veteran journalist Hugh O’Shaughnessy: “The outlawing and criminalizing of drugs and consequent surge in prices has produced a bonanza for producers everywhere, from Kabul to Bogota, but, at the Mexican border, where an estimated $39,000m in narcotics enter the rich US market every year, a veritable tsunami of cash has been created. The narcotraficantes, or drug dealers, can buy the murder of many, and the loyalty of nearly everyone. They can acquire whatever weapons they need from the free market in firearms north of the border and bring them into Mexico with appropriate payment to any official who holds his hand out.” (“The US-Mexico border: where the drugs war has soaked the ground blood red”, Hugh O’Shaughnessy The Independent) It’s no coincidence that Kabul and Bogota are the the de facto capitals of the drug universe. US political support is strong in both places, as is the involvement of US intelligence agencies. But does that suggest that the CIA is at work in Mexico, too? Or, to put it differently: Why is the US supporting a client that appears to be allied to the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico? The evidence of CIA involvement in the drug trade is vast, documented and compelling. Still, does that mean that there is some nefarious 3-way connection between the Sinaloa Cartel, the Calderon administration and the CIA? Isn’t it more likely that US policymakers are simply stuck in an ideological rut and are unable to break free from the culture of militarism that has swallowed Washington whole? Author John Ross answers these questions and more in a speech he delivered at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington D.C. in April 2009. Here’s an excerpt: “What does Washington want from Mexico? On the security side, the U.S. seeks total control of Mexico’s security apparatus. With the creation of NORCOM (the North Command) designed to protect the U.S. landmass from terrorist attack, Mexico is designated North America’s southern security perimeter and U.S. military aircraft now has carte blanche to penetrate Mexican airspace. Moreover, the North American Security and Prosperity Agreement (ASPAN in its Mexican initials) seeks to integrate the security apparatuses of the three NAFTA nations under Washington’s command. Now the Merida Initiative signed by Bush II and Calderon in early 2007 allows for the emplacement of armed U.S. security agents - the FBI, the DEA, the CIA, and ICE - on Mexican soil and contractors like the former Blackwater cannot be far behind. Wars are fought for juicy government contracts and $1.3 billion in Merida moneys are going directly to U.S. defense contractors - forget about the Mexican middleman. On the energy side, the designated target is, of course, the privatization of PEMEX, Mexico’s nationalized oil industry, with a particular eye out for risk contracts on deep sea drilling in the Gulf of Mexico utilizing technology only the EXXONs of this world possess.” (“THE BIG SCAM: HOW AND WHY WASHINGTON HOOKED MEXICO ON THE DRUG WAR”, John Ross, author of “El Monstruo--Dread and redemption in Mexico City”) The drug war is the mask behind which the real policy is concealed. The United States is using all the implements in its national security toolbox to integrate Mexico into a North America Uberstate, a hemispheric free trade zone that removes sovereign obstacles to corporate looting and guarantees rich rewards for defense contractors. As Ross notes, all of the usual suspects are involved, including the FBI and CIA. That means the killing in Juarez will continue until Washington’s objectives are achieved.
July/Aug 2010 the press of a button on the joystick.” “The female soldiers, located far away in an operations room, are responsible for aiming and firing remote-controlled machineguns mounted on watch-towers every few hundred metres along an electronic fence that surrounds Gaza.” “The system is one of the latest “remote killing” devices developed by Israel’s Rafael armaments company, the former weapons research division of the Israeli army and now a separate governmental firm.”
An Internet 100 times as fast: A new network design could boost capacity physorg.com reported:
the Irna news agency.” “The CIA denied claims it has been backing Jundullah, the Sunni separatist group which has claimed responsibility for the bombs.”
Back to Stone Age: Towns Rip Up Roads online.wsj.com reported: “SPIRITWOOD, N.D.—A hulking yellow machine inched along Old Highway 10 here recently in a summer scene that seemed as normal as the nearby corn swaying in the breeze. But instead of laying a blanket of steaming blacktop, the machine was grinding the asphalt road into bits.” “When [counties] had lots of money, they paved a lot of the roads and tried to make life easier for the people who lived out here,” said Stutsman County Highway Superintendant Mike Zimmerman, sifting the dusty black rubble through his fingers. “Now, it’s catching up to them.” “Outside this speck of a town, pop. 78, a 10-mile stretch of road had deteriorated to the point that residents reported seeing ducks floating in potholes, Mr. Zimmerman said. As the road wore out, the cost of repaving became too great. Last year, the county spent $400,000 on an RM300 Caterpillar rotary mixer to grind the road up, making it look more like the old homesteader trail it once was.”
