cryptofascism

"In the absence of any experience of accountability or transparency - the basic ingredients of an open society - even the most thoughtful Russians are prone to say: "Russia needs a strong man at the centre. Putin has made Russia great again. Now the world has to listen."

The new Prime Minister has brilliantly exploited the patriotism and latent xenophobia of the Russia people to unify them in the belief that they face a major threat from NATO and the United States.

This combination of national pride and insecurity has been fuelled by the America with its proposed deployment of missiles only a few hundred kilometres from the Russian border, allegedly to counter a nuclear threat from Iran.

No serious defence analyst believes this makes any strategic sense, while even impeccably pro-Western Russians recoil from this crass assertion of super-power hegemony by President Bush.

Similarly most Russians feel threatened - and humiliated - by the prospect that Ukraine and Georgia, once the most intimate allies of the Soviet Union, may soon be enfolded in the arms of NATO.

Georgia, which is struggling to contain a separatist movement that is openly supported by the Kremlin, has the potential to become a dangerous flashpoint in which the Western allies could only too easily become ensnared.

Does this mean - as some have argued - that we are about to face a new Cold War? I don't think so for a moment.

With communism consigned to "the dustbin of history", there is no ideological conflict of any significance. And there is now only one military superpower.

In comparison with America, Russia's armed forces are a joke. Only catastrophic stupidity on either side could lead to a nuclear confrontation.

But this does not mean that we can all breathe a sigh of relief and forget about the Bear.

An autocratic and resurgent Russia that feels bruised and threatened is an unstable beast.

The Kremlin's growing rapprochement with Beijing (the adversaries of a generation ago are now not only major trading partners, but conduct joint military exercises) shifts the balance of power in the world.

And as life on earth becomes less and less secure, with evermore people competing for a dwindling supply of vital resources, Russia, as an energy giant, is once again a big player on the world stage.

Make no mistake, we are in for a very bumpy ride."

read this article on putin. do it now.

beneath a limen

From Wikipedia:
A subliminal message is a signal or message embedded in another medium, designed to pass below the normal limits of perception. These messages are unrecognizable by the conscious mind, but in certain situations can affect the subconscious or deeper mind and later actions or attitudes.

Subliminal techniques have occasionally been used in advertising and propaganda; the purpose, the effectiveness, and the frequency of the application of such techniques is debated.

Liberty City

I'm sure most folks out there realize that a lot of the stuff they read/see in the mainstream media is bullshit, and that propaganda is not something that went out of style with Hitler. But here is evidence that it is still going on, in a major way, today. Some 8,000 pages released by the pentagon detailing a meticulously planned trip for "military analysts" to "inspect" the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.

Basically after crazed left wing radicals such as The Red Cross started spreading totally false rumors about Gitmo, suggesting the good ol USA was using: "humiliating acts, solitary confinement, temperature extremes, use of forced positions" against prisoners. The inspectors concluded that "the construction of such a system, whose stated purpose is the production of intelligence, cannot be considered other than an intentional system of cruel, unusual and degrading treatment and a form of torture." The Pentagon took action, inviting ex military personnel to come visit the camp, and see for themselves, what kind of stuff was going on.

The "Military Analysts" spent a total of four hours in cuba total. They spent less than three hours touring the facility, and one hour was spent eating lunch with the troops.(gotta support them)

What did the Analysts see?
-a viewing of an interrogation,
-a tour of an "unoccupied cellblock,"
-a visit to the detention hospital.

Here is what one of the visitors had to say about their time spent in Cuba to CNN's Betty Nguyen

NGUYEN: Let's back up for just a moment, because you said you said watched an interrogation.

SHEPPERD: Yes.

NGUYEN: Kind of explain to us how that played out. And were there any instances of abuse or possible abuse?

SHEPPERD: Absolutely not. These -- when I sat and watched them, I want to be very careful in describing them. And I don't want to describe how we watched or anything of that sort. But basically, you're able to observe interrogations. They have various ways of monitoring the interrogations and what have you and letting you see what's going on. With the interrogations that we watched were interrogators, there were translators that translated for the detainee and there were also intelligence people in there.

And they're basically asking questions. They just ask the same questions over a long period of time. They get information about the person's family, where they're from, other people they knew. All the type of things that you would want in any kind of criminal investigation. And these were all very cordial, very professional. There was laughing in two of them that we...

NGUYEN: Laughing in an interrogation?

SHEPPERD: ... in the two of them that we watched. Yes, indeed. It's not -- it's not like the impression that you and I have of what goes on in an interrogation, where you bend people's arms and mistreat people. They're trying to establish a firm professional relationship where they have respect for each other and can talk to each other. And yes, there were laughing and humor going on in a couple of these things. And I'm talking about a remark made where someone will smirk or laugh or chuckle.

NGUYEN: All right. General Don Shepperd, we appreciate your time and that look inside Gitmo, with you being there on this tour. Thank you for that.

