Free State Interactive

Very funny and hyperactive Cat

2012-02-04T00:52:00.000-06:00

Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses Electric Harp Duet - Camille and Ken...

2012-01-31T22:25:00.000-06:00

Titanic

2012-01-28T22:50:00.000-06:00

2011-11-22T20:24:00.001-06:00

The BBS is back up for about 3 months now, telnet://thornysbbs.com and the website allows flash telnet access from your web browser to the bbs at http://www.thornysbbs.com.

There have been some games added since this list was generated 2 weeks ago, but here is that list as of about November 1, 2011:

Tradewars 2002 Game Server v.1 & v.2, Tradewars II (Tradewars 500), Tradewars 2 v.1120, Galactic Warzone, Tradewars V: Galactic Armageddon, Ultimate Universe, Interstellar Annihilation, Planets TEOS, Super Planets TEOS, LORD 2 Planets TEOS, Barren Realms Elite, Falcon's Eye, Falcon's Honor, The Arcadian Legends, The Clans, Land of Devastation, LORE, DoorMud, Smaug MUD, Ambrosia 2 & 4, Arrowbridge 1, Arrowbridge 2 v.1 & v.2, Bordello, PimpWars, Jezebel, Dogworld, Operation Overkill II, Usurper, Dungeon Master, Catacombs, Food Fight, Beasts Domain, ZChess, Global War, Global Backgammon, Tournament Trivia, IRC Trivia, Scrabble, Craps, Blackjack, Poker, Slots, Shoot the Bottle, Dragonlance, Kingdom, Uber Blox, Star Stocks, Bubble Boggle, Dice Warz, Chinese Zodiac, IChing, The Magic Oracle, Synchronet Match Maker, Synchronet BBS List, Never Ending Story, BBS User Registry; Dovenet, Aspectnet, Ospreynet, Usenet; IRC, Finger, FTP, NNTP, e-mail and much, much more.

Many of our old users have not returned, but there are lots of great new users. I probably shouldn't have given my old games away for someone else to run. I was guilted into it. As if I was the only sysop ever to take a year or so off. Oh well. I hope they're having fun. My guilt trip is over.

We are now linked with the awesome organization bbs-scene.org. Hats off to Frank, my old Fidonet hub, and the bbs-scene gang for a wonderful service. bbs-scene and synchronet are preserving the old-school BBS community, and thanks to dosbox team for making it possible to run a lot of old school bbs games on modern hardware. Thanks to Digitalman, Deuce, mcmlxxix, echicken, cyan, tracker1 and the rest of the Synchronet team.

And thanks to Osprey Networks for giving me a radio show, Free State Music, Sunday nights at 10 EST at http://peer.ospreynet.info:8001. Use WinAmp or hit Osprey Networks Website below for a free toolbar with listener service.

Apologies for the previous post's whining. It is what it is. I did what I did. Now we move on.

Thorny's BBS

BBS-Scene.org

Synchronet

Osprey Networks Website

Osprey Networks Audio Stream

We're Up and Rockin!

2011-11-07T00:49:00.000-06:00

Tradewars 2002 Game Server v.1 & v.2, Tradewars II (Tradewars 500), Tradewars 2 v.1120, Galactic Warzone, Tradewars V: Galactic Armageddon, Ultimate Universe, Interstellar Annihilation, Planets TEOS, Super Planets TEOS, LORD 2 Planets TEOS, Barren Realms Elite, Falcon's Eye, Falcon's Honor, The Arcadian Legends, The Clans, Land of Devastation, LORE, DoorMud, Smaug MUD, Ambrosia 2 & 4, Arrowbridge 1, Arrowbridge 2 v.1 & v.2, Bordello, PimpWars, Jezebel, Dogworld, Operation Overkill II, Usurper, Dungeon Master, Catacombs, Food Fight, Beasts Domain, ZChess, Global War, Global Backgammon, Tournament Trivia, IRC Trivia, Scrabble, Craps, Blackjack, Poker, Slots, Shoot the Bottle, Dragonlance, Kingdom, Uber Blox, Star Stocks, Bubble Boggle, Dice Warz, Chinese Zodiac, IChing, The Magic Oracle, Synchronet Match Maker, Synchronet BBS List, Never Ending Story, BBS User Registry; Dovenet, Aspectnet, Ospreynet, Usenet; IRC, Finger, FTP, NNTP, e-mail and much, much more.

[Volume 2] A Non-Exhaustive But Pretty Comprehensive Collection of Images from the Tubes that will Make You Cry-Laugh

2011-10-15T22:57:00.000-05:00

[Volume 2] A Non-Exhaustive But Pretty Comprehensive Collection of Images from the Tubes that will Make You Cry-Laugh:

'via Blog this'

fried-egg.jpg (500×364)

2011-07-18T17:47:00.000-05:00

We’ll be Back

2011-07-13T13:46:00.002-05:00

OK, so, summarizing and expanding on what I posted on Facebook.

Contrary to rumor, I am neither deceased nor imprisoned, nor have I fallen off the planet. :-) Nobody else "has my computer", and I have never lost internet access for more than a few days during moves. It is unfortunately true that the BBS is currently down, and has been for over a year. My apologies to Gondorf and anyone else who has missed it. It will be back up soon. It is also true that I have not been involved in IRC, Digg, IM, or any other online activities for over a year.

In short, when my marriage -- of 30+ years duration -- broke, almost two years ago, I went through all the stages of grief: even though it was completely my fault. I have been undergoing transformation, consolidation, and reassessment since it happened. I was content to let the BBS run on autopilot, which I have many times before, but when I started having computer problems about six months later, I had no energy to fight back.

But I'm recovering. Life goes on. I just bought a quad-core Win7 computer. I will be restarting the BBS within the next few weeks or months. Due to the length of time elapsed and new versions of Tradewars 2002, everything will start at zero. In the next few days, I will be reappearing in IRC, Messenger, etc. It is regrettable that I was obliged to withdraw, but necessary. I apologize for ignoring everyone.

My 30+ year marriage broke in early October, 2009, and I was pretty much kicked out on the street without a penny to my name, with just a suitcase. Not that I didn’t deserve it: but I would have never done it to her no matter what she did, and in fact put up with some pretty incredible torture for 10 years before that happened. But that’s not important now. I have my memories of the first 20 good years.,

After a few weeks in hotels I landed in an apartment, got the BBS up and running again, and it ran along just fine, more or less, until about May of 2010, when I had what seemed to be a simple hard drive failure. I reinstalled everything, but stuff was still wonky. Some things just refused to run for no good or consistent reason. I did a repair install which seemed to correct much of the issues but not all. It took several months to get to that stage. Since the BBS had already been down for several months at that time, I didn’t see a huge hurry to get it back up again, even though a couple of my few remaining users were pestering me without mercy, probably just out of concern for me.

Anyway it seemed pretty clear that, although my computer was 95% useable for me, I just didn’t think it would sustain the heavy use of that version of Tradewars which can bring the mightiest of computers to its knees. I knew I had to buy a computer, and I did buy a P4 used late last year, but, well, I don’t know, I just didn’t seem to be highly motivated to get things back up and running. The BBS had been down for 6 months already, and at the end had only a couple of users anyway.

And let’s face it: I was still pretty depressed about my life and frankly just didn’t give a damn. But with new medication things are looking up, I’ve purchased a quad core Win7 box to go with the underpowered P4 (the older BBS computer finally having revealed the problem to have been a dying motherboard), and I’m inspired to get things going again… but at my own pace, gradually, starting over from scratch, making things work right.

Let’s face it: lots of stuff was broken on the old board: dead messaging networks, corrupted file bases, broken IRC server, menus that led nowhere, games that didn’t work quite right, etc.

This time… however long it takes… things will be different. I’m not sure how long it will take. I don’t’ know whether I’m going to put up a bare bones board in tinker mode and add stuff as I go… or restore an old backup and try to repair the broken parts… or wait until every last detail is perfect as it can be before coming online. It may be Synchronet, it might be something else. It might be all web-based except TWGS. I’m researching what to do at this point.

We had eight years of Bush and Cheney, Now you get mad!?

2010-03-30T13:18:00.004-05:00

Rosie said pass it on, so here you go... (http://www.rosie.com)

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and
appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate
energy policy.

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.
You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.
You didn't get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.

You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.

You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans...oh hell no.

Iran anniversary 'punch' will stun West: Khamenei

2010-02-09T07:12:00.001-06:00

The Digg Story.

The Original Article.

