GRIMLY FIENDISH

LRAD vs OWS: Sound cannons rolled out for Zuccotti park raid https://rt.com/news/lrad-acoustic-weapon-zuccotti-383/ Riot police deployed under cover of darkness at 1 am. No video cameras were allowed during the early hours of the raid. News teams were barred from the scene. Air space above Zuccotti park was shut down. Above all, a well-prepared removal plan received shock-op back-up as the NYPD rolled out long range acoustic devices (LRADs) on the streets of NY. The device is capable of emitting a tone higher than normal human pain threshold and can permanently damage hearing. Evidence of LRAD weaponry was captured with cell-phones during the raid against OWS protestors, early morning November 15. This is the first time during the Occupy Wall Street movement that police posed such an extreme threat and begs the question; how long before LRADs are unleashed on the people? LRADs were developed after the terrorist attack on the USS Cole in 2000 and were meant to serve essentially defensive purposes, as warning devices for American warships. But soon after they were put to the test on civilians. By 2004 the device had already been seen on the streets of New York- aimed at protesters at the Republican Party national convention. However it only threatened and wasn't deployed. This sound cannons are also known to be used in Iraq to disperse crowds. LRADs were “officially” used for the first time in the United States during the G20 summit in Pittsburgh in 2009. The signal strength was disturbing more than damaging. In Russia any weapons based on the use of electromagnetic, light, thermal, infra-sonic or ultra-sonic radiations are allowed only for military purposes. In 2001 the Russian government took a step to stand up against mind control technologies. 'To show a gun is not the same as to use a gun' – one may say. But a sonic weapon charged against peaceful protesters in NYC will no doubt be seen inside the OWS movement as another sign of a police state in the US. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You know, it's kind of relevant now to bring up the words of Barack Obama and his thoughts on similar protest movements in Bharain, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere and basically damn him with them.... "I am deeply concerned by reports of violence in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen. The United States condemns the use of violence against peaceful protesters in those countries, and wherever else it may occur," Hey, Barack, it's happening in your OWN COUNTRY, so, do something about it.... The mendacity and hypocrisy of O-bomber just seems to know no limits... I honestly didn't think it could get any worse than Bush Jr for being a lying, two-faced sack of shit.... I was wrong........

Oh, had to happen I suppose... At least ONE person who thinks that a criticism of the blessed "U$-reali" state = hatred of every single Jewish person in the world.... :rolleyes: Oh, and a newsflash for ya - the Palestinians are "semitic people" too, and I'm very much Pro Palestinian State.... -_- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_peopl...Semitic_peoples Never, EVER mistake criticism of Political Zionism (which is what this is) for Anti-Semitism.. It just makes you look ill-informed.. This thread wasn't about implying that Jews controlled all the wealth in the world, It was however about implying a fact - that the Israeli Lobby is an incredibly powerful source in American politics which wields a hell of a lot of influence... Perhaps you should read "The Isreali Lobby" by renowned International Relations theorists called John Mearscheimer and Stephen Walt who have actually investigated and studied this stuff at length.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mearsheimer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Walt I'm frankly sick of all this hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth over what Israel is getting up to.. They are a f***ing ROGUE STATE and if any other state were to do the sh"t that Israel is doing they would be subject to sanctions, embargos, UN resolutions and possibly even air strikes and regime change by now... Why does the US, UK, etc let Israel continually get away with this shit....? THAT is the question you should be asking yourself instead of levelling incredibly ill-advised, innaccurate and foolish accusations of "anti-semitism" around..... And also dont make the mistake of thinking that every Jewish person in the world has any particular love for Isreal.. I know plenty who hate everything the Zionist State (their words, because they dont recognise it as "Jewish" at all) stands for even more than I do, and that the Zionists (who are nothing more than dogmatic, un-reconstructed Imperialists and racists who actually really believe that they are "god's chosen" - sounds a bit like claiming to be "the Master Race" to me - and that this actually rationalises the shit they do, not only to the Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza, but check out their plans for 30,000 Bedouin peoples in the Negev whom they plan to *cough* Ethnically Cleanse *cough*, err, sorry, I meant to say "re-locate") who basically betrayed the real Jewish values (which they have, by the way)... But someone like you who's fallen for all the pro-Israel guff would probably just call them "self-hating Jews" I suppose.... -_-

Yep, agreed... Boris has been a total disaster for London, he's frankly an embarrassment....

