Gaza Street market (not) bombed . Men, women , children , killed , maimed - bloody carnage in Hamas accident at rally in 2005 Horrific to watch

Video: Israel bombs a civilian market in Gaza (WARNING: VERY GRAPHIC) The IDF have just bombed / shelled (?) a large civilian street market in Gaza.(This is not true - see explanation below)

This video has been removed from You Tube (Submitted By: mounir1426 on 2009-01-03 ) due to "terms of use violation". ThHis is true.

The Zionist war criminals evidently have You Tube on board. Please inform as many people as possible .. copy and send links. It is also available here in original and at Kenny's Sideshow



This is the embed code - sorry you need to type it in





UPDATE 4th Jan 1330 GMT The Jerusalem Post reported on Jan 1st that IAF jets on Thursday evening bombed the home of Nabil Amrin, a senior terrorist and the commander of a Hamas battalion. Some commentators say the above video relates to this specific attack.

They further add that A series of secondary explosions detected following the air strike confirmed that Amrin's house in the Sheikh Raduan neighborhood of Gaza City contained a large weapon and ammunition cash.

It is yet unclear if Amrin was killed in the attack. (The IDF Spokesperson propaganda unit make no mention at all of this raid)

UPDATE 4th January 2030 GMT

Wake up from your Slumbers seems to have bottomed the source of the above video in a post within the hour. Caveat Emptor: the deliberate propaganda value of Gaza carnage video that fooled the people

"Someone, likely a pro-Israel right-winger (judging his attitude rebutting criticism of Israel's response to Hamas/Gaza reminiscent of Little Green Footballs fan who sought to "minimize" the horror as reflected in reddit comment history), posted a detailed comment on Reddit that debunked the claim.

Here is what the debunker by the reddit username TW9zc2Fk (who has been a registered user for only a week) said:

The video was recorded on September 23rd 2005, not 1st January 2009

The scene is not a civilian marketplace, it is from the Jabalya refugee camp in the north of the Gaza Strip

The video does not depict the aftermath of an IDF air strike, it depicts the aftermath of the explosion of a pick-up truck carrying Qassam rockets during a Hamas rally (that explains the large number of Hamas personnel present immediately after the explosion, the miniature Hamas flags, etc.)

he writes ....

I was forced to concede the video is misleading and had to apologize for the mistake in unintentional deception of the public.

The video is very real but the header and description that claims IDF strike that maimed and killed the victims is, regretfully, totally misleading that have nothing to do with the current conflict. The correct header to reflect accuracy should be "September 23 2005 HAMAS Rally Explosion Aftermath". The video, upon closer examination, was deliberately edited to maximize propaganda by deception (split second footage of Hamas soldier on truck at the very start then cut to carnage, not providing the true context).

I should not have jumped to the conclusion. I was bamboozled.

Let everyone you know who has seen the video of the error.

He wasn't the only person bamboozled .. as we were designed to be ... uruknet and many others posted it.

Truth is the first casualty of war and deliberate distortion of the Truth is a weapon (on both sides of any conflict) increasigly used on the internet webby thingy.

What the video does show is the massive damage and explosive forces being released and their impact on the human frame ... what do those explosions, boom, and crackle of gunfire, the leaping flames as the bombs drop signify ?

The IAF are certainly not bombing sandhills.

Slumbers is taking their copy down ... not Lord Patel. View it for what it is, a reminder of the horrors that war , endless , ceaseless war brings and the desperation of those who seek to defend themselves.

The war on Gaza and it's citizens, didn't start last Shabat, it didn't start when the occupying IDF forces and loathsome land grabbing settlers left on 12th September 2005 .. it started many years ago when the concept of "Hatnuah Lema'an Eretz Yisrael Hashleimah - "The Whole Land of Israel." (see website) was established as national policy by the Likudistas after 1967 when no particular boundaries were ever considered to be vital to fulfillment of the Zionist ideal... other than one of continuous expansion by stealth, war, theft and brute force.

View it for what it is, a reminder of the horrors that war , endless , ceaseless war brings and the desperation of those who seek to defend themselves... when journalist are finally allowed into Gaza such horrors will be a commonplace.

Stop Bombing Gaza NOW - Manchester Demonstration 3rd January Amazing pictures

This is a view of the march on Oxford Road - it eventually filled Albert Square as many more joined as it took a lengthy route through the city centre. Plod was exceptionally helpful and polite - the word had gone out, the last thing Mr Brown wants is a picture on the front page of the Sunday's of someone wearing a palestinian flag getting their head stove in by a beefy tooled up Plod.
Vies of two of the en route cameras, swivelling and zooming monitoring everything - plus of course the Plodcopter zizzing above.

The Yorkshire / leeds / Bradford band was playing many a jolly tune all afternoon - very Lol Coxhill ... excellent and joyous.
The Zionist six pointed star on the Albert memorial in Albert Square provides a paradoxical symbol over a crowd who loathe and despise the symbol and what it means in the Middle East.It is memory of the role of Levantine traders in Manchester who didn't make the cotton goods but traded them - and of course it's associated masonic connection in municipal politics in Manchester ever since. There was a posse of strangely shorn and garbed Talmudic men , their leader addressed the crowd and raised many cheers as he emphasised the division betwee Judaism and Zionism.
Tony Lloyd Manchester Labour MP addressed the crowd - but true humbug managed to slide in the subjunctive clause about how the Gazans, having been raped daily for years must cease struggling and give in. He had been preceded before our departure by Withington (Manchester)Liberal Democrat MP John Leech who used the same weasel words and then left for another engagement apparently mire urgent than genocide. (But he does want pensioners to have free TV licences - so they can soak up Zionist propaganda without paying).

We were promised Brian Iddon Labour MP for Bolton who is Secretary to the Britain-Palestine Group - but he didn't appear. He did appear in June 2007 at the 40th Anniversary of the Occupation of Palestine so his heart is probably in the right place even if he wasn't.

There is a humanitarian crisis Tony & John , we'll agree on that , it's in Gaza not Israel. It's caused by ;

1.The Israeli Government
2. Their massive and well eqipped army, navy, air force and various sinister secret services at work in Israel and any other places throughout the world.
2. Supported by the US Government who freely provide their vast stores of lethal weapons - including the recent supply of 1,000 GBU-39 GPS positioned bunker busters at US$77,000 a pop, 4 per F 15.
3. Supported by the silence of Governments (including the Nu Labour Government) troughout Europe.
4. Whose state controlled media - BBC or Zionist controlled media provide a conduit for the Zionist propaganda.

Before any one moans , at least for once Manchester saw some heads of MP's raised aslightly above the parapet - we want full commitment to the ending of Zionist land grabs, th destruction of property, the imprisonment of 1.5 million people, depriving them of power, water, ewage, food and medical equipment and the ability to trade by land, sea and air.

There never was a time for polite equivocation ... and there certainly isn't now. You are with or agianst the Palestinians - you cannot walk by on the other side wringing your hands.

A Muslim broadcaster had a live feed to the Middle East ... altogether a well organised demo with a massive attendance.

