In an interesting political move by Russia, RT has managed to secure exclusive TV rights with Julian Assange. Starting some time in March, Julian Assange will have his own talk show on RT that will give Assange a worldwide platform to present his views. Ever since his ridiculous arrest, Wikileaks has suffered miserably. Hopefully, this will not only revitalize Wikileaks, but also provide activists around the world a means to polarize their views.

Cyberspace's most famous activist, Julian Assange, is launching his own talkshow, to be broadcast on RT. The program, written and hosted by the founder of whistle-blowing site Wikileaks, will focus on his favorite topic: controversy.

The show, arguably the most anticipated news series of 2012, will feature ten "iconoclasts, visionaries and power insiders" – people Assange can clearly identify with, being a rather controversial figure himself. The 40-year-old Australian media and internet entrepreneur will get to talk about the issues of the day with those he believes will shape "the world tomorrow."

In his own words, the world-famous Wikileaks founder is "a pioneer of a more just world and a victim of political repression" which is why he promises to deliver a new type of television. Many are already wondering whether it will be as explosive as the biggest mass disclosure of secret documents in US history, also orchestrated by Assange and his team.

The show will be filmed at the very location that Julian Assange has been under house arrest for the last year and a half, with the first episode to be shot just a week before Assange's Supreme Court hearing in the UK. He has been on conditional bail for 414 days, with no charges officially filed, as he fights extradition to Sweden.

Source: rt.com

I feel that this is a great move by RT and an even better move for Assange. Julian Assange has secured a spot in todays politics as a rebel and voice. With massive support by the Occupy movement, Anonymous and many other underground activist movements, Assange's TV role could be a spark that gathers substantially more support to his cause. 

RT is keeping a tight lid on possible guests, as well as details about the episodes themselves, but I am sure that this will soon change. I will do my best to keep this updated on Mizozo as news surfaces.

In an interesting political move by Russia, RT has managed to secure exclusive TV rights with Julian Assange. Starting some time in March, Julian Assange will have his own talk show on RT that will give Assange a worldwide platform to present his views. Ever since his ridiculous arrest, Wikileaks has suffered miserably. Hopefully, this will not only revitalize Wikileaks, but also provide activists around the world a means to polarize their views.

Cyberspace's most famous activist, Julian Assange, is launching his own talkshow, to be broadcast on RT. The program, written and hosted by the founder of whistle-blowing site Wikileaks, will focus on his favorite topic: controversy.

The show, arguably the most anticipated news series of 2012, will feature ten "iconoclasts, visionaries and power insiders" – people Assange can clearly identify with, being a rather controversial figure himself. The 40-year-old Australian media and internet entrepreneur will get to talk about the issues of the day with those he believes will shape "the world tomorrow."

In his own words, the world-famous Wikileaks founder is "a pioneer of a more just world and a victim of political repression" which is why he promises to deliver a new type of television. Many are already wondering whether it will be as explosive as the biggest mass disclosure of secret documents in US history, also orchestrated by Assange and his team.

The show will be filmed at the very location that Julian Assange has been under house arrest for the last year and a half, with the first episode to be shot just a week before Assange's Supreme Court hearing in the UK. He has been on conditional bail for 414 days, with no charges officially filed, as he fights extradition to Sweden.

Source: rt.com

I feel that this is a great move by RT and an even better move for Assange. Julian Assange has secured a spot in todays politics as a rebel and voice. With massive support by the Occupy movement, Anonymous and many other underground activist movements, Assange's TV role could be a spark that gathers substantially more support to his cause. 

RT is keeping a tight lid on possible guests, as well as details about the episodes themselves, but I am sure that this will soon change. I will do my best to keep this updated on Mizozo as news surfaces.

Ever since its inception, the Occupy Wall Street movement has been a thorn in the side of American politicians. Both Democrats and Republicans have done their best to distance themselves from the movement with wide ranging accusations from domestic terrorists to dirty hippies. It isn't in any politicians interest to see the Occupy movement succeed because it will strip them of their lifeblood, funding from big business.

