Conspiracy Analyst | This Year in Wacko-ville

As we stumble out of the holiday-cycle set up by The Church (so Western Civilization could be subsumed away from the previous Pagan Establishment in as orderly and non-violent fashion as possible) and into a new (arbitrarily-chosen beginning to the) year, I feel it is best time to share the tidbits I've collected over the last while related to the Study of Ongoing Conspiracy.

But before we get into it, I suggest you take a look at Wired Magazine's list of 51 Conspiracy Theories That Don't Exist But Should. (I'm not convinced they don't. What is Wired up to? What sort of game do they think they're playing...?)

The Illuminati are always well-represented. Slate had an interesting article about how the 18th century composer Beethoven was influenced by the Illuminati. [slate]

There is an increase in Big Brother activity in the United States. Wired reports on the activity. [wired] And the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) started a website called You Are Being Watched to discuss the issue. Will it matter...? Slate Magazine asks how America is going to end, and describes the five steps to totalitarian rule. [slate]

Elections Canada has been keeping information on individuals that are under the age of 18, even though they are not eligible to vote. [cbc] And one's privacy online is almost non-existent, according to Canadian courts. [tyee] As is one's anonymity, according to studies. [cbc] And all that's just going to get worse (or better, depending upon which side you're on...) as me move to electronic medical records. [tyee] Which reminds me: your telephone has been secretly tapped by The Police. [cbc] (Sting has been unwilling to comment. Kidding. Couldn't resist.)

But there's been activity by Little Brother as well. [wired] But who watches the watchers of the watchers who are watching you? (Next time I just get a pocketwatch.) Which reminds me... a group of volunteers from Vancouver's Public Space Network mapped out as many of Vancouver's surveillance cameras as they could find. [ctv] [VanSun] But I can't seem to find the map...? Are They keeping it to Themselves...?

The Cloud! The Cloud! [LifeHacker]

Wall Street is rising in the Conspirator Ranks, with a Rolling Stone article about how they're using the Economic Bailout as a means to stage a revolution. [RollingStone] They also put together a very handy biographical cheat sheet outlining the bankers and brokers responsible for the financial crisis and the officials that let them get away with it. [RollingStone] As as additional treat, No Impact Man shoots from the hip describing the problem with corporate structure. [no.impact.man] But, as Jason Kottke reports, there is always the "living with no money" option. [kottke]

There's also been a good rise in the heat coming from the Global Warming group. Through it all, Gizmodo asks How many solar panels would it take to power the entire world? Turns out, "just under 500,000 square kilometers, or about the size of Spain."

The heirs of Geronimo have sued Yale's secret society Skull and Bones for the return of his skull, which they claim Skull and Bones grave-robbed in 1918. [nyt]

And the Police are reviewing the circumstances surrounding the 1969 death of Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones. [cbc]

Here's a good one from Adbusters about the impending Pornocalypse. 'Nuff said. (Though it may not be appropriate to read while at whatever Capitalist Slave Organization you call your "work", or in front of the kids.)

I won't say too much about The Religious here, since there's always way too much to follow without a crib-sheet. But the History News Network had an interesting article reviewing a book by Michael Baigent (who also wrote Holy Blood, Holy Grail, like you already didn't know) about how "the three great religions" are plotting the race to Armageddon. [hnn]

And for the Star-Gazers: there is compelling speculation that Humans and Aliens might share the same DNA roots. [wired] Don't laugh: its thermodynamics. And from what I understand, that's a science. And there hasn't been a peep of this in The Mainstream Media, but SETI has picked up regular laser pulses emanating from space. [io9] Though don't get too excited, Some Scientists have reported they calculate there can only be fewer than 10 extra-terrestrial civilizations in our galaxy. [slashdot]

And finally, I emplore you to check out GOOD Magazine's "Guide to Shadowy Organizations." They have excellent primers on such Conspiracy Establishment organizations as The Bohemian Grove, the Order of Skull and Bones, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg Group, the Freemasons, and more.