Politics

After four and a half days of representations from the City of London Corporation, Occupy London (represented by John Cooper QC and Michael Paget on behalf of named defendant Tammy Samede) and two litigants in person, George Barda and Daniel Ashman, the OccupyLSX hearing has concluded at the High Court with Christmas wishes being given to and by all concerned.

All eyes are on Iowa this week, as the hodgepodge field of Republican contenders gallivants across that farm state seeking a win, or at least “momentum,” in the campaign for the party’s presidential nomination. But behind the scenes, a battle is being waged by Republicans—not against each other, but against American voters.

Arab League observers headed by Sudanese General Mustafa al Dabi, accompanied by government representatives, returned to Homs, epicentre of anti-government protests, for a second visit. Based on first statements to the press, Dabi said that the situation is Homs appeared “reassuring”, bur “further investigations” are needed, and that “20 experts will remain for some time”.

“Singing to freedom”, a film about the Syrian uprising, featuring: Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein, Amy Goodman, Erica Chenoweth and the Syrian protesters.
This video is about civil resistance in Syria, it presents some of the pragmatic arguments that the powerful force of nonviolent resistance is using successfully in order to bring down dictatorship.

While Europeans were busily preparing for the festive season, Brussels quietly published a document that will have far-reaching consequences for everyone’s ability to see what they want on the internet. Plans contained in the CleanIt Project are supposed to create a clean internet without any terrorists/extremists. The new blueprint for the internet is a dangerous development.

Members of the hacking group Anonymous have claimed credit for hacking into the website of the global intelligence company Stratfor and then making donations to charities using credit card information found unsecured on the Stratfor website. The hacking group also released the information on 4,000 credit cards owned by subscribers of Stratfor’s products.

Speaking of the ‘network’, the model and the tool need to be distinguished. As a tool, the network has limitations (such as accessibility); as a model, it can inspire a reconceptualization of the politics in which and whereby information passes from any node to any node, without having to be filtered through the ‘middlemen’.

Fifteen years under house arrest has been used by Daw Suu to develop a spiritual way of life that is the core of her being. As others have observed, this is why she always talks of a ‘revolution of the spirit’. Her insistence on non-violence and non-confrontation, compassion and equality are not mere adjuncts to her political stance, they are part of her spiritual path.

Accused whistle-blower Pvt. Bradley Manning turned 24 Saturday. He spent his birthday in a pretrial military hearing that could ultimately lead to a sentence of life … or death. Manning stands accused of causing the largest leak of government secrets in United States history. More on Manning shortly. First, a reminder of what he is accused of leaking.

After days of completing the prisoners swap deal between Hamas Movement and Israel resulting the release of 1027 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli soldier Gila’ad Shalit, Israel has begun a new escalation against the Palestinian detainees in a clear
violation of their basic rights and an attempt to begin a new system purposes to increase prisoners’ suffering.