eLLUMINATI BLOG

Prince Charles admits family connection to DRACULA.

2011-10-27T19:35:00.000-04:00

Prince Charles is campaigning to save the forests of Transylvania, inspired by his ancestral links to Vlad the Impaler, the 15th century nobleman better known by his patronym, Dracula.

Rapid economic growth in Romania - which is now part of the EU - means that the forests of the Carpathian Mountains are under threat from development and logging.

The Prince is calling for the forests, some of the last untouched wilderness areas in Europe, to be protected before they are lost, like the woodland that once covered Britain.

He claims a family connection to the area through Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, who earned the sobriquet Vlad the Impaler thanks to his favoured method of torture and execution.

The 15th century nobleman, notorious for his bloodthirsty campaigns against the Ottomans and fierce repression of his people, is a distant ancestor of Charles's great-grandmother, Queen Mary.

The total number of his victims is estimated in the tens of thousands, many killed by being impaled on huge metal stakes.

His reputation for cruelty is said to have helped inspire Bram Stoker's diabolical villain, Count Dracula.

In a new documentary about the Carpathian mountains, Charles makes fun of his ancestral links to 'Count Dracula'.

'The genealogy shows I am descended from Vlad the Impaler, so I do have a bit of a stake in the country,' he quipped.

The Prince has recently bought a five-bedroom house in the village of Zalanpatak, which is said to have been founded by one of his Transylvanian ancestors.

Charles is expected to use the 150-year-old home as an isolated holiday retreat, and it will be used as a guesthouse when he is not in residence.

The Prince first visited Transylvania in 1998 and has bought three properties there, including the Zalanpatak house and a £43-a-night guesthouse in the village of Viscri.

Traditional farming and building techniques used in the area are said to have inspired his plans for Poundbury, the Dorset village created by his Duchy of Cornwall.

He has since sold a manor near the medieval town of Sighisoara, while the Viscri and Zalanpatak guesthouses are managed by Count Tibor Kalnoky.

'It seems to me in Transylvania there is a combination of the natural ecosystem with a human cultural system,' the prince told the documentary, according to the Daily Telegraph.

'This extraordinarily unique integrated relationship is so hugely important. People are yearning for that sense of belonging and identity and meaning.'

If development goes ahead, Romania could end up barren like swathes of the Highlands of Scotland or Canada that were once dense with virgin forest, Prince Charles warned.

Two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand hectares of virgin forests are in urgent need of protection, according to Magor Csibi, country manager of the World Wildlife Fund's Danube-Carpathian programme in Romania.

The area, home to brown bears, lynx, wolves, and 13,000 other species, represents up to 65 per cent of Europe's remaining virgin forests.

STEVE JOBS HAS DIED, 10/5/11 AT 7:36 AM.

2011-10-05T20:41:00.003-04:00

Steve Jobs, the visionary in the black turtleneck who co-founded Apple in a Silicon Valley garage, built it into the world's leading tech company and led a mobile-computing revolution with wildly popular devices such as the iPhone, died Wednesday. He was 56.
*Did this actually happen today, or is it a marketing ploy?*

Corey Feldman Says Pedophilia No. 1 Problem for Child Actors, Contributed to Demise of Corey Haim - ABC News

2011-08-12T23:37:00.001-04:00

Corey Feldman Says Pedophilia No. 1 Problem for Child Actors, Contributed to Demise of Corey Haim - ABC News

Justin Bieber gets Hebrew tattoo.

2011-07-27T20:05:00.000-04:00

Justin Bieber and his father pose topless, showing off their matching tattoos.
A newly-released photo shows the father and son in Israel earlier this year where they had the etching done together.
The pair had the word 'Yeshua,' - which many believe to be Jesus' Hebrew or Aramaic name - etched onto the left side of their torsos.

The name Yeshua frequently appears in the Hebrew Bible to describe Joshua the High Priest.
Bieber first showed off the etching when he went on a Hawaii break with girlfriend Selena Gomez in May.
It came as Justin's second tat, with the teen seemingly sharing his father's love of the ink.
The Baby singer also has an etching of seagull on his left hip, which he had done to celebrate turning 16.

Justin's Christian faith is important to him, with the star saying prayers in English and Hebrew before going on stage to perform.

The singer was raised primarily by his mother Pattie Mallette, but he has remained close to his father over the years.
'I have a great relationship with my dad,' he told Seventeen last year.
'When I was younger, he taught me how to play some songs on the guitar, like 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' by Bob Dylan.'
'He taught me how to drive, too," Justin added. 'He's cool.'

Amy winehouse found dead, joins 27 club.

2011-07-23T13:19:00.002-04:00

Amy Winehouse was found dead in her apartment in London today ... this according to several reports. A press release from the Metropolitan Police, which doesn't specifically name Winehouse, says: " Police were called by London Ambulance Service to an address in Camden Square NW1 shortly before 16.05hrs today, Saturday 23 July, following reports of a woman found deceased. On arrival officers found the body of a 27-year-old female who was pronounced dead at the scene. Enquiries continue into the circumstances of the death. At this early stage it is being treated as unexplained. "

Last month, Winehouse canceled her European tour after a performance in Serbia where she seemed completely out of it. Story developing ...

News of the World phone-hacking whistleblower found deadSean Hoare, the former News of the World showbusiness reporter who was the first named journalist to allege that Andy Coulson was aware of phone hacking by his staff, has been found dead . Hoare, who worked on the Sun and the News of the World with Coulson before being dismissed for drink and drugs problems, was said to have been found at his Watford home. Hertfordshire police would not confirm his identity, but said in a statement: "At 10.40am today [Monday 18 July] police were called to Langley Road, Watford, following the concerns for the welfare of a man who lives at an address on the street. Upon police and ambulance arrival at a property, the body of a man was found. The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after. "The death is currently being treated as unexplained but not thought to be suspicious. Police investigations into this incident are ongoing." There was an unexplained delay in the arrival of forensics officers at the scene. Neighbours said three police cars and two ambulances arrived at the property shortly before 11am. They left around four hours later, around 3pm, shortly after a man and a woman, believed to be grieving relatives, arrived at the premises. There was no police presence at the scene at all for several hours. The curtains were drawn at the first-floor apartment in a new-build block of flats. At about 9.15pm, three hours after the Guardian revealed Hoare had been found dead a police van marked "Scientific Services Unit" pulled up at the address, where a police car was already parked. Two officers emerged carrying evidence bags, clipboards, torches and laptop-style bags and entered the building. Three officers carrying cameras and wearing white forensic suits went into the flat at around 9.30pm. Hoare was in his mid-40s. He first made his claims in a New York Times investigation into the phone-hacking allegations at the News of the World. He told the newspaper that not only did Coulson know of the hacking, but he also actively encouraged his staff to intercept the calls of celebrities in the pursuit of exclusives. In a subsequent interview with the BBC he alleged he was personally asked by his editor at the time, Coulson, to tap into phones. In an interview with the PM programme he said Coulson's insistence he did not know of the practice was "a lie, it is simply a lie". At the time a Downing Street spokeswoman said Coulson totally and utterly denied the allegations; he had "never condoned the use of phone hacking and nor do I have any recollection of incidences where hacking took place". Hoare said he was once a close friend of Coulson's, and told the New York Times the two first worked together at the Sun, where, Hoare said, he played recordings of hacked messages for Coulson. At the News of the World, Hoare said, he continued to inform Coulson of his activities. He "actively encouraged me to do it", Hoare said. In September last year he was interviewed under caution by police over his claim the former Tory communications chief asked him to hack into phones when editor of the paper, but declined to make any comment. Hoare returned to the spotlight last week, after he told the New York Times that reporters at the NoW were able to use police technology to locate people using their mobile phone signals, in exchange for payments to police officers. He said journalists were able to use "pinging", which measured the distance between a mobile handset and a number of phone masts to pinpoint its location. Hoare gave further details about "pinging" to the Guardian last week. He described how reporters would ask a news desk executive to obtain the location of a target: "Within 15 to 30 minutes someone on the news desk would come back and say 'Right, that's where they are.'" He said: "You'd just go to the news desk and they'd come back to you. You don't ask any questions. You'd consider it a job done. "The chain of command is one of absolute discipline, and that's why I never bought into it, like with Andy saying he wasn't aware of it and all that. That's bollocks." He said he stood by everything he told the New York Times of "pinging". "I don't know how often it happened. That would be wrong of me. But if I had access, as a humble reporter … " He admitted he had had problems with drink and drugs, and had been in rehab. "But that's irrelevant," he said. "There's more to come. This is not going to go away." Hoare named a private investigator who he said had links with the News of the World, adding: "He may want to talk now, because I think what you'll find now is a lot of people are going to want to cover their arse." Speaking to another Guardian journalist last week, Hoare repeatedly expressed the hope that the hacking scandal would lead to journalism in general being cleaned up, and said he had decided to blow the whistle on the activities of some of his former NoW colleagues with that aim in mind. He also said he had been injured the previous weekend while taking down a marquee erected for a children's party. He said he broke his nose and badly injured his foot when a relative accidentally struck him with a pole from the marquee. Hoare also emphasised that he was not making any money from telling his story. Having been treated for drug and alcohol problems, Hoare reminisced about his partying with former pop stars and said that he missed the days when he was able to go out on the town. On Monday evening the curtains were drawn at his home, a first-floor apartment in a new-build block of flats. A neighbour living opposite, Nicky Dormer, said three police cars and two ambulances arrived at the property at 11am; police left at 3pm, shortly after a man and a woman, believed to be grieving relatives, arrived at the premises. She and another neighbour described Hoare as a jovial man who would often sit on his balcony, overlooking the block entrance, and talk to residents. They said he lived in the block with his partner, a woman called Jo, who they believed had been away on holiday. Neither had seen Hoare for a few days. Paul Pritchard, 30, another neighbour, said Sean Hoare was "the most sociable" resident, and they would regularly see him watering the communal front lawn. "It is just such a shock. About a month ago he said he felt unwell and he said he went to the doctors for a checkup. Then I saw him again and he seemed well."

2011-07-20T23:02:00.005-04:00

A man police said they believe to be Sean Hoare, a former reporter at News Corp.'s now-defunct News of the World tabloid, was found dead at his home yesterday.

The death is being treated as unexplained. and isn't thought to be suspicious, police in Hertfordshire, England, said in a statement today. Hoare was the first person to allege that former News of the World editor Andy Coulson encouraged phone hacking by his staff, the Guardian newspaper reported.

Hoare worked as an entertainment reporter at the News of the World with Coulson, who resigned as U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron's press secretary this year as a result of the scandal arising from the phone-hacking accusations. Coulson was arrested on July 8 by police investigating phone hacking.

David Sonn, a lawyer for Hoare, said yesterday that the death was "a terrible tragedy."

There is no evidence of third-party involvement, and the death is not suspicious, Hertfordshire Police said in a recorded telephone message after a post-mortem was performed today. Police are waiting for the results of toxicology tests, the statement said.

London's Metropolitan Police are investigating allegations that reporters at the tabloid hacked into the phones of celebrities, politicians, and murder and terror victims, and that they bribed police to obtain information for stories. The scandal led News Corp. to shutter the 168-year old News of the World and led to the resignations of two senior executives at the company.

Hoare, who first alleged in an interview with the New York Times last year that Coulson encouraged his reporters to hack into mobile phones, had worked with Coulson at News Corp.'s Sun tabloid before he was dismissed for drug and alcohol problems, the Guardian said yesterday.

Previous Probe

The police reopened the probe in September of last year after a report in the New York Times citing Hoare as saying that everyone at the News of the World knew about phone hacking. The tabloid said in a statement at the time that the article "contained no new credible evidence" and was "motivated by commercial rivalry."

Hoare refused to comment to police after the New York Times report, leading prosecutors to close the probe again because of a lack of evidence, Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said in December. Coulson has said he didn't know the hacking was taking place.

How IBM Technology Jump Started the Holocaust

2011-06-16T21:34:00.000-04:00

Its interesting that this is making "mainstream blogs now".

The Nazis' persecution of Jews was brutal, methodical, and horrifyingly efficient. However, their perverse efforts were only realized with the assistance of a Hollerith Machine - IBM's custom-built tabulation system. IBM and the Holocaust by Edwin Black explains.
When Hitler rose to power, German intellect descended into madness. The Nazi movement was not merely a throng of hooligans pelting windows and screaming slogans. Guiding the Brown Shirts and exhorting the masses was an elite coterie of pseudo-scientists, corrupted professionals, and profit-blinded industrialists. Nazi jurists, medical doctors, and a clique of scientists — each with their prestigious academic credentials — found ways to pervert their science and higher calling to advance the cause of Aryan domination and racial persecution.
At the vanguard of Hitler's intellectual shock troops were the statisticians. Naturally, statistical offices and census departments were Dehomag's [IBM's German subsidiary] number one clients. In their journals, Nazi statistical experts boasted of what they expected their evolving science to deliver. All of their high expectations depended on the continuing innovation of IBM punch cards and tabulator technology. Only Dehomag could design and execute systems to identify, sort, and quantify the population to separate Jews from Aryans.
Friedrich Zahn, president of the Bavarian Statistical Office, phrased it best in recalling the role of Nazi statisticians. "The government of our Führer and Reichschancellor Adolf Hitler is statistics-friendly," wrote Zahn in Allgemeines Statistisches Archiv (ASA), the official journal of the German Statistical Society. Zahn emphasized that Hitler's "government not only demands physical fitness and people strong in character and discipline, but useful knowledge as well. It demands not only political and economic soldiers, but also scientific soldiers."
Zahn was a giant of statistics. Chairman of the German Statistical Society and president from 1931 to 1936 of the International Statistical Institute, Zahn was by virtue of his prestigious international standing also an honorary member of the American Statistical Association. He was also a contributing member to the SS since the first days of the Hitler regime. Zahn was among those chiefly responsible for the immediate ouster of Jews from the German Statistical Society.
The ASA, and technical journals like it, were closely followed at Dehomag since the publication was a virtual roadmap to the desires of Nazi statistical hierarchy. Anyone active in the statistics world read it. No IBM office, even in the United States, could afford to overlook a subscription. Within the pages of the ASA and similar statistical technical journals, Dehomag management and engineers could review proven statistical meth odology that sought to step-by-step identify the Jews as undesirables. In many cases, ASA articles were written in conjunction with Dehomag experts, describing the tedious technical workings of specific IBM equipment, but more importantly how they were applied or could be applied to Reich policy and programs.
From the very onset, the scientific soldiers of Hitler's statistical shock troops openly published their mission statement. "Above all," wrote Prof. Dr. Johannes Müller, in a 1934 edition of ASA, "remember that several very important problems are being tackled currently, problems of an ideological nature. One of those problems is race politics, and this problem must be viewed in a statistical light." Müller, president of the Thuringen Statistical Office, made his comments in a revealing 1934 ASA article entitled "The Position of Statistics in the New Reich."
About the same time, Dr. Karl Keller, writing in an article, "The Question of Race Statistics," made clear that Jewish blood was to be traced as far back as possible. "If we differentiate in statistics between Aryans and NonAryans, we in essence talk about Jews and non-Jews. In any case, we will not look at religious affiliation alone but also ancestry." Like other Nazis, Keller was looking ahead to the domination of all Europe. Keller added, "beyond agreeing on the definition of race, we must move toward agreement on the number of races, at least as far as Europe is concerned...in reality, the Jews are not a race, but a mix of several races."
Drawing on the emerging pseudo-academic notions of the exploding race science field in Germany, Keller urged doctors to examine the population for racial characteristics and faithfully record the information. "However, not every physician can carry out these examinations," Keller cautioned. "The physician must also undergo special anthropological training."
"The only way to eliminate any mistakes," Keller insisted, "is the registration of the entire population. How is this to be done?" Keller demanded "the establishment of mandatory personal genetic-biographical forms...Nothing would hinder us," he assured, "from using these forms to enter any important information which can be used by race scientists."
Zahn, in his writings, was explicit in the need to annihilate inferior ethnic groups. In his 1937 ASA article entitled "Development of German Population Statistics through Genetic-Biological Stock-Taking," Zahn specified, "population politics, based on the principles of racial hygiene, must promote valuable genetic stock. It must prevent the fertility of inferior life and genetic degeneration. In other words, this means the targeted selection and promotion of superior life and an eradication of those portions of the population which are undesirable."
In other articles, and in keynote speeches for statistical conventions, Zahn stressed, "There is almost no area of life in Germany which has not been creatively pollinated by the National Socialist ideology. . . . This is also true for the field of statistics. Statistics has become invaluable for the Reich, and the Reich has given statistics new tasks in peace and in war." Zahn declared, "Small wonder. In its very essence, statistics is very close to the National Socialist movement." He added, "German statistics has not only become the registering witness . . . but also the creative co-conspirator of the great events of time."
Indeed, as co-conspirators, Nazi statisticians worked hand-in-hand with the battalions of Hitler's policy enablers and enforcers, from the Nazi Party's Race Political Office and all its many allied agencies to the SS itself. Identifying the Jews was only the first step along the road to Jewish destruction in Germany.
None of the publicly voiced statements of Hitler's scientific soldiers ever dissuaded Dehomag or IBM NY from withdrawing from their collaboration with the Reich. By necessity, that collaboration was intense, indispensable, and continuous. Indeed, the IBM method was to first anticipate the needs of government agencies and only then design proprietary data solutions, train official staff, and even implement the programs as a sub-contractor when called upon.
IBM machines were useless in crates. Tabulators and punch cards were not delivered ready to use like typewriters, adding machines, or even machine guns. Each Hollerith system had to be custom-designed by Dehomag engineers. Systems to inventory spare aircraft parts for the Luftwaffe, track railroad schedules for Reichsbahn, and register the Jews within the population for the Reich Statistical Office were each designed by Dehomag engineers to be completely different from each other.
Of course the holes could not be punched just anywhere. Each card had to be custom-designed with data fields and columns precisely designated for the card readers. Reich employees had to be trained to use the cards. Dehomag needed to understand the most intimate details of the intended use, design the cards, and then create the codes.
Because of the almost limitless need for tabulators in Hitler's race and geopolitical wars, IBM NY reacted enthusiastically to the prospects of Nazism. While other fearful or reviled American businessmen were curtailing or canceling their dealings in Germany, Watson embarked upon an historic expansion of Dehomag. Just weeks after Hitler came to power, IBM NY invested more than 7 million Reichsmarks — in excess of a million dollars — to dramatically expand the German subsidiary's ability to manufacture machines.
To be sure, Dehomag managers were as fervently devoted to the Nazi movement as any of Hitler's scientific soldiers. IBM NY understood this from the outset. Heidinger, a rabid Nazi, saw Dehomag's unique ability to imbue the Reich with population information as a virtual calling from God. His enraptured passion for Dehomag's sudden new role was typically expressed while opening a new IBM facility in Berlin. "I feel it almost a sacred action," declared Heidinger emotionally, "I pray the blessing of heaven may rest upon this place."
That day, while standing next to the personal representative of Watson and IBM, with numerous Nazi Party officials in attendance, Heidinger publicly announced how in tune he and Dehomag were with the Nazi race scientists who saw population statistics as the key to eradicating the unhealthy, inferior segments of society.
"The physician examines the human body and determines whether...all organs are working to the benefit of the entire organism," asserted Heidinger to a crowd of Nazi officials. "We [Dehomag] are very much like the physician, in that we dissect, cell by cell, the German cultural body. We report every individual characteristic...on a little card. These are not dead cards, quite to the contrary, they prove later on that they come to life when the cards are sorted at a rate of 25,000 per hour according to certain characteristics. These characteristics are grouped like the organs of our cultural body, and they will be calculated and determined with the help of our tabulating machine.
"We are proud that we may assist in such task, a task that provides our nation's Physician [Adolf Hitler] with the material he needs for his examinations. Our Physician can then determine whether the calculated values are in harmony with the health of our people. It also means that if such is not the case, our Physician can take corrective procedures to correct the sick circumstances...Our characteristics are deeply rooted in our race. Therefore, we must cherish them like a holy shrine which we will — and must — keep pure. We have the deepest trust in our Physician and will follow his instructions in blind faith, because we know that he will lead our people to a great future. Hail to our German people and der Führer!"
Most of Heidinger's speech, along with a list of the invited Nazi Party officials, was rushed to Manhattan and immediately translated for Watson. The IBM Leader cabled Heidinger a prompt note of congratulations for a job well done and sentiments well expressed.
It was right about this time that Watson decided to engrave the five steps leading up to the door of the IBM School in Endicott, New York, with five of his favorite words. This school was the place where Watson would train his valued disciples in the art of sales, engineering, and technical support. Those five uppermost steps, steps that each man ascended before entering the front door, were engraved with the following words:
READ
LISTEN
DISCUSS
OBSERVE
The fifth and uppermost step was chiseled with the heralded theme of the company. It said THINK.
The word THINK was everywhere.

