The MURDOCH Empire and its Nest of VIPERS: Piers Morgan Whose Wife Gave Birth To A Baby Girl ...

The MURDOCH Empire and its Nest of VIPERS: Piers Morgan Whose Wife Gave Birth To A Baby Girl ...: The tactics of the now-defunct newspaper News of the World came to light as the former deputy features editor testified Tuesday that they no...

Flashback: Could El-Baradei have halted the Iraq invasion?

 

Latent indications of remorse suggest there is more to the role of some in paving the way for the invasion of Iraq than at first meets the eye, writes Abdallah El-Ashaal.

In the second week of August, Mohamed El-Baradei announced that he regreted his silence over the US invasion of Iraq. Although it is perhaps odd that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should make such an admission at this time, it will be useful to register a couple of observations on this quite serious matter for future reference. 

First, El-Baradei along with at least all of the permanent members of the Security Council knew that Washington was determined to invade Iraq and that it was searching for any evidence or circumstances to support this resolve. The practical beginning for the invasion plan was Security Council Resolution 1441 of 2002 calling for inspections of Iraq for nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. That same year, just as the Arab Peace Initiative was announced from Beirut, Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon set about quashing the second Palestinian Intifada. Also in that year, in October, US Congress passed a bill that effectively obliged the US administration to recognise Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel. So everyone knew what was in Washington’s mind at the time and that it saw the passage of the inspections resolution as the first step towards the acquisition of international cover for its plans. Nothing could underscore this point more than the remark by then French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin in the Security Council that the resolution did not give Washington licence to invade Iraq.

In spite of the fact — or perhaps because of the fact — that the Bush administration was so clearly chomping at the bit to launch an invasion and grasping for the said resolution, in accordance with which the UN inspections team would be authorised to inspect every inch of Iraqi territory, and would sniff out the evidence it needed, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan affirmed that the resolution would give a new impetus to the quest for a peaceful solution to the Iraqi question in an increasingly perilous world. At the time that the resolution was still under debate, he said that the resolution offered a model of the type of multilateral diplomacy that served the cause of peace and security, he stressed and he urged the Iraqi leadership to seize the opportunity to end the isolation and suffering of the Iraqi people. He simultaneously cautioned Iraq against the folly of not cooperating with the plea to disarm peacefully and warned that if Iraq continued in its defiance the Security Council would have to assume its enforcing responsibilities. At this point, the French foreign minister insisted the resolution be worded in such a way as not to sanction the immediate recourse to force. Indeed, it was reformulated so as to require a second resolution that could, if need be, authorise the use of force based on the findings submitted to the Security Council by the inspections team.

China and Russia, for their part, insisted that the issuance of a second resolution on Iraq must be contingent upon proof of Iraqi violations as explicitly stated in the findings submitted by the UN inspections team. At this point, US Secretary of State General Colin Powell, who would subsequently express deep remorse over the part he played in this drama, opened the door to his country circumventing UN restrictions. He said that the resolution could not prevent any member from acting in self-defence against Iraq or to compel Iraq to implement UN resolutions intended to protect international peace and security. Powell thus stated that while the Security Council resolution may not give anyone a licence to use force it could not prevent anyone from using force. Perhaps it was such brazenness that prompted Kofi Annan to give voice to his conscience and publicly declare, after the invasion, yet despite of Washington’s threat to expose the part his son played in the Oil-for-Food programme, that the US had used illegal force against Iraq.

The foregoing account has but one implication: everyone colluded in the invasion of Iraq. It was as though this invasion was the prerequisite for the prevalence of world peace. Meanwhile, the Arabs colluded by silence, which stemmed from the failure to draw the line between, on the one hand, their exasperation with the Saddam regime and frustration at their inability to restrain it and bring it back to its senses and, on the other, the future and wellbeing of a great people. This silence too helped clear the way for disaster.

My second observation is that by 5 February 2003, when the Security Council was discussing the report submitted by UNMOVIC, the UN inspections team, the US had already amassed its forces to the accompaniment of intensive diplomatic manoeuvres and a massive propaganda campaign. After the Security Council concluded its session that day with the finding that the inspection team had so far found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction, Mohamed El-Baradei reiterated the belief of his predecessor — and the chief of UNMOVIC — that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and that the assumption that such weapons existed in that country was groundless.

