9/11 Mysteries (Full Length, High Quality)

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This is a public domain 9/11 documentary about the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center complex. It's excellent. It's also one hour and 31 minutes long.

Aussies might also like to try this blog:

yourdemocracy.net.au

and/or this article by the same blogger:

Halliburton Down Under, Above and Beyond


On September 11 2001 I was campaigning with members of the University of South Australia Student Association for their student elections (the same Association that, like all Student Unions, was forced to downsize due to the Howard Government's quashing of compulsory membership fees). On my backpack I had pasted an anti violence slogan. Speechless with shock and distress it was the best I could offer.

However, and although I love Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee movies, I couldn't watch the spectacle of the planes hitting the Twin Towers on TV. The sight of people hurling themselves to their deaths was just too fucking much. Maybe I'm desensitised now or maybe it's all about context but I have watched the video 9/11 Mysteries posted here at the B.Box on this Merry Christmas day. It seemed fitting to post this video today, especially given recent developments in International relations, in particular the movement of American warships into the Persian Gulf on December 11th (read more about this below).

I know there are a lot of these 9/11 "conspiracy theory" videos available on the Net. I've also watched In Plane Sight produced by Power Hour Productions and hosted by Talk Radio Host, Dave vonKleist. In Plane Sight, like 9/11 Mysteries is a high quality production that provides opportunities for the viewer to verify the claims it makes and the sources it quotes. The 9/11 Mysteries video is rather long (1 hour & 31 mins), I thought I'd save you the trouble of searching for the three separate bits on YouTube by posting it in one. So grab a cuppa and put your feet up for the duration, conspiracy theory or no (for the record, Skanky thinks no), it's interesting.

Will Christmas Bring the Bombing of Iran?

(Posted by Democrats.com, retrieved 25/12/06)

Skanky Jane has long suspected that attacking Iran was in the back of Dubya's mind (that's not very far from the front) when he and his Administration invaded Iraq in 2003. So, deeply aggrieved she was to find this info (below) in her mailbox from Democrats.com on this bright Xmas morn. As an aside, 2008 is the year of the Rat (the sign that begins the Oriental Zodiac) as was 1984 and 1948 (the year George Orwell wrote it). 2008 is alsoDubya's last year in office - will he want to go out with a bang?

The Pentagon has announced plans to move additional warships and strike aircraft into the Persian Gulf region to be within striking range of Iran. The aircraft carrier Eisenhower and its strike group entered the Persian Gulf on Dec. 11. Another aircraft carrier, the Stennis, is expected to depart for the Gulf within the next month.

Scott Ritter sees parallels to the invasion of Iraq: "We have told the Iranians it is their responsibility to prove to the international community beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no nuclear weapons program in Iran. How can you prove a negative?"

Another parallel is the brutal Christmas Bombing of North Vietnam by Richard Nixon in 1972. James Carroll described it as "a final venting of frustration and rage by a superpower faced with ignominious defeat." Will Bush bomb Iran out of frustration with failing to "win" in Iraq?

"New Years Resolutions" 

The info below is from the "One-Pager for Lobbying Congress for Peace and Accountability" compliments of Democrats.com. Written for the American voter (all three of them), this is edited for Australian readers:

1. No More Support for America's War in Iraq.

2. No more support for America's "War on Terror".

3. Pass legislation to shift the war spending to spending that will safely bring our troops home, providing health care and education for them when they get here.

4. And do this: bring in a temporary Muslim force; train an Iraqi police force; aid and support the reconstruction of Iraq by Iraqis; remove landmines and depleted uranium; dismantle blast walls and wire barriers; restore archaeological sites; train lawyers, judges, journalists, and social workers in Iraq; bring back professional Iraqis who emigrated; rebuild Iraq's public health system; and compensate the families of civilians killed and tortured.

5. Investigate the Case Made for This War and the Way it Has Been Conducted

A. Misuse of intelligence and fraud by the Government in making the case for this war.

B. Waste, fraud, conspiracy and misuse of funds.

C. War crimes, extraordinary rendition, and torture (or supporting those that have committed these acts).

We urge every member of the House and Senate to pursue these investigations in order to restore the rule of law and a system of checks and balances to our government. We believe we will best be able to move forward and avoid the same mistakes in the future if we complete a thorough public review of the conduct of the Government during the course of this war and the lead-up to it.

6. Support legislation outlawing war profiteering.

7. Support an investigation to Impeach George Bush if it is determined that the President and his administration did in fact conspire to defraud the American People and Congress into supporting his invasion of Iraq.


Now.... back to the bread and circuses!

Residency with a difference - Call for Artists to Apply

The Wardlow warehouse - photograph sourced from the official Wardlow website.

Housed within a spacious, conveniently located and beautifully renovated warehouse in Fitzroy, Melbourne, theWardlow residency program is currently calling for applications from International, Victorian and Australian visual artists who want to be creating full time in a live-in environment with other artists.

International or Australian visual artist in need of a dose of creative stimulation and/or extended exposure in Melbourne are invited to apply to a residency program with a difference; that's the Wardlow residency program, situated between Brunswick Street and Smith Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia. Opposite the Fitzroy Town Hall clock and just 2 minutes from the city Wardlow is a conveniently located, unique space for the full time development, creation, and exhibition of residential art work.

The Wardlow warehouse boasts 4 bedrooms, a very large and well lit workshop space and an exhibition space for the exclusive use of the artists in residence. Wardlow houses a total of three (3) artists in residence at any one time. The warehouse is also equipped with a bar and coffee machine and on selected Saturdays theWardlow gallery and bar are open to the public.

