Chicago - O'Hare UFO video surfaces on Youtube

Let's start this report with some background.

The Chicago O'Hare UFO sighting concerns a time when some people said that they saw a saucer or disc-shaped UFO over Chicago O'Hare International Airport on November 7, 2006; the reports garnered national media attention.

At approximately 4:30 p.m on Tuesday November 7, 2006, federal authorities at Chicago O'Hare International Airport received a report that a group of twelve airport employees were witnessing a metallic, saucer-shaped craft hovering over gate C-17.

According to eyewitness reports, the strange object was first spotted by a ramp employee who was "pushing back" United Airlines flight 446 which was departing Chicago for Charlotte, North Carolina. The ramp worker then apprised the flight crew of UA446 of the existence of the spinning, metallic object above their aircraft, and it is believed that both the pilot and co-pilot of this aircraft also witnessed the object at that time.

According to Jon Hilkevitch of the Chicago Tribune in an interview on CNN's Glenn Beck program: "The disk was visible for approximately two minutes and was seen by close to a dozen United Airlines employees, ranging from pilots to supervisors, who heard chatter on the radio and raced out to view it." [1][2] The UFO was then seen to suddenly accelerate straight up through the overcast skies. Witnesses reported that the object left behind an open hole of clear air in the cloud layer and that the mysterious hole disappeared or "closed" within a few minutes. So far, no conclusive photographic evidence of the UFO has surfaced although it was reported to Hilkevitch that one of the United Airlines pilots was in possession of a digital camera at the time of the sighting and may have photographed the event[3].

Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Now after all this time a Video of the event has supposedly surfaced:

Here the video:





sitfu.com has the story about the video. Here is the link: Video

H5N1 virus may be adapting to pigs in Indonesia

H5N1 virus may be adapting to pigs in Indonesia

Mar 31, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – Scientists report that H5N1 avian influenza viruses may be adapting to pigs, as evidenced by the finding that H5N1 viruses isolated from pigs in Indonesia were less harmful to mice than were H5N1 viruses from chickens.

The finding suggests that in growing in pigs, the virus may have become less harmful to mammals in general, the authors report. That sounds reassuring, but the authors say it may mean the virus is one step closer to turning into a human pandemic strain.

In the study, scientists from Japan and Indonesia collected viruses from chickens and pigs in Indonesia, grew them in laboratory cell cultures, and used them to infect mice. They found that the viruses from pigs were less lethal to mice than the viruses from chickens, according to their recent report in the Archives of Virology.

"We found that swine isolates were less virulent to mice than avian isolates, suggesting that the viruses became attenuated during their replication in pigs," the report states.

An intermediate host
Pigs are seen as a possible intermediate host that can help avian flu viruses adapt to humans, because the epithelial cells in pigs' trachea can be infected by both avian and human flu viruses, the article notes. If avian and human viruses infected a pig at the same time, they could mix or reassort, giving rise to a novel strain that might be able to spread in humans. The flu pandemics of 1957-58 and 1968-69 were caused by avian-human hybrid viruses, though it is not known if they arose in pigs.

But even if they don't mix with human strains, avian flu viruses that infect pigs are believed capable of adapting to them—gaining the capability to grow efficiently in swine cells—and thereby adapting to other mammals, the authors write. Humans occasionally are infected with swine flu viruses, something that has been reported at least twice this flu season in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far, H5N1 infections in pigs have been reported rarely or gone unnoticed because infected pigs show no signs of illness, the scientists write. But the authors, who include Chairul Nidom of Airlangga University in Surabaya, Indonesia, report that they found H5N1 infections in pigs in Indonesia in 2005, 2006, and 2007. They determined that the swine viruses were closely related to viruses in chickens found nearby, indicating H5N1 spread from chickens to pigs at least three different times.

They gathered three viruses from pigs and two from chickens on East Java in 2006 and 2007. They first determined that all the viruses grew well in embryonated eggs and in cultures of canine kidney cells, demonstrating that both avian and swine strains could grow in mammalian cell cultures. They then infected groups of mice with a range of doses of the five isolates.

The results showed that all three pig viruses were less virulent in mice than the chicken viruses were, as measured by how large a dose it took to kill half of the mice. Two of the pig isolates were "strongly attenuated" in mice.

In a genetic analysis, the scientists found several amino acid differences that might explain the lower virulence of the swine isolates, but they "were unable to determine which mutations were strongly correlated to low virulence in mice because these mutations are frequently found among avian and human H5N1 viruses," the report says.

Prelude to a pandemic strain?
The authors offer this interpretation of their findings: "Since our swine strains were isolated from pigs with no apparent influenza-like symptoms, the decrease of pathogenicity in mice suggests that the H5N1 viruses may have lost their pathogenicity in mammals during replication in pigs. Given that for the H5N1 viruses to cause a pandemic, they would likely become attenuated in humans, becoming attenuated in mammals may be a prelude to the generation of a pandemic strain."

They add that because H5N1 infections in swine increase the risk that a pandemic strain could emerge, the findings point up the need for "continuous surveillance and management of H5N1 viruses in pigs."

The findings may mean that H5N1 viruses from swine will be less virulent in mammals generally, but it's not clear that the viruses have truly adapted to swine, said Richard Webby, PhD, a virologist, flu researcher, and associate member of the Department of Infectious Diseases at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.

Noting that the study authors used only five isolates, Webby said, "Trying to make too much of a conclusion from that number would be premature. The two least lethal viruses were both from swine, but one [swine isolate] was lethal. So perhaps if these become adapted to mammals, they're potentially going to be less pathogenic."

Whether H5N1 viruses become more or less virulent when they adapt to mammals is a very important question, he said, adding that the findings "might be to some extent reassuring."

Regarding the authors' statement that attenuation of the virus in mammals might be a prelude to the development of a pandemic strain, Webby commented, "I guess the thought behind that is that for a pathogen to be successful, it's got to transmit readily, so if it makes the host too sick, so they go to a hospital or die, the chances of its transmitting to someone else are reduced."

But Webby told CIDRAP News that it's not clear that H5N1 viruses have really become established in swine anywhere. "If these viruses have gone into swine, I think the key is whether they become established in swine. If that happened, we'd be concerned. I think the consensus now is that pigs are like humans; they can be infected, but it's unlikely there'd be a lot of transmission."

He said US Department of Agriculture researchers have infected pigs with H5N1 viruses and found that the viruses didn't grow at all. But those researchers used viruses that didn't come from pigs in the first place. He noted that pigs often are fed broken eggs or even chicken carcasses, and such pigs might carry the virus in their snouts without becoming truly infected.

Webby suggested that researchers now should "put these swine viruses back into swine and see if they actually are more adapted to swine than the avian viruses."


Here is a link to a site that is dedicated to following the H5N1 Virus: Site

Boy Found Infected with EV71 in HK

I have been following the spread of the Hand, Foot, and Moth disease in China.

You can read all the reports at this link: Disease

Here is just a sample from some of the stories:


New outbreaks reported Tuesday in three Chinese provinces and Beijing put the number of children infected with hand, foot and mouth disease above 12,000 and the death toll has risen to at least 26 across the country.

The official Xinhua News Agency said outbreaks in southwest Yunnan, the northeastern province of Jilin and the tropical island of Hainan, putting the total number of infections at 12,164.


Then we had this update:

The number of cases across China has climbed to 15,799, up from 12,000 reported on Tuesday. Officials said that the rise was due to tighter rules on reporting and not because of the spread of the infection.


Today I just came across this report:


Boy Found Infected with EV71 in HK


The Center for Health Protection (CHP) of the Hong Kong's Department of Health Tuesday confirmed a case of Enterovirus-71 (EV71) infection involving a 10- year-old boy and urged the public to be vigilant against the disease.

A CHP spokesman said the boy had presented with fever and rash over his hands and feet since March 25. He was admitted to hospital on March 29 and is now in stable condition.

His throat swab specimen tested positive for EV71.

There was no Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease (HFMD) outbreak in the primary school that the boy attended and his family contacts had no symptoms of HFMD.

This is the ninth case reported to the CHP this year. There were 16 cases of EV71 in 2006, 12 in 2007 and 98 in 2008 respectively in Hong Kong



You can read the entire report at this link: EV71

UFO Spotted Over East Coast

It's too soon to be an April Fool's Day prank, but the U.S. Air Force said that a series of flashing lights and booming sounds sighted and heard over Virginia recently must be a UFO.

On Sunday night, March 29th, witness described seeing odd lights, booming noises and in some instances a fireball in the sky over the Richmond area.

Initially, the disturbance was explained as part of a Russian rocket breaking up on reentry.

Geoff Chester, public relations officer with the US Naval Observatory said that the disturbance was consistent with the expected path of the booster rocket from the Soyuz spacecraft, which launched Thursday on a mission to the international space station.

But on Tuesday, March 13, Stefan Bocchino of the USAF Joint Space Operations Center said in an e-mail to WTOP radio in Virgina that the bright light was not the result of a man made object.

While the Joint Space Operations Center tracks man made objects, in space they do not track natural objects such as meteorites.

According to Cornell University, it is estimated that somewhere between 2900-7300 kilograms of meteors per year hit Earth. Most of these are dust-sized particles that burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.

Here is the link to the original report: UFO


Did some searching and found the following reports:

Upset about that fireball? Blame the Russians, not the Klingons

UPDATEThe air force is disputing the Russian rocket story, saying it was a meteor.

That green-tailed fireball streaking across Hampton Roads on Sunday could have been Russian space junk hurtling toward its demise on the other side of the world.

A spokesman for the Naval Observatory said Monday that a discarded rocket booster from last week's Soyuz space flight was in a decaying orbit and projected to pass over southeastern Virginia before 10 p.m. That's roughly the time that Marianne Mills, of Newport News and scores of other area residents saw a jaw-dropping light show.

A flash lit up the sky, and a fiery "something" sped toward the horizon.


"I've seen meteors before," Mills said, "but I've never seen anything like that."

There might be a good reason.

Geoff Chester, an observatory spokesman, began investigating the matter Monday morning after reports surfaced of a lightninglike flash, a colorful fireball and an explosion or boom.

A bright meteor was one possibility.

"That's usually the first thing that pops into my mind," Chester said.

But just to be safe, he checked computer records that track falling space debris. The second stage of a Soyuz rocket that helped send a crew to the International Space Station last week was scheduled to pass over Hampton Roads around the time of the disturbance.

"Whether this was the rocket booster or not, I can't tell you definitely," he said. "It just seems awfully coincidental that you would have a bright fireball following the path of a decaying rocket booster."

Authorities are fairly certain about what it was not.

The National Weather Service at Wakefield ruled out an atmospheric disturbance. The Federal Aviation Administration said commercial air traffic was not affected. And airports in Norfolk, Richmond and Newport News had nothing unusual to report.

Neither Langley Air Force Base nor Oceana Naval Air Station was conducting military exercises that could explain it.

"We don't have any insight into it," said Kelley Stirling, an Oceana spokeswoman. "We're all having the same conversation here."

Sure, a new "Star Trek" film debuts in May, but the Klingons aren't claiming responsibility — at least not yet.

However, the National UFO Reporting Center in Washington state received several calls from Virginia and Maryland based on Sunday's sighting.

"My temptation is to suggest that it almost certainly was a meteor, but we don't know that yet," said Peter Davenport, director. "All we know is that people saw a fireball."

Whatever truth is out there, it made the night more interesting for Mills.

She was driving east on Interstate 64 around New Kent County shortly before 10 p.m. when something flashed above her.

Here is the link to the rest of the report: UFO


Mysterious flash/boom rocks eastern seaboard, including firsthand reports

A mysterious flash of light, followed by a loud boom was reported by thousands of people from Maryland through North Carolina, prompting many calls to local 911 centers. The event also received massive media attention. So far, authorities have only been able to rule out that it wasn't a meteorological event. The following are some of the reports that were coming into the Mutual UFO Network headquarters:

Richmond, Virginia - 9:45-10:05 p.m. - Two witnesses observed what they described as resembling a green meteor shoot down from the sky toward the ground. The first witness' husband came outside to see what she was looking at. He looked in the opposite direction from where his wife had spotted the object, but nothing was seen. He continued to scan the night sky when he saw a bright white orb appear in the western sky, shooting horizontally from right to left for a couple of seconds, before vanishing.

Chesapeake, Virginia - 9:30 p.m. - Witness observed a flash in the sky followed with a loud boom unlike the jets they have in the area. Within a few seconds a second boom was heard, but it was not as loud as the first. The witness indicated he later heard several similar reports over his local television news.

Virginia Beach, Virginia - (time not provided) - Witness was driving home when he noticed what appeared to be lightning-like flashes in the sky above his car. He stopped the car to get out to have a better look. The whole night sky lit up a bluish color and he saw something burning, followed by large orange sparks falling from behind the object's path of travel. It was followed by a large boom, then disappeared.


You can read all the reports at this link: UFO

Public Protection of Political Gain?

Cat Mutilation News Reports

I was sent an e-mail containing links to news reports about Cat Mutilations. Here are the reports:

Mutilated Cats Found In St. Petersburg Neighborhood

From July 8, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Detectives are investigating reports of mutilated cats found by residents of an enclave on 49th Street North, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

The most recent incident was Friday when Anthony Bartolo found his 10-year-old cat, Fluffy, in the front yard, according to a sheriff's office incident report.

The feline's throat had been cut, Bartolo said.

"It's really devastating," he said. "If you can take a knife to a cat and cut its throat, you're a sick person."

Bartolo's neighbor, Lois Fuller, said five of her cats have gone missing - and one has shown up mutilated - since March.

In June, Fuller, 58, said she found her cat with a straight cut along its ribcage and its organs pulled out.

The reports prompted the sheriff's office Tuesday to assign a detective to the case, sheriff's spokeswoman Marianne Pasha said.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Tampa Bay is also investigating, SPCA spokeswoman Marissa Segundo said.

Bartolo, 47, said it is unlikely another animal attacked his cat because the wound was "a straight cut, like a razor."

Fuller said she too thinks it was a person who mutilated her cat.

"We're thinking along the line of a satanic cult," she said. "That's what it is."

Fuller and her neighbors now keep watch after dark, she said. Some residents stay up until 2 a.m., and others wake up at 4 a.m. and stroll the streets looking for anything suspicious, she said.

"We've all got our eyes open right now," Fuller said.

Bartolo said he's offering a $500 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information can call the SPCA of Tampa Bay at (727) 586-3591.



Cat deaths are considered cruelty cases

From August 20, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG — The head of a cat was found in front of a newspaper box this spring, its separated paws seemingly placed next to it.

In three more incidents reported this summer, cats were found eviscerated, victims of mysterious attacks.

• A tan Siamese Hemingway was found cut in half on June 24.

• A black cat was dismembered in the front yard of a Pinellas Point home in July.

• A white, tan and black cat was "cleanly severed" behind the shoulders on Aug. 10.

Mother Nature at work?

Some think otherwise.

"We figured it was obviously animal cruelty,'' said firefighter Albert Vildostegui, who rushed from the Lake Maggiore fire station June 24 to find a dead cat in the grassy median of Lake Maggiore Boulevard S just east of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

It was "a pretty clean cut right in the middle of the body." There was little blood.

Suspicion of foul play is common when people find the badly damaged bodies of animals, said Greg Andrews, the operational manager for Pinellas County Animal Services.

In July, Pinellas County deputies investigated a case of several apparently mutilated cats in a neighborhood near 49th Street N. They decided that those deaths were the work of hungry animals.

But to some, the St. Petersburg killings appear different. The injuries seem more methodical.

On July 11 police found what appeared to be half a black cat in the front yard of a home in the 6700 block of Pinellas Point Drive S. There was no blood.

On Aug. 10, someone found a cat's head and shoulders near Lake Maggiore Boulevard and Fourth Street S. The hind quarters were not found.

"The body did not appear to have been attacked by other animals as neither the fur or remaining organs were pulled or torn," according to a police report.

"Maliciously cut with an unknown device," the report said.

The same report mentions perhaps the most disturbing incident yet: apparently severed paws and a head placed against a newspaper vending box, also near Maggiore Boulevard and Fourth Street S.

Police say they don't know much about the possibility of ritual cat killings. So far, they are investigating the incidents as a pattern of animal cruelty calls.

"We have no leads or clues in these reports," police spokesman Bill Proffitt said.

Reward Offered in Destin, Florida Animal Cruelty Case

From June 2006

The Case:
According to The Panhandle Animal Welfare Society and Northwest Florida Daily News, on the morning of May 26, "Spot", a 16-year-old calico cat, was found deceased by his owner on the front lawn of his home on Holly Street. Spot's body was mutilated and a necropsy revealed Spot had been skinned with a knife. Since investigators did not find blood on the scene they believe that Spot was killed elsewhere and returned to the home.


Cats Mutilated in Austin, Texas

DALLAS (August 14, 2001) -The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for mutilating and killing at least 10 cats, but possibly more, in the Austin, Texas area from March through July. Neighbors in the Anderson Mill Estates community, where some of the cats have been abducted, have pooled about $4,000 for the reward fund as well.

The cats apparently all suffered similar trauma, having been found cut in half or dismembered in pieces. At least one of the cats was missing organs. In at least five of the cases, one part of the cat's body had been returned to the owner's property soon after the killing. In all of the cases, the cats had been let outdoors for a relatively short period of time before they turned up dead. A veterinarian who examined one of the cat corpses said he believes the killing had been done "deliberately and traumatically, most probably with a moderately sharp knife or perhaps a serrated knife."


Investigators seek clues to cat mutilations
CNN - Jun 26, 2003SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- If the person who has killed and mutilated 11 cats in the city's Avenues neighborhood is trying to send a message, ...