Shortly after Resolution 1441 was passed in 2002, El-Baradei published an article in Al-Hayat stating that Iraq had to abide by the provisions of the resolution because this would deprive Washington of the pretext for invading it. The article meshed with an international and Arab campaign that attempted to drive home the same message. Two days later, an article of mine appeared in Al-Hayat beneath the headline “After the inspections what comes next?” Contrary to the general tide, I held that the inspections resolution was part of the process of preparing the groundwork for the invasion and that to promote it was to collude in the act of invasion. Why, after that famous Security Council session of 5 February, did El-Baradei threaten to resign if Washington went ahead and invaded Iraq? He had just submitted a report refuting the existence of weapons of mass destruction, and thus had acted totally within his jurisdiction and in accordance with his duties. But to resign? After all, it was obvious that his presence or absence as IAEA chief would have no impact on a decision that had been taken years earlier. The threat could only have meant one thing: El-Baradei had given something of crucial importance to making the invasion possible. Subsequent reports indicated that El-Baradei’s report had reassured Washington that the invasion would be safe. Some went so far as to state that El-Baradei’s team had placed identifying marks on strategic targets and helped recruit agents on the ground to facilitate the invasion.

Between that day in 2003 when he threatened to resign and his proclamation of remorse in 2009 is a minefield. It is not enough for El-Baradei to apologise for his role, over which speculation and conjecture are now more rife than ever. He must clear his conscience and record for history exactly what part he played in the invasion and destruction of a great nation and the tragedy of a people who still have no clear sight of a brighter future. As he is summoning up his reminiscences, we would also hope that El-Baradei would clarify the circumstances surrounding how he and the IAEA were jointly awarded a special Nobel Peace Prize, given the modest and, indeed, negative record of that agency in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

While he is at it, could he also please explain why the US nominated him as IAEA chief over the Egyptian nominee for that post at the time?

Source: http://uruknet.info/?p=m83429

Flashback: Could El-Baradei have halted the Iraq invasion?

What Information Was in Daniel Morgan's Notes Providing Motive to Kill?

On March 10, 1987 Daniel Morgan and Jonathan Rees, business partners with Southern Investigations, met for a beer at the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, in a southeast district of London. After meeting with Rees, with two packets of crisps in hand for his children, someone killed the private investigator right there in the parking lot of the Golden Lion. The means of death, apparently, four blows with a Chinese-made axe, by a very strong assailant.

But why, you might ask, am I dwelling on a 24 year old homicide that occurred in London, England? To start with, I watched CNN reporter Atika Shubert's feature on Daniel Morgan's case this morning, and realized this shady event from 1987 ties in with the News of the World 'hacking scandal' that boiled to the surface, earlier this year. One can go back to that time and trace a continuous stream (no breaks whatsoever) of corruption, intrigue, and even murder most foul!

Its one rocky road you'll travel if you dare to follow the rickety path of investigations and murky news stream regarding Daniel Morgan's case, where he seems to have uncovered some touchy information that someone didn't want him to expose. And I must add, attempting to understand how the English judicial system works (or its dysfunction) is an arduous task for a bumpkin such as I, fairing from the rowdy Heartland of Texas!

What I mean, I think, is it appears to be very hard to get a conviction that will stick in court. Thus, the main suspects (Sid Fillery, Jonathan Rees, Glen Vian, Garry Vian and two other Metropolitan police officers) are still walking around free. To avoid confusion, you may want to keep a timeline of developments handy. The Guardian published such a timeline on March 11, 2011, (Daniel Morgan axe murder case: timeline), which I'll link for your convenience at the end of my piece.

Let's see, it looks like five different investigations were conducted, and quite a bit of progress was made in digging out what happened to Daniel Morgan back in 1987, and more important, why it happened. The most important clue I can recognize (with a mere cursory probe), is that it appears some notes of Daniel's were stolen from his trousers. Witnesses saw him taking these notes, I will say, when having a beer with Jonathan Rees. A confirmation of the exact context of his note-taking cannot be obtained at this time.

My primary source for the suspicious circumstances surrounding Daniel Morgan's actual death is a Sun article (Detective held over axe murder), dated April 21, 2008. Surely I'll link this one for you also. There are more specific details in The Sun piece that are anchored in the provenance of continual intrigue and corruption (from 1987-2011), where the Metropolitan police are paid off by the press and, maybe, by drug dealers as well.

For example, we learn in the article that Glen Vian may have been the strongman who wielded the axe in the backlot of a quaint, cozy little London pub. One contradictory item I just noticed, when looking at a different source (the Wikipedia entry for Daniel Morgan), is that this source says his Rolex watch had been stolen, while The Sun article says it had not been stolen.

