Blather.net newsfeed http://www.blather.net/ Blather.net newsfeed en-us telboy@gmail.com Copyright 2009 2009-06-26T12:00:00+00:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 blatherfeedhttp://feedburner.google.comThis is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use. Alan Johnson: Back Door Man http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/KpSb7aPwnX8/alan_johnson_back_door_man.html While the UK may have changed its 'Home' Secretary, it still marches on insanely towards the year 1984. Evil now comes in the form of Alan Johnson, who will be automatically registering all new passports onto the controversial 'national identity... 4094@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ While the UK may have changed its 'Home' Secretary, it still marches on insanely towards the year 1984. Evil now comes in the form of Alan Johnson, who will be automatically registering all new passports onto the controversial 'national identity card database' that he is trying to introduce through the back door:

'Johnson said he had halted plans to introduce compulsory identity cards for airline pilots and 30,000 other "critical workers" at Manchester and London City airports this autumn in the face of threats of legal action. Longer term plans to extend compulsory ID cards to other transport industries, such as the railways, as a condition of employment have also been scrapped. But two batches of draft regulations to be approved by MPs tomorrow and next week are expected to include powers to make the passport a "designated document" under the national identity card scheme. This means that anyone applying for or renewing their passport from 2011 will have their details automatically added to the national identity databases. The regulations also include powers to levy a fine of up to £1,000 on those who fail to tell the authorities of a change of address or amend other key personal details such as a change of name within three months.' - Guardian 30 June 2009.

So it's also an opportunity to rip off the public financially. A Big Brother profit scheme, nice.

]]> Politics 2009-07-01T00:30:59+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/07/alan_johnson_back_door_man.html Steorn Get Stomped http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/dU9LykdDjA8/steorn_get_stomped.html Steorn? Remember them? The Irish energy company that said it had found a way to violate the laws of energy conservation to create a 'clean, free and constant' power, back in 2006? Widely ridiculed for their assertions, Steorn issued... 4093@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ woody_diane.jpg

Steorn? Remember them? The Irish energy company that said it had found a way to violate the laws of energy conservation to create a 'clean, free and constant' power, back in 2006?

Widely ridiculed for their assertions, Steorn issued a challenge to the scientific community to form a jury of peers to pore over the veracity of their claims.

In time a jury, comprised of 22 scientists, chosen by Steorn was created to do just that. And today they announced their findings:

Continue reading Steorn Get Stomped...

]]> Science 2009-06-30T16:49:39+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/steorn_get_stomped.html AEG Live Try To Cash In On Michael Jackson's Death http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/N2ZecIpLeOw/aeg_live_try_to_cash_in_on_mic.html (image by a_kep, used under a creative commons license) Personally, I couldn't give a flying proverbial about the passing of one Mr. Jackson. He wrote some kickin' tunes in the early 80's but, from the time of 'Bad' onwards,... 4092@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ Michael_ Jackson.jpg
(image by a_kep, used under a creative commons license)

Personally, I couldn't give a flying proverbial about the passing of one Mr. Jackson. He wrote some kickin' tunes in the early 80's but, from the time of 'Bad' onwards, discharged great blobs of sonic bilge into the ether which have infected our radio and telly waves ever since. Seriously. 'Man In The Mirror'? Are you having a laugh?

Anyway, we'd been blissfully ignoring the whole global hand-wringing about the passing of Senor Jackson until this rather hilarious tidbit bubbled up to the top of our RSS thing:

The concert promoters for Michael Jackson's planned shows at the O2 Arena in London today offered fans the option of a "specially created" souvenir ticket rather than a refund.

AEG Live said full refunds were available for all legitimately bought tickets, but suggested some fans of the singer, who died on Thursday, would prefer to receive a ticket "inspired and designed by Michael Jackson for the fans" and made with a "special lenticular process". They are not able to have both.

"Since he loved his fans in life, it is incumbent upon us to treat them with the same reverence and respect after his death," Randy Phillips, the president and chief executive of AEG Live, said.

So, just so as we're clear, people unfortunate enough to have purchased a ticket to see Signori Jackson's 'This Is It' tour have the choice of asking for a full refund or a meaningless, commemorative ticket to a gig that will never happen, for the same price? Is that right?

