Top Weirdest CIA Programs

Over the years, the American Central Intelligence Agency has gained a reputation for being the most far-reaching, sophisticated, and effective government intelligence agency on the planet. At the same time, the CIA has also become known for its incredible paranoia and propensity to undertake costly, sometimes illegal, and often downright absurd projects in the name of gaining an edge on the competition. From spy cats to psychic hippies, the following are ten of the weirdest spy programs the government has proposed and funded over the years.


10. Acoustic Kitty

Most people wouldn’t think of the common house cat as being a potential master of espionage, but the CIA sure did. In the 1960s, American intelligence is said to have spent over $20 million on “Acoustic Kitty,” a top-secret project that used cats as recording devices. The project took a group of specially trained cats and surgically implanted microphones, antennae and batteries into their tails, and then set them loose near the Russian embassy. The idea was that an unassuming cat would be able to stride right up to groups of communist officials and listen in on their conversation, which it could then beam back to agents with its sophisticated radio equipment. The plan was eventually put into action, but the first cat sent into the field was supposedly run over by a taxi before it could make a recording, and operation ‘Acoustic Kitty” was abandoned shortly thereafter.


9. Operation Mockingbird

One of the most ambitious and downright insidious programs ever launched by the CIA was Operation Mockingbird, a propaganda project that was implemented in the early 1950s. It was a massive undertaking that saw as many as 3,000 CIA agents and collaborators attempt to gain some control of the free press by feeding select groups of reporters information and using newspapers at home and abroad to filter the kinds of stories that got to the public. At its height, the program included writers for the New York Times, Newsweek, and Time Magazine among its ranks, and was said to have a significant influence on as many as 25 major newspapers. The program had a major impact abroad, as well, as it served a major function in helping to sway public opinion in the run-up to the eventual overthrowing of Guatemala’s leftist president. Operation Mockingbird continued to have a major effect on worldwide media throughout the 50s, and it was not until the 60s that a series of reports by investigative journalists brought the program to light.


8. Operation Gold

One of the most audacious intelligence operations of the Cold War was 1953’s Operation Gold, which was a joint effort between the CIA and the British MI6 to hack into the phone lines of the Soviet headquarters in East Berlin. This required the construction of a massive 450-meter long tunnel that would intersect with an underground telephone junction. Just preparing the tunnel took six months, and involved a substantial amount of risk and subterfuge. But when it was done, the CIA proceeded to carefully record as many as 50,000 telephone conversations over the course of nearly a year. The problem? A mole in British intelligence had tipped off the KGB about Operation Gold before the tunnel was even completed, and the Soviets had been feeding fake them information the entire time. In 1956, the Soviets raided the tunnel and shut it down, and the operation eventually caused a great deal of controversy for the American and British intelligence communities.


7. Operation Northwoods

In the early 1960s, when the Cold War was in full swing and fear of communism was rampant, a plan dubbed Operation Northwoods was proposed within the American CIA. In short, it called for the government to perform a series of violent terrorist actions in U.S. cities including bombings, hijackings, phony riots, and sabotage, all of which could then be blamed on Cuba. This would drum up support for a war against the communists and lead to an eventual military operation to remove Fidel Castro from power. The plan was drafted and signed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and presented to President John F. Kennedy, who personally rejected it, and it was subsequently abandoned. For years after, Operation Northwoods existed as a rumor, but it was finally revealed to be true when top-secret documents describing the plan were made public in 1997 as part of a release of government papers relating to the Kennedy assassination.


6. Project Pigeon

One of the most seemingly preposterous military programs of all time occurred during WWII, when famed behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner was enlisted by the government to try and train pigeons for use in a missile guidance system. At the time, Skinner was known as one of the major practitioners of operant conditioning, a system that used reward and punishment as a means of controlling behavior. With these ideas in mind, Skinner placed a series of specially trained pigeons inside missiles. A camera on the front of the missile recorded its flight path, which was then projected on a screen for the pigeon to see. The birds were trained to recognize the missile’s intended target, and they would peck at the screen if it was drifting off course. This information was fed to the weapon’s flight controls, which would then be changed to reflect the new coordinates. Skinner was originally given $25,000 to get the project up and running, and he actually managed to make some minor progress with it. But government officials were never quite able to get past the obvious absurdity of the program, and it was eventually shut down. Image credit: http://www.psywarrior.com/


5. Operation Midnight Climax

In the early 1960s, the youth culture of America was first beginning to experiment with hallucinogenic drugs like LSD, and so was the Central Intelligence Agency. Operation Midnight Climax was one of the government’s most ridiculous and illegal attempts to test the possible uses of drugs like acid by administering them to unsuspecting citizens. The program was run out of a collection of safehouses in New York and California. Prostitutes were used to lure young men to the houses, at which point they were given food or drink spiked with LSD and other drugs and placed in a room with a two-way mirror where their behavior could be observed. Midnight Climax was essentially an experimental program designed to monitor the possible tactical uses of psychotropic drugs and sexual blackmail in the field, but even within the Agency it was controversial, and it was shut down after only a few years. Most of the files connected to the operation were destroyed, but a few survived, and in the early 70s the files regarding Midnight Climax and many other illegal CIA programs were brought to light in a famous story by the New York Times.