Cat Mutilations Spread Fear of Cults in Suburb
New York Times - Aug 13, 1989
By ROBERT REINHOLD, SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES. LEAD:
The reports of horrible new nocturnal mutilations come almost weekly, the latest last weekend,


States Baffled By Cat Mutilations Colorado, Utah Investigators...
CBS News - Jun 20, 2003(AP) Authorities investigating a string of cat mutilations in the Denver area are talking with Salt Lake City police to determine whether there is any ...



Police in two states probe cat mutilations; death toll hits 42
Denver Post - NewsBank - Jun 29, 2003Two more mutilated cats were found in Aurora on Saturday, the latest in a series of similar mutilations that have left as many as 42 cats in the metro area ...

Police investigate cat mutilations At least 8 have been killed, left...
Dallas Morning News - NewsBank - Aug 26, 1998Police are investigating a spate of pet mutilations in a Far North Dallas neighborhood, where as many as eight cats have been found decapitated or ...


Cat Mutilations A Mystery
KWTX - Oct 25, 2007(October 25, 2007)--Another mutilated cat was found in San Antonio, this one cut with a "scalpel-like" instrument. It is the 11th incident in three weeks in ...

Animal Shelters Team Up To Stop Cat Mutilations
woai.com - Oct 19, 2007Local animal shelters are banning together to stop the troubling cat mutilations going on citywide. So far, six cats have been found killed. ...

Another Cat Found Mutilated in Texas, Bringing Total to 13 Since April
DigitalJournal.com - Aug 14, 2008Is it a serial cat killer or just some weirdo hurting the animals as a means to gain attention? The reason isn't yet known but another mutilated feline has ...


more to come...

René Descartes

It's the birthday of the father of modern philosophy and modern mathematics: the rationalist René Descartes, (books by this author) born in La Haye, Touraine, France (1596). His most famous phrase is "Cogito ergo sum," or "I think, therefore I am."

He was sent away to study at a Jesuit school. The priests allowed him to stay in bed all morning because of his delicate health, and this became a routine that he followed throughout his life. When he met his fellow mathematician Blaise Pascal in 1647, he told Pascal that the only way to stay in excellent health and to do good mathematical work was to not allow anyone to get you up in the morning until you were ready.

It was during one of his mornings in bed that Descartes invented coordinate geometry, while he watched a fly hovering in the air. He realized that the fly's position at any moment could be described as its distance from three intersecting lines or axes.

Stop Me From Killing Myself!

Suicide, suicide wishing I were dead.
Suicide, suicide deep in my head.
Suicide, suicide cutting my wrists.
Suicide, suicide I'm so done with this.

2 days,2 days let until I die.
2 days,2 days til the last tear I'll cry.
2 days,2 days until I am all gone.
2 days,2 days til the dark breaks the dawn.

Suicide, suicide deep inside my head.
Suicide, suicide now I'm alomst dead.
Suicide, suicide turn out the light.
Suicide, suicide good bye, good night.

Amber Zitzloff


Join me at 11:00pm Central time as I discuss the topic of sucide live on Blog Talk Radio.


Here is the audio from the show:

Argentina: A Cattle Mutilation in Victoria

On the evening of March 28, 2009, a new mutilation took place in the city of Victoria, Province of Entre Rios (Argentina) at a small ranch owned by Mr. Ignacio Oñativia. A yearling calf was found mutilated, displaying the same incisions we have been seeing since 2002. The clean cuts can be seen in the photographs, with nothing but small traces of blood left behind. The details surrounding the case are unique: in conversation with Mr. Oñativia, he told me that he only kept four (4) animals at that location, among them a rather troublesome calf who posed a problem when it came to putting it in a pen. However, last night, when he entered his ranch, he saw the three animals inside the pen without anyone's prompting. This drew his attention, and made him think that the missing [calf] must surely be dead.

He said to himself that the same situation always seemed to happen - whenever he brought animals from the island, one of them died. He set out to find the missing one. Upon finding it, the first thought that crossed his mind was that it could have died of hoof-and-mouth disease, but when he approached it, he quickly realized that a mutilation was involved. He came to find me at the Museo OVNI and took me to the site, so that I could see for myself.

This location is only meters away from the entrance roundabout to Victoria from Gualeguay, 100 meters from the high voltage wires and 1000 meters from El Ceibo Creek, elements that are never missing in cattle mutilations.

I would like to extend my thanks to the Oñativia family, especially Mr. Ignacio, who not only came to find me, but also assisted me in videotaping and photographing the animal, as the dark of night was complete.

Here is the link to the original article: Mutilation

Study: Wind Spreads Disease Faster Than Thought

Plant and human diseases that travel with the wind can spread more quickly than previously believed, according to a study at Oregon State University and elsewhere. The findings cause concern not only for some human diseases but also a new fungus that threatens global wheat production.

The research concludes that invading diseases do not always progress in an orderly, constant rate and that some airborne pathogens can actually accelerate as they move.

"It's now becoming clear that some types of diseases can spread more rapidly and widely than we anticipated," said Chris Mundt, a professor of plant pathology at OSU. "This makes it especially important, in some cases, to stop a spreading disease quickly if you hope to stop it at all."

The studies explain, in part, how West Nile Virus spread so rapidly across the United States when experts had been expecting a slower movement.

They help analyze the progression of some historic disease problems, such as the potato blight that led to the Irish potato famine of the mid-1840s. And they suggest that a new fungal wheat pathogen that emerged a few years ago in Uganda may be a bigger threat to world production than first thought.

Mundt, an international expert on pathogens of several important food crops, has studied wheat stem rust for years.

"If we didn't have crops that could resist wheat stem rust, we pretty much wouldn't have a wheat industry," Mundt said. "From this pathogen we've learned a lot about plant disease resistance in general.

"And this new study confirms that it is crucial to get prepared for the rapid spread of a new variety of wheat stem rust that appeared in Uganda in 1999."

The new wheat stem rust, Mundt said, could attack 75 percent of the world's known wheat varieties, and in a bad year might cause up to 50 percent crop losses in some areas.

"We don't want to suggest that the sky is falling, but major losses could occur if the right set of conditions converges," Mundt said. "This is something that we shouldn't take a chance on. It's already spread to Iran, and the new research shows that its global spread may be about to pick up speed."

He said there is little time to waste. "This wheat disease problem could be global within a few years," Mundt said. "We would be foolish to ignore it."

Most plant and animal diseases spread by contact or proximity tend to move in a fairly predictable way, researchers say. But some carried by wind-carried spores or migrating birds can spread rapidly.

From 2004-06 the avian bird flu spread across parts of Africa, Europe and Asia through migrating birds. From New York City in 1999, the West Nile Virus spread across most of North America within three years.

"It was surprising to see how closely the spread of very different plant, animal and human diseases followed the same mathematical relationship," Mundt said. "This is giving us a better ability to predict how various types of diseases may move, and hopefully prepare for them."

The study was published recently in The American Naturalist, a professional journal.

Here is the link to the original story: Wind

Lao province at risk of bird flu outbreak

HANOI, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Many areas of Phongsaly province of Laos are at risk of infection from the H5N1 bird flu virus as local people are continuing to bring in poultry and eggs illegally from neighboring countries, the Lao newspaper Vientiane Times reported Monday.

Provincial authorities find it hard to identify when and where there's a virus outbreak as people can walk or drive across and engage in casual trade of poultry easily at border areas without checkpoints, said provincial Livestock and Fisheries Deputy Head Somnith Keoboun-ngune.

Last month there was an outbreak of the virus in Khua district, Phongsaly province. Now the outbreak is over and the district was declared bird-flu free today, said Somnith.

To prevent the spread of the virus to other districts, the provincial avian influenza control committee together with district and village committees culled about 2,600 poultry in 11 villages and set up checkpoints, said Somnith.

The provincial livestock and fisheries sector will work with the sectors concerned in leading a public campaign about bird flu, said Somnith.


Here is the link to the original report: Bird Flu

What Is EV71 And Why Are Kids Dying In China?

Here is some important information realting to the spread of hand, foot and mouth disease in china.

The recent outbreak in China of enterovirus 71 has been called Hand, foot and mouth disease. HFMD is a common illness in infants and children. In most cases it is a mild condition that doesn’t require medical treatment and goes away in 7 to 10 days.
While HFMD is a common ailment of children and is widespread in North American daycares the virus in China is the EV71 which is a much more serious form. The main concern isn’t the virus itself but the syndromes that can come from it including acute flaccid paralysis (similar to paralytic poliomyelitis), bulbar and brain encephalitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and rapidly fatal pulmonary edema and hemorrhage.

In 1998 a huge outbreak took place in Taiwan. From March to December 1998 there were 129,106 cases of the disease reported in the nation’s children. That is just the reported cases. It was estimated that the total number of children that came down with the disease was over one million. 405 children had the most severe cases and in 19.3 percent of those cases death was the final outcome. All of the children who died were under the age of five although older children did have severe cases.

In an autopsy it was revealed that the presence of the EV 17 virus had invaded the spinal cord. When these children went to hospital they have generally already suffered for 2 to 4 days with high fevers. Once they were so sick that they were hospitalized the children died within 24 hours. Almost all of the children in the Taiwan outbreak died from pulmonary edema and hemorrhage or after they developed brain-stem encephalitis.

While prior to the outbreak in Taiwan it was thought that the only mode of transmission was fecal-oral it has started to be believed that it can also be transmitted by respiratory transmission.

The transmission of this disease can linger for months after recovery as it stays present in the feces for at least two months.

There is no set treatment for the virus. Rather doctors have to wait for a symptom to develop and then treat.

Once a child has HFMD they should be excluded from child care and school until any blisters have healed. If a child has Enterovirus 71 neurological disease they should be isolated from other children until their feces are clear of the virus.

China is in the early stages of this disease. With 22 children having already died in Fuyang it is sad to say but chances are the virus will be present during the time span of the Summer Games in Beijing.

There have already been reports of other areas in the Anhui provision where Fuyang is of children being ill and two probable deaths from the virus.

Will Beijing be safe for the athletes come August? Because the virus is most prevalent in young children it would appear so. Still that leads to the question of the safety of the youngest tourist coming to witness the games. There is a slim chance that children should stay away if the virus spreads to Beijing. It is always better to err on the side of caution when considering the risks to children’s health.


Here is the link to the original source: EV71

China hand, foot and mouth virus epidemic getting worse

China is asking medical personnel countrywide to go house-to-house to help stop an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease which has now killed 19 children thus far this year.

“The epidemic is getting worse and infections are expected to peak between May and July,” Deng Haihua, director of the information office of the Ministry of Health (MOH), stated in a press conference.

40 Chinese children died in the spring of 2008 and thousands more were infected when the sickness was linked with enterovirus 71, which could cause a severe form of the disease characterised by high fever, paralysis and meningitis.

Heze city reported 1,734 HFMD cases between Jan. 1 and midnight Friday, according to the city’s health bureau. Just on Friday, 440 cases were reported

The hand, foot and mouth virus typically affects babes and children. Although some cases can be deadly, most are mild with children recovering quickly. It is spread by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the stool of infected persons.

Here is the link to the original story: China

New Radio Program!

We are trying something new here at the Worldview blog. We have created the Worldview Radio Program!

Today we did the first ever broadcast! It was not that good but we are still learning and trying to figure out how everything works.

Here is the link to the program: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Trevor-Hammack




During the program I mentioned the situation in China and the spread of hand, foot and mouth disease. I had a number of people ask questions about this so here is some additonal information:


China county accused of child virus cover-up

BEIJING, March 24 (Reuters) - Chinese state media accused a local government on Tuesday of covering up the number of children suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease and the number of deaths.

The government of Minquan county in central Henan province said only one child was killed by the virus, but there may be at least 10 more deaths cases in the region, the official China National Radio said on its website (www.cnr.cn).

"(The death toll) should be no less than double figures," the report said, citing anonymous hospital sources. Double figures in Chinese means more than 10.

Hand, foot and mouth is a common childhood illness and rarely fatal, but it can cause fever, mouth sores and rashes with blisters.

There were possibly more than 2,000 children who had been infected by the disease, contradicting the official number of 277, since January, the report added, citing two doctors in Minquan People's Hospital.

Several officials had been punished for "failing to act" to contain the disease, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Calls to the Henan Health Bureau and Minquan local government went unanswered.

Xinhua said two toddlers died from hand, foot and mouth disease in neighbouring Shandong province. There were more than 502 cases in the city, a "high increase" from the same period last year, it said.

Earlier this year, a 17-month-old boy died of the disease in Lixin county in neighbouring Anhui province.

More than 40 Chinese children died in the spring of 2008 and thousands were infected when the illness was linked with enterovirus 71, which can cause a severe form of the disease characterised by high fever, paralysis and meningitis.

An outbreak in Fuyang, also in Anhui, was not made public until late April last year, provoking calls for officials to be sacked and triggering memories of the deadly SARS epidemic in 2003 that was also initially covered up.

Here is the link to the original report: Virus





more to come on this subject

China on high alert for virus that has killed 19 kids

The following is being reported by GMA News:

BEIJING – China's health minister has urged medical workers to fan out across the country's rural areas to detect and prevent cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease, which has already killed 19 children this year, state media reported Sunday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Chen Zhu told health officials to visit every village and household in the countryside to check for cases of the child virus, after health officials said Friday that more than 41,000 cases had been detected as of March 27.

The report said the virus has killed 19 children this year, one higher than the figure given on Friday.

The outbreak appears more widespread than in recent years, based on previously released data, with about twice the number of children infected compared to the same period last year.

Chen said in a teleconference Saturday that local health authorities should report such infections promptly to the ministry and that experts should be sent to help in places where the disease is prevalent, Xinhua reported.

The disease typically strikes infants and children, and while occasionally deadly, most cases are mild, with children recovering quickly after suffering little more than a fever and rash.

State media reported last year that the virus sickened 27,000 people and killed dozens in the first few months of 2008 before reports of outbreaks subsided in May. China's central Anhui was the worst-hit province with 26 deaths. It's not known how many died nationwide.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is characterized by fever, mouth sores and a rash with blisters. It is spread by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the stool of infected persons. It is not related to hoof and mouth disease, which infects cattle, sheep and pigs.

Here is the link to the original story: Virus


Links to additional reports:


18 children fall victim to disease outbreak

China is facing a serious situation in the control of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) with 41,846 cases recorded so far this year as of Thursday, resulting in the deaths of 18 infants, a senior health official said on Friday.

"The epidemic is getting worse and infections are expected to peak between May and July," Deng Haihua, director of the information office of the Ministry of Health (MOH), told a press conference.


Contagious disease kills 18 kids in PRC

Highly infectious hand, foot and mouth disease has killed 18 children and infected nearly 42,000 in China this year, with the peak period still to come, a government official said yesterday.
"Currently the situation in our country on controlling the hand, foot and mouth disease is rather serious," health ministry spokesman Deng Haihua told journalists.

"The epidemic is in a stage of increasing... and we expect the peak period will come between May and June."

More to come...

Africanized Honey Bees

The following was reported by the, East Valley Tribun.

Five emergency calls in five hours were enough to prompt fire officials here to put out word that bee season has arrived, and that it could be a busy one after a wet winter.

Bees swarm in the spring as groups break away from overcrowded colonies, often setting up hives in places that bring them in contact with people. That’s no small issue with aggressive Africanized honeybees established around Arizona.

“When you run into bees and there’s an actual attack, immediately call 911. Do not delay,” said Hugh Chase, a public information officer with the Phoenix Fire Department.

Kevin Hodgson, owner of The Beekeeper: Total Bee Control, joined Chase at a news conference last week to show bees and a honeycomb he’d removed that morning from a tree in a woman’s front yard. It’s been a busy season so far because of winter rain, he said.

“When it rains a lot, there’s more pollen and nectar on the plants,” he said. “That gives the bees a lot of food, which increases the number of swarms.”

Osman Kaftanoglu, project manager of the School of Life Sciences´ Honey Bee Research Laboratory at Arizona State University’s Polytechnic Campus in Mesa, said all indications point to many swarms this spring.

“It will be a busy bee season and there will be a lot of swarms this month and next month,” Kaftanoglu said. “Due to the winter rains there are a lot of flowers blooming this time of year.”

However, Diana Sammataro, a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, said it’s impossible to predict what will happen.

“There’s no way of knowing because no one is tracking where swarms come from,” Sammataro said. “Bee season depends on how many colonies there are in the winter, the climate and the location.”

Africanized honeybees are dangerous to humans and pets because they respond aggressively and in large numbers to perceived threats, making them far more dangerous than European honeybees. The so-called killer bees arrived in southern Arizona in 1993 and since have been found in every county.

Those who are attacked should run away from the bees or get inside buildings, closing doors behind them. Diving into a pool doesn’t help; the bees will wait for a person to surface.

Chase, with the Phoenix Fire Department, said the best protection is taking steps to avoid provoking bees, such as staying on hiking trails and not trying to take a closer look at a bee hive.

Here is the link to the original story: Bees



Here is an additional report:


Officials: Wet winter could make for a busy bee season









Here is the link to the above video report: Killer Bees

More information to come...

Cat Mutilations

A few day's ago I posted an article on Cattle Mutilations. You can read that post at this link: Cattle

Today I came across a report about Cat Mutilations happening in Texas.

CORPUS CHRISTI TEXAS:

A cat was found mutilated with only its head and leg found in the Southside Tuesday night and a detective is currently investigating the crime.

According to CrimeStoppers, there have already been 13 cat mutilations in the city since April. Tuesday's cat mutilation happened on the 4200 block of Yorktown.

A man was riding his bike down the road when he spotted parts of a cat's body dumped on the ground. After his discovery, he immediately called police.

"The parts that we saw this morning was just the head, right behind the ears and one foreleg from the shoulder down," Veternarian Tom House with Animal Care Services said.

House said he wasn't sure what happened to the rest of the body.

He also said the straight cuts on the flesh and bone indicate the cuts were made by a knife or ax. He said he had seen six cats in the past two months that have been cut up in the same way. Since April, he had seen three other cats brought into Animal Care Services that appeared to have been part of a ritual mutilation with dissections done.