“‘In today’s Internet, data traveling through optical fibers as beams of light have to be converted to electrical signals for processing. By dispensing with that conversion, a new network design could increase Internet speeds 100-fold.” “The heart of the Internet is a network of high-capacity optical fibers that spans continents. But while optical signals transmit information much more efficiently than electrical signals, they?re harder to control. The routers that direct traffic on the Internet typically convert optical signals to electrical ones for processing, then convert them back for transmission, a process that consumes time and energy.” “In recent years, however, a group of MIT researchers led by Vincent Chan, the Gang members coming home Joan and Irwin Jacobs Professor of Electri- from Iraq and Afghanistan with cal Engineering and Computer Science, has demonstrated a new way of organizing opti- military training cal networks that, in most cases, would elimiChicago Sun-Times reported: nate this inefficient conversion process. As a result, it could make the Internet 100 or even “Being in a street gang is now forbid1,000 times faster while actually reducing the den for members of the U.S. armed forces. amount of energy it consumes.” But you might not guess that if you were to visit U.S. military bases in Iraq and AfIndia: Pakistan’s ISI had direct ghanistan, according to soldiers who have control over Mumbai attacks recently served there.” “Jeffrey Stoleson, a Wisconsin correcAljazeera.net reported: tions official, returned from Iraq in January with photos of gang graffiti on armored “A senior Indian official has accused vehicles, latrines and buildings. Stoleson, Pakistani intelligence of orchestrating the a sergeant with a National Guard unit, was 2008 Mumbai attacks.” there for nine months to help the Army set “G K Pillai, India’s home secretary, said up a prison facility outside Baghdad.” on Wednesday that the perpetrators of the at“I saw Maniac Latin Disciples graftacks in which 166 people died were “clients fiti out of Chicago,” Stoleson said, adding and creations” of the Inter-Services Intelli- that there was a lot of graffiti for Texas and California gangs, as well as Mexican drug gence [ISI] agency of the Pakistan army.” “They [ISI] were literally controlling cartels. “A Chicago Police officer — who reand co-ordinating it from the beginning until the end,” the Indian Express newspaper tired from the regular Army and was recently on a tour of Afghanistan in the Army quoted Pillai as saying. Reserve — said Bagram Air Base was covIran accuses US and UK of sup- ered with Chicago gang graffiti, everything porting group behind mosque at- from the Gangster Disciples’ pitchfork to the Latin Kings’ crown.”
tacks
guardian.co.uk reported: “Iran is vowing to hunt down a Sunni separatist group which claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing that killed 28 people at a mosque in the south-eastern city of Zahedan.” “Press-TV, Iran’s English-language state broadcaster, alleged that “hardline Wahabis and Salafis trained by the CIA in Pakistan” were behind the bombings. Iran has claimed Rigi confessed that the US had assured him of unlimited aid and funding for the waging an insurgency against the Islamic republic. The US is reported to have a programme of covert operations inside Iran but the CIA has denied backing Jundullah. But Alaeddin Borujerdi, chairman of Iran’s parliamentary commission on national security, immediately pointed the finger at the intelligence services of the US, Israel and other western countries. “Such terror operations will not deter Iranian’s resolve in fighting against arrogant powers,” he told
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Heat wave in Russia causes 1,200 drowning deaths
“The heat wave has also negatively impacted air quality in Russia, caused water shortages and crop failures; and in some areas softened road asphalt, leading an increase in traffic accidents.” From an article in the Telegraph: “Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday the heat was a major problem for Russian agriculture, echoing concerns from Russia’s grain lobby, which said the country was undergoing the worst drought in 130 years of weather observations.” “Despite the manifold bad effects of the recent hot weather punishing much of Europe, many headlines on the story are focusing on Russians drinking too much vodka and drowning.” “US climate scientists are predicting more hot weather this year after record high temperatures in June.”
