http://www.sott.net/signs/list_editorials Signs of the Times: The World for People who Think. Featuring alternative news and commentary on world events. en-us Original content Copyright 2012 by Signs of the Times/Sott.net. For other content, see our Fair Use Policy at www.sott.net. Wed, 09 May 2012 03:47:27 -0500 http://www.sott.net/images/sottlogo_rss.jpg SOTT.net http://www.sott.net http://www.sott.net/articles/show/245044-The-British-Empire-A-Lesson-In-State-Terrorism For most people in Western nations today, terrorism has become synonymous with large scale spectacular acts of violence by small groups against a civilian population and, within the last 15 years, primarily in the name of one religion in particular - Islam. Historically speaking (and I mean up until the present day) there is no justification for this perception, and it can only have come about through a massive and prolonged public propaganda offensive on the part of those with a vested interest in creating and perpetuating it. The historical record shows quite clearly that states, or those acting on behalf of the state, have been responsible for the vast majority of large-scale terrorist acts against civilians. If we pause to think about it for a moment, it seems natural that this would be the case. The ruling class in any nation, be it a monarchy, democracy or dictatorship, are naturally in opposition to the people over whom they rule because the ruling class enjoy privileges that the people do not. Indeed, the ruling class only enjoy these privileges because of this manufactured divide, that is to say, the 'haves' have because the 'have nots' 'have not'. While the division between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' in terms of wealth and privilege is clear to most, many people still fail to realise that the very existence of a corrupt wealthy elite presumes the existence of two very different definitions and applications of morality and even the law. Citizens live their lives by a moral code and expect their leaders to hold to the same standards, both in their own lives and in their dealings on the international stage as the representatives of the people. But this basic sense of morality or conscience adhered to by the people is, more often than not, an impediment to the selfish objectives of the elite. Basically, in our modern world, the elite would not be the elite if they held to the same moral code as a majority of the population. This is another reason why the civilian population are viewed as a threat to the established order and why the elite must not only lie to the population about their true intentions, but must also attempt to corrupt the general understanding of 'morality' (and reality) so that it more closely resembles the deviant world view of the elite. This assessment of our modern social and political structures may be unsavory to many, but a quick look around the world today, or a brief glance over the past few thousands years, shows that sadly, it is the truth. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/245044-The-British-Empire-A-Lesson-In-State-Terrorism Sat, 05 May 2012 12:31:13 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244819-The-Cs-Hit-List-07-Sun-Star-Companion-Singing-Stones-and-Smoking-Visions I'm going to begin this installment of the Cs Hit List by picking up where we left off in the last one: the idea that our sun has a companion star. After publishing Cs Hit List 06 and reflecting on it some more, I realised that my argument for why our sun might have a companion star - simply that it's statistically probable - was kind of weak. There's actually more to it than that, even if such a companion has yet to be discovered. (Assuming it's there, of course, and that we would be told if it was actually discovered!). In fact, it's not a new idea. Check out the Wikipedia page on the so-called 'Nemesis' hypothesis. (And see here for additional resources.) It was introduced in 1984 by two teams of astronomers (Whitmire & Jackson, and Davis, Hut & Muller) to explain the periodically spaced extinction events observed in the earth's fossil record. The idea was that a companion sun passing through or close to the spherical Oort cloud would send a death-dealing swarm of comets in earth's direction every 26 million years or so. Its presence may also help explain the non-random trajectories of certain long-period comets, as well as the strange and unexpected elliptical orbit of the recently discovered transneptunian object Sedna. Recently, astrophysicists Daniel Whitmire and John Matese have been arguing for a 'Planet X' model to explain these phenomena, i.e. an undiscovered tenth planet existing beyond Pluto, possibly up to 4 times the mass of Jupiter. Perhaps prematurely, given that it's purely theoretical at this point, they've even given it a name - 'Tyche'. Using the same Oort-disturbing mechanism as Nemesis, the hypothetical gas giant might explain the angle at which comets enter the solar system, with "a fifth of the expected number since 1898 entering higher than expected". Matese and Whitmire are hopeful that NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope, which has