stimulator: The Five Cockrings of Death

Dandelion Salad

stimulator

The Five Cock Rings of Death

This week:

1. Tar Sands Ducks
2. Olympic Baby Seal Beatings
3. Victoria’s Wild Fires
4. Capitol Climate Action
5. RNC Snitch behind Bars
6. Snow
7. The Fugees
8. Reply to All
9. Olympic Resistance

more about “The Five Cockrings of Death“, posted with vodpod

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Australia Bushfires and Heatwave

Global Warming

RNC Protesters Tried on Terrorism Charges Despite Acknowledgment They Didn’t Commit Alleged Acts

RNC – St Paul-Minneapolis MN

Barack Obama on Dandelion Salad

Meet the new boss the same as the old boss

Turkey prepares to assume a more significant role in Afghanistan

translated and abridged by Cem Ertür
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
22 February, 2009

1) Turkey prepares to assume a more significant role in Afghanistan
2) Turkey’s Foreign Minister (now President) Abdullah Gül’s speech at the FPA World Leadership Forum 2003

Sol, 17 February 2009 [1]

Editorial note: Turkey’s Defence Minister Vecdi Gönül attended the Informal meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Krakow on 19-20 February, which reviewed NATO’s ongoing operations and its transformation. This meeting was organised in preparation for NATO’s upcoming Strasbourg-Kehl Summit in April.

Turkey

From: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Turkey_topo.jpg

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Commons is a freely licensed media file repository.
Originally uploaded by Lorri37

Aiming to create an influence in the Middle East with its now-familiar identity as a “Muslim country” and after its latest stand in Davos, once again Turkey is preparing to use this influence in Afghanistan, in favour of the U.S.

Turkey is preparing to assume NATO’s ISAF Regional Command in Kabul in April. [2] When the next term of ISAF mission begins after Afghanistan’s presidential elections in August, Turkey is expected to provide a wider and more critical support for the US-led occupation forces.

With its 1300 troops, Turkey has the 8th largest contingent in Afghanistan. Reports indicate that this number will increase significantly in the new term.

Having stayed out of the conflict zone from the outset, most of the Turkish troops are currently based in the Wardak Province north of Kabul, where they lead a Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Aiming to establish a ‘joint initiative against terrorism’ in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkey might move its troops in Afghanistan to that region, within the framework of joint operations to be launched in the next term.

Turkey’s now familiar and ever-increasing image as a “Muslim country” is reinforcing the general view that Turkey-led initiatives in the region will be more effective.

In Afghanistan, Turkey had previously commanded NATO’s ISAF Command twice and ISAF Regional Command in Kabul once.

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Notes:

[1] link to the original news report in Turkish:
Davos sovundan Afganistan cikti
Sol, 17 February 2009

http://haber.sol.org.tr/mansetler/anamanset/turkiye-afganistana-asker-gonderme-pazarliklarina-basladi-10190.html

[2] International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is a NATO-led security and development mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001.

————————

from the archives:

“The habits of cooperation between Turkey and the U.S. have stood the test of time since the Korean War, through the Cold War, into the global war against terrorism. The moral responsibility and stated imperatives of the Turkish-U.S. partnership that have worked effectively in the last half-century are not diminished. To the contrary, our strategic cooperation and partnership means even more now than before, as we strive for stability in Afghanistan and Iraq, encourage peace and stability betweens Arabs and Israelis, stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery means, and generate harmony between civilizations… After 9/11 we needed a new era in Afghanistan. At that time, Turkey alone heeded the ISAF in Afghanistan… Look at Bosnia. Look at Kosovo. Look at other parts of the world. There are Turkish and American soldiers shoulder to shoulder.”

[Turkey's Foreign Minister (now President) Abdullah Gül, FPA World Leadership Forum 2003] [1]

————————

Note:

[1] ‘H.E. Abdullah Gül Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Turkey, speaks to FPA World Leadership Forum 2003′ [1]
Foreign Policy Association, 25 September 2003
http://www.fpa.org/topics_info2414/topics_info_show.htm?doc_id=194362

see

Black Sea: Pentagon’s Gateway to Three Continents and the Middle East by Rick Rozoff

NATO

Afghanistan

Russia postpones Iran missile deal, with Gareth Porter

Dandelion Salad

TheRealNews

More at http://therealnews.com/t/in…
Russia Today TV reports Russia keeps missile sale on table as it holds cards in Afghanistan Pt.2

more about “Russia postpones Iran missile deal“, posted with vodpod

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Are generals disputing Iraq pullout? with Gareth Porter (pt 1)

Afghanistan on Dandelion Salad

Iran Israel US Nukes

Iran on Dandelion Salad

Nukes

Barack Obama on Dandelion Salad

Meet the new boss the same as the old boss

Scientists capture dramatic footage of Arctic glaciers melting in hours + video

Dandelion Salad

By Jessica Salter
Telegraph
3:24PM GMT 20 Feb 2009

Scientists have captured dramatic footage of massive lakes in the Arctic melting away in a matter of hours.