It has just been announced (NYT) by the IDF “large numbers of forces are taking part in this stage of the operation including infantry, tanks, engineering forces, artillery and intelligence with the support of the Israel Air Force, Israel navy, Israel Security Agency and other security agencies.”

“We have just a short while ago launched the second stage,” a spokeswoman for Israel Defense Forces Maj. Avital Leibovich, said in an interview broadcast on CNN.

She said that troops were targeting areas responsible for the launching of rockets into Israel, as well as tunnels, bunkers, and training facilities — “everything that is affiliated with Hamas is a legitimate target,” Major Leibovich said. (ie we will check out how effective those bunker busting GBU-39's were and report to our kind donors Uncle Sam)

Alex Fishman, the military analyst of the popular daily newspaper Yediot Aharonot, wrote on Friday, “Since the name of the game is killing and destruction, the ground operation has to be quick, with a lot of firepower at friction points with Hamas.” He added, “The goal is to exact a high price in the early stages of the ground operation and to end it quickly.”

In Washington Condileezza Rice soon to be ex Secretary of State said “We are working toward a cease-fire that would not allow a reestablishment of the status quo ante where Hamas can continue to launch rockets out of Gaza.”

IDF launch a website for their Spokesperson - this slaughter and genocide is getting REALLY well organised

If you are looking for a reasonable, view of events in Gaza the IDF Spokesperson has set up a Blog ... critics might feel that some of their stories ...are ..er.. well... biased.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit is the Israel Defense Forces’ professional body responsible for media and public relations in Israel and around the world. This is our new site that will help us bring our message to the world.

Expect Google Ads based on site content for beach holidays in Gaza.

Old Labour Economic Theory. Tax and spend . Nu Labour Economic Theory. Spend and Tax then we can spend even more

As we kick off into a New Year the wise words of CynicusEconomicus provide a warning and state succintly what all people with experience of the real world - as distinct from Guradian readers, politicians, head massagers for the police service in Sussex . etc

[I]n the UK (and the same could be said of the US), there had been no real growth in what I considered to be wealth creating assets over the last ten years which could explain GDP growth; manufacturing, commodity extraction, export of services, and tourism (no net growth).

Instead I pointed to the growth in debt, and asset inflation (real estate) as the source of all of the GDP growth of the last ten years. This debt, in conjunction with the multiplier effect, along with upwards levers such as immigration, created an illusion of growth in wealth. It led to the 'post industrial', 'service economy'. My argument was that this was completely unsustainable, and that a collapse in asset prices would signal a self-reinforcing downward spiral in the economy, driven by a collapse in consumer sentiment (a massive belt tightening) leading to the collapse of the service economy, higher unemployment, more belt tightening and so forth into a downward spiral.

This unsustainable faux national economy cannot of course maintain the national tax (spend) base.

Such a service based economy cannot (and will not) survive because this type of economy depends on the velocity of the money supply - now virtually stalled - but the spending has been boosted beyond belief.

This all revolves round the incapacity of the policy makers, people like Balls, Brown, Darling (and Osborne , Boris and the rest of the Bullingdon Club) and the double first at the BOE to distinguish between GDP and wealth creation.

Also what the politicians don't (understand) and certainly don't explain is that the taxes they levy rely on the velocity of money. Every time it goes around the circle there is less money because of tax extracted from the system - balanced a little by a small amount going into cash savings.

The received wisdom (as per J K Galbraith) is that therefore we now have to get the consumer spending again! To ... er .... get the economy moving.

Guradian Darling renews effort to increase lending with cut in fee to banks ..."Darling said: "All these measures will continue to help ensure that we get bank lending going again."

Independent - Darling: Banks must go further to help businesses - "Mr Darling promised yesterday to push the banks on lending, as he told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee that a wider range of government guarantees to underwrite loans to companies and mortgages may also be implemented, as ministers make a determined effort to unfreeze the credit markets. "It's one of the range of things we are looking at," he said. He added that "we need to do much more" to restore lending to the economy.

Banks lend ...you spend ... we tax ... we spend .... altogether now ....

Craig Murray's site hacked again

Craig says that sometime between 3am last night and now, his site (http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/) seems to have been hacked yet again. Every comment ever made had vanished, and he can't find them inside the system anywhere. He can't post anything either.... but it appears possible to view te site without problems.

Grateful if you could post a notice to get word round.

Please pass on.

Lord Patel forecast the uses of the GBU-39 bombs Condi Rice sold the Zionist murderers in September

When we posted (with a remarkable degree of foresight) Tuesday, September 16, 2008 Uncle Sam to provide needy Israel with 1,000 GBU-38 Bunker Busting Bombs - useful in Gaza .. apparently and provided details of the nifty US$77Mn deal Condi Rice had stitched up we were only guessing what they were needed for.*** See ENDNOTE

The GPS-guided GBU-39 is said to be one of the most accurate bombs in the world. The 113 kg. bomb has the same penetration capabilities as a normal 900 kg. bomb, although it has only 22.7 kg. of explosives. At just 1.75 meters long, its small size increases the number of bombs an aircraft can carry and the number of targets it can attack in a sortie.... and at US$77,000 a touch must be one of the most fucking expensive as well.

Tests conducted in the US have proven that the bomb is capable of penetrating at least 90 cm. of steel-reinforced concrete. As the omb uses GPS position / guidance it can be used in adverse weather conditions and has a standoff range of more than 110 km. due to pop-out wings.

The cpntract also included 150 mounting carriages, 30 guided test vehicles and two instructors to train the air force in loading the bombs on aircraft.

Just in Time delivery

The Jerusalem Post provides details how these lethal bits of US supplied kit have already been raining down on Gaza.Dec 29, 2008 IAF uses new US-supplied smart bomb.

"defense officials said on Sunday that the first shipment had arrived earlier this month and was used successfully in penetrating underground Kassam launchers in the Gaza Strip during the heavy aerial bombardment of Hamas infrastructure on Saturday. It was also used in Sunday's bombing of tunnels in Rafah. "

Should the ground forces move in of course, the information about their bunker busting capabilities of underground tunnels will be a fascinating subject of study should anyone be thinking about using such weaponry against Iran.

So don't call it Gaza anymore - it's officially the US Palestinian Bomb proving Grounds (EAST).

ENDNOTE - as explained in the original post, Condi herself was the source of the information and whilst contact invariably involves a certain amount of feminine post coital chatter ...!"you do love me don't you" ,... etc., which the aristocratic ear has learnt to tune out .. she might well on reflection have ranted on about abbreviated delivery times, subterranean testing, soft entry points and such like.

Nonetheless it was a pretty good guess.

IDF "snuff" movie explained in detail after B'Tselem investigation

Al Jazeera talk to B'Tselem about the bombing of the truck supposed to be carrying Grad missiles



Your chance to see Major Avital "Snuff" Leibovich and hear her talk about "legitimate targets".

See also Checkpoint Jerusalem written by Dion Nissenbaum, who covers the Middle East as Jerusalem bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers.