This is a fairly large discrepancy, but I'm going to favor what The Sun said, until I can find a third, possibly more reliable source. We know that Daniel had 1,170 pounds on him still, so robbery can be ruled out as the motive. It's the notes the killers needed, not the watch or the money. Oh, many of Morgan's vital files were missing from his workplace at Southern Investigations. Wonder who took them?

Detective held over axe murder | The Sun |News

Daniel Morgan axe murder case: timeline | UK news | The Guardian

John Kays identifies timeless remnants from our past that will endure, or be admired by future generations.

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20111127073341/https://newsblaze.com/story/20111125074504kays.nb/topstory.html

Support Bradley Manning.

GOVERMENT TERRORISM: #Iran : #TAPI Pipeline Project Leaves Iran Out In ...

Once the pipeline is up and running, it could allow Pakistan to receive over 10 billion cubic metres of gas a year. DESIGN: FAIZAN DAWOOD

Of all the potential solutions to Pakistan’s power crisis, importing gas through the proposed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistani-India (TAPI) pipeline project may be the most realistic. Turkmenistan has one of the largest gas reserves in the world and is looking to move away from dependency on Russia and the former Soviet states for its economic health.

With a willing buyer and an eager seller, the TAPI pipeline, first proposed in the 1990s, should have become reality by now. Still, the two countries finally reached a breakthrough after signing a Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement, which should make the pipeline operational by 2016. Once the pipeline is up and running, it could allow Pakistan to receive over 10 billion cubic metres of gas a year. For a country that is suffering an acute energy crisis, this is a necessity rather than a luxury.

Despite the signing of this agreement, many of the problems that have plagued the project still exist, security being a major one. Among the routes the pipeline will run through are Herat and Kandahar in Afghanistan and Quetta in Pakistan. That would make the pipeline a tempting target not just for Taliban rebels but also for Baloch separatists. It is unlikely that foolproof security could be ensured for the pipeline in these areas, a concern that India has already raised.

Keeping this in mind, Pakistan should not solely commit to the TAPI pipeline and needs to keep looking at alternatives, like the gas pipeline from Iran that would bypass Afghanistan.

The main obstacle to the Iranian pipeline is US intransigence

 — the Americans have been pressuring the Pakistani government to abandon it.

 On this occasion, though, the pressure should be ignored.

Whether it’s from Turkmenistan or Iran, Pakistan desperately needs a steady supply of energy.

That concern must come before all other considerations.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th,  2011.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/292256/tapi-pipeline-project/

The MURDOCH Empire and its Nest of VIPERS: HACKGATE day 120: The McCanns spokesman, Andy Coul...

The MURDOCH Empire and its Nest of VIPERS: HACKGATE day 120: The McCanns spokesman, Andy Coul...: Does PR spokesman Clarence Mitchell know more than he’s letting on? The Slog finds himself a tad mystified this morning. Puzzle One: the ...

James Murdoch departures 'may herald his exit from papers' | Business

James Murdoch has dramatically quit as director of the companies that publish the Sun, The Times and the Sunday Times and analysts said he could soon sever all ties with the troubled newspaper group.

The surprise move, which has seen Rupert Murdoch's son resign a string of directorships at News International, also raises questions about parent company News Corporation's commitment to its newspapers.

Companies House filings show James Murdoch has stepped down from the boards of both News Group Newspapers Limited - publisher of the Sun - and Times Newspapers Limited, which operates The Times and Sunday Times. NGN used to operate the News of the World and remains embroiled in legal action over phone hacking. NI insisted that James Murdoch was not walking away from the UK newspaper arm.

A spokesman said: "James Murdoch doesn't step back from NI. He remains chairman." He is also still a director of key holding company NI Group Limited and of Times Newspapers Holdings - the editorial board set up in 1981 to ensure the independence of the paper when Rupert Murdoch bought it.

However, those close to Murdoch say he now has a more hands-off role.

Claire Enders, analyst at Enders Analysis, said: "It may well be there's no further good from having James Murdoch as chairman of News International. "It's been clearly flagged up by John Whittingdale that the Culture, Media and Sport select committee is not satisfied by the explanations of James Murdoch even though they don't think he's been mendacious."

The departures come as James Murdoch faces calls to quit as chairman of BSkyB at next week's AGM. His decision means no member of the Murdoch family now sits on the boards of the flagship UK papers. Rupert Murdoch used to be a director of NGN and TNL but stepped down after his son took over as NI executive chairman in 2007. James Murdoch has also quit at least one other subsidiary, News International Holdings.

