Welcome to another edition of headline news, where I take a look at the front page psychological operations (a.k.a. "news") being waged on us by the information arms of the super corporations who call the shots.
The week between the 29th of January and the 4th of February is one that will likely be forgotten. It had the feeling of a car idling, or a pot of water simmering. There's motion, but it's going absolutely nowhere. The sound of bombs in Gaza has blended in with the background hum of the Earth, and is something that simply exists. Each day brings fresh horrors to our screens, but these are merely further entries in the long ledger of horrors we have collectively witnessed. The planet keeps spinning, the profits keep rolling in and 17,000 deeply traumatised orphans shiver in cold tents on empty stomachs, wondering if the next explosion will be the one that gets them. No doubt some are praying that the next one will get them, before hunger, disease or the cold get their first.
WAR
Eastern Europe Theatre
The fully privatised permanent war economy is going through a vintage era of success, even by its' own standards. The people who have to sacrifice themselves at the altar of profits are no longer so easily convinced, however."Ukraine considers tougher draft law" (NYT 29.01). Shareholders never sleep of course, and expansion into new markets is always a top priority. "NATO prepares for Russia" (NYT 30.01). Like any business, employee theft is still an issue. "Ukrainian officials stole about 40million USD intended for ammunition" (WAPO 29.01) Any employees or other contractors doing work for you should know they will be penalised if they transgress or don't commit to the project fully. "EU draft plan to cripple Hungarian economy if Orban blocks Ukraine cash" (FT 29.01). Investors need to continually supply cash injections if they want to see solid returns on investment over the medium to long term. "E.U. set to send billions to Kyiv" (WAPO 02.02) Remember, new investors are always welcome if they want to play ball. "U.K. strongly supports Georgia's NATO Membership, Affirms Ambassador Mark Clayton" (Messenger Georgia 01.02)
Middle East Theatre
The strategy of placing military installations (a.k.a "targets") in every corner of the planet produced substantial dividends for the empire this week. "3 U.S. troops die as drone strike hits Jordan base" (NYT 29.01) This opened up some free real estate and enabled genocide Joe to convert a little pinch of the horrific deaths in the theatre into some political capital via some propaganda photo opportunities.
Of course, according to the NYT this was something "Biden tried to avoid".
The empire is also having its' own recruitment issues. Apparently the lure of free college and free healthcare is just not enough to convince school leavers to paint a target on their backs and ship off to the Red Sea. "Navy again lowers requirements as it struggles to meet recruitment goals" (Stars and Stripes 30.01)
This week saw quite a few information operations against UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees). No doubt to shore up support for the rapid defunding of the agency after Israel made serious accusations about their employees with absolutely zero evidence. The defunding of the agency is most likely in breach of the Genocide Convention and the ICJ court ruling against Israel. Of course, when there are valid criticisms against your actions, the only route is to smear your opponent. "UNRWA, the UN agency responsible for ensuring Palestinians remain in a perpetual state of refugeehood.." (National Post Canada 01.02). This particular topic provided us with an amazing example of information laundering and circular reporting in just one article. It's not something I think I've ever seen so succinctly before. "WSJ: 10% of UNRWA employees in Gaza have ties to terror groups" (Haaretz 30.01) That's an eye catching headline right ? The f**king WALL STREET JOURNAL are reporting that 10% of UNRWA is Hamas ! Well if the newspaper of record for the Wall Street capitalists who helped create the U.S. national security state published it, it must be true ! It's definitely true if you subscribe to the core myths of the Empire. In the article however, it states "The information in the reports is based on...a briefing given by Israel to U.S. officials". That's right folks ! Israel provided a dossier to multiple news outlets, which then reported on them. Some of them even admitted that none of the allegations could be substantiated. On the front page of the Wall Street Journal however, it was merely stated that the 10% figure was "according to intelligence reports reviewed by the Wall Street Journal". If you read that line, where would you assume the intelligence came from? So, to recap... the dossier is given to American media outlets who report on it. Then Haaretz reports that the Wall Street Journal reported on it. Why ? To obscure the original source (information laundering) and reify the alleged veracity of the information via repetition (Circular reporting). Just another day in the trenches.
