"We've always believed it's a mobile and nimble operation," said Sean Sarah, the non-profit group's spokesman. "We move to areas where it's most effective. Of course the situation in Congress has changed. So our strategies and tactics have changed along with it." Sarah didn't disclose which states the Alliance still has workers in. But he said the group retains its same staff size and headquarters in Washington and Gore's hometown of Nashville.

Gore in 2008 launched a $300 million advertising and lobbying campaign through the Alliance to help pass climate legislation on Capitol Hill, telling CBS' 60 Minutes at the time it was a "blitz as sweeping and expensive as a big corporation's rollout of a new product." The group has not disclosed how much of that money it ultimately spent.

World temperatures, it went on, were locked inexorably into an ever rising trend: 'Our experimental decadal forecast confirms previous indications that about half the years 2010-2019 will be warmer than the warmest year observed so far - 1998.' Met Office officials openly boasted that they hoped by their statements to persuade the Copenhagen gathering to impose new and stringent carbon emission limits - an ambition that was not to be met.

Last week, halfway through yet another giant, 15,000 delegate UN climate jamboree, in an attempt to influence richer countries to agree to give 20 billion pounds immediately to poorer ones to offset the results of warming, being held this time in the tropical splendour of Cancun in Mexico, the Met Office was at it again. Never mind that Britain, just as it was last winter and the winter before, was deep in the grip of a cold snap, which has seen some temperatures plummet to -20c, and that here 2010 has been the coolest year since 1996.

Globally, it insisted, 2010 was still on course to be the warmest or second warmest year since current records began. But buried amid the details of those two Met Office statements 12 months apart lies a remarkable climbdown that has huge implications - not just for the Met Office, but for debate over climate change as a whole. Read carefully with other official data, they conceal a truth that for some, to paraphrase former US Vice President Al Gore, is really inconvenient: for the past 15 years, GLOBAL WARMING HAS STOPPED.

Even Phil Jones, the CRU director at the centre of last year's 'Climategate' leaked email scandal, was forced to admit in a little noticed BBC online interview that there has been 'no statistically significant warming' since 1995. One of those leaked emails, dated October 2009, was from Kevin Trenberth, head of climate analysis at the US government's National Centre for Atmospheric Research and the IPCC's lead author on climate change science in its monumental 2002 and 2007 reports. He wrote: 'The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment, and it is a travesty that we can't.'

The question now emerging for climate scientists and policymakers alike is very simple. Just how long does a pause have to be before the thesis that the world is getting hotter because of human activity starts to collapse?

At the time, officials announced the new bills would incorporate sophisticated high-tech security features, including a 3-D security strip and a color-shifting image of a bell designed to foil counterfeiters. But the production process is so complex, it has instead foiled the government printers tasked with producing billions of the new notes. An official familiar with the situation told CNBC that 1.1 billion of the new bills have been printed, but they are unusable because of a creasing problem in which paper folds over during production, revealing a blank unlinked portion of the bill face.

The total face value of the unusable bills, $110 billion, represents more than ten percent of the entire supply of US currency on the planet, which a government source said is $930 billion in banknotes. Sorting such a huge quantity of bills by hand, the officials estimate, could take between 20 and 30 years. Using a mechanized system, they think they could sort the massive pile of bills, each of which features the familiar image of Benjamin Franklin on the face, in about one year.

The defective bills - which could number into the tens of millions, potentially representing billions of dollars in face value - will have to be shredded. American taxpayers have already spent an enormous amount of money to print the bills. According to a person familiar with the matter, the bills are the most costly ever produced, with a per-note cost of about 12 cents - twice the cost of a conventional bill. That means the GOVERNMENT SPENT ABOUT $120 MILLION TO PRODUCE BILLS IT CAN'T USE. On top of that, it is not yet clear how much more it will cost to sort the existing horde of hundred dollar bills.

The problem with the new hundred-dollar bills has remained largely hidden from public view, despite a press release issued by the Federal Reserve on October 1 that announced "a delay in the issue date" of the new bills and cited "a problem with sporadic creasing of the paper."