Tom Mockridge, former boss of Sky Italia who replaced Rebekah Brooks as NI chief executive in July, has taken over from him at NGN and TNL.

Enders said Murdoch still faces intense pressure as the police investigate hacking at the News of the World. "He can step down from all these positions but he won't stop any of the other issues surrounding his stewardship," she said.

Enders dismissed talk News Corp would sell the UK papers.

 https://web.archive.org/web/20120202183413/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-24013220-james-murdoch-quits-the-boards-of-sun-and-times.do

UC Davies Pepper Spray Students.

The MURDOCH Empire and its Nest of VIPERS: #Leveson #Hackgate :#NoW Derek Webb Turns Whistleb...

The MURDOCH Empire and its Nest of VIPERS: #Leveson #Hackgate :#NoW Derek Webb Turns Whistleb...: News of the World private detective vows to expose tabloid stalker culture Derek Webb pledges to give evidence for people he followed who wa...

Yoga Breathing (Pranayama) - What is Yoga Breathing?

Yoga breathing, or Pranayama, is the science of breath control. It consists of series of exercises especially intended to meet the body's needs and keep it in vibrant health. Pranayama comes from the following words: 

• Prana - "life force" or "life energy"
• Yama - "discipline" or "control"
• Ayama - "expansion", "non-restraint", or "extension"

Thus, Pranayama means "breathing techniques" or "breath control". Ideally, this practice of opening up the inner life force is not merely to take healthy deep breaths. It is intended for yoga practitioners to help and prepare them in their Meditation process.

In our respiration process, we breathe in or inhale oxygen into our body, going through our body systems in a form of energy to charge our different body parts. Then we exhale carbon dioxide and take away all toxic wastes from our body. Through the practice of Pranayama, the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide is attained. Absorbing prana through breath control links our body, mind, and spirit.

But life is full of stress. Because of the daily work, family, or financial pressures, we tend to ignore our breathing. Thus, it tends to be fast and shallow. The use of only a fraction of your lungs results to lack of oxygen and may lead to different complications. Heart diseases, sleep disorders, and fatigue are some of the effects of oxygen starvation. Therefore, the negative energy of being restless and troublesome leads to lesser prana inside the body. By practicing deep and systematic breathing through Pranayama, we reenergize our body.

These are the four stages of Pranayama:

• Arambha - the commencement stage wherein the person's interest in Pranayama is awakened
• Ghata - the stage where the three sariras merge to envelope the soul. The three sariras are gross, subtle, and causal.
• Parichay- the stage where the yogi experiences the knowledge of Pranayama
• Nispatti- the stage where the yogi goes beyond his physical body, and unites with the supreme

Benefits of Pranayama

Breathing is a normal part of our life, though we fail to pay attention to it. It is an autonomic function of the body that we perform even without concentrating on it. Why then do we have to learn yoga breathing? Here are some reasons why Pranayama is important:

• Pranayama teaches us the proper way to breathe. We became used to breathing from our chest, using only a fraction of the lungs, not knowing that this unhealthy and unnatural way of inhaling may lead to several complications. With yoga breathing, we increase the capacity of our lungs, bringing more oxygen supply to the body to function well. We learn how to breathe slowly and deeply - the right way.
• Pranayama reduces the toxins and body wastes from within our body. It prevents one from acquiring diseases.
• Pranayama helps in one's digestion. With the proper way of breathing, one's metabolism and health condition will start to improve.
• Pranayama develops our concentration and focus. It fights away stress and relaxes the body. Controlling one's breathing also results to serenity and peace of mind.
• Pranayama offers a better self-control. Through concentration, one can better handle temper and reactions. Mind can function clearly, avoiding arguments and wrong decisions. Moreover, self-control also involves control over one's physical body.
• Pranayama leads to spiritual journey through a relaxed body and mind.

However, Pranayama should not be forced and done without proper preparation, or it may lead to nervous breakdowns. It is part of a process in yoga. Breath control is a spiritual practice of cleansing the mind and body which should be done appropriately and with proper guidance and preparation.

Afghanistan War: £622M Defrauded From Bank Of Kabul

 Afghan officials will decide whether to push forward with prosecutions or to let those responsible for the fraud walk free in return for help in securing the rest of the cash, according to western officials.