4. The Stargate Project

The $20 million Stargate Project was a blanket term used to describe a large number of psychic experiments and investigations undertaken by the U.S. government between the 70s and 90s. The biggest goal of the Stargate Project was to investigate the scientific probability of “remote viewing,” which is the psychic ability to witness events over great distances. The program, which also investigated psychic abilities like out of body experiences and clairvoyance, tested subjects on their ability to predict future events and read hidden documents. The Stargate Project usually enlisted the services of anywhere from 3 to 22 subjects at a time, many of whom managed to test with an accuracy rating as much as 15% higher than the norm. Still, although some participants claimed to have correctly predicted major world events like military attacks and hostage situations, the program found that remote viewers and so-called telepaths were still wrong nearly 80 percent of the time, and in 1995 the CIA cancelled the Stargate Project for good.



3. Operation Mongoose

In the early 60s, communist Cuba became one of the major battlegrounds of the Cold War, and its president Fidel Castro came to be considered one of the most dangerous political figures in the world. After early attempts to overthrow Castro by force failed, the CIA instituted Operation Mongoose, which was a secret war of propaganda and sabotage designed to remove the Cuban leader from power. Operation Mongoose had a remarkably wide scope, and included plans to fake attacks on Cuban exiles, provide arms to opposition groups, and destroy Cuba’s crop of sugarcane. It also included several attempts to either assassinate or discredit Castro in the press, each of which was more elaborate and ridiculous than the next. The Agency considered, among other things, poisoning Castro’s personal supply of cigars, planting explosives disguised as seashells in his favorite swimming spots, and injecting him with a deadly chemical from a hypodermic needle disguised as a pen. Even more bizarre were the plans to discredit Castro in the public eye, which included a proposal to spray a TV studio with hallucinogens prior to one of the leader’s televised speeches, and even planting chemicals in his clothes that would cause his famous beard to fall out. The near-disaster of the Cuban Missile Crisis put Operation Mongoose on hold, and following an agreement between Kennedy and the Soviets, it was more or less abandoned.


2. Project MKULTRA

One of the most downright creepy government programs and the fodder for countless conspiracy theories, Project MKULTRA was a sweeping and top-secret CIA program started in the early 1950s that included experiments in “chemical interrogation” and mind control. In short, MKULTRA was a plan that sought to use drugs, psychological stress, and bizarre interrogation methods to get information, control behavior, and even alter brain function. To this day, much of the information on the project remains classified, but what we do know is that the program involved the testing and interrogation of private citizens—often without their knowledge or consent—in the service of discovering whether or not certain drugs could be used as truth serums. This included giving subjects large doses of LSD, amphetamine, and mescaline, as well as shock therapy. In one case, subjects were supposedly dosed with acid for 77 days straight in an attempt to test the effects of long-term exposure to the drug. Conspiracy theories abound about the real goals of the project, with some saying it was a program to engineer zombie assassins through mind control and brainwashing. Some information about MKULTRA was finally brought to light in the early seventies, when news reports about CIA abuses of power led to a Congressional commission. The project was subsequently shut down, but many people claim that similar CIA programs still exist to this day.


1. The Bay of Pigs Invasion

For sheer absurdity, wastefulness, and infamy, few CIA projects compare to 1961’s failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. The program was one of the first and boldest attempts to overthrow communist Cuban leader Fidel Castro, but it was also the most disastrously unsuccessful. It started in 1960, when the CIA, under the authorization of the President, began planning an attempted overthrow of the Cuban government. In order to eliminate any link to the U.S., the attack was to be perpetrated by an army of Cuban exiles specially trained by the CIA. After a series of diversionary air strikes, on April 17, 1961, a group of amphibious troop transports landed on a beach in the Bay of Pigs and began unloading their cargo of 1,300 exile guerillas. The plan was for them to rendezvous with a smaller band of paratroops to be dropped soon after their arrival, but from the beginning their plan was tragically mistimed. For starters, Cuban intelligence was already aware of the planned invasion, and this meant that when the exile troops landed they were almost immediately under attack. To add to the force’s problems, bad weather, coral reefs, and the Cuban swamps quickly claimed most of their equipment. All told, an estimated 2,000 Cubans died during the invasion, while over 100 members of the exile army were killed in action. The remaining 1,200 were captured and imprisoned, and some were later executed on the orders of Castro. Over a year later, the rest were freed in exchange for $53 million in food and medicine for Cuban people. The effects of the Bay of Pigs were far reaching. Several American officials resigned over their involvement in it, and many have credited it with increasing the resolve of the Cuban government and encouraging a severe distrust of American foreign policy in the years that followed.

