Watching the Flags

Caustic Logic
March 19 2010
last update Feb. 1 2011


reference is made throughout to veiwership as measured by Flag Counter. My current Flag Counter returns can be seen here for anyone curious.
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March 19: I've been greatly enjoying the Flag Counter I had put on this site when it went public about two months back. As you can see (at right, "Visitors") from the hits since January 25, an average of about 88 views per day. Some days up to a third of those may be just me, obsessively editing and making a hit each time I review. But the flag counter only shows unique computers accessing the site and where they are (or show as) plugged in.

(see graphic at bottom for most recent numbers laid out on a map)

As a scholar of "false flag" events, I'm a little skeptical of these little flags, but still it's interesting to watch. It's fun to take it in like a competition. I don't follow football or sports at all, usually, but this "game" revolves around my little/big site.

Over fifty countries so far from all relevant continents have at least one viewer - One Libyan computer has been able to view The Lockerbie Divide, it says. One Jordanian, right after my Khreesat piece. One "European Union." A lot of ones. Someone with diplomatic e-mail contacts must have plugged it, since UN ambassadors is one of the few things, besides viewers of this site, most countries have just one of, from India to Iceland, Barbados to Brazil.

Few of these countries' viewers show the interest to get into the multiple views with 'horizontal seeding.' Those that do have their "gestalt" reasons I can partly guess to have at least a few people interested. Malta is a workhorse of support here, per capita. From a population under half a million, they hold steady around sixth place, once rivaling the United States (currently 47 distinct viewers). They were of course stuck with the stigma of having hosted the Libyan terror plot and failing to stop it, and had their counter-points simply brushed off. Puny Maltese! But hey, such a little country, no one can blame them letting the Libyans suborn them in ways still not explained.

I'm not sure why the 39 Belgian computers (7th) showed interest in particular, but the 23 from Netherlands (8th) have hosting the Zeist trial in their memories to stir interest. Canada (9) - I don't know. Home to a lot of Arab exile types. [Update 5/23: Three Canadian passengers died on flight 103, and they have families...] France (12) had the UTA 772 bombing and related Libya problems, were prime pushers for sanctions, etc. Sweden (no. 11) hosted the Abu Talb sideline and were thus involved in the early investigation as it started towards Malta. Australia (10) is the new home of the millionaire key-witness-and-handler duo the Gauci brothers, Tony and Paul, formerly of Malta. 10 viewers, so at least eight non-Gaucis.

The 61 viewers from the Federal Republic of Germany (5th) might be especially interested in the Autumn Leaves/Khreesat angle, where they may have hosted the makers of the bomb that brought down PA103. Some might have looked at my unusual take on the Frankfurt printout. I think Germany was in 3rd place once, but usually a bit behind South Africa (4th). Nelson Mandela, more than anyone else, helped convince both Gadhafi and the Americans to agree to the Zeist trial. Central negotiator Robert Black also "winters" there and has friends, and in other ways interest remains high enough to send 68 computers clicking here.

Early on the Brits (UK) were the leading edge of viewership here by a wide margin, with their official partners in handling the crime, the United States, trailing badly. Old Glory has stayed consistently in the top five, but barely at points (see Malta, below). A shame since Americans were targetted, were hit like never before, and then Washington led the push against Libya, the sanctions, etc. To the extent Americans remember the incident, they maintain an obsessive certainty this was all correct, and a desire to push the blame higher. And yet... they aren't googling it in droves to keep learning, even as Megrahi lingers and doubts metastasize. That's interesting.

The USA toggled around with South Africa and Germany for places 3, 4 and 5 for the first weeks. Now, with the help of my family and friends and at least Richard Marquise and a few of his, plus whoever else, my homeland has consistently held a steady third place for some weeks now. 86 computers have viewed the site, it says. Two are mine. 84 Americans is not bad for nearly two months, considering how uninteresting the evidence and details are to them. But it's still pathetic compared to the 345 computer from the UK that have hit on, over four times for a much smaller population that had a powerful, but ultimately secondary, part in shaping the outcome of the investigation.