Balls. Of brass.

]]> Movies & TV 2009-06-30T11:30:07+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/aeg_live_try_to_cash_in_on_mic.html Yann Arthus-Bertrand's 'Home' http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/U4aTbBjqHh4/yann_arthus-bertrands_home.html A truly breathtaking piece of flimmaking:... 4091@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ A truly breathtaking piece of flimmaking:

Continue reading Yann Arthus-Bertrand's 'Home'...

]]> Environment 2009-06-30T09:27:36+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/yann_arthus-bertrands_home.html 'I'm From Limerick' http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/uLTHdZMdCZc/im_from_limerick.html Every once in a while, a video appears - a clever, cutting-edge, viral campaign designed to promote a little-known town and locality, boost tourism and trade and generally charm the world's knickers off. This is not one of those videos.... 4090@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ Every once in a while, a video appears - a clever, cutting-edge, viral campaign designed to promote a little-known town and locality, boost tourism and trade and generally charm the world's knickers off.

This is not one of those videos.

Continue reading 'I'm From Limerick'...

]]> Ireland 2009-06-29T16:03:54+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/im_from_limerick.html Irish Round Towers Go Radio Gah Gah http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/x5YdQm3qhPI/irish_round_towers_go_radio_gah_gah.html Every now and then, the Internet brings forth startling discoveries and staggering examples of original research bordering on such genius that they leave one completely gob-smacked, boggle-eyed, in need of a lie-down and perhaps even, a tiny little yellow... 4086@http://www.blather.net/ round tower.jpg

Every now and then, the Internet brings forth startling discoveries and staggering examples of original research bordering on such genius that they leave one completely gob-smacked, boggle-eyed, in need of a lie-down and perhaps even, a tiny little yellow stained leakage in one's summery cotton y-fronts, as one grapples with the ramifications of what has just been 'revealed'.

The following is not one of those times. Though it may leave you with a profound appreciation of Darwinian evolution, chimpanzee typists, and/or the long term effects of hallucinogenic substances on the human mind.

Continue reading Irish Round Towers Go Radio Gah Gah...

]]> Astro/Science 2009-06-26T12:00:00+00:00 http://www.blather.net/blather/2009/06/irish_round_towers_go_radio_gah_gah.html More about al-Libi Conveniently Dying http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/tG2ar_ZfPrg/more_about_al-libi_convenientl.html 4088@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ 'In a world exclusive, Andy Worthington, author of The Guantánamo Files, reveals new information, from a source in Libya, about Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, the former US "ghost prisoner" who died in a Libyan jail last month, focusing, in particular, on the prisons in which he was held, and the ways in which torture was used by his interrogators. Since the story first emerged last month that Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi (whose real name was Ali Abdul Hamid al-Fakheri) had died in a Libyan prison, speculation has been rife that the Libyan newspaper Oea, which claimed that he had died by committing suicide, was covering up the fact that he had actually been murdered. Once the Bush administration's most famous "ghost prisoner," al-Libi had been the emir of the Khaldan training camp in Afghanistan, but his notoriety stemmed not from his own activities, but from the fact that, after his capture in December 2001, he was rendered by the CIA to Egypt, where, under torture, he made a false confession that two al-Qaeda operatives had been receiving information from Saddam Hussein about the use of chemical and biological weapons, which was subsequently used to justify the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.'

Continue reading this story at andyworthington.co.uk.

]]> Politics 2009-06-26T11:30:51+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/more_about_al-libi_convenientl.html Iran Elections: Previously Unseen Video Of Iranian Election Results http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/PCbFxjS_0mc/iran_elections_previously_unse.html Previously unseen video of Iranian Election results being read out last Friday night...... 4085@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ Previously unseen video of Iranian Election results being read out last Friday night...

Continue reading Iran Elections: Previously Unseen Video Of Iranian Election Results...

]]> Politics 2009-06-19T16:14:41+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/iran_elections_previously_unse.html Friday Choon: Depeche Mode's 'Peace' http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/lgg8NSNJ8iw/friday_choon_depeche_modes_pea.html The second single from the album 'Sounds of the Universe'.... 4082@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ The second single from the album 'Sounds of the Universe'.