Best Ghost Photographs

While trying to decide which ghost photos are the “best” is largely an exercise in subjectivity, it’s difficult to know which ones are the best with any degree of objectivity. These are the photos I consider the most authentic “captures” of ghosts ever caught on film, but I leave it to you to decide for yourself how real they may be. Of course, I realize that almost any photo can be hoaxed, but many of these were taken many years or even decades before digital cameras and the advent of Photoshop and other photo manipulation software came on the scene, making them somewhat more difficult to fake than it would be today.


10. The Queensland Photo, 1946

Taken in 1946 in Queensland, Australia by a mother who was taking a picture of her teenage daughter’s grave. Nobody was in sight at the time, but when the picture was processed the image of a child appeared, apparently sitting on the grave. The mother does not recognize the child, thereby reducing (though not entirely eliminating) the possibility that it’s a double exposure.


9. The S.S. Watertown Faces, 1924

This famous photo taken in 1924 apparently shows the faces of two recently deceased crewmen appearing in the waves alongside the merchant ship S.S. Watertown. Normally I’m not a big fan of faces appearing in grainy photos due to the brain’s tendency to make order out of chaos (known as “matrixing”) but this case is different in that the faces were seen by numerous members of the crew for several days beforehand and were positively identified as those of two crewmen who suffocated while cleaning out an oil tank a few days earlier. The Burns Detective Agency analyzed the negative for fakery and found none.


8. The Wem Fire Apparition, 1995

This famous photo of a young girl looking out from a raging fire was taken during a 1995 structure fire at Wem town hall in Shropshire, England. Shot from across the street by a local photographer, nothing unusual was seen at the time but once the negative was developed he noticed what appeared to be a young girl standing in the doorway of the burning building. Firemen found the photo so disturbing that they sifted through the ashes afterwards searching for the remains of a body but found nothing, leaving everyone wondering who the girl may have been. Not surprisingly, there is a bit of local folklore which claims that a young girl named Jane Churm accidentally burned the town hall to the ground in 1677 when she dropped a candle, and her ghost has been reputed to haunt Wem town hall ever since. Once a firebug, always a firebug I guess.


7. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, 1991

One of those “too-good-to-be-true” photos, this one actually has a pretty good pedigree because it was shot by a professional paranormal investigator (and notice it was also taken in broad daylight, as opposed to most cemetery investigations which are almost always shot at night). The picture was taken at the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Illinois by the Ghost Research Society on August 10, 1991. Photographer Mari Huff was using high-speed monochromatic film in the area where their equipment had detected several electromagnetic anomalies, and captured this image of a woman in period costume—complete in a burial shroud of the era—sitting on a gravestone. Note that parts of her lower legs appear to be transparent. Looks staged, I know, but then what’s a real ghost supposed to look like?


6. The Corroboree Rock Spirit, 1959

Taken by Reverend R.S. Blance at Corroboree Rock near Alice Springs, Australia in 1959, this famous photo has been around for many years and defies explanation to this day. It wouldn’t be difficult to fake this photo with modern photo manipulation software (i.e. Photoshop) but it would have been nearly impossible to do in 1959.


5. HMS Daedalus Photo, 1919

Another classic and one of the better captures, this photograph from 1919, taken by retired RAF officer Sir Victor Goddard, shows his squadron from the Royal Navy vessel HMS Daedalus. Notice the transparent face peering around the man in the upper left corner of the photo. Several men from this squadron identified the face as belonging to mechanic Freddy Jackson, who had been killed two days earlier when he accidentally walked into a spinning propeller blade. His funeral had taken place earlier that day. Apparently, Freddy didn’t want to miss all the fun.


4. Toys-R-Us, 1978

This shot has one of the best pedigrees among spirit photos because it was shot under carefully controlled circumstances with numerous witnesses present, making fakery especially difficult. Taken in 1978 at a Sunnyvale, California Toys-R-Us store known for an inordinate amount of paranormal activity, the picture was shot by the crew from the TV program That’s Incredible! The infra-red film image of the young man leaning against the wall was NOT seen by any of the people present at the time, nor does he appear in the high speed footage shot from the same vantage point at the same time. There’s a story that in 1869 a young man died at the location where the store now stands from a accidentally self-inflicted axe wound, which might explain his unusual clothing.