George Lucas Angry About Real Life “Lightsaber”, Threatens to Sue
beforeitsnews.com “In a piece of news that may sound bizarre to some, record-breaking temperatures in Russia are causing a rash of deaths by drowning.” “Over 1,200 have drowned recently, sometimes combining swimming with alcohol to seek relief from temperatures approaching 40C (104F). An official from Russia’s Emergencies Ministry attributed most of the drowning deaths to this dangerous mix.” From a CNN report: “Officials have urged citizens to take a siesta in the afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day. Cases of heat stroke and sunburn have increased in children, and adults with heart problems and diabetes are suffering complications.”
“George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, noticed that similarity, too, and now has threatened Wicked Lasers to change their design or prepare to be sued. Lucas’s firm Lucasfilm Ltd. sent a cease-and-desist letter to the company threatening legal action if the conditions are not accepted. Lucasfilm states, “It is apparent from the design of the Pro Arctic Laser that it was intended to resemble the hilts of our lightsaber swords, which are protected by copyright...”
US Military Surge in Costa Rica May Fan Regional Tensions Jamie Way reported for The Narco News Bulletin: “In a controversial decision that is likely to fan the flames of regional tensions in Latin America, Costa Rica recently granted the US permission to move 7,000 troops and 46 warships (along with their accompanying planes and helicopters) into Costa Rican waters.” “Officially, the act is considered to be part of the “Drug War,” which appears to be increasingly more war-like in nature due to such actions and mounting violence in Mexico and Colombia.” Costa Rica’s neighbors, however, see the massive military presence as a potential base for regional strikes.
23% Say U.S. Government Has the Consent of the Governed Jason Mick of DailyTech.com reported: “Early last month we covered Hong Kong-based Wicked Laser’s new Spyder III Pro Arctic laser, a 1-watt beast capable of setting people’s skin on fire and causing blindness. In that article we compared the laser to a “lightsaber”, as a humorous pop culture reference. After all, the design looked much like the iconic Star Wars weapon.”
rasmussenreports.com reported: “The notion that governments derive their only just authority from the consent of the governed is a foundational principle of the American experiment.” “However, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 23% of voters nationwide believe the federal government today has theconsent of the governed. Sixty-two percent (62%) say it does Continued Page 34
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the press of a button on the joystick.” “The female soldiers, located far away in an operations room, are responsible for aiming and firing remote-controlled machineguns mounted on watch-towers every few hundred metres along an electronic fence that surrounds Gaza.” “The system is one of the latest “remote killing” devices developed by Israel’s Rafael armaments company, the former weapons research division of the Israeli army and now a separate governmental firm.”
An Internet 100 times as fast: A new network design could boost capacity physorg.com reported: “‘In today’s Internet, data traveling through optical fibers as beams of light have to be converted to electrical signals for processing. By dispensing with that conversion, a new network design could increase Internet speeds 100-fold.” “The heart of the Internet is a network of high-capacity optical fibers that spans continents. But while optical signals transmit information much more efficiently than electrical signals, they?re harder to control. The routers that direct traffic on the Internet typically convert optical signals to electrical ones for processing, then convert them back for transmission, a process that consumes time and energy.” “In recent years, however, a group of MIT researchers led by Vincent Chan, the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has demonstrated a new way of organizing optical networks that, in most cases, would eliminate this inefficient conversion process. As a result, it could make the Internet 100 or even 1,000 times faster while actually reducing the amount of energy it consumes.”
India: Pakistan’s ISI had direct control over Mumbai attacks Aljazeera.net reported: “A senior Indian official has accused Pakistani intelligence of orchestrating the 2008 Mumbai attacks.” “G K Pillai, India’s home secretary, said on Wednesday that the perpetrators of the attacks in which 166 people died were “clients and creations” of the Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI] agency of the Pakistan army.”
July/Aug 2010 and Salafis trained by the CIA in Pakistan” were behind the bombings. Iran has claimed Rigi confessed that the US had assured him of unlimited aid and funding for the waging an insurgency against the Islamic republic. The US is reported to have a programme of covert operations inside Iran but the CIA has denied backing Jundullah. But Alaeddin Borujerdi, chairman of Iran’s parliamentary commission on national security, immediately pointed the finger at the intelligence services of the US, Israel and other western countries. “Such terror operations will not deter Iranian’s resolve in fighting against arrogant powers,” he told the Irna news agency.” “The CIA denied claims it has been backing Jundullah, the Sunni separatist group which has claimed responsibility for the bombs.”