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn believes the 16-nation eurozone should boost the 750 billion euros (635 billion pounds; $1trillion) rescue fund, known as the European Financial Stability Facility. Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders said over the weekend that eurozone countries should increase the fund. The issue is one of several topics on the agenda at this evening's meeting, but Germany has already set out its position. Ms Merkel told a press conference in Berlin that she saw no need to boost the bail-out fund, which is unpopular in Germany because of the size of the country's commitment.

Germany believes the current system, under which countries issue their own bonds, imposes some fiscal discipline on members - and punishes them when they step out of line. The German chancellor said: "Competition on [bond] interest rates is an incentive to respect stability criteria... It is our firm conviction that the [EU] treaties do not allow joint eurobonds."

In the first half of 2008, the banking industry seemed to be recovering from the initial sub-prime shock. Capital was raised and interbank spreads narrowed. Liquidity support and the rescues of Bear Stearns and European banks demonstrated the authorities' determination to stabilise markets if necessary with public funds.

However the limits to that support especially in the US were not made clear and, over the summer, markets tested its credibility. We saw a succession of banks deny they needed help only to be forced into state rescues until the US tried to draw the line at Lehman. Its failure triggered a general loss of confidence in banks which was only reversed by explicit government guarantees of all their banks' liabilities, going far beyond what would have been needed to save Lehman.

This year doubts have been growing about the guarantees of euro members. Taken as a whole the euro area is in a better position to meet its debts and to bail out its banks than the US or Japan. It is in broad current account balance, its debt burden is not exceptional and its taxable capacity is huge. What is unclear is how far it is willing to act collectively. And, without fiscal support from the rest of the union, it seems doubtful that Greece can dig its own way out of its sovereign debt hole or that Ireland can redeem its banks' debts.

First Greece, then Ireland have been forced to turn to the EU and IMF for help. But the rescues have offered only more time to pay and have stopped short of promising transfers either now or if the plans go off track. Not surprisingly markets have continued to price in defaults in those cases and have moved on to question whether, on these terms, others can honour their debts and stand behind their banks. It only needs a small level of risk to make it sensible to steer clear. So now it is Portugal and Spain issuing the denials while Italy, Belgium and even France try to dismiss any threat as absurd.

If the euro area waits for the crisis to deepen and spread before acting, there is a real risk of a run on their banks like that in 2008. Not only will that set back recovery but the euro area will only restore calm and preserve the union by issuing the sort of collective guarantees of sovereign and bank debt they have been so desperate to avoid.

"Many see China's monetary tightening as a pre-emptive tap on the brakes, a warning shot across the proverbial economic bows. We see it as a potentially more malevolent reactive day of reckoning," said Tim Ash, the bank's emerging markets chief. Officially, inflation was 4.4 per cent in October, and may reach 5 per cent in November, but it is to hard find anybody in China who believes it is that low. Vegetables have risen 20 per cent in a month.

The Communist Party learned from Tiananmen in 1989 how surging prices can seed dissent. "Inflation is a redistributive mechanism in favour of the few that can protect living standards, against the large majority who cannot. The political leadership cannot, will not, take risks in that regard," said Mr Ash. RBS recommends credit default swaps on China's five-year debt. This is not a forecast that China will default. It is insurance against the "fat tail risk" of a hard landing, with ramifications across Asia.

The Politburo said on Friday that China would move from "relatively loose" money to a "prudent" policy next year, a recognition that credit rationing, price controls, and other forms of Medieval restraint are not enough. The question is whether Beijing has already left it too late.

The letter sounded like a call for help. "Once again, Germany's image has worsened significantly as a result of our position on combating the euro financial crisis in some EU member states," read the analysis, which was prepared by the Europe division of the German Foreign Ministry. The authors warned forcefully: "The goal of the federal government must be to promptly and permanently dispel doubts as to its European orientation."

For months, the Foreign Ministry has been concerned about Germany's image in the rest of the European Union. Germany has been criticized by other European countries for, among other things, unsettling the markets with talk of making private creditors share the cost of future bailouts. And the worse the euro drama becomes, the more anxiously are the diplomats in Berlin looking to Germany's neighbors. Even countries who have similar positions to Germany regarding how best to combat the crisis have voiced "occasional doubts" as to the "basic orientation" of the Germans.

Since the analysis was written in July, the situation has deteriorated even further. "Anger at Germany boils over," Britain's Financial Times wrote recently. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker has also called for more team spirit from Germany.