The oddity is second place, steady and unwavering at about half of what the UK yields, and twice the US. Switzerland. A remarkable 180 computers connected, so far. I consider Mr. Bollier is there, founder of the comapny that made the Libyan timer that cracked the case, and a long-time Lockerbie info artist (mebocom pages). Bollier and his "Mission: Lockerbie" been a target of mine - not so much at this site, but previously - and yet has kindly plugged this site, asked to borrow my mountain picture and deigned to leave some comments. (as "ebol")

As a tech guy ultimately, I wonder if Bollier has got some clone army pumping up the hits for some reason. At Professor Robert Black's site, the Swiss hold a distant third (681 to USA's 2,144 and UK's 6,907). There's a deeper history there - many hundreds of those Americans probably viewed the page just once in late August '09. But still, Mebo is about all Switzerland's got connected to Lockerbie, and one way or another that has to be behind the special viewership slant for this site. I may not deliver the expected goods, since Mebo's ambiguous role has slid in importance as I learn more and more. But then I may still openly accuse him of handing over what became PT/35(b).

Mr Bollier, any comment?
(Note, Jan 26: I've since banned ebol from comments here, mostly for reasons over a decade old now).
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Update 5/10: Nearly 7000 page hits now. A few more nations have moved into two-view category. Pakistan suddenly shot from one to three views recently, Japan from two to five.  Libya is still at 4. Top 12 at the moment: UK up to 496, expected to hit a landmark 500 later today. You guys are awesome! Switzerland, the ol' Confederation Helvetica, up to 382 now. Where do you keep coming from? USA, up to 187! Thanks to my fellow yanks! Recently a state-by-state breakdown came online, counting since then 6 Washington viewers (most of which I probably know), 5 each in California and New York, a few from several other states, and three "unknown." The rest: South Africa in fourth (90), Germany (85), Belgium (73), Malta in seventh (50). Netherlands (43), Canada (36), Australia (18), Austria/France (13), and Sweden (11).
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7/21: The hubbub this month about Megrahi supposedly having decades live and about evil BP having once lobbied for his release has caused a surge of news coverage in the United States, and with my frequent comments on stories, has earned the site a record run of new American viewers, my target audience. Current top 9: UK 716, Switz 631,  USA 379, Germany 137, Belgium 122, SA 102, Netherlands 79, Canada 69, Malta 64. State-by-state: 36 of 50 states + DC, top 5: CA 47, NY 24, WA 14, VA 14, PA 13. Other high points: 72 nations total now. Recent first-time visitors: Luxembourg, Romania, Ecuador, Ukraine, Cyprus, Iran just the other day. Libya and Italy long since broke the matching pattern I noted earlier. Libya just passed India at 8 viewers.
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Aug 9: Slower then faster traffic lately. Continued worldwide media interest, getting more detailed as the anniversary of Megrahi's release approaches. Top 10 for distinct viewers: UK 868 Switz 727, US 444, Belgium passes Germany for 4th place, 144 to Germany's 142. 6 South Africa 111. 7 Netherlands, home of Camp Zeist, at 83. 8 Canada, 76. 9 Malta 66. 10 Spain, passing Australia (tied actually) at 36. India just passed Libya at 10 viewers. Hong Kong just appeared as its own country, giving me hits from 75 countries, with a total of 3,008 unique visitors. USA top four: CA 65, NY 30, WA 19, VA/PA 15.

Update Aug 18: Later in the day it became apparent August 9 was the site's record for new viewership. Based largely on my debate call to Brian Flynn (not taken up), a total of 47 new unique viewers logged in that day. My previous record was 36. 12 of these new viewers were American, and those have continued to come in thicker, now totaling well over 15% of visitors (had been about 14 before the 9th). US total = 499.