The incisions were made like those you'd see in an autopsy, he added.

"It was definitely a straight cut so it was not something that was done by another animal where there's anything that was ripped or torn," Field Supervisor Richard Gould said.

Residents in the neighborhood were shocked that was a cat killer on the loose.

"I had no idea that is cause for concern," resident Amanda Comstock said.

The mutilations began in 2006 and since then, several cats have disappeared or have been found mutilated.

Officials at Animal Care Services are recommending that people keep their cats indoors because Halloween isn't too far away.

Apparently, during September and October, Animal Care workers said they start to see more of the same type of crimes. Most of the cats that have been mutilated have been black and some have been white.

A detective was assigned to investigate the cat mutilations but no arrests have ever been made.

Here is the link to the original report: Cat



Here is a report from 2008

Mutilated Cat Found On City's South Side


I found a site that is encouraging people to sign a petition to stop Cat Mutilations and Murder in San Antonio.

This is from the site:

In recent months we have had a serious rash of cat (& some dog) mutilations and murders in San Antonio, TX USA. The latest was a black cat that had acid poured on its tail. In one neighborhood people found their pets cut into pieces on their front lawns. Black cats are the most frequent target, but other cats and some dogs have been tortured and murdered also.

Here is the link: Stop



Here is information on a 2007 case

Police solve cat mutilations mystery

After 16 family pets were mutilated in a North Texas community, police feared a budding serial killer was at large.

A team of detectives investigated and they believe they now have answers.

When Shaun Trotter looks at his seven-month-old kitten, he remembers another cat with the same markings, and the same precocious personality.

That cat darted through the door one evening this spring.

"About ten minutes later, we went out and tried looking for her and couldn't find her," said Trotter.

Her picture eventually joined a growing file of cats killed in the small town of DeCordova.

Many, like Trotter's cat, were found dead on the golf course.

"Around March of 2007, we started discovering, getting reports, of half cats that were being discovered at scenes in DeCordova," said Detective Johnny Rose of Hood County Sheriff's office.

The sheriff formed a team of investigators to figure out what was happening.

One of their biggest steps: secretly putting up cameras in the neighborhood around the golf course to figure out who, or what, was coming out at night.

"It's been shown in other studies of serial killers that they start out mutilating animals and gradually start with humans. So we were afraid they were going to graduate to killing humans," said Rose.

But the cameras found, sprinting past the light, predators, not humans.

This month, after hundreds of man hours, a forensics expert and a zoologist confirmed deputies' detectives' suspicions.

"[They] ruled the cats were being killed by predators, such as coyotes," Rose said.

In all, Rose blames 16 cat mutilations on the coyotes in DeCordova.

But while Rose is now confident of the culprits, he's less certain of how to keep them away.

As long as kittens here play outside, there will be coyotes waiting for them.


Here is the link: Solved



The following is from Earthfiles.com

On March 18, 2009, Corpus Cristi police investigated a cat found cut in half near the city’s Club Estates Elementary School on the south side of Corpus Christi. The cat was cut cleanly through its middle with a smooth incision. Its organs had been removed and were not at the scene. 31 cat mutilations have been reported to Corpus Christi police since April 2008. Twelve of those 31 cats have been found in the same general area on the south side of the city. Police have no suspects and have not made any arrests. Anyone with information, please call Corpus Christi CrimeStoppers at: 361-888-8477.

Over the years, recurring cycles of cat mutilations have been reported in England, Canada and many states in America. Texas has had repeated cat mutilations in Corpus Cristi, San Antonio, Austin, and Plano, Texas, an affluent suburb north of Dallas. In 1991, 1993 and the late 1990s, Texas police received dozens of reports about cats found cut in half, usually with the front half near the owners' yards or sidewalks. Plano Police Detective Mike Box also had missing reports on more than 80 domestic house cats that wore collars and I. D. tags, but were never found. Detective Box investigated satanic cult activities, but could not find any evidence that connected them to the mutilated and missing cats and other animals such as dogs.

Here is the link to the original article. Beware there is a photo of the mutilated cat: Story


More to come as I find new information.

Meningitis kills over 1,100 West Africans - WHO

One third of the world’s stockpiled meningitis vaccine doses have been dispatched to West Africa where an outbreak has killed more than 1,100 people since January, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.

Meningitis is an infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Infection rates in Africa tend to rise during the dry and hot period from January to May.

So far this year, the WHO said nearly 25,000 suspect cases have been reported across the “meningitis belt” that stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia, with 85 percent of those concentrated in Niger and Nigeria. WHO says 300 million people in that area are at risk of the disease every year.

The current epidemic is the biggest these countries have faced in the past five years,” said Fadela Chaib, a spokeswoman for the U.N. agency.

In response, more than 4 million meningitis vaccine doses - one third of the world’s emergency stockpile of 13 million doses - have been released to boost immunity levels in those two countries, she told a news briefing in Geneva.

In the past week alone, 171 people have died in Nigeria and about 30 in Niger from meningitis, which spreads mainly through kisses, sneezes, coughs, and in close living quarters, especially when people share cups, forks, and spoons.

“We will need a large amount of vaccines,” Chaib said. “The stockpile of vaccines is a limited one.”

MORTALITY RATE

The largest recorded meningitis outbreak in the African high-risk zone, where like polio the disease is endemic, occurred in 1996-1997 when an estimated 100,000 people were infected in Nigeria and 50,000 in Niger.

Symptoms include a stiff neck, fever, sensitivity to light, confusion, headaches and vomiting. About 5 to 10 percent of patients die within 24-48 hours of the onset of symptoms, even with quick diagnosis and therapy. Up to 20 percent of people who survive infection with bacterial meningitis suffer brain damage, hearing loss, or learning disability.

“During the dry season...because of dust winds and upper respiratory tract infections due to cold nights, the local immunity of the pharynx is diminished, increasing the risk of meningitis,” a WHO factsheet said. Population movements to pilgrimages and large markets also contribute to epidemics.

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation last year approved millions of dollars in funding to buy more meningitis vaccines for use during epidemics in Africa.

Those purchases should start soon, said a spokesman for the Geneva-based GAVI, which is backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and whose financing arm raises money for vaccine programmes through the sale of bonds in capital markets.

Meningitis vaccines are made by major pharmaceutical companies including Novartis and Wyeth.

Here is the link to the original story: Meningitis

Meningitis epidemic strikes

More than 200 people have died of meningitis in the past week alone in Niger and Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization.

Before we look at the current situation let's take the time to ensure we know the basics:

What is Meningitis?



Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person's spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. People sometimes refer to it as spinal meningitis. Meningitis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Knowing whether meningitis is caused by a virus or bacterium is important because the severity of illness and the treatment differ. Viral meningitis is generally less severe and resolves without specific treatment, while bacterial meningitis can be quite severe and may result in brain damage, hearing loss, or learning disability. For bacterial meningitis, it is also important to know which type of bacteria is causing the meningitis because antibiotics can prevent some types from spreading and infecting other people. Before the 1990s, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis, but new vaccines being given to all children as part of their routine immunizations have reduced the occurrence of invasive disease due to H. influenzae. Today, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis are the leading causes of bacterial meningitis.
Source: CDC


What are the signs and symptoms of meningitis?

High fever, headache, and stiff neck are common symptoms of meningitis in anyone over the age of 2 years. These symptoms can develop over several hours, or they may take 1 to 2 days. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, discomfort looking into bright lights, confusion, and sleepiness. In newborns and small infants, the classic symptoms of fever, headache, and neck stiffness may be absent or difficult to detect, and the infant may only appear slow or inactive, or be irritable, have vomiting, or be feeding poorly. As the disease progresses, patients of any age may have seizures.
Source: CDC

How is meningitis diagnosed?

Early diagnosis and treatment are very important. If symptoms occur, the patient should see a doctor immediately. The diagnosis is usually made by growing bacteria from a sample of spinal fluid. The spinal fluid is obtained by performing a spinal tap, in which a needle is inserted into an area in the lower back where fluid in the spinal canal is readily accessible. Identification of the type of bacteria responsible is important for selection of correct antibiotics.



Can meningitis be treated?

Bacterial meningitis can be treated with a number of effective antibiotics. It is important, however, that treatment be started early in the course of the disease. Appropriate antibiotic treatment of most common types of bacterial meningitis should reduce the risk of dying from meningitis to below 15%, although the risk is higher among the elderly.



Is meningitis contagious?

Yes, some forms of bacterial meningitis are contagious. The bacteria are spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions (i.e., coughing, kissing). Fortunately, none of the bacteria that cause meningitis are as contagious as things like the common cold or the flu, and they are not spread by casual contact or by simply breathing the air where a person with meningitis has been.

However, sometimes the bacteria that cause meningitis have spread to other people who have had close or prolonged contact with a patient with meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis (also called meningococcal meningitis) or Hib. People in the same household or day-care center, or anyone with direct contact with a patient's oral secretions (such as a boyfriend or girlfriend) would be considered at increased risk of acquiring the infection. People who qualify as close contacts of a person with meningitis caused by N. meningitidis should receive antibiotics to prevent them from getting the disease. Antibiotics for contacts of a person with Hib meningitis disease are no longer recommended if all contacts 4 years of age or younger are fully vaccinated against Hib disease

Source: CDC


Let's return to the current situation:

LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- More than 200 people have died of meningitis in the past week alone in Niger and Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization.


The disease is an epidemic in 76 areas of the two countries, the health agency reported Wednesday.

A spokesman for W.H.O. in Nigeria, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, said Saturday that the outbreak is bigger than usual and stretches across the African meningitis belt from east- to west-sub-Saharan Africa.

The outbreak began around the start of the year, Soyinka told CNN. It usually peaks in the dry season because of dust, winds and cold nights, before dipping around May when the rains come, he said.

A shortage of vaccines means officials are relying on "effective prevention," in which they watch for outbreaks and then vaccinate people in the epicenter and surrounding areas, Soyinka told CNN.

There have been nearly 25,000 suspected cases and more than 1,500 deaths in the meningitis belt in the first 11 weeks of the year, W.H.O. reported. More than 85 percent of those cases happened in northern Nigeria and Niger.


Nigeria's Ministry of Health has reported 17,462 suspected cases of meningococcal disease, including 960 deaths, the world health agency said. In the past week, it reported 4,164 suspected cases with 171 deaths.

Sixty-six local government areas in Nigeria have crossed the epidemic threshold. Epidemic thresholds are a way the W.H.O. confirms the emergence of an epidemic so it can step up vaccinations and other management measures.

Niger's Ministry of Health has reported 4,513 suspected cases of meningococcal disease, including 169 deaths, since the start of the year. In the past week, 1,071 suspected cases and 30 deaths have been reported, the W.H.O. said.

Ten of Niger's 42 districts have crossed the epidemic threshold.

By comparison, other countries are reporting fewer than 50 cases a week.

Meningitis is an infection of the meninges, the thin lining that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. Several different bacteria can cause meningitis but Neisseria meningitidis -- which is to blame for this outbreak -- is one of the most significant because of its potential to cause epidemics.

Health authorities have released 2.3 million doses of vaccine to Nigeria and 1.9 million doses to Niger, the W.H.O. said.

Here is the link to the original story: Nigeria

Here are additional reports about this story:


Meningitis Outbreak Grips Sub-Saharan Africa

The World Health Organization says Sub-Saharan Africa is in the grips of a meningitis outbreak. It says the two West African countries of Niger and Nigeria are the most heavily affected.

The World Health Organization reports nearly 25,000 suspected cases of meningitis, including more than 1,500 deaths, have been reported during the first 11 weeks of this year. WHO says 85 percent of the cases and deaths have occurred in Northern Nigeria and Niger.


Meningitis death toll reaches 960 in Nigeria; 17,000 people infected

GENEVA — The death toll from a severe outbreak of meningitis in Nigeria has risen to 960.

The World Health Organization says some 17,000 people have been infected with the disease since Jan. 1.

WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib says it is the first time there have been so many cases in northern Nigeria, an area she describes as being outside the usual African "meningitis belt."

Chaib says a total of 17,462 cases of meningitis have been reported in the three-month outbreak in Africa's most populous country and that the WHO and other agencies are helping to vaccinate people against the disease.


Meningitis kills more than 1100 West Africans: WHO

Cattle Mutilations

A topic that shows up constantly around the Internet is Cattle Mutilations.


Let's take an in-depth look at the subject:


Cattle mutilation (also known as bovine excision[1]) is the apparent killing and then mutilation of cattle under unusual or anomalous circumstances. Sheep and horses have been allegedly mutilated under similar circumstances.

Since the time that reports of purported animal mutilations began, the causes have been attributed variously to natural decomposition, normal predators, cryptid predators, extraterrestrials, secretive governmental or military agencies, and cults. "Mutilations" have been the subject of two independent federal investigations in the United States.

Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Cattle Mutilation Phenomena refers to thousands of cases in North America where cattle have been found mutilated under abnormal circumstances. Sheep, horses or even humans have also been similarly mutilated, according to some accounts. Many mutilated cattle have been found marked with fluorescent paint, probably to help identify them in the dark.

The cows are found dead (although the cause of death is undetermined), exsanguinated (all their blood has been removed). Precise "laser-precision" cuts are observed in the mutilated cattle. They have had certain organs surgically removed from their bodies. Often their reproductive and rectal organs have been removed.

Source: www.crystalinks.com



I did some searching and found this FBI report on the subject:


The material concerning the Animal Mutilation Project contains accounts of animal mutilations which were reported during the late 1970's. The FBI became involved when fifteen mutilations occurred in New Mexico. Various theories concerning the origins of the mutilations were explored by the FBI, including satanic cults, UFOs, pranksters, and natural predators. The investigation failed to identify any individuals responsible for the mutilations.

Here is the link to the 5 part report:

FBI


Latest Cattle Mutilation news reports:


Third cattle mutilation found in county Trinidad Times Independent - ‎14 hours ago


‎
A cattle was found mutilated on a ranch in northern Las Animas County last weekend, the third to be found in such a state this month.

The mutilated cow was owned by Jim Garren, and found at about 1:30 p.m. March 21 by his ranch manager on Garren's land located about 12.5 miles southeast of Walsenburg.

"Her udder had been surgically removed," Garren said. "And that's the extent...there wasn't any other trauma on the cow at all."

The two-and-a-half year old Kobe and Angus crossbreed had last been seen at feeding time the previous day. It had also given birth to a calf that night that was discovered hiding in the brush about 50 yards from the carcass.

Garren said that he noticed no tracks around the carcass. "No marks, no disturbance of any kind of the soil," he said. "She was partially underneath a juniper tree, and there was no breakage in the tree, no branches or anything; it just looked like the cow had laid down very peacefully; there was no trauma on the cow, on her head or any parts of her body, we could find zero holes."

Garren added, "There wasn't any blood around anywhere."

Asked if he was aware of the other cattle mutilations that have taken place around the county recently, Garren replied, "Yeah, I just didn't think it would happen to me; guess I got elected."

Garren contacted authorities after discovering the carcass and was put in touch with the local brand inspector.

The first of the new wave of cattle mutilations reported in Las Animas County occurred March 8 to a cow owned by Trinidad School District No. 1 instructor Mike Duran. That cow had been discovered by Duran lying dead on its side by a stream at his winter grazing pastures west of Weston, it's udder and uterus removed. The second mutilation, a week old calf, was discovered March 17 by owner Tom Miller on his ranch east of Hoehne.

Miller reported that the only things left on the calf was some hide, the forelegs and its neck and head. "All the rest of the organs were gone...you could look right into the ribcage and everything," Miller said during a previous interview, adding that the hipbones on the calf were also broken.

Miller and Duran both reported a previous mutilation as having occurred in their herds in the mid-to-late 1990s. Garren said the March 21 mutilation was his first.

"He probably picked my best bred heifer out of the whole herd," Garren said. "That's the way it goes; when you lose one it's your best one."

Through the county's brand inspector Garren was put in touch with Chuck Zukowski, a field investigator from the Mutual UFO Network who also investigated the Duran and Miller mutilations.

"What was interesting about the Garren mutilation is that the stomach tissue was still there," Zukowski said. "You figure if a predator would get it, it would not only go for the udder but also take the stomach tissue."

Zukowski noted that predators seemed to have gotten to the carcass somewhat the following night, but that pictures taken upon discovery of the carcass that afternoon showed it untouched.

"It was just completely incomprehensible how anything or a body, person or whatever would have the ability to do that without leaving some sort of signatures around," Garren said.


Here are more recent reports:

Two more cows found mutilated


Two more Southern Colorado ranchers say they have discovered cows mutilated under strange circumstances.

A cow on a ranch near Walsenburg was found with its udders cut off and a calf on a ranch near Trinidad was found missing the entire center of its body as well as its ears.

A similar mutilation was discovered March 8 on a pasture near the Purgatoire River, just west of the small town of Weston. That cow was found dead by rancher Mike Duran with its udders and reproductive organs surgically removed from its body.


Mutilated Cows Still A Big Mystery


WALSENBURG - In the past month, three different ranchers in Southern Colorado have all reported that their cows were mutilated.

The first was reported at the Purgatoire River near Weston, ten days later, another report came in, this time in Trinidad. And the most recent case came last Sunday, when yet another cow was found dead near Walsenburg.

Three Separate cows, three separate ranchers...all with the same bizarre story. Each of them found one of their cows' dead...and we're not talking death by natural causes...the cows were reportedly mutilated. NEWSCHANNEL 13 received pictured to prove it, some of them are too disturbing to show.



Then we have this report:

Colorado rancher blames aliens for cattle mutilations


There are many theories to who is reponsible for the mutilations:

Here are a few

Cults
Closely related to the deviant hypothesis is the hypothesis that cattle mutilations are the result of cult activity.[19] However, contrary to the deviancy hypothesis, which holds that cattle are mutilated at random by individual deviants, the cult hypothesis holds that cattle mutilations are coordinated acts of ritual sacrifice carried out by organized groups.