The attorney-general’s office in Kabul says it has so far completed investigations into 19 individuals, but only nine have been charged.

In private, western officials are sceptical about the willingness of the Afghan government to prosecute shareholders and executives because of their political connections.

Officials say the bank’s former chairman, Sherkhan Farnood, a word-class poker player, could dish the dirt on senior government officials if he were ever taken to court. Farnood and his deputy, Khalilullah Frozi, were arrested in July. Both men were released on the condition that they help the government recover the missing funds.

At the meeting of Afghan officials and donor countries, a Kroll official said the men were “being very co-operative in assisting with the collection of the bad loans”.

The International Monetary Fund last month renewed its credit programme to Afghanistan, which it had suspended 13 months earlier because of the Kabul Bank crisis and the lack of oversight of Afghanistan’s banking system. Britain and other donors had also withheld aid, which is used to pay the salaries of teachers, health workers and government employees. Full details documented here.

Afghanistan War: £622M Defrauded From Bank Of Kabul: 

My brother Daniel: Thoughts on Leveson and events in 1998

Next week Leveson will be hearing witnesses. Of these, I will be particularly interested in hearing Steven Nott, Ian Hurst and Jacqui Hames.

Steven is the guy who accidentally discovered how to hack voicemails, warned the police, customs, MI5 and the newspapers, but was completely ignored by all of them for years. Ian Hurst is the former army intelligence officer whose computer was hacked for NoW and Jacqui Hames is the wife of David Cook, the officer in charge of the fourth and fifth investigations into Daniel's murder.

In June 2002, Jacqui Hames and David Cook took part in a Crimewatch appeal for witnesses that could help solve Daniel's murder. The police were particularly interested in a woman who came forward after the first Crimewatch appeal in May 1987. The woman had told police that she'd overheard a group of men in a pub, The Harp in West Croydon, plotting to murder Daniel...

More - 

My brother Daniel: Thoughts on Leveson and events in 1998:

Controlling The Money Supply.

"I care not what puppet is placed on the throne of England to rule the Empire.

The man that controls Britain's money supply controls the British Empire.
And I control the money supply."

Baron Nathan Mayer Rothschild, (1777-1836)

Toddy R.I.P

A friend of mine died on 11.11.11.

R.I.P Toddy.

Fly high, matey

The MURDOCH Empire and its Nest of VIPERS: Hackgate #Leveson Inquiry : FOLLOW TWEETS At Hacke...

The MURDOCH Empire and its Nest of VIPERS: Hackgate #Leveson Inquiry : FOLLOW TWEETS At Hacke...: http://twitter.com/#!/hackinginquiry

Occupy Norwich.

James Murdoch Does Not Lie.

He chooses his words very carefully.

"I have no specific recollection of that."
Murdoch repeated the li(n)e several times, during the inquiry today.

Not a lie.
But, most definitely, not the truth.

Fredrik Walløe: EDL threatens Occupy LSX

The EDL has made what looks like an official threat against Occupy LSX. The camp has been given until 12 am Friday to disband, but CxF (Combined Ex Forces) members are on site now and others are on their way. EDL News reported that 12am might mean midnight. The Occupy London camp and The Metropolitan Police are said to be aware of the threats. 

Occupy Newcastle came under attack less than two weeks ago by 20-30 EDL/SDL/NF members who threw a brick(s) and held down protesters while beating them.

The 'English Defence League EDL' group was asked for a comment, but has not responded at time of writing.

EDL threatens Occupy LSX

Picture of to CxF members taken near the camp.

Comments made below picture

Chemtrails and Weather Derivatives :

In his paper ‘Why in the World Are They Spraying?‘, journalist Michael Murphy floats the idea that chemtrails are sprayed in order to manipulate the weather derivatives market.

He posted the story right here on TheIntelHub.com on Oct. 11, 2011.  It ran alongside my article ‘Chemtrails Exposed‘.

He may not be too far off the mark as my humble investigation leads me to many questionable situations, strange bedfellows and none other than those legends of corruption and waste, Enron. The thoroughly disgraced and vilified corporation was one of the founders of the market.

Would you put it past Enron?

Overview:

Weather derivatives are financial instruments (options, futures and options on futures) everyone can buy that either pay off or don’t pay off according to recorded atmospheric conditions such as temperature and rainfall.  These instruments are mostly traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).  They are also traded on smaller Over the Counter (OTC) markets.

Atmospheric conditions are recorded and published by authorized organizations.