Bring Me To Life - so much better without the Annoying Shouty Man..... -_-

I was being somewhat facetious with that parting shot, I have to confess. Money is probably a part of it, but one of the most frightening things is the way that the American Christian Far Right is basically teaming up with the Israeli extremists... Seems like they really want a "Clash of Civilisations".... :mellow:

I always get a bit suspicious when people use the word "Rock" as a surname, it's like, what are you trying to prove, dude? And even more suspicious when it's preceded by a forename like "Bob".... :lol:

Israel to attack Iran by Christmas – report http://rt.com/news/israel-attack-iran-report-981/ The British media say Israel may launch an aerial strike on Iranian nuclear facilities as early as next month. The offensive will receive support from the US, the speculation goes. The attack is meant to decapitate Iran’s nuclear program, which a recent report by the UN atomic watchdog said may have a military component. The Daily Mail cites British government sources as saying that the cabinet expects Israel to attack Iran “sooner rather than later.” “We’re expecting something as early as Christmas, or very early in the New Year,” a Foreign Office source is cited as saying The operation will receive logistical support from the United States, the newspaper reports. US President Barack Obama will allegedly have to back Israel to secure Jewish-Americans’ votes for the upcoming presidential election. Earlier, the Guardian newspaper reported that the Ministry of Defense is drawing up contingency plans for Britain’s participation in a joint military operation against Iran. The report said such an attack would be carried out by Israel and probably the US after the presidential election in America. The Daily Mail cites its sources as saying that Whitehall currently rules out Britain’s direct involvement in an attack on Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency released a report on Wednesday which included allegations that Iran had been developing technology related to nuclear weapons before 2003 and may still be doing so. Tehran called the accusations politically motivated and based on lies. It refused to step back from its nuclear program, which it insists is purely civilian in nature. A number of international players called for further sanctions against Iran following the report – both through the UN Security Council and at national level. Speculation that Israel is preparing to attack Iranian nuclear sites surged in the media shortly before the IAEA report was released, as the allegations contained in it had been leaked in advance. Officially, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied such plans, but said military action against Iran is on the table and is more likely in the wake of the report. Iran said it would retaliate if attacked and named Israeli nuclear facilities among the possible targets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Zionists and their lackeys in Washington are at it again... U$rael on a war footing.... Does Iran have a nuclear weapons programme..? I dont know, and frankly I dont care.. What I DO know is that Israel most certainly has nukes.. Gifted to them by their chums in Washington.. Illegally I might add, going against the Nuclear Weapons Proliferation Treaty... I'm so sick of the hypocrisy that's being displayed here, and even supposing IF Iran was developing a nuclear deterrent, there are almost certainly entirely rational reasons for them to do so, not the least being that it would actually bring a "balance of power" to the region, because at the moment you have one basically de facto "super-power" who get away with murder. Literally.... And what do these idiots think will happen to Iran, and the region as a whole, if Israel attacks Iran's nuclear installations with missiles....? Madness... Utter madness.. But, what are we to expect from U$rael...? When O-bomber was elected, he talked about "change". Yeah, "change".. Whatever... We've already had one dodgy war in Libya, and looks like an even dodgier one about to kick off in Iran... Yeah, that's a "change" from Afghanistan and Iraq, I must say.... O-Bomber wants the Jews to vote for him in 2012...? Clearly he's not concerned about losing the Muslim vote then... -_-

Indeed... Awful... Just what is it with Metallica and albums being badly produced anyway.. The "official" Death Magnetic has pretty shite production too... Which is why I downloaded the illegal re-mastered version..... :lol: :lol:

Oh, we're actually beyond St Anger bad..... lol

I like Metallica, I like Lou Reed... I also like sirloin steak and Banoffee ice cream, but I wouldn't particularly want to have them both on the same plate, know what I mean....?