Continue reading Friday Choon: Depeche Mode's 'Peace'...

]]> Music 2009-06-19T08:25:06+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/friday_choon_depeche_modes_pea.html Iran: Latest Videos From Protests http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/QWGPJz2igvQ/iran_latest_videos_from_protes.html It's difficult to be dispassionate watching this, as a wounded cameraman runs towards the gunfire ahead of him in an effort to document what is happening.... 4084@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ It's difficult to be dispassionate watching this, as a wounded cameraman runs towards the gunfire ahead of him in an effort to document what is happening.

Continue reading Iran: Latest Videos From Protests...

]]> Politics 2009-06-18T16:48:18+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/iran_latest_videos_from_protes.html Fortean Fall: Raining Tadpoles in Japan http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/0sCa0ACnIws/fortean_fall_raining_tadpoles.html According to Justin McCurry, Tokyo correspondent for The Guardian, The Guardian: In Japan, it's raining tadpoles ... Meteorologists admit they are bewildered by a spate of incidents in which the creatures appear to have fallen from the sky. People... 4083@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/
According to Justin McCurry, Tokyo correspondent for The Guardian,

The Guardian: In Japan, it's raining tadpoles ...

Meteorologists admit they are bewildered by a spate of incidents in which the creatures appear to have fallen from the sky. People around the country have reported witnessing the phenomenon since the first sightings of stranded tadpoles were made in Ishikawa prefecture last week.

The article continues:


One popular theory is that the creatures were sucked up by waterspouts but meteorologists say no strong winds have been reported in the areas where tadpoles were found. One expert said gusts too weak to be picked up by observatories might have sucked up small quantities of water, along with a few unfortunate tadpoles. Ornithologists said it was too early too rule out their feathered friends.

While this isn't a new phenomenon, it's still a mysterious one, and similar events have been recorded throughout history - but famously drawn together by Charles Fort. While it's usually explained away as being caused by a "waterspout" or a meterological phenomenon, no one actually knows why it happens. Fort himself recorded reports of falls of alabaster, ants, ashes, beef, beetle larvae, berries, bitumen, blood, butter, charcoal, china fragments (naturally vitrified?), cinders, coal, cobwebs, coins, crabs, crayfish, eels, fish, flesh, gelatinous matter, grain, hay, ice, iron balls, jelly fish, limestone, lizards, mud, mussels, oyster shells, periwinkles, quartz, resin, salt, sand, sandalwood, seeds, silk, snails, snakes, spawn, spiders, carved and shaped stones, turtles, and of course, toads and frogs. To name a few.


Wikipedia: Raining Animals

Blather articles on 'falls':
Fish Fall in Ireland's West
Super Sargasso Surfin'
Raining Toads

]]> Fortean 2009-06-18T10:06:50+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/fortean_fall_raining_tadpoles.html Clay Shirky On Iran And Twitter http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/o791_UKFYiI/clay_shirky_on_iran_and_twitte.html (image from Poptech!, used under a Creative Commons License) Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody, weighs in on the usage of Twitter in Iran's Green Revolution: What do you make of what's going on in Iran right now?... 4081@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ clay_shirky.jpg
(image from Poptech!, used under a Creative Commons License)

Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody, weighs in on the usage of Twitter in Iran's Green Revolution:

What do you make of what's going on in Iran right now? I'm always a little reticent to draw lessons from things still unfolding, but it seems pretty clear that ... this is it. The big one. This is the first revolution that has been catapulted onto a global stage and transformed by social media. I've been thinking a lot about the Chicago demonstrations of 1968 where they chanted "the whole world is watching." Really, that wasn't true then. But this time it's true ... and people throughout the world are not only listening but responding. They're engaging with individual participants, they're passing on their messages to their friends, and they're even providing detailed instructions to enable web proxies allowing Internet access that the authorities can't immediately censor. That kind of participation is reallly extraordinary.

Read the full interview

Continue reading Clay Shirky On Iran And Twitter...