Although they are available for frost, snowfall, rain, wind speed, and many others, the most common type of weather derivative by far is based on temperature.  According to industry experts, temperature based weather derivatives account for 75-99% of all weather derivatives sold.

This is how temperature based weather derivatives work.  Indices take a location’s daily average temperature, then a number is determined by how much that day’s average temperature deviates from 65 degrees Fahrenheit (or 18 degrees Celsius outside the U.S.).

The number deduced determines the derivative’s value and is usually aggregated over a period of weeks, months or seasons.  Other indices simply aggregate average daily temperatures.  In short, the day’s average temperature determines the derivative’s value.

You can bet that temperatures will be above or below the long term daily average for a particular date or group of dates.

The first weather derivative transactions were conducted over the counter in 1997 between Willis Group Holdings, Koch Industries, Pxre Reinsurance Company and Enron.  These transactions followed the deregulation of the energy market in the U.S.

The weather derivatives market was greatly expanded in 1999 when weather derivatives began trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

The Weather Risk Management Association (WRMA) was founded in 1999 as well and is the leading industry association.

The founding members were: Aquila Power Company, Castlebridge Partners, Enron Capital and Trade Associates, Koch Industries, Southern Company Energy Marketing, and Swiss RE New Markets.

This year (2011), the WRMA released the results of a survey which pegs the current global weather derivatives market value at about $12 billion.

USA reported in it’s article ‘Weather Derivatives Becoming Hot Commodities’ that the largest broker of weather derivatives in the world is TFS Energy.

A man named Kendall Johnson, who is described as one of the industry’s most powerful professionals, states, “Businesses in the U.S., Japan, London and Amsterdam are the most frequent users of weather risk management, though companies in emerging markets like India are beginning to trade weather derivatives.”

Other big corporate players include: British Gas, Hess Energy, ABN Amro, Merrill Lynch, AXA Re, Swiss Re, Koch Energy, RenRe Energy, Nephila Capital, Munich Re, Speedwell Weather Derivatives, Vyapar Capital Market Partners, Galileo Weather Risk Management, PCE Investors / Cumulus, EDF Trading Limited, Risk Solutions International, E.ON Energy Trading, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company and Endurance Reinsurance Corporation of America.

As you can see, re-insurers are some of the biggest market players.  Geoffrey Considine, Ph.D. (a high profile weather derivatives industry insider) writes in his paper ‘Introduction to Weather Derivatives’, “There are a number of drivers behind the growth of the weather derivative market.  Primary among these is the convergence of capital markets with insurance markets.”

Swiss Re is a name that comes up repeatedly and just happens to be the insurer of the World Trade towers at the time of the 9/11 attacks.  But, I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.  Nothing to see here… move along.

Enron:

By all accounts, Enron concieved and initiated the weather derivatives market.

According to ‘Weather Derivatives’ by authors from the London School of Economics, the Swiss Finance Institute and the University of Geneva, “…electronic trading platforms have always played an important role in the development of the market, especially Enron’s platform in the early days.”

Enron initiated the weather derivatives market in Europe as well.  According to ‘Weather, Finance and Meteorology – forecasting and derivatives’ by Samuel Randalls, “In the UK, the first weather derivative deal was sold by Enron to Scottish Hydropower who, at that time, 1998, were taking part in a government pilot scheme for the privatization and deregulation of energy markets.”

In regards to Enron’s weather derivatives division known as ‘Enron Weather’, one of the co-authors of the book ‘Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room’, Bethany McLean wrote me that, “A guy named John Sherriff was pretty instrumental in starting it, but the woman who ran the business, whose name was Lynda Clemmons, ended up leaving for a reinsurer – can’t remember the name of it – long before Enron’s bankruptcy.”

Lynda Clemmons now works as an advisor at Vyapar Capital Market Partners; a big weather derivatives player.  John Sherriff is now the owner of Lake Tahoe Financial.

Market Participants:

The energy sector is the biggest buyer of weather derivatives because energy companies’ bottom lines and cash flows are largely affected by temperature fluctuations.  This is why temperature based weather derivatives are the most prevalent.

Energy companies produce more power and thus increase cash flows when the weather gets either hot or cold because people use more air conditioning when it is hot and more heat when it is cold.

The weather derivatives market was created with the energy sector in mind.  As we have seen, the market was founded by big energy players, most notably Enron.  According to a Chicago Mercantile Exchange brochure, the 65 degree baseline selected for determining daily index values was chosen by the energy industry.