Corporation Says It Will Run for Congress - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com

2010-02-05T22:04:00.001-06:00

Now that democracy really IS for sale...

Graph! Job Loss Exploded Under Bush, Gets Better Under Obama

2010-02-05T21:37:00.001-06:00

Researchers Discover Hidden Sensory System in our Skin

2009-12-13T13:29:00.001-06:00

http://www.physorg.com/

December 8, 2009

Researchers report that the human body has an entirely unique and separate sensory system aside from the nerves that give most of us the ability to touch and feel. Surprisingly, this sensory network is located throughout our blood vessels and sweat glands, and is for most people, largely imperceptible. This discovery may shed light on the causes of unexplained chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia.

Bush Tax Cuts Cost More Than 2X Dems' Health Care Bill

2009-12-13T13:11:00.001-06:00

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/

“We only hear all this crying and moaning about the deficit when it's something for regular working people, and not a powerful lobby. And of course, the Republican'ts are right out there in front of the Hypocrisy Parade:

“And yet, many of the lawmakers who argue that the health care reform legislation is “too costly” are the same lawmakers who supported the Bush tax cuts.

“Their own voting record demonstrates that health care reform is not a matter of costs, but a matter of priorities.

“It’s difficult to see how the Bush tax cuts could provide us with two and a half times the benefits of health care reform. In 2010, when all the Bush tax cuts are finally phased in, a staggering 52.5 percent of the benefits will go to the richest 5 percent of taxpayers.

“President Bush and his supporters argued that these high-income tax cuts would benefit everybody because they would unleash investment that would spark widespread economic prosperity. There seems to be no evidence of this, particularly given the collapse of the economy at the end of the Bush years.”

The Psychology of Climate Change Denial

2009-12-09T18:13:00.001-06:00

From Wired

By Brandon Keim
December 9, 2009

‘Even as the science of global warming gets stronger, fewer Americans believe it’s real. In some ways, it’s nearly as jarring a disconnect as enduring disbelief in evolution or carbon dating. And according to Kari Marie Norgaard, a Whitman University sociologist who’s studied public attitudes towards climate science, we’re in denial…’

Mystery as spiral blue light display hovers above Norway

2009-12-09T18:01:00.001-06:00

“STRANGE LIGHTS OVER NORWAY: This morning in arctic Norway, onlookers were stunned when a gigantic luminous spiral formed in the northern sky. ‘We are used to seeing lots of auroras here in Norway, but this was different,’ says Nick Banbury of Harstad who witnessed the phenomenon’… ‘between 7:50 and 8:00 a.m. local time.’ Onlooker Jan Petter Jorgensen took this photo:

“Banbury continues: ‘It consisted initially of a green beam of light similar in color to the aurora with a mysterious rotating spiral at one end. This spiral then got bigger and bigger until it turned into a huge halo in the sky with the green beam extending down to Earth…’

“UPDATE: Circumstantial evidence is mounting that the phenomenon was caused by a malfunctioning rocket, possibly an ICBM launched from a Russian submarine. A Navtex no-fly alert was issued for the White Sea on Dec. 9th, and photographers appear to have recorded the initial boost phase of a launch below the spiral (see inset). A rocket motor spinning out of control could indeed explain the spiral pattern, so this explanation seems plausible, although it has not yet been confirmed.

“More reports and videos: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5.”

Sprint fed customer GPS data to cops over 8 million times: ars technica

2009-12-02T15:07:00.001-06:00

“A blogger has released audio of Sprint's Electronic Surveillance Manager describing the carrier's cooperation with law enforcement. Among the revelations are that Sprint has so far filled over 8 million requests from LEOs for customer GPS data.

“By Jon Stokes | Last updated December 1, 2009 5:38 PM

“Christopher Soghoian, a graduate student at Indiana University's School of Informatics and Computing, has made public an audio recording of Sprint/Nextel's Electronic Surveillance Manager describing how his company has provided GPS location data about its wireless customers to law enforcement over 8 million times.

“Through a mix of documents unearthed by Freedom of Information Act requests and the aforementioned recording, Soghoian describes how ‘the government routinely obtains customer records from ISPs detailing the telephone numbers dialed, text messages, emails and instant messages sent, web pages browsed, the queries submitted to search engines, and geolocation data, detailing exactly where an individual was located at a particular date and time.’”

Sprint: 50 million customers, 8 million law enforcement GPS requests in 1 year from Christopher Soghoian on Vimeo.

Why Privacy Concerns are Ruining Facebook

2009-12-02T12:51:00.004-06:00

PC World seems troubled by Facebook's elimination of regional networks:

"Facebook was built as a...social connector, allowing users to befriend others with similar interests, locations, schools, and more. But as privacy concerns mount…Facebook is eliminating regional networks -- or groupings of people based on where they live…

"Regional networks granted access to wider swaths of potential friends, but therein was the concern: how much is too much? Do we really want the entire city of Boston looking at last year's Halloween pictures? Is making friends with these strangers something I want to do?

"Facebook has had more than its share of privacy problems. There's the Beacon fiasco; the lawsuits; the federal complaints; international investigations; and schemes galore. There are also...methods to protect your privacy both on Facebook and online in general.

"Brennon Slattery

"Dec 2, 2009 9:29 am"

Lawsuit Demands Answers About Social-Networking Surveillance

2009-12-01T21:00:00.001-06:00

Government Agencies Withholding Information on Data-Gathering from Facebook, Twitter, and Other Online Communities

San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) …filed suit today against a half-dozen government agencies for refusing to disclose their policies for using social networking sites for investigations, data-collection, and surveillance.

Recent news reports have publicized the government's use of social networking data as evidence in various investigations, and Congress is currently considering several pieces of legislation that may increase protections for consumers…

"Millions of people use social networking sites like Facebook every day, disclosing lots of information about their private lives," said James Tucker, a student working with EFF…"As Congress debates new privacy laws covering sites like Facebook, lawmakers and voters alike need to know how the government is already using this data and what is at stake."

Yahoo, Verizon: Our Spy Capabilities Would ‘Shock’, ‘Confuse’ Consumers

2009-12-01T19:21:00.002-06:00

Want to know how much phone companies and internet service providers charge to funnel your private communications or records to U.S. law enforcement and spy agencies?

That’s the question muckraker and Indiana University graduate student Christopher Soghoian asked all agencies within the Department of Justice, under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed a few months ago. But before the agencies could provide the data, Verizon and Yahoo intervened and filed an objection on grounds that, among other things, they would be ridiculed and publicly shamed were their surveillance price sheets made public.

Yahoo writes in its 12-page objection letter (.pdf), that if its pricing information were disclosed to Soghoian, he would use it “to ’shame’ Yahoo! and other companies — and to ’shock’ their customers.”

“Therefore, release of Yahoo!’s information is reasonably likely to lead to impairment of its reputation for protection of user privacy and security, which is a competitive disadvantage for technology companies,” the company writes….
I'm not all that shocked, and I'm certainly not confused.

Solange Magnano: Former Miss Argentina Dies From Cosmetic Buttocks Surgery

2009-11-30T22:06:00.002-06:00

Close friend Roberto Piazza said the procedure involved injections and the liquid "went to her lungs and brain."

"A woman who had everything lost her life to have a slightly firmer behind," he said.

Wow! (Again)

2009-11-29T22:04:00.001-06:00

I also don’t usually blog sports, but WOW!! (Listen for the Tennessee crowd reaction.)

Wow!

2009-11-29T21:50:00.001-06:00

I don’t usually blog APOD’s, but … WOW!

Associated Press Reports: Bizarre calf mutilations found on Colorado ranch

2009-11-28T20:07:00.001-06:00

SAN LUIS, Colo. — A creepy string of calf mutilations…(has) sheriff's officials mystified…

Four calves were found dead in a pasture just north of the New Mexico state line in recent weeks. The dead calves had their skins peeled back and organs cleared from the rib cage. One calf had its tongue removed.

But rancher Manuel Sanchez has found no signs of human attackers — such as footprints or ATV tracks — or animal attackers — such as pools of blood. Sheriff's officers tell The Pueblo Chieftain they're baffled.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

IObit SmartDefrag 1.30 Download

2009-11-26T12:39:00.001-06:00

|MG| IObit SmartDefrag 1.30 Download

Secret Fundie Cult Pulls Strings of Brownback, Sanford, Tiahrt, Many Others in Power

2009-11-24T20:10:00.001-06:00

On today’s Fresh Air on NPR, I was shocked to learn what has been transpiring in the halls of power since I’ve been away from the blog. But it is deeper than that: this organization has been influential in Washington since 1935. Here’s some links you need to check out.