]]> Politics 2009-06-17T10:02:53+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/clay_shirky_on_iran_and_twitte.html Roma Families Attacked In Belfast http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/zyUqjGU6LtM/roma_families_attacked_in_belf.html (photo by WMUD, used under a Creative Commons License) Oh it just makes you proud to be Irish, doesn't it? From The Guardian: 'More than 100 Romanians have taken refuge in a Belfast church after their homes came under... 4080@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ lisburn_road.jpg
(photo by WMUD, used under a Creative Commons License)

Oh it just makes you proud to be Irish, doesn't it? From The Guardian:

'More than 100 Romanians have taken refuge in a Belfast church after their homes came under attack from racists.

Up to 20 families fled their homes off the Lisburn Road in the south of the city last night following repeated attacks on their houses. The 115 Romanians, most of whom are understood to be from the Roma community, were taken to the church in police mini-buses.'

More at the Guardian

]]> Politics 2009-06-17T09:12:10+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/roma_families_attacked_in_belf.html [The Game] The Revolution Will Be Twittered http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/IIcsy5oethg/the_game_the_revolution_will_b.html "Where political rhetoric had trained people to see only a world of differences between our cultures, religions and national desires, the world suddenly saw the emergence of an attempted cyber-revolution; led not by a political elite or any form... 4079@http://www.blather.net/globaleyes/ tehran_protests_girl.jpg

"Where political rhetoric had trained people to see only a world of differences between our cultures, religions and national desires, the world suddenly saw the emergence of an attempted cyber-revolution; led not by a political elite or any form of recognised party, but rather by a massive, global army of geeks, democrats, hackers, comedians, bored housewives and Iranian kids armed only with cell phones and laptops, which was playing a dangerous real-time game of cat and mouse with a totalitarian regime in the only way it could - by trying to win the war for the control of information in and out of the country And it was, at least in the long-term, if not immediately, winning. "

Continue reading [The Game] The Revolution Will Be Twittered...

]]> the game 2009-06-16T14:19:03+00:00 http://www.blather.net/globaleyes/archives/2009/06/the_game_the_revolution_will_b.html Protests in Tehran - The Revolution Will Be Twittered http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/zwGzhYQeFro/protests_in_tehran.html You may be unaware of this, but there's a proper little propaganda fight emerging on social media streams this morning. The disputed Iranian election results have led to widespread protests and conflicting information as to whether today's mass rally, which... 4057@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ You may be unaware of this, but there's a proper little propaganda fight emerging on social media streams this morning. The disputed Iranian election results have led to widespread protests and conflicting information as to whether today's mass rally, which is due to start in (*looks at watch*) an hour will go ahead.

Continue reading Protests in Tehran - The Revolution Will Be Twittered ...

]]> Politics 2009-06-15T11:32:09+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/protests_in_tehran.html Friday Choon: Expialidocious - Mary Poppins Electronica Remix http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/d3dn5gBqY2g/friday_choon_expialidocious_ma.html Ahoy hoy blatherbots. Been a while since we gave you a Friday Choon. Our apologies, but we hope this will rectify the situation: a wonderful electronica Mary Poppins mashup by an Australian DJ called Pogo.... 4056@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ Ahoy hoy blatherbots. Been a while since we gave you a Friday Choon. Our apologies, but we hope this will rectify the situation: a wonderful electronica Mary Poppins mashup by an Australian DJ called Pogo.

Continue reading Friday Choon: Expialidocious - Mary Poppins Electronica Remix...

]]> Music 2009-06-12T09:01:03+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/friday_choon_expialidocious_ma.html [The Game] Keep Calm And Carry On http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/fngmS9ZzNEE/the_game_keep_calm_and_carry_o.html A body on the ground, pieces, the sound of an infant inside a building. A severed leg. A china cup. Blood. Piss and shit. A crack of timber. Fear. The screeching of sirens, howling of fire engines, the ceaseless... 4055@http://www.blather.net/globaleyes/ keep_calm.jpg

A body on the ground, pieces, the sound of an infant inside a building. A severed leg. A china cup. Blood. Piss and shit. A crack of timber. Fear. The screeching of sirens, howling of fire engines, the ceaseless barking of dogs, the monotonous drone in the sky, the coughing 'ack ack' of anti-aircraft fire, thudding above the skyline, the clouds themselves lighting up from inside, rubble and glass raining to the ground. A moment's silence giving way to an explosion she felt before she heard it, the very ground shaking beneath their feet, shuddering buildings, a rain of glass shattering down into the empty street to their left...