Beliefs held by proponents of the cult hypothesis vary, but may include:

That the apparent absence of blood at mutilation sites may indicate cult members drink it

That organs have been removed from cattle for use in rituals

That unborn calves have been harvested from mutilated cattle.

The hypothesis that cults were responsible for cattle mutilation was developed in the U.S. during the 1970s, a time of growing national concern over cults issues

It became a social phenomenon in areas where cattle were being mutilated and there were several panics when it was claimed that cattle mutilations were a 'warm up' in preparation for human sacrifices

Source: Wikipedia


The next theory is:

Government/military experimentation

In his 1997 article “Dead Cows I've Known”[26], cattle mutilation researcher Charles T Oliphant speculates cattle mutilation to be the result of covert research into emerging cattle diseases, and the possibility they could be transmitted to humans.

Oliphant posits the NIH, CDC, or other federally funded bodies, may be involved, and they are supported by the US military. Part of his hypothesis is based on allegations that human pharmaceuticals have been found in mutilated cattle, and on the necropsies that show cattle mutilations commonly involve areas of the animal that relate to “input, output and reproduction”. To support his hypothesis, Oliphant cites a previous case in which plain clothes military officers, traveling in unmarked vehicles, entered a research facility in Reston, Virginia to secretly retrieve and destroy animals that were contaminated with a highly infectious disease.

Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Then we have:

Aliens and UFOs

Various hypotheses suggest cattle mutilations have been committed by aliens gathering genetic material for unknown purposes. Most of these hypotheses are based on the premise that earthly entities could not perform such clean dissections in such a short space of time without being seen or leaving evidence behind at the mutilation site, and around laboratory reports suggesting the use of unconventional cutting tools and other unexpected phenomena.
Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Many people are very skeptical of such theories:

cattle mutiliation - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com



The Straight Dope: What's the story with cattle mutilations?

New wheat disease could spread faster than originally thought

EOnow.com reported the following:

CORVALLIS - A study by Oregon State University and other institutions has shown that wind-borne human and plant diseases have the potential to spread far more rapidly than previously understood.

The findings, which were published in "The American Naturalist," pose serious concerns for some diseases, including a new fungus that threatens global wheat production.

"It's now becoming clear that some types of diseases can spread more rapidly and widely than we anticipated," said Chris Mundt, a professor of plant pathology at OSU. "This makes it especially important, in some cases, to stop a spreading disease quickly if you hope to stop it at all."

The studies help to explain, for example, how West Nile Virus spread so rapidly across the United States when experts expected a slow, methodical progression. They also aid the analysis of historic diseases, such as the potato blight that led to the Irish potato famine in the mid-1840s.

Researchers used stripe rust, a wheat disease that has spores that can spread on the wind, as a model to help explain how wind-borne pathogens can move. Mundt, an international expert on pathogens of several important food crops, has studied stripe rust for years.

"If we didn't have crops that could resist wheat stem rust, we pretty much wouldn't have a wheat industry," Mundt said. "From this pathogen we've learned a lot about plant disease resistance in general, and also how pathogens can move and spread. And this new study confirms that it is crucial to get prepared for the rapid spread of a new variety of wheat stem rust that appeared in Uganda in 1999."

That new type of wheat stem rust, Mundt said, has the potential to attack 75 percent of the world's known wheat varieties, and in a bad year might cause up to 50 percent crop losses in some parts of the world. Scientists are aware of the problem and are working on developing resistant wheat varieties, Mundt added.

"We don't want to suggest that the sky is falling, but major losses could occur if the right set of conditions converges," Mundt said. "This is something that we shouldn't take a chance on. It's already spread to Iran, and the new research shows that its global spread may be about to pick up speed."

Most plant and animal diseases that are spread by contact or close proximity tend to move in a fairly predictable and constant rate of speed, researchers say. However, a significant number of pathogens can be borne by wind-carried spores or migrating birds. In those cases, even though only small amounts of an invading pathogen may show up at any one remote spot, it has the potential to get a foothold and spread rapidly at this distant location - giving the invading pathogen the ability to literally accelerate as the epidemic spreads.

In just two years from 2004-06, the avian bird flu spread across parts of three continents in Africa, Europe and Asia, carried by migrating birds. From an initial source of infection in New York City in 1999, the West Nile Virus spread across most of North America within three years, and soon thereafter to the entire Western Hemisphere.

The spread of these diseases seems to follow very definable mathematical formulas, researchers found.

Here is the link to the original story:

Wheat

Man survived both atomic bombings

Ever had a really bad day? I am not talking about a normal bad day but one that should be recorded in the history books?

Let me tell you about a day that tops all bad days!

Imagine it is August 6, 1945 and you are on a buisness trip in the city of Hiroshima! Everything is going ok until a US plane dropped the first atomic bomb.You suffer serious burns but are released the next day and travel back to your hometown, Nagasaki. You are thankful you survived. Then suddenly on August 9,1945 the US drops another atomic bomb! If that is not amzing enough consider this, you survice the second bombing as well! I know, you are thinking come on that is impossible. Meet Tsutomu Yamaguchi:

The following is from the BBC:


Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on 6 August 1945 when a US plane dropped the first atomic bomb.

He suffered serious burns and spent a night there before returning to his home city of Nagasaki just before it was bombed on 9 August.

He said he hoped his experience held a lesson of peace for future generations.

'Horrifying history'

It was already recorded that Mr Yamaguchi had survived the Nagasaki bomb but on Tuesday officials recognised that he had been in Hiroshima as well.

Certification as a hibakusha or radiation survivor qualifies Japanese citizens for government compensation, including medical check-ups, and funeral costs.

His double dose of atomic bombs, however, does not mean Mr Yamaguchi's compensation will increase, a Nagasaki city official said.

"My double radiation exposure is now an official government record," Mr Yamaguchi told reporters.

"It can tell the younger generation the horrifying history of the atomic bombings even after I die."

About 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

Many survivors fell sick with radiation-related illnesses, including cancers, for years after the bombings.


Here is the link to the original story: Bomb

Deadly bacteria on EMS equipment

My last two post have been about MRSA and some breaking news. I have been searching for more updates and I ended up finding this report:

News4 WOAI uncovers a new study that finds MRSA could be carried on about one-third of the stethoscopes used by Emergency Medical Service Workers.
Firefighters and EMT workers in San Antonio got an email today as a reminder to clean their instruments.

Stephen Schott has been an EMT for sixteen years and says every morning he scrubs down his ambulance and after every call, he cleans it again.

“There’s so many different patients and so many different medical conditions and germs that are out there. It really does need to be cleaned often.”

A new Reuters study claims an item used on every patient can easily be the carrier of the dangerous and deadly bacteria, MRSA. Dr. Craig Manifold, the Medical Director of the San Antonio Fire Department, explains the study to News4 WOAI.

“The particular study looked at the stethoscope, not something that we typically think of as an item that can be contaminated, but often goes from patient to patient. So I wanted to make sure that they’re aware and go through and refresh their minds on the cleaning processes.”

Manifold says simply wiping down the stethoscopes with alcohol or soap and water after each patient will stop the spread of the infection.

Here is the link to the original story: MRSA

Breakthrough in superbug fight

My previous post was about breaking news dealing with MRSA. Here is an update to that story:

Experts from a university have developed a new way of fighting deadly hospital superbugs, it was revealed.

MRSA and similar infections that are resistant to antibiotics could be tackled following the breakthrough at Queen's University Belfast.

Special salts can be used to kill or prevent the growth of colonies of dangerous germs.

Martyn Earle, from Queen's, said: "Our goal is to design ionic liquids with the lowest possible toxicity to humans while wiping out colonies of bacteria that cause hospital-acquired infections."

There were 229 cases of MRSA in Northern Ireland in 2007, a slight reduction from the previous year. MRSA often strikes weak or elderly patients and can be a factor in their deaths. It can be passed between patients and visitors, and sufferers have to be isolated and special hygiene measures taken.

The development was carried out by eight researchers from the Queen's University Ionic Liquid Laboratories (Quill) centre.

Many types of bacteria, such as MRSA, exist in colonies that adhere to the surfaces of materials.

The colonies often form coatings, known as biofilms, that protect them from antiseptics, disinfectants, and antibiotics.

Assistant director at Quill Mr Earle added: "We have shown that, when pitted against the ionic liquids (salts) we developed and tested, biofilms offer little or no protection to MRSA, or to seven other infectious micro-organisms."

The Queen's work is being supported by an award from Invest NI.

Here is the link to the original story: MRSA



Someone posted a comment about the original story on MRSA. Here is what they wrote:


The Russians found a way to treat MRSA years ago.

Its just that the FDA that restricts there use in the US.

news.bbc.co.uk...

Bacteriophage's are used to treat many hard to treat bacterial infections in Russia and other countries.

Before penicillin they were commonly used in the US.

tahilla.typepad.com...
www.sciencedaily.com...
www.phageinternational.com...

The comments were posted at this link: ATS

Scientists find a new weapon in MRSA war

MRSA

MRSA infection is caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria — often called "staph." MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It's a strain of staph that's resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it. MRSA can be fatal.

Most MRSA infections occur in hospitals or other health care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers. It's known as health care-associated MRSA, or HA-MRSA. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at most risk of HA-MRSA. More recently, another type of MRSA has occurred among otherwise healthy people in the wider community. This form, community-associated MRSA, or CA-MRSA, is responsible for serious skin and soft tissue infections and for a serious form of pneumonia.

Source: Mayo Clinic



Now for some breaking news:

Northern Ireland scientists find a new weapon in MRSA war
Belfast Telegraph - ‎23 minutes ago‎


A new weapon that could help wipe out the deadly MRSA virus has been developed by researchers from Northern Ireland.


Experts from Queen’s University have discovered new agents that can kill colonies of MRSA and other antiboitic resistant hospital-acquired |infections.

The antimicrobial agents also prevent any growth of the potentially lethal bacteria.

The breakthrough was made by a team of eight researchers from the Queen's University Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL) Research Centre led by Brendan Gilmore, a lecturer in Pharmaceutics, and assistant director of QUILL Dr Martyn Earle. The discovery has been published in the |scientific journal, Green Chemistry.

Dr Earle said: “We have shown that, when pitted against the ionic liquids we developed and tested, biofilms offer little or no protection to MRSA, or to seven other infectious microorganisms.

“Our goal is to design ionic liquids with the lowest possible toxicity to humans while wiping out colonies of bacteria that cause hospital acquired infections.”

Many types of bacteria, such as MRSA, exist in colonies that stick to the surfaces of materials. The colonies often form coatings, known as biofilms, which protect them from antiseptics, disinfectant, and |antibiotics.

Ionic liquids, just like the table salt sprinkled on food are salts. They consist entirely of ions — electrically-charged atoms or groups of atoms. Unlike table salt, however, which has to be heated to over 800 degrees celsius to become a liquid, the ionic |liquid antibiofilm agents remain |liquid at the ambient temperatures found in hospitals.

One of the attractions of ionic liquids is the opportunity to tailor their physical, chemical, and biological properties by building specific features into the chemical structures of the positively-charged ions (the cations), and/or the negatively-charged ions (the anions).

Microbial biofilms are not only problematic in hospitals, but can also grow inside water pipes and cause pipe blockages in industrial processes.

Mr Gilmore added: “Ionic liquid based antibiofilm agents could potentially be used for a multitude of medical and industrial applications. For example, they could be used to improve infection control and reduce patient morbidity in hospitals and therefore lighten the financial burden to healthcare providers. They could also be harnessed to improve industrial productivity by reducing biofouling and microbial-induced corrosion of processing systems.”

Here is the link to the original report: MRSA

This is the only report I have found of the story. Will post more information when I find it.


Here is a video that talks about the seriousness of MRSA

Komodo dragons kill Indonesian fisherman

CNN.com reported:

An Indonesian fisherman has been killed by Komodo dragons after he was attacked while trespassing on a remote island in search of fruit, officials said Tuesday.

Before we get to the rest of the stroy let's look at some information about Komodo dragons:

The following was taken from: Zoo.org

Komodo dragons are also known as Komodo monitors, or by the local Indonesian name, "ora." These giant lizards belong to the family Varanidae, which includes 52 species of monitor lizards. All varanids belong to a single genus. Varanus includes very tiny lizards only a few inches long to the immense Komodo dragon. Komodo dragons live on four southeastern Indonesian islands in the Lesser Sunda region: Flores, Gili Motang, Komodo and Rinca. As recent as the 1970s, their habitat also included the island of Padar.

Habitat
Komodo dragons inhabit hot, seasonally arid grasslands, savannas and monsoon forests. They live mostly in the lowlands, but have occasionally been found at elevations up to 1,967 feet (600 m).

Physical Characteristics
Male length: Commonly up to 9 feet (2.75 m) long, including tail, although the record is slightly over 10 feet (3 m).
Males and females do not appear to be strikingly different, with the exception of size. A different arrangement of the scales around the genital opening is one distinguishing characteristic between the sexes. Adult Komodos are mostly black, green or gray, with patches of yellow-brown or white.

Weight
Male weight: An exceptionally large male can weigh as much as 550 pounds (250 kg) after a large meal (about half that on an empty stomach).
Females tend to be shorter and weigh less: up to 7.5 feet (2.3 m) long, and up to 150 pounds (67.5 kg).

Diet
In the wild: The primary prey for wild adult dragons is the Sunda deer, but they also eat birds, snakes, fish, crabs, snails, small mammals, pigs, water buffalo, eggs, wild horses and younger Komodos. Komodo dragons are also scavengers, and will eat almost any type of carrion.
At the zoo: Mainly rodents, NOT offered alive.

More information about Komodo dragons can be found at these links:

Zoo.org

Komodo dragon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Now that we know a little more about the Komodo dragon, let's return to the story:

Muhamad Anwar, 32, bled to death on his way to hospital after being mauled by the reptiles at Loh Sriaya, in eastern Indonesia's Komodo National Park, the park's general manager Fransiskus Harum told CNN.

"The fisherman was inside the park when he went looking for sugar-apples. The area was forbidden for people to enter as there are a lot of wild dragons," Harum said.

Other fisherman took Anwar to a clinic on nearby Flores Island, east of Bali, but he was declared dead on arrival, he added.

Komodo dragons, the world's heaviest lizards, can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) in length and have a toxic bite that they use to kill prey such as buffalo, returning to feast when the animal succumbs to the poison.

Despite their ungainly appearance, the carnivorous reptiles can run as fast as a dog in short bursts, jump up on their hind legs, and kill animals with a blow of their powerful tails.

Attacks on humans are rare, but Monday's incident is the latest in a series in which the monster lizards -- which have forked tongues and fearsome claws --have killed or injured people.

Last month a park ranger survived after a Komodo dragon climbed the ladder into his hut and savaged his hand and foot. In 2007 an eight-year-old boy died after being mauled.

In June last year, a group of divers who were stranded on an island in the national park -- the dragons' only natural habitat -- had to fend off several attacks from the reptiles before they were rescued.

Park rangers also tell the cautionary tale of a Swiss tourist who vanished leaving nothing but a pair of spectacles and a camera after an encounter with the dragons several years ago.

An endangered species, Komodo are believed to number less than 4,000 in the wild. Access to their habitat is restricted, but tourists can get permits to see them in the wild within the National Park.

All visitors are accompanied by rangers, about 70 of whom are deployed across the park's 60,000 hectares of vegetation and 120,000 hectares of ocean.

Despite a threat of poachers, Komodo dragon numbers are believed to have stabilized in recent years, bolstered by successful breeding campaigns in captivity.

On Monday, a zoo in Surabaya on the Indonesian island of Java reported the arrival of 32 newborn Komodos after the babies all hatched in the past two weeks, the Jakarta Post reported.

Here is the link to the original story: CNN


Here are links to related reports:

Deadly Komodo dragon attack instils fear even from afar

Fruit Picker Killed In Komodo Dragon Attack

Fisherman killed by two Komodo dragons

Bird Flu News

Egypt confirms 59th human case of bird flu: WHO
Xinhua - ‎Mar 23, 2009‎
CAIRO, March 23 (Xinhua) -- A 38-year-old Egyptian woman has contracted the virus of bird flu, bringing the number of human cases of the fatal avian ...

Egypt reports new human case of bird flu: WHO
AFP - ‎Mar 23, 2009‎
GENEVA (AFP) — A 38-year-old woman has been hospitalised after contracting bird flu in Egypt, where some 23 people have been killed by the disease since ...

Egyptian woman contracts bird flu: WHO
Reuters UK - ‎Mar 23, 2009‎
GENEVA (Reuters) - A 38-year-old Egyptian woman has contracted the H5N1 strain of bird flu and is in a stable condition, the World Health Organization (WHO) ...

WHO: Egyptian Woman Contracts Bird Flu
AHN - ‎18 hours ago‎
Cairo, Egypt (AHN) - A 38-year-old Egyptian woman is recuperating from avian influenza infection at a local hospital after contracting the disease on March ...

Avian influenza - situation in Egypt - update 8
World Health Organization (press release) - ‎22 hours ago‎
23 March 2009 -- The Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt has reported a new confirmed human case of Avian Influenza. The case is a 38-year old female ...

What's that mysterious light in the night sky?

Times of Malta reported:

For more than a month, a bright light in the sky has been astounding those who see it, making them wonder what it is.

Almost every evening, soon after sunset, the bright light appears over the Floriana church, moving to Lija and then onto Ta' Qali. An hour later, it just disappears into thin air, according to eyewitnesses.

But what is this light? A star, a planet...or an unidentified flying object? And does this sighting have the potential of turning Malta into the Mediterranean's Roswell?

According to eyewitnesses, the light is brighter than anything else in the sky and appears to hover lower than passing planes. It moves westwards generally but, according to eyewitnesses, on March 13, the light started moving erratically.

