Babylonian Times
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. Jeremiah 51:6-8

Melchett joins Dark Lord in Mordor
Around the country, Greenpeace activists have been weeping into their organic cornflakes after it emerged that Lord Melchett, former head of Greenpeace and hero of the anti-GM movement, has disappeared off to join the Dark Lord in Mordor, in the earthly form of PR villains Burson-Marsteller. This is the PR company that advised the vicious Burmese military junta, the SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council), to change their name because it just wasn't cuddly enough. They now torture, kill, repress and exploit under the name of the State Peace and Development Council - much nicer for everyone concerned.

War on Recession
Kmart is the latest American corporate giant to hit the skids. But just 2 months ago they, like Dubya himself, obviously felt the US military would help them out of recession : 'Being part of the Marines' Toys for Tots campaign is one more opportunity for Kmart to promote education and support our local communities,' said Charles C. Conaway, Kmart CEO. 'It is important donated toys are distributed to children in the communities where Kmart associates and customers live and work. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Campaign is the Marine Corps' premier community action program. The message of hope delivered through a shiny new toy at Christmas has a positive impact on children, their families and their communities.' Kmart Website November 2001. As the Afghanis will testify - those Marines are all heart.

War on Entertainment
Black Hawk Down, Behind Enemy Lines and coming soon Collateral Damage. Yes, Hollywood is spending almost as much money on repulsive warmongering as the Pentagon. The Evening Standard's Hot Tickets section spoke for us all I'm sure with its headline "Ph-war: why war films are sexier than ever!" It's difficult to know what's scarier; the relentless supply of this crap - or the casual acceptance of it by a corporate pop culture which is increasingly brain dead and unquestioning. Though to be fair one publication did query the moronic simplicity of Black Hawk Down - Heat Magazine. Yes, you know things are bad when when the Guardian prints a pro-US analysis of Somalia by the scriptwriter of Black Hawk Down - and Heat magazine is left to provide the radical political perspective. God Bless America!

Reebok Rights Award
(Yes, you did read the headline right)
The Reebok Human Rights award is a $50,000 prize intended to go to young people who have made an outstanding contribution to the fight for human rights.
It also makes a convenient whitewash for Reebok's use of sweatshop labour.
This year, Reebok, with blinding arrogance and hypocrisy, decided the award should go to Indonesian anti-sweatshop activist Dita Sari, leader of the FNPBI trade union federation.
However, Dita Sari predictably took a rather dim view of Reebok's own record on sweatshop labour, refused the money and snubbed Reebok's glitzy ceremony at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
www.nosweat.org.uk

Billbored
'Furious Andrew Whiston saw the light after cutting a hole through a billboard that blocked his window. The 34-year-old was plunged into darkness a year ago. He became so frustrated he sawed through the hoarding - currently displaying an ad for Microsoft Windows.
And as he broke through, Andrew blasted the Primal Scream hit Movin' On Up from his stereo. He sang along to the words "I was blind, now I can see... I'm moving on up now, out of the darkness" as he worked.'
"There was a big crowd and they were all cheering me on. Why anyone would think of covering a window like that I'll never know - it's ridiculous. It feels like a new home now." The council said: "Enforcement officers will investigate." Daily Mirror online.

War on Everything
President Bush wants to make military spending his number one priority. He says "whatever it costs this nation will win the first war of the 21st century." Apparently he says "we face a shadowy enemy who dwells in the dark corners of the earth". Maybe in the dark corners of the Afghan Khost Tunnel complex built by the CIA for a certain Mr Bin Laden? But I digress. He's planning the largest increase in military spending for 20 years. He's not going to cut corners. The pharmaceutical companies will work on bioterrorism - ker-ching! for former pharma boss Rumsfeld! There'll be more fighter planes - ker-ching! for Mr Cheney! They'll need lots more oil - ker-ching! for everyone! The truth is Bush does need military protection - but not from shadowy enemies. I'd say his biggest problem could soon be Enron workers wanting revenge after Dubya's best friend 'Kenny Boy' Lay robbed them blind of their jobs and pensions. Kerching!