Continue reading [The Game] Keep Calm And Carry On...

]]> the game 2009-06-10T15:01:07+00:00 http://www.blather.net/globaleyes/archives/2009/06/the_game_keep_calm_and_carry_o.html How to fake a UFO http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/pFsFec1TtyE/how_to_fake_a_ufo.html You know you want to. Go on. Go on. Go on...... 4054@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ You know you want to. Go on. Go on. Go on...

Continue reading How to fake a UFO...

]]> UFO 2009-06-10T12:14:57+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/how_to_fake_a_ufo.html DMT: The Spirit Molecule http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/6NUFjnhHSuo/dmt_the_spirit_molecule.html An extract from the upcoming (and fascinating looking) documentary on DMT - 'The Spirit Molecule'. This is an interview with Blather favourite Douglas Rushkoff.... 4053@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ An extract from the upcoming (and fascinating looking) documentary on DMT - 'The Spirit Molecule'. This is an interview with Blather favourite Douglas Rushkoff.

Continue reading DMT: The Spirit Molecule...

]]> Feed your brain 2009-06-10T10:52:57+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/dmt_the_spirit_molecule.html Psychic Piracy [Part 4] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/ETjYSABibUI/psychic_piracy_part_4.html (image by Lazlo-photo, used under a Creative Commons sharealike license) In this, the fourth of the series, Dr. David Luke explores the extraordinary realm of 'dream psi' and how the counter-culture experiments of the 1960's are coming back with... 4044@http://www.blather.net/ brain_coral_yellow.jpg
(image by Lazlo-photo, used under a Creative Commons sharealike license)

In this, the fourth of the series, Dr. David Luke explores the extraordinary realm of 'dream psi' and how the counter-culture experiments of the 1960's are coming back with a sexy vengeance. Or something.

Continue reading Psychic Piracy [Part 4]...

]]> 2009-06-08T16:22:42+00:00 http://www.blather.net/blather/2009/06/psychic_piracy_part_4.html Sex Galaxy! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/S-PCezuQwWs/sex_galaxy.html Taking mashups to a whole new level...... 4043@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ Taking mashups to a whole new level...

Continue reading Sex Galaxy!...

]]> Movies & TV 2009-06-08T10:30:52+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/sex_galaxy.html Libertas: Europe's dodgiest political party in new controversy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/04HATATQO-o/libertas_europes_dodgiest_poli.html The European elections are underway - I'll be voting up the road tomorrow, here in Dublin's city centre. However, as much as I'll be avoiding voting for the space cadets that seem to be running Fianna Fail at the moment,... 4042@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ The European elections are underway - I'll be voting up the road tomorrow, here in Dublin's city centre. However, as much as I'll be avoiding voting for the space cadets that seem to be running Fianna Fail at the moment, I'll certainly not be voting for the weird all-over-Europe-like-a-rash Libertas party.

Defaced Catherine Simmons poster on Rock Road, photo: Jane RuffinoOn the RTE website, there's a story called Libertas reveals new Wiesenthal alliance... but the article suggests no such thing! Instead it details a foot-in-mouth retraction by Libertas following a press statement from candidate Caroline Simons that the Jewish human rights organisation Simon Wiesenthal Centre was "beneath contempt" and "willing idiots". I dug around and found that following the Libertas backpeddling, the pan-European party has suddenly claimed an alliance with the Wiesenthal Centre... tho I don't see any evidence to say that the Wiesenthal Centre is happy with that matter. I'm watching that one with interest.

Continue reading Libertas: Europe's dodgiest political party in new controversy...

