The following press release is from the Oxford Union:
The Oxford Union will be hosting the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence award presentation on 23 January 2013. The ceremony will feature several individuals well known in intelligence and related fields, including, via video-stream, remarks by Julian Assange, winner of the Sam Adams award in 2010.
The annual award presentation provides a rare occasion for accolades to “whistleblowers” — conscience-driven women and men willing to take risks to honor the public’s need to know.
This year’s Sam Adams recipient is Professor Thomas Fingar, who is now teaching at Stanford University. Dr. Fingar served from 2005 to 2008 as Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis and Chairman of the National Intelligence Council.
In that role, Dr. Fingar oversaw preparation of the landmark 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran, in which all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies concluded with “high confidence” that Iran had halted its nuclear weapon design and weaponization work in 2003. The Estimate’s key judgments were declassified and made public, and have been revalidated every year since.
Those pressing for an attack on Iran in 2008 found themselves fighting uphill. This time, thanks largely to Dr. Fingar and the professional intelligence analysts he led in 2007, intelligence analysis on Iran was fearlessly honest. A consummate intelligence professional, Fingar would not allow the NIE to be “fixed around the policy,” the damning phrase used in the famous “Downing St. Memo” of July 23, 2002 to describe the unconscionable process that served up fraudulent intelligence to “justify” war with Iraq.
We are delighted to be welcoming several previous Sam Adams awardees, including Coleen Rowley, Katharine Gun, Craig Murray, Thomas Drake, and Julian Assange (by video-stream) — as well as other Sam Adams associates from both sides of the Atlantic, including Ray McGovern, Brady Kiesling, Davdi McMichael, Elizabeth Murray, Todd Pierce and Ann Wright.
We feel that the Oxford Union, dedicated to upholding freedom of speech and providing a platform for all points of view, is a fitting venue. The traditional acceptance speech by Dr. Fingar will be followed by briefer remarks by a few previous Sam Adams awardees. They will be followed by Julian Assange who will speak for 20 minutes immediately before the Q&A, during which the audience will be invited to put questions on any topic to any of the presenters.
Assange is clearly a figure who generates controversy for reasons ranging from the allegations made against him in Sweden, to the perceived recklessness of some WikiLeaks activities. We would therefore encourage those who disagree with him, or with any of our other speakers, to participate in the Q&A session.
Last but not least, we are happy to note that Dr. Fingar, will be with us for the entire term. Professor Fingar has just begun teaching a course at the University of Oxford on global trends and transnational issues, as part of Stanford’s Bing Overseas Studies Program. He will also give guest lectures and public talks while here at Oxford (January-March 2013).
Professor Fingar holds a PhD in political science from Stanford. His most recent book is Reducing Uncertainty: Intelligence Analysis and National Security (Stanford University Press, 2011).
“Yes, dead people and poor people, the others the law protects.”
Further to this there is a very worrying attempt to change legal precedent going on at the moment which seems to have slipped below the radar.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-20909851
It has been a long established feature of UK law that only an individual is protected from defamation. Now it seems that the law may rule that Rutland council can be considered an individual and sue for defamation.
The consequences of this could be far reaching and devastating.
I respect your considered view, John. What I can’t abide is the “meat is murder” crowd and those who eat meat but cannot bear to think about how it got to their plates. The former try to impose their views on others, while the latter should face up to the reality and accept that if they cannot kill, prepare and eat an animal, then they shouldn’t be eating meat or fish.
For myself, I avoid cheap meat, which means I eat less of it, but the animals have been reared in as good conditions as is possible, which is reflected in the quality of the meat. We ought not to take the same approach to food production as we take to manufacturing, constantly driving down costs and prices. Meat should he produced to a very high standard and the best cuts enjoyed infrequently.
Sadly, the closure of most of the local, small-scale slaughter houses has led to a much more industrial process, with animals often having to be driven hundreds of miles to factory-size slaughter houses. The best choice for an ethical meat-eater is to avoid supermarkets, support their family butcher, ensure you know where the meat is coming from, and pay more for quality, well-raised animals, if necessary eating less meat (40 years ago a whole chicken was a real luxury!).
before we go off on a horse meat tangent, its lovely tasty, protein rich, slightly sweet and not a contamination’ what a ludicrous term to use. There are abattoirs licensed for Horse butchery in this country and this supermarket, although deceiving their customers into believing they are buying beef, is not guilty of ‘contamination’.
Where do all the dead horse go in this country? HMMM , they die and go to horsey heaven do they?
Fact is that Britain is missing out on a great source of protein and meat, some restaurants serve it, but its a bit like the French who eat songbirds hidden under a towel, i.e. its a pssst do you know they are serving horse meat in Southwold.