IMF Head Arrested At JFK, Accused Of Sexual Attack On Hotel Maid

2011-05-15T11:16:00.001-04:00

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund, was taken off an Air France plane about to leave JFK Airport and arrested for allegedly attacking a hotel maid at the Sofitel in Times Square. Sources tell the Daily News and NY Post that earlier in the day, Strauss-Kahn allegedly emerged from a bathroom naked, crept up on the maid and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

The maid somehow left the room—the News said she fled while the Post says she was allowed to leave—and Strauss-Kahn, a French politician, continued his plans and headed to JFK for his flight to Paris. The plane was 10 minutes from takeoff when Port Authority police officers took Strauss-Kahn from the first class cabin and turned over to NYPD.

Strauss-Kahn, 62, is a member of the Socialist Party and has been eyed to challenge President Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 election. His nickname is "The Great Seducer" and the Guardian reports, "Rumours of dangerous liaisons and sexual conquests have had little effect on Strauss-Kahn's chances of occupying the highest office in France, but last night's arrest may alter his future ambitions. Strauss-Kahn was expected to throw his hat into the election ring within weeks. He has been fighting off a very French furore over assertions his tastes are too luxurious to lay claim to the political left."

Earlier today, before news of his arrest, a Socialist politician said, "There is now a totally structured and orchestrated campaign, which has already been announced by Mr. Sarkozy and his closest allies, to attack the character of Strauss-Kahn."

The case is being investigated by the Special Victims Unit; charges against Strauss-Kahn are pending.

LIES: (Reuters) - A stash of pornography was found in the hideout of Osama bin Laden by the U.SPornography found in bin Laden hideout - U.S. officials

2011-05-13T22:19:00.002-04:00

(Reuters) - A stash of pornography was found in the hideout of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. commandos who killed him, current and former U.S. officials said on Friday.

The pornography recovered in bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, consists of modern, electronically recorded video and is fairly extensive, according to the officials, who discussed the discovery with Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The officials said they were not yet sure precisely where in the compound the pornography was discovered or who had been viewing it. Specifically, the officials said they did not know if bin Laden himself had acquired or viewed the materials.

Reports from Abbottabad have said that bin Laden's compound was cut off from the Internet or other hard-wired communications networks. It is unclear how compound residents would have acquired the pornography.

But a video released by the Obama administration confiscated from the compound showed bin Laden watching pictures of himself on a TV screen, indicating that the compound was equipped with video playback equipment.

Materials carted away from the compound by the U.S. commandos included digital thumb drives, which U.S. officials believe may have been a principal means by which couriers carried electronic messages to and from the late al Qaeda leader.

Three other U.S. officials familiar with evidence gathered during investigations of other Islamic militants said the discovery of pornography is not uncommon in such cases.

Ok, now this is just going to far.. like that picture above is even real.

Inside Bin Laden's $1 million dollar compound

2011-05-02T23:08:00.007-04:00

The U.S. government has released some details about the operation that culminated in an intense 40 minute fire fight that claimed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's life. While it's not as over-the-top as the Taiwanese CGI, it's certainly dramatic: Politico reports, "The helicopter carrying Navy SEALs malfunctioned as it approached Osama bin Laden’s compound at about 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, stalling as it hovered. The pilot set it down gently inside the walls, then couldn’t get it going again. It was a heart-stopping moment for President Barack Obama, who had been monitoring the raid in the White House Situation Room since 1 p.m., surrounded by members of his war cabinet. 'Obviously, everyone was thinking about Black Hawk Down and Desert One,' a senior administration official recalled."

The SEALS were able to disembark, but Politico's source said, "The assault team went ahead and raided the compound, even though they didn’t know if they would have a ride home." They did get another ride but "The special forces put bombs on the crippled chopper and blew it up." (The noise did annoy one neighbor.) ABC News has footage of the Abbottabad, Pakistan spread as well as graphic, bloody photographs from inside the compound.

*Seriously, the story is changing every few hours. First they had the body, now they said the body was buried at sea. Initially the compound was worth 500k now it is valued at 1million, ect. ect....

Osama bin laden announced dead on Mayday 2011

2011-05-01T23:05:00.005-04:00

Right around 11pm eastern on mayday, perfect timing!

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden is dead and the United States has his body, a person familiar with the developments says.

President Barack Obama is expected to make that announcement from the White House late Sunday night.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak ahead of the president.

The the U.S. has his body in its possession

*PS. Hitler was announced dead 66 years ago on this very day*

*A crowd of zombies waving American flags has now appeared in front of the White House*

Alex Jones is Best friends with Charlie Sheen, LOL!

2011-02-24T23:07:00.003-05:00

LISTEN HERE

Sheen unloaded while calling in to "The Alex Jones Show" and claimed he is 100% clean, saying, "Here's your first pee test, next one goes in your mouth. No, you won't get high."

During his rant Sheen compared himself to the Marlon Brando character in "Apocalypse Now" -- and hit just about everything and everyone:

-- He calls Lorre a turd, a clown, and says his real name is "Haim Levine"

-- Referring to his rehab stint, Sheen claims to have embarrassed Lorre "in front of his children and the world by healing at a pace that his un-evolved mind cannot process."

-- On Alcoholics Anonymous ... Sheen says it's a "bootleg cult" with a success rate of only 5%, while his is 100% and added, "Newsflash .. I am special and I will never be one of you."

-- After one rant the host, Alex Jones, tells Charlie he sounds like Thomas Jefferson. Charlie's response, "I'm not Thomas Jefferson. He was a p***y! But I dare anyone to debate me on things."

-- On his drug and alcohol issues, "I have a disease? Bulls**t! I cured it ... with my mind."

Yesterday Charlie flew to an island near the Bahamas with ex Brooke Mueller, Bree Olson, and Natalie Kenly. In the the interview Charlie says Brooke has bailed out ... saying, "Where there were 4 there are now 3. Goodbye Brooke. Good luck in your travels, you're going to need it. Badly."

There's more ... much more -- including sometime incomprehensible riffs about trolls, tattoos, F-18 fighter pilots, and Vatican assassins.

Bernard Madoff's Son Mark Found Dead In Soho Apartment

2010-12-11T09:39:00.003-05:00

The eldest son of Bernard Madoff was found dead in his Soho apartment this morning. The Post reports, "Officers were called to 158 Mercer Street to respond to a report that Mark Madoff was hanging in his apartment. He was found at 7:30 a.m. by his father-in-law, said police sources." Today is the second anniversary of Bernard Madoff's arrest for his massive Ponzi scheme.

No note was found in the apartment. Mark Madoff (pictured, center, with his father and brother) was in news last year when he disappeared from his apartment after a fight with his wife. She called the police and it turned out that he had spent the night at the Soho Grand Hotel, paying cash and staying under a different name. He was described asbeing "prone to depressive mood swings and physical ailments, including stomach troubles."

More recently, a spokesman said that Mark Madoff was "unalterably bitter" over how his father was depicted (he wasn't too happy how he was being portrayed either) and was sued by the trustee in charge of locating assets for the scam's victims—he allegedly got $67 million from his dad's ill-gotten gains—but was not charged criminally. Bernard Madoff remains in federal prison, serving a 150 year sentence.

Apple owes Steve Jobs $37.91

2010-12-09T23:51:00.001-05:00

- Steve Jobs has yet to accept small amounts of money owed to him by several companies, including his own.

Apple filed a claim with the state of California saying its CEO, Steven P. Jobs, hasn't claimed property worth $37.91, according to a listing with the state controller's office.

The property type is listed as "other," and a spokesman for the controller declined to elaborate on what the item is because that information isn't public record.

We're guessing it doesn't mean that Jobs forgot to claim his annual bonus.

California law requires claims be posted for property "abandoned or lost" for more than three years. If the person doesn't claim it after six months, the property is transferred to the state, which then attempts to contact the owner, the spokesman said.

The form was filed by Apple Computer Inc., which was the name of the Cupertino, California, company for about three decades before changing to Apple Inc. in 2007.

The document was first reported by the website Gawker, in a post titled, "Apple Has No Idea Where Steve Jobs Is."

While the amount might seem small -- and it certainly would be considered inconsequential for a billionaire like Jobs -- it's the equivalent of nearly 38 years of cash salary for the Apple CEO. Jobs famously takes just $1 per year in salary, cushioned by generous stock options.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Claims from insurance and technology companies are also listed on the controller's office website. IBM reported that it owes Jobs $21.45 in stock and another mysterious property listed as costing $14.30. Time Warner, which owns CNN, filed a claim last year saying it owes Jobs 20 cents.

Actor kills his mother with MASONIC SWORD.

2010-11-29T22:10:00.004-05:00

A hardworking Brooklyn mother was hacked to death early this morning allegedly by her sword-wielding, bit-actor son during a bizarre religious meltdown in which he screamed Bible passages and made obscure references to Freemasonry, police and witnesses said.

Greg Clare, who lives downstairs from victim Yannick Brea, 55, shared with her son Michael Brea, a 31-year-old actor and low-level Freemason who had roles in "Ugly Betty" and the movie "Step Up 3D," said he first heard screams about 1 a.m.

"He kept chanting: ‘Repent! Repent! Repent!’" Clare said, referring to Brea. "He kept asking her if she believed in Jesus Christ, if she believed in God. She was yelling ‘Help me! Help me!’"

Another neighbor said Brea kept calling for the "architect of the universe," a term used by Freemasons to refer to a supreme being. And a police source said the murder weapon was a three-foot ceremonial Masonic sword.

A police official said 911 calls started coming in about 1:12 a.m. reporting a domestic argument in the second floor apartment on Park Place. Cops arrive minutes later and could hear Brea chanting Biblical terms behind the locked door but heard no indication of a fight.

Then a neighbor told them he could see blood on the windowsill from his own apartment so cops followed him, confirmed the blood, and then kicked in the front door.

Once inside they saw Brea brandishing the large sword, and called Emergency Services Unit for backup, which is standard practice according to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

"It was a barricaded situation," Kelly said. "When there is a barricade situation responding patrol officers, if possible, wait for Emergency Services Unit to respond, they’re trained psychological technicians, they have additional equipment that enables them to perhaps better protect themselves to go through the door."

Neighbor Clinton Clare, Greg’s father, told a different story.

"I heard moaning and then silence. They just kept standing there for 45 minutes. I think she’d be alive if they hadn’t taken so long," Clare said.

Clare said the police kept asking him if he had a key to the Brea’s apartment, and eventually left to call for backup. When ESU arrived, they knocked down the door about 2:20 a.m. and found a gruesome scene, with Yannick kneeling in the bathroom with multiple stab wounds to her head.

Yannick Brea’s family was furious with the police response.

"When I heard what happened I went crazy," said Yannick’s sister Gina Bumond, a nurse who lives in Flatbush. "I heard police didn’t knock the door down. Are you serious? She could be alive today."

Bumond described her sister as a loving parent devoted to her sons.

Serge Marcel, 53, Yannick’s brother, said Michael had no history of mental illness or substance abuse the family was aware of.

"I never knew this kid could do something like that," he said.

Michael Brea was taken into custody and then to Kings County Hospital, where he is undergoing psychiatric evaluation. Charges are pending against Brea, whom Kelly said had no criminal record.

Two other neighbors, Vernal Bent and his mother Phyllis, said they heard yelling from the floor below.

"I heard a shriek and a woman yelling ‘help me,’¤" Vernal Bent said. "We called 911 and we kept hearing screams and then we didn’t hear them any more. Michael was chanting Biblical phrases and kept calling for Moses, Jerusalem and the ‘architect of the universe,’"

"I think he just snapped," Bent said. Police spent nearly 45 minutes trying to get into the apartment, Bent said

Phyllis, who refused to give her last name, said she was friends with Yannick and that the woman would frequently bring them traditional Haitian food.

Mustafa Nashal, who owns a deli a half block away, said Yannick would make him her special chicken and rice a few times a week.

"She treated me like a son. She’d come in every day for five or ten dollars of Lottery tickets. She was here last night," said Nashal, 33.

She once worked at the Marriott at the World Trade Center but left after the hotel was destroyed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, neighbors said.

She currently worked at another Marriott in Brooklyn as a housekeeper, and was also a regular at St. Theresa Avila not far from her Park Place home.

Clare said Michael’s twin brother Marcel, a martial arts instructor, also lived with his mother, who neighbors said was separated from her husband but still on friendly terms.

In addition to his acting, Michael Brea was also an entrepreneur who at one time owned a Subway franchise at 1709 Broadway in Brooklyn. A friend said in 2008 Brea gave out hundreds of free turkey subs on Thanksgiving to feed the less fortunate, a charitable effort inspired by his mother, who was also known to cook for those in need.

But the Subway parent corporation took back the franchise roughly a year ago because of poor performance. Creditors had also placed several liens against the business when Brea owned it, court records show.

Michael talked about his life and goals in an article posted on BelFim.com, a Haitian Internet movie database.

"I remember growing up, and my mother was always feeding people who were less fortunate. My parents raised me to always share and to give charity in the name of GOD!" he wrote.

The ring passes to the next generation

2010-11-17T00:17:00.001-05:00

Kanye west power video (horus)

2010-08-07T11:33:00.000-04:00

Marilyn Monroe's last weekend...

2010-08-03T22:07:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, August 5, 1962, the body of Marilyn Monroe was found naked and face-down on her bed at her home on Fifth Helena Drive, at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in Brentwood, California. She was 36 years old.

'The long troubled star clutched a telephone in one hand. An empty bottle of sleeping pills was nearby,' reported the Associated Press that morning.

Long before she was officially discovered dead on the Sunday, neighbours had seen a mysterious - and still unexplained - ambulance parked in front of the film star's residence on the Saturday evening.

Final days: In a never-before-seen photograph, Buddy Greco poses with Marilyn Monroe, as Frank Sinatra looks on, at the notorious Cal-Neva Lodge

They also reported a helicopter hovering overhead. Raised voices and the sound of breaking glass were also heard that night.

Other neighbours reported that in the early hours a hysterical woman - who remains unidentified - had screamed: 'Murderers! You murderers! Are you satisfied now that she's dead?'

For 48 years, Marilyn Monroe's death - and the events that later came to light: reports of a visit that night by her lover Bobby Kennedy; of an ambulance that took her away breathing and brought her back dead - has remained one of Hollywood's most enduring and tantalising mysteries.

I was a reporter in New York at the time and flew to Los Angeles that morning to cover the story. I can still recall the haunting sound of the antique wind chimes - a gift to her from the poet Carl Sandburg - that hung beside her pool, on which floated a child's plastic yellow duck. It was a melancholy sight. I had known her a little and it made me sad.