3. The Lord Combermere Photo, 1891

This well known photo—and perhaps one of the oldest examples of a bonifide spirit photo—was taken in the Combermere Abbey Library in 1891 by Sybell Corbet. The exposure length was approximately one hour, and the figure of a man appears to be sitting in the armchair located in the foreground (it’s difficult to make out, but a head and arm can just be made out sitting in the chair). At the time this photograph was being taken, Lord Combermere (a top British cavalry commander) was being buried four miles away and the house was said to have been locked and empty at the time. Additionally, those who knew Lord Combermere claim the figure looks exactly like the man, so we have to wonder if the old gentleman wasn’t simply just visiting his old “haunt” one last time.


2. The Chinnery Photo, 1959

When visiting her mother’s grave in 1959, Mrs. Mabel Chinnery decided to finish off the roll of film by taking a picture of her husband seated in the car. When the roll was developed, a female figure appeared, sitting in the back seat. Mrs. Chinnery and several family members insist that the female figure is that of her mother, who appears to have taken her customary place in the back seat and is patiently waiting to be driven home. A photographic expert examined the print and declared it to be neither a reflection nor a double exposure. Notice that “mom” appears to be a pretty solid ghost, with no hint of transparency or light from the rear windows shining through her. Even her glasses appear to reflect light!


1. The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall, 1936

Perhaps the most famous of all ghost photos, this highly controversial shot was taken in1936 by photographers sent by the London magazine Country Living to take some interior shots of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England. What’s also interesting about this shot is that in contrast to most photos in which the figure is not seen until after the film is developed, the spectral figure of a woman descending the stairway was seen seconds before the gshutter was snapped. The negatives on this photo have been scrutinized by literally hundreds of experts (and no small number of skeptics) who can find no evidence of it being either a hoax or a double exposure. Still considered by many to be the best “capture” ever taken.

J. (Jeff) Allan Danelek, a resident of Lakewood, Colorado, has been a Fortean writer on a number of paranormal subjects since 2002. To see more spirit photos or to read articles on a range of curious subjects, visit Jeff’s website at www.ourcuriousworld.com.

History Behind The Abandoned Subway In Cincinnati

Beneath the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio, a set of visibly unused tunnels and stations for a rapid transit system could be seen. It is the abandoned subway of Ohio, called the Cincinnati Subway, infamous for its incomplete construction. The subway has been termed as “one of the city’s biggest embarrassments” and “one of the Cincinnati biggest failures”.

 

 The construction began from 1920 and continued till 1925 with finance of $6 million which relatively got exhausted before the completion of the project. The project but, highlighted the technological advancement of that period, but had to be abandoned in mid-way even before reaching the 16 mile target, after the great depression and World War II, leaving behind with only 2.1 miles of tunnels (between Walnut street and near Western Hills) and three stations (Liberty St., Race St. and Brighton’s Corner) completely built underneath the Central Parkway.

 

  

 Many of the items had really collapsed long back, and there was way made for I-75 and the Norwood Lateral in the 1950’s and 1970’s respectively. Earlier, the engineers planned out the extension from the Walnut St. south to downtown with one station at Fountain Square but it never got materialized. And moreover, several moving lines are untraceable as only three of the dozen planned stations above the ground were built.

 

  

 The portions of I-75 and the Norwood Lateral somehow follow the path of the line, but a long stretch near the Dana Avenue of I-71 was considerably built where you can check out for the subway’s loop that was planned on the eastern half side of the subway.

 

  

  

 The tunnel can still be used by public, as the government has looked into the relative maintenance of the subway in the past recent years. The “Metro Moves” sales tax in 2002 could have been a great funding for the maintenance of the tunnel, but it was never favored by the common public.

Lilith - The First Wife of Adam

Remember List of Demons and Evil on FunZone ?? One of them was Lilith, who was actually a demon. Now, FunZone will explore about Lilith.

Appealing to both magicians and feminists past and present, Lilith, or Lilitu ('wind-spirit' in Assyrian-Babylonian mythology) was a ravenous sexual entrepreneur. In legend, Lilith was the first wife of Adam. She was either created as Adam's Siamese twin (joined together at the back), or was made from filth. Either way, Lilith demanded equality with Adam.