I do not like the supermarket chain for its rapacious measures of contaminating the shopping scene, everywhere and at any price, no village too small, but this is a red herring.
I must agree Giles. The subject is a moral minefield, it should be down to every individual to decide for themselves based on the information and the “Meat is Murder” brigade who try to push their morals onto others, in my experience, are remarkably ill informed.
I too remember the days when the only time you saw chicken was Christmas. Now people walk out of the pub, buy half a chicken then throw half of that in the gutter when the bus arrives. Now that is a crying shame.
Mark Golding
.
Well, well. You are coming again with your blatant anti-Americanism. Sometimes it seems you care of nothing but US to fail at all cost.
It seems you see no trace of Chinese abuse in Africa. Selling Africans cheap and low quality Chinese goods and forcing them to work for pennies and if not importing cheap labour from China to dig out what British/French and Portuguese left. Is your big picture for Africa?
You quoted Chinese and South African presidents on BRIC becoming “form an important part of common development of the world, which is conducive to a more balanced world economy, more reasonable international relations, more effective global governance and more durable world peace.” Do you actually believe this? Are you aware of what China is doing in its neighborhood? It is more aggressive in securing markets and sources of raw materials than either US or European powers ever were. I realize that you live far from China and might think that it is not relevant to you BUT Chinese expansion reached Europe already.
As for Russia all its economy is based on exporting raw materials and keeping most revenues in Putin gang’s pockets in foreign bank accounts. As for the more effective global government Russia could offer you authoritative dictatorship masqueraded by chief of the nations motto. Would you who oppose so called American made democracy agree on such model of global governance?
Fred,
Yes, they point to, say, the mistreatment of animals in a factory farm and use it as an argument against eating meat. Obviously, the sensible choice for the conscious meat eater is to avoid eating meat from such places. An ex-girlfriend who was a member of PETA used to try and persuade me to give up meat by showing me horrific videos of animal maltreatment. I simply said that I make the choice to know where my meat is sourced so I can be confident it has been produced to the highest standards.
The casual disregard for meat is a result of its throwaway price. It is treated like a cheap product manufactured in China. We shouldn’t take the same approach to farming animals as we do to, say manufacuring toys.
Nevermind,
I have eaten horse in France and enjoyed it. It is difficult to change people’s mindsets, however, to eat meat they are not used to or don’t associate as food. For that reason, never invest in an ostrich farm! Several of my friends have lost a small fortune believing it would ‘take off’!
Nevermind,
I believe Francois Mitterand requested Ortalan bunting for his last meal. The traditional method of preparation is to drown the bird in Armagnac, cook and then eat whole, starting with the head, with a cloth over one’s head to hide both the illegality and the shame of the practice.
Redwing is still popular in the Poitiers region.
My apologies, should be spelled ‘Ortolan’. Shocking mistake for a bird-watcher….
@ Fred. This Rutland story is as disturbing as it wrong. Cllr.’s, once elected, regardless of whether they are party dogmatists or Independents, should be informed in any case about Council business, all business and they have the right to be informed.
This one sided BBC story,. yes they are party political as they do not stand up for cllr.s rights to be informed, smacks of electioneering and on 2nd. May, will see many more Independents standing up to the bullying and lying by party politicians.
Whether its excessive cuts, Norfolk has to cut a further 125 million off their budget, property developing like happened in Stalham, where Norfolk County council who bought a property in 1961 for £2100, has just offered it back to the small Stalham council as a bargain, for £250.000…. and where NCC has bought RAF Coltishall, without a business plan, and against the rival bidder Hanse who offered 4.1 million and had a fully worked out business plan for the airfield. NCC has allocated these monies away from a heavily burdened council and the cabinet clique of cllr.s have morphed into property developers.
When good people do nothing but take the strain, these scoundrels will get away with bending the law so it suits them. Rutland Councils leading group should be sued/prosecuted for trying to use vitally necessary funds to fund lawyers to pervert the cause of justice.
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics
/stalham_is_borrowing_250_000_to_buy_land_from_norfolk_county_council_guess_how_much_the_plot_cost_the_county_1_1793222
Tony Midgeley is the chairman of Berkeley housebuilding group and St George plc who are building the 600 ft high Tower, One St George Wharf where the helicopter crashed this morning. He has 152 current company directorships!
http://company-director-check.co.uk/director/907749916
He was also honoured in the New Year Honours List by Cameron and is a Tory donor like Michael Heller who is also a vice chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9769966/New-Year-Honours-List-2013-Tory-donors-get-gongs.html
All very cosy.
