Wikileaks Rest in Peace
Stock-Markets / US Politics Dec 30, 2010 - 09:26 PM GMTBy: Chris_Kitze
The original Wikileaks initiative is dead, replaced by a bloated apparatus promising 260,000 cables at slower than a snail’s pace. At the rate of 20 cables a day it will take 13,000 days to finish — some 35 years.
The original merits of Wikileaks have been lost in its transformation into a publicity and fund-raising vehicle for Julian Assange as indicated in the redesign website which billboards him.
Its once invaluable, steady stream of documents, packaged in its own, no-frills format, is now a tiny dribble of documents apparently regulated by a compact with a few main stream media which amplify the material well beyond its significance. Days go by when nothing new is offered except outpouring of manufactured news about Assange and a slew of trivial news and bombastic commentaries for and against the initiative.
Will Wikileaks once again deliver its original promise or stay imprisoned in bombshells so beloved by the main stream media?
What happened to the back-log of submissions to Wikileaks? Thousands a week coming in, Assange claimed, for which he said there is no staff to process. What staff is needed to process a 3-20 cables a day?
OpenLeaks is said to be preparing release of the backlog, but it too is moving very slowly, its opening first scheduled in December 2010, now April 2011. Perhaps it too is short of staff and financial resources but it has not publicly stated that.
Assange and Domscheit-Berg are working on books, Assange to raise funds for his legal defense, that of Domscheit-Berg not openly disclosed.
Books are fund-raisers and require sophisticated publicity campaigns, disclosure of intent, deals described, amounts to be paid, the usual teasers about the contents. Neither of the two books promise to release submitted materials, only to describe the operation of Wikileaks, insiders accounts, what else. These are customarily works of fiction, aided by ghostwriters, editors, publicists, book designers, galley proofreaders, copies to reviewers, speaking engagements, book tours, dinner parties. Salted with dramatic examples of what will be “revealed for the first time.”
What will be surprising will be revelations about the 1 million files Assange claimed to have in December 2006, what has not been published, what was sold on the black market, who the secret big funders are behind the public little ones, where the money has really gone beyond the Wau Holland partial account.
The race is on between Julian and Daniel as to who will hit the hustings first with yet another bombshell of publicity. Nothing new should be expected in this formulaic exploitation of evanescent celebrity. The spring season of book publishing is April.
Meanwhile the original purpose of Wikileaks is dead in the water. Thousands of mirror carcasses floating on the Internet sea, none offering new material except the wee drops of cables which at the current rate will require the passive sites to last redundantly decades when they could be offering material Wikileaks does not.
Except a series of bombshell releases can be expected as the book selling and fund-raising accelerates.
Don’t expert ordinary submissions to compete with this all too predictable corporate-style juggernaut.
Wikileaks was once an alternative to conventional sources of information, no longer. Read its media page for how to qualify for business-as-usual participation.
There will be those who continue to milk the promise of Wikileaks, arguing vehemently for its protection and continuation, but not acknowledging in its current configuration sheltered by main stream partners it is not a threat or threatened — standard bloviation of the media to magnify its importance. The shift of focus to Bradley Manning and Adrian Lamo indicates the Assange threat angle is withering and needs to be goosed with journalistic and lawyerly flim-flam so common to awaken readers and juries dozing with disinterest.
None of these grandstanders are taking risks covering Wikileaks and other initiatives; they face no threat due to special protections bestowed by officials of these “defenders of truth.” Among this select group Assange now cravenly hides himself as “editor-in-chief.” They do not leak themselves, they manage leaks from leakers who go to jail — call these the collaterally damaged.
A monument to The Original Wikileaks could be placed in the Newseum, in Washington, DC, unveiled in synchrony with the two tell-all books aborning, continuing a valiant PR effort initiated at the DC National Press Club — in spring season April 2010.
A lasting benefit of the death of Wikileaks is that other initiatives have learned from its experience to do better and not settle for the comfortable entombment of Wikileaks disembodied by Julian Assange on a country estate perfect for mourning in luxurious high style.
Source:http://beforeitsnews.com/story/332/419/Wikileaks_Rest_in_Peace.html
By Chris Kitze
A long career in digital media led to Before It's News, the People Powered News site that is quickly becoming a leading source for alternative news. We've got a great team of very bright and hardworking people with an incredible market opportunity that's been handed to us by a corrupt media and government. We're here to help you get your news out, that's why this site exists.
© 2010 Copyright Chris Kitze - Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.
Stock Market Investors Should Celebrate 2010, But Be Cautious on 2011
Month January is named after the Roman god Janus. He is depicted as having two faces. One looking back at the fading last hours of the old year, the other trying to discern the new year. Similarly I contemplate the final two trading days of the old 2010 year and the opening of the first five trading days of the 2011 year. This period is sometimes marked by swirls of positioning often referred to as "window dressing" in order to make portfolios appear as attractive as possible.
This buying and selling activity by mutual funds and institutions while it occurs every month may have special significance during this year end period. Accounting considerations both for profits and losses can be favorable for my readers. Indeed, the last three hours of the final trading day (12-31-10) may permit us to enter a low bid on those stocks that one may have thought had "gotten away". You may be pleasantly surprised to find that your price was hit by some fund cashing in on a good year or conversely posting a loss as the case may be.
An analogous tactic may possibly work during the first five trading days of January known as the "January Effect." Buying or selling then may be profitable and may give us a glimpse of what may be occurring in the year ahead.
It is important in cheerful times as U.S. equity markets hit new two year highs with many sitting on large gains to not forget that what takes months to build can be taken back in a matter of hours. A prime example, this past May 6th, we saw the "flash" crash where every trader for one hour at 2:45PM, watched the markets completely melt down. Proctor and Gamble dropped 37%, blue chips became penny stocks as a wave of flood orders entered the market. One must not forget crashes and corrections repeat themselves and often they follow similar overbought conditions and irrationally exuberant times which gave signals to exit. It is not profit until it is realized and unfortunately most traders have to learn this through blood and tears and experiencing a loss of capital.
It is just as important to know when to be defensive and be out of the market as being able to pick the next major stock. Being able to stand aside and miss a major correction can prove to be quite lucrative. Bernard Baruch, a famous trader in the early 20th century, credits a book "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness Of Crowds" by Charles Mackay, of influencing him to take profits right before the 1929 market crash. In this book a whole section is written on economic bubbles and how the same irrational emotions that cause the bubble, reverse to cause a panic.
Who would've thought that in August of 1987 that the Dow Jones Industrial Average would drop a 1000 points. The Dow was up 25% that summer and many technicians became complacent as the April and May double break of the 50 day moving average was a fake out and reversed higher. At the end of August the RSI, stochastics and MACD were in overbought territory and signaled caution. The second failure in early October also gave an early warning for traders to sell ahead of the pack. After that point it was too late for a trader to protect themselves. When the selling begins it is like a fire in a building where everyone tries to run for the exits.
Right now the markets are extremely overbought and the sentiment is extremely frothy. It is at these times I advise caution. Do not be surprised for an equity sell off during the first quarter of 2011. As Judy Holliday sang in her last film "Bells are Ringing",
"The party's over - It's time to call it a day
They've burst your pretty balloon
And taken the moon away
It's time to wind up the masquerade -
Just make your mind up the piper must be paid
Peering ahead I wish you and yours a prosperous year.
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© 2010 Copyright Jeb Handwerger- All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.
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