OWS complaints have been differing between groups, but one thing is clear ... separation of Business and State. The fact that the 1% control the USA bothers the 99% to no ends. It is well understood that US democracy is a sham, the people vote but the 1% control the elected official regardless of who. This fact has been known for generations, but now the people have had enough and are making a statement.

This first major attempt by the USA to quash the OWS protesters is a sure sign that politicians, and the 1%, gravely fear the OWS movement. At first they played them off as a bunch of hippies, and some politicians escalated their accusations almost to domestic terrorists, but now we see how yellow these politicians truly are. In the name of safety, the NYC police department not only evicted the protesters at Zucotti park, they initiated a complete media blackout to ensure that the police brutality was in no way recorded. Journalists from around the world were beaten and molested, while protesters felt the wrath of police substantially worse. This has been going on throughout the Occupy movements within the USA, but the OWS movement was hit most savagely.

There is little doubt that the OWS protesters will return, and likely in greater number, but the aggressiveness of the police shows how scared they truly are. Those that are protesting, if you truly believe ion your cause you must stand your ground because things are about to get much worse. 

Ever since its inception, the Occupy Wall Street movement has been a thorn in the side of American politicians. Both Democrats and Republicans have done their best to distance themselves from the movement with wide ranging accusations from domestic terrorists to dirty hippies. It isn't in any politicians interest to see the Occupy movement succeed because it will strip them of their lifeblood, funding from big business.

OWS complaints have been differing between groups, but one thing is clear ... separation of Business and State. The fact that the 1% control the USA bothers the 99% to no ends. It is well understood that US democracy is a sham, the people vote but the 1% control the elected official regardless of who. This fact has been known for generations, but now the people have had enough and are making a statement.

This first major attempt by the USA to quash the OWS protesters is a sure sign that politicians, and the 1%, gravely fear the OWS movement. At first they played them off as a bunch of hippies, and some politicians escalated their accusations almost to domestic terrorists, but now we see how yellow these politicians truly are. In the name of safety, the NYC police department not only evicted the protesters at Zucotti park, they initiated a complete media blackout to ensure that the police brutality was in no way recorded. Journalists from around the world were beaten and molested, while protesters felt the wrath of police substantially worse. This has been going on throughout the Occupy movements within the USA, but the OWS movement was hit most savagely.

There is little doubt that the OWS protesters will return, and likely in greater number, but the aggressiveness of the police shows how scared they truly are. Those that are protesting, if you truly believe ion your cause you must stand your ground because things are about to get much worse. 

When it comes to propaganda, nobody is more convincing than the USA. The current anti-Iranian rhetoric being spewed out of Washington is, at times, sickening. I am not in any way trying to defend Iran, I have no love for the nation, however when it comes to deceiving its people, all nations need to be called out on this, USA especially.

Recently the US administration attacked Iran over an alleged plot to kill a Saudi Ambassador. The plot was convoluted and obviously setup by amateurs, yet the Obama administration insisted, and still insists, that the plot was the brainchild of the Iranian government. Very little evidence was ever produced to justify these claims, however the American people weren't informed of this a great deal by the Mainstream media. 

Over the subsequent weeks, international criticism arose about these claims, and virtually all independant news sources agree that the released evidence in no way suggests an Iranian Government connection. All mainstream media outlets loyal to the US administration glossed over this fact, but none the less the fact remains. To this day, with no additional evidence coming forward, the US administration still insists that this was an Iranian plot. Luckily, the Saudi government have toned down their rhetoric.

It seems that Iran has had enough of these lies. The current administration led by Ahmadinejad have repeatedly claimed that these false accusations were conspired to help cement the anti-Iranian fever that is gripping America. At this point, Iran has had enough.

According to Iran's state run Press TV:

In a recent letter to the US government, Iran has insisted that American authorities must publicly apologise to the Iranian government and its citizens for the false accusations they publicised against Tehran in violation of international norms and regulations.Source: Guardian

While very few people truly know what really went on, from day one it was reasonably obvious that the assassination plot had nothing to do with Iran's government. Even if they wanted to kill the man, the act of doing so would do substantially more harm than good. It is hard to believe that anyone in power would ever allow for such an act to take place.