The Fresh Air Story

'Family': Fundamentalism, Friends In High Places

July 1, 2009

In the book The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, author Jeff Sharlet examines the power wielded by a secretive Christian group known as the Family, or the Fellowship.

Founded in 1935 in opposition to FDR's New Deal, the evangelical group's views on religion and politics are so singular that some other Christian-right organizations consider them heretical

The group also has a connection to a house in Washington, D.C., known as C Street. Owned by a foundation affiliated with the Family, C Street is officially registered as a church; in practice, it serves as a meeting place and residence for politicians like South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Nevada Sen. John Ensign and Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn…

From Counterpunch

Sex Scandals, Moral Hypocrisy and the Far Right Agenda in Central America

C Street Band

By Nikolas Kozloff

July 10-12, 2009

As the Republican Party implodes the public is becoming aware of a secretive Christian society known as the Family or the Fellowship. The group was founded in 1935 in opposition to FDR's New Deal and its adherents subscribe to a far right Christian fundamentalist and free market ideology. A minister named Abraham Vereide founded the Family after having a vision in which God visited him in the person of the head of the United States Steel Corporation (no, I’m not making this up). The Family has a connection to house on C Street in Washington, D.C., known simply as C Street. Officially registered as a church, the building serves as a meeting place and residence for conservative politicians…

Lawmakers who live there include Reps. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn.; Bart Stupak, D-Mich.; Jim DeMint, R-S.C.; Mike Doyle, D-Pa.; and Sens. John Ensign, R-Nev., Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, and Sam Brownback, R-Kan. The lawmakers, all Christians, live in private rooms upstairs and pay an incredibly low rent --- a paltry $600 --- to live at C Street.

And from Channel 12, KWCH, Wichita, Kansas

By Kim Wilhelm

It's known as C Street - a three story building two blocks from the Capitol in Washington D.C. Until recently, most people had never heard of it.

But C Street and the politicians associated with it are now in the spotlight because of recent political sex scandals. In June, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford admitted to having an affair and referred to C Street during a press conference. Sanford said he had received counseling there. He described it as "believe it or not - a Christian bible study."

Nevada Senator John Ensign revealed he also had ties to C Street. Ensign admitted to having an affair with Cynthia Hampton, the wife of a top staffer in his office. Hampton's husband said he went to the members of C Street to ask them to intervene so Ensign would end the affair.

Then, the ex-wife of former Mississippi Congressman Chip Pickering claims he had an affair while living at C Street….

The building itself is registered as a church with the IRS. The group rents out rooms to members of Congress. Kansas Congressman Jerry Moran's staff confirms he stays at C Street. His office refused to answer questions or comment further. Sharlet's book has no mention of Moran, but it does list Senator Sam Brownback and Congressman Todd Tiahrt as members…

On the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tiahrt asked whether President Barack Obama and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' mothers would've sought abortions if it was publically funded:

"If you think of it in human terms, there is a financial incentive that will be put in place, paid for by tax dollars, that will encourage women who are -- single parents, living below the poverty level, to have the opportunity for a free abortion," said Tiahrt. "If you take that scenario and apply it to many of the great minds we have today, who would we have been deprived of? Our president grew up in a similar circumstance."

"If that financial incentive was in place, is it possible that his mother may have taken advantage of it?" Tiahrt asked. "Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court Justice, if those circumstances were in place, is it possible that we would be denied his great mind? The opportunity to have tax-funded abortions, a financial incentive, is something that I think most of us want to oppose in America and it's certainly deserves a clean up or down vote."

When Sharlet heard this, he recalled a time he saw Tiahrt in C Street talking with The Family's leader, Doug Coe…

Sharlet claims Tiahrt asked Coe "The best way for the Christian to win the race with the Muslim...because the Muslim has too many babies while Americans kill too many of theirs." Sharlet says Coe urged Tiahrt to form a covenant - like the Mafia. Coe listed "other men who had changed the world through the strength of the covenants, including Hitler, Lenin, Ho chi Minh, and bin Laden."

But when Eyewitness News contacted Tiahrt, he denied all of Sharlet's claims…Brownback's office would not comment to Eyewitness News.

This is All Blowing Up Now: from WBUR

You may recognize these names from recent headlines: Sen. John Ensign, Rep. Bart Stupak and Rep. Joe Pitts. Stupak and Pitts have become familiar names through the media's health care overhaul coverage; their abortion funding amendment introduced an 11th-hour twist as the House of Representatives approached a vote on a landmark health care bill.

Ensign was the focus of media attention over his affair with a campaign staffer. Just last night, a Nevada man disclosed that he found out about his wife's affair with the state's junior senator — his best friend — via a text message.

The common factor among these political players is their involvement with the Family, a secretive fellowship of powerful Christian politicians that centers on a Washington, D.C., townhouse. Investigative journalist Jeff Sharlet has written extensively about the influential group in his book The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power.

Today's Fresh Air Broadcast

Obviously, this is longer than my normal post… a duty which I have been absent from lately. It reflects my shock at this conspiracy which has been going on under our noses for years. I’m nominally a Christian myself, but, sad to say, here is another example – the most egregious in my memory – of a perversion of the faith.

Dark Matter Lab Dedicated 5,000 Feet Underground

2009-06-29T20:51:00.001-05:00

From: io9.com

By Stephen Goldmeier, 2:08 PM on Tue Jun 23 2009

“This week, the Sanford Lab dedicated an underground science fortress to research dark matter. The lab is 5,000 feet underground in the mountains of South Dakota, shielded from cosmic radiation.

“The lab is on a site that used to do physics research, and was a gold mine before that. The current Sanford Lab, in collaboration with the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL), is the deepest underground lab in the world. It's divided into three levels: the shallow lab, the mid-level, and the deep campus. The deep campus is 6 and a half Empire State Buildings deep, or around 8,000 feet.”

How to Spot Satellites

2009-06-28T21:46:00.002-05:00

From: LiveScience.com, 19 June 2009

By Joe Rao, Space.com Skywatching Columnist"

“If you go out…near dusk or dawn, and you have relatively dark skies, …(within)15 minutes…you see one of the more than 35,000 satellites now in orbit around Earth.

“…most satellites -- especially the bits of debris -- are too faint to be seen with the unaided eye. But…several hundred can be spotted with the unaided eye. These are the satellites that are large enough (typically more than 20 feet in length) and low enough (100 to 400 miles above Earth) to be most readily seen as sunlight reflects off them.

“The International Space Station (ISS) is by far the biggest and brightest of all the man-made objects orbiting the Earth. On favorable passes, it can appear as bright as the planet Venus, at magnitude -4.5

“Along with the ISS, you can also look for a space shuttle on those missions when one is approaching or departing from the space station. Also visible to the naked eye is the newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope.

“And with good binoculars, you might also try sighting the infamous "ISS Toolbag" which accidentally was allowed to drift into space…Nov. 18

“From now through the final days of July…nights are now the shortest and the time that a satellite in a low-Earth-orbit (like the ISS) can remain illuminated by the Sun can extend throughout the night, a situation that can never be attained during other times of the year. Because the ISS circles the Earth about every 90 minutes on average, this means that it's possible to see it not just on one singular pass, but for several consecutive passes.

“So what is the viewing schedule for your particular hometown? You can easily find out by visiting one of these four popular web sites:”

“Each will ask for your zip code or city, and respond with a list of suggested spotting times.”

The Weirdest Object in the Solar System?

2009-06-28T21:00:00.001-05:00

From: LiveScience.com, 22 June 2009 07:42 am ET

By Andrea Thompson, Senior Writer

“…the minor planet now known as the dwarf planet Haumea…shaped something "like a big squashed cigar…" said…Mike Brown of Caltech.

“…astronomers…noticed that it was getting brighter and fainter by about 25 percent every two hours…Astronomers determined…Haumea is elongated and rotating every four hours.

"We see this thing tumbling end over end getting brighter and fainter," Brown said.

“Haumea is the fastest spinning object in the solar system.”

Haumea and her children…

From: Space.com, September 2008

By Clara Moskowitz, Staff Writer

“Brown and his team initially spotted the dwarf planet in December 2004 just after Christmas, leading them to nickname it "Santa"…

“Haumea joins Ceres, Pluto, Eris and Makemake as the fifth dwarf planet in our solar system. Pluto was re-classified from planet to dwarf planet in 2006, following the discovery of Eris.

“The new dwarf planet has the same diameter as Pluto, but is much thinner, and contains about 32 percent of Pluto's mass.