"It looked as if it was being attacked or it was attacking," said a man who has been monitoring the light since catching a first glimpse of it on February 9. The witness would not be named fearing the social repercussions. But he is not the only one to be puzzled by strange lights in the sky.

Newly released documents of the UK Ministry of Defence show that the Royal Air Force took such sightings very seriously. For instance, officials of the RAF briefed ministers on the sighting of a diamond-shaped object near Pitlochry, Perthshire, in 1990. They feared Russian secret weapons more than alien invaders, however.

Lancashire-based astronomer Victor Debattista holds the planet theory. If a planet appears low in the sky, a lot of atmospheric turbulence could make it look like it was moving about erratically or relatively fast, he explained. And when objects appear low in the sky, their colour may change dramatically due to turbulence which refracts the light.

The refraction, he said, acts like a prism wobbling about in the sky, transmitting different colours to those observing it.

Local astronomers, who have their eyes riveted to the sky, have not seen anything out of the ordinary, the vice-president of the Astronomical Society of Malta Alexei Pace said. Mr Pace, who has seen photos of the light, said it is likely to be Venus, currently the brightest object in the sky and visible as soon as the sky starts to darken after sunset.

The planet is also located towards the west to northwest, which is where eyewitnesses said they saw the bright light.

"It is lower in the sky than other stars, and in fact each day it sets at an earlier time. Being so low in the sky it also changes colour due to atmospheric effects," Mr Pace said.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, has said that Venus is regularly mistaken for a UFO.

Venus will remain visible in the sky until Friday...but if the light appears again afterwards then who knows, Malta could be onto its very own UFO.

Here is the link to the original story: Malta

I did a search and as of right now, I cannot find any other reports about this story.


The article suggest that the light could be that of the planet Venus. I did some searching and here is a picture of Venus in the night sky:

Here is the link to the site where the picture was found: Venus

Study Finds Eating Red Meat Contributes to Risk of Early Death

Washington Post
Monday, March 23, 2009; 4:06 PM

Eating red meat increases the chances of dying prematurely, according to a large federal study that offers powerful new evidence that a diet that regularly includes steaks, burgers and pork chops is hazardous to your health.

The study of more than 500,000 middle-age and elderly Americans found that those who consumed the equivalent of about a small hamburger every day were more than 30 percent more likely to die during the 10 years they were followed, mostly from heart disease and cancer. Sausage, cold cuts and other processed meats also increased the risk.

Previous research had found a link between red meat and an increased risk of heart disease and cancer, particularly colorectal cancer, but the new study is the first large examination of the relationship between eating meat and overall mortality.

"The bottom line is we found an association between red meat and processed meat and an increased risk of mortality," said Rashmi Sinha of the National Cancer Institute, who led the study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

In contrast, routine consumption of fish, chicken, turkey and other poultry decreased the risk of death by a small amount, the study found.

To read the rest of the report follow this link: Meat


Additional reports on this story;

New study confirms red meat's link to early death


Too Much Red Meat May Shorten Lifespan


Study: Lots of red meat increases mortality risk

Red and processed meat increases risk of death

Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching

How is this for an opening paragraph?

Leading public health authorities now predict as inevitable a pandemic of influenza, triggered by bird flu and expected to lead to millions of deaths around the globe. The influenza virus has existed for millions of years as an innocuous intestinal virus of wild ducks. What turned a harmless waterborne duck virus into a killer? In an engaging multimedia presentation, Dr. Michael Greger traces the human role in the evolution of this virus.

Wow, that will wake you up!

The story was reported at nyas.org

Here is the complete report:

Dr. Michael Greger, author and Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture, The Humane Society of the United States
Leading public health authorities now predict as inevitable a pandemic of influenza, triggered by bird flu and expected to lead to millions of deaths around the globe. The influenza virus has existed for millions of years as an innocuous intestinal virus of wild ducks. What turned a harmless waterborne duck virus into a killer? In an engaging multimedia presentation, Dr. Michael Greger traces the human role in the evolution of this virus.

In the face of the coming pandemic, Dr. Greger reveals what we can do to protect our families and what society can do to reduce the likelihood of such potential catastrophes in the future.

A graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine, Michael Greger, M.D., serves as Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States. He is the author of Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching.

Here is the link to the original story: Virus

It appears Dr. Greger gave a presentation on this subject on:

Mar 18, 2009
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Science, Industry & Business Library, 188 Madison at 34th St.


I did some research on Dr. Greger and found out that this book, Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching is avaliable for free online:


















Here is the link to the book: Flu


Here is a related video:

Vietnamese woman dies of suspected bird flu

The following report was found at: www.chinaview.cn



HANOI, March 23 (Xinhua) -- A Vietnamese 26-year-old woman from Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang died with symptoms similar to bird flu patients, the local newspaper Labor reported on Monday.

The woman, named Ly Thi Hang, was admitted to the Bac Lieu general hospital on March 16 to treat symptoms of coughing, difficulty in breathing, and pneumonia, said Nguyen Minh Tung, head of the hospital's preventive health center.

Hang's condition worsened, and she died on March 20, said Tung.

Hang ate death duck about a month ago before being taken to the hospital, said her family member.

According to Nguyen Huy Nga, Head of the Department of Preventive Health and Environment under the Ministry of Health, her blood sample will be tested to confirm the case.

Soc Trang province where the victim comes from was previously reported of being hit by avian flu and has been lifted out of the black list of infected areas in Vietnam, according to Vietnam's Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Monday.

Vietnam has reported four human cases of bird flu so far this year, three of them died.

In 2008, bird flu killed five people in Vietnam.

Currently, Vietnam reports four provinces nationwide hit by avian flu including two provinces in Mekong Delta, namely Ca Mau and Bac Lieu, and two northern provinces of Quang Ninh and Dien Bien, according to Department of Animal Health on Monday.

Here is the link to the original story: Bird

The human brain is on the edge of chaos

Can you pass up a story with this as a headline?

The human brain is on the edge of chaos.

That is a great title for a story and I could not pass it up!

The story was found at: PHYSORG.COM

Cambridge-based researchers provide new evidence that the human brain lives "on the edge of chaos", at a critical transition point between randomness and order. The study, published March 20 in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology, provides experimental data on an idea previously fraught with theoretical speculation.

Self-organized criticality (where systems spontaneously organize themselves to operate at a critical point between order and randomness), can emerge from complex interactions in many different physical systems, including avalanches, forest fires, earthquakes, and heartbeat rhythms.

According to this study, conducted by a team from the University of Cambridge, the Medical Research Council Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, and the GlaxoSmithKline Clinical Unit Cambridge, the dynamics of human brain networks have something important in common with some superficially very different systems in nature. Computational networks showing these characteristics have also been shown to have optimal memory (data storage) and information-processing capacity. In particular, critical systems are able to respond very rapidly and extensively to minor changes in their inputs.

"Due to these characteristics, self-organized criticality is intuitively attractive as a model for brain functions such as perception and action, because it would allow us to switch quickly between mental states in order to respond to changing environmental conditions," says co-author Manfred Kitzbichler.

The researchers used state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques to measure dynamic changes in the synchronization of activity between different regions of the functional network in the human brain. Their results suggest that the brain operates in a self-organized critical state. To support this conclusion, they also investigated the synchronization of activity in computational models, and demonstrated that the dynamic profile they had found in the brain was exactly reflected in the models. Collectively, these results amount to strong evidence in favour of the idea that human brain dynamics exist at a critical point on the edge of chaos.

According to Kitzbichler, this new evidence is only a starting point. "A natural next question we plan to address in future research will be: How do measures of critical dynamics relate to cognitive performance or neuropsychiatric disorders and their treatments?"

Here is the link tot he original story: Brain

After reading the story I did some searching and found the following reports:

Human Brain Works Between Order and Chaos

FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- The human brain functions on "the edge of chaos," at a critical point between order and randomness, according to U.K.-based researchers who said their finding could help improve understanding about cognitive performance and psychiatric disorders.


Human brains live on the ‘edge of chaos’

The researchers used state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques to measure dynamic changes in the synchronization of activity between different regions of the functional network in the human brain.

"Due to these characteristics, self-organized criticality is intuitively attractive as a model for brain functions such as perception and action, because it would allow us to switch quickly between mental states in order to respond to changing environmental conditions," said co-author Manfred Kitzbichler.

Cholera breaks out in south Zambia

The follwoing report is from www.chinaview.cn


LUSAKA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Cholera has broken out in Siavonga District, in Southern Province of Zambia, and one person has since died following the outbreak, Zambia News and Information Service (ZANIS) reported on Sunday.

The disease broke out in Matinangala area, about three kilometers from the main Siavonga Township, ZANIS said.

District Director of Health, Joseph Kabungo, confirmed the outbreak, saying that six cholera cases have so far been recorded in the township from the time the water borne disease broke out some four days ago.

Kabungo said all the six cases, that included one death, were received at the district hospital before being transferred to the district cholera center in Chirundu.

He disclosed that a woman died at the hospital from suspected cholera after she was rushed to the health center on Friday.

Kabungo attributed the outbreak of the disease in Matinangala area to poor sanitation as well as unsafe drinking water that residents source from Lake Kariba, ZANIS said.

He, further, stated that the human waste is later washed by rains and discharged into the lake where residents go and draw their water for drinking and other domestic use.

Here is the link to the original story: Cholera

Signs of drug resistance found in African H5N1 viruses

The following was reported by: CIDRAP News


Mar 19, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – Scientists who analyzed 67 H5N1 avian influenza viruses from across Africa report that the viruses fall into three distinct sublineages, or families, and that some have mutations that make them resistant to antiviral drugs.

The scientists also found that some of the African viruses have genetic markers that are characteristic of human flu viruses rather than avian strains, according to their report, published yesterday in the online journal PLoS One.

"These findings raise concern for the possible human health risk presented by viruses with these genetic properties and highlight the need for increased efforts to monitor the evolution of A/H5N1 viruses across the African continent," says the report by a large international team of scientists. The group includes several from African countries and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Lethal H5N1 viruses made their African debut on Nigerian poultry farms in January 2006, the report notes. Soon afterward the virus cropped up in Egypt, Niger, and Cameroon, and in April 2006 it was found in Sudan, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, and Ivory Coast. The virus surfaced in Ghana and Togo in mid-2007 and in Benin in December 2007.

All but two human cases of H5N1 disease in Africa have occurred in Egypt, whose official case count is 58, with 23 deaths. Nigeria and Djibouti have each had one human case.

Rapid spread of 3 sublineages
The scientists looked at 494 H5N1 gene sequences from 67 African isolates, including the complete hemagglutinin and neuraminidase gene segments, all collected between February 2006 and early 2008 and representing all 11 affected countries. The analysis also included hundreds of gene sequences from European and Middle Eastern H5N1 viruses.

The researchers determined that all the African viruses belong to clade 2.2 and are related to the H5N1 viruses that have been circulating throughout Europe, Russia, and the Middle East since late 2005. Clade 2.2 traces back to the outbreak of avian flu in thousands of migratory birds at China's Qinghai Lake in the spring of 2005, the article notes.

Detailed analysis of the hemagglutinin genes showed that the viruses fall into three sublineages (labeled I, II, and IV). All three groups "had been co-circulating since the beginning of the epidemic in Africa," suggesting that all three had been introduced into Africa separately, as reported in previous studies, the report says.

Just how the three groups entered Africa and spread so rapidly is still unclear. But the viruses emerged in Africa when related strains were present in European migratory birds, "and such birds may have played a significant role in the introduction of the virus," the scientists write.

The three sublineages had geographic dimensions, but the patterns were complex. All the Egyptian isolates were in sublineage IV, which they shared with isolates from Gaza and Israel. Strains from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Cameroon formed a single cluster in sublineage I. However, the authors found all three groups in Nigeria, a finding that agreed with an earlier study.

Viruses collected in Sudan were in sublineage I and closely related to those from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast, rather than to those from nearby Egypt and Djibouti. Overall, the findings "may suggest that a certain degree of geographical segregation has occurred in Africa" since the initial viral introductions, the report states.

Antiviral resistance, markers of human flu
In searching signs of antiviral resistance, the team found four bird isolates from Egypt carrying a mutation linked with resistance to the older class of flu drugs, the adamantanes (amantadine and rimantadine). They also found viruses from two human cases in Egypt that had a mutation (known as N294S) that confers resistance to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and slightly reduced sensitivity to zanamivir (Relenza).

However, no mutations conferring resistance to oseltamivir or zanamivir were found in any of the African viruses from birds.

The authors also found a number of isolates with genetic markers usually found in human flu viruses rather than avian strains. In particular, they checked the African viruses for 13 genetic markers consistently found in the flu viruses that caused the pandemics of 1918, 1957, and 1968.

They found two, both in the PB2 gene. One of these, known as E627K and associated with increased H5N1 virulence in mice, was found in all the African isolates. Another was found in just two bird viruses from Egypt.

In other findings, the report says that two different reassortant viruses representing combinations of two of the three sublineages were found in Nigeria in 2006 and 2007. One of these became the predominant strain in Nigeria's poultry in 2007.

Evidence of international spread
"The continued circulation of A/H5N1 viruses in the African continent not only affects the local economy but also impacts on animal and human health," the report states. It concludes with a call for constant efforts to monitor and control avian flu across Africa.

David A. Halvorson, DVM, an avian flu expert at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, said the report appears to confirm that there were three separate introductions of H5N1 into Africa and that those strains continue to circulate.

Further, he said the study shows that genetic sequencing "shows evidence for international spread within Africa as well as evidence for local spread; and that there have been no additional introductions since the first ones."

Halvorson also commented that the findings regarding antiviral resistance are not surprising: "These mutations are typical of viruses as they circulate in a host. It seems they can mutate to resistance without any antiviral compound present."

Cattoli G, Monne I, Fusaro A, et al. Highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 in Africa: a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis and molecular characterization of isolates. PLoS One 2009 March;4(3) Here is the full text:Plos One

Who Spread H5N1 in Egypt ??

The following was reported by Global Post:

Who Spread H5N1 in Egypt ??

I know that it is strange question because naturally due to the position of Egypt in the world ,the birds will pass by in their annual migration; Conspiracy theories may rest in this issue because all the world suffer from it in a way or another.

But it won’t rest for MP Ali Laben”MBs” in the parliament who asked directly the prime minister and ministers of Agriculture and Health about the involvement of the NAMRU-3 lab in spreading the H5N1 virus in Egypt.In other words he accuses the Americans to spread the virus in Egypt along with the Israelis too !! “Some Israeli experts have attended the H5N1 conference in Sharm El-Sheikh last year !! Already this was an international conference held by the WHO as far as I know”

Laben accused the lab to experiment the virus on the Egyptians in the Abbassia fever hospital ,of course the lab is not in the hospital but rather adjacent to it . I understand that Mr. Laben concerns about the country but this is too much ,it is not logic at all ,this is pure conspiracy theory I am afraid.

We are talking about science and logic here.He is forgetting that in all the infection cases in Egypt birds transfer the virus to the humans , all the H5N1 victims in Egypt were mostly from rural villages.The WHO documents every single condition and currently the lab and the WHO publishes directly online all the info regarding the progress of the virus.

The MP does not understand how dangerous the virus is , already I wonder if he believes the United States had spread the virus in Asia !!?? Ok what if this lab was not American but were Russian from the old Soviet Egyptian relations time !!?? Or were following the EU !!?? Or even the WHO ??

If I were in the MP place , I would ask about how our poultry industry was doomed despite we had the opportunity to save this industry and our position as one of the main exporters of poultry in the region !! Why we have not revived this industry and we opened the doors for imports !! This is what the the MP should ask ,relevant questions not spread conspiracy theories.

Here is the link to the original story: Egypt

Moon Exploration On Hold Due To Alien Presence

You never know what you will find when surfing the internet. I just came across a story with this title:

Moon Exploration On Hold
Due To Alien Presence
It is dated 22 March, 2009.

The goal of the Worldview blog is to inform people and introduce them to Worldviews.

So here is the story, you form your own conclusions.


Source: UFODIGEST


USA and USSR shut down moon exploration programs because of aliens' power

Not so long ago George Bush declared that American astronauts would fly to the Moon in 2018. Russia in its turn is not going to lag behind and promises to start building a base on the Moon by 2020. The Japanese are planning to begin the construction of their own lunar village by 2025 while the Chinese are constructing Kamado robots for lunar exploration. In addition to all this moon rumors, the Russian space corporation Energia offers space voyages around the Moon with a stop for sightseeing for $100 million.

Looks like the moon will be crowded again. Programs of moon exploration were launched in the USA and in the USSR in the mid-sixties. In ten years the two countries put the flights to an end claiming that the programs do not have any practical value. However, the exploration of Venus, Mars and other distant celestial bodies continued although with no financial profits. What is the reason for revival of the interest in the Moon exploration?

UFO Threat

NASA went public with the results of its moon program in 1973 for the first time. It made a statement that all in all 25 astronauts came across UFO activities during their flights to the Moon.

The former head of the US lunar program, Wernher von Braun, said in one of his interviews several years later that certain extraterrestrial forces were even more powerful that humans could ever imagine. The scientist said that someone or something was watching every US-led flight to the Moon.

According to one of the versions, which seems to be rather unreal, all lunar programs were shut down 30 years ago because of the fear to encounter extraterrestrial beings and their immense power. Both the USSR and the USA realized that their presence on the Moon was not desirable at all.

The Earth's natural satellite is a perfect platform for aliens and their spaceships. The Moon is not far from the Earth and it faces the planet with only one part, which means that aliens can rest safely on the other side of the Moon and they do not have to worry about telescopes. Ufologists say that there is quite a number of alien bases on the dark side of the Moon.


This year, for example, Japanese astronomers managed to videotape several dark objects, about 500-1,000 meters long, rushing across the lunar disk in zigzag directions.