A zero-sum world with zero interest (ZIRP) - repression at home and plunder abroad

Almost exactly one year ago Bilderberger Martin Wolf wrote a very important article in the Financial Times The dangers of living in a zero-sum world economy.

Snce then we have had an exciting year but, in the light of events in Ukraine it is worth considering what he said about energy security.

He defines a a positive-sum economy? -"It is one in which everybody can become better off. It is one in which real incomes per head are able to rise indefinitely. "

He contrasted this with the approaching zero sum economy which is becoming more familiar daily ...

A zero-sum economy leads, inevitably, to repression at home and plunder abroad. In traditional agrarian societies the surpluses extracted from the vast majority of peasants supported the relatively luxurious lifestyles of military, bureaucratic and noble elites. The only way to increase the prosperity of an entire people was to steal from another one.

He then points out the consequences ...(ignore all the bollocks about carbon emissions concentrate on energy usage).

The age of the plunderer is past. Or is it? The biggest point about debates on climate change and energy supply is that they bring back the question of limits. If, for example, the entire planet emitted CO2 at the rate the US does today, global emissions would be almost five times greater. The same, roughly speaking, is true of energy use per head. This is why climate change and energy security are such geopolitically significant issues. For if there are limits to emissions, there may also be limits to growth. But if there are indeed limits to growth, the political underpinnings of our world fall apart. Intense distributional conflicts must then re-emerge – indeed, they are already emerging – within and among countries.

David Seaton, in commenting on this article said ... "If we examine what Martin Wolf is saying logically, not even really reading between the lines, this supremely informed man is declaring that he knows that, before they ever pay Scandinavian like income taxes, drive small cars and wear sweaters around the house on cold winter days, the elites of the United States will create a police state and go to war endlessly to dominate the resource rich areas of the world. Hyperbole? Examine George W. Bush's presidency in that light and perhaps Dubya may not really be as dumb as he looks.. "

Corporal Liam 'Elmsy' Elms, 45 Commando Royal Marines killed in Helmand explosion

The Ministry of Defence has today confirmed the death in action of yet another 45 Commando Royal Marines - Cpl Liam Elms aged 26.

"Corporal Liam 'Elmsy' Elms, 45 Commando Royal Marines was killed in action by an explosion on 31 December 2008 in Southern Helmand on operations with Zulu Company, 45 Commando Royal Marines.

The Company was conducting a local area patrol alongside Afghan National Army troops in order to reassure the local population."

Lieutenant Colonel Jim Morris Royal Marines, Commanding Officer, 45 Commando Group, said:

"Corporal Elms was an outstanding Royal Marine and a huge personality. Fit, strong, courageous and very good humoured he died leading his section from the front ...

The exact circumstances of the explosion remain unknown - was the patrol on foot, in vehicles - if so which type ?

The Queen “What is happening in Gaza violates international law, universal human rights, is a humanitarian crisis, and a crisis of human dignity.”

The beautiful 38 year old Queen Rania of Jordan Al - Abdullah is often dismissed as an air headed celebrity clothes horse has been making her opinion of the Zionist "Cast Lead" genocidal slaughter unleashed on Gaza known to a worldwide audience.

“What is happening in Gaza today is not only a violation of international law, of universal human rights, not only a humanitarian crisis,” she told Al Jazeera English in an interview.

“What is happening in Gaza is a crisis of human dignity.”

She has been very active in raising releief funds and was in the port of Aqaba (pic) very publicly supporting efforts in collecting relief packages for Palestinians in Gaza.

The Queen, donated blood to help the victims of the ongoing conflict, called the attacks “a continuous and cruel bombardment of a people who are already under siege”.

“Even before the current crisis, the people in Gaza were living in poverty, hunger and isolation with minimal access to basic sustenance and services,” she said, calling on international aid agencies and civil society to speak out and step up out their efforts.

In an opinion piece published by Arab daily newspapers on Tuesday, the Queen urged citizens to do their utmost to help alleviate some of the pain and suffering of people in Gaza.

The Jordan River Foundation (JRF), chaired by Queen Rania, launched a campaign this week to collect funds and in-kind assistance for victims of the attack and the siege.

If you are interested in donating money to the JRF campaign can visit Jordan Kuwait Bank’s main branch in Shmeisani (account number 0252318087), or call the JRF for further information at +962 6 593 3211.


Another Queen , more interested in horseflesh than clotheshorses and evidently not too concerned about humanitarian crises, could speak out - but won't.

Queen Rania was asked in a column in TIME in 2007 by Teri Elmaleh, from Tel Aviv

What's the solution to the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians?

The Queen replied ;

First, start with will on both sides--not just the political kind but the kind that comes from the conscience and the heart. To achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East takes guts, not guns.

She may sit on the British made Ruritanian Hashemite throne but is evidently made of some stern stuff - all power to her elbow.

This phot is a late update to satisfy criticisms of objectivity ..

Helen Suzman lone Anti-Apartheid MP and campaigner dies aged 91

IDF boast of killing 8 civilians on their own IDF You Tube video clips - the ultimate in "snuff "movies

Quite naturally the Israeli Defence Forces have got so pissed off that the news media worldwide , bloggers, NGO's are spreading the truth about their murderous genocidal mission "Cast Lead" in Gaza that they have now set up their own You Tube site to enjoy the Banalities of Evil (prop Hannah Arendt)(It was initially yanked by YT but then re-instated as unsuitable for minors)

This is one from their magnum opus of "snuff " movies which they gleefully, boastfully and wholly inaccurately entitle - Israeli Air Force Strikes Rockets in Transit 28 Dec. 2008



The Israeli Air Force strikes terror operatives transferring short-range missiles destined for innocent civilians.

חיל האוויר הישראלי משמיד משאיות המעבירות רקטות המיועדות לשיגור אל עורף ישראל.

يقصف جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي هدفاً ارهابياً ينقل اسلحة غير قانونية

There is a minor snagette, this example of the pornography of way is a lie. This is actually an attack in Salah al-Din street in Jabaliya, on a truck owned by Abu Imad-Sanur. He owns a metal workshop next door to a bombed house (prabably of a Hamas official) and near the Palestinian Red Cross. The canisters, he claimed, were being moved to prevent looting.

The dead are named as Muhammad Bassel Madi, 17, Wisam Akram Eid, 14, Imad Ahmad Sanur, 32 (the owners son), Rami Sa'adi Ghabayan, 24, Mahmoud Nabil Ghabayan, 14, Ashraf al-Dabagh, 26, Muhammad Majed Ka'abar, 20, and Ahmad Ibrahim Khila, 15.

The truck did not belong to Hamas and had no ties to Hamas. The owner of the truck had no ties to Hamas. There were no missiles. The IDF killed 8 civilians. The civilians (2 aged 14) had no ties to Hamas whatsoever.

The Guradian quote Sarit Michaeli, a spokeswoman for B'Tselem, said that while her organisation had not been able to verify Imad-Sanur's claims that he was not involved with militants in Gaza, his story that he was moving welding equipment seemed believable

"The blogosphere and new media are another war zone," said IDF Foreign Press Branch head Maj. Avital "snuff" Leibovich, "We have to be relevant there."