“Haumea is currently about 50 times as far from the sun as Earth is, but its orbit can swing it in as close as 35 times the sun-Earth distance. It is part of the trans-Neptunian class of cold and rocky objects in the outer solar system.

“Two small companion objects, thought to have been knocked off Haumea's body by past impacts…were…designated…Hi'iaka and Namaka, after the two children born to the goddess Haumea in Hawaiian myth. In the story, Haumea's children were created out of parts of her own body, just as the dwarf planet's two moons were apparently born out of itself.”

Mysteries of the Universe: Missouri UFO conference mixes aliens and hauntings

2009-06-28T20:33:00.001-05:00

From: examiner.com Kansas City May 18, 6:53 PM

By: Roger Marsh UFO Examiner :: GO TO ROGER'S HOME PAGE

Looking for scientific proof of UFOs and aliens? Then look no further than Kansas City, Missouri, July 18-19 when the Missouri branch of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) presents the "Mysteries of the Universe" conference.

Their incredible speaker line-up includes Betty and Barney Hill abductee's niece Kathleen Marden; and Stan Romanek - author of The New York Times bestseller Messages - a May 2009 release from Llewellyn Publications.

Following is the official conference press release with more information - and links to save money by purchasing advance tickets.

UFO and Paranormal Conference Hits Kansas City July 18-19

The second annual Mysteries of the Universe Conference is scheduled for July 18-19, 2009, in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Intrigue Park Place Hotel from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The conference is the largest of its type to be held in the area and is back by popular demand.

The Mysteries of the Universe Conference is co-sponsored by Quest Investigation Group and Missouri MUFON. Conference director Margie Kay said, “Internationally known researchers will present scientific evidence for the existence of UFOs and other strange phenomena, which people are eager to hear more about.”

Lecturers include Kathleen Marden, niece of famous UFO abductee Betty Hill and author of CAPTURED! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience; Stan Romanek, author of The New York Times bestselling book Messages, and guest on Larry King Live, Coast-to-Coast AM and 20/20; Ted Phillips, engineer and physical and trace evidence researcher, who will talk about the Marley Woods; Heidi Hollis, author of The Secret War: The Heavens Speak of the Battle, about Shadow People and their agenda, and guest on Coast-to-Coast, Jeff Rense, and worked with Stephen Spielberg on "Taken"; Todd Sheets, host of the popular “Nightwatch” radio show, will discuss his haunting investigations; and Dr. Jack Kasher, regional director of MUFON and professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at the University of Omaha will discuss the Strange Case of Alana Andrews. (Photo: Kathleen Marden)

A vendor trade show accompanies the event, and authors will sign books.

Registrations are recommended in advance. The cost is $59 by June 15, and $70 after June 15 or at the door. Special hotel rates are available prior to June 15.

Contact

Margie Kay, Conference Director
Missouri State Section Director for MUFON

816-833-1602
margiekay06@yahoo.com
mouconference.net

UFO reports heating up in Kansas City area

2009-06-28T20:15:00.000-05:00

From: examiner.com Kansas City June 27, 9:13 PM

By: Roger Marsh UFO Examiner :: GO TO ROGER'S HOME PAGE

“Something's in the sky over the greater Kansas City area - well, lots of reports of UFOs have been coming in recently.

“Marge Padgitt, the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) state section director for Kansas City reports that June has been a popular month for UFO sightings. She is receiving at least one phone call or email daily from witnesses reporting UFOs in the greater Kansas City area.

“On June 11 and 12, two different local television news stations interviewed her about recent UFO sightings - coverage that may have sparked people to communicate directly with her, instead of reporting their sighting directly to MUFON. As always, witnesses are asked to file a report with MUFON as well so that the larger data may be studied.”

Sally Kern's Proclamation for Morality

2009-06-28T17:48:00.002-05:00

Right Wing Watch

We mentioned this earlier this week, but via HRC's Back Story we see that Oklahoma's News 9 has done a segment on Rep. Sally Kern's Proclamation for Morality in which she blames the nation's current economic and other problems on gays, abortion, divorce, and all around lack of Christian faith.

Coulter Says Tiller’s Assassination Was “Understandable”

2009-06-28T17:36:00.002-05:00

Crooks and Liars

The right-wing pundits have been busy whipping a fresh batch of eliminationist rhetoric this week.

Leading the parade, as is often the case, was Ann Coulter, appearing on Bill O'Reilly's show on Monday:

Coulter: Well, apparently, this one random nut who shot Tiller -- I don't really like to think of it as a murder. It was terminating Tiller in the 203rd trimester.

... I am personally opposed to shooting abortionists, but I don't want to impose my moral values on others.

... OK, their logic is, if you don't believe in abortion, don't have an abortion. If you don't believe in shooting abortionists, don't shoot an abortionist.

Coulter actually was just regurgitating this week's column for cable consumption:

I'm not justifying it, but I understand when you take democracy away from people, some of them will react violently. The total number of deaths attributable to Roe were seven abortion clinic workers and 40 million unborn babies.

... I wouldn't kill an abortionist myself, but I wouldn't want to impose my moral values on others. No one is for shooting abortionists. But how will criminalizing men making difficult, often tragic, decisions be an effective means of achieving the goal of reducing the shootings of abortionists?

Following the moral precepts of liberals, I believe the correct position is: If you don't believe in shooting abortionists, then don't shoot one.

Bill O'Reilly's Argument For Abolishing Freedom Of The Press

2009-06-28T17:26:00.001-05:00

Daily Kos

Once again, Bill O'Reilly has proven that what he said two years ago regarding his lack of journalistic standards is still true: “There are few journalistic standards left these days as we’ve proven on this broadcast again and again”.

O'Reilly can't contain his disdain for anyone who disagrees with him. His outrage is so intense that it led him to say this:

"The most frustrating part about this is that nothing can be done. The Times has an ombudsman, but he's a joke, and no outside agency has any power over the paper. It can pretty much do what it wants, and does."

Stop the presses! You mean to say that a newspaper can do whatever it wants? How the heck did that happen? Why isn't here an outside agency that has power over these papers? No wonder O'Reilly is tee'd off. He would be much happier if journalists all had to have their work approved by editorial boards that could certify the conservative purity of the message before being disseminated to the people. You know, like the way Fox News does it.

Scientists create first electronic quantum processor

2009-06-28T17:09:00.002-05:00

Contact: Suzanne Taylor Muzzin
suzanne.taylormuzzin@yale.edu
Yale University

New Haven, Conn.—A team led by Yale University researchers has created the first rudimentary solid-state quantum processor, taking another step toward the ultimate dream of building a quantum computer.They also used the two-qubit superconducting chip to successfully run elementary algorithms, such as a simple search, demonstrating quantum information processing with a solid-state device for the first time. Their findings will appear in Nature's advanced online publication June 28.

Shared via AddThis

OUTFOXED: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism

2009-06-11T22:48:00.002-05:00

Outfoxed examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a "race to the bottom" in television news. This film provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public's right to know. Read on »

Despairwear

2009-06-11T21:10:00.003-05:00

Pastor Martin Niemoller: First they came for the Communists...

2009-06-11T21:01:00.002-05:00

Why is Free Speech so important?...

Why speak up about things that don't seem to affect you?
Perhaps Pastor Martin Neimoller's view in one version of his quote will answer that question.
He supported the Nazis until he realized, too late, what they were really about and was sent to Dachau concentration camp.
He was one of the fortunate to be freed and live until 1984.

First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Social Democrats,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Social Democrat.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Jew,
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.

When DuPont Almost Overthrew the Government | Business Pundit

2009-06-11T20:39:00.002-05:00

In the summer of 1933, shortly after Roosevelt’s “First 100 Days,” America’s richest businessmen were in a panic. It was clear that Roosevelt intended to conduct a massive redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor. Roosevelt had to be stopped at all costs. The answer was a military coup. It was to be secretly financed and organized by leading officers of the Morgan and Du Pont empires...

...The plot fell apart when Butler went public. The general revealed the details of the coup before the McCormack-Dickstein Committee, which would later become the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee. (In the 50s, this committee would destroy the lives of hundreds of innocent Americans with its communist witch hunts.) The Committee heard the testimony of Butler and French, but failed to call in any of the coup plotters for questioning, other than MacGuire. In fact, the Committee whitewashed the public version of its final report, deleting the names of powerful businessmen whose reputations they sought to protect. The most likely reason for this response is that Wall Street had undue influence in Congress also. Even more alarming, the elite-controlled media failed to pick up on the story, and even today the incident remains little known. The elite managed to spin the story as nothing more than the rumors and hearsay of Butler and French, even though Butler was a Quaker of unimpeachable honesty and integrity. Butler, appalled by the cover-up, went on national radio to denounce it, but with little success.