And, if opinion polls are to be believed, almost 50 percent of Germans would like to see the currency reintroduced as the country's official means of payment. In fact, pollsters at the EU's Eurobarometer have determined that: "For many Germans, the deutsche mark was the symbol of economic security, stability and prosperity." Those are attributes that euroskeptics will never be able to associate Europe's single currency with.

From one perspective, they might be right. Hasn't the financial crisis in Europe gotten drastically worse in recent weeks? First it was Greece, and now Ireland too has had to draw on the 750 billion euros ($993 billion) rescue fund set up this year to prevent the euro zone from breaking apart. A number of other euro-zone countries may be about to share the same fate. Financial markets are already betting that Portugal will need a bailout. And, if worse comes to worst, it could even happen to Spain, which would surely mean the end of the euro as we've known it.

But what would really happen if the euro collapsed? Would it really herald a return to the good, old days, to a Germany that uses the much-revered deutsche mark? Or could it actually be a harbinger of chaos and economic depression?

The surge, which comes as Chinese investors look for insurance against rising inflation and currency appreciation, puts Beijing on track to overtake India as the world's largest consumer of gold and a significant force in global gold prices. The size of the imports - more than 209 tonnes of gold during the first 10 months of the year, a fivefold increase from an estimate of 45 tonnes last year - was revealed on Thursday. In the past, China has kept the volume secret.

"Investment is really driving demand for gold," said Cai Minggang, at the Beijing Precious Metals Exchange. "People don't have any better investment options. Look at the stock market, or the property market - you could make huge losses there." Beijing has encouraged retail consumption, with an announcement in August of measures to promote and regulate the local gold market, including expanding the number of banks allowed to import bullion.

The rise in Chinese demand could further inflate gold prices. Bullion hit a nominal all-time high of $1,424.10 a troy ounce last month. But adjusted for inflation, prices are far from the 1980 peak of $2,300.

The document, obtained by security researcher Christopher Soghoian, explains how so-called "Hotwatch" orders allow for real-time tracking of individuals in a criminal investigation via credit card companies, rental car agencies, calling cards, and even grocery store loyalty programs. The revelation sheds a little more light on the Justice Department's increasing power and willingness to surveil Americans with little to no judicial or Congressional oversight.

For credit cards, agents can get real-time information on a person's purchases by writing their own subpoena, followed up by a order from a judge that the surveillance not be disclosed. Agents can also go the traditional route - going to a judge, proving probable cause and getting a search warrant - which means the target will eventually be notified they were spied on.

The document suggests that the normal practice is to ask for all historical records on an account or individual from a credit card company, since getting stored records is generally legally easy. Then the agent sends a request for "Any and all records and information relating directly or indirectly to any and all ongoing and future transactions or events relating to any and all of the following person(s), entitities, account numbers, addresses and other matters..." That gets them a live feed of transaction data.

With a straight face, Mr Genachowski suggested that government red tape will increase the "freedom" of online services that have flourished because bureaucratic busybodies have been blocked from tinkering with the Web. Ordinarily, it would be appropriate at this point to supply an example from the proposed regulations illustrating the problem. Mr Genachowski's draft document has over 550 footnotes and is stamped "non-public, for internal use only" to ensure nobody outside the agency sees it until the rules are approved in a scheduled December 21 vote. So much for "openness."

The issue of "net neutrality" is nothing new, but the increasing popularity of online movie streaming services like Netflix have highlighted an area of potential concern. When someone watches a film over the Internet, especially in high definition, the maximum available capacity of the user's connection is used. Think, for example, of the problems that would arise at the water works if everyone decided to turn on their faucets and take a shower simultaneously. Internet providers are beginning to see the same strain on their networks.

In some cases, heavy use of this sort slows the Web experience for everyone sharing the same lines. That has prompted some cable Internet providers to consider either charging the heavy users more or limiting access to the "problematic" services. Of course, if cinema buffs find themselves cut off from their favorite service, they're going to be mad. If companies don't act, they're just as likely to find irate customers who don't want their experience bogged down by others.