Presumably, Lilith and Adam led a happy enough life until they got horny. When it came time for Lilith and Adam to share carnal knowledge, Adam was upset that Lilith wouldn't assume the missionary position. She wanted, according to some accounts, to lay side-by-side. In other accounts, she wanted to be on top. In either case, Adam was miffed and refused Lilith's wants. When he tried to force himself upon her, she uttered the magical name of God, rose into the air, and flew away to find more amenable sexual partners.

Lilith Her sex life soon changed dramatically. She had riotous erotic adventures with fallen angels, and together they spawned a huge family of demons called the lilim, creatures virtually identical to the succubi of Christian demonology.

In Muslim lore, however, Lilith indulged in her sexual wants with Satan, and together they spawned the djinn or genies.

Because Lilith left before the Fall, she wasn't plagued by the curse of death as were Eve and Adam. Lilith went on to become a demon in her own right, or perhaps an avenging angel. She sought revenge for the deaths of her children. She launched a war on women in childbirth and on newborn babies (especially boys).

Nevertheless, she was forced by three angels to swear she would not harm mothers and children protected by certain amulets. These amulets bore the names of Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Semangelaf. As late as the 18th century, mothers and children across many cultures took advantage of the protection offered by these amulets. Charms and rituals accompanied the use of the amulets, protecting mothers and infants from the retribution of Lilith. Baby girls were considered vulnerable in their first three weeks of life. Boys were believed to be vulnerable for longer periods of time, however. Any boy under the age of eight was possible prey.

To protect their children, parents drew a charcoal or natron circle of protection on a wall of the child's bedchamber. Inside the circle was written 'Adam and Eve, barring Lilith,' 'protect this child from harm,' or 'Adam and Eve. Out, Lilith!' The names of Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Semangelaf were written on the door. Sometimes amulets with such inscriptions were placed in all corners and throughout the bedchamber. If a child laughed in its sleep, it was a sign that Lilith was present. Tapping the child on the nose made the demon go away.

However, it wasn't only women and children who feared Lilith. Men sought explanation for their wet dreams. The retribution unleashed by Lilith in response to her children's deaths was also aimed at men who slept alone. According to the Talmud, "It is indiscreet for one to sleep in a house as the sole occupant, for Lilith will seize him." (Tough luck for people who live alone.)

Men who experienced nocturnal emissions believed they had been seduced by Lilith, queen of the succubi, in their sleep. These men said incantations in order to prevent any resulting offspring from becoming demons. Some men weren't so lucky. The unlucky ones had their blood sucked out of them. In this way, the insatiable Lilith, along with the equally ancient Lamia, was a vampire. As queen of the succubi, Lilith was believed to have been aided in her nightly endeavours by her minions. Her demon lover Samael (whose name means 'sinister' or 'left') would frolic with Lilith and the succubi near the 'mountains of darkness.'

Lilith - The First Wife of Adam

Remember List of Demons and Evil on FunZone ?? One of them was Lilith, who was actually a demon. Now, FunZone will explore about Lilith.

Appealing to both magicians and feminists past and present, Lilith, or Lilitu ('wind-spirit' in Assyrian-Babylonian mythology) was a ravenous sexual entrepreneur. In legend, Lilith was the first wife of Adam. She was either created as Adam's Siamese twin (joined together at the back), or was made from filth. Either way, Lilith demanded equality with Adam.

Presumably, Lilith and Adam led a happy enough life until they got horny. When it came time for Lilith and Adam to share carnal knowledge, Adam was upset that Lilith wouldn't assume the missionary position. She wanted, according to some accounts, to lay side-by-side. In other accounts, she wanted to be on top. In either case, Adam was miffed and refused Lilith's wants. When he tried to force himself upon her, she uttered the magical name of God, rose into the air, and flew away to find more amenable sexual partners.

Lilith Her sex life soon changed dramatically. She had riotous erotic adventures with fallen angels, and together they spawned a huge family of demons called the lilim, creatures virtually identical to the succubi of Christian demonology.

In Muslim lore, however, Lilith indulged in her sexual wants with Satan, and together they spawned the djinn or genies.

Because Lilith left before the Fall, she wasn't plagued by the curse of death as were Eve and Adam. Lilith went on to become a demon in her own right, or perhaps an avenging angel. She sought revenge for the deaths of her children. She launched a war on women in childbirth and on newborn babies (especially boys).

Nevertheless, she was forced by three angels to swear she would not harm mothers and children protected by certain amulets. These amulets bore the names of Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Semangelaf. As late as the 18th century, mothers and children across many cultures took advantage of the protection offered by these amulets. Charms and rituals accompanied the use of the amulets, protecting mothers and infants from the retribution of Lilith. Baby girls were considered vulnerable in their first three weeks of life. Boys were believed to be vulnerable for longer periods of time, however. Any boy under the age of eight was possible prey.