Butler was not vindicated until 1967, when journalist John Spivak uncovered the Committee's internal, secret report. It clearly confirmed Butler's story.

Astounding 45-minute Video Footage of a UFO in Switzerland - UFO Casebook Files

2009-06-11T18:20:00.002-05:00

Raw, unedited, full length amazing video footage of UFOs taken in Switzerland taken around April, 2009, at 3:00 PM. This astounding footage, taken in the city of Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, shows UFOs flying around then entering the woods, going in and out. This amazing show goes on for more than 45 minutes. The video says it all. Special thanks to "optiktube" and the guys who shared this great footage. Here is a quote from the the original post: "It seems that there is one big invisible mothership, and a few little drones which appear as lights. The mothership uses some kind of stealth technology to reflect and refract the light so it gets invisible. "But when the mothership is moving a bit, it is possible to see its structure. (the exact time will come soon). At another time in the movie, a man, alien ,or something else, appears on the mothership or behind it (or somewhere else …). Then the alien, or what it is, walks into the direction of the lights, kneels down, and then runs (very fast) away."

Three Clear Photographs of Black Triangle over South Carolina - UFO Casebook Files

2009-06-11T18:04:00.001-05:00

Greenville, South Carolina - 05-26-09 From UFO Casebook (see widget at right side of FSI Blog)

"On May 26, 2009, at 12:30 PM, I was outside watching some thunderstorms pass by over my home. I had my camera with me, hoping to get a photo or two of some lightning. Instead this strange looking jet plane came from the northwest, and headed south. I thought that maybe it was a new type of aircraft the military was flying. I didn't hear any engine sound, but then again, there was thunder in the background. The sighting occurred in Greenville, South Carolina. Camera used was a Minolta Z5. Thanks, C. Salvo"

Times Online - Science Central - WBLG: Is there a Life On Mars Conspiracy?

2009-06-11T17:55:00.003-05:00

Michael Brooks, consultant for New Scientist and the author of 13 Things That Don’t Make Sense, sends us a new perspective on the riddle of the empty planet next door

Some pesky scientists have just pointed out an appalling design error in NASA’s latest attempts to find life on Mars. This is beginning to look like a conspiracy. Does someone not want us to find life on Mars?

The best argument for why no one has even found carbon brought in on asteroids and comets is that chemicals called perchlorates, also thought to be in the Martian soil, have destroyed it all. When perchlorates get hot, they burn up carbon-based molecules. That’s why NASA uses them in rocket fuel. The problem is, as NASA's Douglas Ming (the Merciless) has pointed out in a recent paper, the experiments to search for carbon involve heating soil samples to a few hundred degrees and sniffing the vapours. If the soil contains carbon molecules and perchlorates, the carbon molecules will simply burn up. No wonder they couldn’t find any.

Rumors and Conspiracy Theories Surround Carradine Death - indieWIRE

2009-06-11T17:42:00.003-05:00

by Peter Knegt (June 8, 2009)

Following reports Thursday that actor David Carradine had tragically committed suicide in his Bangkok hotel room, Thai police are now questioning their initial theory. The Associated Press is reporting that Carradine, found in a hotel room closet with a rope tied to his neck and genitals, might have died of accidental suffocation. There was no suicide note, and Pornthip Rojanasunand, director of Thailand’s Central Institute of Forensic Science, said it’s possible Carradine died attempting auto-erotic asphyxiation, which entails cutting off oxygen to the brain for sexual arousal.

AP interviewed Tiffany Smith, one of Carradine’s managers, who said: “All we can say is, we know David would never have committed suicide. We’re just waiting for them to finish the investigation and find out what really happened. He really appreciated everything life has to give ... and that’s not something David would ever do to himself.”

However, while police say they have ruled out foul play after interviewing hotel staff and reviewing surveillance footage of the corridors near Carradine’s room, many are suggesting otherwise. The Associated Press has reported the family of the actor have asked the F.B.I. and Dr. Michael Baden, a private forensics expert, to help investigate Mr. Carradine’s death. The family was upset over the weekend after learning that photos of Mr. Carradine’s body were published in a Thai newspaper. Additionally, the photo implicates a second party, as TMZ says it has a higher resolution copy of the photo, noting that fishnet stockings cover his body, and that you can also see red women’s lingerie on the bed. Movieline‘s S.T. Van Airsdale sums up the speculati on thoroughly here.

Kennedy assassination linked to UFOs and CIA

2009-06-11T17:31:00.002-05:00

On November 12, 1963, President John Kennedy issued two Presidential memoranda instructing NASA and the CIA to begin cooperating with the USSR on joint space missions including a lunar landing. On the same day, a conversation occurred between Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on the importance of sharing information concerning UFOs as they moved forward with joint space missions. Leaked documents concerning the alleged conversation and the role of the CIA in controlling UFO information directly implicate the CIA in Kennedy’s assassination ten days later.

President Obama outraged by slaying of abortion provider George Tiller | News Updates | Wichita Eagle

2009-05-31T18:23:00.004-05:00

BY STAN FINGER AND JOE RODRIGUEZ

The Wichita Eagle

The suspect, a 51-year-old male, was arrested without incident on I-35 in Johnson County about three hours after the shooting, Stolz said.

Police did not release the suspect's name.

The investigation is in its "infancy stages," Stolz said. He said the shooting appeared to be an isolated act.

Tiller, 67, was shot once just after 10 a.m. in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th St., where he was a member of the congregation.

Stolz said Tiller was shot in the foyer of the church. There were three or four eyewitnesses, he said. Six to 12 people were in the foyer at the time of the shooting.

Two men attempted to apprehend the suspect, but he pointed a gun at them and threatened them before fleeing, Stolz said.

The suspect's car -- a powder blue Ford Taurus registered to an owner in Merriam -- was spotted just south of Gardner by two Johnson County Sheriff's deputies. The Sheriff's Office had suspected that the man would be coming back to his home on I-35, and the deputies waited for him.

As the car was spotted going north on the highway, the deputies followed and were quickly joined by three other sheriff's patrol cars.

Lt. Mike Pfannenstiel of the Johnson County Sheriff's Office said officers pulled the car over just south of the main Gardner exit and got out with guns drawn. The man then got out of his car with his hands up.

"We took him down without incident," Pfannenstiel said, adding that the man appeared to be driving the speed limit and made no attempt to elude the deputies.

Stolz said police anticipate the suspect will be charged with murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Investigators will present the case to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office on Monday.

The District Attorney's Office will determine what charges will be filed, Stolz said. Federal charges are also a possibility, he said.

President Obama said this afternoon that he was "shocked and outraged" by the killing of abortion doctor George Tiller, who was shot while attending church in east Wichita.

Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said at a news conference late this afternoon that a suspect in the shooting was in custody and on his way back to Wichita.

"However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," the president said in a statement issued by the White House.

The suspect, a 51-year-old male, was arrested without incident on I-35 in Johnson County about three hours after the shooting, Stolz said.

Police did not release the suspect's name.

Anxiety Culture: Contents

2009-05-28T18:50:00.001-05:00

How to stop worrying ...& other gimmicks...

io9 - Germans Deny Patent For GPS/Poison Microchip - Remote control murder

2009-05-28T18:33:00.001-05:00

A Saudi inventor filed a patent for a "killer chip" which, once implanted, would monitor "undesirables" using a GPS. Oh, and it also comes with an extra feature: a remote-controlled cyanide dispenser, for murder.

Abu Ghraib abuse photos 'show rape' - Telegraph

2009-05-28T11:07:00.001-05:00

By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent and Paul Cruickshank
Last Updated: 8:21AM BST 28 May 2009

At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.

Further photographs are said to depict sexual assaults on prisoners with objects including a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube.

Another apparently shows a female prisoner having her clothing forcibly removed to expose her breasts.

Detail of the content emerged from Major General Antonio Taguba, the former army officer who conducted an inquiry into the Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq.

Allegations of rape and abuse were included in his 2004 report but the fact there were photographs was never revealed. He has now confirmed their existence in an interview with the Daily Telegraph.

The graphic nature of some of the images may explain the US President’s attempts to block the release of an estimated 2,000 photographs from prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan despite an earlier promise to allow them to be published.

Maj Gen Taguba, who retired in January 2007, said he supported the President’s decision, adding: “These pictures show torture, abuse, rape and every indecency.