Hmmm... The chorus sounds a bit too "Abba" for my liking.... It's gonna take a few listens I think....

I watched the whole of their Rock In Rio gig on YouTube... Amy is cutting a mightily impressive figure these days... I remember being rather underwhelmed when I saw Evanescence in 2004, but she's so much stronger in her vocals and her stage presence since she ditched the w*n**rs and got herself a proper band.... The new material is incredible live....

Well, it would be nice.. But, you'll forgive me if I dont hold my breath... ;)

Police send warning letters to activists ahead of student protests http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/0...P=FBCNETTXT9038 Met writes to people previously arrested for public order offences even if they were cleared or charges were dropped Police have sent dozens of letters to anti-cuts activists as young as 17 warning them of the consequences of attending a student demonstration planned in central London on Wednesday. The letters, which activists say have had a severe chilling effect on protest, have been sent to anyone arrested with previous public disorder offences even if they were later cleared or charges were dropped. At a briefing Met officials said that letters would only be sent to those who had been convicted of offences but a spokesperson from the Met later admitted this was incorrect and confirmed that anyone who had been arrested in the last year in relation to an "austerity related" protest had been sent the warning. The single page letter, which arrived through letter boxes on Tuesday, reads: "It is in the public and your own interest that you do not involve yourself in any type of criminal or antisocial behaviour. We have a responsibility to deliver a safe protest which protects residents, tourists, commuters, protesters and the wider community. Should you do so we will at the earliest opportunity arrest and place you before the court." Signed by Simon Pountain, the Met commander leading Wednesday's operations, the letter goes on to warn of detrimental effects of conviction on their chances of employment and says that if people find themselves near disorder they should move away at the earliest opportunity. Essex sixth form student Tyler Perkin, who previously had all charges dropped in relation to a peaceful UKuncut protest inside Fortnum and Mason store in March this year said that he was horrified by the fact that he was still on a police database. The warning letters come on the back of a police briefing in which police highlighted that they had authority to fire rubber and plastic bullets – collectively known as baton rounds – at protesters. It is believed to be the first time baton rounds have been pre-authorised for a planned protest march on the British mainland. Perkins believed that along with briefings about rubber bullets, the police were trying to scare people away from the protest. "It's a disgusting attempt to try and scare us off from protesting," he said. "I know another youth defendant has received [the letter] and I have seen another five people who have tweeted [that they have got] it," Perkins said. "It's also disgusting that we are all been kept on some database even though we haven't been charged … even though my case has been dropped they're still using it against us," Perkins added. He said that he had also been visited by police in conjunction with this summer's riots even though he had no connection with them. Lawyer Rhona Friedman told the Guardian that two of her clients had received police letters and that she also feared police databases were being employed to stop innocent young demonstrators from taking to the street. "The letter is being sent to young people who have not been convicted of any criminal offence but whose names must appear on the police intelligence data base of those engaged in protest. "Whether deliberate or not the message is being received as being less about public protection and more about sending a chilling Big Brotheresque warning about the consequences of participation in public demonstrations." Organisers of the march, which will set off after midday on Wednesday and join Occupy London Stock Exchange protesters who are camped around St Paul's cathedral, have written to police warning them that children will be part of the demonstration after they learned of the authorisation of rubber bullets. In Northern Ireland baton rounds have killed 16 people in past decades but they have never been used in public order situations elsewhere in Britain. Eight of those deaths involved children. Baton rounds are regularly used in the UK. Since 2002 they have been used by police to stop fleeing vehicles or in cases where Taser guns could not be deployed. Their most recent use was by Norfolk police on 9 August during a domestic incident, according the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo). During the height of this summer's riots the Acpo chief, Sir Hugh Orde, spoke out against rubber bullets saying their use would not be sensible and their deployment had to be kept in proportion. Talking down their use on the eve of the march, a police spokesperson said that the Met had "no intention of deploying" baton rounds during the demo. The Met also pointed out it had sent letters out to convicted criminals in the past including for the Notting Hill Carnival but it was unclear whether this had been done before a protest and to those who had only been charged with an offence. The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) says it expects around 10,000 people to attend the march, which comes on the first anniversary of the demonstration that saw the Tory party headquarters on Millbank trashed by student activists. The Guardian has learned that groups engaging in direct action are likely to break off from the march at different points, causing disruption which may become a focus of police attention. March organiser and NCAFC co-founder Michael Chessum said: "What the police are engaged in is a cynical attempt to stop people from attending the demonstration and to pre-criminalise the protest. That's not new as such but it is new that it is as extreme as this. "They are trying to ramp up the atmosphere around the protest before it begins … they should be getting on with their job to facilitate protest," he said. Teachers' associations have warned pupils not to miss lessons to attend the march. Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said pupils would be disciplined for taking unauthorised absence to go to the march. "With talk of the police using baton rounds, it just doesn't seem a good idea for anyone, particularly the young and vulnerable, to be involved." Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said it was not acceptable for pupils to "absent themselves without permission". "Teachers would not expect pupils to miss lessons to go to this march. We would encourage pupils to discuss with their teachers how they can exercise their democratic rights." The general secretary of the University and College Union, Sally Hunt, said she empathised with the demonstrators aims saying they were "understandably angry at attempts to privatise our internationally-respected higher education system to people only interested in the possibility of a fast buck". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fascism, pure and simple.... -_-

