Tuesday 28 March 2017

More Footage of Massive Explosion/s in Sanaa (reportedly some videographers killed), and The #US #Israel #Saudi "Good Neighbour" Policy: #Yemen #UnofficialNuclearProliferation #TacticalNukeStrike



Quote; "The U.S. provides planing, intelligence, air-refueling and the ammunition for the Saudi bombing. Without U.S. support this war would not happen at all!
The United Nation claims that the death toll of the war is a mere 5,000. Others speak of 7-8,000. These numbers are laughable. One Saudi attack alone, a "double tap" on a Sanaa funeral hall, killed more than 800. The real death toll of the war is by now likely beyond 100,000. Especially in north-west Yemen, along the Saudi border, each and every Yemeni town and city has been bombed into ruins. Where are the people who once lived there?
The Saudis have simply threatened the UN that they will stop to provide any money for any of its relief efforts should it it make any noise. The UN folded.
Yemen is starving. Even before the war 90% of Yemen's staple food was imported. The Saudis have since bombed each and every food production facility, chicken farm and port. All larger bridges have been cut. There is no longer any way to import food into the capital Sanaa and the other areas the Saudis besiege. Too small official relief efforts are still running through the Hodeida port on the western coast. The port itself is controlled by the Houthi/Saudi alliance the Saudi want to eliminate. But the port is blockaded from the water side. The Saudis navy and airforce destroys all ship who try to enter or leave it. Some official relief ships are allowed to pass but they have difficulties to unload. All large cranes in the harbor have been destroyed by air attacks.
Still - to deliberately starve off all of the 17 million Yemenis who are "food insecure", i.e. extremely hungry and nearly starved, the port needs to be closed down for good. That is why the UAE and the Saudi plan to invade, conquer and occupy it. The fighting about the port will be a good excuse to close it down for good until no one in Sanaa is left alive.
The Pentagon is now requesting a free hand to help the Saudis to conquer and occupy the Hodeida harbor*" Go to: http://www.moonofalabama.org/2017/03/us-to-escalate-its-two-years-war-on-starving-yemen.html#comments
for full article.

Quote; "...yesterday's rally in Sanaa,Yemen where up to 1 million people were condemning the war Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and the U.S. have been waging on them for two years.

Neither the New York Times nor the Washington Post reported of the million strong rally. Both though reported widely of a 8,000 strong demonstration in Moscow led by the ultra-nationalist anti-semitic racist Alexey Navalny. Navalny, who polls less than 1% in Russia, is their great and groundless hope to replace the Russian President Putin.

The war on Yemen was launched to show the manliness of the Saudi princes. Well, that may not be the proclaimed reason but it is the only one that makes sense. The U.S. takes part in the war because ... well - no one knows:

The morning after that NSC news release was posted on the White House webpage two years ago, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin, commander of the U.S. Central Command, was asked about the objectives of the U.S. support. His stunning reply remains the most accurate characterization from a U.S. official: I don't currently know the specific goals and objectives of the Saudi campaign, and I would have to know that to be able to assess the likelihood of success. Other than dropping weapons with an unconscionable lack of discrimination and proportionality, it appears there are no clear goals and objectives to this day.

The Saudis claim their coalition has dropped 90,000 bombs during the two year war. That is 123 bombs per day. 5 each and every hour for no good reason. It hasn't helped them at all. The Houthi/Saleh alliance the Saudis fight claims to have destroyed 176 AFVs, 643 MRAPs, 147 MBTs, 12 Apaches, 20 drones, 4 aircraft. Additionally 109 tactical ballistic missiles were fired. Many of those (certainly exaggerated) Houth/Saleh successes happened on Saudi ground. Its southern desert does not protect Saudi Arabia, it opens it up to attacks.

The U.S. provides planing, intelligence, air-refueling and the ammunition for the Saudi bombing. Without U.S. support this war would not happen at all!