I don't think the death of any other movie star has intrigued the public as much as Monroe's. Was it murder? Suicide? An accidental overdose?

Some have suggested that her former lover Frank Sinatra, who she had come to rely on, could have saved Monroe - but chose to turn his back on her when she was at her lowest ebb.

The questions and doubts, the revelations and scandals that always follow the sudden death of a celebrity - especially beautiful ones, who die young - have continued to fascinate me, as have the unaccountable silences of several key witnesses.

But after nearly 50 years there seemed little more that could be said or discovered.

Until now. In London as part of a two-month nationwide tour of his much anticipated show, Swinging Las Vegas, the legendary American jazz pianist and singer, Buddy Greco - who once rubbed shoulders with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack and now lives in Essex with his fifth wife - talked to me about the mysterious weekend Monroe spent at the notorious Mafia haunt, the Cal-Neva Lodge, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, five days before she died.

Before the fall out: An undated picture of the actress talking to former lover Sinatra at a casino in Nevada

It is the first time anyone has revealed first-hand what happened there. Now 83, he is sitting in Locale Italian restaurant on London's South Bank. Still handsome, with a trademark smile, the performer made famous by such hits as The Lady Is A Tramp and Girl Talk remembers Monroe, who was exactly his age, with both fondness and sadness.

Uncertainty, contradiction and tragedy have always surrounded the mysterious and fateful weekend of July 28 and 29, 1962.

Those who were there - including her former lover Sinatra (who had invited her to Cal-Neva), Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr., Juliet Prowse ( who was engaged to Sinatra), Peter and Pat Kennedy Lawford, and Paul 'Skinny' D'Amato, who managed the Cal-Neva Lodge for its owners Sinatra and his partner, the notorious Mafia godfather Sam Giancana - are either dead or still refuse to talk about what happened during those 48 hours.

Indeed, while more than 100 books have been written about the life and death of the woman who was probably the greatest sex symbol of the 20th century, not one of them has managed to penetrate the mystery or fill the lacuna in our knowledge of Monroe's final days at Cal-Neva.

And yet these days contain vital clues to her tragic end. Monroe was certainly in a dreadful state at the time. Robert Kennedy - who had inherited Monroe as a mistress from his brother, President John F. Kennedy - had just ended their five-month affair when she took off for Cal-Neva, and the last weekend of her life.

'When she arrived that Saturday, you'd never believe that she had a care in the world'

Buddy Greco recalls of her demeanour later that weekend: 'She was fragile, very fragile - well, she'd gone.' Many blamed the Kennedys.

'Marilyn was distraught and heartbroken. She felt the Kennedys had handed her around like a piece of meat,' Rupert Allan, her publicist and one of her last true Hollywood friends, had said earlier.

Her grip on reality - already weakend by mental illness, drink and drugs - was certainly shaky.

How else to explain the fact that she had persuaded herself Bobby really would divorce the mother of his seven children.

As the attorney general of the United States, a member of the most famous Catholic family in the land and a politician who had just been named Father of the Year, he was never likely to run off with a thrice married Hollywood sex symbol.

When the penny dropped, Monroe felt abused. She had always known how to stage a scene to get what she wanted and she had threatened the Kennedys.

'If I don't hear from Bobby Kennedy soon I'm going to call a press conference and blow the lid off this whole damn thing - I'm going to tell about my relationships with both Kennedy brothers,' she told Robert Slatzer, an ex-lover, a few days earlier.

Those close to Monroe knew that this was no idle threat. It had been a bad time for Monroe. She was hurt and wanted revenge, as only a spoiled movie star could.

A few weeks earlier, she had also been publicly humiliated by 20th Century Fox's studio boss Peter G. Levathes.

Fed up with her chronic absenteeism - in 35 days of filming, she had turned up a dozen times and when she did arrive she was so heavily medicated she could not remember her lines - he had fired her from Something's Got to Give, the film she was making with Dean Martin.

Costly affair: A rare image of Marilyn with President John F. Kennedy (right) and his brother Robert F. Kennedy together after JFK's 19 May 1962 birthday party

He also issued a $500,000 breach-of-contract suit against her and replaced her with Lee Remick.

Although her lawyers were in the middle of patching things up with the studio and were confident that Something's Got To Give would resume filming in the last week of August, with Monroe reinstated, she was still drinking heavily and bingeing on pills.

Of course, she could still shine when she wanted to. But by now her gloss was too often just a thin veneer.

Despite her depression, she initially appeared in good shape when she arrived at Cal-Neva, after flying there on Sinatra's private plane.

'When she arrived that Saturday, you'd never believe that she had a care in the world,' recalls Buddy Greco. 'I was sitting with Frank [Sinatra], Peter Lawford and a bunch of other people, outside Frank's bungalow, when a limousine pulls up and this gorgeous woman in dark glasses steps out,' he says.

'She's dressed all in green - everything green: coat, skirt and scarf. Before I realised who it was, I thought: "My God, what a beautiful woman. No taste in clothes, but what a beautiful woman!"

'I knew that she'd been to my concerts and shows. She was a regular at the Crescendo club in Hollywood where I often played.

'It has been suggested that Sinatra invited Monroe to Cal-Neva Lodge to urge her to keep her mouth shut about her affairs with the Kennedy brothers'

'We'd said hello a few times, but were never properly introduced. When Frank introduced us, I said: "You won't remember me, but I was the piano player when you auditioned for the Benny Goodman band in 1948."

'She got emotional at that and hugged me. She had such warmth - and I was moved. Somebody took some wonderful shots of that moment, of us hugging.'

Indeed, Greco still has six black and white prints from a roll of film taken over the course of that weekend. He had kept more in a safety deposit box at the World Trade Center, but they were lost in the 9/11 terror attacks.

'The people in those pictures were among the great entertainers of our time - Marilyn, Frank, Dean Martin,' says Greco.

'It was an unrepeatable moment, a time that would never happen again. July 1962.'

But by the end of the first evening, a darker Monroe was beginning to emerge. Greco had finished his first performance in the hotel's lounge and had joined Sinatra and the other guests at Sinatra's regular table.

'It was a wonderful time, a magical weekend. It is so hard to describe now but it was maybe the best time of my life.

'Then suddenly the room went silent and very still. It was surreal. As if somebody had turned the sound off. I looked at Frank. I could immediately tell he was furious. His eyes were like blue ice cubes.

'He was looking at the doorway where Marilyn was stood, swaying ever so slightly.'

Given her history of chronic alcohol and drug abuse, it was an ominous sign. Indeed, Sinatra had fallen out with Monroe over her addictions before.

He had opened the refurbished Cal-Neva just a month earlier and Monroe had got blind drunk on that occasion, too.

Screen icon: Her death has intrigued the public for decades

He had tried to help and she still held him in high esteem, but Sinatra was tiring of her antics.

'She was still in the same green outfit she'd worn all day,' says Greco. 'But the woman I'd met that afternoon - smart , funny, intelligent, fragile - had gone.

'Now she looked drunk and, well, defiant. She was clearly angry and I think I heard her say: "Who the f*** are they all staring at?"'

Sinatra - who was obviously irritated by her erratic behaviour - acted fast.

'It was clear Sinatra was worried. She was in a state where she could have said anything,' says Greco.

This would have been a major concern for many of those around the table. Monroe, after all, knew an awful lot of secrets - and, in her condition, might have been prepared to share them.

'Sinatra motioned to his bodyguard - Coochie - to get her out of there. Coochie, a big guy, escorted her out. Actually, he picked her up and carried her out. It wasn't the star we were used to seeing.'

The incident upset Buddy Greco. He had felt such warmth and vulnerability in her only a few hours earlier and could not understand how she had changed so terribly and suddenly.

'She was on my mind,' he says. 'I was worried about her. I went outside to find out whether she was okay. I knew that she had taken accidental overdoses in the past.

'I found her by the pool. There was nobody around. It was late and the pool was deserted.

'Maybe it was the moon but she had a ghostly pallor. It still didn't occur to me that she might be a woman not long for this world.

'She was distressed, out of it, but that was all. Maybe her friends were used to seeing her like that but it worried me. Anyway, we talked.

'I walked her back to her bungalow in the complex reserved for the guests of Frank and Giancana where we all stayed.

'I thought that the next morning I could put her with Pat Lawford [the Kennedys' sister], who was her companion, and make sure she got back to L.A. safely.

'But the next day when I called, she had already left. That was the last time I saw her.' So does he think that Sinatra had finally lost patience with Monroe and by abandoning her had left her to her fate?

'That's a possible scenario,' Greco answered thoughtfully. 'After she had created that problem, he certainly wanted her out of there. He could be quite firm with her.'

Indeed, it has been suggested that Sinatra had invited Monroe to Cal-Neva Lodge that weekend to urge her to keep her mouth shut about her affairs with the Kennedy brothers.

The question is: had he already succeeded when he told her to go? Or given it up as a bad job - and thrown her back to the wolves?

Either way, after being ejected out of that bar by one of her closest friends, the clock was already ticking. And within five days, she was dead.

Meet Your Strawman!

2010-06-22T19:00:00.000-04:00

Kennedy Brothers Sex Parties? New documents reveal truth!

2010-06-15T23:18:00.002-04:00

Click above for link

Along with death threats, Ted's FBI file contains one racy memo

JUNE 14--While the majority of Ted Kennedy's FBI file contains documents detailing death threats against the politician, one 1965 memo notes that a New York City woman reportedly had "considerable information about sex parties" involving the Kennedy brothers, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and Sammy Davis Jr. The memo, which has previously been released in a severely redacted form, can be found below. While the source of the information is not described, "it was reported" that Jacqueline Hammond, the wealthy ex-wife of a former U.S. ambassador to Spain, knew about the raunchy parties at the swanky Carlyle hotel (John F. Kennedy owned an apartment in the East Side building). A copy of the document appears in Ted Kennedy's FBI file--which was released this morning by the bureau--because his name is mentioned in the report. It appears that the single page is from a larger bureau report, but the subject of that document is unknown. Other notable memos included in Kennedy's file detail a bizarre extortion plot involving obscene Polaroids; a "discreet" request from the Nixon White House for information about Mary Jo Kopechne's international travels; a possible cross-bow assassination; and a purported 1980 murder plot uncovered by a Arizona man with "psychic powers."

London 2012 mascots revealed!

2010-05-19T19:33:00.003-04:00

The mascots are based on two bits of molten steel from a girder of the Olympic stadium that have been woven into a fictional story by renowned children's author Michael Morpurgo. Wenlock is named after Much Wenlock in Shropshire which inspired the modern Olympics, and Mandeville after the Stoke-Mandeville hospital which inspired the Paralympic Games

ADHD linked to pesticide exposure

2010-05-17T11:03:00.001-04:00

Children exposed to higher levels of a type of pesticide found in trace amounts on commercially grown fruit and vegetables are more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than children with less exposure, a nationwide study suggests.

Researchers measured the levels of pesticide byproducts in the urine of 1,139 children from across the United States. Children with above-average levels of one common byproduct had roughly twice the odds of getting a diagnosis of ADHD, according to the study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics.

Exposure to the pesticides, known as organophosphates, has been linked to behavioral and cognitive problems in children in the past, but previous studies have focused on communities of farm workers and other high-risk populations. This study is the first to examine the effects of exposure in the population at large.

Organophosphates are "designed" to have toxic effects on the nervous system, says the lead author of the study, Maryse Bouchard, Ph.D., a researcher in the department of environmental and occupational health at the University of Montreal. "That's how they kill pests."

The pesticides act on a set of brain chemicals closely related to those involved in ADHD, Bouchard explains, "so it seems plausible that exposure to organophosphates could be associated with ADHD-like symptoms."

Health.com: Seven stars with ADHD

Environmental Protection Agency regulations have eliminated most residential uses for the pesticides (including lawn care and termite extermination), so the largest source of exposure for children is believed to be food, especially commercially grown produce. Adults are exposed to the pesticides as well, but young children appear to be especially sensitive to them, the researchers say.

Detectable levels of pesticides are present in a large number of fruits and vegetables sold in the U.S., according to a 2008 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited in the study. In a representative sample of produce tested by the agency, 28 percent of frozen blueberries, 20 percent of celery, and 25 percent of strawberries contained traces of one type of organophosphate. Other types of organophosphates were found in 27 percent of green beans, 17 percent of peaches, and 8 percent of broccoli.

Although kids should not stop eating fruits and vegetables, buying organic or local produce whenever possible is a good idea, says Bouchard.

Health.com: 5 reasons you can't concentrate

"Organic fruits and vegetables contain much less pesticides, so I would certainly advise getting those for children," she says. "National surveys have also shown that fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets contain less pesticides even if they're not organic. If you can buy local and from farmers' markets, that's a good way to go."

A direct cause-and-effect link between pesticides and ADHD "is really hard to establish," says Dana Boyd Barr, Ph.D., a professor of environmental and occupational health at Emory University. However, she says, "There appears to be some relation between organophosphate pesticide exposure and the development of ADHD."

This is the largest study of its kind to date, according to Barr, who researched pesticides for more than 20 years in her previous job with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but was not involved in the study.

Bouchard and her colleagues analyzed urine samples from children ages 8 to 15. The samples were collected during an annual, nationwide survey conducted by the CDC, known as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The researchers tested the samples for six chemical byproducts (known as metabolites) that result when the body breaks down more than 28 different pesticides. Nearly 95 percent of the children had at least one byproduct detected in their urine.

Just over 10 percent of the children in the study were diagnosed with ADHD. The kids were judged to have ADHD if their symptoms (as reported by parents) met established criteria for the disorder, or if they had taken ADHD medication regularly in the previous year. One group of pesticide byproducts was associated with a substantially increased risk of ADHD. Compared with kids who had the lowest levels, the kids whose levels were 10 times higher were 55 percent more likely to have ADHD. (Another group of byproducts did not appear to be linked to the disorder.)

In addition, children with higher-than-average levels of the most commonly detected byproduct -- found in roughly 6 in 10 kids -- were nearly twice as likely to have ADHD.

"It's not a small effect," says Bouchard. "This is 100 percent more risk."

To isolate the effect of the pesticide exposure on ADHD symptoms, the researchers controlled for a variety of health and demographic factors that could have skewed the results.

Still, the study had some limitations and is not definitive, Bouchard says. Most notably, she and her colleagues measured only one urine sample for each child, and therefore weren't able to track whether the levels of pesticide byproducts were constant, or whether the association between exposure and ADHD changed over time. Long-term studies including multiple urine samples from the same children are needed, Bouchard says. She suspects such studies would show an even stronger link between pesticide byproducts and ADHD.

EPA spokesman Dale Kemery said in a statement that the agency routinely reviews the safety of all pesticides, including organophosphates. "We are currently developing a framework to incorporate data from studies similar to this one into our risk assessment," Kemery said. "We will look at this study and use the framework to decide how it fits into our overall risk assessment."

Kemery recommended that parents try other pest-control tactics before resorting to pesticide use in the home or garden. Washing and peeling fruits and vegetables and eating "a varied diet" will also help reduce potential exposure to pesticides, he said.

"I would hope that this study raises awareness as to the risk associated with pesticide exposure," Bouchard says. "There's really only a handful of studies on this subject out there, so there's room for more awareness."

7 children, 2 adults killed in China school attack

2010-05-12T14:08:00.002-04:00

Beijing, China (CNN) -- The death toll from an attack at a kindergarten in northwestern China rose to nine Wednesday after one of the wounded victims died, state media said.

A man with a kitchen cleaver hacked to death a teacher and seven kindergarten students -- five boys and two girls. He then returned home and committed suicide, state media said.

The teacher's mother, who was wounded in the attack, later died at a hospital -- bringing the toll to nine, the Xinhua news agency said.

Officials do not yet know what prompted the 48-year-old man to attack students at a private school in Shaanxi province.

It was at least the fourth such attack on school children in the last month. In addition to the fatalities, 11 children were wounded in the attack. Among them were two children who were hospitalized in serious condition, Xinhua said.

Twenty children attended the school.

China has seen a spate of attacks at schools in recent days. On April 30, a man armed with a hammer injured five preschool children in east China before setting himself on fire in a classroom suicide, a government spokesman told Xinhua news agency.

The attacker held two children in his arms as he poured gasoline over himself, the spokesman said. Teachers in Weifang City, Shandong province, pulled the children away as the man died, the spokesman said.

On April 29, at least 28 children were injured when a man with a knife attacked a kindergarten in east China, state media said. Most of the victims were 4-year-olds and three of the children were in critical condition.

Police arrested a 47-year-old suspect. The incident happened in Taixing city in Jiangsu province.

On April 28, a man attacked 18 students and a teacher with a knife at a primary school in southern China's Guangdong province, Xinhua said.

The attacks come despite the execution of Zheng Minsheng, 42, a former community doctor who stabbed eight children to death and wounded five others at an elementary school in eastern China on March 23.

Zheng, executed by a firing squad in Nanping City late last month, told investigators he carried out the attack because he was frustrated by "failures in his romantic life and in society," according to Xinhua.

China Daily newspaper quoted Nanjing University sociology professor Zhu Li as saying Zheng's attack inspired copycats.

"Some people may not have thought about stabbing school children, but due to the media's coverage of such a case, they got an idea," Zhu said.

Chinese authorities have begun teaching safety awareness in school curriculums, China Daily reported.

Officials also have tightened security in schools by hiring extra guards to escort students to and from class

Gordon Brown quits as UK prime minister

2010-05-11T16:07:00.001-04:00

Conservative leader David Cameron became Britain's new prime minister Tuesday, ending 13 years of Labor Party rule and opening the door to an unprecedented coalition government with the third-party Liberal Democrats.