In the meantime, mankind is eager to explore the Moon again for the sake of its raw materials. NASA geologists found out long ago that the Moon is rich with wolfram, titan, aluminium, magnesium and many other valuable metals, which are quite rare for Earth. It addition, it has recently become known that the Moon is also rich with the unique isotope helium-3, the production of which is extremely expensive on Earth. This is the perfect raw material for the energy industry of the future, scientists say. It will be possible to launch interstellar spaceships with the help of helium reactors.

Here is the link to the original report and a video: Moon


I decided to see if I could find any videos about the subject. Here is what I found:

is water the new oil?

This was reported by Reuters:

If water is the new oil, is blue the new green?

Translation: if water is now the kind of precious commodity that oil became in the 20th century, should delivery of clean water be the same sort of powerful political force as the environmental movement in an age of climate change?

And, in another sense of green, is there money to be made in a time of water scarcity?

The answer to both questions, according to environmental activists watching a global forum on water, is yes.

The week-long meeting in Istanbul ends Sunday, which is International World Water Day, an annual United Nations event that began in 1993 to focus attention on sustainable management of fresh water resources.

The yearly observance recognizes water as an absolute human need: people can live as much as 30 days without food but only seven without water. How long can a person live without oil?

More than a billion people lack access to clean water, and 2.5 billion are without water for sanitation, with 80 percent of all disease borne by dirty water.

This may seem ironic, since Earth is literally a blue planet when seen from space -- most of it is covered in water. But what humans need is water that is fresh and clean, and most of Earth's water is salty or dirty.

What was clear at this year's World Water Forum in Turkey was the notion that clean, fresh water supplies are waning due to a warming world.

"As climate change accelerates and we see a changing hydrological cycle, diminishing access to resources, there are direct human impacts that are water-related," said Jonathan Greenblatt, a professor at the University of California-Los Angeles who advised the Obama transition team on civic engagement and national service.

If sea levels rise as scientists predict, coastal regions may see increased salination of aquifers -- natural underground reservoirs -- which will affect access to fresh water in those areas, Greenblatt said.

You can read the rest of the report at this link: Water



Here is more information about Water:


World water forum pledges action

ISTANBUL (AFP) — A seven-day focus on the world's water crunch wound up Sunday with a pledge by more than 100 countries to strive for clean water and sanitation for billions in need and fight drought and flood.

But some countries criticised the cornerstone outcome of the fifth World Water Forum as flawed while activists dismissed the event itself as a "trade show."

The declaration, coinciding with World Water Day, was issued at the end of a three-day ministerial meeting, climaxing the biggest-ever conference on the planet's freshwater crisis.

"The world is facing rapid and unprecedented global changes, including population growth, migration, urbanisation, climate change, desertification, drought, degradation and land use, economic and diet changes," the statement said.

It set out a roster of non-binding recommendations, including greater cooperation to ease disputes over water, measures to address floods and water scarcity, better management of resources and curbing pollution of rivers, lakes and aquifers.


The world's supply of fresh water is running out. Already one person in five has no access to safe drinking water. Click on the link to read about some of the world's water flashpoints: Map


These are the hard facts about the global water crisis:

•884 million people, lack access to safe water supplies, approximately one in eight people.

•Each year, 3.575 million people die from water-related disease.

•2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, including 1.2 billion people who have no facilities at all.

•Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease.

•Millions of women and children spend several hours a day collecting water from distant, often polluted sources.

•At any given time, half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease.

Source: Water

Earth Hour: Power down for 60 minutes on March 28

Earth Hour, what is that?

During Earth Hour, citizens of the world are asked to turn off their power for one hour, starting at 8:30 p.m. local time, in a symbolic stance against global warming.

The following report is from the Seattle Times:


On March 28, if the lights go off in your Cape Town hotel or, close to home, a Seattle hotel restaurant switches to candles, do not be alarmed. It's not an electrical-grid meltdown but a global show of support.

During Earth Hour, citizens of the world are asked to turn off their power for one hour, starting at 8:30 p.m. local time, in a symbolic stance against global warming.

The World Wildlife Fund started the event two years ago in Sydney, with 2.2 million people and thousands of businesses going dark. The next year, more than 400 cities on all seven continents participated. Some high-wattage landmarks even got involved, including the Sydney Opera House and, in New York, the Coke billboard in Times Square and the Empire State Building.

For 2009, so far nearly 1,200 cities — including Chicago, Guatemala City, Vancouver, B.C., Mumbai and Bangkok — in 80 countries have signed on. Group organizers aim for 1 billion people to flick the switch, an achievement they hope to present at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held in Copenhagen this year.

Some cities and travel businesses are turning the statement into a celebration.

In Seattle, the Fairmont Olympic hotel will host a candlelit dinner in its luxury Georgian restaurant. In Melbourne, the Australian city will host a people-pedal-powered concert. In Athens, a conductor will lead a percussion circle as the Acropolis dims its lights.

Want to join in on the road? Kill the hotel-room lights and TV. Switch from plug to battery at the Internet cafe. Details: www.voteearth2009.org.


Here are additional reports about this story:

Misericordia group promoting Earth Hour 2009


Misericordia University’s new environmentally focused student group, Cougars for Change, is leading campus efforts to participate in a world-wide initiative to draw attention to responsible energy use and global warming. The event, Earth Hour 2009, is expected to have nearly 1 billion participants world-wide turn off all non-essential lights for one hour, beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. The time was chosen to coincide with the spring equinox when most places around the world are suitably dark. The group is working to have all non-essential lights turned off on campus. They are planning an outdoor event during the hour, including an acoustic open microphone night featuring music, poetry readings and a performance by the Drama Club. The students are also planning to hold Ultimate, glow-in-the-dark, Frisbee and football games, and to set up a variety of booths offering information on ways to go green.


Mark your calendar for Earth Hour


Have you heard of the "Earth Hour" project? It's an international idea, promoted by the World Wildlife Fund, to expand awareness of climate change. At 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, everyone is asked to turn off their lights for one hour. The effort is to create a "wave of participation."

More than 1,000 cities and towns in 80 countries - from Paris to Las Vegas - had signed up by March 12. Although no one expects these communities to go completely dark, residents should get a rare view of the night sky as dusk ends around 9 p.m., a welcome side effect.


You can discuss Earth Hour 2009 at this link: ATS

Flies May Spread Drug-Resistant Bacteria from Poultry Operations

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found evidence that houseflies collected near broiler poultry operations may contribute to the dispersion of drug-resistant bacteria and thus increase the potential for human exposure to drug-resistant bacteria. The findings demonstrate another potential link between industrial food animal production and exposures to antibiotic resistant pathogens. Previous studies have linked antibiotic use in poultry production to antibiotic resistant bacteria in farm workers, consumer poultry products and the environment surrounding confined poultry operations, as well as releases from poultry transport.

“Flies are well-known vectors of disease and have been implicated in the spread of various viral and bacterial infections affecting humans, including enteric fever, cholera, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis and shigellosis,” said lead author Jay Graham, PhD, who conducted the study as a research fellow with Bloomberg School’s Center for a Livable Future. Our study found similarities in the antibiotic-resistant bacteria in both the flies and poultry litter we sampled. The evidence is another example of the risks associated with the inadequate treatment of animal wastes.”

“Although we did not directly quantify the contribution of flies to human exposure, our results suggest that flies in intensive production areas could efficiently spread resistant organisms over large distances,” said Ellen Silbergeld, PhD, senior author of the study and professor in the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences.

Graham and his colleagues collected flies and samples of poultry litter from poultry houses along the Delmarva Peninsula—a coastal region shared by Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, which has one of the highest densities of broiler chickens per acre in the United States. The analysis by the research team isolated antibiotic-resistant enterococci and staphylococci bacteria from both flies and litter. The bacteria isolated from flies had very similar resistance characteristics and resistance genes to bacteria found in the poultry litter.

Flies have ready access to both stored poultry waste and to poultry houses. A study by researchers in Denmark estimated that as many as 30,000 flies could enter a poultry house over the course of six week period.


To read the rest of the report follow this link: Flies


Here are links to other reports about this story:


Flies plus chicken droppings spread "superbugs"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Flies, already blamed for spreading disease, may help spread drug-resistant superbugs from chicken droppings, researchers reported on Monday.

They matched antibiotic-resistant enterococci and staphylococci bacteria from houseflies and the litter found in intensive poultry-farming barns in the Delmarva Peninsula region of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

The findings, reported in the journal Science of the Total Environment, may help explain some of the spread of drug-resistant bacteria.


Flies May Be Spreading Deadly, Drug-Resistant Superbug to People

Flies may be spreading a severe form of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection from bird droppings on poultry farms to people, new research suggests.

The bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA), is a so-called “superbug” that is highly resistant to most types of antibiotics. More than 90,000 serious infections and 18,000 deaths are linked to MRSA in the United States each year.

Official UFO files released

The National Archives is the UK government's official archive, containing almost 1,000 years of history, with records ranging from parchment and paper scrolls through to digital files and archived websites.

We give detailed guidance to government departments and the public sector on information management, in order to ensure the survival of records, and advise others throughout the public and private sectors about the care of historical archives. We also publish all UK legislation and advise upon and encourage the re-use of public sector information.

The National Archives is a government department and an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. It brings together the Public Record Office, Historical Manuscripts Commission, the Office of Public Sector Information and Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

Source: National


The National Archives has just released files covering a period from 1987 to 1993. These files deal with UFO sightings: These files reveal a number of interesting reports, including the following.


In November 1989, RAF Wattisham in Norfolk received 'One of our most unusual UFO reports'. An unidentified female was approached by a man who claimed to come from another planet, similar to earth. During the ten-minute conversation, the man claimed his race was responsible for creating crop circles and also explained he felt it was important for contact between the two peoples to occur. As she ran home, the woman heard a loud buzzing noise behind her, and turned to see a large, glowing spherical object rise steadily until out of sight.

In December 1992, two air traffic controllers at Heathrow airport reported seeing a black inverted boomerang-shaped UFO from the airport control tower early in the morning. One week earlier, numerous witnesses in Louth, Lincolnshire, reported seeing three lights which appeared to be attached to a large triangular craft.


All of the reports can be read at this link: Files


Related stories are being posted all across the internet right now. Here is what I have found so far:


UFO: Secret records show there were almost 1,200 mysterious sightings between 1987 and 1993


UFO Files Released Online Expose MoD Agenda

Is that a flying saucer? No, it’s a stealth bomber

UFO files reveal close encounter

More links to come...

MoD took UFO sighting seriously

The BBC is reporting the following:


A photo of a UFO hovering next to an RAF jet over Scotland was treated seriously, newly-released Ministry of Defence files show.

Officials briefed ministers on the sighting of a diamond-shaped object near Pitlochry, Perthshire, in 1990.

A memo suggested the media be told "no definite conclusions" could be reached.

The documents show officials were more concerned about secret weapons being developed by other countries rather than alien visitors.

The sightings were brought to the attention of the MoD by the Daily Record newspaper.

Witnesses reported seeing an object hanging in the air for 10 minutes before it ascended vertically at high speed.

Military experts concluded the aircraft pictured was a Harrier, but could not identify the mystery object.

Fearing there could be significant media interest, officials provided ministers with guidelines for answering questions.

The memo noted there was no record of Harriers operating in the area at the time and suggested the media should be told: "no definite conclusions reached regarding large diamond-shaped object."

Drawings were later commissioned of the object with a note saying: "Sensitivity of material suggests special handling."

The seven files, produced by the DI55 branch of the Defence Intelligence Staff, contain details of 1,200 UFO sightings between November 1987 and April 1983.

To read the rest of the report follow this link: UFO

Tornado outbreak could be on horizon in Oklahoma

Severe weather and a chance of tornadoes are forecast for Monday afternoon and night, meteorologists said Friday.

Skies are expected to darken, with a 50 percent chance of rain in the central Oklahoma area by Sunday night, said Erin Maxwell, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Norman.


Large hail and damaging wind may accompany the storms, Maxwell said.

"And there is the possibility of tornadoes,” Maxwell said.

Sunday afternoon, the chance of rain will be 30 percent, forecasters said.

The weather forecasting company AccuWeather on Friday forecast a possible tornado outbreak Monday on the Great Plains from Nebraska to Texas, according to the Web site AccuWeather.com.

Shower and thunderstorm chances in central Oklahoma increase to 60 percent Monday with a high near 72 degrees, the weather service said.

On Monday night, heavy rainfall and a low temperature around 53 degrees are expected.

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms is forecast for Tuesday, with partly cloudy skies and a high temperature near 68 degrees.

Tuesday night, skies will begin clearing with a low around 41 degrees, and by Wednesday, skies should be sunny again, the weather service said.

Source: NewsOk

Egg Recall

It is a busy night here at the Worldview blog. I was just sent a link to this story:


Egg Recall

Organic brown eggs sold at Costco, Safeway and Pack 'n' Save stores have been voluntarily recalled as precaution due to possible Salmonella contamination.

den Dulk Poultry Farms in Ripon, California says the recall was issued after it was determined that the eggs in question tested positive for Salmonella during an internal investigation by the farm. No know illnesses have been reported in connection with these eggs.

The recalled eggs were distributed to Costco, Safeway and Pack 'n' Save in Northern California as far south as Fresno and western Nevada.

The Costco recalled eggs were sold as Kirkland Organic Brown Eggs. They are packaged in 18 count cartons.

You can read all the details at this link: Recall

Russia suspends shipments from 3 US poultry plants

In my previous post I reported:

More than a million chickens have been destroyed in Robertson County after some of the Sanderson Farms birds tested positive for the poultry virus laryngotracheitis, a rare respiratory infection.

I just came across this story:

Russia suspends shipments from 3 US poultry plants

CHICAGO, March 20, (Reuters) - Russia will suspend imports from three U.S. poultry plants beginning March 27, one of which is owned by Tyson Foods Inc (TSN.N), the largest U.S. chicken producer, USDA said this week.

No reason was given in USDA report for the suspensions and Tyson said on Friday it was looking into the action against its Cumming, Georgia, chicken plant.

The two other plants include Sanderson Farm Inc's (SAFM.O) chicken plant at Hammond, Louisiana, and the Peco Foods Inc poultry plant at Canton, Mississippi.

"We are trying to find out why the Russians want to stop shipments from Cumming plant, which is operating smoothly and continues to produce safe, high quality products," Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson said in an email. "Since we have other U.S. poultry plants that are approved to ship to Russia, the suspension of the Cumming facility should not affect our overall international sales."

Russia is the largest importer of U.S. chicken.

Source: Reuters

Virus Leads To Destruction Of 1-Million Chickens In Area County

KWTX.COM reported:

ROBERTSON COUNTY (March 21, 2009)—More than a million chickens have been destroyed in Robertson County after some of the Sanderson Farms birds tested positive for the poultry virus laryngotracheitis, a rare respiratory infection.

Sanderson Farms has processing plants in Waco and Bryan.

The virus is not dangerous to humans, even if meat from the infected chickens is eaten, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission.

Most of the slaughtered chickens will be processed.

"I would like to assure all of our customers in Texas that these birds will be processed under USDA inspection, bird by bird. They are absolutely wholesome, and, as the animal health commission has said, this virus does not affect the wholesomeness of the chicken for our consumers at all," Lampkin Butts, chief operating officer of Mississippi-based Sanderson Farms, told the Bryan-College Station Eagle.

The affected chicken farms are quarantined and are being disinfected in the wake of the discovery.

Once the process is completed, it will be another three weeks before the Texas Animal Health Commission clears the farms to start raising chickens again.

Here is the link to the original story: Virus


Links to other reports about this story:


Virus prompts killing of 1.4 million chickens


Over a Million Robertson Co. Chickens Killed to Contain Poultry Virus


I did some research into laryngotracheitis, this is what I found:



Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is a contagious respiratory disease which is characterised by gasping, neck extension and conjunctivitis (inflammation of the membrane around the eye).

Cause
ILT is caused by a virus which may live for 8 to 10 days in droppings and up to 70 days in carcasses, hence correct disposal is essential. It is believed that the virus may survive for up to 80 days in tracheal exudate (throat exudate) if not disturbed. This shows the importance of sound clean-up procedures and high pressure hosing.

Susceptible Species:
Fowls, pheasants and turkeys. Water fowl, such as ducks and geese, show no signs, but ducks are known to carry ILT. Wild birds may act as carriers.

Symptoms


Early symptoms may include bouts of hard swallowing, ruffled feathers on the back of the head, squinting and watering of one or both eyes, known as conjunctivitis.

After the incubation period of 3 to 14 days, there is increased mucus formation in the trachea, frequently followed by tracheal haemorrhage. This causes the bird to cough and to extend its head in a characteristic manner in order to breathe. In some cases only mild respiratory signs are seen but one eye may completely close.

The classical signs are gasping, coughing and sticking the neck forward and upwards with each breath in an effort to clear the mucus which builds up in the trachea (windpipe) – in fact, many birds die from the disease due to suffocation, ie, the windpipe becomes completely blocked. In acute cases, there has been up to 70% mortality.

There is a marked variation in the pathogenicity (potency) of various strains of the virus. Three major forms – the peracute, the subacute and mild or chronic forms are known.


broad forms are seen:

•Peracute form – high mortality of up to 70%. Severe respiratory signs of rales (rattles in the throat), gasping, coughing with expulsion of blood or blood-stained mucus are seen. The birds are very depressed.
On post mortem, acute haemorrhagic inflammation of the trachea and larynx is present and the lumen (centre) of the trachea is blocked by mucoid blood clots and sometimes yellow caseous exudate (cheesy plug-hard pus). Death is normally by suffocation.


•Subacute form – A high morbidity (sickness) rate but a lower mortality (10-30%) occurs. There are less severe respiratory signs of rales, coughing with expulsion of caseous matter, mucoid nasal discharge, gasping and infra-orbital sinus swelling. There is often conjunctivitis with severe lacrimation (eye discharge) and the eyelids matt together.
On post mortem, mucus which may be bloodstained is found with membranes in the upper respiratory tract. Death is normally by suffocation.