"More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaida, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist groups," says a secret December 2009 paper signed by the US secretary of state. Her memo urged US diplomats to redouble their efforts to stop Gulf money reaching extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan. "Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide," she said.

Three other Arab countries are listed as sources of militant money: Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The cables highlight an often ignored factor in the Pakistani and Afghan conflicts: that the violence is partly bankrolled by rich, conservative donors across the Arabian Sea whose governments do little to stop them.

The problem is particularly acute in Saudi Arabia, where militants soliciting funds slip into the country disguised as holy pilgrims, set up front companies to launder funds and receive money from government-sanctioned charities.

Publicly, the WDL says it is a non-racist organisation. A judge who has examined the evidence in the programme said some were acting to "inflame racial hatred". The WDL - aligned to the English Defence League - was set up last year by an ex-soccer hooligan and author Jeff Marsh in response to Muslim extremists abusing troops returning from Afghanistan. It has attracted hundreds of followers and held demonstrations in Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham. Posing as a new member of the group, an undercover journalist accompanied a number of Welsh supporters to a protest.

Some were caught on camera and online, making racist comments about Muslims. Two admitted involvement in racist violence at demonstrations organised by the defence leagues in other parts of the country. One invited other WDL followers to join him in burning a Koran and joked online about how best to kill black people. Another talks about driving Muslims out of the south Wales valleys.

Examining the evidence in the special programme, Judge Mark Powell QC said: "It's mindless, it's racist, the purpose of what they are doing is to inflame racial hatred. I think from what you have shown me it is criminal behaviour and no doubt something that the police would want to look at."

Government is talking about raising the Social Security retirement age by three years, freezing payments and offering government guaranteed annuities in exchange for those of you that do have retirement plans. Two-thirds of those in and about to retire have only Social Security for 50% of their income. The money collected since 1935 is all gone, having been spent by past politicians. In fact, if you put all present and future commitments together you have a debt of $105 trillion.

The US wants to avoid default and devaluation of the dollar. They can raise taxes, cut spending or default on their Social Security and Medicare commitments, and commandeer personal retirement plans. In whole, or in part, these are options for government. If they cannot manage these changes then the Fed will have to increase money and credit, which is now euphemistically labeled quantitative easing. THE POWERS BEHIND GOVERNMENT HAVE LOOTED THE SYSTEM PERPETUALLY, but particularly since August 15,1971, when the gold standard was abandoned and the result of this gutting and its consequences is about to manifest itself.

Unemployment refuses to fall and little is being done to improve the situation. This year five million American workers lost extended unemployment benefits, as Wall Street, bailed out with taxpayer's loans, is showering their employees with hundreds of billions of dollars in bonuses. There is no question THESE ARE THE SEEDS OF WHICH REVOLUTION IS BORN. We can as a result expect demonstrations and unrest, as we are now seeing in Europe, which could end up in rioting and other antisocial behavior.

The only thing that has allowed the dollar to retain value on the USDX is that Europe's banking system is in a state of collapse. Next you will see new stimulus being fed into the euro zone by the ECB, the European Central Bank. It is inevitable that the euro zone and THE EU WILL COLLAPSE and that will be the linchpin which will take THE ENTIRE WORLD DOWN FINANCIALLY.

The economist Dirk Meyer, professor at the Bundeswehr University in Hamburg, suggests that the countries, most hit by the crisis, such as Greece and Portugal, should withdraw from the EU. "For the stability-oriented countries", like Germany, it would be "a great advantage, if the weak countries would voluntarily leave the Euro realm," says Meyer, "provided this takes place in an orderly procedure and not a chaotic collapse," which, "for the time being, is not completely ruled out."

A third of the Greek austerity measures are "basically unrealistic accounting forecasts," explained the economist. Simultaneously the resistance to the austerity programs imposed by Brussels is growing rapidly. In Ireland, trade unions are now calling for nationwide strikes and civil disobedience. The protests are directed, first of all, against the government in Dublin, which bears the responsibility for the social reapportionment in the country, but is also affecting the initiator of the EU's austerity dictate.

"Can Europe endure the Germans being considered the hated 'ringmasters' of a rigid currency regiment?," asked one business commentator. The answer to this question, which will also be decided on the streets of Greece, Ireland and possibly other countries, will play a role in the final decision on the future of the European currency.