Hmmm, so, guessing they played about an hour and a quarter maybe...? Seems a bit short for a band with three albums, plus loads of early demo stuff... I'm seeing Opeth on Sunday at Brixton. I'm fully expecting a three-and-a-half hour epic considering they've done 11 albums and their average song length is about ten minutes..... :lol: :lol:

Well, one can certainly hope BoJo the Clown gets his marching orders, but I've honestly learned not to underestimate the sheer stupidity of the British public in thinking that someone who's a "bit of a wheeze" on a BBC news quiz would actually be any good as a Mayor.... -_- Or indeed, for giving the Tories a second chance....

The 1% are the very best destroyers of wealth the world has ever seen http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/20...P=FBCNETTXT9038 Our common treasury in the last 30 years has been captured by industrial psychopaths. That's why we're nearly bankrupt If wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every woman in Africa would be a millionaire. The claims that the ultra-rich 1% make for themselves – that they are possessed of unique intelligence or creativity or drive – are examples of the self-attribution fallacy. This means crediting yourself with outcomes for which you weren't responsible. Many of those who are rich today got there because they were able to capture certain jobs. This capture owes less to talent and intelligence than to a combination of the ruthless exploitation of others and accidents of birth, as such jobs are taken disproportionately by people born in certain places and into certain classes. The findings of the psychologist Daniel Kahneman, winner of a Nobel economics prize, are devastating to the beliefs that financial high-fliers entertain about themselves. He discovered that their apparent success is a cognitive illusion. For example, he studied the results achieved by 25 wealth advisers across eight years. He found that the consistency of their performance was zero. "The results resembled what you would expect from a dice-rolling contest, not a game of skill." Those who received the biggest bonuses had simply got lucky. Such results have been widely replicated. They show that traders and fund managers throughout Wall Street receive their massive remuneration for doing no better than would a chimpanzee flipping a coin. When Kahneman tried to point this out, they blanked him. "The illusion of skill … is deeply ingrained in their culture." So much for the financial sector and its super-educated analysts. As for other kinds of business, you tell me. Is your boss possessed of judgment, vision and management skills superior to those of anyone else in the firm, or did he or she get there through bluff, bullshit and bullying? In a study published by the journal Psychology, Crime and Law, Belinda Board and Katarina Fritzon tested 39 senior managers and chief executives from leading British businesses. They compared the results to the same tests on patients at Broadmoor special hospital, where people who have been convicted of serious crimes are incarcerated. On certain indicators of psychopathy, the bosses's scores either matched or exceeded those of the patients. In fact, on these criteria, they beat even the subset of patients who had been diagnosed with psychopathic personality disorders. The psychopathic traits on which the bosses scored so highly, Board and Fritzon point out, closely resemble the characteristics that companies look for. Those who have these traits often possess great skill in flattering and manipulating powerful people. Egocentricity, a strong sense of entitlement, a readiness to exploit others and a lack of empathy and conscience are also unlikely to damage their prospects in many corporations. In their book Snakes in Suits, Paul Babiak and Robert Hare point out that as the old corporate bureaucracies have been replaced by flexible, ever-changing structures, and as team players are deemed less valuable than competitive risk-takers, psychopathic traits are more likely to be selected and rewarded. Reading their work, it seems to me that if you have psychopathic tendencies and are born to a poor family, you're likely to go to prison. If you have psychopathic tendencies and are born to a rich family, you're likely