Considering the US administration have yet to acknowledge that it is possible that Iran had nothing to do with the assassination attempt, it is unlikely that any apology is forthcoming. However, if enough noise is made, maybe at least a few Americans will learn the truth.

When it comes to propaganda, nobody is more convincing than the USA. The current anti-Iranian rhetoric being spewed out of Washington is, at times, sickening. I am not in any way trying to defend Iran, I have no love for the nation, however when it comes to deceiving its people, all nations need to be called out on this, USA especially.

Recently the US administration attacked Iran over an alleged plot to kill a Saudi Ambassador. The plot was convoluted and obviously setup by amateurs, yet the Obama administration insisted, and still insists, that the plot was the brainchild of the Iranian government. Very little evidence was ever produced to justify these claims, however the American people weren't informed of this a great deal by the Mainstream media. 

Over the subsequent weeks, international criticism arose about these claims, and virtually all independant news sources agree that the released evidence in no way suggests an Iranian Government connection. All mainstream media outlets loyal to the US administration glossed over this fact, but none the less the fact remains. To this day, with no additional evidence coming forward, the US administration still insists that this was an Iranian plot. Luckily, the Saudi government have toned down their rhetoric.

It seems that Iran has had enough of these lies. The current administration led by Ahmadinejad have repeatedly claimed that these false accusations were conspired to help cement the anti-Iranian fever that is gripping America. At this point, Iran has had enough.

According to Iran's state run Press TV:

In a recent letter to the US government, Iran has insisted that American authorities must publicly apologise to the Iranian government and its citizens for the false accusations they publicised against Tehran in violation of international norms and regulations.Source: Guardian

While very few people truly know what really went on, from day one it was reasonably obvious that the assassination plot had nothing to do with Iran's government. Even if they wanted to kill the man, the act of doing so would do substantially more harm than good. It is hard to believe that anyone in power would ever allow for such an act to take place.

Considering the US administration have yet to acknowledge that it is possible that Iran had nothing to do with the assassination attempt, it is unlikely that any apology is forthcoming. However, if enough noise is made, maybe at least a few Americans will learn the truth.

For those following the Occupy protests gripping the USA, and some parts of the rest of the world, the recent action of the Oakland Police Force has left the majority in awe and you can skip to the second paragraph below the video. For the rest, here is a quick rundown. As protesters marched onto Oakland's center, the Police Dept decided that dispersal was necessary. Who gave the order is unclear, but the fact that the Police opted to use Tear Gas followed by Flash Grenades is a sure sign of how serious the Police felt about their actions. At first, the police denied the use of Flash Grenades, but there was plenty of video footage, as the one below, to prove the police were lying. The problem is that the Police decided to take it one step further and use rubber bullets. One of the rubber bullets struck an Iraqi vet, Scott Olsen, who was in the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, leaving his face bruised and bloodied. This outraged the public, and the military especially. It is unfortunate that the military our out in the world fighting for the freedoms of American citizens, only having to be shot by police when trying to express said freedoms.

In the image above you can see a Marine who started a Reddit thread discussing his outrage. This thread has exploded, being echoed all over the Internet.

Likewise, more protesters flooded the streets of Oakland demanding the resignation of Oaklands Mayor, Jean Quan, who was already deeply despised in Oakland well before the Occupy movement made it to the city. Jean Quan insists that the Police actions were justified, further enraging the public.

Now it seems that Anonymous has also stepped in. Seeing as how Occupy Oakland is under attack by those who are expected to maintain peace, law and order, retaliation is in order. The Doxing of Oakland police will begin today, and all those involved will be exposed for the criminals that they are. It is unfortunate that the Occupy movements are being met with Police violence. While I understand the need to disperse protesters at time, Flash Grenades and Rubber bullets are extreme. These chosen methods only help to solidify the claims being made by the occupy movements, further drawing people to its cause. 

Below is a short clip of Scott Olsen after he was struck by the rubber bullet. Unfortunately I can't find any information on his current situation, once this information becomes public I will be sure to post a follow up.