After three days of negotiations between the parties, Cameron emerged from Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth II formally invited him to form a government. The Conservatives fell just short of a majority in last week's election and sought the support of the Liberal Democrats to solidify their grip on power.

Cameron left the palace for the prime minister's official Downing Street residence, which had been vacated earlier by Gordon Brown. Early in the day, Brown stepped down as prime minister and Labor leader, having failed in his own attempt to strike a deal with the Liberal Democrats.

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Announcing his resignation, Brown said he was making way for a new leader.

"It was a privilege to serve, and yes, I love the job, not for its prestige, its titles and its ceremony, which I do not love at all," Brown said, with his wife, Sarah, at his side. "No, I love the job for its potential to make this country I love fairer, more tolerant, more green, more democratic, more prosperous and more just, truly a greater Britain.

"I have always strived to serve, to do my best in the interest of Britain, its values and its people," he said.

His voice cracked as he thanked his wife and two sons.

He then climbed into his armored car to attend one final audience as Britain's leader with Queen Elizabeth II, where he would tender his resignation and pave the way for David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party, to take over as the youngest prime minister in nearly two centuries.

Such a changeover in government would close the door on 13 years of "New Labor," the centrist experiment and party makeover pioneered by Tony Blair. Brown, 59, served as Blair's formidable No. 2 for a decade before finally inheriting the top job three years ago.

Later Tuesday, Cameron, 43, is expected to announce a power-sharing deal with the Liberal Democrats that will see the smaller, left-leaning party in government for the first time in decades. Cameron's Cabinet is likely to include senior figures from the Liberal Democrats such as Nick Clegg, the party's leader.

Clegg, who is the same age as Cameron, has been in the position of kingmaker since Thursday's general election, which produced the first divided Parliament without a single-party majority in 36 years. The Liberal Democrats came in third, but held the balance of power.

The expected coalition government is a marriage few would have foreseen only a few weeks ago and could yet prove unstable. The two parties diverge on many policy issues, but after five days of negotiation, they were on the verge Tuesday of striking a bargain acceptable to both sides.

Part of any deal probably would be movement on the Liberal Democrats' key demand of reform to Britain's electoral system, which tends to produce governments elected without a majority of the popular vote.

In exchange, the Conservatives, as the dominant partner, will probably be able to push through their agenda of spending cuts to rein in Britain's runaway budget deficit.

Hopes of an alternative Labor-Liberal Democrat alliance flared Monday when Brown offered to step down from office by the fall, meeting a demand from Clegg and others. But talks between the two parties Tuesday apparently went nowhere.

Under the charismatic Blair, Labor won three elections. But Brown was unable to keep the momentum going after becoming prime minister when Blair stepped down in 2007.

Voter exhaustion after two wars, some parliamentary scandals and a harsh economic downturn led to a sound defeat at the polls for Labor.

Brown said he would step down immediately from his post as party leader, and may leave politics altogether rather than remain a backbench member of Parliament.

Remember that ash cloud? It didn't exist, says new evidence!

2010-04-29T19:13:00.003-04:00

Britain's airspace was closed under false pretenses, with satellite images revealing there was no doomsday volcanic ash cloud over the entire country.

Skies fell quiet for six days, leaving as many as 500,000 Britons stranded overseas and costing airlines hundreds of millions of pounds.

Estimates put the number of Britons still stuck abroad at 35,000.

However, new evidence shows there was no all-encompassing cloud and, where dust was present, it was often so thin that it posed no risk.

The satellite images demonstrate that the skies were largely clear, which will not surprise the millions who enjoyed the fine, hot weather during the flight ban.

Jim McKenna, the Civil Aviation Authority's head of airworthiness, strategy and policy, admitted: 'It's obvious that at the start of this crisis there was a lack of definitive data.

'It's also true that for some of the time, the density of ash above the UK was close to undetectable.'

The satellite images will be used by airlines in their battle to win tens of millions of pounds in compensation from governments for their losses.

The National Air Traffic Control Service decision to ban flights was based on Met Office computer models which painted a picture of a cloud of ash being blown south from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano.

These models should have been tested by the Met Office's main research plane, a BAE 146 jet, but it was in a hangar to be repainted and could not be sent up until last Tuesday - the last day of the ban.

Evidence has emerged that the maximum density of the ash was only about one 20th of the limit that scientists, the Government, and aircraft and engine manufacturers have now decided is safe.

British Airways chief Willie Walsh always insisted the total shutdown went too far.

'My personal belief is that we could have safely continued operating for a period,' he said.

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of Britain's ABTA, which represents British travel agents and tour operators, said about 100,000 stranded British travellers should have been returned home by Monday morning.

About 35,000 more will remain marooned until Friday, the group said.

'While most flights are back to normal, and most stranded British passengers will be back by the end of this weekend, there is still quite a high level of disruption in some destinations.

'In some areas of the world, there is a significant lack of air capacity to enable British people to be returned quickly,' Tanzer said.

Many Icelandic airports are closed and though authorities say Eyjafjallajokull is now producing much less ash, they confirmed no signs of the eruption ending.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1268794/Remember-ash-cloud-It-didnt-exist-says-new-evidence.html#ixzz0e3AGskDt

Massive fireball spotted in midwest (HAARP?)

2010-04-15T11:39:00.001-04:00

Wow, what is this?

Most Popular Veggie Burgers Contain Poisonous Chemicals

2010-04-13T17:04:00.002-04:00

Summertime is around the corner, and many of the city's vegetarians are gearing up for their rooftop BBQs with their soy burgers and tofu dogs, resting peacefully with the fact that no animals had to die so they could eat. But were other humans harmed in awful factory conditions that exposed them to deadly chemicals? Probably.

A new study shows that a number of popular soy products contain trace amounts of hexane, which listed as a "hazardous air pollutant" by the EPA and is known to cause nervous system failure and skin disorders in humans. It's unclear how much hexane you need to eat before getting side effects, but do you feel lucky, veggie?

The 37-page report [PDF] says that though the use of hexane is prohibited in "organic" food processing, it's widely used in the "natural" soy industry, and even by some companies that use the wording "made with organic ingredients." Mother Jones reports that since many fake meat producers aim to have as little fat as possible in their products, they will soak soybeans in a hexane bath to separate the oil from the protein. One researcher said, "If a non-organic product contains a soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, or texturized vegetable protein, you can be pretty sure it was made using soy beans that were made with hexane."

So what brands out there contain the hazardous chemical? Sadly, most of the good ones. Here's a little list:

Amy's Kitchen
Boca Burger, conventional
Franklin Farms
Garden Burger
It’s All Good Lightlife
Morningstar Farms
President’s Choice
Taste Above
Trader Joe's
Yves Veggie Cuisine

Below, the safe brands:

Hexane-free brands:

Boca Burgers "Made with organic soy"
Helen's Kitchen
Morningstar "Made with organic"
Superburgers by Turtle Island
Tofurky
Wildwood

The verdict is out on Whole Foods brands and Silk soymilk, as they did not participate in the project, but the Village Voice has the whole toxic list here. The worst part may be that many popular baby formulas also contain hexane! The report states, "Nearly every major ingredient in conventional soy-based infant formula is hexane extracted."

Polish president and most of his governement, killed in plane crash

2010-04-10T11:44:00.002-04:00

Polish President Lech Kaczynski was killed early Saturday along with his wife, several top military officials, and the head of the national bank when their plane crashed at a western Russian airport, officials said.

"There are no survivors," said Sergey Antufyev, the governor of Smolensk, where the plane was trying to land when it crashed. Russian emergency officials said 97 people died. Kaczynski was 60.

Parliament Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski took over as acting president and declared it "a time for national mourning."

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the country would hold two minutes of silence at midday Sunday for the victims. Russia has declared Monday as a day of mourning. Kaczynski had been traveling with the Polish delegation to Russia for the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Polish prisoners of war in the village of Katyn. Some 20,000 Polish officers were executed there during World War II.

The Polish military plane originated in Warsaw, the Polish Defense Ministry said. It was approaching the airport at Smolensk -- just a few miles east of Katyn -- and probably hit some trees at the end of the runway, said Piotr Paszkowski, a spokesman for the Polish Foreign Ministry.

The Investigation Committee of the Russian prosecutor's office said the plane, a Tupolev-154, was trying to land in heavy fog.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appointed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to head an inquiry commission and sent Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu to the scene of the crash, the Kremlin said.

Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party released a list of some of those it said were killed in the crash.

They included Aleksander Szczyglo, the head of the National Security Office; Jerzy Szmajdzinski, the deputy parliament speaker; Andrzej Kremer, the deputy foreign minister; and Gen. Franciszek Gagor, the army chief of staff, according to the party. The party also said that Slawomir Skrzypek, head of the National Bank of Poland, was killed.

"The entire top military brass, including the chief of defense and all the services, were on the plane," said Tomas Valasek, of the Center for European Reform.

"If that is true, then you're looking at a situation, in effect, of the decapitation of the military services."

Pictures from the scene showed parts of the airplane charred and strewn through a wooded area. Some pieces, including one of the wheel wells, were upside down.

The crash happened around 10:50 a.m. (2:50 a.m. ET) on the outskirts of the town of Pechorsk, just outside of Smolensk, the Investigation Committee said.

The plane was refurbished and repaired last year, according to the general director of the company that performed the service. Alexei Gusev, the general director of Aviakor Factory, told CNN that the plane received major refurbishing and repair in December 2009.

The work included rebuilding all of the engines, he said. His company also provided the Polish government with repair and maintenance parts for the next six years.

"The plane has been in use very little since that major repair," he said. "Speaking openly, we believe that this tragedy could not have been caused by equipment failure."

"This is a time of great national tragedy," Komorowski told reporters. "At this time there are no political differences, left or right. This is a time of national mourning."

Kaczynski had been president since December 2005 after he defeated rival Tusk in the second round of voting.

The two men did not have a good relationship. In Parliamentary elections in 2007, Tusk's Civic Platform beat the Law and Justice Party of Kaczynski's twin brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who was prime minister at the time.

Tusk put any political differences aside as he spoke to the nation Saturday.

"I wanted, in the name of all the Polish people, to pass words of condolences to the familiy of the Polish president, to his daughter, to his mother, to his brother, and to all the families of all the victims," Tusk said.

Crowds gathered at the presidential palace in Warsaw to lay flowers and light candles for the president, whose death raises questions for Poland's government.

"Everything has changed today," said Jan Mikruta, a reporter for TV Polsat.

Tusk and Polish Cabinet ministers were holding a special meeting Saturday morning to discuss the situation, said a spokeswoman for the Polish Parliament, who declined to be named because she was not authorized to speak publicly.

Elections must now be held within 60 days, said Dariusz Rosati, Poland's former foreign minister.

"There is going to be a huge gap in public life in Poland," said resident Magdalena Hendrysiak. "The most important people are dead."

At the same time, Hendrysiak said, the president's death may have a unifying effect.

"I think it will be one of those situations that no one will care about their political preferences," she told CNN. "I think we're going to end up as pretty united in the face of such a tragedy."

Valasek pointed out, however, that the Polish president is the head of state, not head of government -- meaning essential services will continue to run.

"The role of the Polish president is not quite ceremonial ... he has some very real powers, but at the end of the day, the day-to-day running of the government is in the hands of the prime minister and the (cabinet) ministers," Valasek said. "Continuity is assured in ways that would not necessarily be assured in the case of the death of the U.S. president."

Tusk said that as head of the government, he will take care of the families of the victims and handle the investigations.

"We won't extinguish the pain, but we have our duties, and the Polish state must function and will function," Tusk said.

He appealed to everyone in Poland to "behave in an appropriate way" during the time of mourning.

Condolences poured in from around the world Saturday, including from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

U.S. President Barack Obama said there are "heavy hearts across America" at the news.

"President Kaczynski was a distinguished statesman who played a key role in the Solidarity movement, and he was widely admired in the United States as a leader dedicated to advancing freedom and human dignity," Obama said in a statement.

"With him were many of Poland's most distinguished civilian and military leaders who have helped to shape Poland's inspiring democratic transformation. We join all the people of Poland in mourning their passing."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he learned of Kaczynski's death with "great emotion and a deep sadness" and expressed his sympathy to the families of the president and other victims.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai also expressed his condolences, as did the chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

"I offer my deepest condolences to the Polish people and to the families of those killed in this tragic accident. Our hearts go out to you in this difficult time," said OSCE Chairman Kanat Saudabayev, who is also the secretary of state and foreign minister of Kazakhstan.

Valasek said the crash is a tragic coincidence, since the Polish officials were on their way to commemorate the deaths of top Polish officials at Katyn 70 years ago.

"The very fact that he was on his way to (commemorate) the massacre suggested that Polish-Russian relations, which of course had been very poor over the past 20 years, were on the way towards improvement," Valasek said.

"A shared tragedy of this sort could give a boost to further improvement in Polish-Russian relations, which ... were on the mend, and this tragedy might accelerate that trend."

The partial list of those killed published on the Web site of President Lech Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party includes:

Lech Kaczynski -- Polish president

Maria Kaczynska -- The president's wife

Ryszard Kaczorowski -- Poland's last president-in-exile

Aleksander Szczyglo -- head of the National Security Office

Pawel Wypych -- presidential aide

Mariusz Handzlik -- presidential aide

Jerzy Szmajdzinski -- deputy parliament speaker

Andrzej Kremer -- Deputy Foreign Minister

Gen. Franciszek Gagor -- head of the army chief of staff

Andrzej Przewoznik -- minister in charge of WWII memorials

Slawomir Skrzypek -- head of the National Bank of Poland

Janusz Kurtyka -- head of the National Remembrance Institute

Przemyslaw Gosiewski -- lawmaker

Zbigniew Wassermann -- lawmaker

Grzegorz Dolniak -- lawmaker

Janusz Kochanowski -- civil rights commissioner

Bishop Tadeusz Ploski -- army chaplain

Raw Video: Riots in Kyrgyzstan

2010-04-08T15:25:00.000-04:00

Terrorists Could Use Explosives in Breast Implants to Crash Planes, Experts Warn

2010-03-30T13:40:00.003-04:00

Female homicide bombers are being fitted with exploding breast implants which are almost impossible to detect, British spies have reportedly discovered.

The shocking new Al Qaeda tactic involves radical doctors inserting the explosives in women's breasts during plastic surgery — making them "virtually impossible to detect by the usual airport scanning machines."

It is believed the doctors have been trained at some of Britain's leading teaching hospitals before returning to their own countries to perform the surgical procedures.

MI5 has also discovered that extremists are inserting the explosives into the buttocks of some male bombers.

"Women suicide bombers recruited by Al Qaeda are known to have had the explosives inserted in their breasts under techniques similar to breast enhancing surgery," Terrorist expert Joseph Farah claims.

The lethal explosives called PETN are inserted inside plastic shapes during the operation, before the breast is then sewn up.

The discovery of these methods was made after London-educated Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab came close to blowing up an airliner in the U.S. on Christmas Day.

He had stuffed explosives inside his underpants.

Hours after he had failed, Britain's intelligence services began to pick up "chatter" emanating from Pakistan and Yemen that alerted MI5 to the creation of the lethal implants.

A hand-picked team investigated the threat which was described as "one that can circumvent our defense."

Top surgeons have confirmed the feasibility of the explosive implants.

Explosive experts allegedly told MI5 that a sachet containing as little as five ounces of PETN could blow "a considerable hole" in an airline's skin, causing it to crash.

Anubis rides the east river.

2010-03-23T10:56:00.002-04:00

The 25-foot Egyptian god Anubis has taken over New York waters today. Officials insist this isn't some sort of Trojan Horse trick or signal that we are all going to be mummified soon—it's merely a promotional tool for the upcoming “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” exhibit (tickets on sale today!). The last time Tutmania hit the city was in 1979, when 1.8 million visitors flocked to see his treasures

Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama

2010-03-17T20:27:00.001-04:00

Suspect kills self in Ohio State shooting, police say

2010-03-09T14:34:00.002-05:00

A man apparently angry over a poor performance evaluation entered an Ohio State University maintenance building early Tuesday and opened fire, killing a manager before turning the gun on himself, police said.

Larry Wallington, 48, a building services manager at the OSU Maintenance Building, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 3:30 a.m. ET shooting, Ohio State University Police Chief Paul Denton said. Wallington was a 10-year university employee, he said.

Authorities found suspect Nathaniel Brown, 51, a custodial worker, suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot at the scene, Denton said. He was transported to the Ohio State University Medical Center, where he was dead on arrival.

Police believe Brown -- a probational employee since October who had received a poor performance review -- entered the building dressed in dark clothing carrying two handguns and began firing into an office suite, Denton said. Officials would not say when Brown received the review, who gave it to him or provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

A third person, Henry Butler, 60, an operations shift leader, also was shot. He was in stable condition at the OSU Medical Center, Denton said.

Police earlier Tuesday had said that two people were wounded and one killed and that the alleged shooter was in custody.

About a half-dozen employees were at the building when the shooting occurred, and some witnessed it, authorities said.

Ohio State's Web site said the building where the shooting occurred was secured, and some traffic restrictions remained in place Tuesday morning. "The university continues normal operations," the school said. "Classes will be held and normal work schedules are in effect."

E-mail alerts were sent to students warning them about the shooting, the university said.

The shooting comes after the university issued e-mail alerts last week about two alleged sexual assaults and an attempted assault on campus, Ohio State's student newspaper reported.

The student newspaper, The Lantern, published an article Sunday saying that students were questioning the effectiveness of such e-mail alerts after three serious crimes last week.

Students are allowed to choose if they want to receive the e-mail alerts. On the campus of 50,000-plus students, a little more than 2,600 people receive the e-mails, police told the student paper.