Update 13 September: It's been a good month for traffic. UK 1,168 Sw 851, US 598 Germany regains 4th, 166 to Belgium's 160 and South Africa's 136. Canada's taken a leap lately to 131, with Alberta (63 views!) leading the way over onetime clear leader Ontario (26). Neth 97, Malta 71, Aust'l 43, Sp 40, Aust 37, Fr 34 India 23, Sweden 22. Saudi Arabia took a one-day leap in late August from 2 to 9 viwers, now sitting at 10. 78 countries total, most recent: Nepal and Senegal. 3,821 unique visitors.


Update, 12 October: Blogger has added some new features, like an awesome comment-tracking tab, and a statistics one that show how many people from where are reading what posts within different time frames. Interestingly, the results there sometimes conflict with what flag counter says. I have viewers appearing from China, Venezuela, Latvia, and Moldova, nations that still appear as having no viewers at all by Flag Counter. Hong Kong and Taiwan appear, the former perhaps fudged by Blogger to read as China, which is what I'd expect, actually. But the other three are clearly their own countries, and it's a little strange. Currently 80 nations are recognized by Flag Counter, most recent Senegal, Mali, and Sri Lanka. 

I've noticed on the stats amazing spikes of pageviews from my two South Korean vieweers (as high as I think 75 views in a two-hour span), and a 17-post rampage by my unacknowledged Moldovan guest. Hey, I'm down with the grape revolution, so long as it's authentic, man. (Sadly, I never did post my small research on that at Guerillas Without Guns, but there was a color revolution planned there too, called Grape.) Italy and Ireland's near-identical flags stay tied at 15. Slovenia, home of Bogomira Erac has now sent ten viewers - impressive for such a small place. Also, one of my favorite bands, Laibach, hails from there.

Australia, Malta, Netherlands, Belgium, and even the USA have made notable gains in viewing my big-head blog in recent weeks. Top ten: UK 1,444 - Switzerland 963 - US 723 - Belgium 188 - Germany 175 - Can 174 - South Africa 144 - Netherlands 115 - Malta 90 - Australia 55.

Nov 5: What the hell, Italy and Ireland? You both have the same exact flag, more or less, and get stuck side by side at 15 views for nearly two months. Then Italy pulls ahead to 16 the other day, leaving Poland between them. For one day. Then Ireland pulled up to 16 as well, and now they'll stay together for another month I suppose. Passed 5,000 unique visitors recently, now nearing 5,200. Macedonia and Sudan most recent viewers, nice climbing action from Poland (app 12 to 17) and Jordan (app 3 to 9). Canada keeps climbing, passing both Germany and Belgium comfortably. Top ten: UK 1,685 - Sw 1,064 - US 813 - Can 207 - Belg 205 - Ger 182 - SA 151 - Neth 126 - Malta 99 - Aust'l 63.  

Jan 25 2011: A quick update after two month of watching but not noting. It's the one-year anniversary of the site, officially launched January 25 2010. The United States has improved its veiwership share to 16.1-16.3%. One day recently saw a new record, 16 new American viewers in a single day! Illinois in particular has taken off, now tied with Virginia for third place at 46 veiwers. (New York is comfortably past 100, and California's inching towards 300.) Top ten countries: UK 2359, Switz. 1472, US 1171, Canada 291, Belgium 258, Germany 238, Neth 216, SA 161, Malta 120, Australia 87. New countries: China, Iraq, Palestinian Territory, Algeria, Maldives, Bangladesh, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Uganda, Cambodia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Jamaica. Plus Guernsey and Jersey, which don't really seem like countries to me. Countries showing marked jumps include Austria, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Colombia.  Italy and Ireland are tied again, as usual, at 26.
1/28 update: I was taunting Slovenia by putting the olive/gold threshold right above them, and they responded by shooting up from 23 to 32 viewers in less than three days, to 13th place. They'll be solid gold next update. Norway, home of many of my ancestors, also just jumped up a few slots to 17, from ... I thought it was seven just a month ago.