To protect their children, parents drew a charcoal or natron circle of protection on a wall of the child's bedchamber. Inside the circle was written 'Adam and Eve, barring Lilith,' 'protect this child from harm,' or 'Adam and Eve. Out, Lilith!' The names of Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Semangelaf were written on the door. Sometimes amulets with such inscriptions were placed in all corners and throughout the bedchamber. If a child laughed in its sleep, it was a sign that Lilith was present. Tapping the child on the nose made the demon go away.

However, it wasn't only women and children who feared Lilith. Men sought explanation for their wet dreams. The retribution unleashed by Lilith in response to her children's deaths was also aimed at men who slept alone. According to the Talmud, "It is indiscreet for one to sleep in a house as the sole occupant, for Lilith will seize him." (Tough luck for people who live alone.)

Men who experienced nocturnal emissions believed they had been seduced by Lilith, queen of the succubi, in their sleep. These men said incantations in order to prevent any resulting offspring from becoming demons. Some men weren't so lucky. The unlucky ones had their blood sucked out of them. In this way, the insatiable Lilith, along with the equally ancient Lamia, was a vampire. As queen of the succubi, Lilith was believed to have been aided in her nightly endeavours by her minions. Her demon lover Samael (whose name means 'sinister' or 'left') would frolic with Lilith and the succubi near the 'mountains of darkness.'

Luxury Car for State Officers: Who Can Resist?

As of today, about 150 State top officers, including ministers, have been delivered brand new Crown Royal Saloon as their official car. The US$100,000 plus-plus car (because of over 100% luxury tax) is considered too luxury for State officers in a country where most people live with daily expenses of below US$1 per day. Who can resist the luxury item when you know Japanese Emperor is also riding on it?

Thousands of readers posted hate comments about the luxury car reports. But look at how State Secretary Minister Sudi Silalahi defended the policy. "The budget for these cars has been planned and approved," Sudi, one of President SBY's trusted aides said.
Coordinating minister for the economy, Hatta Rajasa, argued the luxury car has been planned by the previous administration. "Don't ask me about that, because this is part of the previous administration's programs. Ask State Secretary," Hatta said.
Well, Hatta was the minister for State Secretary in the previous administration. He was part of the previous administration, for five years. He asked journalists to ask the previous State Secretary minister, who is himself?

Taufik Kiemas, the speaker of People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), can't wait to ride on the new car. "If government provides me with the car, why should I reject. Besides, the car will not be mine. I will use this for the next five years and then return it to the State. Take it as a "loan" from people," Kiemas, husband of former president Megawati said. Hundreds of readers barked at Kiemas for this comment.

Priyo Budi Santoso, deputy House speaker from Golkar Party, responded with BIG SMILE when asked about his impression with the new car to replace his old Camry.
Marzuki Alie, the House speaker from SBY's Demokrat Party, said initially he considered to reject the car. "I thought it would trigger "controversy", which turned out to be true. But the car has been delivered, purchased, what can I do? I will use this new car," Marzuki said.

But not all State institutions would accept the car. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) suggested the State top officers riding Kijang Innova (also a Toyota). Haryono Umar, deputy chairman of KPK said KPK leaders won't take the car.
Syafi'ie Maarif, former chairman of PP Muhammadiyah, the second largest Moslem organization, also suggested officers to ride Kijang instead. "Officers shall not ride on luxury cars. It's just a proof that they are heartless on people's miserable lives," Syafi'ie said.

Anies Baswedan, rector at Paramadina University, said "from budget perspective, the policy might be accountable, but what about people's sense of justice? This is not the right time to ride on luxury cars. What kind of message you want to give to public?" The writer of the article, Inggried Dwi Wedhaswary, wrote "Can our officers have modest style?"

The Joker, YKK & The Cikeas Octopus

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) confirmed the flow of money from the fugitive businessman Joko Tjandra (nicknamed The Joker by convicted businesswoman Artalyta Suryani) to Yayasan Kesetiakawanan dan Kepedulian (YKK), one of foundations highlighted by George J. Aditjondro in his controversial book: Membongkar Gurita Cikeas: Di balik skandal Bank Century.

"It is true, the amount is approximately US$1 million," Bibit Samad Ryanto, deputy chairman of KPK said today.
KPK didn't investigate the money transfer because it was considered a "deal" between private sectors. KPK discovered the money transfer during the investigation of Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) in relation to the bribery scandal of Artalyta Suryani, considered as middle-person for tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim, and prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan.

