How a loss of faith in politicians and democracy could make 2012 the most frightening year in living memory

The dawn of a new year is usually a time of hope and ambition, of dreams for the future and thoughts of a better life. But it is a long time since many of us looked forward to the new year with such anxiety, even dread.

Here in Britain, many economists believe that by the end of 2012 we could well have slipped into a second devastating recession. The Coalition remains delicately poised; it would take only one or two resignations to provoke a wider schism and a general election.

But the real dangers lie overseas. In the Middle East, the excitement of the Arab Spring has long since curdled into sectarian tension and fears of Islamic fundamentalism. And with so many of the world’s oil supplies concentrated in the Persian Gulf, British families will be keeping an anxious eye on events in the Arab world.

Read more here.

Iowa Coffee House Owner Tosses a Group of Occupiers Out of Her Shop

In His Own Words

D’oh! Protester Walks Into Pole While Heckling Chris Christie

’Two If By Tea’ Commerical Contest

Paul Tells Radio Caller: I Wrote a ‘Certain Portion’ of Controversial Newsletters

Anti-Muslim Blog Taken Down by WordPress After Complaints From CAIR

An anti-Muslim hate blog that contained inflammatory comments has been taken down by its hosting company after numerous complaints from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, PR Newswire reports.

Visitors to the site Barenakedislam.com now see a message noting the blog is no longer available:

Read more here.

This Is the Video of Princeton Students Interrupting a J.P. Morgan Info Session With an Occupy Chant

The Chant:

“Mic Check
Princeton’s motto is:
In the nation’s service and service of all nations
JP Morgan-Chase, your actions violate our motto
Your predatory lending practices helped crash our economy
We‘ve bailed out your executives’ bonuses
You’ve evicted struggling homeowners while taking their tax money
You support mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia
which destroys our ecological future
In light of these actions,
we protest the campus culture
that whitewashes the crooked dealings of Wall Street
as a prestigious career path.
We are here today
as a voice for the 99%
shut out by a system that punishes them
just for being born without privilege.
What we need is not a university for the 1%,
but a university “In the Nation’s Service,
and in the Service of All Nations.”

‘Don’t Dismantle the EPA’: Occupy Protesters Arrested Outside Paul Iowa Headquarters

“This Is My Story” – Ben Breedlove