April 19 2011
Since the last update, Libya has entered into full on warfare with western elites giddy enough to solemnly demand Gaddafi's system finally be scrapped privatized for their own benefits. They don't say it that way, but it's clearly in store when so much is being spent on this "humanitarian" effort in such tough economic times. That we spend so much doesn't mean we care. It also costs a little money, some planning, and even caries risks ... to plan an armed robbery. The idea is it'll more than pay for itself.

Anyway, maybe it is for the best, but it annoys me how sure the world acts, when they can't even realize, at the very least, the Libyan government was framed for Lockerbie. It's been good and bad for my site. The war had Libya's internet cut off from late February, so new viewers stopped appearing. But the other day, April 16, I got my first new Libyan flag since then (21 now)! Sadly, it may be among the last ever with that cool green flag, as they're all hoping to take the flag of pre-Gaddafi Monarchist, serve Washington and Wall Street and starve-the-peasants-era Libya.

In other visitor news, the war drove record new viewers to my site, especially from the United States, always my intended core audience. 75 new computers logged on in one day on February 24, about 1/3  Americans. This helped the US later push to second place (1,833, 18.5% of total), bypassing Switzerland, whose new viewers rather suddenly slowed to a trickle. It was a nice break, but it coincided with a strange surge of Slovenian viewers, (just beginning at last update, only now slowing down a bit) from 13th at 32 viewers on Jan. 28, to 8th place at 187 in less than 3 months. Serbia's appeared and taken off some, too, but more naturally, now 15th at 56 viewers - an interest emerged there in my thru-linked article on the "al-Baida massacre" (see comments). New countries: Chile, Paraguay, Guadelupe, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji, French Polynesia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovia, Croatia, Monenegro, (all of former Yugoslavia except Kosovo, the part we so excellently saved in '99) Syria (same issue - Syrian soldier also blamed for shooting their own for "refusing to shoot protesters."), Ghana, Mauritius, Botswana, Andorra.  Top ten: UK 3,204 - US 1,833 - Sw 1,681 - Canada 397 - Belgium 321 - Germany 312 - Neth 277 - Slovenia 187 - S. Africa 171 - Australia/Malta (tied) 147. Malta will now leave the top ten. :(

Updated world veiwership map:
(New window for full view with points east)
previous, Jan 25:

Current North America map:

Previous map, Jan 25
Previous map, Nov. 2010

Note California and Alberta, the deep red ones. I don't even know anyone there hardly, and they've got what seems like the overblown Switzerland effect going on. However, see comments below (by FullInquiry) on Alberta's showing. My own friends and family's what's got Washington between them as high as it is, sad as that is (40 views counted, with many others buried among the 150-ish U.S. views racked up before the state-by-state breakdown came online in May). I never expected a surge of Mexican interest, but after a full year ... 5 viewers?

14 comments:

Charles said...

This is very interesting, CL.

Canyou get IP addresses of your viewers. Does 205.178.152.154 appear, a well known exoperative's site address, and registered to Canada. I bet a lot of CIA appears to come from Canada for constitutional reasons and a very wicked editor and sometime MI5 stooge was exiled there to do her dirty work on the 'pedia.

I'm not surprised over the UK. There is a much greater belief that Lockerbie was fake from start to finish here, and most people have got as far as Swire's position, though he is wrong.

Malta is interesting. For they got the bum-rush.

I must be there from the UK, though my conclusions are not widely accepted yet, I get some nice support.

I think when the current fraud over Lockerbie colapses it will collapse very fast and the story will come out very quickly. It will be up to the Americans to get the perpetrators, who are widely known and virtually all based in the US.

For example an MI5 stooge wastelling Cadman and Swire that the PFLPGC story was all rubbish in 1994, and they should believe F&M did it.