to go to business school. This is not to suggest that all executives are psychopaths. It is to suggest that the economy has been rewarding the wrong skills. As the bosses have shaken off the trade unions and captured both regulators and tax authorities, the distinction between the productive and rentier upper classes has broken down. Chief executives now behave like dukes, extracting from their financial estates sums out of all proportion to the work they do or the value they generate, sums that sometimes exhaust the businesses they parasitise. They are no more deserving of the share of wealth they've captured than oil sheikhs. The rest of us are invited, by governments and by fawning interviews in the press, to subscribe to their myth of election: the belief that they are possessed of superhuman talents. The very rich are often described as wealth creators. But they have preyed on the earth's natural wealth and their workers' labour and creativity, impoverishing both people and planet. Now they have almost bankrupted us. The wealth creators of neoliberal mythology are some of the most effective wealth destroyers the world has ever seen. What has happened over the past 30 years is the capture of the world's common treasury by a handful of people, assisted by neoliberal policies which were first imposed on rich nations by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. I am now going to bombard you with figures. I'm sorry about that, but these numbers need to be tattooed on our minds. Between 1947 and 1979, productivity in the US rose by 119%, while the income of the bottom fifth of the population rose by 122%. But from 1979 to 2009, productivity rose by 80%, while the income of the bottom fifth fell by 4%. In roughly the same period, the income of the top 1% rose by 270%. In the UK, the money earned by the poorest tenth fell by 12% between 1999 and 2009, while the money made by the richest 10th rose by 37%. The Gini coefficient, which measures income inequality, climbed in this country from 26 in 1979 to 40 in 2009. In his book The Haves and the Have Nots, Branko Milanovic tries to discover who was the richest person who has ever lived. Beginning with the loaded Roman triumvir Marcus Crassus, he measures wealth according to the quantity of his compatriots' labour a rich man could buy. It appears that the richest man to have lived in the past 2,000 years is alive today. Carlos Slim could buy the labour of 440,000 average Mexicans. This makes him 14 times as rich as Crassus, nine times as rich as Carnegie and four times as rich as Rockefeller. Until recently, we were mesmerised by the bosses' self-attribution. Their acolytes, in academia, the media, thinktanks and government, created an extensive infrastructure of junk economics and flattery to justify their seizure of other people's wealth. So immersed in this nonsense did we become that we seldom challenged its veracity. This is now changing. On Sunday evening I witnessed a remarkable thing: a debate on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral between Stuart Fraser, chairman of the Corporation of the City of London, another official from the corporation, the turbulent priest Father William Taylor, John Christensen of the Tax Justice Network and the people of Occupy London. It had something of the flavour of the Putney debates of 1647. For the first time in decades – and all credit to the corporation officials for turning up – financial power was obliged to answer directly to the people. It felt like history being made. The undeserving rich are now in the frame, and the rest of us want our money back. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brilliant article, and totally spot on... I doff my cap to you Mr Monbiot.... :cheer: :cheer:

I never thought I'd end up agreeing with Chris, but I'm afraid he's bang on about this. And, honestly, just about everyone I talk to in London amongst my circle of friends is pretty sick of it... Especially when BoJo pops up with "pearls of wisdom" such as "hey, all you Londoners that actually LIVE HERE and have a day job should get up REALLY EARLY and get into work at about 7am so you wont get in the way of the tourists....". Yeah, F/UCK YOU, YOU CLOWN..... <_<

Err, because they're WRONG maybe....? Just a thought...