Speaking of trenches, another headline which stood out as most certainly being an operation was "80 percent of Hamas tunnels in gaza still intact, according to the WSJ" (Tehran Times 30.01). Now to me this headline can elicit two distinct responses. One response would be to conclude that the war has been completely ineffective (if you are of the belief that Israel is just trying to destroy Hamas and not actively committing genocide) and there should be a ceasefire. The second response would be to conclude that the war has been completely ineffective at destroying Hamas and should continue until that goal is reached. That's why it is a masterclass in propaganda. It will be actively distributed by people of both mindsets and then spread further as a result. I picked it up from the Tehran Times of all places. The information itself was of course "according to U.S. and Israeli officials", who reserve the right to remain anonymous.
All this is taking place as "Israeli commandos dressed as doctors raid hospital, kill patients" (TT 31.01). Wait, sorry they weren't patients they were"an armed squad of Hamas members who had been hiding in the hospital" (Haaretz 31.01). Glad we cleared that up. This week also saw lots of small stories here and there about ongoing ceasefire negotiations which seem to be no more than an excuse for Israel to continue blaming Hamas, not just for every bad thing that has happened since the 14th of May 1948, but also for having unreasonable demands like basic human rights for civilians. "Cease-fire agreement likely early next week" (Haaretz 31.01). Take it from me, the ceasefire didn't come next week, or the week after.
Look, the plan is simple and it's right there in the headlines. First, Genocide. "Zionists defile bodies in Gaza, remove organs" (Kuwait times 31.01). Then, land grab. "Likud ministers join thousands of radical rightists at 'Resettle Gaza Conference" (Haaretz 29.01) Then, after you have actively murdered or displaced the people who supply cheap labour in the colony, import foreign workers to do the jobs. "Israel offers Filipinos thousands of job opportunities" (Manila Bulletin 01.02)
Spooks and Chicanery
Iran claimed it rolled up a Mossad network across 28 countries. "Downfall of Mossad spying network" (Tehran Times 03.02) The Wall Street Journal reported that "The U.S. said it disrupted a potentially life threatening Chinese hacking operation ... to covertly target American and allied critical infrastructure networks". Both of these stories are probably fabricated to some degree, if not completely. Remember, if people begin to think that the threat doesn't exist, then invent one.
Politics
The occupied six counties in Ireland finally got a government two years after the last elections. The power sharing agreement means that either nationalists or unionists can refuse to sit in government. This time around (basically every time it has happened) it was the unionists who refused to sit down and accept that Sinn Féin had won and would be able to appoint the first minister. This was of course a great opportunity for certain outlets to stick the boot in. "The new leader in Belfast is a member of Sinn Féin, a party that was once the political arm of the I.R.A" (NYT 04.02). Just in case anyone forgot about the I.R.A. Never forget that the DUP (the unionist party who collapsed the government) have a long standing relationship with loyalist paramilitaries. The same paramilitaries who are the most active groups remaining in the six and are involved in every facet of organised crime. The Conservative party in Blighty have also been known to pander to these same loyalist gangs. It's a new day for Northern Ireland certainly, but the deep structural problems remain and people will be watching closely to see how the new assembly functions. The right wing British newspapers treated this story like they have always treated the six - they didn't deem it worthy of the front page. The FT and the Guardian recognised the historic nature of the first women and first nationalist to serve as first minister. They had Mary Lou and Michelle looking fairly happy on the front pages. The Irish Times, long seen as a paper with a "West Brit" mentality, had the DUP as the selected image, with the part about Michelle being relegated to paragraph four.
This week saw a country finally start to establish a network similar to that of the Empire. I wish them all the very best. "Iran navy to establish base in South Pole" (Tehran Times 29.01). Evergrande finally collapsed after years of speculation. I've no idea what this means, but China hasn't collapsed yet so presumably all the chat about this happening was mostly hot air. "China Evergrande ordered to liquidate with debts of $300 billion" (Daily Sabah 30.01). Pakistan's elections have been a wild ride. "Four killed in Sibi bombing during election rally" (Dawn Pakistan 31.01) Further fuel for the fentanyl conspiracy fires this week as"China, US resume talks on fentanyl.." (Global Times 31.01). Many people see the Fentanyl crisis as a type of warfare against the population, similar to the crack epidemic enabled by the CIA. Civil war rumblings continued this week with Florida governor Ron De Santis sending "the Florida state guard, a civilian military service under his control, and other state resources to the U.S.-Mexico border to help stop what he calls an 'invasion'"(Miami Herald 02.02). Oh yes ! We are getting the old Confederate gang back together. Stay tuned for more.