The United Nation claims that the death toll of the war is a mere 5,000. Others speak of 7-8,000. These numbers are laughable. One Saudi attack alone, a "double tap" on a Sanaa funeral hall, killed more than 800. The real death toll of the war is by now likely beyond 100,000. Especially in north-west Yemen, along the Saudi border, each and every Yemeni town and city has been bombed into ruins. Where are the people who once lived there?

The Saudis have simply threatened the UN that they will stop to provide any money for any of its relief efforts should it it make any noise. The UN folded.

Yemen is starving. Even before the war 90% of Yemen's staple food was imported. The Saudis have since bombed each and every food production facility, chicken farm and port. All larger bridges have been cut. There is no longer any way to import food into the capital Sanaa and the other areas the Saudis besiege...small official relief efforts are still running through the Hodeida port on the western coast. The port itself is controlled by the Houthi/Saudi alliance the Saudi want to eliminate but the port is blockaded from the water side. The Saudis navy and airforce destroys all ship who try to enter or leave it. Some official relief ships are allowed to pass but they have difficulties to unload. All large cranes in the harbor have been destroyed by air attacks*.

Still - to deliberately starve off all of the 17 million Yemenis who are "food insecure", i.e. extremely hungry and nearly starved, the port needs to be closed down for good. That is why the UAE and the Saudi plan to invade, conquer and occupy it." Ref.. http://members5.boardhost.com/xxxxx/thread/1490705641.html

Quote; "In 1950 the Saudis transferred control, but in their view never sovereignty, over the islands to Egypt to protect them from what it claimed was the threat of an Israeli takeover. During a visit to Egypt by King Salman this past week, control was transferred back. (There is a reasonably fierce debate in Egypt over whether in fact President Sisi has unconstitutionally abandoned sovereign territory or anyway as fierce as debates can be given repression and censorship in Egypt.)

During the past few years we have heard repeatedly that relations between Israel and the Gulf Arab states were greatly improved because today they have common enemies in Iran and ISIS, and a common concern about the disappearance of American hegemony in the region. What happened with the two islands this week is proof that the improved relations really do exist.

For one thing, Saudi Arabia has apparently agreed to respect the terms of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty of 1979. When that treaty was signed in 1979, the Saudis denounced it and broke relations with Egypt. Times have changed. The treaty contains this clause:

The Parties consider the Strait of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba to be international waterways open to all nations for unimpeded and non-suspendable freedom of navigation and overflight. The parties will respect each other's right to navigation and overflight for access to either country through the Strait of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba.

So the Saudis are implicitly but clearly guaranteeing that they will not interfere with Israeli use of the Gulf of Aqaba, which provides access to the Israeli port city of Eilat.

Moreover, there is much talk of a bridge over the Gulf of Aqaba, from Sinai to Saudi Arabia. Discussions of this potential construction have apparently taken place, and Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia seem to be acting like..neighbors. That is, common sense is prevailing, rights are being respected, and while Israel and Saudi Arabia have no direct public contacts at all they are able to communicate and get business done*." Go to: http://blogs.cfr.org/abrams/2016/04/15/israel-and-saudi-arabia-good-neighbor-policy/ For full article.
*Italics mine.
Arafel: They're able to, "get business done" alright..for so far (even "unofficially"), Saudi Arabia is not supposed to posses any nuclear strike capacity. The "glue" in this situation is undoubtedly (and transparently let's face it), The State Dept. even though "The Good Shepherd" has been keeping his hirsute visage as close to the Egyptian soil as possible concerning same.

Also see:  https://gkhales.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/further-video-of-yemen-tactical-nuke.html
& "Yemeni girl Yara talks about the Saudi-led coalition war on Yemen and sends a message to world" Go to: https://twitter.com/akram1_1/status/856604224368463872

Thursday 23 March 2017

Bad Air: The Reason for Southampton (U.K)'s Toxic Atmosphere #ISDE #ToxicWatch #Incineration #OilIndustry