The Independent report the story above and add that ,"An Israeli official strongly denied the claim and said the military was preparing a full response. "

For more see BotlBrush blog here

But wait there are more sophisticated lies, more pronography to cme - Maj. Avital "snuff" Leibovich says ... "The important thing is to get the truth out there," in addition to curating the YouTube channel, she has delivered multiple private briefings to bloggers around the world. She said that members of her department were also getting ready to start their own "vlogs," a new media term for regularly posting videos of oneself speaking one's mind in diary form.

PS : The missiles being rolled onto the pick up are supposed to be Grad BM-21's (БМ-21 "Град") which are 9 feet long.... a pick up truck 9 feet wide ?

Are UK natural gas supplies secure this winter ? The margin of security gets smaller and smaller - and gas more expensive.

Gazprom reduced natual gas supplies to Ukraine at 0700 GMT today - Current debts have been cleared but the parties cannot agree on a price for future deliveries.

Ukraine was paying US $179.50 per 1,000 cunic metres, Gazprom now want US$250 pMcfm. and the Ukraine is said to have offered to pay US$201 per 1,000 pMcf.

This will not affect European domestic supplies in the near terms but if there was a lengthy stand off the effects could be felt as the Ukraine siphoned off supplies which pas throughfor Europe for their own use.

Looming UK natural gas shortages

Rune Likvern has posted a 2 part analysis entitled Will the UK Face a Natural Gas Crisis this Winter? on the Oil Drum Europe. Part 1 October 18th and Part 2 December 18th which with the usual well informed comments makes essential reading if you wish to grasp what is happening to UK energy security. (click on any image to enlarge)

This chart illustrates the case made by Forthcoming UK Energy Deficit FCUKED over a decade - the trend is clear, gas usage is increasing, rincipaly because nuclear production - green line (due to the disastrous and continuing reactor problems detaield here for years) is declining and the ultimate reduction in coal generation as the EU Fuel Directive results in the closure of antique coal generation plants.

The role of natural gas in the next 5 years has therefore becoem increasingly critical.

The UK has several sources of natural gas ;

1. Indigenous supplies from the North Sea / Morecambe Bay etc ... which are declining - National Grid figures show that current production averages 190 Mcm/d. This corresponds to approximately a 10% decrease over the corresponding period a year ago.

2. The newly opened Langeled pipeline joining the UK to the Ormen Lange field offshore mid-Norway. This pipeline goes via the Sleipner hub (see map) at which point Ormen Lange gas can come to the UK or be diverted to continental Europe. The other main pipeline is the Tampen Link joining Norway's northern oil fields to the UK's FLAGS pipeline system. This may pipe gas from Statfjord and other Norwegian oil fields to St Fergus in Scotland.

3. The UK is also joined by two interconnectors to Europe. The Dutch interconnector was bult to export UK gas to Holland and is currently an export only link. The Belgian interconnector may pump gas both ways and can be used to balance UK and European supplies.

4. LNG imports enter via terminals are concentrated in Wales and the Thames estuary and are developing their capacity . The South Hook facilities in Wales have been developed as a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and EXXON Mobil .

Note : Net nat gas imports as modeled average 108 Mcm/d during the next 12 months. This corresponds to a very slight (<>

However due to very limited capacity to store gas - the UK can only store 4% of annual consumption compared with say 20-25% in Holland and Germany.

This storage is based on ;

1. Long Term (Rough, capacity of 3 340 Mcm and max flow rate of 42 Mcm/d),

2. Medium Term (Hornsea, Hole House Farm, Hatfield Moor, Humbly Grove; total capacity of 767 - 837 Mcm and max total flow rate of 37 Mcm/d)

3. Short Term (Avonmouth, Dynevor Arms, Glenmavis, Partington; total capacity of 260 Mcm and max total flow rate of 48 Mcm/d).

The total storage capacity of these facilities at the end of May 2008 was 4 367 - 4 437 Mcm, according to data from BERR. This amount corresponds to about 4% to 5% of annual consumption.

Based on these figures the latest BERR and Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECCA)and Nationa grdi information RUne Likvern has attempted to simulate the possible inputs of natural gas / usage and weather and the impact on draw down from storage

This indicate he says , medium term storage (yellow) is forecast to be emptied by late January, and that long-term storage (blue) is forecast to be emptied by mid February. The amounts shown are a combination of actual and forecast amounts. The darker shades represent development to date; the lighter shades represent the forecast period. (For a more detailed analysis go to the article).

UK Natural Gas prices

The price of natural gas in U. K. is important, because it helps determine the amount of imported natural gas available, both as pipeline imports and as LNG imports. Presently U.K. nat gas is traded at around 60 p/therm (day ahead) at NBP. (remember in Euros and US$'s actual contract costs expressed in sterlig have been rising the last few months.

At 60 p/therm suppliers would not be attracted ins hipping to the UK . Based on prices as they are today, it seems to Rine Likvern that a price in excess of 100 p/therm will be needed to move additional supplies to the U. K.

In November 2008, Russian natural gas was trading in Germany at around 110 p/therm (US$ 16 - 17/Mcf) at present exchange rates. If this reflects nat gas prices at the margin from Continental Europe (plus transport and administrative costs etc.), this suggests that U.K nat gas day ahead prices need to exceed 120 p/therm this winter to attract any meaningful supplies from Continental Europe.

The situation with LNG is less clear as contracts tend to be for long periods and spot cargoes are not readily available.

Don't expect to see your gas bills shrink and as the proportion of gas used to generate electricity increases your electricity bills won't either.

What happens if we start running out of gas ?

A lot of gas is supplied on interruptible contracts but domestic demand cannot be cut off - see the rawtenstall explosion when 14,000 homes had to each be visited to re-started by experts to ensure no air had entered the system to produce an explosive air/gas mix.

Quite simple ...

The Government are way ahead - domestic gas rationing in UK, this would be done by rolling 3 hour electricity blackouts - as most central heating systems rely on a continuous electricity supply. The government has it all planned - see http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file35360.pdf !

Maybe a gas fire with a piezo spark starter would work and gas rings / ovens could be used - but not as heaters as they are not flued and Carbon monoxide could build up.

So lay in the candles, a camping stove - primus , propane gas, easily heated / cooked food , plan for vulnerable people , children , the elderly and get out the board games if the TV doesn't work. In the long term install a wood stove.

Warning signs in the oil industry

Apparently as the world oil price slumps much of the North Sea oil fields become uneconomic and the rumour mill says Conoco in Aberdeen are believed to have sent out letters of intention of redundancy. The very real threat here is that the North Sea is decommissioning - leading energy analyst Euean Mearns says if oil prices don't recover quickly then 2009 may see a flood of applications to shut down the rust belt - with Brent in front of the queue. See Bow Valley Divests Interest in UK North Sea's Peik Asset 29th Decemeber 2008

See Petrol price hits three-year low as crude falls again as tesco cuts prices today on the forecourt for regular unleaded to 82.9 p litre - Diesel is now averaging 99.72p a litre - the lowest price since November 2007 . Elsewhere Royal Dutch Shell Plc, and StatoilHydro ASA, Norway’s biggest oil producer, are among companies that deferred or canceled at least 14 projects this year in Alberta’s oil sands. Shell postponed a near-doubling of production in Canada’s oil sands .