Big Tech
This week saw Kuckerberg get roasted in the Senate, Elon Musk implanting his first brain chip into his first victim and "Apple's 3.5k mixed-reality goggles offer(ing) a glimpse of the future" (WSJ 31.01). Yes, a vision of the future which is one where we are all reduced to activity data while being permanently online and bluetooth enabled. Never has the urge to log off and finally build that cabin in the woods been stronger.
Climate
There was even more flooding in California, a state which is on a speed run to being unliveable. Some good news though, we are finally getting serious about geo engineering. "Fringe Climate Proposal, a Giant Space Parasol, Gains Interest" (NYT 03.02). Yes, a giant space parasol. Finally, the future I was promised. Weather records are being broken every week, but they often don't make the front pages. "Britain's 19.6C January Heat Record.. Days After Shivering in Arctic Blast" (STAR UK 29.01) That doesn't sound good does it ? Well, not according to the journalist who wrote in the Star that "Our weather has taken a turn for the better" Lord above, give me strength to continue bombarding myself with this effluent pipe of shite that never stops flowing.
Taylor Swift psy-op .
Apparently a lot of people think that Taylor is part of some psy-op to win the superbowl, or get people vaccinated, or get Joe Biden in the whitehouse by winning the superbowl. "Taylor, Travis and MAGA's fake Super Bowl plot"(LA TIMES 01.02). I honestly have no idea on this one, and I spent a long time on this article already. "All around the world, super hype for Swiftie Bowl" (Boston Globe 01.02) The only thing I want to say is that the Super Bowl is one of the most decrepit forms of circus available. There's one hour of game time and endless hours of ads and sideshows. I have read novels which took less time. "Trump v Swifty: It's War" (Star UK 01.02)
Culture War Items
"My son isn't a book person - what did I do wrong?" (i 29.01) You placed unrealistic expectations on a small child. Let the boy live for Christ's sake.
"I want another baby but my husband has stopped our IVF" (INDO 29.01) Find a relationship counsellor instead of writing to an agony aunt column in a national newspaper.
"my teens vape and I'm powerless to stop them" (i 31.01) Finally, a parent talking sense.
"Why DO women hate it when their FAT FRIEND loses weight?"(Daily Heil 01.02) Maybe because hyper individualism combined with unrealistic body standards has led people to being in constant competition with one another in every area of modern life and people feel they have to define their position in the pecking order by being better than someone else.
"Europe is finished" (Allister Heath, Torygraph 01.02) Always has been mate, always has been.
"My dog's so anxious we've put him on prozac - and it worked" (i 02.02) Just your standard bit of big pharma propaganda.
Honourable mentions
European farmer's protests were rumbling away at a stately twenty miles an hour. A public enquiry has opened in Canada investigating allegations of foreign interference in elections in the 2019 and 2021 elections."(Globe and Mail 30.01). "Syphilis rates highest in decades" (Dallas Morning News 31.01). Microsoft surpassed 3 trillion in market capitalisation, making it the most valuable company in the world. Punxsutawney Phil says spring is coming early. (WSJ 03.02) Tesla is recalling almost every vehicle it sold in the U.S. as the font for the warning lights is too small. (WSJ 03.02) Vince Mc Mahon, a man with a proven track record as a misogynist and sexual predator is now under federal investigation for alleged horrific sexual assaults and sex trafficking. "A shadow over W.W.E." (NYT 29.01).
Royals
A slow week for the Windsors on the front pages. Chazzer and Kate got out of the hospital on Monday, apparently unscathed by their experience with the failing NHS. The Daily Heil was promoting YET ANOTHER major new book about the royals with titillating headlines like "What the Queen and Philip REALLY thought of Meghan" (03.02) and "Why the Queen thought Diana should have chosen Andrew" (Daily Mail 04.02). The women is dead for Christ's sake, leave her to rest in piss peace.
Obituaries
01.02 Lisa Murphy - Irish socialite and model, former girlfriend of Micheal Flatley of Riverdance fame.
01.02 Carl Weathers - Footballer, actor, director, movie icon.