Quote; "It has been estimated that the lives of 40,000 to 50,000 people in the UK are ended prematurely every year because of the air we breathe. Worldwide, the WHO said the problem was causing more than three million premature deaths a year.
Ten towns and cities in the UK, including London, Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham, Southampton and Oxford, were found to have breached what are regarded as safe levels of tiny particles known as PM10. And 39 urban areas also breached the safe levels for another measure known as PM2.5.
Dr Flavia Bustreo, WHO’s assistant-director general for family, women and children’s health, spelled out the situation in no uncertain terms.
“Air pollution is a major cause of disease and death,” she said."...
“It is deeply concerning that 40 UK towns and cities are failing to meet WHO standards for the smallest, most harmful pollution particles. 
“These particles are able to reach deep into our lungs and even into our bloodstream, and can have a serious impact on our breathing and wider health.
“It is clear from this report that the UK is facing an air pollution crisis. Unfortunately, the Government's response so far has been inadequate.
“Swift action must be taken to reduce pollution levels in the UK and protect our lung health.”
Go to: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/dozens-of-british-cities-are-breaching-air-pollution-limits-in-public-health-crisis-a7025401.html For full article.


Quote; "The formidable issue of nanoparticles.

There is nothing new about nanoparticles, which are particle of less than one micron in diameter. They are produced in any high temperature combustion which includes vehicles, coal-fired power stations, industrial boilers etc. What is new is nanotechnology where these particles, which have very unusual properties, are being used in many commercial products from shaving cream to tennis rackets. This has raised the question of whether they have any negative health effects. That question has given rise to a new discipline called nanotoxicology. It turns out that these particles have exquisite biological properties which are very worrying. They are so tiny that they can cross the lung membrane and enter the bloodstream. Once there they can enter every tissue in the body including the brain. The problem with incineration is twofold: a) because every object in commerce is likely to end up in an incinerator any toxic element used in these products is likely to end up in the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles from incinerators are the most dangerous of any common source. b) There are NO regulations in the world for the monitoring nanoparticles from incinerators. In most countries the particles regulated are 10 microns and above.In some countries they regulate particles at 2.5 microns. But neither standard comes close to monitoring nanoparticles. We are flying blind on this crucial issue." Go to: https://gkhales.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-great-dragon-incineration-what-you.html 


This map makes it clear..



Quote; Southampton, the biggest cruise port in Britain, has no way of monitoring air pollution generated by emissions from the largest ships in the world.
A BBC investigation reveals Southampton docks does not monitor its air pollution rates, despite the city being among the most polluted in the UK.
Southampton City Council estimates the port contributes up to 23 per cent of air pollution in the city.
Ships can use a "plug-in" system to reduce emissions but not in the UK.
It comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) called Southampton one of the most polluted cities in the UK.
The city's port welcomes thousands of ships a year, including some of the biggest cruise liners and container ships in the world.
The vessels leave their engines running while docked to power their electrics, but elsewhere in the world ships use a shore-based electricity supply, virtually eliminating their emissions." Go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-39181972 For full article.

Quote; "Defra issue Press Release


Defra have announced that Southampton City Council will receive £892,000 as part of an annual funding pot to tackle air quality locally.

The Air Quality Grant programme has awarded more than £52 million to a variety of projects since it started in 1997 and helps local authorities tackle air quality in their areas to reduce the impact on people’s health and create cleaner and healthier environments.

This year’s Air Quality Grant programme will focus on supporting schemes set up to tackle nitrogen dioxide levels.

Projects include a £253,880 scheme in Southampton and Eastleigh to support the uptake of low emission taxis and private hire vehicles, and a £99,000 scheme to fund environmentally friendly driver training on the council’s vehicle fleet.
The city is already one of five – including Nottingham, Birmingham, Derby and Leeds – to be designated as a Clean Air Zone as part of the government’s national air quality plan."" Go to: https://www.southampton.gov.uk/news/article.aspx?id=tcm:63-391499 
For full article.

Arafel: Smells suspiciously like throwing money at the problem and as the problem would seem to be the docks and the commercial and municipal waste incinerators in Hythe and around Fawley one might observe, "straight on to the fire"! As a Sotonian of some 30 years standing I can tell you that Southampton's air quality has always been an issue (my mother and father both lived/live in rural areas so I have always noted the extreme contrast in air quality when returning from holiday visits), but even more so now with the addition of the large municipal waste incinerator in Marchwood.