Shtokman project on hold as financing hiccups

Russian gas monopoly OAO Gazprom owns 51% of Shtokman Development, a joint venture with France’s Total SA, - 25% stake, with Norway’s StatoilHydro ASA, holding 24%. Yuri Komarov, chief executive of Shtokman Development AG is on record saying he is concerned about financing caused by the "credit crunch".

Located in icy waters 550 kilometers into the Barents Sea, Shtokman is estimated to hold 3.8 trillion cubic meters of gas and 37 million tons of gas condensate, or enough to meet U.S. demand for six years.

Early estimates of costs to develop the field top $20 billion, and the consortium expects up to 70% of the development cost for the project’s first phase to be raised from capital markets.

The massive Arctic project will remain economically viable if oil prices stay around $50 or $60 a barrel.

Blago is just about one step ahead ...

Blago has swiftly wrong footed President Elect Obama and his sidekick, bag carrier an fixer, Rham Emmanual by appointing former Attoney General of Illinois former prosecutor general Roland Burris (and first black in that role) to take his Senatorial seat.

The Illinois Senate is busily and pointlessly discussing what to do but have already announced that they would not accept one of Blagojevich appointed candidates.

The President elect from his sun - kissed beach has said he doesn't want Burris to get the job.

Over to the poorly paid lawyers.

Not really what Obama wants when he swears on Lincoln's Bible in a few days time ... for God's sake someone give Blago and his wife a job ... dog catchers ?

Larnaca /Gaza mercy boat is damaged by Israeli Navy and docks in Lebanon - will Hezbollah start 2nd Front ?

SS Dignity, was greeted by a small cheering crowd as it pulled into the southern Lebanese port of Tyre with clear marks of damage near the prow yesterday.




The International Herald Tribune quotes Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor that an Israeli navy ship intercepted the boat, which he said ignored an Israeli radio order to turn back as it approached Gaza early Tuesday.(It was 53 to 90 miles from the coast - reports vary - where were the German NATO patrol vessels one wonders)

Palmor saids the boat tried to outmaneuver an Israeli navy ship (?) and crashed into it, lightly damaging both vessels. The navy then escorted the boat out into the territorial waters of Cyprus.

But passengers and crew of SS Dignity, Gibralter registered and with a British captain, Denis Healey disputed the Israeli account, saying the Israeli vessel rammed the ship.

"We were prevented from entering Gaza ... by Israeli patrol boats that tracked us for about 30 minutes. They shone their spotlight on us and then all of a sudden they rammed us approximately three times, twice in the front and once in the side," said former U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney who was on board SS Dignity.

Thousands of Lebanese Hezbollah supporters stood in pouring rain on Monday in South Beirut to protest Israel's air assault on the Gaza Strip, which entered its third day. The demonstrators thronged a huge square and nearby streets, carrying Palestinian, Lebanese and yellow Hezbollah flags and banners supporting the Palestinian people.

In 2006 Hezbollah rockets reached Hadera, a city 27 miles north of Tel Aviv, and Israeli intelligence believes the Lebanese militia now has rockets that can reach 125 miles, far beyond Tel Aviv — meaning the vast majority of Israelis are in range.

The NYT reports that Lebanese Army soldiers found and dismantled eight Katyusha rockets on Christmas Day that were pointed south toward Israel.

The rockets were found near the southern town of Naqura, in the border region where an expanded UN peacekeeping force has been monitoring an uneasy truce since the war in the summer of 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group.

Haaretz reports that The official Lebanese news agency said on Sunday that Israel Air Force warplanes flew over south Lebanon and set off somic booms. It said that there had also been intensive activity by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles flying at intermediate altitudes over the south.

Lebanese security sources were quoted as saying that Hezbollah was unlikely to respond militarily to the IDF operation in Gaza. Lebanese officials told the London-based Al-Hayyat newspaper that "It is not in Hezbollah's interest to do so." The officials added that protests in Lebanon against the Israeli genocidal mission were "restrained" and "under control".

Of course they are.

Kadish, Pollard, van Anraat and how Uncle Sam (AKA Bechtel et al) provided Saddam with his WMD plant

Rafi Eitan, a former agent with Israel's Mossad spy agency and now a Minister in the Israeli Government used to run an outfit called the Scientific Relations Office.

Yossi Yagur used to work for this shadowy intelligence agency, although he was also an employee of Israeli Aerospace Indusries - he was also the conduit for information from Jonathan Pollard - and now lives in retirement in Tel Aviv.

At the same time he was also in contact with Ben Ami Kadish, a Connecticut born U.S. citizen who worked at the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at the Picatinny Arsenal who was arrested in April 2008.

Between 1979 and 1985 for (he says) a few family dinners and the odd small gift he let Yagur photograph documents he provided which included information about nuclear weapons, a modified version of an F-15 fighter jet and the U.S. Patriot missile air defense system.

Yagur along with Ilan Ravid (his counterpart at the Israeli Embassy in Washington) was recalled by Israel in November 1985. Neither has returned to the United States. The government alleges Kadish kept in contact with the Yagur until last month, when Yagur instructed Kadish to lie to investigators. He had also in 2004 visited Israel to meet Yagur.

Now 85 and living in New Jersey, Kadish pleaded guilty only to one of the four charges of conspiracy he originally faced during his trial in Manhattan (complaint):

1. Conspiring to disclose documents related to the national defense of the United States to the Government of Israel
2. Conspiring to act as an agent of the Government of Israel
3. Conspiring to hinder a communication to a law enforcement officer
4. Conspiring to make a materially false statement to a law enforcement officer.

Kadish, who is said to be in bad health, is relying on an alleged promises that the US government will not seek imprisonment at his February sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Iris Lan said prosecutors promised only that they would not oppose or challenge a sentence that included no prison time.

Kadish confessed to FBI agents that he had given Yagur between 50 and 100 classified documents .

Outside the Manhattam court of Judge Douglas F. Eaton on Tuesday, Kadish, asked if he was hopeful the spy case was over, said, "I hope so."

Alon Pinkas, Israel's former New York consul, said in April the charges against Kadish were probably raised after all this time to prevent the release of Pollard, whose case remains a blot on otherwise close relations between the countries - and for which a powerful lobby has been at work to obtain the departing President's pardon.

There is an excellent article at World Net Daily Did U.S. give WMD to Saddam Hussein? Case of Jonathan Pollard raises troubling questions December 21, 2008 By Richard Cummings © 2008 WorldNetDaily .

This brings the story behind Pollard's spying up to date and the puzzle over why Caspar Weinberger was so resistant to his release - and the reason is given in the title..

It seems from the above article that in about 1981 (when they had bombed the Iraq Osirak reactor) the Israelis approached American military intelligence regarding something going on in Samarra they thought was suspicious.