A university committee was scheduled to meet this week to determine if changes needed to be made to the notification system, The Lantern reported.

Rihanna's transhumanist performance of "Rude Boy".

2010-03-05T19:09:00.009-05:00

A "rabbit" type tail

At the Echo Awards in Berlin last night Rihanna took part in a bump 'n grind threesome with two gigantic robots, and the song climaxed with a squirt to the eye.

Man shoots 2 officers outside Pentagon

2010-03-04T22:32:00.003-05:00

A man coolly and calmly approached the screening area outside the Pentagon Thursday evening and opened fire, grazing two Pentagon police officers before they returned fire, critically wounding him, officials said.

The incident happened at 6:40 p.m., when the man wearing a coat -- with "no real emotion in his face" -- approached the officers outside the Pentagon Metro station, said Pentagon Police Chief Richard S. Keevill. As the officers started to ask him for his pass to get into the Pentagon, he drew a weapon from his pocket and started shooting immediately at the officers" from a few feet away, Keevill told reporters.

"He drew a gun and just started shooting immediately."

The two Pentagon Force Protection Agency officers returned fire with their semi-automatic Glock .40-caliber weapons and the suspect, thought to be a U.S. citizen, was critically wounded, Keevill said. He praised the police officers for acting "quickly and decisively to neutralize him as a threat" without hurting anyone else.

Asked how many shots were fired, he said, "Many."

Keevill would not identify the man.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency is the Pentagon's police department.

Pentagon entrances were locked briefly but all were reopened with the exception of the Pentagon Metro entrance, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Lisa McDonald, a spokeswoman for George Washington Hospital, said three people were being treated there -- both officers and the suspect.

The Pentagon police department, the Arlington County Police Department, U.S. Secret Service and the FBI were all involved in the investigation, Keevill said.

The Pentagon is one of the largest office buildings in the world with three times the floor space of New York's Empire State Building, according to its official Web site.

Some 23,000 military and civilian employees work there.

Though it contains 17.5 miles of corridors, a person can walk between any two points in the World War II-era building in no more than seven minutes.

Some obvious symbolism in this shooting. Why even shoot these security guards, what would it accomplish except make D.C. more of a police state?

The Strange World Of Dr. Anthrax

2010-03-01T15:24:00.001-05:00

MARCH 1--After the Department of Justice last month formally closed its probe of the 2001 anthrax attacks, the FBI released the first batch of documents detailing the years-long investigation that ended with officials concluding that Bruce Ivins, a government scientist who committed suicide in July 2008, was responsible for the mailings that killed five victims. The records, released pursuant to Freedom of Information Act requests, portray Ivins as becoming increasingly unhinged as it became clear that he was the principal target of the FBI's "Amerithrax" probe. Additionally, the memos--a selection of which you'll find on the following pages--reveal how agents examined every aspect of Ivins's life, monitored his e-mails, searched his trash, and were even surveilling his Maryland home at the exact time he was inside overdosing. Despite being an FBI target, Ivins was often forthcoming about the details of his strange obsessions and private life. For example, as seen below, when agents executed search warrants in late-2007, an FBI supervisor asked Ivins if he was worried about those raids. Ivins said he was, noting that he did things a "middle age man should not do," adding that his actions would "not be acceptable to most people." He then noted that agents searching his basement would find a "bag of material that he uses to 'cross-dress,'" according to an interview report. During a January 2008 meeting with agents, Ivins described his bizarre decades-long "obsession" with the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and detailed how he broke into two KKG chapters to steal ritual books used by the group. He also told of "another of his obsessions, blindfolding or bondage." Three months before his suicide, surveillance agents sifted through trash Ivins left at his curb and discovered that the beleaguered scientist was disposing of pornographic magazines, fetish titles, and 15 pairs of stained women's panties. When an FBI lab analysis of the underwear showed that semen was detected on 14 of the garments, a grand jury directive was issued to obtain DNA from Ivins. That sample was taken July 21, 2008, five days before the scientist's Tylenol overdose (Ivins died on July 29 at age 62). The FBI records show that some Ivins acquaintances shared with the FBI e-mail and instant message communications exchanged with the scientist. In a July 2008 e-mail, Ivins wrote that "Dick Cheney scares me. The Patriot Act is so unconstitutional it's not even funny." He added, "I'm voting for Obama!" A laboratory co-worker reported that Ivins hated the New York Yankees and thought New Yorkers were "elitist." The bureau even memorialized Ivins's e-mail musings about how "disgraceful" it was that soccer players frequently took "dives" while faking injuries. After years of investigation (and dozens of interviews), the last time the FBI spotted Ivins in the flesh was in the early morning hours of July 27, 2008. A surveillance agent sitting outside Ivins's home noted that fire and rescue teams responded to the residence at 1:15 AM after receiving notice that an unresponsive male was found in an upstairs bedroom. At 1:30 AM, the agent reported, "BRUCE IVINS observed leaving residence on stretcher." (15 pages)

TAXES the cause of Plane crashing Into building in Austin, TX + very interesting suicide note.

2010-02-18T13:08:00.003-05:00

A small plane crashed into a building in Austin, TX at 9:30 a.m. The building does not contain an FBI office; the FBI has an office at another building in the same complex. According to Austinist, "There's some wild speculation flying around Twitter that the crash was intentional. Statesman reports eyewitnesses stating that the plane approached the building at 'full throttle.' One nearby eyewitness described the plane's trajectory as 'very controlled.'" Update: "12:42 p.m.: The pilot of the plane had set his house on fire beforehand, stole the plane and crashed it intentionally, a federal official told CNN."

Please take a moment to read this guy's suicide note (.pdf) it is really interesting and sad..

Conspiracy theories arise from underpants bomber story

2010-02-11T16:02:00.001-05:00

TSA Unveils New Genital Visualizers LOL

2010-02-04T15:12:00.001-05:00

Full Body Scanner FAILS To Detect Bomb Parts During Demonstration (video)

2010-01-28T12:53:00.001-05:00

Fever Ray's occult mindfuck.

2010-01-25T19:03:00.002-05:00

If you thought lada Gaga was a mindf*ck..

Bin Laden claims plane bombing bid LOL

2010-01-24T12:38:00.001-05:00

Now its just audio tapes of god knows who lol.

Teen Couldn't Convince Flight Crew His "Tefillin" Was Harmless

2010-01-22T13:39:00.003-05:00

The airline that diverted a flight when a Jewish passenger started praying said it was forced to treat the incident as a bomb scare because the teen didn't clearly explain why he had strapped his tefillin — two small black boxes worn by Orthodox Jews during weekday morning prayers — to his head and arm. According to Chautauqua Airlines, which was operating the US Airways Flight from LaGuardia to Kentucky, "[w]hen our crew tried to discuss the issue with the passenger, they did not receive a clear response."

"[I]n the interest of everyone's safety, the crew decided to land in Philadelphia, where a more complete investigation and follow-up with authorities would be possible," the statement continued, according to the Post. The grandmother of 17-year-old White Plains resident Caleb Leibowitz said her grandson "hadn't had the opportunity to pray, so that is why he did it on the plane." She told the Times that upon landing, police boarded the plane and pointed guns at her grandson for "a little bit" and put the teen and his 16-year-old sister Dalia in handcuffs for a few minutes. "We live in a time when people are very skittish," she said. After the incident, authorities placed the siblings and the other passengers on other flights to Kentucky.

FBI Special Agent J.J. Klaber told the Daily News that Leibowitz's tefillin "is something most Americans probably have not seen before." He added that the teen and his sister "were very cooperative" and "were dressed like normal teenagers, except he had a yarmulke on." Apparently, many Orthodox Jews avoid using tefillin on flights so as not to alarm other passengers, and because it is difficult to pray when confined to a seat. According to Chabad.info, perhaps the largest ramification of yesterday's air scare is the fact that "millions of Americans Googled the word 'Tefillin' making it the most searched for word on Google today."

People are seriously stupid these days, its obviously not a bomb.

Norway Sky Spiral Absolute Proof That EISCAT Can Create Spirals in the Sky

2010-01-22T12:00:00.001-05:00

CREEPY ALIEN MERMAIDS OF JAPAN

2010-01-15T12:30:00.002-05:00

For the last few years rumors of enormous, humanoid sea creatures floating around Antarctic waters have been bubbling up in Japan. The creatures are known as Nigen and they look a lot like someone dressed up in a last minute ghost costume made of rubber. The Nigen reports hold more weight than your average Bigfoot sighting largely because they’re coming from the government’s infamous “whale research” vessels. Eyewitnesses describe the creatures as between 20 and 30 feet long with legs, arms, and five-fingered hands. Unsurprisingly, many believe the creature to be an urban legend concocted on a popular Japanese website (the text from the original post available here) for anyone who reads Japanese. Still, it’s nice to image the Ningen as sea mammal spirit warriors coming to deliver a blubber-fueled fiery vengeance on the Japanese for their incessant “research”.

Collision in the Whale Wars

2010-01-07T22:06:00.001-05:00

haha

Burj Dubai ( Khalifa ) Launch: Fireworks & Fountain opening!

2010-01-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

The tower of babel is open for business.

Gunman kills 5 in Finnish mall shooting spree

2009-12-31T11:38:00.002-05:00

A gunman opened fire inside a busy shopping center near the Finnish capital of Helsinki Thursday, leaving five people dead, police said.

Four of the victims -- three men and one woman -- were killed at the Sello shopping center in Espoo, just west of Helsinki, police said. Some were employees of a grocery store at the mall, police said.

A fifth victim, also an employee of the grocery store, was found later at an apartment in Espoo, police said, without offering details. CNN affiliate MTV3 said the victim was a woman.

Police told a news conference hours after the shootings that they found a sixth victim, who they believed to be the shooter. Police had previously identified the suspect as 43-year-old Ibrahim Shkupolli. A gunman opened fire inside a busy shopping center near the Finnish capital of Helsinki Thursday, leaving five people dead, police said.

A fifth victim, also an employee of the grocery store, was found later at an apartment in Espoo, police said, without offering details. CNN affiliate MTV3 said the victim was a woman.

Espoo is the headquarters for mobile phone giant Nokia and the hometown of Formula 1 racing driver Kimi Raikkonen. The Sello shopping center, one of Finland's largest, was busy with shoppers when the shootings began at 10:08 a.m. (3:08 a.m.)

"People saw a gunman, calm, walking out of the grocery store after shooting," said Mika Pettersson, editor-in-chief of Finnish news agency STT. "People first thought it was fireworks that had been exploding, but after they realized what had happened, there was a panic."

YLE said the gunman used a 9mm handgun.

Restaurant manager Naresh Gaonkar, who runs the Intialainen Ravintola Curry Palace across the street from the mall, told CNN there were police helicopters overhead and many police cars driving past with armed officers after the shootings.

Trains going through Espoo were stopped, Gaonkar said.

Employees of the grocery store where the attack happened were evacuated so quickly that they didn't have time to put on their winter wear, Poutanen reported. They were waiting outside in T-shirts in temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius, or 14 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.

Gaonkar said many of them were inside his restaurant to stay warm.

Other lone gunmen have carried out two recent high-profile shootings in Finland.

In September 2008, student Matti Juhani Saari, 22, killed 10 people before shooting himself in the head at Seinajoki University of Applied Sciences in Kauhajoki, Finland. Saari, who had been armed with a semi-automatic pistol and Molotov cocktails, posted YouTube videos of himself firing weapons before embarking on the massacre.

Pekka-Eric Auvinen, 18, killed seven fellow students and the principal at Jokela High School in Tuusula in November 2007 before shooting himself in the head.

Auvinen posted a YouTube video titled "Jokela High School Massacre" before the killing spree. In it he warned that he planned to "eliminate all who I see unfit." Brandishing a shotgun, the teenager was seen in the video wearing a T-shirt proclaiming "Humanity is Overrated."

Finland enjoys a strong tradition of hunting and has a high proportion of gun ownership, with 2 million firearms owned in a nation of 5 million people.

Evidence Clearly Indicates Staged Attack on Detroit Flight!

2009-12-30T15:40:00.002-05:00

Raw: US Cop Pulls Out A Gun During Snowball Fight

2009-12-23T14:05:00.001-05:00

Numerology of IRAQ; Why do 30 people die everytime?

2009-12-22T22:52:00.003-05:00

Just how often has the U.S. and NATO killed the Taliban in groups of 30 during 2009? The answer may surprise you:

Adnkronos, 12/07/2009: “Up to 30 suspected militants were killed in a NATO airstrike on a Taliban hideout in eastern Afghanistan close to the Pakistani border on Monday. The airstrike targeted the village of Sangar Dara in the mountainous Watapur district of Kunar province , the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.”
SF Chronicle, 12/04/2009: “Air strikes in two areas of the Mohmand border region killed 30 suspected militants, a military statement said. It said the strikes were “highly successful” but provided no further details, including whether any civilians were hurt.”
Xinhua, 11/04/2009: “The military said that the troops have killed 30 more militants during the last 24 hours, bringing the total fatalities to 400, as the operation in the country’s tribal area steadily progressed towards the Taliban strongholds in South Waziristan.”
Xinhua, 08/31/2009: “At least 30 bodies of suspected Taliban fighters were recovered in northwest Pakistan’s insurgency-hit Swat valley on Monday, witnesses said. The Pakistani army said they were killed in fighting with the security forces.”
Calgary Times, 07/04/2009: “The attack included an attempted suicide truck bombing of the base in the Zirok district of southeastern Paktika province, local officials said. As many as 30 Taliban insurgents might have been killed when troops called in air strikes, they said.”
Khaleej Times, 06/24/2009: “Thirty Taliban militants were killed in clashes with NATO and Afghan forces in separate incidents in southern Afghanistan, officials said Wednesday.”
Straits Times, 06/15/2009: “Security officials in the region said that about 30 militants were killed in Mohmand agency, close to the provincial capital Peshawar.”
Monsters and Critics, 05/28/2009: “In another incident, the Afghan Defence Ministry said Thursday that its troops, backed by international forces, killed 30 suspected militants in neighbouring Khost province Wednesday after the militants attacked their joint base.”
Monsters and Critics, 05/14/2009: “At least 30 Taliban fighters were killed Thursday when government artillery fire destroyed their hideout in north-west Pakistan, residents and officials said, as concerns about the fate of thousands of refugees in the region grew amid an escalating humanitarian crisis. Up to 30 suspected militants were in the compound when it was hit, and the Taliban have moved the dead and injured to an undisclosed location, he said.”
Reuters, 01 April 2009: “U.S. and Afghan forces have killed 30 Taliban fighters, including a local commander, in an operation in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.”
IRNA, 02/17/2009: “Suspected US drone fired missiles on a training camp of Taliban militants in a Pakistani tribal region on Monday, killing around 30 people, witnesses and official sources said.”
New York Times, 01/01/2009: “On Wednesday, the Taliban came for revenge. A group of about 30 Taliban fighters swooped in on Mullah Salam’s house and opened fire. They killed at least 20 of his bodyguards, Afghan officials said. The Taliban claimed that they killed 32. Two of the attackers died.”

Alright, okay, you get the point. Just in case you thought this was limited to Afghanistan and Pakistan:

Reuters, 02/03/2009: “[Yemeni President Ali Abdullah] Saleh urged the leaders not to give refuge to militants and help the state’s fight against al-Qaeda by turning them in. A security official told Reuters authorities had detained 30 suspected militants in a renewed campaign.”

Oh yes, it’s the same Yemen. But look, hopping onto Google News and typing “30 Taliban” or “30 suspected militants” brings up literally dozens of stories each year, stretching back at least to 2005. Indeed, thirty seems to be the magic number when it comes to arresting or killing off Taliban and other militant fighters in Afghanistan.

The Security Crank is not the first one to notice this: mad props for the idea go to Moon of Alabama.

But the much more important point remains: how could we possibly have any idea how the war is going, here or anywhere else, when the bad guys seem only to die in groups of 30? The sheer ubiquity of that number in fatality and casualty counts is astounding, to the point where I don’t even pay attention to a story anymore when they use that magic number 30. It is an indicator either of ignorance or deliberate spin… but no matter the case, whenever you see the number 30 used in reference to the Taliban, you should probably close the tab and move onto something else, because you just won’t get a good sense of what happened there.

Oh, and shame to all you news agencies — all of you, since you’re all guilty — for playing along with such an obvious bit of number fudging. And weren’t we supposed to stop doing body counts anyway? That took all of a minute to reverse.

Use ctrl-f (or CMD if you’re a mac-head) and search for “30″ or “thirty” on this 2009 timeline of events for Pakistan. It’s unreal.

Raw Video: Darth Vader Opens Wall Street

2009-12-22T14:52:00.001-05:00

David Wilcock on Norway Spiral, DNA Upgrade, 2012 and UFO Disclosure

2009-12-17T11:50:00.002-05:00

People were saying it was HAARP from the beginning, certainly possible.

Scientists find Super Earth!

2009-12-17T11:00:00.001-05:00

Astronomers announced this week they found a water-rich and relatively nearby planet that's similar in size to Earth.

While the planet probably has too thick of an atmosphere and is too hot to support life similar to that found on Earth, the discovery is being heralded as a major breakthrough in humanity's search for life on other planets.

"The big excitement is that we have found a watery world orbiting a very nearby and very small star," said David Charbonneau, a Harvard professor of astronomy and lead author of an article on the discovery, which appeared this week in the journal Nature.

The planet, named GJ 1214b, is 2.7 times as large as Earth and orbits a star much smaller and less luminous than our sun. That's significant, Charbonneau said, because for many years, astronomers assumed that planets only would be found orbiting stars that are similar in size to the sun.