For those following the Occupy protests gripping the USA, and some parts of the rest of the world, the recent action of the Oakland Police Force has left the majority in awe and you can skip to the second paragraph below the video. For the rest, here is a quick rundown. As protesters marched onto Oakland's center, the Police Dept decided that dispersal was necessary. Who gave the order is unclear, but the fact that the Police opted to use Tear Gas followed by Flash Grenades is a sure sign of how serious the Police felt about their actions. At first, the police denied the use of Flash Grenades, but there was plenty of video footage, as the one below, to prove the police were lying. The problem is that the Police decided to take it one step further and use rubber bullets. One of the rubber bullets struck an Iraqi vet, Scott Olsen, who was in the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, leaving his face bruised and bloodied. This outraged the public, and the military especially. It is unfortunate that the military our out in the world fighting for the freedoms of American citizens, only having to be shot by police when trying to express said freedoms.

In the image above you can see a Marine who started a Reddit thread discussing his outrage. This thread has exploded, being echoed all over the Internet.

Likewise, more protesters flooded the streets of Oakland demanding the resignation of Oaklands Mayor, Jean Quan, who was already deeply despised in Oakland well before the Occupy movement made it to the city. Jean Quan insists that the Police actions were justified, further enraging the public.

Now it seems that Anonymous has also stepped in. Seeing as how Occupy Oakland is under attack by those who are expected to maintain peace, law and order, retaliation is in order. The Doxing of Oakland police will begin today, and all those involved will be exposed for the criminals that they are. It is unfortunate that the Occupy movements are being met with Police violence. While I understand the need to disperse protesters at time, Flash Grenades and Rubber bullets are extreme. These chosen methods only help to solidify the claims being made by the occupy movements, further drawing people to its cause. 

Below is a short clip of Scott Olsen after he was struck by the rubber bullet. Unfortunately I can't find any information on his current situation, once this information becomes public I will be sure to post a follow up.

There is something extremely disturbing about the fact that the Vatican have openly called for a Global Currency. While the Vatican enjoyed years of European domination centuries back, their absence from politics has been greatly appreciated over the years by the majority. By openly voicing their opinion in something as volatile as today's currency market, my cynicism makes me wonder if there is more to this story than the MSM is willing to admit.

The Vatican called on Monday for the establishment of a “global public authority” and a “central world bank” to rule over financial institutions that have become outdated and often ineffective in dealing fairly with crises. The document from the Vatican’s Justice and Peace department should please the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrators and similar movements around the world who have protested against the economic downturn.

“Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of a Global Public Authority,” was at times very specific, calling, for example, for taxation measures on financial transactions. “The economic and financial crisis which the world is going through calls everyone, individuals and peoples, to examine in depth the principles and the cultural and moral values at the basis of social coexistence,” it said.

Source: www.reuters.com

Such a statement from the Vatican seems instigated. It is not difficult to imagine the wealthy bankers bribing the Vatican to send out a message, to help persuade its millions of followers to accept something that while basically inevitable, will nevertheless increase the wealth gap many fold.

I am curious where the roots of this message originate, and how far the Vatican is willing to take this message. If this is simply a statement that ends here, so be it. However, if this is a message that is repeated, I would have to believe that someone outside the Vatican is pulling the strings.

There is something extremely disturbing about the fact that the Vatican have openly called for a Global Currency. While the Vatican enjoyed years of European domination centuries back, their absence from politics has been greatly appreciated over the years by the majority. By openly voicing their opinion in something as volatile as today's currency market, my cynicism makes me wonder if there is more to this story than the MSM is willing to admit.

The Vatican called on Monday for the establishment of a “global public authority” and a “central world bank” to rule over financial institutions that have become outdated and often ineffective in dealing fairly with crises. The document from the Vatican’s Justice and Peace department should please the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrators and similar movements around the world who have protested against the economic downturn.

“Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of a Global Public Authority,” was at times very specific, calling, for example, for taxation measures on financial transactions. “The economic and financial crisis which the world is going through calls everyone, individuals and peoples, to examine in depth the principles and the cultural and moral values at the basis of social coexistence,” it said.

Source: www.reuters.com

Such a statement from the Vatican seems instigated. It is not difficult to imagine the wealthy bankers bribing the Vatican to send out a message, to help persuade its millions of followers to accept something that while basically inevitable, will nevertheless increase the wealth gap many fold.