According to Pollard, he learned that Casper Weinberger, then-secretary of defense, had "assured them that nothing was going on." Pollard discovered (this was before his personal decision to spy for Israel) that there was, in fact, a chemical weapons plant under construction there, he asked his superiors at Naval Intelligence why the U.S. had not informed Israel. One of them quipped that "Jews are sensitive about gas."

Pollard learned as well that Bechtel – the American construction giant for which Weinberger had served as general counsel and for which then-Secretary of State George Shultz had served as CEO – was facilitating the construction of the plant through a number of different companies. The firms were camouflaging it as a "dual-use facility that could be explained away as a fertilizer plant."

"How much fertilizer does Iraq need?" Pollard asks today in his cell at Butner, N.C correctional facility.

According to Pollard, the plant cost "hundreds of millions of dollars to build" and required waivers from the Department of Defense and the State Department.

The secrets about this plant probably lie in a court file that Pollard's pro bono lawyer, Eliot Lauer, a highly respected litigator specializing in white-collar crime and Securities and Exchange Commission civil suits at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle has tried hard to have access to for preparing a case for clemency to President Clinton.

Kadish's treatment and the arrest and imprisonment of Mr van Anraat and the activities of Product Ingredient Technology (PIT) of Boca Raton about which more here and here .

Did Bechtel construct a chemical weapons plant in Samarra for Saddam ?

Yes.

For more also see Juan Cole archive Rumsfeld, Bechtel and Iraq 20/12/2003 along with which which it is best to read the secret briefeing notes for Rumsfeld's notorious visit to Baghdad provided by the Secretary of State.

This fascinating document also reveals that George H. W. Bush was deeply involved in this Saddamist démarche, he was the one who extended an invitation to high Baathist official Tariq Aziz to come to Washington - who nobody seems anxious to get into court to explain what he was up to.

Ukraine scratches around for the scratch to pay Gazprom the gas bill for October & November

The Ukrainian government website said Tuesday the state-controlled gas company Naftogaz will pay a $2 billion gas debt to Russia's OAO Gazprom with credit from state banks.(WSJ) See Tuesday, December 23, 2008 Putin on the prowl in Ukraine and Rawtenstall cut off from world - the Bigger the Bang the bigger the silence

Under the order, issued by Ukraine's government on Dec. 29 and published on the Ukraine Governmentwebsite it has been announced that Naftogaz will borrow from Oshadbank and Ukreksimbank to pay a US $2 billion gas debt to Russia's OAO Gazprom . The government also said it guarantees that Naftogaz would fulfill the order which they hope (?) to pay off by the end of 2008.

Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said in an interview with Echo of Moscow radio on December 27. Gazprom is well aware that Naftogaz Ukraine cannot pay out of its own funds.

Gazprom says Naftogaz owes it over US $2 billion for gas delivered (plus fines for late payment) in November and December. If the debt issued, isn't settled before Jan. 1. 2009 Gazprom is threatening to halt supplies from January 1st 2009 and hike the price of gas for Ukraine to US$418 from US $179.5 per 1,000 cubic meters. (Kiev Post)

Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov noted , without a trace of humour, “There is no technical problem in shutting off gas supply from January 1,”

Ukrainian Prime Minister the beautiful, blonde blue eyed Ice maiden, Yulia Tymoshenko has canceled her visit today to Yevpatoria to console the survivors and relatives of the 26 dead, from the massive apartment block explosion last week - not caused by gas. Labour and Social Policy Minister Liudmyla Denysova deputised for her as the PM was busy with, " important state issues." The Government have promised that the residents of the five-storey apartment building will be given new apartments by the end of the year.

The Government website said she was busy today ....."within the framework of consultations and negotiations on gas supply and transit Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko held telephone conversations with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and European Union Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs. Yulia Tymoshenko has informed them about the process of Ukrainian-Russian negotiations."

Ukraine struck a deal with the IMF for a US$16.4 billion loan at the beginning of November just as the economy suffered a dramatic turnaround. Growth shrank 14.4 % in November year-on-year after industrial output fell almost 30%. President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn are still engaged in discussions over next year's budget abot conditions of the loan and when the balance of the loan will available.

Gazprom supplies a quarter of Europe's gas needs. The majority of that is shipped through pipelines crossing Ukraine. Cutting Ukraine's gas supplies would disrupt supplies to Europe, as it has done previously, because theUkraine siphoned off gas intended for Europe.

PS : Europe is facing 4 weeks very cold weather.

PPS : The Ukraine hryvnia last half of its value since September touching 10 to the US dollar earlier this month, although it has since strengthened to about 7.7/US $.

PPS : Get some candles and firewood in.

First Jewish President of US speaks out on Gaza genocidal attacks

US homes, autos, decline and decay all around I see - as Paulson sprinkles more money dust on GMAC

Key US indicator Home the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index through to end October 2008 was published today - showing house price declines of existing single family homes across the United States, worsened in 4th Quarter 2008.

The standard 10-City and 20-City Composites set new records, with annual declines of 19.1% and 18.0%, respectively this brings prices back to their March, 2004 levels.” said David M. Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at Standard & Poor’s

Manufacturing declines in Mid - West 10% Year on Year

The federal reserve Bank also published their Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index (CFMMI) covering manufacturing activity in lllinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

The Index decreased 1.6% in November, to a seasonally adjusted level of 96.4 (2002 = 100). . Regional output in November was down 10.8% from a year earlier.

Three of the four regional industry sectors decreased in November:
* Regional steel sector output declined 4.3%;
* Regional machinery sector output moved down 2.0%;
* Regional resource sector output decreased 1.9%; and
* Regional auto sector production increased 1.1%. - however The Midwest’s automotive output was down 24.0% in November relative to its year-ago value, and the nation’s auto output was down 15.7%.

Kerkorian pulls out of Ford - Finally

Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. held a 6.5% stake in Ford earlier this year (bought at average of US$7.10) and he has sold the lot - Ford closed at US $2.22 on Monday.

Meanwhile the US Treasury continued to pursue it's insane plan to extend consumer credit by shoring up GMAC LLC the financing arm of General Motors Corp., with US$6 billion in their continued and wasteful effort to keep the largest U.S. automaker out of bankruptcy.

Under the stupid plan The Treasury will purchase a $5 billion stake in GMAC and lend $1 billion to GM so the automaker can contribute to the lender’s reorganization as a bank holding company.

This loan money sprinkle is in addition to US$13.4 billion the Treasury agreed (after CONgress refused to pony up) earlier this month to lend to GM and Chrysler LLC.

The theory is that this will expand lending to car buyers (ie increase their debt) and help save GM. GM's domestic sales plunged 22 % through to November as GMAC ran short on cash and limited loans to people with only the best credit. (US Treasury Press release)

Delphi starts pulling out of China

Meanwhile the Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reports that bankrupt car parts maker Delphi has decided to temporarily close a plant in China’s Suzhou, near Shanghai . Delphi was spun off from GM, as Visteon was from Ford, and Denso from Toyota - with the inention to use them as a worldwide supplier to the global auto industry.