•Mild or chronic form – This shows as a low morbidity (sickness) rate (5%), the birds are drowsy with signs of conjunctivitis, squinting eyes, and bronchitis combined with a cough. There is often a concurrent infection with coryza. Egg production may drop 10%. On post mortem, false membranes are seen in the upper respiratory tract which may cause death.

You can read the rest of the report at this link: Virus


Will post any updates I find.

UFO Reports

I just did a search on Google news for UFO. Here are the latest stories that have been reported:


Military jets chase UFO over AZ town
Examiner.com - ‎18 hours ago‎:

LAKE HAVASU, AZ - A boomerang or triangular-shaped craft 300 feet in the air made four passes over this town beginning at 7 p.m. March 18, while "fighter jets" followed in formation, according to a witness report filed with the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database.

Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base is about 60 miles directly west of this area.

A family bar-b-que was interupted as the object made its first pass over the city while four jets trailed "an enormous craft clustered of dozens of amber lights/orbs." The witness said "we could all make out the triagle/boomerage shape because of the stars being blocked out as it passed them and by the small, very faint reddish glow or light at the tip of the 'wing.'"

Thirty minutes later, the same object again passed over town while the jets followed, but not in formation. Then during a third pass with jets following again, the witness said, "It definately blocked out the background stars and was boomerang shaped. Its amber lights at the center of the body were the strangest part. I could not tell if they were on the outide of the craft or if that part of the craft was transparent."

Thirty minutes later, the object made a fourth and final pass, the witness had obtained a video camera and shot footage.

Here is the link to the original report: AZ

Here is the next story:

'UFO' blip leaves airport officials foxed
Times of India - ‎22 hours ago‎


KOLKATA: An unidentified flying object blipped on the city radar in the wee hours of Thursday, a little after mysterious objects were photograph-ed
hovering in the London sky. The blip that lasted for 15 minutes on the Bay of Bengal left airport and IAF officials foxed. While some suspect an unscheduled aircraft strayed into Indian airspace, others termed it a UFO. The Directo-rate General of Civil Aviation has ordered an investigation

The unidentified aircraft or object was spotted on the airport radar at 3.45 am on Th-ursday. Sources said there was only a Cathay Pacific overfli-ght scheduled for the time and in that direction. “But the fli-ght showed a separate blip. What’s more, we had communication problems with the Ca-thay Pacific pilot during the time the mystery blip was on screen,” said an air controller.


Here is the link to the original story: India


Three UFO low fly reports over IN, CA, VT
Examiner.com - ‎17 hours ago‎

Three low flying UFOs were spotted over Indiana, California and Vermont on March 19 - and a fire ball-looking image showed up on a young woman's Utah mountain photography.

Lights in a triangular shape were witnessed over Michigan City, Indiana. The object hovered while the man struggled to get his camera to capture the event and he finally snapped one shot as it moved out of sight.

A California sighting is described by a witness as looking like an "upside-down shiny metal plate." The object finally "shot away."

In South Burlington, Vermont, a witness watched a "distinct circle of yellow light" make an "extremely fast trajectory towards the ground." Just down the road he observed "about a dozen police cars pulled off the road into a field with all lights off" from several different surrounding towns.

The following reports have not yet been investigated and are unedited from the MUFON database. We will report back on any MUFON investigation.


Here is the link to the original story: Reports


Whistleblower Protection Act and UFO disclosure
Examiner.com - ‎9 hours


On March 12 a Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009 was launched as a Bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that gives protection to whistleblowers working on national security issues and for federally funded contractors. Currently whistleblowers who disclose cases of abuse in the national security and corporate arenas have no legal protection against retaliation from their employers. The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009 would for the first time give protection to whistleblowers who disclose abuses in the national security and corporate arenas. A number of whistleblowers have come forward to disclose abuses concerning the willful suppression, manipulation and destruction of evidence concerning UFOs and extraterrestrial life by national security agencies covered by the proposed Act. If passed in its present form, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act will make it easier for whistleblowers to come forward to reveal such abuses without retaliation. This may finally lead to disclosure of evidence concerning UFOs and extraterrestrial life.

The original 1989 Whistleblower Protection Act, did not give protection to national security employees. An initial version of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act was first passed by the House of Representatives in March 2007, but was not passed by the Senate due to Republican opposition. A renewed version of the Act was introduced in the 111th session of Congress on March 12, 2009. Both the 2007 and 2009 House versions of the Act protect whistleblowers in various national security agencies and federally funded contractors from retaliation for blowing the whistle on government or corporate corruption or abuse.

Here is the link to the original report: UFO

As I was working on this post I came across this update:

UFO in India Caught on Radar
2 hours ago by Grant Lawrence


KOLKATA: An unidentified flying object blipped on the city radar in the wee hours of Thursday, a little after mysterious objects were photographed hovering in the London sky.

The blip that lasted for 15 minutes on the Bay of Bengal left airport and IAF officials foxed. While some suspect an unscheduled aircraft strayed into Indian airspace, others termed it a UFO. The Directo-rate General of Civil Aviation has ordered an investigation.

Here is the link to the story: India

Equinox at Chichen Itza

This was reported in the, Earth Changes Media Newsletter:


Upon the arrival of the Equinox (March 20, 21 and September 21, 22) thousands flock to the Yucatán peninsula of México to witness an amazing phenomenon - the Sun's rays project a diamond-back rattlesnake of light and shadow onto the ancient and mysterious Temple of Quetzalcoatl pyramid at Chichén Itzá.


The architecture of Temple of Quetzalcoatl encodes precise information regarding the Mayan calendar, engineered to encompass an amazing 25,920-year cycle. The Maya were mathematical geniuses; they counted in base 20, calculating equations that would take up an entire page if written in modern numbers.


Here is a video that explains what it looks like:
The equinox at Chichen Itza. Audio in Spanish subtitled in English









The Live@Exploratorium crew was there to capture the snake as it appeared and to speak with local archaeologists, archeoastronomers, and solar scientists about this amazing alignment, the Mayan cosmology behind it, and what the sun means to us today.

You can view the entire program at this link: Serpent

The Haunting in Connecticut

On March 27, 2009 the movie, The Haunting in Connecticut will open in theaters.






According to the official website, the movie is based on a true story:


Based on a chilling true story, Lionsgate's THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT charts one family's terrifying, real-life encounter with the dark forces of the supernatural. When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner's clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover.

Now unspeakable terror awaits, when Jonah, the boy who communicated with the powerful dark forces of the supernatural, returns to unleash a new kind of horror on the innocent and unsuspecting family.



The website offers this information as well:


In 1987, a particularly nightmarish haunting occurred in Southington, Connecticut, to a family that had just moved in to a long empty house on Meriden Avenue.

Soon after settling in, the family discovered a small graveyard in back, an embalming chamber in the basement, and drawers full of creepy corpse photographs: their new house had previously been a Funeral Home dating back to the 1920s.

Almost immediately, the family began to experience paranormal activity – strange sounds, changes in temperature, and the appearance of mysterious figures

As the family's lives and sanity were pushed to the edge, the mother contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren for help. Famous demonologists and paranormal investigators, the Warren's had investigated the famed Amityville Horror case, and were the founders of the New England Society for Psychic Research.

Through their help, the family was able to uncover the terrible secrets lurking in the house and to confront the most shocking evil spirits ever seen in an American haunting.

You can read more at the official website: Movie



In reaserching the story behind the movie I found this:

It appears the Discovery channel did a documentry about the subject:







There are 9 videos total. Here is the link to the rest: Video

MP3 Player Contains Secret Military Files

A man walks into a thrift store.

It sounds like the opening line to a bad joke. And this case was a bad joke - for the Pentagon.

Chris Ogle of New Zealand was in Oklahoma about a year ago when he bought a used MP3 player from a thrift store for $9. A few weeks ago, he plugged it into his computer to download a song, and he instead discovered confidential U.S. military files.

"The more I look at it, the more I see, and the less I think I should be," Ogle said with a nervous laugh in an interview with TV New Zealand.

The files included the home addresses, Social Security numbers and cell phone numbers of U.S. soldiers. The player also included what appeared to be mission briefings and lists of equipment deployed to hot spots in Afghanistan and Iraq. Most of the information appears to date to 2005.


The New Zealand journalist who first reported the story was able to contact at least one of the soldiers by dialing a phone number found in the files. He hung up once she explained why she was calling.

Pentagon officials told CNN that they are aware of the MP3 player, but can't talk about it until investigators confirm that the information came from the U.S. Department of Defense.

"The government isn't doing a good job of protecting the information that it collects," said Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington.

Despite government efforts to protect sensitive information, this is a growing problem, privacy experts say.

Two years ago, the Department of Veterans Affairs lost track of a laptop with the personal information of millions of soldiers. And computer hard drives with classified military information have been found for sale at street markets in Afghanistan.

"When you can identify American personnel, when you have their names, their home address, their cell phone numbers, you put people in a dangerous position," Rotenberg said.

In this case, the personal information for several hundred soldiers landed in friendly hands. Ogle told CNN the MP3 player is being kept in a safe place and he will happily turn it over to U.S. military officials if they ask for it.

Here is the link to the original story: Mp3



I did a search to wee who else reported the story and found this link to a CNN report: MP3

Schoolgirl recording 'shows UFO'

TheSun.co.uk is reporting the following:

A TEEN girl has recorded incredible UFO footage on her camera just miles from an RAF base.


Stunned schoolgirl Harriet Rogers is convinced that the bright light seen above her home in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, was alien life.

The 13-year-old captured the odd spherical shape on camera as it moved across the night sky and bizarrely started to change colour.

She then jumped in the car with dad Barry and tailed the glowing ball as it hovered high above her house, about eight miles from RAF Cosford in Shrops.

Harriet said: “At first we thought it was a helicopter but then my dad went outside but could not hear any rotary blades.

“To the human eye, it just looked like a bright light but, on the cam-recorder we could see it pulsing, then suddenly changing colours.”


The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it had not had any reported sightings since Harriet saw the light on February 21.

An MoD spokesman said: “The MoD examines reports solely to establish whether UK airspace may have been compromised by hostile or unauthorised military activity.

“Unless there is evidence of a potential threat, there is no attempt to identify the nature of each sighting reported.”

Here is the link to the original story: UFO


Here is the video:





Link to other reports on this story:


UFO

Knowing Philosophy

Last night I saw the movie, Knowing. It offers the audience a lot to think about! Near the beginning the lead character played by Nicolas Cage is giving a lecture. He offers two main points during his lesson, Randomness and Determinism.

Let's look at the first one:

Randomness:

Randomness is a lack of order, purpose, cause, or predictability. Randomness as defined by Aristotle is the situation, when a choice is to be made which has no logical component by which to determine or make the choice (see Buridan's ass). A random process is a repeating process whose outcomes follow no describable deterministic pattern, but follow a probability distribution such that the relative probability of the occurrence of each outcome can be approximated or calculated. For instance, the rolling of a six-sided dice in neutral conditions may be said to produce random results in that one cannot compute before a roll what digit will be landed on, but the probability of landing on any of the six rollable digits can be calculated because of the finite cardinality of the set of possible outcomes.
Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


randomness
One entry found.
Main Entry: 2random
Function: adjective
Date: 1632
1 a: lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern b: made, done, or chosen at random

2 a: relating to, having, or being elements or events with definite probability of occurrence
b: being or relating to a set or to an element of a set each of whose elements has equal probability of occurrence (random sample) ; also : characterized by procedures designed to obtain such sets or elements (random sampling)


The movie offers this in order to give the idea that everything that happens in our world has no meaning or purpose. Everything is just a series of random events that have no inherent meaning. This is the belief of the main character in the movie.

In-spite of this being his belief he does offer the opposing view:

Determinism

Determinism is the philosophical proposition that every event, including human cognition and behavior, decision and action, is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences.[1] With numerous historical debates, many varieties and philosophical positions on the subject of determinism exist from traditions throughout the world.
Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Determinism is a name employed by writers, especially since J. Stuart Mill, to denote the philosophical theory which holds -- in opposition to the doctrine of free will -- that all man's volitions are invariably determined by pre-existing circumstances. It may take diverse forms, some cruder, some more refined. Biological and materialistic Determinism maintains that each of our voluntary acts finds its sufficient and complete cause in the physiological conditions of the organism
Source: The Catholic Encyclopedia


This view is offered to claim that things happen for a purpose and a reason. The events in this life are not just random acts, but they have real meaning. There is meaning because there is purpose behind everything that occurs.


Both concepts are far more complicated than the movie shows; it only offers a small glimpse of both concepts. The person who watches the movie should take the time to look much farther into each concept.

The movie should bring about the following questions:

Is life made up of meaningless random events?

If this is true, how to we view suffering and pain?

Is life made up of determined events that have meaning?

If this is true, how do we view suffering and pain?

If everything is determined what is our role in life?

If everything in this life is determined, who determines it?

A Christian perspective on this can be found in these words:

1689 London Baptist Confession

God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.
Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 6:17; Romans 9:15, 18; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5; Acts 4:27, 28; John 19:11; Numbers 23:19; Ephesians 1:3-5

Although God knoweth whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not decreed anything, because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.
Acts 15:18; Romans 9:11, 13, 16, 18

Knowing Trailer

AIG BONUSES

Comic book holds clue in D.B. Cooper case

On a cold November night 36 years ago, in the driving wind and rain, somewhere between southern Washington state and just north of Portland, Oregon, a man calling himself Dan Cooper parachuted out of a plane he’d just hijacked clutching a bag filled with $200,000 in stolen cash.

Who was Cooper? Did he survive the jump? And what happened to the loot, only a small part of which has ever surfaced?

It’s a mystery, frankly. We’ve run down thousands of leads and considered all sorts of scenarios. And amateur sleuths have put forward plenty of their own theories. Yet the case remains unsolved.




















I just came across a new story that claims there may be some clues:

The following is from Komonews.com
PORTLAND, Ore. - One of the Northwest's most notorious unsolved crimes may have a comic book connection and while it may sound kooky, the FBI agent in charge of the case says the new clue is no laughing matter.


In November 1971, a man identifying himself as Dan Cooper, later mistakenly called D.B. Cooper, hijacked a Northwest Orient flight from Portland to Seattle, claiming he had a bomb.

At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, he released the passengers in exchange for $200,000 and four parachutes and asked to be flown to Mexico. He jumped from the plane somewhere near the Oregon state line.

The hijacker was never seen or heard from again and thus one of the Northwest's most famous mysteries was born. Did he die in the jump? Did he survive and make off with the money? No one knows, although there are a number of theories out there.



Larry Carr, the FBI agent currently overseeing the case, now believes the hijacker may have taken his name from a French comic book. The Dan Cooper comic book was popular in France in the 1960s and early 1970s and one issue published around the time of the hijacking shows the character parachuting.

Carr said this is an important clue in the case because the comic books were never translated into English, which supports his theory that the hijacker had been in the Air Force and probably spent time in Europe, where he likely came across the Dan Cooper comic books.

This new information brings another twist to the story, which continues to fascinate people decades later. You can read more about the FBI's link to the Dan Cooper comic book here. Comic












I blogged about this case in January of 2008. You can read my post at this link: Cooper

Secrets of the Wizard of Oz

I absolutely hate when people see a movie and then talk about it, but what they say clearly shows they have no idea what the movie was really about! A great example of this can be seen by simply asking people to tell you about the movie, The Wizard Of Oz! I can almost guarantee that whatever people say, will show they have no idea what the movie is really about!


Consider the following story:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one of the world's best-loved fairytales. As Judy Garland's famous film nears its 70th birthday, how much do its followers know about the story's use as an economic parable?


Dorothy in Kansas conjures up nostalgic thoughts of childhood Christmases hiding behind the sofa from the Wicked Witch of the West. Or those flying monkeys.

It's unlikely its young fans will have been thinking about deflation and monetary policy.

But the story has underlying economic and political references that make it a popular tool for teaching university and high school students - mainly in the United States but also in the UK - about the economic depression of the late 19th Century.

At a time when some economists fear an onset of deflation, and economic certainties melt away like a drenched wicked witch, what can be learnt from Oz?

The 1939 film starring a young Judy Garland was based on Lyman Frank Baum's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900. It told of an orphaned Kansas girl swept by a tornado into a fantastical world, but who wants to return home to her aunt and uncle.

Thinking the great Wizard of Oz can grant her wish, she sets out to meet him with her beloved dog, Toto, joined by a scarecrow, a tin woodman and a lion.

Baum published the book in 1900, just after the US emerged from a period of deflation and depression. Prices had fallen by about 22% over the previous 16 years, causing huge debt.

Farmers were among those badly affected, and the Populist political party was set up to represent their interests and those of industrial labourers.

The US was then operating on the gold standard - a monetary system which valued the dollar according to the quantity of gold. The Populists wanted silver, along with gold, to be used for money. This would have increased the US money supply, raised price levels and reduced farmers' debt burdens.

Yellow brick code

In 1964, high school teacher Henry Littlefield wrote an article outlining the notion of an underlying allegory in Baum's book. He said it offered a "gentle and friendly" critique of Populist thinking, and the story could be used to illuminate the late 19th Century to students.

Since its publication, teachers have used this take on the tale to help classes understand the issues of the era.


And Littlefield's theory has been hotly debated. He believed the characters could represent the personalities and themes of the late 1800s,with Dorothy embodying the everyman American spirit.

US political historian Quentin Taylor, who supports this interpretation, says: "There are too many instances of parallels with the political events of the time.

"The Tin Woodman represents the industrial worker, the Scarecrow is the farmer and the Cowardly Lion is William Jennings Bryan."

Bryan was a Democratic presidential candidate who supported the silver cause. But he failed to win votes from eastern workers and lost the 1896 election. In the same way, the Lion's claws are nearly blunted by the Woodman's metallic shell.