I am curious where the roots of this message originate, and how far the Vatican is willing to take this message. If this is simply a statement that ends here, so be it. However, if this is a message that is repeated, I would have to believe that someone outside the Vatican is pulling the strings.

Ever since Topiary's arrest, Anonymous has been relatively quiet. Outside of the minor skirmishes with BART, there hasn't been much going on with Anonymous, especially with respect to hacking and leaks. They managed to due some minor damage Syria's Defense Ministry as well, which was an extremely poor reflection of their talents.

Anonymous has once again managed to do some major damage to who they deem as their enemies. The groups has hacked Texas Law Enforcement emails, subsequently posting all pulled emails for the world to see. They also defaced the Texas Police Chief's main website, which is down at the moment. Most stolen emails are dull, as usually they are. On the other hand, a select few paint the Texas Police in quite a dim light. 

As for their justification for this hack, Anonymous had the following to say:

We are doing this in solidarity with the "Anonymous 16" PayPal LOIC defendants, accused LulzSec member Jake Davis "Topiary", protesters arrested during #OpBart actions, Bradley Manning, Stephen Watt, and other hackers and leakers worldwide.

For a complete dump of the pulled data, you can check here. However, you would be much better off doing some research from a mainstream media perspective. Various outlets are now doing a very detailed analysis, pulling some choice emails. 

I spent some time going through various outlets, but Gizmodo seems to have picked the creme de la creme. Here is a sample:

Exhibit A, an email from Robert Wieners Chief of Police, Friendswood, Texas Police Department. Subject line? "Stupid Bitch":

That stupid bitch who started that stolen car chase at Yale and 610 got what she deserved (I'll bet she was fat and black too). Same with that pervert that got shot by the county. Fuck that guy, see ya. That all sounds like good police work to me. Those folks got the criminal cure. It's guaranteed, they will never commit a crime again.

Source: gizmodo.com

Racist? Bigoted? I understand that this is a private email, but police are expected to set an example, and this is a poor example to set, to say the least.

Here is a nice chain letter about Muslim Inbreeding:

Subject: 1,400 years of inbreeding among Muslims
Attachments:
View As Web Page
GUYS,
I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS GUY IS ONTO SOMETHING!!

JESS

Subj: 1,400 years of inbreeding among Muslims

Read the article and make up your own mind. JHB
Hi everyone, this very interesting one came in tonight maybe it explains some of why the radical Muslims act so unreasonably brutal. Are the fact true? Don't know but if it is true that they have as a common practice of marrying first cousins, all kinds of problems can erupt. OK, I looked at all my "hoax sites" but couldn't find anything. But, just typing "1,400 years of inbreeding among Muslims" on Google results in a large number of articles discussing this topic. Is Bryan Fischer for real? Yep, See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Fischer and other sites about him.
Doc <°)))><

Anyway, here's the article that came in:

I admit that I have not studied the Koran or Quroan or whatever it is, nor do I intend to !! I was subjected to enough of of their total nonsense as only a casual observer in their part of the world :( .... I only forward this for your reading pleasure and to add to our understanding of the Muslim world. Sharing my opinion that they need to stay in their own sandbox instead of trying to inflict their insane beliefs and religion upon civilized people. (Shucks, now they will call me an infidel)
..... JD

Source: gizmodo.com

I don't know where to begin on that. Again, humor is one thing, but that goes well beyond acceptable humor in a professional environment, especially a police environment. 

With over 3GB of data leaked, it will take time to sift through it all. I am sure that the majority of the information will be along these lines, poor judgement. I highly doubt that Anonymous managed to stumble across anything blatantly criminal. However, with the police's latest round of arresting people caught filming them, I am sure that Anonymous has infuriated the Texas Police Force, and revenge will be sought. 

Ever since Topiary's arrest, Anonymous has been relatively quiet. Outside of the minor skirmishes with BART, there hasn't been much going on with Anonymous, especially with respect to hacking and leaks. They managed to due some minor damage Syria's Defense Ministry as well, which was an extremely poor reflection of their talents.