Because of that assumption, researchers didn't spend much time looking for planets circling small stars, he said. The discovery of this "watery world" helps debunk the notion that Earth-like planets could form only in conditions similar to those in our solar system.

"Nature is just far more inventive in making planets than we were imagining," he said.

In a way, the newly discovered planet was sitting right in front of astronomers' faces, just waiting for them to look. Instead of using high-powered telescopes attached to satellites, they spotted the planet using an amateur-sized, 16-inch telescope on the ground.

There were no technological reasons the discovery couldn't have happened long ago, Charbonneau said.

The planet is also rather near to our solar system -- only about 40 light-years away.

Planet GJ 1214b is classified as a "super-Earth" because it is between one and 10 times as large as Earth. Scientists have known about the existence of super-Earths for only a couple of years. Most planets discovered by astronomers have been gassy giants that are much more similar to Jupiter than to Earth.

Charbonneau said it's unlikely that any life on the newly discovered planet would be similar to life on Earth, but he didn't discount the idea entirely.

"This planet probably does have liquid water," he said.

Skull and Bones tomb revealed on video!

2009-12-14T15:47:00.002-05:00

There was also these leaked photos of a skull and bones party. Not much to see there, but some symbolic artifacts on the walls.

Hexagon on Saturn re-emerges!

2009-12-11T09:01:00.003-05:00

After waiting years for the sun to illuminate Saturn's north pole again, cameras aboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft have captured the most detailed images yet of the intriguing hexagon shape crowning the planet.

The new images of the hexagon, whose shape is the path of a jet stream flowing around the north pole, reveal concentric circles, curlicues, walls and streamers not seen in previous images. Images and the three-frame animation are available at http://www.nasa.gov/cassini , http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://ciclops.org.

The last visible-light images of the entire hexagon were captured by NASA's Voyager spacecraft nearly 30 years ago, the last time spring began on Saturn. After the sunlight faded, darkness shrouded the north pole for 15 years. Much to the delight and bafflement of Cassini scientists, the location and shape of the hexagon in the latest images match up with what they saw in the Voyager pictures.

"The longevity of the hexagon makes this something special, given that weather on Earth lasts on the order of weeks," said Kunio Sayanagi, a Cassini imaging team associate at the California Institute of Technology. "It's a mystery on par with the strange weather conditions that give rise to the long-lived Great Red Spot of Jupiter."

The hexagon was originally discovered in images taken by the Voyager spacecraft in the early 1980s. It encircles Saturn at about 77 degrees north latitude and has been estimated to have a diameter wider than two Earths. The jet stream is believed to whip along the hexagon at around 100 meters per second (220 miles per hour).

Early hexagon images from Voyager and ground-based telescopes suffered from poor viewing perspectives. Cassini, which has been orbiting Saturn since 2004, has a better angle for viewing the north pole. But the long darkness of Saturnian winter hid the hexagon from Cassini's visible-light cameras for years. Infrared instruments, however, were able to obtain images by using heat patterns. Those images showed the hexagon is nearly stationary and extends deep into the atmosphere. They also discovered a hotspot and cyclone in the same region.

The visible-light cameras of Cassini's imaging science subsystem, which have higher resolution than the infrared instruments and the Voyager cameras, got their long-awaited glimpse of the hexagon in January, as the planet approached equinox. Imaging team scientists calibrated and stitched together 55 images to create a mosaic and three-frame movie. The mosaics do not show the region directly around the north pole because it had not yet fully emerged from winter night at that time.

Scientists are still trying to figure out what causes the hexagon, where it gets and expels its energy and how it has stayed so organized for so long. They plan to search the new images for clues, taking an especially close look at the newly identified waves that radiate from the corners of the hexagon -- where the jet takes its hardest turns -- and the multi-walled structure that extends to the top of Saturn's cloud layer in each of the hexagon's six sides. Scientists are also particularly intrigued by a large dark spot that appeared in a different position in a previous infrared image from Cassini. In the latest images, the spot appears in the 2 o'clock position.

Because Saturn does not have land masses or oceans on its surface to complicate weather the way Earth does, its conditions should give scientists a more elementary model to study the physics of circulation patterns and atmosphere, said Kevin Baines, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., who has studied the hexagon with Cassini's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer.

"Now that we can see undulations and circular features instead of blobs in the hexagon, we can start trying to solve some of the unanswered questions about one of the most bizarre things we've ever seen in the solar system," Baines said. "Solving these unanswered questions about the hexagon will help us answer basic questions about weather that we're still asking about our own planet."

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of Caltech, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.

Mysterious spiral portal spotted in Norway?

2009-12-09T13:25:00.009-05:00

A mysterious light display appearing over Norway last night has left thousands of residents in the north of the country baffled.

Witnesses from Trøndelag to Finnmark compared the amazing sight to anything from a Russian rocket to a meteor or a shock wave - although no one appears to have mentioned UFOs yet.

The phenomenon began when what appeared to be a blue light seemed to soar up from behind a mountain. It stopped mid-air, then began to circulate.

Within seconds a giant spiral had covered the entire sky. Then a green-blue beam of light shot out from its centre - lasting for ten to twelve minutes before disappearing completely.

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute was flooded with telephone calls after the light storm - which astronomers have said did not appear to have been connected to the aurora, or Northern Lights, so common in that area of the world.

The mystery deepened tonight as Russia denied it had been conducting missile tests in the area.

Fred Hansen, from Bø in Vesterålen, described the sight as 'like a big fireball that went around, with a great light around it again.'

Within seconds a giant spiral had covered the entire sky. Then a green-blue beam of light shot out from its centre - lasting for ten to twelve minutes before disappearing completely.

The mystery deepened tonight as Russia denied it had been conducting missile tests in the area.

Fred Hansen, from Bø in Vesterålen, described the sight as 'like a big fireball that went around, with a great light around it again.'

Within seconds a giant spiral had covered the entire sky. Then a green-blue beam of light shot out from its centre - lasting for ten to twelve minutes before disappearing completely.

The mystery deepened tonight as Russia denied it had been conducting missile tests in the area.

Fred Hansen, from Bø in Vesterålen, described the sight as 'like a big fireball that went around, with a great light around it again.'

'It spun and exploded in the sky,' Totto Eriksen from Tromsø told VG Nett.

He spotted the lights as he walked his daughter Amalie to school.

He said: 'We saw it from the Inner Harbor in Tromsø. It was absolutely fantastic.

'It almost looked like a rocket that spun around and around and then went diagonally down the heavens.

'It looked like the moon was coming over the mountain, but then came something completely different.'

'It was like a giant spiral - a shooting star that spun around and around. I initially thought it was a projector', added Axel Rose Berg, from Alta.

Celebrity astronomer Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard told VG Nett he had never seen anything like the lights.

He said: 'My first thought was that it was a fireball meteor, but it has lasted far too long.

'It may have been a missile in Russia, but I can not guarantee that it is the answer.'

Air Traffic control in Tromsø claimed the light show lasted for two minutes, but admitted that was 'far too long to be an astronomical phenomena.'

Tromsø Geophysical Observatory researcher Truls Lynne Hansen was certain the light had been caused by a missile launch.

He told Norwegian media that the missile had likely lost control and exploded. The spiral, he claimed, was the result of light reflecting on the leaking fuel. He was quoted as saying the light was sunlight, despite the strange lights showing up at night.

The Barents Observer quoted Norwegian Defence spokesman Jon Espen Lien as saying that the Norwegian military does not know what the lights were - but that they were probably from a Russian missile.

He said it was normal for Russia to use the White Sea and the Barents Sea as a testing ground for missiles.

However a Moscow news outlet tonight quoted the Russian Navy as denying any rocket launches from the White Sea area.

Norway should be informed of such launches under international agreements, it was stressed.

The Russian Defence Ministry was unavailable for comment last night.

Lady Gaga serves the queen.

2009-12-08T10:02:00.010-05:00

Blackpool has certainly never seen anything like the performance Lady GaGa put on at the Royal Vareity Show last night - and for all her years and travels, it's unlikely the Queen has either.

The American singer famed for her crazy collection of outfits managed to outdo herself as she appeared on stage in a red latex outfit dressed as Elizabeth I.

GaGa wore a long dress, complete with intricate ruffle and plus outlandish sparkly eye make-up and lipstick for an astonishing performance featuring a huge Dali-style piano.

It was the highlight of an amazing night as the Royal Variety Show returned to Blackpool for the first time in 54 years.

On that occasion Morecambe & Wise and Arthur Askey had entertained Her Majesty and Prince Philip. This time, as well as GaGa, the bill included X Factor winner Alexandra Burke and teenage star Miley Cyrus.

GaGa arrived on stage to close the show with a 20ft train trailing behind the dress.

She was helped on to a chair attached to a chain and hoisted 30 feet in the air to play a piano which was supported by legs that look very similar to those supporting the giant elephants in the Salvador Dali painting, The Temptation Of St Anthony. The singer performed Speechless - the song she wrote to try and persuade her sick father Joseph to have heart surgery.

Last night he was sitting in the crowd to see his daughter perform. The singer has credited him with helping her beat a cocaine addiction before she became famous.

The show-stopping display capped a memorable time in England for GaGa, who performed in a giant bath on Sunday's X Factor show.

Yeah, ok

The Abyssinians - Declaration of rights

2009-12-05T20:22:00.001-05:00

Police Attack Students at the Anti War March in Times Sq, NYC after Obamas West Point Speech

2009-12-03T11:26:00.001-05:00

Anti-Mask: New York Penal Law § 240.35(4)

New York’s anti-mask law criminalizes the wearing of masks or disguises by three or more persons in a public place unless done in connection with a “masquerade party or like entertainment,” after obtaining a permit to wear masks from the police or other appropriate authorities. The courts have defined “like entertainment” as “social gatherings, dances, and performances that involve masks or costumes,” Under the current law, wearing a bandana tied around one’s face falls within the scope of the mask prohibition.
The courts have held that the anti-mask law furthers the important governmental interest of deterring violence and facilitating the apprehension of wrong-doers who seek to hide their identity. Since 2001, both the New York City Criminal Court and the Second Circuit Court of
Appeals have held that the anti-mask law is not overly broad or facially unconstitutional.

Before you buy cheap chinese goods for xmas look at these pictures of the environmental costs.

2009-12-02T13:30:00.003-05:00

Click on image above

Dubai debt crisis just the tip of the iceburg.

2009-12-01T15:31:00.001-05:00

New CNN Skull And Bones Piece

2009-11-17T14:56:00.001-05:00

Thievery Corporation 33 Degree Masonic Government Mashup (MUSIC)

2009-11-14T00:54:00.002-05:00

Cocaine, Spices, Hormones Found in Drinking Water

2009-11-13T21:09:00.002-05:00

How's this for a sweet surprise? A team of researchers in Washington State has found traces of cooking spices and flavorings in the waters of Puget Sound.

University of Washington associate professor Richard Keil heads the Sound Citizen program, which investigates how what we do on land affects our waters.

Keil and his team have tracked "pulses" of food ingredients that enter the sound during certain holidays.

For instance, thyme and sage spike during Thanksgiving, cinnamon surges all winter, chocolate and vanilla show up during weekends (presumably from party-related goodies), and waffle-cone and caramel-corn remnants skyrocket around the Fourth of July.

The Puget Sound study is one of several ongoing efforts to investigate the unexpected ingredients that find their way into the global water supply.

Around the world, scientists are finding trace amounts of substances—from sugar and spice to heroine, rocket fuel, and birth control—that might be having unintended consequences for humans and wildlife alike.

Vanilla Seas?

When spices and flavorings are flushed out of a U.S. home, they travel to a sewage-treatment facility, where most of them are removed.

In the area around Puget Sound, the University of Washington team found, the spicy residues that remain in wastewater end up flowing into the sound's inland waterways.

Of all the flavors trickling downstream, artificial vanilla dominates the sound, Keil said. For instance, the team found an average of about six milligrams of artificial vanilla per liter of water sampled.

The region's sewage runoff contains more than 14 milligrams of vanilla per liter. This would be like spiking an Olympic-size swimming pool with approximately ten 4-ounce (113.4-gram) bottles of artificial vanilla. For now, there's no evidence that a sweeter and spicier sound is a bad thing—salmon, which can smell such flavors, could be enjoying their vanilla-enhanced habitat, (YEAH, OK) Keil said. In an attempt to understand some of the consequences of spice in the water, Keil and colleagues plan to study whether cooking ingredients harm the reproduction of octopuses in Puget Sound.

Overall, he added, the spice project has become a successful recipe for educating people, especially schoolkids, "that everything you do is connected to the watershed."

Illegal Drugs

The link from kitchen or bathroom to coast can also grease the path for some rather unsavory substances, such as illegal drugs, experts have discovered.

After a person has taken drugs such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and ecstasy, active byproducts of these substances are released into the sewage stream through that person's urine and feces.

These byproducts, or metabolites, are often not completely removed during the sewage-treatment process, at least in Europe, said Sara Castiglioni of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy.

That means the drug-tainted wastewater can enter groundwater and surface water, which are collectively the major sources of drinking water for most people.

In a new review study, Castiglioni and colleague Ettore Zuccato found that illegal drugs have become "widespread" in surface water in some of Europe's populated areas.

For instance, in a 2008 study scientists discovered a byproduct of cocaine in 22 of 24 samples of drinking water at a Spanish water-treatment plant—despite a rigorous filtering and treatment process.

Likewise, in 2005, Zuccato found that a daily influx of cocaine travels down the Po River, Italy's longest river.

Though these drug traces are still tiny, it's possible that the potent residues could be toxic to freshwater animals, according to the study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A.

For this reason, the "risks for human health and the environment cannot be excluded," the study warns.

Pharmaceuticals

Scientists are also developing a clearer picture of how legal pharmaceuticals and personal-care products—from antibiotics and morphine to fragrances and sunscreen—are flooding our waterways.

For example, previous research had revealed that up to 44.1 pounds (20 kilograms) of pharmaceuticals flow down Italy's Po River each day.

Much like illegal drugs, traces of pharmaceuticals often filter through traditional sewage-treatment processes.

These products are also found in many U.S. waterways, and studies have shown that certain drugs may cause harm to the environment—though no evidence to date has shown effects in people, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Some of the drugs that mimic hormones, such as birth control, may also throw off an animal's endocrine, or hormone-regulating, system. Some male fish in the U.S., for example, have been growing female parts due to exposure to estrogen in the water.

Researching these substances is important, Castiglioni said, "because [these] are quite unknown contaminants, and they are present in the environment in huge amounts, especially for pharmaceuticals."

To control the flow of these substances, some experts have suggested creating "green pharmacies," which would allow a consumer to send back their drugs to a pharmacist or manufacturer instead of flushing them down the toilet and into the wild.

Contaminants

Current EPA regulations say that more than 90 contaminants must be filtered out of drinking-water systems, said Cynthia Dougherty, director of EPA's Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water.

Viruses and other microorganisms are kept at bay, as are inorganic substances such as lead, cyanide, copper, and mercury. Pollutants from fertilizer runoff, such as nitrate and nitrite, are also removed.

In addition, the agency regularly studies new chemicals that may need regulation. Of particular interest right now is perchlorate, a natural and human-made chemical used in fireworks and rocket fuel, Dougherty said.

At sufficiently high doses, the chemical—found in at least 4 percent of U.S drinking water—can reduce iodine uptake into a person's thyroid gland. If continued long-term, reduced iodine can lead to hypothyroidism, according to the agency, which is now seeking input on whether to regulate perchlorate.

Ultimately, "what you really want is to not ever have things you're concerned about in drinking water in the first place," Dougherty said.

That's why it's crucial for local communities to keep a close eye on what runs into their waterways, she said.

"If you have an understanding of what your source of drinking water is and what can happen to it," Dougherty said, "you can be a more educated citizen in engaging in those issues."

The new Sherlock Holmes movie is Masonic.

2009-11-11T18:26:00.002-05:00

Some burial ritual scenes, lots of masonic symbolism. Here is another symbolism loaded trailer.

Terror continues: 5 shot, 1 dead in office shooting in orlando

2009-11-06T13:58:00.005-05:00

Orlando, Florida (CNN) -- At least seven people with serious gunshot wounds were brought out of an Orlando, Florida, office building Friday, a spokeswoman with the city fire department said.

An Orlando Police Department spokeswoman identified the alleged shooter as Jason Rodriguez, who used to work in the building. He is still at large, said John Tormos of the Orlando Fire Department.

A spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, which is helping the city police department, said investigators are looking for a man wearing a blue Polo shirt, gray vest and blue jeans.

"We're in a search mode for the gunman," said Jim Solomons, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

CNN affiliate WESH said the shooting occurred at the Gateway Center -- a 16-story building near Lake Ivanhoe and Interstate 4.

Six people have been shot, two of them fatally at an office building at 1000 Legion Place in dowtown Orlando. The shootings happened on the 4th, 8th, and 12th floods of the building.

The interstate was closed in both directions near the office building, according to the Florida Department of Transportation Web site. Police cars and emergency vehicles surrounded the area, video showed. It also showed people fleeing.

At least 13 dead 31 injured in Fort Hood shootings. update3

2009-11-05T15:40:00.007-05:00

Eleven people plus a gunman were killed and 31 were wounded after the gunman opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas on Thursday, a Fort Hood spokesman said.

The gunman was a soldier, and two other soldiers have been detained as suspects, said the spokesman, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone.

Cone said more than one shooter may have been involved. Eleven people plus a gunman were killed and 31 were wounded after the gunman opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas on Thursday, a Fort Hood spokesman said.

The gunman was a soldier, and two other soldiers have been detained as suspects, said the spokesman, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone.

Cone said more than one shooter may have been involved.