Back to Stone Age: Towns Rip Up Roads
online.wsj.com reported: “SPIRITWOOD, N.D.—A hulking yellow machine inched along Old Highway 10 here recently in a summer scene that seemed as normal as the nearby corn swaying in the breeze. But instead of laying a blanket of steaming blacktop, the machine was grinding the asphalt road into bits.” “When [counties] had lots of money, they paved a lot of the roads and tried to make life easier for the people who lived out here,” said Stutsman County Highway Superintendant Mike Zimmerman, sifting the dusty black rubble through his fingers. “Now, it’s catching up to them.” “Outside this speck of a town, pop. 78, a 10-mile stretch of road had deteriorated to the point that residents reported seeing ducks floating in potholes, Mr. Zimmerman said. As the road wore out, the cost of repaving became too great. Last year, the county spent $400,000 on an RM300 Caterpillar rotary mixer to grind the road up, making it look more like the old homesteader trail it once was.”
Gang members coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with military training Chicago Sun-Times reported:
“They [ISI] were literally controlling and co-ordinating it from the beginning until the end,” the Indian Express newspaper quoted Pillai as saying.
Iran accuses US and UK of supporting group behind mosque attacks guardian.co.uk reported: “Iran is vowing to hunt down a Sunni separatist group which claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing that killed 28 people at a mosque in the south-eastern city of Zahedan.” “Press-TV, Iran’s English-language state broadcaster, alleged that “hardline Wahabis
“Being in a street gang is now forbidden for members of the U.S. armed forces. But you might not guess that if you were to visit U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to soldiers who have recently served there.” “Jeffrey Stoleson, a Wisconsin corrections official, returned from Iraq in January with photos of gang graffiti on armored vehicles, latrines and buildings. Stoleson, a sergeant with a National Guard unit, was there for nine months to help the Army set up a prison facility outside Baghdad.” “I saw Maniac Latin Disciples graffiti out of Chicago,” Stoleson said, adding that there was a lot of graffiti for Texas and California gangs, as well as Mexican drug cartels. “A Chicago Police officer — who retired from the regular Army and was recently on a tour of Afghanistan in the Army Reserve — said Bagram Air Base was cov-
ered with Chicago gang graffiti, everything such actions and mounting violence in Mexifrom the Gangster Disciples’ pitchfork to co and Colombia.” Costa Rica’s neighbors, however, see the the Latin Kings’ crown.” massive military presence as a potential base Heat wave in Russia causes for regional strikes.
1,200 drowning deaths beforeitsnews.com
“In a piece of news that may sound bizarre to some, record-breaking temperatures in Russia are causing a rash of deaths by drowning.” “Over 1,200 have drowned recently, sometimes combining swimming with alcohol to seek relief from temperatures approaching 40C (104F). An official from Russia’s Emergencies Ministry attributed most of the drowning deaths to this dangerous mix.” From a CNN report: “Officials have urged citizens to take a siesta in the afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day. Cases of heat stroke and sunburn have increased in children, and adults with heart problems and diabetes are suffering complications.” “The heat wave has also negatively impacted air quality in Russia, caused water shortages and crop failures; and in some areas softened road asphalt, leading an increase in traffic accidents.” From an article in the Telegraph: “Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday the heat was a major problem for Russian agriculture, echoing concerns from Russia’s grain lobby, which said the country was undergoing the worst drought in 130 years of weather observations.” “Despite the manifold bad effects of the recent hot weather punishing much of Europe, many headlines on the story are focusing on Russians drinking too much vodka and drowning.” “US climate scientists are predicting more hot weather this year after record high temperatures in June.”
23% Say U.S. Government Has the Consent of the Governed
rasmussenreports.com reported: “The notion that governments derive their only just authority from the consent of the governed is a foundational principle of the American experiment.” “However, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 23% of voters nationwide believe the federal government today has theconsent of the governed. Sixty-two percent (62%) say it does not, and 15% are not sure.” These figures have barely budged since February. “There is no gender gap on this question. Younger voters are more likely than their elders to believe the government today has the necessary consent. Among voters under 30, 28% say the government has that consent. Just 15% of senior citizens share that view.”