The terms used to describe index values are Heating Degree Days (HDD) and Cooling Degree Days (CDD).  Heating Degree Days refer to the number of degrees Fahrenheit above 65 the average temperature of a Winter’s day is.  Cooling Degree Days refer to the number of degrees Fahrenheit below 65 degrees a Summer’s day is.

It is this way because 65 degrees is about the temperature where if it is warmer than that, people use more air conditioning and if it is cooler than that, people tend to use more heating.

Industry publications claim substantial non-financial or non-energy sector participation in the weather derivatives market.  Of businesses outside the finance or energy sectors, my investigation revealed very little participation.  It is unrealistic that, especially in the tough economy we’ve been having lately, an organizer of an outdoor event, let’s say, would first of all even be aware of weather derivatives, much less use the time, energy, expertise and money to buy such things.

Businesses outside of finance and energy usually use more traditional forms of insurance or hedge with commodities contracts.  Weather derivatives are almost entirely an energy and finance sector market.  There is hardly any retail investor activity here.

Industry publications also often claim that weather derivatives are used by energy companies only as hedges against unforeseen demand lapses.  If a particular Winter is too warm, for example, an energy company would not make as much money selling fuel as they would in an abnormally cold Winter.  But, the reasoning goes, if they have purchased a hedge in the form of weather derivatives, they can make up those losses.

I assert that weather derivatives are traded like any other Wall Street market.  To make a buck, they are traded any way possible.  Enron, the founder of the market is famous for their trading desk which specialized in arbitrage.

The Bloomberg article ‘Hedge Funds Pluck Money From Air in $19 Billion Weather Gamble’ had it right.  Nowhere in this article will you see any mention of non-financial or energy sector participation.

In fact, industry professionals are quoted as saying they are, “…using weather as market intelligence.”  And that their business is, “…like playing poker.”

Because both weather derivatives and energy futures rise and fall depending upon temperature, the two markets are related.  It is reasonable to assume that weather derivatives are traded in conjunction with energy futures.

Conclusions:

Are weather derivatives the reason chemtrails are sprayed?  I don’t know.  It’s very plausible.  I believe I have provided here a great circumstantial case.  The errant, singular chemtrail doesn’t support the ‘weather derivative market as a cause’ thesis because a lone chemtrail would not have a significant impact on temperature or any other atmospheric condition.

It might be done as a psychological operation.  But, when downtown Phoenix is gridded with chemtrails on an otherwise clear day, producing a haze which is totally foreign to that climate, temperature (which drives weather derivative and energy markets) is probably effected significantly.

Does anybody out there know of a study showing how much influence stratospheric aerosols have on temperature?  After a Google search, I couldn’t find one.  Although, I did see some stuff that seemed to suggest that aerosols can move temperature 2 degrees F or more.

Weather derivatives by themselves are big money gambles.  They may be valuable enough to make it worth putting planes up in the sky spraying stuff.  If you divide last year’s total market value ($12 billion) by the number of traded contracts (466,000), you get the average contract value which is $25,321.

A matter of a few degrees on a given day or group of days could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The current weather derivatives market may not be big enough to support all chemtrail activity, but if you factor in the related multi-trillion dollar energy futures markets and energy company revenues, I don’t have much doubt that there is enough to support it.

The fact that chemtrails are sprayed over mostly urban areas makes sense if one of the desired effects is manipulated power usage.  More people and therefore more power consumers affected per square mile means a more efficient operation.

The weather derivatives market and probably other opportunities were made possible by deregulation of the energy market.  Enron founded the weather derivatives market.  Was the Department of Energy in bed with Enron?  I wouldn’t doubt it.

The fact that Enron founded the market is very dubious.  This is a company whose accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, shredded more than a ton of their documents in one day as Enron’s chairman Ken Lay told everybody everything was fine.

When Enron CEO Lou Pai’s wife found out about his stripper girlfriend complete with his love child, she divorced him.  Enron’s bankruptcy resulted in at least 33 criminal charges against employees and executives.  People suffered under high power costs inflated by Enron.  W

hen Enron and their cronies intentionally disrupted power service as they were known to do, people were injured and died.  Who knows how many bodies they left?  These guys were not playing patty cakes.  These guys ARE the Nazi party.  Have you ever heard of something called ‘Operation Paperclip’?

If you like being ripped-off, beaten and murdered, you’ll love these guys.  Personally, I’m not into that.  I wouldn’t put anything past Enron.