I would totally be cracking up too. I mean, naked pyramids are hilarious. Also this interrogation sounds particularly hilarious:

"he was stripped naked, isolated, given intravenous fluids and forced to urinate on himself, and exercised to exhaustion during interrogations that lasted 18 to 20 hours a day for 48 of 54 days."

Anyways, read the rest of the salon article, if this kind of stuff interests you as much as it does me. Its the sort of thing anyone with the slightest bit of common sense realized without having to be told, but its still sobering to read internal pentagon documents detailing how elaborate this particular charade went. This isnt even getting into terror alerts or WMDs or blackwater or what kind of shit is really going on in the streets of Iraq either. This is the stuff that is available for us to learn, its probably just the icing on the cake, y'know?

SOURCE

Vertical Farms

If there's one thing i love more than sustainable agriculture, its ANYTHING related to the future. This is some sick blade runner shit, just waiting for a crazy future when these are all run down and abandoned. Imagine the fucking crazy critters and ghosts that would love to live there.
Anyways green buildings are fucking sick.

Original Article.

Scott Anderson

sick as fuck. check out more at http://www.scottandersonnet.com/ Also check out this interview with him at fecal face.

hilarious

article on cracked.com about the webbys and lolcatz.

BERKLEY

Not Berkeley. Different story. This is a story of a tallented illustrator working out of portland. His name is Ryan. This is but a taste of his talent. Check out his blog. LETS SHARE: THE BERKLEY BLOG. Also Check out his amazing wife (who also helps out Ryan big time) Lucy.

The Real Mario

fucking creepy

Jocelyn and Ed

Continuing coverage on amazingly insane relationships, we have a rolling stone article about the story of Jocelyn and Ed . Jocelyn Kirsch is a compulsive liar. One of those girls who re invents herself every few months. Shifting friends, always interested in something different. She had 3 guys who all thought they were the only ones dating her. Shallow and self conscious, she couldn't stand to be alone. She claimed to speak 11 languages, and wore fake contacts to change her eye color. She claimed to be a pole vaulter for Penn State. She was a kleptomaniac who stole from her closest friends. Ed was a Penn State graduate working as an annalist. With a new life and a comfortable salary Ed only lacked someone to share his success with. He would literally find his partner in crime in Jocelyn.

One might say that Jocelyn and Ed were like peas and carrots. Jocelyn needed someone to spend lots of money on her, and give her attention. Ed needed some kind of security blanket. Someone to make him feel important again. Within months of meeting, the two were traversing the globe, taking expensive vacations, and spending exorbitant amounts of money on overpriced designer crap. Sounds like any other typical yuppie relationship at first. Except for one thing. Jocelyn wasn't the trust fund baby she claimed to be, and Ed was fired from his job after lying about his use of sick days.

It was all a big, gleeful sham. Ed had actually been canned from his job four months before, and twenty-two-year-old Jocelyn was a senior at nearby Drexel University, a big step down from Penn. When Philadelphia police busted into the couple's apartment a few days later, they found an extensive identity-theft operation, complete with a professional ID maker, computer spyware, lock-picking tools and a crisp North Carolina driver's license soaking in a bowl of bleach. Though the investigation is still unfolding, this much is apparent: The lovebirds stand accused of using other people's names and Social Security numbers to scam at least $100,000, sometimes buying merchandise and selling it online to raise more cash.

What's striking about the two grifters is how determined they were to flaunt their ill-gotten gains. They acted not like furtive thieves but like two kids on a joy ride, utterly delighted by their own cleverness — as in the invitation Jocelyn e-mailed to friends not long before their arrests, announcing a surprise twenty-fifth-birthday party for Ed at an upscale tapas bar. "My treat, of course!" she'd written. Steeped in narcissism and privilege, fueled by entitlement and set in an age of consumer culture run amok, theirs is truly an outlaw romance for the twenty-first century. The Philadelphia Daily News immediately dubbed the photogenic couple "Bonnie and Clyde." It's a name some people take exception to. "Bonnie and Clyde, that's only because they're young and good-looking," scoffs Detective Terry Sweeney of the Philadelphia police. "These two were complete idiots. If this was two fat fucks from South Philly, it would have been Turner and Hooch."

...read the rest of the article here

tiny frogs

Shock and Awww

Vice President Cheney is betting against the American economy, and his investments prove it.
A tidbit:

As of the end of last year, Cheney and his wife, Lynne, held between $10
million and $25 million in Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt fund (VWSTX, news, msgs)
(it's impossible to be more precise because the disclosure form lists holdings
within ranges). The fund's holdings of tax-free municipal bonds mature, on
average, in a little more than a year -- meaning that the fund should hold up
well if rates rise.
The Cheneys held another $1 million to $5 million in
Vanguard Tax-Exempt Money Market fund (VMSXX, news, msgs),
which is practically risk-free and could benefit from continued increases in
short-term interest rates. And the couple had between $2 million and $10 million
in Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities fund (VIPSX, news, msgs).
The principal and interest payments of inflation-protected bonds rise along with
consumer prices, making them good inflation hedges.