Joko Tjandra's lawyer YB Purwaning Yanuar said he knew nothing about the money transfer to YKK. Yanuar said he only handled the Bank Bali issue.
KPK's statement today is a confirmation of various media reports earlier about the transfer of US$1 million to YKK. Yosefardi.com reported about the issue in its article titled "Mr President & The Joker" in October 1st, 2009.

What is YKK?
As reported by Yosefardi.com, based on the information from its website, Yayasan Kesetiakawanan dan Kepedulian, is a foundation where former military commander Djoko Suyanto is a member of Supervisory Council. Djoko Suyanto was deputy chairman of SBY-Boediono campaign team and president commissioner of listed energy company PT Adaro Energy (ADRO) Tbk. Suyanto is currently coordinating minister for politic, security, law, and human rights affairs.

Other name listed in the supervisory council of the foundation is Sutanto (former National Police Chief, former president commissioner of state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, once a member of SBY-Boediono team, but resigned upon public criticism), who is now the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Head.

Others including Purnomo Yusgiantoro (former energy and mineral resources minister, currently defense minister), MS Hidayat (chairman of Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, now minister for industry affairs).
While the executive committee of the foundation is led by chairman Arwin Rasyid (currently CEO of Bank CIMB Niaga), deputy chairman Agustian Partawidjaja (executive of Sinar Mas Group), Nenny Sri Utami (former head of research and development of energy and mineral resources ministry), Setiawan Ambardy (finance director of PT Jaring Lintas Usaha), Dessi Natalegawa (brother of foreign affairs minister Marty Natalegawa, former executive of Prayogo Pangestu's Chandra Asri petrochemical center), etc.

KPK imposed a travel ban on The Joker based on information that he transferred US$1 million to Suryani, known for her relationship to tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim. But KPK then found the money was not transferred to Suryani. That's why KPK released The Joker from the travel ban, which cost them police investigation on "abuse of power". KPK then traced the money and found that The Joker gave the money to CEO of PT Mulia Viadi Sutoyo and Enang as courier. "They then gave the money to Djoko Suyanto from Kesetiakawanan Foundation," Ahmad Rifai, lawyer to KPK leaders explained.
Suyanto denied the allegation. The donation, he said, was received by the foundation's executive board through its account. "I have no idea about that, it's the foundation's business," he said few months ago.

Today, Suyanto admitted the "donation". "That's true. But its nothing to do with financing the (presidential) election campaign," Suyanto said. "The issue is already old, probably two or three years, probably George fell asleep back then, suddenly woke up and blowing up this issue," Suyanto commented George's theory about The Joker's funds for SBY's presidential campaign.

The foundation was active in providing assistance to various groups as shown in its website. That's probably why people like George asked how the foundation financed all the activities and programs?
KPK lawyer admitted it got the information about the money from The Joker to Yayasan Kesetiakawanan when KPK grilled Viadi Sutoyo (executive of Mulia Group) in relation to the bribery scandal of Artalyta Suryani and prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan in May 2008. Bibit argued "that (US$1 million) is between private sectors and the foundation, not KPK's business." Well, looks like it's not just an affair between the The Joker and YKK now, especially after George highlighted the role of other foundations.
Some people argued "what's wrong with the foundations, especially if they're doing good things for people?" Well, nothing wrong with that. Soeharto also argued the same on his foundations like Supersemar, Dakab, Dharmais, Dana Gotong Royong Kemanusiaan, Dana Sejahtera Mandiri, etc. But we all know Soeharto's foundations were also sanctuaries for corruption and rampant collusion due to lack of transparency in their fund raising and accountability of the money they collected.

(Haryanto Suharman, researcher at yosefardi.com contributed to this article)

Sampoerna, SBY-Demokrat, & Century bailout

George Aditjondro wrote in the controversial book: Membongkar Gurita Cikeas, Di balik Skandal Bank Century about the connection of Sampoerna Group/Family with SBY-Demokrat through Jurnal Nasional newspaper. Boedi Sampoerna, according to Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), had over US$200 million deposit in Century, which would gone, if government closed down the troubled Bank Century.

I just remember when our fellow journalists discussed about who's behind Jurnal Nasional newspaper when it first hit newsstands few years ago (2006 to be exact). Journalists in town mainly mentioned Sampoerna. Which Sampoerna or who in the Sampoerna family involved in Jurnal Nasional (JURNAS), nobody knows except people within the company. George wrote that it's Soenaryo Sampoerna (not Putera, nor Boedi) who invested in the newspaper (PT Media Nusa Perdana). Soenaryo's name is mentioned in various reports about PT Esa Kertas, who is in legal dispute with Bank Danamon. Our source said Soenaryo, known as Kian Soen, is the son of Boedi.