Notes:

-’Weather Products; Managing global weather exposures. Growing opportunities. Reducing Risks’ Chicago Mercantile Exchange brochure 2009
‘Hedge Funds Pluck Money From Air in $19 Billion Weather Gamble’ by Peter Robison, Bloomberg Aug 1, 2007
‘Weather Derivatives Instruments and Pricing Issues’ by Financial Engineering Associates 2000
‘Weather Derivatives’ by Pauline Barrieu & Olivier Scaillet, London School of Economics, Swiss Finance Institute and University of Geneva 2008
‘Want a Weather Forecast? Ask Wall Street’ by Alice Gomstyn, Rich Blake and Dalia Fahmy ABC News 2010
‘Weather derivatives becoming hot commodities’ USA today 2008
‘Firing Up the Market for Weather Contracts’ by Antoine Gara, Bloomberg Businessweek 2011
‘OTC weather risk market grows 30% to $2.4bn’ by Charlotte Dudley, EnvironmentalFinance.com 2011
-’Introduction to Weather Derivatives’ by Geoffrey Considine, Ph.D.
‘Weather, Finance and Meteorology- forecasting and derivatives’ by Samuel Randalls School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham

WEBSITES:

wrma.org
cmegroup.com/trading/weather

The MURDOCH Empire and its Nest of VIPERS: #PhoneHacking :Anatomy of a cover-up – what QC's a...

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The Iraq war, the war logs, and accountability - a retrospective

Late this week, President Obama announced that US troops would be withdrawn from Iraq before the end of 2011.  To date, no US official has been held accountable for US policies leading to abuse in Iraq, or for the lies which started the war.  Despite the decreasing US presence in Iraq, the country has been permanently affected, and questions about accountability remain.

On 22 October 2010, WikiLeaks’ Iraq War Logs release triggered calls for accountability by UN officials, human rights organizations, and individuals worldwide.  One year later, we are looking back on the possible impact that the Iraq war logs may have on legal investigations into abuse, torture, and injustices carried out during the war.  We also look at the possible scope of the immediate and long-term impact on possible future accountability for human rights abuses committed by the US, it’s coalition partners, and the Iraqi government.

The Iraq war, the war logs, and accountability

Part I: Iraq War Logs initial reactions following the release – On 22 October 2010, WikiLeaks and its media partners The Guardian, the New York Times, Der Spiegel, Al Jazeera, and Le Monde began publishing articles based on an archive of 400,000 U.S. Army field reports from Iraq, followed by coverage from WikiLeaks partners The Independent, BBC Radio, Channel 4, SVT, and the Associated Press, and many other outlets.  In this article, we look at the reactions from human rights groups and veterans groups in the US, UN officials remarks and reactions, and their (still unanswered) calls for accountability.

Part II: The Iraq war logs and ongoing legal cases in the US – Despite US claims that the war logs contained “no new details” and general reluctance to launch investigations, the War Logs may contain information which is relevant to a number of ongoing legal cases in the US.  We take a look at cases against Blackwater and Donald Rumsfeld, what the war logs tell us about those cases, and prospects for accountability.

Part III: Investigation and in-depth analysis in the UK -  In this article, we take a look at ongoing public inquiries in the UK, the Ministry of Defense’s Iraq Historic Allegations Team investigation of troop abuses in Iraq, as well as Iraq casualty studies by Iraq Body Count and other academic studies and their policy implications.

Part IV: The Iraq war logs – Denmark, Sweden, and Norway – The Iraq War Logs showed that Denmark had taken more prisoners than previously disclosed, many whom ended up being tortured. While neither Sweden nor Norway has had a troop presence in Iraq, the war logs showed that weapons made in both countries have been the cause of much death in the country, in violation of arms exports regulations.

Note: The above articles are by no means comprehensive in scope; in particular we make little or no mention of many countries in the “coalition of the willing,” who contributed a great deal to the war and are mentioned numerous times in the War Logs. We welcome additional discussion and comments.

The Iraq war logs – a milestone in journalism

In May 2011, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism won the Digital Media Prize for its dedicated site to the Iraq War Logs as part of the 2011 Amnesty Media Awards. The awards honor “excellence in human rights reporting and acknowledge journalism’s significant contribution to the public’s awareness and understanding of human rights issues.” In addition, WikiLeaks has won numerous awards for press freedom and journalism since the release of the Iraq War Logs, including the Martha Gelhorn journalism prize and the José Couso award for Press Freedom.