I know most of us are used to being lied to, but come on! This man is a trickster of ultimate proportions! He's sinking our yacht in broad daylight!

So, how'd you make the yacht disappear?

Michael, a magician never reveals - I sunk it. At least I think I sunk
it. I mean, I blew it up and I don't see it anywhere!

This is almost as bad as the international bankers creating the federal reserve and engineering a panic, and making it worse to profit and buy huge corporations for pennies on the dollar. Its hard to believe that anyone would destroy the economy for their own profit. Except for some kind of ultra high level CEO Lex Luthor supervillan. Or the penguin.

Halliburton, makin money money money off iraq. That company, to which Mr. Vice prez served as CEO to for 5 years b'twixt 1995 and y2k. Halliburton had made an estimated 20 billion off the bush admin as of 2k5. God knows how much know, and during that time though Cheney said he had no financial ties to Halliburton (lie) He retained his stock options, which rose 3281%. (source) From $200,000 to 8 million. Not that it really matters to the emperor, some estimates have him worth close to 88 million dollars (per hour) jk jk. but seriously sire is bankin. cash stackin in the most ultimate of ways. He will probs just use the money he made off the war for a bigger money bed.

Chump change. Wait till he gets the collapsed economy money. I can only imagine that after all is said and done that he will be worth billions. Ultimate power!!

Original Article.

my new favorite website

From the marvelous website, sugar bush squirrel. Im sure pages upon pages could be written about the madness contained in this website... but i really dont have any words. it speaks for itself pretty loud and clear. some of the highlights :

Sugar Bush Squirrel's warning to Kim Jong-il of North Korea July 4th was loud and clear,

"Don't make me come over there!"

Sugar Bush goes on to say, "You can't trust these North Korean guys because it's obvious that they're testing a way to launch a nuclear warhead. After 6 tests today which included a T-2 long range missle, capable of reaching the USA but which failed 42 seconds in mid-air after lift off, our American government calls it 'provocation', but I call it an imminent threat to our allies, Japan and South Korea."

Sugar Bush says face-to-face on a private computer hook-up with Kim Jong-il himself, "Don't make me come over there!"

Sugarbush may be among the last true patriots left in this country.

more...



website. http://sugarbushsquirrel.com/

Nothing was delivered.

Eagles rest where no man can reach. Their golden eggs sit snugly in fortress nests. No words for poachers such as the ones found in rescuers down under. Cant say i don't sympathize with such a lofty goal, but not one at such a cost. Eagles are essentially what dreams are made of. Dream killing is best left to the religious zealots. (Terrorists, Southern baptists, Scientologists, etc)

I live off of dreams. They are always better than real life. Better faster stronger creepier. Like the time James crashed his car into the security gate at the fox lot. He had a seizure while driving and crashed into a fence, or something close to that. Later his boss gave him a bill. The memory i choose to create for myself is something much more spectacular.

I imagine james, steady with bloodshot eyes, and smelling of whiskey and grass and cottage cheese, gripping the wheel tightly, while skirting and maneuvering turns and obstacles with all the skill and nonchalance of a jackie chan stunt driver tokyo drifting on a top secret steve mcqueen CIA mission. He approaches the gate and zooms in on the elite republican guard, machine gun resting on his shoulder. James floors it and busts through the gate. Tiny splinters of white and black painted wood explode in slow motion and rain back down. the guard begins firing at him from behind, shattering the back windshield. James squints his eyes and rips the steering wheel hard to the left. spinning around 180 degrees, and floors it again. this time headed straight for the booth. close up of the guards face as he realizes what is about to happen. just before the collision everything goes black.

fade in on james in the car, slumped over the steering wheel, blood smeared across his face. He is foggy and slowly surveys the chaos as sirens blare in the distant background. he is directly over the rubble of what was once the guard booth. He bangs the glovebox, like a fonz to a jukebox. It pops open and james grabs his pistol. He shoves the door open, and stumbles out. He steps out, and trips forward, his foot right having just set down on the face of the guard who is wedged between the car and the rubble. "thats the way she goes" he mutters, and stumbles on. He surveys the scene, noting a flood of troopers running towards the scene. He waivers his pistol in the direction the mass of elite military personnel rushing towards his general direction. He tries to aim, but his vision is still blurry. POP, POP, POP. He fires off some rounds into the blurry mass. Some fall, others keep running. POP, POP, POP. they are firing back, a bullet hits him in the shoulder, as he spins around hard, his giant body thudding to the ground. The soldiers crowd around him. They haven't killed him yet, the must have some questions for him. "sometimes she goes, and sometimes she doesn't." He fires off one last shot, hitting one of the guards right in the face. "cuz thats just the way she goes" The butt of a riffle smacks james face with a loud crack. Blackness.