French police struggle to restore order after two days of riots in Grenoble “Rioters in the French city of Grenoble
George Lucas Angry About shot at police and torched cars overnight as Real Life “Lightsaber”, Threatens the authorities struggled to restore order after two days of violence.” to Sue Jason Mick of DailyTech.com reported:
“Police on Sunday arrested four men for attempted murder by shooting at officers during riots in the poor neighbourhood of La Villeneuve.” “The four were seized in a dawn raid in La Villeneuve after two nights of unrest. The riots broke out after a 27-year-old man was shot dead by police when he allegedly robbed a casino.” “Police said the four were held for attempted murder after firing bullets at police during the worst of the rioting early on Saturday. They did not identify those arrested or give their ages.”
“Early last month we covered Hong Kong-based Wicked Laser’s new Spyder III Pro Arctic laser, a 1-watt beast capable of setting people’s skin on fire and causing blindness. In that article we compared the laser to a “lightsaber”, as a humorous pop culture reference. After all, the design looked much like the iconic Star Wars weapon.” “George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, noticed that similarity, too, and now has threatened Wicked Lasers to change their design or prepare to be sued. Lucas’s firm Palestinians build solar car Lucasfilm Ltd. sent a cease-and-desist letter to the company threatening legal action if from scratch the conditions are not accepted. Lucasfilm states, “It is apparent from the design of the guardian.co.uk reported: Pro Arctic Laser that it was intended to resemble the hilts of our lightsaber swords, “the solar car built by students at Palestine Polytechnic University in Hebron Crewhich are protected by copyright...” ative engineering … the solar car built by US Military Surge in Costa students at Palestine Polytechnic University in Hebron.” Rica May Fan Regional Tensions “Visitors to the West Bank town of Hebron this summer might find a strange-lookJamie Way reported for The Narco ing white vehicle motoring through its streets News Bulletin: – the first Palestinian solar-powered car.” “The product of an environmentally “In a controversial decision that is like- friendly project for Palestinian engineering ly to fan the flames of regional tensions in students, the car is bedecked with banks of Latin America, Costa Rica recently granted solar panels and doesn’t manage to reach a the US permission to move 7,000 troops and speed much above 19mph (30kph) – but it is 46 warships (along with their accompany- being lauded as a feat of creative engineering planes and helicopters) into Costa Rican ing in the face of limited funds and scant rewaters.” sources.” “Officially, the act is considered to be part of the “Drug War,” which appears to be Mayan king’s tomb discovered increasingly more war-like in nature due to
July/Aug 2010
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in Guatemala
“One cleanup worker has drowned, his body coated in crude.” “‘I’ve been to a few bays today and distelegraph.co.uk reported: covered they were almost entirely covered “Archeologists in Guatemala have dis- with dark oil,’ said Zhong Yu with environcovered a Mayan king’s tomb packed with a mental group Greenpeace China, who spent well-preserved hoard of carvings, ceramics the day on a boat inspecting the spill.” and children’s bones that cast fresh light on the vanished civilisation.” Feds Ignore Due Process, First “Researchers uncovered the burial Amendment, Shut Down Thou-
sands of Blogs com:
chamber in Guatemala’s the jungle-covered Peten region in May, but the discovery has only just been made public.” “The tomb is thought to date from 300 – 600AD and is located beneath the El Diablo pyramid in the city of El Zotz.” “Adolescents were frequently sacrificed during the burial of Mayan kings. But in an unusual discovery, archeologists excavating at El Zotz uncovered bones belonging to children as young as 12 months old.”
Patch heralds new era in battle against pandemics Steve Connor of Independent.co.uk reported: “A revolutionary way of vaccinating against infectious diseases has been invented by scientists who have developed a skin patch containing an influenza vaccine.” “The patch does away with needles and syringes and could transform the battle against future pandemics by painlessly inoculating patients with vaccines that could be sent out in the post and self-administered in the home by somebody with no medical experience.”
Large China Oil Spill Threatens Sea Life, Water Quality AOL News reported:
Kurt Nimmo reported for Infowars.
Once again, the Obama administration has violated the Bill of Rights. Earlier this month, the feds took down a free Wordpress blogging platform and disabled more than 73,000 blogs. The action was completely ignored by the corporate media. The site, Blogetery.com, was told by its hosting service that the government had issued orders to shut down the site due to a “a history of abuse” related to copyrighted material. U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel and Vice President Joseph Biden introduce the government’s intellectual property enforcement strategy in June. In late June, Joe Biden and Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel said the government would move to take down sites offering unauthorized movies and music. “Criminal copyright infringement occurs on a massive scale over the Internet, reportedly resulting in billions of dollars in losses to the U.S. economy,” said Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Bharara’s office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched “Operation In Our Sites” and executed seizure warrants against nine domain names. Blogetery.com claimed the shut down of 73,000 blogs “was not a typical case, in which suspension and notification would be the norm. This was a critical matter brought to our attention by law enforcement officials. We had to immediately remove the server.” “That seems odd,” notes Techdirt, a website that covers government policy, technology and legal issues. “If there was problematic content from some users, why not just take down that content or suspend those users. Taking down all 73,000 blogs seems… excessive.”