PIDGLEY not Midgeley.
A worker from humble beginnings. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Pidgley
Remember Aaron Swartz – A Memorial Page
http://www.rememberaaronsw.com/
Trinity on GLP has been posting threads that everyone should provide a valid email address and get an account Even though they don’t use it. He claims this is so GLP can communicate with forum users if the authorities take the Internet DNs servers down.
Of course most of the “retards” (in GLP speak) on GLP are falling for it. Trinity and staff post the most extreme ridiculous crap and then grab the email address and password (probably the same on they use elsewhere) of everyone stupid enough to fall for it. Anyone can speculate on what thy do with this info.
It has to be said that if the forum was UK based Trinity and half the posters would have been arrested by now – statements like “This is a Muzzie hating forum” and “Kill all Muzzies” are regularly posted by staff and prominent users.
When not calling for the deaths of all “Muzzies” and unquestioning support for Israel, The forum seems to try its best to stir up civil war in the USA.
It’s disgusting that many of you think that Sandy Hook was a government conspiracy.
ajmccracken,
Sure you are not “Trinity”. Where has anyone posted here that Sandy Hook was a government conspiracy. That’s GLP you are thinking of. Interesting how quickly you jumped in after the post about GLP – which is more or less calling for armed revolt right now.
I’m wondering how to get my email address, and thereby my mobile number, to Villager and Nevermind, who have both expressed interest in coming down to the counterprotest about Assange’s appearance at the same Oxford Union awards ceremony that will be celebrating Craig’s own endeavours at whistleblowing…
Villager, Nevermind – can you both ask Clark if he would pass my email address to you? He has it. You can point him to this post as permission to forward it on.
What’s GLP?
Numerous people have posted Sandy Hook conspiracy talk here.
“What’s GLP?”
Probably this;
http://www.godlikeproductions.com/news/
Don’t know Trinity, but from this Post about them;
“The racism
The anti-welfare, anti-poor.
The completely manufactured stories
The endless WRONG predictions
etc
Most days it seems like someone came up with a recipe to provoke hostility and vitriole between people.”
it rather seems to be a US version of Harry’s Place.
One of Russia’s most influential criminals Ded Hasan (Grandpa Hasan) was assassinated today in Moscow
http://www.habermonitor.com/en/haber/detay/ministry-of-internal-affairs-of-russiaded-has/46893/
Here is his rumafia dosser http://rumafia.com/person.php?id=92
Some argue that this is another KGB led criminal shake up.
So you not only have never heard of “GLP” you can’t use Google either. Pull the other one. I must have missed all the Sandy Hook conspiracy talk from “numerous people”. It is certainly not in this thread.
Just to add here that Ded Hasan has had close relationship with Uzbek mafia leader Gafur Rakhimov who was mentioned by Mr Murray on several occasions.
“Trinity” is the owner of GoebbelsLikeProductions.
“Trinity” is the owner of GoebbelsLikeProductions.”
In that case I’ll change my comparison from Harry’s Place to, the David Icke site effused with the political poison of Harry’s Place.
A trio.
‘The helicopter that crashed is believed to have been operated by a company whose clients include David Cameron, Simon Cowell and the Dalai Lama.’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9805113/Helicopter-crash-in-London-live.html
“Last week [my emphasis] the Obama regime warned the British government that it was a violation of US interests for the UK to pull out of the European Union or reduce its ties to the EU in any way.
In other words, the sovereignty of Great Britain is not a choice to be made by the British government or people. The decision is made by Washington in keeping with Washington’s interest.”
http://hamsayeh.net/society/2630-attack-on-sovereignty.html
Anyone got a second source about this supposed warning last week?
I should add a second quote from the above article, which was the reason it caught my eye:
“Julian Assange is confined to the Ecuadoran embassy in London, because Washington won’t permit the British government to honor his grant of political asylum.”
I suppose Craig might be able to confirm through his contacts at FCO whether or no the UK would actually like to grant Assange’s asylum, if it weren’t for the Washington boys breathing down their necks?
Arbed, I just read your request and will forward it to Clark. Hope to talk soon via email.
I also run enigmail encryption if its required/necessary
Boris Johnson has been praising the work of the emergency services this morning, with special mention of the Londom Fire Brigade. Yet five days ago, he was proposing the closure of 12 fire stations with the loss of hundreds of jobs. Hypocrite.
London fire station closures and 520 job cuts proposed
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20989428
Save our fire stations. Petition here.
http://www.london.fbu.org.uk/?p=1783
Mary
Why? Let slams burn. I bid fire stations in central boroughs will not be touched. Who would put at risk those multimillion Chelsea mansions.