Quote; "Why is it that our local councils can only afford to collect our recyclable and non-recycled goods separately on a fortnightly basis?
The answer is that the government invests half the waste management budget in municipal waste incineration.
Government investment in the incinerator option meant that the current Unitary Authority of Southampton was presented with a 'fait accompli', before the dissolution of the former Hampshire County Council and therefore before a Southampton area majority against the decision could become effective in council. A process in which certain media institutions in the city colluded.
Everywhere incinerators scrounge oil based wastes from the waste stream. In N.Ireland a member of The Environment Committee in the national government, who had made his name in the waste management business, was exposed as flogging non-sorted waste from his recycling plant to the municipal waste incinerator in Liverpool!
The national government invests half our money in recycling (really?), and half in incineration. Unfortunately one represents a sustainable technology the other does not (think about it; oil is consumed, it is never made re-useable, by incineration).
No one has so far stood to account for the Liverpool Incinerator's actions, again why?
(Materials Reclamation Facility known as "Murph", never buy a used anything from this Irishman!)
The oxymoron that is "An Unsustainable Economy" will surely be understood as such by any generations we may be fortunate enough to be the antecedents of.
Also, I too was in favour of waste incineration when the idea was first mooted in the early '80s, however logical analysis shows (as it does with the Nuclear Power/CO2 production debate), that the philosophy which informs the idea is (unfortunately), redundant." Go to: https://gkhales.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/whats-that-coming-over-hill.html

Quote; "The main purpose of ISDE is to help defend our environment both locally and globally to prevent numerous illnesses, ensure the necessary conditions for health, and improve the quality of life. In order to safeguard the health of our own generation and of future ones, we must care for the environment.
ISDE was established as a tool for educating and updating physicians and the general public, and stimulating awareness and initiatives by public and private bodies, in particular governmental agencies.
The Association intends to reach out to all, as fellow citizens of the world" Go to: http://www.isde.org/
For full article.
 
Quote; "It is predicted that Japan and European Union will soon experience appreciable decreases in their populations due to persistently low total fertility rates (TFR) below replacement level (2.1 child per woman). In the United States, where TFR has also declined, there are ethnic differences. Caucasians have rates below replacement, while TFRs among African-Americans and Hispanics are higher. We review possible links between TFR and trends in a range of male reproductive problems, including testicular cancer, disorders of sex development, cryptorchidism, hypospadias, low testosterone levels, poor semen quality, childlessness, changed sex ratio, and increasing demand for assisted reproductive techniques. We present evidence that several adult male reproductive problems arise in utero and are signs of testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS). Although TDS might result from genetic mutations, recent evidence suggests that it most often is related to environmental exposures of the fetal testis. However, environmental factors can also affect the adult endocrine system. Based on our review of genetic and environmental factors, we conclude that environmental exposures arising from modern lifestyle, rather than genetics, are the most important factors in the observed trends*" Go to: http://physrev.physiology.org/content/96/1/55
For full article. *Italics mine.
Arafel archive:
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001227535/police-officers-injured-as-kajiado-residents-protest-against-hazardous-waste-treatment-plant
https://gkhales.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/incineration-in-mainstream.html
https://gkhales.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-great-dragon-incineration-what-you.html
https://gkhales.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/incineration-zerowaste-work-of-drpaul.html

Quote; "Short-term exposure of humans to high levels of dioxins may result in skin lesions, such as chloracne and patchy darkening of the skin, and altered liver function. Long-term exposure is linked to:

  • Impairment reproductive functions
  • Congenital disorders
  • Endocrine disruption
  • Decrease in lung function
  • Decrease in the production of platelets
  • Impairment of the immune system
  • Higher risk of cancer
  • Affects the thyroid
  • Hepatotoxity (chemical driven liver damage)
  • Bad teeth
  • Delayed puberty
  • Impairment of the developing nervous system,
  • Disorders in the intellectual development of the brain" Go to: http://toxicowatch.wixsite.com/toxicowatch/dioxins For full article.