“I am not sure what purpose their release would serve other than a legal one and the consequence would be to imperil our troops, the only protectors of our foreign policy, when we most need them, and British troops who are trying to build security in Afghanistan.

Terrorist Watchlist Has More Than One Million Names

2009-05-28T10:57:00.002-05:00

By William Fisher

Hundreds of thousands of people are being wrongly identified because of the government’s wasteful and inefficient management of the nation’s one million-strong terrorist watchlist, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The organization cited a recent report by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which found that the part of the watchlist maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may contain a 35 percent error rate.

The OIG audit also revealed that large portions of the list are governed by no formal processes for updating or removing records.

The ACLU says the audit “confirms that the nation’s watchlist system is massively broken.”

The audit confirmed estimates that the terror watchlist contains 1.1 million names as of December 2008, and that many of them are out of date.

OIG auditors reviewed 68,669 of those identities and found 24,000 out of date. In a closer inspection of the out of date records, the auditors found a majority of this sample did not belong on a watchlist.

War on Drugs Clock - How Much is Being Spent Every Second?

2009-05-22T14:31:00.002-05:00

A second-by-second ticking clock showing all the money that federal, state and local governments are spending enforcing America's failed and and dangerous drug prohibition policies. Also shows a new marijuana arrest ticking by every 38 seconds (for a total of almost 900,000 people a year).

read more | digg story

Drugs in Portugal: Did Decriminalization Work?

2009-05-22T14:23:00.002-05:00

Pop quiz: Which European country has the most liberal drug laws? (Hint: It's not the Netherlands.)

read more | digg story

Milk is a gateway drug to bourbon

2009-05-22T13:35:00.002-05:00

You have never before seen -- nor will you ever see again -- FBI director Robert Mueller so thoroughly humbled in a discussion about drug policy before the United States Congress.

read more | digg story

It’s the circle season in Marlborough (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

2009-05-22T12:53:00.001-05:00

The crop circle season in Wiltshire is well under way with some superb and sizeable formations appearing in fields in the Devizes and Marlborough area.

The first formation appeared in a field close to Avebury stone circle on April 14.

It is classic in its simplicity and bodes well for the rest of the season.

A few days later, on April 19, a twin-eye design appeared in a field of rape close to West Kennett Long Barrow.

It is 211ft in diameter and was first seen from the air early in the morning.

It is particularly large and complex for an early spring formation.

Church of the SubGenius Gathers In New York For Apocalypse

2009-05-22T12:44:00.002-05:00

SubGenius gathers in New York for the end of the world, which will come on July 5th, 2009.

read more | digg story

16 Year Old Homeschooler Hauled Away Under PATRIOT Act

2009-05-19T22:08:00.002-05:00

A 16 year old American was hauled away after 10 FBI agents stormed his mother's house with a warrant accusing the boy of making bomb threats. The boy was deprived due process of law, as the PATRIOT act apparently now supersedes the Constitution.What country is this again?

read more | digg story

OMG The Reviews of this T-Shirt on Amazon!

2009-05-19T21:10:00.003-05:00

Not our normally heavy shit, but... must.... have.... t.... shirt....

read more | digg story

The God Chemical: Brain Chemistry And Mysticism

2009-05-19T20:48:00.002-05:00

Barbara Bradley Hagerty writes for All Things Considered (NPR), May 18, 2009:

"In a study at Johns Hopkins, a majority of test subjects given a psychedelic drug reported having full-blown mystical experiences. Such research is shedding light on the chemical reactions that take place in the brain when people feel they're encountering God....

"At 9 p.m., 32 of us crawled into the teepee; for the next 11 hours, the young men drummed, the roadman prayed, and everyone but me ingested a lot of peyote...

"The first major rigorous study of psychedelics and spirituality occurred on Good Friday in 1962. In the basement of Marsh Chapel at Boston University, researchers from Harvard gave 10 divinity students LSD to see if the sacred setting, combined with drugs, would spark a mystical experience. It did. Soon afterward, researchers at other prominent universities began administering psychedelic drugs to volunteers in controlled settings.

"By the end of the 1960s, the U.S. government had had enough of Timothy Leary's call to "turn on, tune in, drop out" and were concerned that a generation was conducting its own uncontrolled experiments with drugs and spirituality. In the early '70s, the experiments ended.

"Until now..."

read more | digg story

Home Depot Girds for Continued Weakness - NYTimes.com

2009-05-18T22:26:00.002-05:00

The leadership of Home Depot has decided to move from a culture of expansion to one that is less vulnerable to consumer and credit slowdowns.

When the collapse of Lehman Brothers froze the credit markets last September, Carol Tome quickly ordered hundreds of Home Depot’s store managers to transfer all their spare cash to headquarters — literally cleaning out their registers and each store’s safe.

In fact, Home Depot’s closest competitor, Lowe’s, is taking the opposite tack, continuing to open outlets at a brisk clip in hopes of closing the gap with its much bigger rival. Lowe’s reported a smaller decline in first-quarter earnings than analysts had expected on Monday, ahead of Home Depot’s report on Tuesday.

“Expansion is risky today,” said David H. Autor, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “but it is also a less expensive time to do so in terms of buying land and hiring labor than it will be when the economy comes back. And maybe even in today’s constrained economy, Lowe’s does not have enough outlets.”

read more | digg story

Ufozz : The digg like about UFO's

2009-05-17T21:28:00.002-05:00

Ufozz helps you to find where UFOs links are hiding on the web. Based on a digg like system , the main goal of ufozz is to share and democratize ufo's informations.

read more | digg story

Is our a universe just a quantum hallucination?

2009-05-17T20:17:00.002-05:00

Physics of the "multiverse" and multiple universes suggests life is most likely to be created as hallucinating disembodied brains that pop up as a quantum fluctuation from the vacuum and float through space imagining the universe, with the thoughts and memories of a human, rather than as "normal" biologically evolved humans.

read more | digg story

SETI scientist finds Alien signal

2009-05-17T20:01:00.003-05:00

AFTER you’ve spent more than 20 years hunting for an alien signal, you think you’d be celebrating if you noticed a mysterious pulse suddenly rising up on your computer readouts. A regular pulse, amid the random clatter of the cosmos, suggests that someone very smart at the other end is sending a message.

Instead, he’s spent the past few months meticulously investigating whether the unrecognised signature was caused by a glitch in his instrumentation, a rogue astrophysical phenomenon, or some unknown random noise.

read more | digg story

Note: SETI at Home needs your help:
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/

Did the CIA test LSD on unsuspecting Americans?

2009-05-17T18:48:00.002-05:00

A bad LSD trip can drive a person to suicide. So what would have inspired the CIA to use American citizens as guinea pigs for its drug research?

read more | digg story

China: News service reports UFO seen by own journalist

2009-05-17T18:31:00.001-05:00

Michael Cohen m.cohen@allnewsweb.com

A Chinese newspaper reported this week on a UFO sighting made by one of their own Journalists. Jing-Sen Gao of Dunhua, a city in the ethnic Korean enclave of Yanbian was walking with friends to a cultural event on 18 April at around 4pm when they saw a strange black object in the sky above them.

The object changed shape constantly. It went from being square to triangle to saucer shaped. Mr Goa then started filming the object with his mobile phone camera. At this point the object started emitting a flickering white light and then after a few minutes it vanished completely.

On showing people his recording some declared the object a UFO of extraterrestrial origin while others claimed it was a vision of Buddha. The film has not come to light and is believed to be in the process of being examined by a local Chinese astronomical society. The above picture has been released however.