Glaciologist Jason Box has been testing a Moulin, a shaft that allows water to travel from the glacier’s surface to its bottom, in a glacier on the Greenland ice cap to find out how fast it is melting.

Dr Box said: “The Moulin is the epicentre of our concern because all the water is running down at this one point.

“It’s just bottomless, no light escapes.”

Balanced on the edge of an ice sheet the team used a flow meter to measure the water speed.

He said: “There’s no escape from a Moulin. It’s just got danger written all over it. But the information is so important that we actually had to take that risk.”

[...]

via Scientists capture dramatic footage of Arctic glaciers melting in hours – Telegraph

***

If video doesn’t show up, please watch:

Scientists capture dramatic footage of Arctic glaciers melting in hours

see

Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip

Sylvia Earle: How to protect the oceans (must-see)

Global Warming

The Iraqi Muslims who convert to Christianity

Dandelion Salad

AlJazeeraEnglish

A campaign of violence against Christians has seen thousands flee the country since 2003.

Many of those who remain have complained of intimidation and persecution.

But in some parts of Iraq, Muslims are now choosing to become Christians.

Al Jazeera’s Omar Al Saleh reports from Irbil in Northern Iraq.

more about “The Iraqi Muslims who convert to Chri…“, posted with vodpod

A Historic Opportunity by Richard C. Cook

by Richard C. Cook
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
richardccook.com
February 22, 2009

Dear Friends:

We Hold These Truths by Richard C. Cook

Originally uploaded by Lorri37

I am writing to ask for your financial support in producing a series of six videos on the financial crisis and on my proposed solutions based on the principles of Dividend Economics and the “Cook Plan.” The “Cook Plan” involves the immediate payment of vouchers to individuals and families as an emergency basic income guarantee. The vouchers would then be deposited in a new series of community savings banks to capitalize low-cost lending for consumers, students, small business, local manufacturing, and family farming. I will be speaking on the “Cook Plan” at the 8^th Congress of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network in New York this weekend.

As most of you know, I have been working on monetary reform since I served in the Jimmy Carter White House in 1979-81 on the staff of Esther Peterson, President Carter’s Special Assistant for Consumer Affairs. Later I worked for NASA, then spent 21 years in the U.S. Treasury Department in the field of public finance. I retired from the government in 2007. I was also an adviser to Dennis Kucinich in his two presidential campaigns and for the last two years have been publishing articles in print and on the internet on economics, monetary reform, space policy, and geopolitics. I also worked as an adviser to the American Monetary Institute and contributed to their draft monetary reform legislation, the American Monetary Act. In January 2007 I published Challenger Revealed on the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Recently I published a new book entitled We Hold These Truths: The Hope of Monetary Reform.

This week we saw headlines that even a few weeks ago seemed impossible: the U.S. government is considering nationalization of the largest U.S. banks. It may be that the grip the banks have held on the U.S. monetary system, our economy, and our government is weakening after nearly a century of monetary tyranny since the Federal Reserve Act was passed in 1913. If there was ever an opportunity for those of us in the monetary reform movement to be heard it is now. This opportunity may never come again.

Those of you who have followed my writing over the last two years know that I have been in the forefront of those who have been calling for change. I have been a leading proponent of such ideas of the right of the government to spend money directly into existence, as was done with the Civil War Greenbacks, instead of having to borrow money from the private banking system. I have also spoken in favor of a National Dividend based on the productive values of our economy and a basic income guarantee for all citizens. The idea of a National Dividend grows from the concepts of Dividend Economics that I have begun to pioneer as a completely new way of approaching economic democracy.

I am currently in the process of working with several other people on producing a six-part series of videos that would be around two hours in length where I would explain my ideas to the American people and others around the world. This would be a professional production that would appear initially on YouTube and Google and would also be available for TV broadcast and on DVD.

The cost of this project would be modest compared to the benefits of reaching a large audience in a short time. If you would be interested in making a cash contribution, I would be most grateful. Donations can be made through my website at www.richardccook.com. Just click on the “Donate” button at the top of the homepage. Those who donate will receive a PDF copy of the written script via email.

Whether you are able to donate or not, I thank you for your past support and wish you all the best for the future.

Sincerely,

Richard C. Cook

see

The Cook Plan (video)

Bailout for the People: “The Cook Plan” by Richard C. Cook

Richard Cook: “It’s Time to Fix the Monetary System” by Mike Whitney

Open Letter to Dr. Joseph Stiglitz and Challenge to Debate By Richard C. Cook

Town Hall Meeting in New York Canceled Due to Death Threat Against Monetary Reform Advocate Richard C. Cook

Cook-Richard C.