Thursday 2 March 2017

Squaring the Circle: #Intersectionalities #SERCO #Mercer #CambridgeAnalytica

or...; "There's always trouble at passes"..


Analytica
Quote; "“This is a propaganda machine. It’s targeting people individually to recruit them to an idea. It’s a level of social engineering that I’ve never seen before. They’re capturing people and then keeping them on an emotional leash and never letting them go,” said professor Jonathan Albright."...
"a Weaponized AI Propaganda Machine being used to manipulate our opinions and behavior to advance specific political agendas.

By leveraging automated emotional manipulation alongside swarms of bots, Facebook dark posts, A/B testing, and fake news networks, a company called Cambridge Analytica has activated an invisible machine that preys on the personalities of individual voters to create large shifts in public opinion. Many of these technologies have been used individually to some effect before, but together they make up a nearly impenetrable voter manipulation machine that is quickly becoming the new deciding factor in elections around the world.

Most recently, Analytica helped elect U.S. President Donald Trump, secured a win for the Brexit Leave campaign, and led Ted Cruz’s 2016 campaign surge, shepherding him from the back of the GOP primary pack to the front.

The company is owned and controlled by conservative and alt-right interests that are also deeply entwined in the Trump administration. The Mercer family is both a major owner of Cambridge Analytica and one of Trump’s biggest donors. Steve Bannon, in addition to acting as Trump’s Chief Strategist and a member of the White House Security Council, is a Cambridge Analytica board member. Until recently, Analytica’s CTO was the acting CTO at the Republican National Convention*." Go to: https://scout.ai/story/the-rise-of-the-weaponized-ai-propaganda-machine For full article.

*Italics mine.
 

 Deutsche Bank Suicides 

 
Quote; "Calogero Gambino, 41, was found hanging by the neck from a stairway banister, reports the Wall Street Journal.
He was found by his wife, and pronounced dead at the scene, New York City officials told the paper.
Gambino, an associate general counsel and managing director, had worked for Deutsche Bank for 11 years.
He had worked closely for the bank on legal issues relating to the Libor scandal, after regulators started investigating the company in 2012.
He was also an associate at a private law firm and a regulatory enforcement lawyer between 1997 and 1999, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing Gambino's LinkedIn profile and conference biographies.
"Charlie was a beloved and respected colleague who we will miss. Our thoughts and sympathy are with his friends and family," Deutsche Bank said in a statement.
The bank has been battling allegations that employees manipulated the Libor benchmark interest rate as well as currency markets."Go to: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/second-deutsche-bank-executive-found-dead-suspected-suicide-1471744 For full article.

"How Much does a Grecian Earn?"
Quote; "European Union officials are urging Greece and its creditors to strike a financial aid deal for the country quickly to safeguard economic recovery. However, Athens has refused a demand from its creditors for more austerity measures.
The Greek government said it would not ask for “a euro more” from its impoverished citizens.

Failure to agree on debt relief and economic reforms raises doubts over the future of the €86 billion Greek bailout program, with new aid withheld until the talks move from deadlock." Go to: https://www.rt.com/business/377686-greece-no-euro-more-austerity/ For full article.


The Old Divides?
Quote; "The imbalances in the economic strength of euro area countries make the continued function of the single currency area a primary concern, said former US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan in an interview with the World Gold Council.  He suggests the inequality is largely down to a north/south geographical divide which means the division between the northern and southern EU countries is too big. The bloc's more prosperous nations such as Germany consistently fund the deficits of those in the south, and that simply can't go on, said Greenspan.
"The European Central Bank (ECB) has greater problems than the Federal Reserve. The asset side of the ECB’s balance sheet is larger than ever before, having grown steadily since Mario Draghi said he would do whatever it took to preserve the euro,” he said.
“And I have grave concerns about the future of the euro itself… The eurozone is not working", added Greenspan." Go to: https://www.rt.com/business/377677-greenspan-eurozone-not-working/ For full article.