Hmm, let's see, because they LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH about the actual costings.... The fact that it's Londoners who are paying through the nose for this thing despite the fact that the whole country benefits, the fact that the likes of Westfields seem to be getting special treatment, the fact that Stratford has now basically been turned into a f/ucking shopping mall and the fact that local traders have been destroyed by the multinationals or big companies, I could go on making a list, but I'd be here all night....

You think the Olympics will actually make us money and not be an enormous white elephant....?? :lol: :lol: :lol: I'm sure the Greeks thought they would make billions too when they had theirs in 2004... That didn't quite work out so well for them...

Yeah, Chris, that'd be about your level... :P

London 2012 Olympics: Government spends nearly £750k on Olympic tickets http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/...ic-tickets.html The Government has spent nearly £750,000 on an Olympic ticket allocation that includes 411 beach volleyball seats, according to reports. Jeremy Hunt's department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) applied for and has been allocated some 8,846 tickets to the London 2012 Olympics, a Freedom of Information request showed. The allocation, which was until now withheld from the public, included 213 tickets to the opening ceremony for a total price of £194,525, Sky News reported. The Government's allocation includes 41 of the most expensive opening ceremony tickets, priced at £2012.12, while they were also allocated 143 tickets to the closing ceremony for a cost of £71,490. * Almost £750,000 in total 213 opening ceremony tickets for £194,525 143 closing ceremony tickets for £71,490 257 athletics tickets for £33,805 411 beach volleyball tickets for £26,600 224 track cycling tickets £29,530 for diving tickets It is alleged that Hunt's department spent £33,085 on 257 athletics tickets and £26,600 on 411 beach volleyball tickets. Thousands of people were left angered with the Olympic ticket process after missing out on tickets in two open sales periods so the news that the Government has been spending taxpayers' money on oversubscribed sessions is likely to be poorly received. Hunt defended the Government's spending, saying that tickets will be split between rewarding civil servants who worked on the Games, and will buy them at face value, and wooing foreign investors visiting the Games. "Some of them are premium tickets and some of them are for preliminary stages," said Hunt. "No one's getting them for nothing. Civil servants will have to buy them at face value. I think if someone's been working night and day for the Olympics then they deserve to be able to enter a ballot to buy these tickets at face value. "The ones that are going to Government employees will not be paid for by the taxpayer. We want the Olympics to benefit the country economically and we want to give investors the royal treatment." Approximately 6,000 tickets will be paid for by the taxpayer, 450 are reserved for prizes at the School Games, 1,500 are reserved for international business guests, and 1,6000 will be distributed for international and domestic guests. There will then be 3,000 for staff who worked on the Games, but they will have to pay for them themselves. A DCMS spokesman said: "Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer is a once-in a-generation opportunity to showcase the UK to a massive international audience. "We are determined to use this unique opportunity to maximise the economic benefits for the country. "The Government has purchased 8,815 tickets for the Games - around 0.1% of the 8.8 million tickets available. "These will be used to invite and accompany a number of international and domestic political and business leaders, as well as guests with a close connection to the Games and its legacy. "As we have said before, there will be no free tickets for civil servants, and no tickets at all for the opening and closing ceremonies." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ..While tens of thousands of members of the public missed out... And, errr, take a not of the amount of tickets they nabbed for the "Beach Volleyball" as compared to the others...... Pervs..... :lol: :lol:

You clearly didn't quite get my meaning... GBH of the earhole, as in, you'd get a volley of four-letter expletives (probably most of them beginning with the "c" word) that would make it seem like you'd had GBH... These market traders dont take any crap from anyone, and they're not shy in telling anyone...

Sorry, I've no sympathy for you there, because you're quite clearly being totally stupid.... -_- And, frankly I cant believe you're even comparing the two. Trust me, if you tried that shite on the fruit and veg market in Camden, you'd get a severe GBH of the earhole from the stall holder, and you'd deserve it...