GM in the US said about closing the Suzhou plant - opened in October 2007: “The sudden and unprecedented decline in car sales globally has resulted in our only customer, GM North America, announcing plant closures and plant stoppages.” Reuters said at the time that Delphi opened the Suzhou plant that GM had “invested more than $500 million in China, where it currently has nine joint ventures and four wholly owned factories.”..."Delphi is one of the leading foreign-invested automotive suppliers in China, the world's fastest-growing vehicle market."

GM set up Delphi in 1999 and they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2005 and closed 24 of their 29 plants in the U.S. and moved a chunk of manufacturing to the Chinese mainland ( called disembowelling America). Delphi operates 15 joint ventures and wholly-owned foreign enterprises, including the Suzhou site, 11 other manufacturing operations, and training and technical centers.

Israeli naval forces attack relief boat bound for Gaza from Cyprus

The Free Gaza group has made five deliveries of aid by boat to Gaza since August, defying a naval blockade imposed by Israel.

Former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and Green Party candidate for the US presidency in 2004 is on a boat, the 66-foot yacht, “SS Dignity,” which is trying to defy an Israeli blockade of Gaza and ferry 16 activists and 3 tons of Cypriot-donated supplies.

They were ready to set sail yesterday on Monday 29th, spokeswoman Caoimhe Butterly said their 66-foot (20-meter) yacht Dignity will leave Larnaca port around 5 p.m. (1400GMT) Monday with 3 tons of cargo including medical supplies.

Al Haddad a blogger (A mother from Gaza) now reports ..
http://a-mother-from-gaza.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Israeli Navy Attacking Civilian Mercy Ship! TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY!

The Dignity, a Free Gaza boat on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, is being attacked by the Israeli Navy in international waters. The Dignity has been surrounded by at least half-a-dozen Israeli warships. They are firing live ammunition around the Dignity, and one of the warships has rammed the civilian craft causing an unknown amount of damage. Contrary to international maritime law, the Israelis are actively preventing the Dignity from approaching Gaza or finding safe haven in either Egypt or Lebanon. Instead, the Israeli navy is demanding that the Dignity return to Cyprus - despite the fact that the ship does not carry enough fuel to do so. Fortunately, no one aboard the ship has yet been seriously injured.

There are 15 civilian passengers representing 11 different countries (see below for a complete list). At approximately 5am (UST), well out in international waters, Israeli warships began surrounding the Dignity, threatening the ship. At 6:45am (UST) we were able to establish brief contact with the crew and were told that the ship had been rammed by the Israeli Navy in international waters, and that the Israelis were preventing the ship from finding safe harbor. We heard heavy gunfire in the background before all contact was lost with the Dignity.

She provides these numbers and e -mail addresses to direct protests about this action which constitites piracy ...

CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5062 3264
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il

CALL Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 33697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il

Please distribute this information urgently.

Mike Connell the man who knew too Much ? Dead men tell no Tales.

Republican high-tech guru Mike Connell (RIP) was the brains behind the fixing of the Republican vote stealing in the 2004 , especially on Diebold voting machines in Ohio - Sunday, December 21, 2008Michael Connell - the IT expert who helped rig Dubya's election in 2000 and 2004 dies in air crash piloting his light aircraft on flight from DC



This clip from the 104 minute fillum "Free for All" a fillum by John Ennis, provides an insight into who Connell is, and how he fits into the big picture of Rove's vote fixing and nobbling of John Kerry.

Stop Bombing Gaza vigil . Manchester, outside the BBC 29-12-09

T'was chilly but a large crowd gathered to chant and express their deep loathing of the actions of the Zionist murderers, their claque in the west and their state run mouthpiece behind us...
True to form Plod turned up - with a beautiful cheerful, helpful Ploddess Sergeant who is to be applauded for the pleasant manner and easy charm with which she handled the situation - especially in comparison with her glum, sullen and officious chums.

Of course things get better when three Tactical Aid Group vans turn up with a fill complement of handcuff wearing, truncheon bearing, bullet proof jacketed gum chewing, booted and suited bovver boys - it was nice to see that the inside of their vans had been tastefully decorated with tinsel and glitter - shows their more feminine side.

The vigil will be held until the bombing stops, every night 5 p.m. Keep up to date at the website www.manchesterstopwar.org

The press / politicians / statesmen's / commentators on the Blitzkreig on Gaza resembles a curious crowd watching a violent slo - mo rape in progress.

Oh dear that girl looks as though she is being raped !

The way she dresses it's no surprise ...why doesn't she stop struggling ? If she didn't struggle so much she wouldn't get hurt.

If she relaxed she might learn to enjoy it... probably she led him on anyway.

You usually find there is more to it than meets the eye , you know. probably she's upset him over something... wants her land back, and her orange groves, and homes and dead relatives, those centuries old olive trees been in the family ...

What's done is done, no use going over the same old ground.

If we just stand here and watch they'll probably sort it out amongst themselves... that's what usually happens.

Best not to get involved. Looks like he's part of a bigger gang - they could turn nasty.

The Guradian showed how in touch they are with the world today :

It is hard to imagine an Israeli government testing Obama, whom it views with foreboding because of a sense he has more sympathy for the Palestinians, with a crisis of these dimensions during his first days or weeks in office

Seeing his Mid East advisor is Mr Denis Ross, co-founder of AIPAC, Bahm Emmanuel is not only the son of an Israeli terrorist but is also named after one and Alan Solow, soon to be chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations spoke to a Democratic forum In Cleveland , Ohio , in October 2008, about a trip he took to Israel with Obama in 2006.

Palestinian students told Obama they wanted to vote for Hamas and asked why the U.S. wouldn’t accept that democratically elected government, Solow said. Obama replied that the U.S. would not deal with terrorists and would not recognize a Hamas-controlled government in the West Bank.

Obama told students in South Africa that Israel absolutely has the right to defend itself and fight back if attacked.In telling stories about Obama, Solow maintained, “He has a Jewish soul. I like to say he’s going to be the first Jewish president of the United States.”

Sure, Obama has sympathy with the Palestinians - proably on the same level as Tzipi Livni and her mate Condoleezza Rice.

2008 - May 9 , Boris Johnson, Mayor of London I am delighted that one of my first acts as Mayor of London is to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the creation of Israel

2008 - May 7 , Gordon Brown, Prime Minister , I say to you today that Britain will continue to be a true and constant friend of Israel in good times and in bad.

2007 - November 2 , William Hague, Shadow Foreign Secretary We will always have strong economic and political ties with Israel. We will always be a friend of Israel.

2007 - June 5 , David Cameron, Leader of the Opposition I am a Zionist.

2006 - October 3 , David Cameron, Leader of the Opposition The Conservative Party is a true friend of Israel because we look at Israel and we see a democracy

2006 - October 3 , Liam Fox, Shadow Defence Secretary Israel’s enemies are our enemies

UPDATE : Tuesday 0400 GMT

For a clear analysis of events ...so far.

The Politics of the Gaza Massacre - Forget Hamas - it's all about the home front. Justin Raimondo Antiwar.com 29th December 2008

South Ossetia, barren , cold, unreconstructed led by gangsters - so much for Russian protection

Four months have passed since the Russians repulsed the mad incursion on South Ossetia by Preisdent Sakashvilli, goaded by his Israeli military advisors and US cheerleaders.