Arafel comment: North and South? You might just as well say, "beat the w*ps!" Surely returning the Grecians their marbles would be an anti-imperialist act (for it is the imperialists who have championed "The Greater Europe's" unconsidered eastern expansionism -is it any wonder that; "The centre cannot hold"?-)? Please see; "Sophie's Choice (again)", go to: https://gkhales.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/sophies-choice-again-brexit.html
and the archive on; "A Place to Talk" especially all titles concerning "The Omerta", go to: https://gkhales.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/a-place-to-talk.html

Intersections 
Quote; ""Minority Report"?
Posted by Gerard in reply to "Good point. I suppose you could say it's a marketing concept (which only makes it more perverse)?nm"

..the intersectionalities which truly exist are subverted by algorithmic profiling that by identifying (according to the "pursuit of happiness" individual profit motive), "new" groups or "segments" then attempts to create or "encourage" (depending on the degree of development of the perceived or potential grouping), both them and the artificial intersectionalities they themselves create. We might see these new segments and intersections as "counter-revolutionary" (in a literal way in that they interrupt the cyclical movements of true commerce -a form of sabotage-, for true commerce recognises that the efficiency of a thing is also in its lifespan and repair-ability -that is if the manufacture of the repair is itself efficient, "planned obsolescence" is antithetical to the pursuit of sustainability and the protection/encouragement of biodiversity-, the "pursuit of happiness" model of economic growth does not, instead it attempts to optimize short-term profit for the minimum number of individuals), or even "5th Column" for they are designed to eradicate or prevent the evolution of consciousness within pre-existing "classes" or "segments" (or potential what one might term, "natural" groupings), and replace that consciousness with another "ready-made" alternative, such consciousness is also vital to the recognition of "sameness" between the segments (the "intersectionalities"), and therefore this too is deliberately disrupted and manipulated (interesting that this should highlight how Marxist analysis of economically determined relationships should still have relevance once removed from the anachronistic context of the Industrial Revolution)."


Frequency..
Posted by Gerard in reply to "Mosaic"
The neo-con dream is the natural denouement of the "manifest destiny" of capitalism, agreed? Does not the articulation of the profit motive when untrammeled result in a shorter and shorter frequency between periods of crisis when resources must be somehow replenished? Do we observe a true schism between the law of supply and demand and the activities of monopolistic commerce?" Posts to The Lifeboat News Message Board, view thread: http://members5.boardhost.com/xxxxx/thread/1484201635.html


More About Mercer
 
Quote: "The fuel behind Mercer's influence are the absurd sums of money he approves at the investment company he runs, Renaissance Technologies, based on Long Island. Its famed Medallion Fund is one of the most successful hedge funds in investing history. Averaging 72% returns before fees, over more than 20 years. A statistic that baffles analysts, and outranks the profitability of other competing funds, like the ones George Soros and Warren Buffet run. In 2015, Mercer had single-handedly catapulted Cruz to the front of the Republican field. Throwing more than $13 million into a super PAC he created for the now failed candidate. But with the Trump campaign faltering, and struggling for support, there's a second chance for the Mercers to make a big bet.
The Trump campaign is well aware of this, in fact, sources within Mercer's super PAC would later tell Bloomberg News that shortly after Cruz drops out of the race, Ivanka Trump and her wealthy developer husband Jared Kushner, approach the Mercers, asking if they'd be willing to shift their support behind Trump. The answer is an eventual, but resounding yes.
In the months leading up to Trump's presidential win, the Mercers would prove a formidable force. Beginning after the disastrous Republican Convention in July, they would furnish the Trump campaign with millions of dollars, and new leadership, but they would also furnish it with something more -- a vast network of non-profits, strategists, media companies, research institutions and super PACs that they themselves funded and largely controlled." Go to: http://therealnews.com/t2/component/content/article/250-article-with-comment/3021-the-bizarre-far-right-billionaire-behind-bannon-and-trumps-presidency For full article.