35 Signs the Iraq War Needs to End NOW [PICS]

2009-05-13T14:59:00.003-05:00

"Here's how it works: When you put a sign on the freeway, people will read it until someone takes it down. Depending on its size, content and placement it can be seen by hundreds of thousands of people. Here's what you do: (1) Put paint on cardboard (2) Put cardboard on freeway (3) Repeat

read more | digg story

Strange & Unsolved Mysteries from America's history

2009-05-13T14:44:00.002-05:00

A collection of places and people that have a kind of mystery attached to them because of eerie happenings. Some of those are really chilling.

read more | digg story

Visit the skeletal remains of a cold war weapon

2009-05-13T14:40:00.003-05:00

This presentation will take you on a full tour of a decommissioned, abandoned underground missile complex. The site was opened many years ago by explorers and vandals, and in fact the technology therein was nearly obsolete by the time the bases were completed in 1963.

read more | digg story

Weird physics: Heaven and Earth, UFOs, consciousness

2009-05-12T20:41:00.002-05:00

Some scientific views about our universe now include ideas about multiple dimensions in a "multiverse," bridges or portals between them, fields of "zero point energy," the nature of UFOsand other fascinating concepts. How do these newer ideas about ways the universe might operate compare to traditional concepts about an afterlife or "Heaven?"

read more | digg story

NASA reviewed amid tales of UFOs, secret space fleet

2009-05-12T20:35:00.003-05:00

NASA’s plans for retiring the Space Shuttle program and moving forward with the next phase of spacecraft – at least spacecraft known to the public – are being scrutinized at the highest levels of the U.S. government. Ssome researchers have suggested that a more advanced space program may be going on behind the scenes and based on UFO technologies.

read more | digg story

Brain Chemical Reduces anxiety, increases survival of new cells

2009-05-12T17:19:00.003-05:00

New research on a brain chemical involved in development sheds light on why some individuals may be predisposed to anxiety. It also strengthens understanding of cellular processes that may be common to anxiety and depression, and suggests how lifestyle changes may help overcome both.

read more | digg story

Are you ready for Abu Ghraib, Act II?

2009-05-12T12:42:00.003-05:00

Five years ago, people around the world were sickened by photographs that surfaced showing U.S. troops abusing Iraqi inmates at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. But now a new batch of photographs, perhaps hundreds of images, of prisoners being abused is about to be made public.

read more | digg story

O’Reilly uses Nazi propaganda to defend torture

2009-05-12T12:37:00.005-05:00

Keith Olbermann dismantles Bill O’Reilly’s use of false claims from a Nazi war criminal to accuse President Obama of lying about Winston Churchill’s position on torture.

read more | digg story

Cheney wants to Testify about Torture? Let HIM!

2009-05-12T12:30:00.003-05:00

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is desperate to "Set the Record Straight" now that various classified memos on torture have been released - and might even Testify before Congress. I think Congress should say - "Bring IT!!!"

read more | digg story

Torture: It Was Never Just “Sleep Deprivation”

2009-05-12T12:23:00.002-05:00

What this L.A. Times story demonstrates is the proclivity of the CIA and other government torturing agencies to twist the meaning of words, and stuff into the nomenclature of one "technique" or procedures a veritable cornucopia of different torture methods. In this "enhanced interrogation" version of sleep deprivation, forced sleep deficit was...

read more | digg story

Sean Hannity Attacks Obama For Putting Mustard On His Burger

2009-05-07T20:34:00.006-05:00

You know its a slow news day at Fox News when...

read more | digg story

Texas UFO Photos

2009-04-26T13:31:00.004-05:00

My wife, son and I were traveling home from Carlsbad Caverns on Friday, March 20, 2009, and around sunset my wife and son saw what appeared to be 4 lights hovering around 50 feet off of the ground, within a mile or so of the car (over some houses).

My wife initially thought they were towers, but they all moved simultaneously vertically. These lights were pulsating (not at the same time). I immediately pulled to the shoulder of Hwy 285 and witnessed what was now 3 lights in a "V" formation (the 4th had disappeared).

These lights rose vertically very slowly to a height of approximately 1000 feet in the air and after a brief pause began moving left (north) very slowly. It was getting close to sunset, and as the lights got further away the 3rd light appeared to be going slightly slower than the other two.

When the lights were in front of a lighted area, I could see what appeared to be physical form behind the lights (for the first time). Shortly thereafter, a 4th light appeared in the middle of the other 3. The object(s) continued moving in the same direction, then all 4 of them "flashed out" simultaneously.

My wife, son and I tracked these object(s) from directly beside our vehicle to approximately 10 or so miles away (to the horizon) behind our vehicle. The flight pattern paralleled Hwy 285.

read more | digg story

US declares public health emergency for swine flu

2009-04-26T13:01:00.004-05:00

The precautionary step doesn't signal a greater threat to Americans. But it allows the federal and state governments easier access to flu tests and medications.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napilotano says roughly 12 million doses of the drug Tamiflu are being released from a federal stockpile so that states can get it if needed.

Napilotano said at a White House news conference Sunday that the emergency declaration is standard operating procedure — one was recently declare for the inauguration and for flooding.

The World Health Organization advised all countries to be on the lookout for "unusual" outbreaks of flu, after an emergency meeting Saturday as the seriousness of the outbreak became clear.

By Sunday, 81 deaths in Mexico had been deemed "likely linked" to swine flu. Viral testing has confirmed 20 cases, said Dr. Jose A. Cordova Villalobos, Mexico's health secretary.

read more | digg story

Swine "Flu" pandemic - mixed DNA means NOT JUST FLU

2009-04-26T12:40:00.004-05:00

It turns out this virus is highly unusual, a quadruple reassortant. The genes of a flu virus are packaged in eight discrete segments. When two flu viruses infect the same host cell, the segments of each are copied and repackaged, 8 at a time, in new viral particles which then bud off from the infected cell. They then may infect a new host cell. In this repackaging process the segments of the two different viruses may mix and match, so that new virus particle will have segments from two different viruses. The new virus is, in a sense, not just a swine flu virus. It does have viral segments characteristic of two different families of swine flu, one typical of North America, where swine flu is endemic, and one typical of pig flu viruses from Europe and Asia. But we learned today that it also has viral segments seen in North American birds and in human seasonal influenza. Which of the segments is a bird segment and which is humans wasn't discussed in today's briefing, but the fact that the genetic sources comprise widely different geographies and species is highly unusual -- unusual at least as far as we know. We have little systematic information on swine viruses, so how common this really is we don't know for sure, nor do we know how recent. The virus is resistant to the older adamantane antivirals but sensitive to both oseltamivir (Tamilfu) and zanamivir (Relenza).

Whatever this is, it isn't seasonal influenza. The reported cases range from 9 years old to 54 years old, 3 females, 4 males. All have recovered and only one required hospitalization. The earliest case is from late March, the most recent just days ago. Symptoms are typical for influenza-like illness except that there seems to be a greater prominence of gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) along with the respiratory symptoms and fever. CDC emphasized they were in an active investigation mode and will keep sharing information as it develops. Clearly there is a lot more to learn about this.

Could this be the harbinger of an influenza pandemic? A pandemic is a global sized outbreak from a single strain of influenza. We believe that there are several necessary conditions for this to happen with influenza. One is the ability of the viral strain to infect humans (there are many influenza viruses but most don't infect humans). Another is the ability to be transmitted from person to person. While bird flu can infect humans, it still has not acquired the ability to spread easily from person to person. Yet another is an influenza virus which is sufficiently different that there is little natural immunity in the human population. As far as I can tell, this virus seems to have all of these characteristics.

read more | digg story

Swine Flu in America: 8 Cases in NYC, 2 in Kansas

2009-04-26T12:34:00.006-05:00

Two cases of the human swine influenza have been confirmed in Kansas and one more in California, bringing the U.S. total to 11.

Kansas health officials said Saturday they had confirmed swine flu in a married couple living in the central part of the state after the husband visited Mexico. The couple, who live in Dickinson County, were not hospitalized, and the state described their illnesses as mild.

Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, the state health officer, said, "Fortunately, the man and woman understand the gravity of the situation and are very willing to isolate themselves."

The man traveled to Mexico last week for a professional conference and became ill after returning home. His wife became ill later. Their doctor suspected swine flu, but it wasn't confirmed until flu specimens were flown to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A flu viruses, the CDC's Web site says. Human cases of swine flu are uncommon but can happen in people who are around pigs and can be spread from person to person. Symptoms of the flu include a fever of more than 100 degrees, body aches, coughing, a sore throat, respiratory congestion and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.

read more | digg story

What the fuck is wrong with America?

2009-04-25T13:08:00.004-05:00

Written By Word Of The Day on April 24th, 2009

What kind of fucking country do you live in where you have to debate whether torturing someone is a crime? What kind of country do you live in when you can spend 3 years prosecuting the President for a consensual sexual act but won’t prosecute a President for authorizing illegal wiretaps and torturing people? What kind of country do you live in where the supposed ’spiritual’ and ‘religious’ leaders think it’s OK to torture non-Christians? What kind of country do you live in where you can’t even use the word ‘torture’ but have to say ‘interrogation techniques’? What kind of country do you live in when their Nuremberg defense (’We were just following orders’) becomes the mantra for not holding war criminals accountable for their actions? What kind of country do you live in where a major candidate in a Presidential primary openly advocates for doubling the size of America’s illegal detention centers and increasing the use of torture?

read more | digg story

Experts Debate Pandemic Potential of Swine Flu

2009-04-25T12:51:00.003-05:00

A top federal health official said the government's concern over the swine flu outbreaks in the United States and Mexico has grown since Thursday -- and a handful of influenza experts worry the deadly, never-before-seen hybrid strain may spur a pandemic.

read more | digg story

Police handcuff news crew covering traffic accident

2009-04-25T12:28:00.002-05:00

Don't mess with Texas

El Paso may have gotten a little more incredible than tv reporter Darren Hunt would have liked when he found himself handcuffed and detained by a police officer this week, just for attempting to report on a traffic accident.