In the first two years of JURNAS, according to George, Sampoerna installed two representatives: Ting Anantan Setiawan and Rainerius Taufik. Ting's role has reportedly been replaced by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono's younger sister, who is also the wife of Gatot Suwondo (BNI CEO).

Nobody knows how much money Sampoerna already invested in JURNAS. George only pointed to print cost of the paper since 2006 has reached Rp90 billion. If that's true, JURNAS might have spent over Rp300 billion, because according to our experience in the media business, printing cost might be around 30% of total cost.

Still, nobody knows who gave what and how much for the operation of this newspaper. What's the connection between Sampoerna investment in JURNAS and Century bailout? George, in a talk-show with TVOne, said he made no connection between those two. Let people to draw conclusion? Well, what an unpleasant New Year gift for SBY and Demokrat Party.

Read : Gurita Cikeas Triggers Controversy

Gurita Cikeas Triggers Controversy

For those regularly monitoring Indonesian politics at play, George Aditjondro's book, Membongkar Gurita Cikeas (literally means: Uncover Cikeas Octopus), is a compilation of scattered reports about various foundations closely linked to Cikeas (President SBY, The First Lady, and the broader inner circle (including Demokrat Party). What makes it special is actually the inner circle's strong reaction to the book, most likely because of the connection to ongoing investigation on Century scandal.

George opened the book with the popular transcript of a wiretapped conversation between Anggodo Widjojo and Ong Yuliana where Yuliana claimed SBY's support for Ritonga (former deputy attorney general) on a plot (i.e. criminalization of KPK leaders).

George discussed about Sampoerna Group's "assistance" to Jurnal Nasional, a newspaper closely affiliated to Demokrat Party and SBY; utilization of public service obligation (PSO) funds for Bravo Media Center, one of campaign arms of SBY-Boediono; SBY-affiliated foundations (Puri Cikeas, SBY Nurussalam, Kesetiakawanan & Kepedulian, etc); First Lady-related foundations (Batik Foundation, Sulam Foundation, etc); Business connection of Cikeas Family, etc.

Yosefardi.com published various articles in the period of 2007-2008 about these issues under the following titles: Puri Cikeas Foundation, SBY's dzikir foundation, cabinet ministers wives' club, Tempo Scan Group & SBY, Tjokrosaputro & The First Family, Mr President & The Joker, etc.

The book has disappeared from bookstores. TBG reportedly withdrew the book. But Naluri Imayanti, duty manager of Gramedia Matraman (Jakarta) outlet, denied the withdrawal. "That's not true. The book has yet to entered the bookstore," Naluri said.

The publisher printed 4,000 copies for US$4/copy. Bookstores withdrawn the book, reportedly due to "pressures", just when the inner circle of the ruling elite seriously discussing the book. The President's spokesperson has expressed SBY's "concern" about the book's content. Demokrat Party executives mainly call the book a "defamation" and as a result, the writer shall be brought to justice (legal process).

House Speaker Marzuki Ali (from Demokrat) said the book is full of baseless allegations and defamations toward SBY.

Denial also came from Antara News Agency, which according to George, channeled public service obligation funds to Bravo Media Center (member of SBY-Boediono campaign team). Suratto Siswodihardjo, chairman of Puri Cikeas Foundation, asked George to drop the conclusion that the foundation he established is part of the Cikeas Octopus. "I simply can't accept that conclusion," Suratto, known as a friend of SBY and chairman of Pro SBY Movement/commissioner of state-owned company PT Angkasa Pura II said in a dialogue at TVOne. But George rejected straightforwardly. "I will not drop that," George said in the dialogue.
All of these would only popularize the book. What a "blessing in disguise" for the publisher. Members of the DPR's inquiry team on Century have reportedly ordered the book directly to the publisher in Yogyakarta (Galang Press). Some universities have also ordered substantial copies.

While SBY's supporters see SBY as a regular victim of defamation, others expressed their concern about the return of authoritarianism if the book is banned from distribution. Interestingly, Amir Syamsuddin, secretary general of Demokrat Party, who is also a lawyer, said the book shall not be withdrawn from distribution. "The book is rubbish, no relation between its title and the content," Amir commented.

President's spokesperson Julian Aldrin Pasha dismissed speculations that government has banned the distribution of the controversial book.

For your own research, checkout the following websites:

   1.  Puri Cikeas Foundation
   2.  Kesetiakawanan and Kepedulian Foundation
   3.  Yayasan Majelis Dzikir SBY Nurussalam. Or this article.
   4.  Yayasan Batik Nusantara

You may read others, for reference:

   1.  Indonesia Tersenyum
   2.  Indonesia Pintar

Also Read : Sampoerna, SBY-Demokrat, & Century bailout