Japan’s Three Options in the East China Sea

By Robert Dujarric: What options does China have? The Naval Diplomat's James Holmes has one idea here.
Tensions between Japan and China over the Senkaku (Diaoyu) islands are continuing, as indicated by continued obstacles to Japanese businesses in China, a drastic decline in tourism, and Chinese patrols near the islands.   This is both a Sino-Japanese issue and a part of a broader confrontation between China on one side and the United States and its allies on the other. 
Given Japan’s reliance on the U.S. security umbrella, Tokyo’s moves are to some extent constrained by American actions.  Nevertheless, Japan’s size and resources mean Tokyo retains considerable autonomy in handling its relationship with Beijing.
At this point, Tokyo has three options:
DO NOTHING.    Regardless of the legitimacy of conflicting claims over the islands, the responsibility for the escalation lies mostly with China.   The nationalization of three islets, previously owned by a Japanese citizen, did not alter the status quo.  Moreover, given (former) Governor Ishihara’s antics about Tokyo purchasing then, it was imperative that the central government preempt him.   On the other hand, the party-sponsored – or at least tolerated – violence against Japanese property and individuals in China was on a different scale.   Additionally, Chinese moves against Japanese businesses in China amount to economic sanctions.

"The ghost of Joseph Goebbels" Anti-Tehran TV launches as Iran state media gets EU boot

A new TV station is going on air in London this Thursday night aiming to give a platform to the voices of those in opposition to the current leadership of Iran. This comes just over a week after 19 state-run Iranian TV and radio stations were banned in the EU. RT discusses the matter with investigative journalist Tony Gosling who's in Bristol. Source

Before the Election was Over, Wall Street won - Nomi Prins

Before the campaign contributors lavished billions of dollars on their favorite candidate; and long after they toast their winner or drink to forget their loser, Wall Street was already primed to continue its reign over the economy.

For, after three debates (well, four), when it comes to banking, finance, and the ongoing subsidization of Wall Street, both presidential candidates and their parties’ attitudes toward the banking sector is similar  – i.e. it must be preserved – as is – at all costs, rhetoric to the contrary, aside.

Obama hasn’t brought ‘sweeping reform’ upon the Establishment Banks, nor does Romney need to exude deregulatory babble, because nothing structurally substantive has been done to harness the biggest banks of the financial sector, enabled, as they are, by entities from the SEC to the Fed to the Treasury Department to the White House.

In addition, though much is made of each candidates' tax plans, and the related math that doesn’t add up (for both presidential candidates), the bottom line is, Obama hasn’t explained exactly WHY there’s $5 trillion more in debt during his presidency, nor has Romney explained HOW to get a $5 trillion savings.

Goodbye, German Gold? - Max Keiser with Dominic Frisby

Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss how it is that Gordon Brown's Bottom turned into an audit the gold movement in Germany. They also discuss the mother of all bond bubbles getting set to burst and all that will be left in the Bank of England 'gold' vaults are a big pile of gilts. In the second half of the show, Max Keiser talks to Dominic Frisby, author of Life After the State, about Germany's gold quest, the future of relations between the US and Germany if the gold is not there and about 'life after the state.' Source

Bani Walid - Children Protest - 8 Children Killed + Update: Bani Walid People Refused Right of Return - Stranded in a Valley

Morris: Good sound quality report from Bani Walid - re-uploaded for security reasons. After this video was made - bombing and destruction of buildings could be heard - and this source says bani walid will become a tawherga - which means totally destroyed and evacuated.

Amnesty warns EU countries against beating protesters

AFP: Anti-austerity demonstrators in Europe have suffered excessive police violence, Amnesty International said Thursday in a report urging European Union (EU) governments to protect the right to peaceful protest.

The rights group said people rallying against government spending cuts, tax rises and job losses in countries hit by the eurozone crisis and elsewhere had sometimes been seriously injured by police or had had medical treatment witheld.
“People demonstrating peacefully in EU countries have been beaten, kicked, shot at and wounded with rubber bullets and sprayed with tear gas,” Amnesty said.
“Yet excessive use of force by police goes uninvestigated and unpunished.” The Amnesty report, entitled “Policing demonstrations in the European Union”, described several cases where police had severely beaten protesters in Greece, Spain and Romania.
Greek journalist Manolis Kypreos was left completely deaf in June 2011 after police threw a stun grenade at him, the report added.

Hungarian demonstrators burn Israeli flag in Budapest

Members of Hungary’s Jobbik ultra-nationalist party have burned an Israeli flag in front of a major synagogue in the capital Budapest, calling on the government to cut diplomatic and economic ties with the Tel Aviv regime.

The protesters gathered outside the Dohany Street Synagogue, which is regarded as the largest synagogue in Europe, on Tuesday, when the country marked the 56th anniversary of the anti-Communist revolution in 1956.

Jobbik leader Gabor Vona denounced Hungary’s cooperation with the Israeli regime and said any “agreement between Hungary and Israel should be canceled.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to Budapest Ilan Mor appeared on a TV program later in the day, condemning the anti-Israel demonstration in Budapest.

Nigel Farage - We Are Headed To A ‘One World Government’

“We’ve reached a point in this where, despite the massive economic the massive economic, political, and social problems that exist within the eurozone, and indeed an argument that the North and the South of Europe are diverging by the day, despite all of that, the political class have got so much the upper hand in Brussels, that, actually, they are moving to more and more extreme tactics.”

“(This is being done) to lock countries in to a new form of government which is so far removed from any concept of liberal democracy that I think it’s quite frightening.  So I really made the point yesterday (in Parliament) that all of these bailouts that we’ve seen, (were designed to have) they (the countries) get put directly under the command and control of the institutions of the European Union.

And frankly, their prime ministers become puppets.  And in terms of the people that want to create the European state, they are delighted.  They would almost like everyone to go bankrupt and then they are really in charge.... Click here for link to KWN audio interview.

TN Court Finds Mom Guilty for Standing up to TSA Groping Girl

A woman who stood up to TSA screeners and refused to allow them to grope her or her 14 year old daughter has been found guilty of "disorderly conduct" and sentenced to one year of probation by a court in Tennessee.

Thought-provoking evidence showing the need to protect your identity

By Brandon Jackson: YouTube recently featured a viral video (see below) of a clairvoyant named Dave who has a tent set up in Brussels, Belgium. Dave asks people walking through the square if they would like to meet with a mind reader — himself — and they agree. Many are blown away at how much Dave knows about their homes, what they do, and how much money they have in their bank account. Scariest of all, he knows people’s bank card numbers.
They are sold on the fact that he must be the best mind reader in the world until a curtain in the tent falls and reveals that a room full of hackers in masks were feeding Dave private information about the participants. When the participants saw how Dave was receiving the information, they were shocked and disturbed. Beside the hackers, there was a screen that read “be vigilant,” advising the participants to protect their valuable information.

Germany's gold reserves - Max Keiser with Lars Schall + Why Did The Bundesbank Secretly Withdraw Two-Thirds Of Its London Gold?

Max interviews Lars Schall from larsschall.com. He talks about Germany's gold reserves, which are held in New York and not in Germany.

3 Desperate Libyan Voices Downing St Demo 24 Oct

Morris: Everyone talking has lost relatives and experienced endless tragedy since the troubles started in Libya. And now they are seeing more, and they gathered opposite the residence of the British Prime Minister with full knowledge that he will do nothing. Source