More than 100 ‘Earth-like’ planets discovered in past few weeks dailymail.co.uk reported
“China’s largest reported oil spill emptied beaches along the Yellow Sea as its size doubled Wednesday, while cleanup efforts included straw mats and frazzled workers with little more than rubber gloves.” “An official warned the spill posed a “severe threat” to sea life and water quality as China’s latest environmental crisis spread off the shores of Dalian, once named China’s most livable city.”
More than 100 planets that are a similar size to Earth have been discovered in just the past few weeks, it has been announced. The discovery was made by the space telescope Kepler which has been scanning the skies for planets that are orbiting stars since it was launched in January last year. The breakthrough raises the tantalising prospect that we may not be alone in the Universe. Scientists now believe that there are likely to be around 100 million planets in the Milky Way that harbour exactly the right conditions for life.
Is Your Water Dead? By Staff Editor
The water piped through your faucets has lost its life force. In effect, it is dead - even ‘toxic’. Viktor Schauberger, an Austrian forest warden, discovered remarkable water properties from his observations of nature early this century. He has as many types of water as Inuit have snow. Some waters are health robbing, even toxic. World Living Water Systems of North Vancouver, BC used his findings to rejuvenate water by putting it through a vortex that regenerates the vital force in water, making it living once again. Every living thing benefits from living water - plants, animals, humans. It is not a filter, ionizer, distiller or alkaline water. There are no parts to wear out; no batteries, no chemicals to replace. Some of the results from using Vortex Revitalized water are truly remarkable. Crop yields from gardens look like mutants - they are huge. Carrots grow bigger and seem to have a more robust cellular structure. The insides are not cracked. Pets and people thrive on living water. Animals seem to sense something different about the water and go to lengths to drink it. Many people report health benefits from drinking living water.
Before and after Kirlian photographs of water put through a Vortex Water Revitalizer. www.AliveWater.net contains research and real world users reporting on their experiences. Turn to page 16 for more details. The company offers a very generous program to let you experience Vortex Water Revitalizer living water results for yourself with no financial risk.
And they expect to be able to identify has openly boasted that fewer than 100 Al members remain there, NOTE: graphics, turnQaida to page =? For ¼ page adyet there are around 60 of these check habitable Earth-like reportedly 102,000 U.S servicemen and at planets within the next two years. Part of Sasselhov’s presentation in least 120,000 private contractors still stawhich he described how Kepler is looking tioned there. Incidentally, the recent “discovery” of vast mineral deposits is being touted for planets like our own Part of Sasselhov’s presentation in as a new justification to stay. Meanwhile in Iraq, with all justificawhich he described how Kepler is looking for planets like our own by measuring the tions for the war now totally debunked, the signal when a planet passes in front of its slow drawdown of troops is commencing, but not before they secure the prize for the star Astronomer Dimitar Sasselov told a corporate masters. The Wall Street Journalconference that a space telescope has un- reported Monday that British Petroleum was covered 140 different planets which are “awarded” 80-100 oil wells worth at least $500 million: around the same size as Earth. British oil major BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) and partners China National Petroleum Corp. BP ‘Awarded’ MASSIVE Iraq (CNPC.YY) and Iraq’s state-run South Oil Oil Contracts in Gordon Brown’s Co. expect to issue tenders to drill between ‘New World Order’ 80 and 100 wells in the immense Rumaila oil field this year and next year, a company exEric Blair Activist Post reported: ecutive said Monday. Earlier this year, BP awarded three deals “Is anyone still confused as to why we valued at least $500 million to drill 49 wells continue the absurd wars in Iraq and Af- as part of the program to develop Iraq’s largghanistan?” est-producing oil field, which could become Iraqi oil fields become a treasure trove the world’s second-largest. for the usual suspects as our soldiers protect ‘For the next-year drilling contracts, we their booty. are expected to award them this year,’ the ofIn Afghanistan, the Director of the CIA
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