Interior space for artists in residence at theWardlow warehouse
- photograph sourced from the official Wardlowwebsite.

Wardlow seeks applications from emerging and established visual artists with a sense of personal and societal narrative who want to be creating full time in a live-in environment with other visual artists. Importantly, Wardlow is interested in artists for whom it will be possible to be a full time artist for the duration of their residency. Wardlowresidencies are for a period of six (6) months or by negotiation. Artists in residence may use the space atWardlow for art activities which generate additional personal income for the artist during their residency.

Artists in residence are exclusive to Wardlow for the duration of their residency and except under special circumstances exhibitions at galleries other than Wardlow are not permitted during this time. ThereforeWardlow seeks applications from visual artists who will not be exhibiting during the first six months of 2007.

Wardlow is however very flexible and collaborations are always open for consideration. Collaborative 'art Saturdays' with other galleries plus special events including local and touring bands, beer, food, and the exhibition of art works are held in the Wardlow gallery and adjacent park.

Artists in residence retain full artistic autonomy. Exhibition dates, marketing ideas and progressive initiatives are discussed between residents on a weekly basis.

Further information on the Wardlow residency program and its philosophy, together with additional information on eligibility, selection criteria and the application process are available from the official Wardlow website - here.


NB. Applications close in December 2006.

American Nightmares Past and Present

By Prof. Kurt S. Jacobi

Pres. Gerald R Ford

On August 9, 1974, a newly sworn American President, Gerald R. Ford, told his people "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over." More than 32-years later, some 200 Socialist members of the European Parliament issued a joint declaration hailing what they viewed as “the beginning of the end of a six-year nightmare for the world.” Two very different nightmares each with Mr. Ford adding a historical footnote. In 1974, he became the first and only person to become president without being elected either president or vice president by the voters. And in 2006, just two days after Americans toppled the Republicans from power in the U.S. Congress, Ford became the oldest living President in American history, surpassing the previous record ofRonald Reagan who died at age 93 in 2004.



The "nightmare" of 1974 was a political drama culminating with the Watergate scandal that drove my friendRichard Nixon from office. The 2006 nightmare is one that the world may not have quite awakened from despite the obvious glee of those European socialists (and other people around the globe). The new electoral setback delivered to President George Bush may not short-circuit his presidency like Nixon's. That said, there is a growing number of Americans who feel he should be impeached and jailed for his conduct of the presidency and damage to the environment and diminished US prestige worldwide.

Let no one doubt the magnitude of what has happened in the US. The Democrats, demoralized by two successive (and most probably) stolen presidential elections, were not expected to do all that well as 2006 dawned. A controversial failed 2004 leftwing aspirant, Dr. Howard Dean, had assumed leadership of the party and the presumptive House Speaker, should the Democrats win, was from San Francisco, one of the most liberal and gay-friendly cities in America. That alone should have kept the Bush “Red State” majority intact. Add in the ever-compliant lapdog US Media, being spoon-fed GOP “talking points” and reporting little else (especially the rightwing cheerleading squad at Fox News) and you had a prescription for sustained Republican rule.

Defeated Congressman Neil Ander Thall

Unless, of course, you reckoned with the American people themselves with their historic low tolerance for lying hypocrites and that greatest-ever gift to participatory democracy, the internet. It was the universe of on-line communities, the vibrant and mostly progressive “blogosphere” that allowed widespread skepticism and doubt about the insane course of the Bush plutocracy to coalesce into effective and better funded political opposition. Thanks to them in a large part, key elements of the Great Democratic Coalition of the 20th Century effectively reunited in the 21st.

The November 7th “Blue Wave” aka the “Tsunami” swept the corrupt Republicans from power in both houses of the U.S. Congress, restored Democratic control over most of the nation’s governorships and swept Democrats back into power in numerous state legislatures and local offices across the country. And despite his post-election sacking of Donald Rumsfeld and conciliatory meetings with Democratic congressional leaders, Bush’s job approval index sank to its lowest-ever mark of 31% - five points beneath Bill Clinton’s lowest of 36% but still above Bush Sr’s 29%, Jimmy Carter’s 28% and Nixon’s pre-resignation 23%. And there are two more years left to try for the record. Americans are clearly happy with the result and nearly all the rest of the world (except perhaps some in Israel) rejoices.

Speaker Tom Foley

Another curious footnote to the political sea-change, both the 1994 Republican sweep and 2006 reversal saw the departure of a man named Foley. Sitting Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley of Washington State was turned out by voters in ’94 while that year voting in Florida produced a young Republican congressman namedMark Foley. 12 years later, the second Foley was forced to resign over his conduct with teen-aged House pages and his party was toppled from control.

Parenthetically, on the science front, the latest genetic findings are said to show an even stronger case forNeanderthal - Homo sapiens interbreeding in pre-historic times. While Creationists and Intelligent Design proponents may choose to ignore it, there are serious academics who see no clearer proof of such miscegenation than in several knuckle-dragging specimens freshly retired from the US Congress. Not only proto-typical Neanderthals but at least one example of Homo erectus (in IM messages) was forced “out” as well.


Professor Kurt Stanislaw Jacobi, a native of Southern Wallachia, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Bratislava, where he graduated magna cum ondown in 1948. During the mid-1950's, Dr. Jacobi first postulated his now famous but controversial Integrated Theory of Inversional Constructs (ITIC) that ultimately made possible the Apollo moon landings, Voyager space probe, the Camp David Peace Accords and revival of the Bulgarian nose harp as a serious concert instrument.

Copyright Prof. Kurt S. Jacobi 2006. All rights reserved.
Skanky Jane wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to Professor Jacobi for this article. The very first guest contribution to be published on a Skanky blog!