Anonymous has once again managed to do some major damage to who they deem as their enemies. The groups has hacked Texas Law Enforcement emails, subsequently posting all pulled emails for the world to see. They also defaced the Texas Police Chief's main website, which is down at the moment. Most stolen emails are dull, as usually they are. On the other hand, a select few paint the Texas Police in quite a dim light. 

As for their justification for this hack, Anonymous had the following to say:

We are doing this in solidarity with the "Anonymous 16" PayPal LOIC defendants, accused LulzSec member Jake Davis "Topiary", protesters arrested during #OpBart actions, Bradley Manning, Stephen Watt, and other hackers and leakers worldwide.

For a complete dump of the pulled data, you can check here. However, you would be much better off doing some research from a mainstream media perspective. Various outlets are now doing a very detailed analysis, pulling some choice emails. 

I spent some time going through various outlets, but Gizmodo seems to have picked the creme de la creme. Here is a sample:

Exhibit A, an email from Robert Wieners Chief of Police, Friendswood, Texas Police Department. Subject line? "Stupid Bitch":

That stupid bitch who started that stolen car chase at Yale and 610 got what she deserved (I'll bet she was fat and black too). Same with that pervert that got shot by the county. Fuck that guy, see ya. That all sounds like good police work to me. Those folks got the criminal cure. It's guaranteed, they will never commit a crime again.

Source: gizmodo.com

Racist? Bigoted? I understand that this is a private email, but police are expected to set an example, and this is a poor example to set, to say the least.

Here is a nice chain letter about Muslim Inbreeding:

Subject: 1,400 years of inbreeding among Muslims
Attachments:
View As Web Page
GUYS,
I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS GUY IS ONTO SOMETHING!!

JESS

Subj: 1,400 years of inbreeding among Muslims

Read the article and make up your own mind. JHB
Hi everyone, this very interesting one came in tonight maybe it explains some of why the radical Muslims act so unreasonably brutal. Are the fact true? Don't know but if it is true that they have as a common practice of marrying first cousins, all kinds of problems can erupt. OK, I looked at all my "hoax sites" but couldn't find anything. But, just typing "1,400 years of inbreeding among Muslims" on Google results in a large number of articles discussing this topic. Is Bryan Fischer for real? Yep, See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Fischer and other sites about him.
Doc <°)))><

Anyway, here's the article that came in:

I admit that I have not studied the Koran or Quroan or whatever it is, nor do I intend to !! I was subjected to enough of of their total nonsense as only a casual observer in their part of the world :( .... I only forward this for your reading pleasure and to add to our understanding of the Muslim world. Sharing my opinion that they need to stay in their own sandbox instead of trying to inflict their insane beliefs and religion upon civilized people. (Shucks, now they will call me an infidel)
..... JD

Source: gizmodo.com

I don't know where to begin on that. Again, humor is one thing, but that goes well beyond acceptable humor in a professional environment, especially a police environment. 

With over 3GB of data leaked, it will take time to sift through it all. I am sure that the majority of the information will be along these lines, poor judgement. I highly doubt that Anonymous managed to stumble across anything blatantly criminal. However, with the police's latest round of arresting people caught filming them, I am sure that Anonymous has infuriated the Texas Police Force, and revenge will be sought. 

Ever since the inception of Anonymous, the group has adopted the identity of Guy Fawkes from the movie V for Vendetta. Throughout the film, Guy Fawkes wears the symbolic mask currently associated with the group Anonymous in order to conceal his identity. Since the movie deals with a struggle against authorities for previous injustices committed, activists within Anonymous have taken on this identity. This cult classic is turning out to be on of Time Warner and Warner Bros. unending profit machines, at least with respect to the licensing fees relating the to the production of their copyrighted masks. 

While there are many outlets currently manufacturing these masks, many of which are located in China who do not likely pay the allotted fees to Time Warner and Warner Bros., a great deal of them do. Those that do are claiming enormous sales figures. Howard Beige, executive VP of Rubie’s Costume, tells Hollywood Reporter that, "We sell over 100,000 of these masks a year, and it’s by far the best-selling mask that we sell ... In comparison, we usually only sell 5,000 or so of our other masks."