]]> Politics 2009-06-04T09:20:22+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/06/libertas_europes_dodgiest_poli.html [The Game] Lazarus Juice http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/o82vh3fZo2Q/the_game_lazarus_juice.html 'Listen' Michael said, 'I have no idea where this is going to put us, but I'm convinced now that this is not arbitrary' 'What do you mean?' Victoria asked. 'Just that I know it seems random - where we... 4038@http://www.blather.net/globaleyes/ tammy_wink.jpg

'Listen' Michael said, 'I have no idea where this is going to put us, but I'm convinced now that this is not arbitrary'
'What do you mean?' Victoria asked.
'Just that I know it seems random - where we keep ending up, but its not'
'This is because of what Claudia told you. In a dream...'
'Not just that' Michael said, 'if you look at where we keep emerging, there is a slight pattern to it'
'Which is?' Gabriel asked.
'London. Since we got lost, all of the location have been in London. I mean, I know they're random as hell, but they are all in London'

Continue reading [The Game] Lazarus Juice...

]]> the game 2009-05-27T08:13:44+00:00 http://www.blather.net/globaleyes/archives/2009/05/the_game_lazarus_juice.html Irish Sex Abuse Scandal: Video from RTE's Questions and Answers http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/GosslCx5nEE/irish_sex_abuse_scandal_video.html It's not very often that plain, heartfelt words from a fellow citizen can articulate the rage of an entire country, but this gentelman's speech does just that. This is a piece of video from the Irish TV show Questions and... 4041@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ It's not very often that plain, heartfelt words from a fellow citizen can articulate the rage of an entire country, but this gentelman's speech does just that.

This is a piece of video from the Irish TV show Questions and Answers (from state broadcaster RTE) from last week. The following exchange took place when an audience member (Michael O'Brien, a former member of the governing party, Fianna Fail, who had been sexually abused in state instiutions as a child) decided to have a few words with the Irish Government minister Noel Dempsey, over their handling of the sexual abuse scandals.

Well said Sir.

Continue reading Irish Sex Abuse Scandal: Video from RTE's Questions and Answers...

]]> Ireland 2009-05-26T12:00:24+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/05/irish_sex_abuse_scandal_video.html Psychic Piracy [Part 3] http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/soFXe-B7y8M/psychic_piracy_part_3.html (image by Lazlo-photo, used under a Creative Commons sharealike license) Gyrarr. Yarrr. Etc. Etc. Dr. David Luke returns with the third part in his exploration of psychic piracy. This week the venerable doctor examines 'the unconscious reservoir of psychic... 4040@http://www.blather.net/ brain_coral_green.jpg
(image by Lazlo-photo, used under a Creative Commons sharealike license)

Gyrarr. Yarrr. Etc. Etc. Dr. David Luke returns with the third part in his exploration of psychic piracy. This week the venerable doctor examines 'the unconscious reservoir of psychic information'. Oh yes.

Continue reading Psychic Piracy [Part 3]...

]]> Archaeology 2009-05-26T10:05:35+00:00 http://www.blather.net/blather/2009/05/psychic_piracy_part_3.html As thick as a brick. As clear as mud. New precision archaeological dating technique http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/-Gg81nolI7o/as_thick_as_a_brick_as_clear_a.html A new archaeological dating technique has just been unveiled that (all depending on it standing further scrutiny) has the potential to seriously shake the very foundations of the profession. Indeed, not since Angelina Jolie donned that tight figure-hugging leotard and... 4039@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ A new archaeological dating technique has just been unveiled that (all depending on it standing further scrutiny) has the potential to seriously shake the very foundations of the profession. Indeed, not since Angelina Jolie donned that tight figure-hugging leotard and strapped a trowel to her thighs, have tree-hugging tomb raiders and mucky crusty geeks the world over been positively salivating at the prospects of what may, or may be about to...eh, come.

Continue reading As thick as a brick. As clear as mud. New precision archaeological dating technique ...