A congressional aide said he was on the post to attend a graduation service when he saw a soldier with blood on his uniform near the building where the service was being held, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Greg Schannep, an aide to U.S. Rep. John Carter, said the soldier ran past him and said a man was shooting. He said the soldier appeared to be injured in a shoulder, the American-Statesman reported.

FBI agents are headed to the scene to assist, said Erik Vasys, spokesman for the FBI office in San Antonio. He had no other details.

On the Fort Hood Web site, the word "closed" is posted with the statement, "Effective immediately, Fort Hood is closed. Organizations/units are instructed to execute a 100 percent accountability of all personnel."

Fort Hood, with about 40,000 troops, is home to the Army's 1st Cavalry Division and elements of the 4th Infantry Division, as well as the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 13th Corps Support Command. It is located near Killeen, Texas.

At least 25,000 people are at Fort Hood on any given day, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon said.

Fort Hood is home to the Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program, which is designed to help soldiers overcome combat stress issues.

In June, Fort Hood's commander, Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, told CNN that he was trying to ease the kind of stresses soldiers face. He has pushed for soldiers working a day schedule to return home for dinner by 6 p.m., and required his personal authorization for anyone working weekends. At the time, two soldiers stationed there had committed suicide in 2009 -- a rate well below those of other posts.

update1: Fort Hood is Aprox 65.6 miles from Waco Texas. 11 dead and 31 injured, 3 suspects, nice numerology there.

update2: The suspect, identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire at a military processing center at Fort Hood around 1:30 p.m., Cone said.

Three others initially taken into custody for interviews have been released, Cone said.

Hasan, 39, is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a psychiatrist licensed in Virginia who was practicing at Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, according to military and professional records. Previously, he worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

A federal official said Hasan is a U.S. citizen of Jordanian descent. Military documents show that Hasan was born in Virginia, and was never deployed outside the United States.

So first it was multiple shooters, and now it goes back to the "lone gunman" theory.

update3: "All the casualties took place at the initial incident, that took place at 13:30, at the soldier readiness facility," Cone said, referring in military time to 1:30 p.m. Remember this also happened on Nov. 5th which is the anniversary of Guy Fawkes Attack.

13 dead, 31 injured, at 1:30pm or 13.30 military time, at the 31 degree latitude.

New Anna Nicole mind control videos..

2009-11-03T09:32:00.003-05:00

In her child-like alter, Anna Nicole believes her pregnancy is just "gas".

China Must be head of the New World Order

2009-10-29T11:29:00.002-04:00

Today the media is saying "Economy is Back in Gear". They are simply drawing in the suckers. Be wary of a looming bigger crash in early 2010.
Full video HERE.

Royal family clones? (picture evidence)

2009-10-25T23:26:00.020-04:00

Style queen: Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and her great-great-greatgreat-granddaughter, Princess Beatrice, have similar faces and locks

Spot the difference: Mary (1867-1953), King George V's consort, and granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II

Regal likeness: The Queen Mother (1900-2002) and greatgranddaughter Princess Eugenie have moon-shaped faces

By George! Prince Edward has inherited grandfather King George VI's (1895-1952) large ears

Royal we: King Edward I (1239-1307) and Prince William, his 21 times great-grandson, share the same eyes and nose

Golden curls: A young Queen Elizabeth II in 1930, and her granddaughter Lady Louise Windsor, Prince Edward's daughter

Crowning glories: Queen consort Mary (1867-1953) and greatgranddaughter Princess Anne have the same hair . . . and icy stare

The eyes have it: Louis Frederick Prince of Wales (1707-1751) and Freddie Windsor, his five times great-grandson

Hair to the throne: King George V (1865-1936) and Prince Michael of Kent, his similarly bearded grandson

Long face: George III's consort Charlotte (1744-1818), and four times great-granddaughter Lady Gabriella Windsor

God save the genes: George VI's sister Princess Mary (1897-1965), and Princess Anne, her great niece
Spitting image: The nose and eyes of Edward VII (1841-1910) have been passed to great-great-grandson Charles

Proud heritage: King George VI (1895-1952) and great-grandson William have similar eyes and lips

High-profile: William can blame his hairline on greatgreatgreat-great-grandfather Prince Albert (1819-1861)

Mirror image: Queen Alexandra (1844-1925) and Marina Mowatt, her great-great-great-granddaughter

No denying it: Striking family likeness between Princess Mary (1867-1953) and Harry, her great-great-grandson.
Is this Cloning, genetic engineering, or just inbreeding? What do you think?

350: merging numerology with climate change.

2009-10-21T17:05:00.000-04:00

32 planets discovered outside solar system

2009-10-19T16:52:00.001-04:00

Thirty-two planets have been discovered outside Earth's solar system through the use of a high-precision instrument installed at a Chilean telescope, an international team announced Monday. The existence of the so-called exoplanets -- planets outside our solar system -- was announced at the European Southern Observatory/Center for Astrophysics, University of Porto conference in Porto, Portugal, according to a statement issued by the observatory.

The announcement was made by a consortium of international researchers, headed by the Geneva Observatory, who built the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher, or HARPS (little bro of HAARP?). The device can detect slight wobbles of stars as they respond to tugs from exoplanets' gravity. That tactic, known as the radial velocity method, "has been the most prolific method in the search for exoplanets," according to the European Southern Observatory statement.

The instrument detects movements as small as 3.5 km/hr (2.1 mph), a slow walking pace, the observatory said.

With the discovery, the tally of new exoplanets found by HARPS is now at 75, out of about 400 known exoplanets, the organization said, "cementing HARPS's position as the world's foremost exoplanet hunter." The 75 planets are in 30 planetary systems, the European Southern Observatory said.

"HARPS is a unique, extremely high precision instrument that [is] ideal for discovering alien worlds," Stephane Udry of Geneva University, who made the announcement on behalf of the international consortium that built the instrument, said in the observatory statement. "We have now completed our initial five-year program, which has succeeded well beyond our expectations." "We are on the road," Udry told CNN in a phone call from Portugal. "The end of the road is finding life and other planets like our own, but we have to go step by step."

HARPS has also boosted the discovery of so-called super-Earths -- planets with a mass a few times that of Earth. Of the 28 super-Earths known, HARPS facilitated the discovery of 24, the European Southern Observatory statement said. Most reside in multiplanet systems, with up to five planets per system.

Although only 32 were announced Monday, the team knows of many more exoplanets, although more observation is needed before they are formally announced and papers are written about them. "We have tons of them," Udry said.

In return for building HARPS, the consortium was provided 100 observing nights per year over five years to search for exoplanets, one of the most ambitious searches ever implemented on a global basis, the European Southern Observatory said.

"These observations have given astronomers a great insight into the diversity of planetary system and help us understand how they can form," team member Nuno Santos said in the statement.

The HARPS findings confirm the predictions of those who study planetary formation, Udry said. "Moreover, those models are also predicting even more ... Earth-type planets."

An important find for the study of planet formation was that three exoplanets were around stars that are metal-deficient, Udry said. Metal-deficient stars are thought to be less favorable for planet formation; however, planets the size of several Jupiters were found orbiting such deficient stars, the European Southern Observatory said.

In addition, the discovery gives "a very strong push" to projects attempting to find and study such exoplanets, Udry said.

According to its Web site, the European Southern Observatory is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organization in Europe and describes itself as the "world's most productive astronomical observatory. " It is supported by 14 European countries.

18th century silver swan automaton better than modern robots.

2009-10-12T11:23:00.002-04:00

The Silver Swan is an automaton dating from the 18th Century and is housed in the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Teesdale, County Durham, England.

The swan, which is life size, is a clockwork driven device that includes a music box. The swan sits in a "stream" that is made of glass rods and is surrounded by silver leaves. Small silver fish can be seen "swimming" in the stream.

When the clockwork is wound the music box plays and the glass rods rotate giving the illusion of flowing water. The swan turns its head from side to side and also preens itself. After a few moments the swan notices the swimming fish and bends down to catch and eat one (ornithologically inaccurate, as swans do not eat fish). The swan's head then returns to the upright position and the performance, which has lasted about 40 seconds, is over. To help preserve the mechanism the swan is only operated once each day at 2pm.

It is believed that the mechanism was designed by John Joseph Merlin (1735-1803) and the first recorded owner of the swan was James Cox.

The swan was described in a 1773 United Kingdom Act of Parliament as being 3 feet (0.91 m) in diameter and 18 feet (5.49 m) high. This would seem to indicate that at one time there was more to the swan than remains today as it is no longer that high. It is said that there was originally a waterfall behind the swan, which was stolen while it was on tour.

It is known that the swan was sold several times and was shown at the World's Fair (Exposition Universelle (1867) held in Paris, France. The United States novelist Mark Twain observed the swan and recorded his observation in a chapter of the Innocents Abroad.

The swan was purchased by John Bowes in 1872 for the museum where it currently resides. The Bowes Museum believes that it is their most well known artifact, and it the basis of the museum's logo.

Moon Bomb "Shadow" HOAX?

2009-10-09T14:33:00.011-04:00

NASA said Friday's rocket and satellite strike on the moon was a success, kicking up enough dust for scientists to determine whether or not there is water on the moon. "We have the data we need to actually address the questions we set out to address," said Anthony Colaprete, principal investigator for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, mission.

It will be awhile before all the data from the satellite can be analyzed to determine if there is water on the moon, according to LCROSS project manager Dan Andrews.

Andrews said that "the spacecraft performed beautifully."

NASA crashed the rocket and a satellite into the moon's surface on Friday morning in a $79 million mission.

NASA televised live images of the LCROSS as it crashed into a crater near the moon's south pole. Minutes before its impact, the satellite guided a rocket into the Cabeus crater in an effort to kick up enough dust to help the LCROSS find whether there is any water in the moon's soil. The Centaur upper-stage rocket impacted the moon shortly after 7:30 a.m. ET, and the satellite followed it four minutes later (7:37am).

The LCROSS carried spectrometers, near-infrared cameras, a visible camera and a visible radiometer to help NASA scientists analyze the resulting plumes of dust -- more than 250 metric tons' worth -- for water vapor.

But immediate NASA images of the crash produced no sign of the plumes, which were expected to rise six kilometers from the moon's surface, said John Marmie, LCROSS deputy project manager.

"Everyone was like, 'What's happening here?' " Marmie said. "But that doesn't mean we don't have good data there."

Observatories on Earth did confirm they saw plumes after the crashes, Marmie said. The orbiting Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the impacts. Meanwhile, hundreds of telescopes on Earth focused on the moon, hoping to catch a glimpse of two plumes.

The Cabeus crater lies in permanent shadow, making observations inside the crater difficult.

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, who watched at a public event at the Newseum in Washington, noted the great interest in the NASA mission.

"We had families ... literally coming in off the street" to watch, Garver said on NASA TV. NASA had encouraged amateur astronomers to join the watch parties.

"We expect the debris plumes to be visible through midsized backyard telescopes -- 10 inches and larger," said Brian Day at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California, before the strike. Day is an amateur astronomer who is leading education and public outreach for the LCROSS mission.

Ames -- which led the mission -- hosted an all-night event featuring music and food before the broadcast of NASA's live transmission of the lunar impact.

Other science observatories and amateur astronomy clubs across the country hosted similar events. "The initial explosions will probably be hidden behind crater walls, but the plumes will rise high enough above the crater's rim to be seen from Earth," Day said (THIS IS THE PRELIMINARY "HIDDEN IN SHADOWS THEORY PRESENTED TO US, YEAH RIGHT). Data from previous space missions have revealed trace amounts of water in lunar soil. The LCROSS mission seeks a definitive answer to the question of how much water is present. NASA has said it believes water on the moon could be a valuable resource in the agency's quest to explore the solar system.

LCROSS launched with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 18.

This crappy 2 frames a second video isn't very convincing. So where are the photos of the 6 kilometer plumes?
Covering up more information from nasa, is this much bigger story:

Obama's win unique among presidents

Thanks to Todd Campbell for this Gem about the truth behind the "Nobel Peace Prize".

...Nominations for the prize had to be postmarked by February 1 -- only 12 days after Obama took office. The committee sent out its solicitation for nominations last September -- two months before Obama was elected president. (this info has since been omitted from all the front page stories)

NASA TO BOMB MOON TWICE ON OCTOBER 9TH

2009-10-08T11:18:00.010-04:00

Two U.S. spacecraft are set to crash on the moon Friday. On purpose. And we're all invited to watch.

NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite is scheduled to drop its Centaur upper-stage rocket on the lunar surface at 7:31 a.m. ET.

NASA hopes the impact will kick up enough dust to help the LCROSS probe find the presence of water in the moon's soil. Four minutes later, the LCROSS will follow through the debris plume, collecting and relaying data back to Earth before crashing into the Cabeus crater near the moon's south pole.

The LCROSS is carrying spectrometers, near-infrared cameras, a visible camera and a visible radiometer. These instruments will help NASA scientists analyze the plume of dust -- more than 250 metric tons' worth -- for water vapor. The orbiting Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will watch, and photograph, the collisions. And hundreds of telescopes on Earth also will be focused on the two plumes.

NASA is encouraging amateur astronomers to join the watch party.

"We expect the debris plumes to be visible through midsized backyard telescopes -- 10 inches and larger," said Brian Day at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California. Day is an amateur astronomer who is leading education and public outreach for the LCROSS mission.

"The initial explosions will probably be hidden behind crater walls, but the plumes will rise high enough above the crater's rim to be seen from Earth," he said. The Cabeus crater lies in permanent shadow, making observations inside the crater difficult.

The impacts will not be visible to the naked eye or through binoculars. If you don't have a telescope, or you live in areas where daylight will obscure the viewing, NASA TV will broadcast the crashes live. Coverage begins at 6:15 a.m. ET Friday.

The two main components of the LCROSS mission are the shepherding spacecraft and the Centaur upper stage rocket. The spacecraft will guide the rocket to its crash site.

Data from previous space missions have revealed trace amounts of water in lunar soil. The LCROSS mission seeks a definitive answer to the question of how much water is present. NASA has said it believes water on the moon could be a valuable resource in the agency's quest to explore the solar system.

LCROSS launched with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 18. Friday, October 9, at 7:31AM Eastern/4:31AM Pacific

Watch NASA TV, which will broadcast the event.

John Elway's 8 Signs of Terrorism propaganda (video)

2009-10-07T14:16:00.002-04:00

You may know John Elway from such a hits as Super Bowl XXXII and Home Improvement episode "The Eve of Construction." But the retired Denver Broncos' quarterback has now found a new drive in fighting terrorism, as you'll see in this gonzo instructional video "Recognizing the 8 Signs of Terrorism," which was produced in partnership with the Colorado governor's Office of Homeland Security, and the FBI, thanks to a federal Homeland Security grant. The video ticks off the eight things for patriots to look for when paranoid and xenophobic in Colorado, or anywhere. It was produced by The Center for Empowered Living and Learning (The CELL), a self-described "non-profit institution dedicated to addressing the most important global issue of our time - terrorism." The CELL operates a terrorism museum in Denver, centered around the multimedia exhibit, "Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: Understanding the Threat of Terrorism." The $7 million exhibit was paid for by Lawrence Mizel, a Denver Republican Party donor, who was also a maxed-out contributor to John McCain's presidential campaign. Denver is also where suspected terrorist Najibullah Zazi was nabbed after leaving Queens, for which Elway received no credit.

So for anyone who was worried about terrorists getting back rubs and exfoliating body scrubs from the Obama administration, you'll definitely sleep better now that Hall of Famer Elway and Republican aristocrats are picking up the slack. But when will the CELL open up a location here in New York? Exhibit highlights like the sarin gas display would definitely sell a lot of tickets to tourists from places like Colorado.

New evidance of Marilyn Monroe's "mental illness" mind control.

2009-10-02T20:13:00.002-04:00

In 1961, Marianne Kris, the psychoanalyst treating Marilyn Monroe, was convinced that her famous patient was on the verge of suicide. So she did what most psychiatrists at the time would have done: She committed Monroe to a mental institution. Knowing the star would never go to a psychiatric hospital on her own— Monroe was terrified of sanitariums because her mother lived in one for most of her life and her grandmother had died in one— Kris told Monroe that she was going to a private hospital for some "rest and relaxation." It was under these false pretenses that Monroe arrived at New York's Payne Whitney hospital on Feb. 5, where she was quickly escorted by orderlies through several steel doors, then forcibly thrown into a padded room with barred windows. "I'm locked up with these poor nutty people," Monroe wrote to her acting teachers Paula and Lee Strasberg. "I'm sure to end up a nut too if I stay in this nightmare. Please help me."

This episode, well-known to Marilyn followers, is recounted again in the new best-selling biography, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe. The author, J. Randy Taraborrelli, writes that a Payne Whitney intern who visited Monroe after she tried to break down the bathroom door in her room told her, "You are a very, very sick girl. And you've been sick for a long time.” Taraborrelli's 541-page biography is based on more than a decade of research and includes quotes from FBI files released in 2006 through the Freedom of Information Act, unpublished accounts from reporters' notebooks from the 1950s and letters to, from and about Monroe that have never before been published. Of course he promises discoveries that are “explosive” and “revelatory,” but there aren’t really any, not a to a Marilyn obsessive like myself. Instead, there is the deepening of the much more ordinary tragedy that continues to fascinate, about a woman Taraborrelli calls "a brave soldier in a devastating battle with her own mind."

Monroe died of an overdose in 1962. By some estimates, more than 300 books have been published about Monroe, and writers as esteemed as Norman Mailer, Gloria Steinem, and Joyce Carol Oates have attempted to wrest some kind of meaning from her short life. Was she a victim of Hollywood, or only truly happy when she was hounded by fans and posing for cameras? Was she Norma Jeane, the abandoned waif in search of love and approval, or Marilyn, "every man's love affair with America," as Mailer proposed, or both of these women rolled into one tortured psyche? Did we (or the Kennedys, FBI, et al.) kill her, or did she kill herself?