Four months in which comment, ad information about events have dried up as Ossetia, recognised only by Russia (on August 26th) and Nicaragua (also Abkhazia led Sergei Bagapsh) struggles to cope with the post conflict problems and the forthcoming winter. (Belarus expected to recognise them has said nothing on the subject publicly)

President Ortega, who led a Soviet-backed government who fought the corrupt U.S.-supported Contra rebels in the late 1980s, criticized the West when announcing recognition on September 8th 2008, for attempting to surround Russia and investing millions of dollars through NATO to "build a military fence against Russia."

It was of interest that South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity (Эдуард Джабеевич Кокойты )on September 11th, said his republic planned to merge with the neighboring Russian province of North Ossetia, and become part of Russia, but had later to withdraw his statement after Vladimir Putin told a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi"We are not considering the issue of South Ossetia joining the Russian Federation." and added "We have no desire or reason to encroach on the sovereignty of former Soviet republics,"

Whilst the struggles for this tiny mountainous statelet with only 70,000 citizens became a surrogate in the struggle between Russia and the West the agenda of the self important politicians has moved on to larding the corpses of banks and finance houses with tax payers funds and gawping whilst Gaza burns.

Foreign journalists are only permitted entry or travel accompanied by officials from the foreign ministry in Moscow. Even the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union, cannot gain access.

However stories are constantly appearing in Russian media that the tiny republic teeters on the brink of social unrest and breakdown. As winter draws on there are tales (entirely believable) the government has allegedly embezzled Russian reconstruction aid funds. South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity fled leaving his citizenry (although he was Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of South Ossetia) without his leadership and and that millions of rubles deposited in the safes at the national bank in Tskhinvali had gone missing with him.

His presence also is a major determinant in dissuading any oligarch investing a single rouble in South Ossetia while its gangster leadership remains.

Kokoity, is a former freestyle wrestler and says the criticism is purely Georgian spin to "discredit South Ossetia and its leadership in the eyes of the Russians." Yes, says Kokoity explaining the lack of gas supplies, it is cold now in Tskhinvali, but "we are occasionally warmed by the joy of victory and independence.

He sits isolated in his grim concrete bunker well eqipped with Turkish thermopane tinted , installed after the war helped by key backing from Albert "Dik" Tedeyev and his brother Jambulat, a champion wrestler, of the powerful Tedeyev clan who organised and financed Kokoity's election campaign in 2001 with whom he fell out once before but they seem to be back in favour.

There has been some urgent reconstruction , 10 schools, kindergartens and the hospital have been rebuilt. That's where ti stops, houses sport blue plastic tarps and windows stopped up with blankets. Compounded by the lystery of where all the glass for reconstruction went acording to Russian Disaster Protection Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Where the money and materials have vanished to remains unknown but critics point to President Kokoity who has declared the budget, filled almost exclusively with Russian funds after the war, a state secret.

Spiegel reports that a former security advisor accuses Kokoity of having surrounded himself with confidants from the Russian regions of Samara and Ulyanovsk and of conducting money-laundering operations with dubious companies.

Yuri Morosov, the former prime minister who resigned after the war -- supposedly of his own free will -- voices similar complaints. According to Morosov, 100 million rubles or about €2.7 million ($3.8 million) in salary payments for public servants were embezzled shortly before the conflict. Most of the money was intended for South Ossetia's armed militias.

Russia is faced with Georgian war victims receiving largesse mainly from €3.4 billion (US$4.8 billion) in aid money, mainly from the EU and the United States.

Russia needs to provide some concrete evidence of benefits, and a proper reconstruction of South Ossetia otherwise Russia's much vaunted claims in presenting itself as a protective power to the people of the Caucasus and the world is going to look somehwat tarnished and furthermore, unbelievable.

There has however been the necessity of renaming streest and public places and on 12th December, Kokoity renamed the two main drags in the republic's capital of Tskhinvali in honor of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (formerly Stalin Street - which continued to represent the "crimes of Stalin") and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Commenting in Rossiiskaya Gazeta the government daily paper , Kokoity said "this is a symbol of our belief in Russia. We can be independent and at the same time loyal to Russia. I do not see any contradictions." he added. ( A stret was renamed in Groszny the capital of Chechnya
in honor of Putin on October 5, 2008)

This was 2 days after Kokoity told Komsomolskaya Pravda: "Saakashvili tried to buy me off. In January 2003 he sent 3 of his bureaucrats over, who offered me $20 million, and asked in exchange that I either stand down as president or re-orientate my people away from Russia, and towards Georgia."

"I, of course, firmly refused.(Ho.Ho.Ho.) And later I found out from reliable sources that Saakashvili had sent me not $20 million, but $50 million. But his thieving emissaries evidently divided up the difference between them on the way over to Tskhinvali - $10 million for each brother."

For more information go here

Conservative Party abusing the old, using public humiliation of the tired , confused and bewildered. This must STOP ! ACT NOW. Amazing video

The exploitation and abuse of the old is a matter of rising concern. Consider this clip of a clearly tired, bewildered OAP. Forced to repeat endlessly, meangless, political dogma like some highly trained house pet.



The strain is clearly beginning to show, the rapid eye movements, the carelessly assembled clothing in dull colours, the catatonic stare as the brain tries to connect.... as frighteningly the first signs of Alzheimers creeps in.

We are all facing tough times - please find it in you heart and give generously - The Dame Lady Jane Baroness Pauline Nevill - Jones fund can help these people who, let's face it, have earned a decent retirement... send anything you can to David Cameron C/O Conservative Party Bide - a - Wee Home for Distressed Not so Gentlefolk in their Time.

Next week don't miss our call for doughty working class champion, Baroness Brenda Dean, of Thornton-le-Fylde, Privy Councillor General Secretary of SOGAT at the time of Rupert Murdoch's battles with them and other trades unions and now a mouthpice on for Nu Labour, frittering away her time hanging about the House of Lords.

Except that is when she is working on her second term as Chairman of Covent Garden Market Authority, a post she has held since 1 April 2005 which was recently renewed as the personal gift of her "very, very, good friend" Lord Rooker (The Authority consists of the Chairman and up to 7 members all appointed by the Secretary of State.) in his role as DeFRA Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming.

Her 3 day a week role for the pittance of £48,521 means that she will be very much involved in the redevelopment (including re-locating the US Embassy) of the New Covent Garden Market (NCGM) site (Project Chrysalis - consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers) at Nine Elms in Vauxhall, London. This major program will lead to the selection of a private development partner early in 2009 and will provide one of the largest development opportunities in London for the next decade.

Brenda is still able even at the age of 66 able to drag herself along to Board meetings as a non-Executive Director of Taylor Wimpey PLC (Share price 12 months ago 217 p today 15p Divvy paid last year 15.75p per share) where she struggled along on fees of £50, 000 in 2007 up from £45,000, Dawson Holding PLC (£34,000 in 2007 and £29,000 in 2006) and National Air Traffic Services.