Hunt and cameraman Ric Dupont were sent out to film a flipped semi on the interstate. They parked on the shoulder of the other side of the road as men in military fatigues were helping pull the driver out of the cab.

read more | digg story

US ramps up cybersecurity focus

2009-04-25T12:16:00.002-05:00

The White House should take direct control of US cybersecurity, the woman tipped to be President Obama's net security Czar has said.

Melissa Hathaway told a conference in San Francisco that the net had not been built with safety in mind.

read more | digg story

Researchers recently concluded the average number of unique new infected sites grew from 100,000-200,000 a day to 200,000-300,000 a day and this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. In addition, the world recently witnessed the third cyber attack against a country (Kyrgyzstan).

87,000 Iraqis Were Killed Since 2005

2009-04-25T12:06:00.003-05:00

By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer Kim Gamel, Associated Press Writer – Thu Apr 23, 7:15 pm ET

BAGHDAD – Iraq's government has recorded 87,215 of its citizens killed since 2005 in violence ranging from catastrophic bombings to execution-style slayings, according to government statistics obtained by The Associated Press that break open one of the most closely guarded secrets of the war.

Combined with tallies based on hospital sources and media reports since the beginning of the war and an in-depth review of available evidence by The Associated Press, the figures show that more than 110,600 Iraqis have died in violence since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

The number is a minimum count of violent deaths. The official who provided the data to the AP, on condition of anonymity because of its sensitivity, estimated the actual number of deaths at 10 to 20 percent higher because of thousands who are still missing and civilians who were buried in the chaos of war without official records.

read more | digg story

New picture reveals head injury to G20 victim before death

2009-04-25T12:00:00.003-05:00

A photo has emerged which reveals a head injury sustained by Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests before he died.

The clip, which was handed to the Guardian newspaper and the IPCC shows the startling force with which his head appears to hit the ground.

And it seems to show the 47-year-old put up no resistance to the approaching police officers in the moments before he was hit and shoved to the ground.

read more | digg story

Honolulu Exopolitics Examiner: British Government secretly studies crop circles & UFO connection

2009-04-25T11:06:00.002-05:00

At a conference in the Washington DC metropolitian area, famed crop circle researcher Colin Andrews revealed that the UK government has covered up the extent of official and Royal family interest in the crop circle phenomenon. There were also efforts to suppress any investigation into a connection between UFOs and crop circles. Finally, Andrews revealed how the 1987 crash of a British Harrier jet was caused by it passing through an unknown energy field created by crop circles. While the British government has released various files concerning its investigations of the UFO phenomenon, it has not released files showing the extensive investigations it has conducted on the crop circle phenomenon.

Kazakhstan: Government to build UFO base and alien embassy

2009-04-25T10:47:00.003-05:00

The Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia is in the process of building the world’s first alien embassy according to some local media reports. If these reports are to be believed, the authorities have already allocated a large plot of land in the city of Almaty for this ambitious project. Facilities to be built within the complex will include a guesthouse, theatre and translation service. A purpose built UFO landing pad and checkpoint will be attached to the embassy.

Kazakhstan’s government believes open contact with aliens is imminent and by being the first nation to specifically create such facilities they are convinced they will reap enormous financial and economic rewards. The Kazakhstan Government also see this as a chance to demonstrate their nations forward thinking policies.

Currently it is generally accepted that aliens are making use of an underwater UFO base in the Caspian Sea which Kazakhstan borders.

read more | digg story

LHC@home - Large Hadron Collider distributed computing project

2009-04-21T14:51:00.003-05:00

The LHC@home project lets you contribute idle time on your computer to help calculate simulations of the real thing.

Free State Interactive has joined the University of Kansas LHC@home team.

read more | digg story

Goldman Sachs Bribed Senate To Pass Bailout Bill

2009-04-21T09:54:00.004-05:00

More at http://www.LifeOnTheEdgeOfABubble.com

--Complete CONTRIBUTION LIST: http://www.washingtonyourefired.com/goldman_sachs_2008_contributions.html

How much bribe money does it take to transfer $700 Billion taxpayer dollars to Wall Street's elite?

read more | digg story

1,500 Farmers Commit Mass Suicide In India

2009-04-15T14:36:00.002-05:00

Over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to debt by crop failure, it was reported today. The agricultural state of Chattisgarh was hit by falling water levels. "The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a few years ago," Shatrughan Sahu, a villager in one of the districts...

read more | digg story

PIN Crackers Nab Holy Grail of Bank Card Security

2009-04-15T14:27:00.002-05:00

Hackers have crossed into new frontiers by devising sophisticated ways to steal large amounts of personal identification numbers, or PINs, protecting credit and debit cards, says an investigator. The attacks involve both unencrypted PINs and encrypted PINs that attackers have found a way to crack,...

read more | digg story

Rush Limbaugh's 10 Dumbest Remarks

2009-04-15T14:14:00.002-05:00

A series of quotes from America's king of flatulent utterances.

read more | digg story

Scientific American: 5 Years After: Portugal's Drug Decriminalization Policy Shows Positive Results

2009-04-14T18:01:00.002-05:00

"In the face of a growing number of deaths and cases of HIV linked to drug abuse, the Portuguese government in 2001 tried a new tack to get a handle on the problem—it decriminalized the use of... street drugs. The theory: focusing on treatment and prevention instead of jailing users would decrease the number of deaths and infections."

read more | digg story

Pepsi Finally Introducing Pure Sugar Sodas To The US!

2009-04-14T17:54:00.002-05:00

On April 20th Pepsi will start selling versions of Pepsi and Mountain Dew that use real sugar, rather than nasty high fructose corn syrup. The drinks will only be available until June, and they'll taste awesome.

read more | digg story

Typing "Prompt Commands" Sufficient to Seize Your Property

2009-04-14T17:44:00.003-05:00

You need to take the time to read the warrant available via PDF. Insanity. Someone's computer crashes and suspects it's a CS student's fault because he does things like "'jail breaks' cell phones" and he is sometimes seen with a "[computer with] a black screen with white font which he uses prompt commands on." Yikes.

read more | digg story

Drone-Like UFO Photographed in Holland, 2007-UFO Casebook Files

2009-04-14T17:23:00.001-05:00

The photographer/eyewitness to the event states:

I was fishing with my wife, when I noticed something in the sky. I could not see what it was, because off in the distance we saw it as a black spot.

Altitude was about 300 meters. I took my camera, Nikon D50 and had a 300 mm lens on it. I just shot some pics (about 12), ao I could see it on the computer.

How to break DRM - easy step-by-step explanations - iTunes, DVDs, etc.

2009-04-14T17:17:00.002-05:00

UFO Examiner: Four bell-shaped UFOs appear in MD photo

2009-04-14T17:01:00.002-05:00

A Maryland witness is reporting some odd bell-shaped objects in the sky that appeared in a photo taken April 5, according to a report filed with the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database.

read more | digg story

All News Web - UFOs are real according to Ukraine’s first astronaut

2009-04-14T16:57:00.002-05:00

Michael Cohen m.cohen@allnewsweb.com writes;

Leonid Kadeniuk, independent Ukraine’s first astronaut and participant in NASA’s Columbia in 1997 as part of the international mission STS-87 has gone on record stating that he believes UFOs are real and of alien origin in an interview with the well-known newspaper Pravda Ukraine.

Former Area 51 scientists break their decades-long silence

2009-04-14T16:47:00.003-05:00

UFO theorists and alien conspiracists brace yourselves!Former employees of the mysterious and infamous Area 51 are now breaking their decades-long silence and coming forward to talk about their work at the ultra-secret military facility.

read more | digg story

Doomsday on December 21, 2012? Don't bet on it.

2009-04-14T16:34:00.003-05:00

Apparently, the Earth is going to end on December 21, 2012. At this point, you've got two choices:Either stop planning the rest of your life now, because after all, you can't save yourself from an ancient Mayan prediction of doomsday...OR take these words of advice: keep on living like you do. The world isn't going to end, even by Mayan standards

read more | digg story