Taraborrelli delves into the early relationships that shaped Norma Jeane Mortenson, including her relationship with her mother, Gladys Baker, a paranoid schizophrenic. He also uncovers evidence that suggests that, beginning in her late teens, Monroe heard voices and believed she was being followed. This would mean that her psychosis likely predated her meteoric rise to fame and her descent into drug addiction. Is this interesting? Only in that it disrupts the romantic, self-flagellating narrative we prefer—that “we,” the insatiable public, ruined her. In, fact it’s not all that surprising given her family history.

The book does not delve into what is to me the most interesting about Monroe's mental illness: the unorthodox relationship the actress shared with Ralph Greenson, the psychiatrist who was treating her at the time of her death. Greenson was a brilliant and flamboyant analyst who treated several famous actors (Vivien Leigh, Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis) and wrote the seminal text The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis. Greenson believed his patient, haunted by her abandonment as a child, would benefit from spending time with a stable, happy family. So he chose the closest family at hand, his own. After daily—sometimes twice daily— sessions in his private home office in Santa Monica, Marilyn would often join the Greenson family for meals or just to hang out; she attended parties there (once showing up for Greenson's daughter's birthday celebration and teaching the guests how to do the twist) and, Taraborrelli claims, she even spent the night on occasion.

Taraborrelli, who has penned biographies of Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor, among others, is more measured about Greenson than many Monroe chroniclers, some of whom have claimed he was directly responsible for her death. "[I]n the 1950s and 1960s all sorts of vanguard treatments for mental illness were being tested," he writes. Greenson's methods were roundly criticized by his colleagues, and he was despised by most of Monroe's friends, many of whom thought he was a Svengali who was manipulating the fragile actress. "You are seeing too much of that guy," Marilyn's close friend Pat Kennedy Lawford told her, according to Taraborelli. "He's got you under a spell or something."

Greenson was indeed territorial with his patient. He installed a housekeeper, Eunice Murray, at Monroe's Brentwood home and instructed her to keep watch over the actress and report any dangerous or suspicious behavior to Greenson. The psychiatrist even intervened in Monroe's business negotiations. When she was on the verge of being fired by 20th Century Fox for missing so many days of work on the (never completed) film Something's Got to Give, Greenson personally guaranteed the director that the star would arrive to set promptly and ready to act. (He couldn't keep this promise, though; Monroe was so depressed and drugged out at this time that she was eventually fired.)

Perhaps the most fascinating wrinkle in the Greenson-Monroe story was uncovered in August 2005, when the Los Angeles Times published a front-page story about the discovery of "secret tapes" that Monroe allegedly made for Greenson shortly before her death. The transcripts of these tapes were given to the Times by former L.A. prosecutor John W. Miner, who investigated Monroe's death. Miner, now in his 90s, said that Greenson allowed him to listen to the tapes and take notes on the condition that he never reveal their contents. Miner kept his promise for 30 years but was moved to go public in an attempt to clear Greenson's name after a Monroe biographer accused him of ordering a sleeping medication that proved fatal in combination with the Nembutal that was already in her system.

The transcripts are peppered with many headline-making bits, including Marilyn's confession that she had a lesbian affair with Joan Crawford, an admission that sex with ex-husband Arthur Miller was only "so-so," and her intention to break things off with her paramour, then-Attorney General Robert Kennedy. But beyond these juicy details, what the tapes prove most profoundly is that Marilyn's relationship with her analyst was bizarre, complicated, and, it would seem, filled with love. "Ever since you let me into your home … I've thought about how it would be if I were your daughter instead of your patient …. I know you couldn't do it while I'm your patient, but after you cure me, maybe you could adopt me," said the woman who had spent her entire life in a conscious and unconscious quest to replace the man who had abandoned her before she was born.

But it gets even weirder. If Marilyn saw Greenson as a father figure, this was a daddy who taught her how to have "the greatest pleasure there is," an orgasm. "You said … that when I did exactly what you told me to do I would have an orgasm and that after I did it to myself and felt what it was, I would have orgasms with lovers." Clearly, theirs was a case of transference and countertransference run amok. (For his part, Taraborrelli reviewed Miner's handwritten transcripts and believes Miner to be a "very nice, congenial man" who would have "no reason to lie," but finds Miner's "explanation that he reconstructed his copious notes from memory is troubling.")

Today, Greenson would surely have his license pulled, and his mug would be splashed on the cover of the New York Post and on TMZ. Still, the task before Greenson was Herculean. He was essentially charged with treating someone who was untreatable, a borderline paranoid schizophrenic (his diagnosis), someone who was suicidal and could procure the prescription drugs she was addicted to from any number of sources—but who couldn't be institutionalized. In notes about Monroe's case that Taraborrelli references, Greenson writes that he felt he had to keep her from being "committed once again, for I know she won't survive it a second time."

The "truth" of Marilyn Mornroe's relationship with her psychiatrist Ralph Greenson will always remain open to interpretation; Greenson died in 1979 and while his papers are housed in a special collection at UCLA, most of the documents pertaining to his treatment of Monroe have been sealed until 2039. Undoubtedly, he crossed all kinds of lines in his attempts to help Monroe, and may have even damaged her further.

We are always looking for an external villain to explain Marilyn Monroe's tragic life and death. We blame the Hollywood fame machine, the wrong husbands, the Kennedys, and Ralph Greenson, too. But there is no villain in this sad tale. At the heart of the story, there is something much simpler: A very, very sick girl.

NASA's Apollo DSE "Black Box" Transcripts - revealing the unscripted truth about the Moon (Part 1)

2009-10-01T12:29:00.001-04:00

LRAD sound cannon used at G20 (video)

2009-09-28T11:54:00.003-04:00

Obama's shockingly consistent smile (video)

2009-09-25T15:02:00.005-04:00

Do androids dream of electric sheep?

Empire state building's symbolic new lobby.

2009-09-23T23:46:00.008-04:00

This morning the Empire State Building took some time to show off its newly renovated Art Deco Lobby and restored historic ceiling mural, with architect Frank Prial (who did the Grand Central restoration) on hand. This is all part of a $550 million historical renovation, the lobby taking about $12.5 million of that. The NY Times reports that the pricey touch up brought back to life "two shiny Art Deco murals that disappeared from view in the 1960s."

While no one wants to see history deteriorate in these landmarks, that's a big chunk of change to lay out! But maybe it all came down to lobby-envy; Anthony E. Malkin, the president of Malkin Holdings, who the building, said then entry had become “a real letdown,” in contrast to others around town.

"This is it" for michael jackson symbolism?

2009-09-22T12:02:00.009-04:00

Michael is between two "invisible" pillars. Look closely at his feet, the white space makes and inverted pentagram.

Distributed by Columbia (goddess) Pictures with the light "torch" in between 2 pillars.

Which reminded me of these pictures showing perfect sun alignment with the towers.

The horned hand motif is quite blatant. What is Less obvious, is the word "ISIS" dead center of the image. One final resurrection, somehow I doubt "this is it".
You can watch the trailer here, the sets used are rife with symbolism.

3.4 million inhalable H1N1 vaccine doses available to infect the healthy.

2009-09-18T21:58:00.003-04:00

"3.4 million doses of vaccines will be available," said Dr. Jay Butler, who heads the 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Task Force at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"All of that vaccine is the inhalable vaccine," he said Friday.

That form of vaccine is marketed in the United States as FluMist and is approved only for healthy individuals between the ages of 2 and 49. Pregnant women are not allowed to get this type of vaccine because it contains a live virus (if you give this to your 2 year old you should be shot).

Butler added that he thinks there some flu shots may be available in early October as well, but he had a hard number only for the inhalable vaccine. Flu shots contain an "inactivated," or dead, virus.

The 3.4 million doses of vaccine that will be shipped at the beginning of October are the first of 195 million doses the U.S. government has purchased from five vaccine manufacturers, Butler said.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration licensed the vaccine from four of those companies. Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis and CSL Limited all manufacture flu shots, and MedImmune manufactures the inhalable vaccine. GlaxoSmithkline, which also is producing injectable flu vaccine, still needs to have its vaccine approved by the agency.

Health officials report that the new H1N1 flu virus has not changed from what was seen earlier this year, so they are expecting the vaccine to be very effective.

In some parts of the country, the vaccine can't some soon enough. The deputy director of the CDC's Influenza Division, Dr. Daniel Jernigan, said 21 states are now reporting widespread flu activity.

"It's a very strange thing for us to see that amount of influenza at this time of year" rather than much later in the flu season.

Jernigan said there's been only a small an increase in hospitalizations, mainly among young children and adults. But there has been a lot of activity in outpatient settings. Until the vaccine becomes available, health officials have recommended steps that people can take to cut their chance of getting sick or, for those already sick, prevent the spread of the flu, including frequent handwashing, sneezing into a tissue or sleeve rather than into one's hand, and staying home when sick. (let the fear-mongering begin)
Those who are at the highest risk of getting seriously ill -- pregnant women, children, young adults and people with chronic lung or heart disease or diabetes -- should be the first to get vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus. Health care workers and emergency medical personnel are also encouraged be vaccinated early. "Our goal is to ultimately make the vaccine available to every American who wishes to be vaccinated," Butler said. "The vaccine demand is hard to predict."

According to a CNN/Opinion Corp. poll conducted in late August, 66.6 percent of Americans plan to be vaccinated against H1N1 flu.

Health care workers may not necessarily be among them. In the past, only about 40 percent of health care workers have been vaccinated against flu, according to the CDC (the horror).

Senate's health bill will fine you for not having insurance!

2009-09-16T11:58:00.003-04:00

WASHINGTON – Sen. Max Baucus on Wednesday brought out the much-awaited Finance Committee version of an American health-system remake — a landmark $856 billion, 10-year measure that starts a rough ride through Congress without visible Republican backing.

The bill by Baucus, chairman of the Finance Committee, would make major changes to the nation's $2.5 trillion health care system, including requiring all individuals to purchase health care or pay a fine, and language prohibiting insurance company practices like charging more to people with more serious health problems.

"This is a unique moment in history where we can finally reach an objective so many of us have sought for so long," Baucus said. "The Finance Committee has carefully worked through the details of health care reform to ensure this package works for patients, for health care providers and for our economy."

Consumers would be able to shop for and compare insurance plans in a new purchasing exchange. Medicaid would be expanded, and caps would be placed on patients' yearly health care costs. The plan would be paid for with $507 billion in cuts to government health programs and $349 billion in new taxes and fees, including a tax on high-end insurance plans and fees on insurance companies and medical device manufacturers.

The bill fails to fulfill President Barack Obama's aim of creating a new government-run insurance plan — or option — to compete with the private market. It proposes instead a system of nonprofit member-owned cooperatives, somewhat akin to electric co-ops that exist in many places around the country. That was one of many concessions meant to win over Republicans.

In other ways though, including its overall cost and payment mechanisms, the bill tracks closely with the priorities Obama laid out in his speech to Congress last week.

Baucus is still holding out hope for GOP support when his committee actually votes on the bill, probably as early as next week.

The measure represents the most moderate health care proposal in Congress so far, compared to legislation approved by three committees in the House and the Senate's health panel. Obama's top domestic priority is to revamp the health care system to provide coverage to nearly 50 million Americans who lack it and to rein in rising costs.

The bill includes provisions to keep illegal immigrants from obtaining health coverage through the new insurance exchanges — reflecting the White House's newly stringent stance on the issue after a Republican House member interrupted Obama's speech last week to accuse him of lying about it.

The bill also would prevent federal funds from being used to pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother would be endangered. It's all but certain that the Baucus provisions will not be the last word on either of those volatile issues.

The bill would set up a verification system to make sure people buying insurance in the exchanges are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants, using Social Security data and Homeland Security Department files. The bill would impose penalties for fraud and identity theft.

While only legal residents would be able to buy coverage through the exchanges, illegal immigrant parents would be able to get insurance for their U.S. born children.

The bill would prohibit abortion from being included in any minimum benefits package. However, plans in the exchange could offer unrestricted coverage for abortions, provided that no funds from government subsidies are used to pay for them. Women who want coverage for abortions would have to pay for it with their own money.

Wednesday's bill release follows months of negotiations among Baucus and five other Finance Committee senators dubbed the "Gang of Six" — Republicans Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Mike Enzi of Wyoming and Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Democrats Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico.

Enzi said he couldn't support the Baucus bill and preferred an incremental approach. "Let's start by focusing on the issues where we already have broad, bipartisan agreement," he said.

In the end, Democrats believe Snowe may be the only Republican to support the bill, though she wasn't ready to commit her support Tuesday night. "Hopefully at some point through the committee process we can reach an agreement," she said.

The bill drew quick criticism from Republican leaders.

"This partisan proposal cuts Medicare by nearly a half-trillion dollars, and puts massive new tax burdens on families and small businesses, to create yet another thousand-page, trillion-dollar government program," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. "Only in Washington would anyone think that makes sense, especially in this economy."

Many liberals also have concerns. Some wanted Baucus to include a public option, while others fear that, in his effort to hold down the price of his bill, Baucus didn't do enough to make health coverage affordable to working-class Americans. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., a member of the Finance Committee, said Tuesday that he couldn't support the bill in its current form.

Baucus' plan, released as a detailed 223-page summary, aims to make health insurance more affordable for self-employed people and those working for small companies, who now have the biggest problems in getting and keeping coverage.

People insured through large employers would not see major changes, but some of their health care benefits would be nicked to help pay for the cost of the plan. The Baucus proposal would limit to $2,000 a year the amount people can contribute to flexible spending accounts, which are used to cover copayments and deductibles not paid by their employers. That provision would raise $16.5 billion over 10 years.

Everyone covered through an employer would learn the full costs of their health benefits, which starting next year would be reported on employees' W-2 tax forms. Although family coverage averages about $13,000 a year most workers don't know how much their employer is paying.

Not carrying insurance could result in a steep fine, as much as $3,800 per family, or $950 for an individual. People who can't afford their premiums would be exempted from the fine.

The plan proposes a $6 billion annual fee on health insurance providers, which would recoup some of the profits the companies expect to make from millions of new taxpayer-subsidized customers.

Unlike the health care bill written by majority Democrats in the House, which permanently rolls back scheduled cuts in Medicare payments to doctors, the Baucus plan only suspends the reductions for one year. That trims more than $100 billion from the cost of the bill, but has already led to criticism from the American Medical Association.

The legislation makes no changes in medical malpractice laws. It does incorporate Obama's call for federal funds for state experiments on alternatives to malpractice lawsuits.

Democratic leaders are aiming for votes in the full House and Senate this fall.

Just another big money laundering scheme, much like the bailout. Forcing people to buy "health"care would bring in huge amounts of new revenue. Taking the liability away from the employer, will surely mean less take home in your checks. Some people have legitimate reasons to not want "health"care, and they should not be fined because of that.

Ancient man used stone hills to navigate like GPS.

2009-09-14T21:33:00.003-04:00

Prehistoric man navigated his way across England using a crude version of 'sat nav' based on stone circle markers, historians have claimed.

They were able to travel between settlements with pinpoint accuracy thanks to a complex network of hilltop monuments.

These covered much of southern England and Wales and included now famous landmarks such as Stonehenge and The Mount. New research suggests that they were built on a connecting grid of isosceles triangles that 'point' to the next site.

Many are 100 miles or more away, but GPS co-ordinates show all are accurate to within 100 metres.

This provided a simple way for ancient Britons to navigate successfully from A to B without the need for maps.

According to historian and writer Tom Brooks, the findings show that Britain's Stone Age ancestors were "sophisticated engineers" and far from a barbaric race.

Mr Brooks, from Honiton, Devon, studied all known prehistoric sites as part of his research.

He said: 'To create these triangles with such accuracy would have required a complex understanding of geometry.

'The sides of some of the triangles are over 100 miles across on each side and yet the distances are accurate to within 100 metres. You cannot do that by chance.

'So advanced, sophisticated and accurate is the geometrical surveying now discovered, that we must review fundamentally the perception of our Stone Age forebears as primitive, or conclude that they received some form of external guidance.

'Is sat-nav as recent as we believe; did they discover it first?' Mr Brooks analysed 1,500 sites stretching from Norfolk to north Wales. These included standing stones, hilltop forts, stone circles and hill camps. Each was built within eyeshot of the next.

Using GPS co-ordinates, he plotted a course between the monuments and noted their positions to each other.

He found that they all lie on a vast geometric grid made up of isosceles 'triangles'. Each triangle has two sides of the same length and 'point' to the next settlement.

Thus, anyone standing on the site of Stonehenge in Wiltshire could have navigated their way to Lanyon Quoit in Cornwall without a map.

Mr Brooks believes many of the Stone Age sites were created 5,000 years ago by an expanding population recovering from the trauma of the Ice Age.

Lower ground and valleys would have been reduced to bog and marshes, and people would have naturally sought higher ground to settle.

He said: 'After the Ice Age, the territory would have been pretty daunting for everyone. There was an expanding population and people were beginning to explore.

'They would have sought sanctuary on high ground and these positions would also have given clear vantage points across the land with clear visibility untarnished by pollution.

'The triangle navigation system may have been used for trading routes among the expanding population and also been used by workers to create social paths back to their families while they were working on these new sites.'

Mr Brooks now hopes his findings will inspire further research into the navigation methods of ancient Britons.

He said: 'Created more than 2,000 years before the Greeks were supposed to have discovered such geometry, it remains one of the world's biggest civil engineering projects.

'It was a breathtaking and complex undertaking by a people of profound industry and vision. We must revise our thinking of what's gone before.' Was this simply for navigation, or some sort of ritual enlightenment?