There is no doubt that Anonymous have absolutely no intention of helping Time Warner and Warner Bros. make money off of their affairs, but there are times when we have little control of the side effects of our actions, and this happens to be the case, at least thus far. I am sure that most of the members of Anonymous have little concern about this issue, but there are those die hard anti RIAA and MPAA folk that do everything in their power to ensure that not a penny of their hard earned money go to any of their arch-enemies. 

Time Warner and Warner Bros. refused to comment as to how much they make in licensing, but reason points to a substantial sum. Of course, substantial for you or I differs greatly from that which Time Warner and Warner Bros. consider substantial, none the less there figure should amount to a noticeable sum in their accounting records. It will be interesting to watch how this news affects Anonymous in their purchasing habits. If I had to guess, I would say that it will not affect them much.

Ever since the inception of Anonymous, the group has adopted the identity of Guy Fawkes from the movie V for Vendetta. Throughout the film, Guy Fawkes wears the symbolic mask currently associated with the group Anonymous in order to conceal his identity. Since the movie deals with a struggle against authorities for previous injustices committed, activists within Anonymous have taken on this identity. This cult classic is turning out to be on of Time Warner and Warner Bros. unending profit machines, at least with respect to the licensing fees relating the to the production of their copyrighted masks. 

While there are many outlets currently manufacturing these masks, many of which are located in China who do not likely pay the allotted fees to Time Warner and Warner Bros., a great deal of them do. Those that do are claiming enormous sales figures. Howard Beige, executive VP of Rubie’s Costume, tells Hollywood Reporter that, "We sell over 100,000 of these masks a year, and it’s by far the best-selling mask that we sell ... In comparison, we usually only sell 5,000 or so of our other masks."

There is no doubt that Anonymous have absolutely no intention of helping Time Warner and Warner Bros. make money off of their affairs, but there are times when we have little control of the side effects of our actions, and this happens to be the case, at least thus far. I am sure that most of the members of Anonymous have little concern about this issue, but there are those die hard anti RIAA and MPAA folk that do everything in their power to ensure that not a penny of their hard earned money go to any of their arch-enemies. 

Time Warner and Warner Bros. refused to comment as to how much they make in licensing, but reason points to a substantial sum. Of course, substantial for you or I differs greatly from that which Time Warner and Warner Bros. consider substantial, none the less there figure should amount to a noticeable sum in their accounting records. It will be interesting to watch how this news affects Anonymous in their purchasing habits. If I had to guess, I would say that it will not affect them much.

Anonymous strikes again:

The politically oriented hacking group, Anonymous, has released 1GB of what is says are private e-mails and documents from an executive of a U.S. defense company that sells unmanned aerial vehicles to police and the U.S. military.

The documents were publicized in a post on Pastebin, with links leading to the actual material on another website. The material purportedly belongs to Richard Garcia, a senior vice president at Vanguard who was a U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent for 25 years.

Anonymous took special delight in the breach, as Garcia is director of InfraGard, an organization that liaises between private sector companies and the FBI.

A group affiliated with Anonymous called LulzSecurity, or LulzSec, breached and defaced one of InfraGard's websites belonging to its Atlanta chapter in June.

Source: www.computerworld.com

According to Lulzsec, this was done in response to NATO's attempt at instantiating tougher penalties on Hacking crimes, aparently initiated by our own Barack Obama. 

Members of Anonymous have taken down BART servers yesterday between noon and 6PM in order to teach them a lesson not to trample on the rights of citizens. BART decided to cut cell phone service to select metro stations when news of a peaceful protest had spread. 

Not surprisingly, many found this type of action abhorrent, so Anonymous took action. They released a video with their intentions early enough so that BART could prepare, but the message they sent in the video was crystal clear. 

Here is a partial transcript of the video's message to BART as well as the people of San Francisco, with the video below:

To the Bay Area Rapid Transit,

By performing this action, you have not only threatened your citizen's safety, but you have also performed an act of censorship. By doing this, you have angered Anonymous.

To the people of San Francisco,

We invite you to join us Monday, August 15th, at 5pm, for a peaceful protest at Civic Center Station. 