As the PFLP GC/Foot story is all cod, why bother to disabuse them. Bad tactics actually. MI5 was revealing both its hand and its ignorance of the CIA's real part in Lockerbie.

It is beginning to resemble the Catholic Church child abuse scandal. Eventually, the truth begins surface and the perpetrators and their protectors are faced with their appalling over-up.

Perhaps the Pope will resign. Perhaps the CIA will be shut down and its alumini of monstrous fakers, fraudsters and liars be bought to book.

Caustic Logic said...

Sorry, unable to see IP addresses myself. Just the countries come up. Interesting allegations there about some Canadian players...

And of course I disagree with the PFLP angle being "all cod."

Anonymous said...

Hello. I may be your sole Libyan viewer. While the internet is easily accessible in Libya where available, many people aren't interested in it yet. Those who are, probably view Arabic language sites. As for Lockerbie, I think that Libyans have developed a thick skin concerning the foreign affairs of their country. They don't know what to make of it, and are tired of hearing about it.
For me, I hope I live to see the day the truth is finally reached.

Caustic Logic said...

This is precisely why I set comment moderation now. I hate missing comments like this from interesting people and places. Here I'm ignoring people for months at a time.

Anonymous Libyan viewer, if you pop back - apparently you were the one (unless you're spoofing since I just admitted I can't verify IPs). That's a high reader-to-comment ration then. :)

I realize of course the language difference, but with English sort of universal and auto-translators so handy, it must be more a lack of interest. I wouldn't be surprised at a polar inversion of the lack of interest in the U.S - It's so clear that Megrahi and Libya are innocent it's either too boring to hear more 'questions' or too aggravating to read Western statements of their opposie certainty.

Here it's just so totally proven plus old and boring to most to bother giving it a second thought. That suits the powers that be just fine. They want it forgotten. But history doesn't sleep and how I see it this story can't last much longer. The further in time from the indictments and the further in space from Washington one gets, the weaker its hold.

However, "truth reached" is a relative thing, not a set point. Reached by whom? The U.S. will likely resist for a long time, as the world comes around fist. You and I and most educated people who have no stake in the official story are already there.

Anyway, thanks for the comment. Glad to now have four of your co-nationals here by now as well. Send a few more, eh?

1971Thistle said...

Err, I may be responsible for three of your Belgian regular hits, as view from three different computers (don't ask) on a pretty much daily basis

Caustic Logic said...

Thistle, thanks! I'm not a very worldly person, and this Flag Counter thing is the closest I get to globetrotting, but backwards. It's awesome having the world come see my site. Thanks for scoring three different views! That's about all I could do myself, aside from badgering a few friends.

Thanks also for being able to write in English. I cannot speak (what is it there? Belgian or Hollandaise? Kidding... mostly French, right?)

If you're still reading, do you have any thoughts on what's good or bad about the site or things I should cover, etc.?

Rolfe said...

CL, Belgium is divided into two sectors. The south (Wallonia) speaks French and the north (Flanders) Flemish, which is essentially the same language as Dutch.

I really logged on to remark on your choice of words. "Doubts metastasise". That's a very intriguing image.

Caustic Logic said...

CL, Belgium is divided into two sectors. The south (Wallonia) speaks French and the north (Flanders) Flemish, which is essentially the same language as Dutch.

Thanks for the tidbit. I did know they spoke French and I thought German, didn't know how it was divided up. Also not sure why you brought it up.

I don't know much about Belgium I admit, ther than they got invaded by Germany a few times, helped form Benelux, host NATO, and had little or no "Gladio" network activity until maybe the end, when some kind of well-armed wierdos went on a high-profile tour of carnage. (see big essay)

I really logged on to remark on your choice of words. "Doubts metastasise". That's a very intriguing image.

Thanks. It's a word I've used occasional as a metaphor. As a medical person you appreciate its amazing depth.

Caustic Logic said...

Oh, I see why you brought that up, nevermind. I was joking round of course.