The Economy Sucks and or Collapse 2

***

The Crisis of Credit Visualized

Dandelion Salad

by Jonathan Jarvis

http://vimeo.com/3261363

Crisisofcredit.com

The goal of giving form to a complex situation like the credit crisis is to quickly supply the essence of the situation to those unfamiliar and uninitiated. This project was completed as part of my thesis work in the Media Design Program, a graduate studio at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

For more on my broader thesis work exploring the use of new media to make sense of a increasingly complex world, visit jdjarvis.com.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized

see

Exclusive: Why should I pay somebody else’s mortgage? by The Other Katherine Harris

Exclusive: Derivatives for Dummies by The Other Katherine Harris

The Stimulus and The Confidence Game by Cameron Salisbury

Executive Order: Establishment of the White House Office of Urban Affairs

Obama’s mortgage plan aims to bolster the banks + Obama’s plan + transcript

The Economy Sucks and or Collapse 2

***

The Anti Terrorism Act 2008 (UK)

Dandelion Salad

Updated: 3.2.09 added another video report

fourmanfilms

more about “The Anti Terrorism Act 2008 (UK)“, posted with vodpod

***

More on this topic at the 9/11 Forum UK

***

Updated

Prison for taking photos in UK

RussiaToday

A new law in the UK makes it an offence to take pictures of policemen or any other law enforcement officers. Civil libertarians say Gordon Brown’s Britain is becoming like George Orwell’s Big Brother state.

more about “Prison for taking photos in UK“, posted with vodpod

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Police State

UK government: People who believe in armed resistance would be considered as extremists

Ministers ‘using fear of terror’

Sylvia Earle: How to protect the oceans (must-see)

http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/

TEDtalksDirector

2.19.09

http://www.ted.com Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean — and shocking stats about its rapid decline — as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.

Black Sea: Pentagon’s Gateway to Three Continents and the Middle East by Rick Rozoff

Sent to DS by the author; thanks Rick.

Dandelion Salad

by Rick Rozoff
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato/message/37422
February 22, 2009

Black Sea map

from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Sea_map.png

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Commons is a freely licensed media file repository.

Originally uploaded by Lorri37

The Black Sea region connects Europe with Asia and the Eurasian land mass to the Middle East through Turkey on its southern rim, which borders Syria, Iraq and Iran.

The northern Balkans lie on its western shores and the Caucasus on its eastern end, the latter a land bridge to the Caspian Sea and Central Asia.

Ukraine, Russia and the strategic Sea of Azov are on its northern perimeter.

Given its central location the Black Sea has been coveted for millennia by major powers: The Persian and Roman empires, Greeks and Hittites, Byzantines and Huns, Ottoman Turkey and Czarist Russia, even by Napoleon’s France and Hitler’s Germany in their wars to unite Europe to Asia and the Middle East.

The famed Trojan War was fought for control of Troy/Dardania/Ilium, the entrance to the Sea of Marmara which connects the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. The strait connecting the two is still called the Dardanelles after ancient Dardania.

Going back to antiquity a third continent has also been involved, Africa; the Greek historian Herodotus claimed that the Black Sea city of Colchis, now in modern Georgia, was founded by Egyptians and in Virgil’s if not Homer’s account of the siege of Troy Memnon, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), is slain by Achilles fighting in defense of Troy.

An Impending Geopolitical Earthquake? by José Miguel Alonso Trabanco

Dandelion Salad

by José Miguel Alonso Trabanco
Global Research, February 21, 2009

The financial and economic turmoil the world is currently experiencing will certainly have many serious consequences beyond those fields. Indeed, its geopolitical fallout could be far more serious than commonly acknowledged and it is an element that cannot be neglected by neither statesmen nor analysts.

Some scholars frequently hold that politics and economics are somehow separate. Such view is profoundly mistaken because politics and economics are strongly interlinked. Actually, political power and economic wealth cultivate one another. Likewise, economic trouble, more often than not, tends to lead to political trouble and the reverse is equally true.

Therefore, it is fairly reasonable to assert that this financial crisis will have a major impact on the international system’s balance of power. Some states (including Great Powers) could redefine their priorities. Other states are in a direr situation so they would have to make dramatic adjustments concerning their policies.

Bill Moyers Journal: Obama and Afghanistan

Dandelion Salad

Bill Moyers Journal
February 20, 2009

Bill Moyers Essay

Bill Moyers reflects on President Obama’s recent announcement that he will send more troops to Afghanistan.

via Bill Moyers Journal . Watch & Listen | PBS

see

Ray McGovern: US attempt to trap the USSR in 1979 is at root of current situation in Afghanistan

US expands new detention centre

Ivan Eland: Afghanistan will see no stability

President Obama: Afghanistan IS Still Winnable

17,000 More U.S. Troops Being Sent To Afghanistan + Afghans fear more US air attacks

Afghanistan

Barack Obama

Meet the new boss the same as the old boss

Bill Moyers Journal: Parker J. Palmer on Spiritual Wholeness as Economy Falls Apart

Dandelion Salad

Bill Moyers Journal
February 20, 2009

Parker J. Palmer

Bill Moyers sits down with Parker J. Palmer, founder and senior partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal, for a conversation about maintaining spiritual wholeness even as the economy and political order seem to come apart.

via Bill Moyers Journal . Watch & Listen | PBS

see

Bill Moyers Journal: Robert G. Kaiser on Money and Politics

Exclusive: Why should I pay somebody else’s mortgage? by The Other Katherine Harris

The Stimulus and The Confidence Game by Cameron Salisbury

The Economy Sucks and or Collapse 2

Barack Obama on Dandelion Salad