the ability to detect such objects, will show evidence for Tyche, once the already-recorded data is analyzed. (Incidentally, WISE also has the ability to spot a brown dwarf.) http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244819-The-Cs-Hit-List-07-Sun-Star-Companion-Singing-Stones-and-Smoking-Visions Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:19:35 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244730-Losing-Femininity-in-the-Elusive-Search-for-Kansas Whether male or female, and whether people realise it or not, inequality between the sexes affects everyone's lives on a daily basis. While women in the Middle East experience 'in your face' gender inequality, particularly in theocratic regimes like Iran - which one of your authors has direct experience of - the equivalent bias in the West has a flavor that is far more subtle and therefore far more dangerous. It's more difficult to discern the root of a problem when it is acting covertly in a way that few notice. Unsurprisingly perhaps, how different countries respond to sexism is reflective of how their ruling elites conduct politics. A religious government in the Middle East, for example, rules with an iron fist and bluntly tells its citizens what the rules of the game are. It's overt and leaves no room for doubt as to where the authorities stand on ideology. In the West, the situation is the opposite. The government's influence is subtle and manipulates its citizens into believing ideals (e.g. "equal rights"), all the while changing the rules to suit the purposes of those who own the government - to keep life more equal for some than others. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244730-Losing-Femininity-in-the-Elusive-Search-for-Kansas Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:18:48 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244527-The-Necessity-of-Disillusionment Nothing is more sad than the death of an illusion. ~ Arthur Koestler Our greatest illusion is to believe that we are what we think ourselves to be. ~ H.F. Amiel If we only knew what Illusion is, we would then know the opposite: what Truth is. This Truth would liberate us from slavery. ~ Boris Mouravieff The experience of disillusionment is one that is common to all. It is safe to say that at some time or another, every human being has had the experience of believing in something that turned out not to be true. The initial shock that comes when one's perception of the world is revealed to be at odds with the hard facts of reality can range anywhere from mild disappointment to a feeling of overwhelming psychological trauma. Whatever the degree of deception, the realization that one has been believing in a lie is a painful experience, not only psychologically but physically as well. Like a punch to the stomach, it can feel like one's breath has been taken away. And because our beliefs about the world are interconnected with other beliefs fixed in our brains, the destruction of one belief can often lead to a cascade of collapse of many others. When a person is confronted with facts that contradict currently held belief systems, they have one of two choices. The first choice is to go into denial mode by rejecting the facts as being untrue in order to prop up their chosen belief system and continue living as before. The second choice is to accept the new data and try and reconstruct a new internal paradigm or map of reality that accommodates the new information, which may mean putting into question all other beliefs associated with the old model. The second choice is difficult and takes a great deal of strength in order to let go of one's preconceived ideas and accept the new and factual data. The first choice is easy because it requires no effort, pain, sadness, or reordering of one's life or values. It is also more comfortable, and because humans generally prefer comfort over pain, the first choice is often the default option. The exact moment when a person becomes aware of facts that go against what is believed to be true, they experience what psychologists call cognitive dissonance; it is that tense, uncomfortable sensation that what one sees is so out of sync with what one already believes to be true, that the mind instantly rejects it, even when the facts are plain and indisputable. It is in this moment of experiencing cognitive dissonance (you can recognize it by the tension and discomfort that triggers a "knee-jerk" reaction) that the crucial battle for truth over fiction takes place. If a person can muster the awareness and strength of will to not give in and take the comfortable route by immediately dismissing the facts outright, and hold the conflicting information in their minds while consciously experiencing the negative feelings associated with cognitive dissonance, the resulting liberation can be transformational. It has to be experienced to be believed! http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244527-The-Necessity-of-Disillusionment Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:29:04 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244278-New-Sott-Report-Toulouse-Shootings-Mohamed-Merah-Sacrificed-To-Give-Sarkozy-Election-Win- In this Sott Report, Joe Quinn delves into the story of Mohamed Merah, who allegedly shot 7 people in Toulouse and Montauban in mid March 2012. A little digging unveils disturbing evidence that points to Merah being a French intelligence asset who was sacrificed so that Sarkozy could have his "9/11" moment and, he hopes, win another term as President. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244278-New-Sott-Report-Toulouse-Shootings-Mohamed-Merah-Sacrificed-To-Give-Sarkozy-Election-Win- Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:30:35 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244011-Corruption-in-Science-Francesco-Fucilla-and-the-Telesio-Galilei-Academy-of-Science "The corruption of science is one of the biggest problems our world has ever faced; it may, indeed, bring about the extinction of the human race. That prospect scares me and it should scare you. But more than being scared, my heart has been broken by the realization that the best hope of the human race - Truth, beautiful Truth - has been savaged and spoiled by the very guardians of the temple: scientists themselves under the influence of a ramified network of mutual pathological conspiracies that are divorced entirely from the body of normal humanity." - Laura Knight-Jadczyk, The Dot Connector Magazine, Issue 14, P.1 As many of our regular readers will know, Sott.net's sister publication, the Dot Connector Magazine, has been taking a cold hard look at the extent of the corruption of science over the past two issues. There is corruption in the way scientific papers must run the gauntlet of the peer review process; there is corruption in the way grant money is awarded to researchers; there is corruption in the way scientific breakthroughs are used by big business; and of course, there is corruption in the way awards are selectively given for ulterior motives. The following investigative report will shine a light on several of these areas of the Corruption of Science. Several weeks ago, on the eve of the Siege of Toulouse, theoretical/mathematical physicist Arkadiusz Jadczyk was invited to attend an awards ceremony held at Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse. The awards were organised and funded by an organisation called the 'Telesio-Galilei Academy of Science' (TGA) which was holding its fifth awards event, hosted in conjunction with one of Toulouse University Paul Sabatier's own awards events and a pure scientific workshop. This year, the Telesio-Galilei Academy of Science honoured the 'Center CAIROS' of Toulouse University Paul Sabatier, awarding some of the friends of the Principal Coordinator of the Center CAIROS, (as well as some other scientists) with "gold" medals in recognition of their contributions to science. In turn, Toulouse University Paul Sabatier awarded its own gold medals to the self-proclaimed 'founding father' of the 'Telesio-Galilei Academy of Science' - 'Professor' Francesco Fucilla and Professor Waldyr Alves Rodrigues Jr., the Chairman of the 'Telesio-Galilei Academy of Science'. Past TGA awards events have been held in various locations, but this was the first time a major university had accommodated the event. Former French government minister and philosopher Luc Ferry gave a lecture during the three day event for the Philosophical Society of Toulouse. According to unconfirmed reports on the TGA website, Ferry has accepted the Telesio Galilei Academy of Science Award 2013, and will later receive the 2013 Gold Medal Award for Philosophy from the Telesio Galilei Academy. For the schedule of events of the ceremony, see this link. The Telesio-Galilei Academy of Science, originally named the Santilli-Galilei Academy of Science, was established in 2007 with the goals of "promoting openness in all branches of scientific endeavour" and "to champion the true scientifc [sic] spirit, and encourage rational and scientific discourses for no reward other than the betterment of science". These are admirable goals, no doubt. The principal activity of Telesio-Galilei Academy of Sciences however, appears to be the selection and nomination of scientists for 'gold' medals and membership of the academy's 'hall of fame'. Scientists, some famous in their field, others less so, are listed on their website as members of the academy's board, as honorary members or members. It's quite an impressive list, and includes some high-profile names. But it also includes a lot of names whose work mainstream scientists would probably feel rather uncomfortable being associated with. Here is TGA's President, Jeremy Dunning-Davies, speaking about TGA's origins and aims at their awards ceremony in London last year: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244011-Corruption-in-Science-Francesco-Fucilla-and-the-Telesio-Galilei-Academy-of-Science Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:29:59 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244138-New-Sott-Report-MIVILUDES-Cults-the-Protection-of-Scientology In this new Sott Report, Joe Quinn reveals the shocking truth behind modern 'suicide cults' and how they are used by Western government-sponsored 'anti-cult' organisations to suppress basic human freedoms and true human evolution. The following documentary, Scientology, the CIA, and MIVILUDES: Cults of Abuse provides compelling evidence of deep and disturbing connections between intelligence agencies, abusive cults, pedophile networks, and the refusal of government sponsored so-called anti-cult organizations like MIVILUDES to investigate the widespread reports of ritual child abuse around the world. Understanding these connections is key to understanding the psycho-political control of human beings around the world. Comment: Be advised that this documentary contains information that many viewers will find extremely disturbing, involving the ritual abuse of children. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244138-New-Sott-Report-MIVILUDES-Cults-the-Protection-of-Scientology Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:18:06 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244119-The-Hero-Worshipping-American-Voter-Ron-Paul-the-9-11-LitmusTest Let's say, for argument's sake, there's a politician out there with a conscience, who genuinely wants to change things in the U.S. for the betterment of the People. He presents well, speaks to the heart of the working class, to the disillusioned, to the cynics, to the politically jaded. Let's also say this refreshing gust of political WHOMP is oh-so-savvy, articulate, successful, and gives ALMOST every appearance of being "just the guy we need to lead the nation". He's an all-around-nice-guy, to boot, at least from what we see at his speeches, press conferences, from what we read in his writings and hear during his interviews. Let's go further. Let's say he's well-informed on numerous issues. We hear him going after institutions like the FED, and his finger occasionally palpates the public pulse on controversial issues like 9/11 truth - in SELECT venues before CERTAIN audiences. "Wow, he's our Man!", you might say. You're not used to hearing a politician speak so openly, so forcefully, even if the language shifts before certain audiences - Wow, you say - this guy is cool!! He thinks so like YOU on these hotbutton topics. He's refreshing. Exciting! Hope makes your blood burn. You BELIEVE. Let's also say he's learned all the right "buzzwords" to garner the attention of disaffected voters. His words seem to speak to the heart of EVERY hero-starved red-blooded American. He's Everyman's Patriot. He's the ONE. We NEED this guy. He'll save the day. Or will he? I wonder... http://www.sott.net/articles/show/244119-The-Hero-Worshipping-American-Voter-Ron-Paul-the-9-11-LitmusTest Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:17:45 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243768-Hysterization-Via-Racism-in-the-Trayvon-Martin-Case By now most people have heard of the death of Trayvon Martin, a black teen who was shot to death by the local Hispanic neighborhood watch coordinator, George Zimmerman. Trayvon was reportedly on his way home from buying skittles and iced tea, wearing a hoodie on February 26, 2012 in Stanford, Florida, when he was shot by George Zimmerman, who claims the shooting was a result of "self-defense". At this point in time there is no way of knowing what really happened on that night because as always, the media has gone into a frenzy to distract and distort the facts of the case. The murder has elicited comments from everyone from the Reverend Al Sharpton to Spike Lee. Even Geraldo Rivera felt the need to get 'personal' and speak out against the "ghetto gangsta" fashion to which his own son has apparently fallen victim: "Take that thing off," I snarled at my dashing, dark, handsome then late-teenage son. In those not so long ago days, Cruz styled himself a ghetto gangster, fashion-wise. [...] No one black, brown or white can honestly tell me that seeing a kid of color with a hood pulled over his head doesn't generate a certain reaction, sometimes scorn, often menace. When you see that kid coming your way, unless you specifically recognize him you are thinking ghetto or ghetto wannabe high-style or low-brow wise-ass. Pedestrians cross the street to avoid black or brown hoodie wearers coming their way. Because this is a teachable moment let me speak plainly. Whatever Reverends Sharpton and Jackson say in Florida Friday, after listening to the 911 tapes and hearing the witness' testimonials, I believe Trayvon Martin would be alive today but for his hoodie. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243768-Hysterization-Via-Racism-in-the-Trayvon-Martin-Case Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:55:04 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243689-Sarkozy-The-American-s-9-11-Mohamed-Merah-Liquidated-French-Intelligence-Asset Since my on the spot analysis and speculations on the likely truth behind the recent shootings in South-Western France, more information has come to light that suggests that I was correct - Mohamned Merah was indeed a French intelligence asset who was groomed and then 'burned' in the service of a staged 'Islamic terror' attack and the re-election of Nicolas Sarkozy in the upcoming French Presidential elections. Here's a quick recapitulation of the facts: Merah has not been identified as the person who killed three soldiers, a Jewish teacher and three Jewish children in Toulouse and Montauban, because the shooter was wearing a motorbike helmet. On the contrary, eyewitnesses said the gunman was "quite fat" and "European looking" (according to an eyewitness who said he caught a glimpse of the gunman's face while his visor was down), while Merah is of slender build and clearly of North African descent. The only evidence that Merah was the gunman is based on recordings of alleged conversations between police negotiators and Merah. These recordings have not been made public and probably never will be. While we can assume that a dialogue between Merah and police did take place, we have every reason to assume that the French authorities are not telling the truth. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243689-Sarkozy-The-American-s-9-11-Mohamed-Merah-Liquidated-French-Intelligence-Asset Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:40:56 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243635-Thoughts-on-the-Feminist-Movement-Why-I-Don-t-Clap-along Why do you think TPTB wanted women to go to work in the first place? It generated even greater tax revenues... but hey, nobody minds that the rich patriarchs so many claim to despise were behind the women's movement, right? With MOM out of the house, the influence over her children slowly began to erode, and with it, the nuclear family - by design, of course. It's worked magnificently over the years for the diabolical powermongers at the root of it all. It has worked too well in their favor. Our families lose. We lose. Big Pharma wins. The banker wins. Psychopaths win. Women think they're FREE now. What a joke. You're not free if you're feeding into an illusion. Big damn deal. We got the right to vote. So what? The vote is bogus. Rigged. It means Zip, nada, zero. but we've got the 'right' to pretend it means something and we're engaging in something 'important'. Yup, We're now equal with men. We're equally screwed. We're equally ripped off. Equally deceived, equally oppressed. We're slaves with richer slave-masters. We've traded the health and well-being and sanity of our selves and our families for the worthless promissory note that isn't even valued as high as the paper it's printed on. We've traded our own thoughts for THEIR thoughts, our minds for illusion. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243635-Thoughts-on-the-Feminist-Movement-Why-I-Don-t-Clap-along Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:28:45 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243525-The-Dot-Connector-Magazine-Issue-15-Now-Available- It's hot off the presses and packed full of Truth! Get your copy today! http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243525-The-Dot-Connector-Magazine-Issue-15-Now-Available- Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:56:40 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243352-Toulouse-Attacks-The-Official-Story-of-the-Death-of-Mohamed-Merah-is-a-Lie The official story on the final denouement of the Toulouse shootings drama is in. Like so many other official narratives around 'Muslim terror attacks', it's full of holes and requires anyone attempting to believe it to engage in some serious mental gymnastics. Mohamed Merah, was a 23-year-old French guy of Algerian descent who loved cars, worked in a car repair/supply store, wanted to join the French army to "defend the French flag" but was refused, was partying in a nightclub three weeks before his alleged shooting spree, had a history of petty criminal offences and was due in court in April for driving without a license. He also had, allegedly, visited Israel, Afghanistan and Pakistan for some, as yet, unknown reason, perhaps "ideological indoctrination". That's about as much as we can say about him without disseminating dubious government propaganda, specifically the claim that he was the author of the recent shootings in Toulouse. That particular claim is in serious doubt given that an eyewitness at one of the shootings stated clearly that the gunman, who always wore a motorbike helmet, was "quite fat". Other eyewitnesses said the the man they saw shooting was "of European descent". Here's a recent picture of Mohamed Merah: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243352-Toulouse-Attacks-The-Official-Story-of-the-Death-of-Mohamed-Merah-is-a-Lie Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:56:29 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243251-Sarkozy-s-Backers-To-Use-Toulouse-Attacks-To-Steal-French-Election-UPDATE- [Author Note] As this is a developing story, updates are posted at the end of the article: French President Sarkozy's 2012 re-election bid has been faltering almost since he was 'elected' in 2007. Long viewed by a majority of the French public as a latter-day Napoleon wannabe, some were perplexed as to how he won the 2007 presidential race, given that one year before the election, opinion polls placed him a definite second, and between then and the election he did nothing to justify his alleged increase in popularity, with his 'Bling Bling' approach to electioneering turning the stomachs of many French people. In addition, within a few months of his 'victory' in May 2007, Sarkozy's popularity had plummeted to around 30% as people reacted to his austere economic reforms, on which he had openly campaigned, mind you. How to explain such a sudden turnaround so soon after his victory? It was only on election day that, somehow, the diminutive son of a Hungarian immigrant and his 'princes of Paris' were gifted 5 years in the Elysee palace. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243251-Sarkozy-s-Backers-To-Use-Toulouse-Attacks-To-Steal-French-Election-UPDATE- Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:43:18 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243122-US-Soldiers-Look-Deep-Inside-Their-Souls-Find-Vacuum-Decide-To-Kill-Afghan-Villagers In response to the February 25th killing of two US soldiers by an unidentified Afghan, who was angered by the most recent "Koran burning" episode by the always sensitive US army, the Commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General John Allen, told US troops: "There will be moments like this when you're searching for the meaning of this loss. There will be moments like this, when your emotions are governed by anger and a desire to strike back. Now is not the time for revenge, now is not the time for vengeance, now is the time to look deep inside your souls, remember your mission, remember your discipline, remember who you are." This little detail, as motive, seems to have been 'forgotten' by the mainstream media in their coverage of the recent massacre of 16 Afghan villagers by up to 20 drunken US soldiers. Indeed, the reports that up to 20 'drunken' troops were involved in the massacre have also been conveniently ignored by the Western media, who have chosen to go with the US military-provided "lone crazed assassin" lie that has served so well to cover up previous planned murders by US forces of Empire. The fact of the matter is, General Allen knew that his troops were planning 'revenge', but obviously could do nothing to stop it. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/243122-US-Soldiers-Look-Deep-Inside-Their-Souls-Find-Vacuum-Decide-To-Kill-Afghan-Villagers Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:18:03 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242898-British-Teenager-Azhar-Ahmed-Arrested-for-Anti-War-Facebook-Post A British teenager has been arrested and will appear in a UK court as a result of a comment he posted on Facebook about the deaths last week of six British soldiers in Afghanistan. On March 8th, 19 year old Azhar Ahmed posted a comment on his Facebook page about the deaths of 6 British soldiers in Afghanistan on the 6th March. On the same day as Azhar's post, a Facebook group entitled Azhar Ahmed Scumbag!!! was created (with large Union Jack flag as its logo) and, someone (perhaps the creator of the FB page) reported his comment to the police. The following day, Friday, Azhar was arrested and charged over the weekend. He was then released on bail and will appear in Dewsbury magistrates' court on March 20th. An online petition has also been created that demands that Azhar be "sent to prison for hate crimes against British soldiers". Most disturbing here is not that there are many rabid Right Wing Authoritarian types on Facebook, but that the British police clearly took the complaint seriously and took the time and effort to investigate the matter and saw fit to send a squad car to Azhar's house to arrest him. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242898-British-Teenager-Azhar-Ahmed-Arrested-for-Anti-War-Facebook-Post Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:31:19 -0500 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242653-The-Kony-2012-Delusion The people behind this campaign are MASSIVELY misguided. Or it's a CIA-sponsored psy-ops. Take for example the fact that one of the 12 'policy makers' (US politicians) that they are targeting to help them ensure Joseph Kony is arrested is George 'Dubya' Bush. The puppet president who presided over the murder of 1.5 million Iraqi civilians. And we're all meant to believe that people like him are going to care about the plight of Ugandan children? Kony is Bush's ideological brother for god's sake. Other than their complete ignorance of the fact that the US political elite is populated by the world's worst war criminals, the makers of this video are also massively ignorant of the truth about WHY Uganda, and many other African nations, are subjected to the brutal excesses of war lords and have been for so many decades. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242653-The-Kony-2012-Delusion Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:06:17 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242537-Putin-Wins-Presidential-Election-Despite-US-Govt-and-Western-Media-Interference Let's face it, most people don't have the time, energy or inclination to try to separate truth from lies in our world today. The ability to do so is, however, crucial for many reasons. For over ten years, we here at Sott.net have been analysing and writing on what passes for the 'news' and we've come to a conclusion that may be of help to those who can't, or won't, do their own digging for the truth. The conclusion is that you can, with a reasonable degree of certainty, assume that the truth about any major political event can be found more or less 180 degrees from what politicians or the media (especially US and European politicians and media) claim. Try it out. To do this, you have to do it consciously. So take any current major political news item in the media and, in your mind, flip it 180 degrees. When reading the headline or summary of a news item, simply reverse the statement that it makes. I can assure you that this 180 version will be a lot closer to the truth. Take for example Vladimir Putin's recent election victory. Check the headlines from major Western 'news' corporations and you'll see that they all smear, subtly and not so subtly, Putin's win with allegations of 'corruption'. Rupert Murdoch's Sky News went so far as to put 'scare quotes' around the words 'wins election'. Virtually all other media outlets carried the same disparaging headline in one form or another, which is not surprising since there are about 3 or 4 actual Western 'news' agencies that report on events and then simply share the information with their subsidiaries. In this case, our 180 degree approach works rather well. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242537-Putin-Wins-Presidential-Election-Despite-US-Govt-and-Western-Media-Interference Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:23:05 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242414-Undersea-Internet-Cables-Cut-AGAIN- A series of bizarre coincidences has left several African countries experiencing significantly reduced Internet traffic. The Register reported 28 February that an undersea cable was cut off the coast of Kenya on 25 February, severely reducing Internet traffic along the Eastern side of the African continent. The East African Marine Systems (TEAMS) cable pipes Internet and telecommunications from its landing points in Fujairah in the UAE to Mombasa, Kenya. A ship had apparently "dropped anchor in a restricted area", though no further details, in particular the ship's name, were provided. But what had apparently gone unnoticed up until this incident, at least in Western media, was the severance of three other submarine communications cables further north in the Red Sea on 17 February. The three cables in question were the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy), the Europe India Gateway (EIG) and the South East Asia Middle East Western Europe-3 (SEA-ME-WE-3). EASSy issued a press release on 29 February stating that: The EASSy cable was cut on 17 February 2012 at 14:27 The cable cut is at a depth of 165m The cut section of cable is located in the Red Sea between the EASSy landing stations at Port Sudan and Djibouti The vessel believed to be responsible for the cable cut has been identified. The cut is believed to have been caused by the anchor of this vessel, a cargo ship, being dragged more than 150km along the sea bed http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242414-Undersea-Internet-Cables-Cut-AGAIN- Sat, 03 Mar 2012 05:16:58 -0600 http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242280-The-Cs-Hit-List-06-Let-s-Do-the-Planetary-Twist-to-the-Tune-of-the-Brothers-Heliopolis OK, it's time for more weirdness. As we covered in a recent SOTT Report, accounts and recordings of strange noises heard all over the world went semi-viral on YouTube in January this year, and some are even receiving mainstream media coverage. Some YouTube pundits claim they're all faked, a couple of scientists say they're 'normal' and nothing to worry about, and many are freaking out as the phenomenon is feeding the '2012-apocalypse-oh-my-God-we're-all-gonna-die' hysteria. So what's really going on? The hype appears to have started with these videos from Kiev, Ukraine, posted on 3 August and 11 August 2011, respectively. (Although, as we'll see later, these were not the first accounts.) (See here for a translation of the uploader's account of the sounds and analysis and here for a summary of the associated thread, with additional analyses and accounts.) Dozens of videos have been uploaded since then, some obviously faked, others perhaps not. For example, at least 28 videos posted in the months since Kiev obviously use the sound from the original video played over random video footage, sometimes with staged 'Oh-my-God-what-is-that?' dialogue. And, no, as far as I can tell, none of them use samples from the films Red State or War of the Worlds, as some have claimed. The similarity is striking (trumpet-like blasts, metallic rumbles and such), but truth has been known to resemble fiction. And it wouldn't be the first time that similar strange noises have been heard, both in recent times and the murky depths of history recorded in myth and legend. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242280-The-Cs-Hit-List-06-Let-s-Do-the-Planetary-Twist-to-the-Tune-of-the-Brothers-Heliopolis Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:17:39 -0600