]]> Archaeology 2009-05-22T12:46:16+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/05/as_thick_as_a_brick_as_clear_a.html DictatorWatch: Obama continues extreme beatings at Guantanamo http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/AFp9K0POfrk/dictatorwatch_obama_continues.html '...one Guantanamo lawyer, Ahmed Ghappour, said that his clients were reporting "a ramping up in abuse" since Obama was elected, including "beatings, the dislocation of limbs, spraying of pepper spray into closed cells, applying pepper spray to toilet paper and... 4037@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ '...one Guantanamo lawyer, Ahmed Ghappour, said that his clients were reporting "a ramping up in abuse" since Obama was elected, including "beatings, the dislocation of limbs, spraying of pepper spray into closed cells, applying pepper spray to toilet paper and over-force feeding detainees who are on hunger strike," according to Reuters' - the full story in great detail by Jeremy Scahill has been published in various places on the internet, including antiwar.com.

obama_punch7.jpg


]]> Politics 2009-05-21T16:40:18+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/05/dictatorwatch_obama_continues.html 'Muslim 007' Exposes British Lies http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/cZDN6pfrvSs/muslim_007_exposes_british_lie.html 'British security agents sent an undercover mole dubbed the 'Muslim 007' to convince Al Qaeda suspect Binyam Mohamed to turn informant if he wanted his torture to end, it was claimed last night.The new allegations suggest Britain's involvement in the... 4036@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ 'British security agents sent an undercover mole dubbed the 'Muslim 007' to convince Al Qaeda suspect Binyam Mohamed to turn informant if he wanted his torture to end, it was claimed last night.The new allegations suggest Britain's involvement in the 'medieval' treatment of the former Guantanamo Bay prisoner goes much deeper than previously thought. Ministers and MI5 have insisted they had no idea that Mohamed was the subject of an 'extraordinary rendition' to Morocco, nor that he was tortured there on the orders of the CIA. However, last night Mohamed told how the mole, known only as Informant A, tried to persuade him that giving intelligence to the British would end his ordeal - suggesting MI5 agents were complicit in his treatment.'

- full story at commondreams.org, 17 May 2009.

Note also that even though Miliband is no longer clinging to the false statement that the Americans would stop co-operating with British intelligence if the Brits came clean on Binyam Mohamed, he's claiming it's important to silence the truth anyway: 'On Friday, Foreign Secretary David Miliband signed a new demand for a gagging order, arguing that publication of the High Court judges' summary would cause irreparable harm to Britain's relationship with America.'

Remember, Britain MUST do this! It HAS TO! It's an imperative! The English rat must stay aboard the ship! The Titanic sails at dawn!

]]> Politics 2009-05-21T14:19:07+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/05/muslim_007_exposes_british_lie.html [The Game] It's Just A Game http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/2PDYBb0tNgA/the_game_its_just_a_game.html You've forgotten what I told you, haven't you? What did you tell me, he asks. When did you tell me? When we first met, she says, bringing her face next to his, her mouth close to his. He can... 4025@http://www.blather.net/globaleyes/ dice.jpg

You've forgotten what I told you, haven't you? What did you tell me, he asks. When did you tell me? When we first met, she says, bringing her face next to his, her mouth close to his. He can smell her breath. Do you remember what I told you? No, he says, his throat going dry. She smiles, her mouth opening slowly. It's all a game. Just a game.

Continue reading [The Game] It's Just A Game...

]]> the game 2009-05-19T08:48:27+00:00 http://www.blather.net/globaleyes/archives/2009/05/the_game_its_just_a_game.html Italy Charges CIA Agents with Kidnapping http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blatherfeed/~3/NQytKnp0biU/italy_charges_cia_agents_with.html Some bullshit-free behaviour from the Italians: 'Sabrina DeSousa is as cool as you'd expect a CIA operative to be in a hot spot. DeSousa's predicament is that she's wanted on kidnapping charges in Italy, along with two dozen other Americans... 4035@http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/ Some bullshit-free behaviour from the Italians:

'Sabrina DeSousa is as cool as you'd expect a CIA operative to be in a hot spot. DeSousa's predicament is that she's wanted on kidnapping charges in Italy, along with two dozen other Americans connected to the CIA's "rendition" of an al Qaeda suspect from a Milan street to an Egyptian torture chamber in 2003.' - full story in Jeff Stein's Spy Talk blog, 14 May 2009.

]]> Politics 2009-05-15T17:27:14+00:00 http://www.blather.net/zeitgeist/archives/2009/05/italy_charges_cia_agents_with.html