We will show the world and BART that we will not stand for these types of actions.

We encourage you to wear a red shirt, in remembrance of those who have been battered by the BART police. 

We also encourage you to bring cameras to record any further abuse by police, and to legitimize the protest.

Remember to bring your mask, and remember that this is a peaceful protest. Anonymous does not support violent action and it is discouraged.

This move by BART is preposterous. How such an act can be justified is beyond me. What if someone was attacked and needed to dial 911 in the area? I am sure the London Riots had a role to play in this, but a police presence would have been slightly less invasive on people's rights, which would be far more welcome a response.

With this quote being thrown around the internet daily, it once again applies:

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

 --- Benjamin Franklin

Members of Anonymous have taken down BART servers yesterday between noon and 6PM in order to teach them a lesson not to trample on the rights of citizens. BART decided to cut cell phone service to select metro stations when news of a peaceful protest had spread. 

Not surprisingly, many found this type of action abhorrent, so Anonymous took action. They released a video with their intentions early enough so that BART could prepare, but the message they sent in the video was crystal clear. 

Here is a partial transcript of the video's message to BART as well as the people of San Francisco, with the video below:

To the Bay Area Rapid Transit,

By performing this action, you have not only threatened your citizen's safety, but you have also performed an act of censorship. By doing this, you have angered Anonymous.

To the people of San Francisco,

We invite you to join us Monday, August 15th, at 5pm, for a peaceful protest at Civic Center Station. 

We will show the world and BART that we will not stand for these types of actions.

We encourage you to wear a red shirt, in remembrance of those who have been battered by the BART police. 

We also encourage you to bring cameras to record any further abuse by police, and to legitimize the protest.

Remember to bring your mask, and remember that this is a peaceful protest. Anonymous does not support violent action and it is discouraged.

This move by BART is preposterous. How such an act can be justified is beyond me. What if someone was attacked and needed to dial 911 in the area? I am sure the London Riots had a role to play in this, but a police presence would have been slightly less invasive on people's rights, which would be far more welcome a response.

With this quote being thrown around the internet daily, it once again applies:

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

 --- Benjamin Franklin

It seems that Syria has taken Anonymous's hacking of the Syrian Defense Ministry a little personal. In response, a group of hackers managed to take control of AnonPlus, a site that openly supports Anonymous. They replaced their homepage with the image shown above, along with a message:

In response to your hacking to the website of the Syrian Ministry of Defence, the Syrian people have decided to purify the internet of [y]our pathetic website 

This is by no means a good attack on anonymous, there are plenty of other sites that support anonymous out there, many who are likely far less secure, none the less it makes Syria feel a bit better while making Anonymous seem all the weaker.

While Anonymous has yet to make a statement officially, at least I have yet to hear of one, I am sure that they will not waste too much time. This was a pathetic move by the Syrian government, all they have accomplished is fanning the flames. Taking down some site that supports Anonymous does absolutely nothing to lessen the name of Anonymous in the eyes of those that know anything about computers and hacking. It will be interesting to see how Anonymous responds. Currently, the Syrian Defense Ministry site is down, so it seems that at least someone out there has begun some form of retaliation. 

It seems that Syria has taken Anonymous's hacking of the Syrian Defense Ministry a little personal. In response, a group of hackers managed to take control of AnonPlus, a site that openly supports Anonymous. They replaced their homepage with the image shown above, along with a message:

In response to your hacking to the website of the Syrian Ministry of Defence, the Syrian people have decided to purify the internet of [y]our pathetic website 

This is by no means a good attack on anonymous, there are plenty of other sites that support anonymous out there, many who are likely far less secure, none the less it makes Syria feel a bit better while making Anonymous seem all the weaker.

While Anonymous has yet to make a statement officially, at least I have yet to hear of one, I am sure that they will not waste too much time. This was a pathetic move by the Syrian government, all they have accomplished is fanning the flames. Taking down some site that supports Anonymous does absolutely nothing to lessen the name of Anonymous in the eyes of those that know anything about computers and hacking. It will be interesting to see how Anonymous responds. Currently, the Syrian Defense Ministry site is down, so it seems that at least someone out there has begun some form of retaliation.