1971Thistle said...

Rolfe

Sorry to be a pedant, but actually it's in three sectors. Flanders/Flemish, Wallonia/Francophone and Brussels, which is officially bilingual.

There is also a small German-speaking part of Belgium, but not an 'official' language.

Language here is a minefield; unless you know where to use which language, you will meet some frosty receptions (if you speak French in Flanders) or incomprehension (Flemish in Wallonia. It is a cause of a great deal of political tension also.

Best switch to English....

Rolfe said...

Sorry, Thistle, I was trying to keep it simple for Adam, who is after all a geographically-challenged Yank....

It's been a while since I was in Brussels, but I certainly had the impression the "bilingual" part was strictly academic, and that hearing anything other than French spoken was a rarity.

I didn't know about the German-speaking part though.

FullInquiry said...

The “overblown” Alberta numbers are simple to explain. In the 1980’s Ronald Reagan imposed US sanctions on Libya, Americans that worked there largely left, and were largely replaced by Canadians. Alberta is oil country, most oilmen that went to Libya are from Alberta.

Thousands of Canadians working in Libya (often rotating one month in Libya one month home) were affected by the bogus UN air embargoes in the 1990’s, and had to risk their lives on rickity, stinky ferries from Malta to Libya and back that took 2 – several days to get there (or worse) or drive overland to and from work to Tunisia or Egypt, again in bad conditions and waiting hours at the border in blistering heat in summer. All risked their lives on each trip. Many saw deadly road accidents on the crowded narrow Tunisian streets, where children darted out and were often mowed down, that were never designed to have such numbers of Libyan taxis driving on them at high speeds.

The sanctions affected them and their families - thus their awareness and interest in your site. They also understand that the Libyan people are good people having lived and worked with them.

Successive Governments of Canada, to their shame, couldn’t care less about PA-103. Indeed the federal Minister in charge of North Africa trade for Canada at the time of the Zeist trial (David Kilgour, a Liberal MP from Alberta), when I met with him on the subject, told me he thought that the accused had been convicted long before (which in effect they had been - at least in the North American media). So the Canadian government’s level of staying informed apparently consisted of watching CNN once in a while. Kilgour soon afterwards officially opened the first Canadian Embassy in Libya (which had quietly been opened efore the Zeist trial had ended).

Kilgour now writes books on Sudan and claims to be a human rights activist. Where was his sense of human rights then? He and his Liberal colleagues denied the human rights of Canadians that did business with Libya to access to banking and government export programs that are supposed to be available to all citizens. They hypocritically pointed their figure at Libya and said it had a poor human rights record. What about the right not to be charged of a crime when there is no evidence (Fhima in particular) and the right to a speedy and fair trial? The Canadian Government’s policy has long been that Libyans have less rights than others do, as evidenced by its silence and inaction (and it is not alone).

The Canadian Government’s policy is amost always designed to keep big brother to the south happy. It sacrificed a lot of grain sales and oilfield product sales to Libya so as not to raise any hackles south of the border, wile using tax dollars to subsidize grain farmers, including those in Alberta. Alberta oilfield businesses were often upset that they had to compete with American products in Libya that were supposed to be sanctioned. If one brought these facts up to the Canadian Government it fell on deaf ears or was denied. No Alberta oil equipment company has ever been compensated for their lost business in Libya caused by their own Government.

The Alberta Government has always stayed quietly on the sidelines as well.

Caustic Logic said...

Alberta, and FullInquiry, I salute you! What an awesome insight. I hope that's the explanation, or most of it. It means that people there in some numbers remember and are concerned enough to follow up with some research. Just the kind of thing I was hoping to run into, especially in North America.

FullInquiry said...

Congratulations on the one year anniversary of this site. You have done a massive amount of work, and informed thousands of people. If just a few of such people talk to their friends and contact their governments and stand up for justice you will have made a difference in the world. I applaud your efforts.