Quote; "But there was another reason why I recognised Robert Mercer’s name: because of his connection to Cambridge Analytica, a small data analytics company. He is reported to have a $10m stake in the company, which was spun out of a bigger British company called SCL Group. It specialises in “election management strategies” and “messaging and information operations”, refined over 25 years in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. In military circles this is known as “psyops” – psychological operations. (Mass propaganda that works by acting on people’s emotions.)
 Cambridge Analytica worked for the Trump campaign and, so I’d read, the Leave campaign. When Mercer supported Cruz, Cambridge Analytica worked with Cruz. When Robert Mercer started supporting Trump, Cambridge Analytica came too. And where Mercer’s money is, Steve Bannon is usually close by: it was reported that until recently he had a seat on the board.
Last December, I wrote about Cambridge Analytica in a piece about how Google’s search results on certain subjects were being dominated by rightwing and extremist sites. Jonathan Albright, a professor of communications at Elon University, North Carolina, who had mapped the news ecosystem and found millions of links between rightwing sites “strangling” the mainstream media, told me that trackers from sites like Breitbart could also be used by companies like Cambridge Analytica to follow people around the web and then, via Facebook, target them with ads." Go to: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/26/robert-mercer-breitbart-war-on-media-steve-bannon-donald-trump-nigel-farage For full article....
..and again from "The Guardian", quote; "The US billionaire who helped bankroll Donald Trump’s campaign for the presidency played a key role in the campaign for Britain to leave the EU, the Observer has learned.
It has emerged that Robert Mercer, a hedge-fund billionaire, who helped to finance the Trump campaign and who was revealed this weekend as one of the owners of the rightwing Breitbart News Network, is a long-time friend of Nigel Farage. He directed his data analytics firm to provide expert advice to the Leave campaign on how to target swing voters via Facebook – a donation of services that was not declared to the electoral commission*." Go to: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/26/us-billionaire-mercer-helped-back-brexit For full article.

*Italics mine.
 
SERCO?
 
Quote; "Why has Serco been awarded the contract to continue running Yarl’s Wood? Yarl’s Wood is the notorious immigration removal centre for women (mainly) in Bedfordshire; and in 2013, Serco was outed by The Guardian as “the company that is running Britain”. Increasingly, it seems to be running the world, employing 120,000 people in 30 countries, and providing services as diverse as driving tests in Canada, air traffic control in the United Arab Emirates, and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in the United States. With a portfolio like this, you might think that Serco is universally acclaimed as a first-rate provider. Yet the announcement of the renewal of the Yarl’s Wood contract was greeted by widespread disapproval.  Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, was quoted in The Independent expressing disappointment that the contract had been renewed before an independent inquiry into the running of Yarl’s Wood had taken place, pointing out that “too often, Serco’s Yarl’s Wood operation appears to have fallen below the high standards we would expect”." Go to: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/11/why-has-serco-been-awarded-contract-continue-running-yarl-s-wood  For full article.

Quote; "Serco run navy patrol boats for the ADF, as well as search and salvage operations through their partnership with P&O which form Maritime Defence Services.
Serco run two Australian Jails already, Acacia in WA and Borallon in Queensland
Theyre one of the biggest companies In the UK for running electronic tagging of offenders under house arrest or parole.
Serco are in one of the two favoured bid consortiums for the new Sydney metro rail line.
Here are some amazing corporate videos from Serco, we fully recommend both if you're a fan of Verhoeven-esque corporate propaganda." Go to: https://jhaines6.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/serco-the-biggest-company-youve-never-heard-of-mirror-whoops-looks-like-i-opened-a-can-of-worms-with-my-question-about-this-company-j/
For full article and: http://www.abeldanger.net/2017/02/2912-can-trump-purge-fake-news-sercos.html#more (thank you for leaving the link as comment "AD"!)

Arafel; "Ex-Lloyds Libor traders hauled in by fraud squad as part of its ongoing probe into manipulation of the benchmark rate" Go to: http://www.cityam.com/260120/ex-lloyds-libor-traders-hauled-fraud-squad-part-its-ongoing?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=dvTwitter