The Wicked Witch of the West is associated with a variety of controversial personalities, chief among them the industrialist Mark Hanna, campaign manager to President William McKinley.

In this scenario, the yellow brick road symbolises the gold standard, the Emerald City becomes Washington DC and the Great Wizard characterises the president - and he is exposed as being less than truthful.

Off to see the President

Yet none can help Dorothy return home. Eventually she discovers that her silver shoes (changed to ruby for the film) have the power to take her back to Kansas.


The possible implication is that gold alone cannot be the solution for the problems facing the average citizen. But Professor Taylor thinks it's unlikely the book took sides. Instead he says it was merely explaining the story of the Populist movement, some of whom marched on Washington DC in 1894 to demand government improve their plight.

Their demand for the use of silver with the gold standard was not met, although within a few years, inflation returned after discoveries of gold in South Africa and other parts of the world.

In Baum's story, Dorothy loses her silver slippers in the desert before she reaches home - a possible reflection of the decline of the silver cause after 1896.

But not everyone believes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz includes any hidden meanings.

"Nobody ever suggested it until 1964," says Bradley Hansen, who is a professor of economics at the University of Mary Washington.

"There's no solid evidence that Baum had written it as a monetary allegory," he adds. "While it may have grabbed students' interests, it doesn't really teach them anything about the gold standard and, in particular, the debate about the gold standard."

Professor Hansen thinks the author was just trying to create a new kind of fairytale, the "Harry Potter of its time".


Soon after publication, Baum adapted his book into a stage musical for adults which opened in 1902. Ranjit Dighe, who wrote The Historian's Wizard of Oz, says it poked fun at Theodore Roosevelt and the Populists, but Baum was playing for laughs, like Jay Leno.

Little can be learnt from Baum about the modern economic crisis, says Professor Taylor, although in both instances people have demanded more government action.

The Bank of England has - as the Populists more than 100 years ago demanded - provided a boost to the monetary supply, although the term "quantitative easing" was probably little known in the 1890s. And ultimately the US defeated deflation by creating money from new discoveries of gold abroad.

L Frank Baum died before the debates over his true intent had started. But in the book's introduction, he stated that he was only writing to please children.

He was no doubt unaware of its future appeal to economics students.


SYMBOLISM OF CHARACTERS
Dorothy: Everyman American

Scarecrow: Farmer
Tin Woodman: Industrial worker

Lion: William Jennings Bryan, politician who backed silver cause

Wizard of Oz: US presidents of late 19th Century

Wicked Witch: A malign Nature, destroyed by the farmers' most precious commodity, water. Or simply the American West

Winged Monkeys: Native Americans or Chinese railroad workers, exploited by West

Oz: An abbreviation of 'ounce' or, as Baum claimed, taken from the O-Z of a filing cabinet?

Emerald City: Greenback paper money, exposed as fraud

Here is the link to the original story: Oz


So the next time you watch a movie please do me a favor, PAY ATTENTION!

Students head to plantation in search of ghosts

Almost any ghost story can be debunked by common sense.

But sitting in a dark room talking to spirits makes skepticism difficult.

And once evidence reveals a muffled voice in a recording or a ball of light in a picture, the doubt changes, if not to belief, then certainly intrigue.

“That’s when you get the ‘frissons,’ the chills,” said Cally Chauvin, leader of Nicholls State University’s non-credit course on paranormal investigation.

On Saturday night, Chauvin led 27 students and 10 helpers from a local group called Bayou Spirits to explore the unexplained at the historic Rienzi Plantation house and Nicholls’ Polk Hall and student union.

It was the first time a Nicholls class had investigated the plantation house. Some former owners have said it is fraught with paranormal activity, said Chauvin, 48, of Mathews.

There’s no doubt the old house is a place with spirit potential. One of its owners died after falling through the home’s third floor, where he was making renovations, she said.

At the house and campus, students broke into groups of five or so, venturing into different rooms. The goal was to make contact with entities through questions and visual signals.

Each group carried devices called electromagnetic field readers, which detect changes in energy. They also had digital thermometers, voice recorders, digital cameras, two-way radios and flashlights.

In some rooms at Rienzi, balls were placed in the middle of the floors to see if entities would move them.

Infrared cameras were also set up in four of the rooms at the plantation house.

Chauvin doesn’t consider herself particularly tuned into the spiritual world, but she believes you can pick up signals if you want.

“It’s just listening and seeing if you hear anything strange,” Chauvin said. “If you have an open mind, you’re going to see a lot more than someone with a closed mind.”

Jayme Solet dropped a lot of her skepticism this past summer while taking Chauvin’s course. After investigating Nicholls’ campus, the 31-year-old Houma resident said she and another group of students taped the voice of a little girl humming a song inside the student union. In paranormal investigation terms, it was an electronic voice phenomenon, said Solet, who’s now a member of Bayou Spirits.

“The first one I caught freaked me out,” Solet said, “cause I’m a skeptic.”

You can read the rest of the stroy at this link: Ghost



I did a search for the school mentioned in the article and found this:


Ghost Hunting 101: A Scientific Approach to Paranormal Investigating

For those who have ever wanted to explore the mysteries of the paranormal while having fun being spooked, here is their chance. In this course, students will study a scientific approach to paranormal investigation, using high-tech equipment as well as skeptical and analytical methods of evidence analysis. Participants will join paranormal investigators as they conduct three sessions: a classroom presentation; a hands-on investigation of a reportedly “haunted” location near Nicholls; and a final meeting to discuss the findings. Transportation to the investigation site is not provided.

Instructor: Brad Duplechien

Date: Saturdays, June 14, 21 and 28

Time: 8 - 10 p.m.

Fee: $60/$65 (late registration)

For more information or to register, visit www.nicholls.edu/cnc or call the Office of Continuing Education at (985) 448-4444.


Here is the website for the school: Nicholls State University

Coastguard receives reports of UFO-style lights in Wirral sky

The Liverpool Echo is reporting the following

Mar 16 2009 Liverpool Echo

WIRRAL coastguard said it received a number of reports about strange lights in the sky in Noctorum.

A spokesman said they received two calls at around 8.40pm about a burning object at high altitude that broke up into pieces.

It is thought to have been a Chinese lantern.

Here is the link to the original story: Lights


As of the time of this posting I can find no other information about this event.

UK centre to keep watch on Earth

The launch of Europe's Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (Goce) satellite set for Monday will be the first large-scale effort involving the UK's new National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) since its official inauguration earlier this month.


The exquisite precision of Goce's measurements is just one facet of the data crucial to fulfil the NCEO's mission of harnessing space technology and expertise to better inform studies into the environment and, in particular, climate change.

The £33m, five-year collaboration was set up by the Natural Environmental Research Council (Nerc) and draws together 100 scientists from 26 UK universities.

Nerc makes the UK's contribution to the European Space Agency's (Esa) Earth Explorer missions, of which Goce is the first to fly.

The NCEO hopes to unite satellite, remote sensing, and ground-based data, integrating it with environmental models to provide an overarching view of the systems of our planet.

UK Science Minister Lord Drayson, speaking at the launch, said that satellite technology provided a particularly valuable role in the centre's mission.

Science competition

The NCEO effort, he said, "reflects the UK's determination to ensure that we use the fantastic science that we have around satellite technology - and space technology in general - to make the most contribution that we can to environmental research around climate change".

The effort was first announced in August 2006, with the appointment of its science director Alan O'Neill, a professor at the University of Reading.



You can read the rest of the article at this link: Watch

The article mentioned the National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO)

I did a search and found this information:

NERC created a national centre on 1 April 2008, which will have an overall responsibility for our suite of Earth Observation Centres of Excellence.

This new initiative is a response by NERC to:

•The Earth Observation Sector review
•The Science Management Audits of the individual Earth Observation Centres of Excellence
The National Centre will build on the considerable expertise of the Centres of Excellence – which use data from earth observation satellites to monitor global and regional changes in the environment, developing a detailed understanding so that we might predict future environmental conditions. We have already highlighted significant environmental changes - for instance ozone depletion, atmospheric pollution, and melting sea ice.

NCEO will include wider, national earth observation activities such as technology development and mission support. It will also take into account NERC's considerable international investments. For example, NERC is responsible for the UK's subscription to a number of European Space Agency programmes, including the Earth Observation Envelope Programme.

The NCEO was announced in August 2006 together with the appointment of the new Science Director of NCEO, Alan O'Neill from the University of Reading, who took up his post on 1 September 2006.

Here is their offical website: NCEO


Related Video:

U.S. Government Policy on Extraterrestrial Life

I have said many times that I love the internet becasue it exposes you to diffrent ideas and theories. Today I came across this book:


























Product Description
This book reveals how the U.S. has been secretly implementing public policy concerning extraterrestrial life without the awareness of the U.S. Congress, the general public and even senior national security officials. The revelations in this book will come as a profound shock to many. That will be especially so for public policy professionals who have mistakenly believed that seniority, responsibility and merit determine access to a country's most deeply hidden national security secrets. This book prepares the general public for the truth about extraterrestrial life, and how select government agencies in the U.S. and elsewhere have secretly implemented public policy over six decades. The hope is that exposing such information will inspire the general public to seek to participate in an informed way in future public debate over appropriate public policy on extraterrestrial life.


You can buy the book at this link: book


What some are saying about the book:


In this book, Dr. Michael Salla addresses the core challenge of exopolitics - preparing the general public for the exposure of secret governmental policy on extraterrestrials."
Alfred Lambremont Webre, J.D. Author, Exopolitics: Politics, Government & Law in the Universe.

"Any public official or private citizen who wants to 'open the books' on UFO/Extraterrestrial evidence should open Dr. Salla's book first."
Jeff Peckman, Director, Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission Campaign

"Dr. Michael Salla has written a definitive and groundbreaking expose on the historical reality of extraterrestrial diplomacy…."
Rebecca Hardcastle, Ph.D. Author, Exoconsciousness: Your 21st Century Mind

"Michael Salla continues to expand the political and social consciousness of a planet of beings in desperate need of a vision…. Dare to read it and ponder."
Victor Viggiani, M.Ed., Director of Exopolitics Toronto.




Here is a link to an article written by the author of the book: US

Truck Almost Hits NC Sheriff's Deputy

A North Carolina sheriff's deputy is conducting a traffic stop, when he's forced to leap out of the way of a pickup truck that veers off the road after it was hit by a tractor-trailer. (March 14)





If the embed code has stopped working. You can view the video at this link: Video

Oxygen therapy benefit in autism

Oxygen therapy benefit in autism
A decompression chamber may help children with autism, say researchers.

After 40 hours of hyperbaric treatment autistic children showed significant improvements in social interaction and eye contact compared with controls.

The BMC Pediatrics study could not show if the results were long-lasting but should prompt further investigation of the treatment, the US team said.

One theory is that oxygen can help reduce inflammation and improve flow of oxygen to brain tissue.

Hyperbaric treatment - effectively giving high concentrations of oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure - has been shown to have some benefit in other neurological conditions such as foetal alcohol syndrome and cerebral palsy.


“ We're certainly not talking about a cure, we're talking about improvements in behaviour, improving certain functions and quality of life ”
Study leader, Dr Dan Rossignol
Some studies have looked at the treatment in children with autism but they have not compared with a dummy procedure raising questions around a "placebo effect".

In the latest study, carried out at six centres in the US, 62 children aged two to seven with autism were randomly assigned to receive 40 hours of treatment over a month with 24% oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure (1.3 atm) or normal air in a slightly pressurised room (1.03 atm).

Children who received the treatment showed significant improvements in overall functioning, receptive language, social interaction, eye contact, and sensory or cognitive awareness.

In all, 30% in the treatment group were rated by doctors as "very much improved" or "much improved" compared with 8% of those in the control group.

Overall, 80% in the treatment group improved compared with 38% of controls.

Behaviour

Study leader, Dr Dan Rossignol from the International Child Development Resource Centre, in Florida, said the use of hyperbaric therapy for autism has been gaining popularity in the US where parents can buy their own hyperbaric chamber if they have a spare $14-17,000.

He said the findings would be quite controversial and he too was initially very sceptical of the idea but was prompted to do more research after the treatment showed benefits for his two sons who have autism.

"We're certainly not talking about a cure, we're talking about improvements in behaviour, improving certain functions and quality of life.

"The next step is to try to find out which kids do respond, because it's an expensive treatment - it may be that kids with more inflammation respond better.


“ We also don't know about long-term effects - it could be a transitory effect ”
Richard Mills, Research Autism
"It would also be nice to know how long the treatment lasts, and the finding needs to be confirmed."

Richard Mills, research director at Research Autism, said this was the first well-designed study looking at the therapy.

"We know this kind of therapy is useful in a number of neurological conditions and that's been well established.

"What we don't know is how useful it is in autism, what we could be seeing is an improvement in other neurological conditions that go alongside autism.

"We also don't know about long-term effects - it could be a transitory effect."

Professor Philip James, an expert in hyperbaric medicine at the University of Dundee, said the pressure used was no more than that used to pressurise an aircraft cabin on the ground.

He added that oxygen was the "controller of inflammation" but also had other effects on regulation of genes and tissue regeneration.

But even if proven, the treatment may not be for everybody.

"When you have any condition, there are people who have too much damage to get better."

"All the oxygen is doing is bringing things towards normal."

Story from BBC NEWS:Oxygen


Links to two more stories about this:

Hyperbaric Therapy Called Effective Against Autism MedPage Today

Children With Autism Benefit From Sessions in the Hyperbaric Chamber HealthKnowItAll

Paranormal iPhone App

iPhone and iPod Touch owners can now use their mobile devices to track the paranormal, thanks to A&E Network's first iPhone application, the Paranormal State EMF Reader. Converting these devices into "EMF readers" that pick up fluctuations in electromagnetic fields (EMFs), the application makes every user a paranormal investigator, able to sweep their surrounding areas and search for paranormal entities.
The launch of this free application coincides with the third season of "Paranormal State" (televised Mondays at 10PM ET/PT), A&E's dramatic real-life series that chronicles the case files of the Paranormal Research Society (PRS), a renowned group comprised of Penn State University College Students and led by director/founder Ryan Buell, as they attempt to unravel inexplicable paranormal phenomena including sixth-sense experiences, ghost sightings, demonic disturbances, and brushes with the darkest areas of the unknown. Available today, the application can be downloaded at no cost via iTunes or directly to an iPhone or a WiFi-enabled iPod Touch.

"Paranormal entities have to gather energy when manifesting themselves or attempting to communicate, which causes EMFs to fluctuate, making EMF readers essential tools for all aspiring paranormal investigators," said Paul Jelinek, Sr. Vice President, Digital Media, A&E Television Networks. "The iPhone and iPod Touch version of the EMF reader allows us to reach out to Paranormal State viewers with a fun, engaging application."

In addition to an EMF reader, the application includes the option to read an article that teaches users about electromagnetic fields and what they mean, along with a customizable postcard that contains links to the iTunes application store and to AETV.com that users can forward to friends. On the home page of the application are a link to the Paranormal State mini-site at AETV.com for more information and options to change the reader's settings. Series tune-in messaging runs as the application loads.

The application was developed by Moderati, a Bellrock Media Inc. Company

You can read the original story at this link: iPhone


Here is another link to information about this story: Phone

Paraplegic Man Suffers Spider Bite, Walks Again

He has been confined to a wheelchair for 20 years. Now a paraplegic man is walking again, and his doctors call it a miracle. CBS13 went to Manteca to find out how a spider bite helped get him back on his feet.

"I closed my eyes and then I was spinning like a flying saucer," explains David Blancarte.

A motorcycle accident almost killed David 21 years ago. At the time he might have wished he was dead.

"I asked my doctor, 'Sir what happened? I can't feel my legs'," said David.

Ever since, David's been relying on his wheelchair to get around. Then the spider bite. A Brown Recluse sent him to the hospital, then to rehab for eight months.

"I'm here for a spider bite. I didn't know I would end up walking," says David.

A nurse noticed David's leg spasm and ran a test on him.

"When they zapped my legs, I felt the current, I was like 'whoa' and I yelled," he says.

He felt the current and the rush of a renewed sense of hope.

"She says,'your nerves are alive. They're just asleep'," explained David.

Five days later David was walking.


You can read the rest of the report and watch a video at this link: Spider

More lights baffle UFO experts

Up to 30 Shropshire sightings of mysterious spheres of light have been logged by UFO experts in the last two months - with eight recorded in the last week.

Phillip Hoyle, of the UFO Investigation and Research Unit in Shrewsbury, is conducting an investigation into the phenomenon witnessed by dozens of county residents.

Reports of orange and white glowing spheres poured in this week.

Many people sighted the globes in the skies above the county on Tuesday night.

Joe Szpalek, from Castlefields, Shrewsbury, spotted a mystery ball of light at about 7pm on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old said: “I saw what I thought was a meteor or meteorite which appeared to be dropping from the sky.

“I phoned a mate who I knew in town to see if he saw anything crash or heard anything. It was a huge ball of light plummeting to the ground at a rate of knots.

“The more I thought about it, it just looked like a solid white ball of light shooting quickly to the ground.”

Debris

But Mr Hoyle said he believes there is no meteorogical explanation for the sightings as there was no electrical storm that night.

He said people have suggested the spheres could have been debris from rockets.

“It became clear that people were trying to blame it on re-entry but it does not conform with that,” he added.

“A lot of these are small but they are usually connected to a larger sphere. I have had reports of them coming in from as far as Bury St Edmonds in Lancashire.

“A number of spheres were sighted a number of years ago in Castlefields and people were claiming abduction and neighbours reported seeing the spheres above that particular house.

“I am constantly doing interviews this week and I have a number next week, including one with a father and daughter from Sutton Maddock, near Telford, who saw three large spheres.”

Mr Hoyle said the unit has a high number of incidents from the Church Stretton and Marshbrook area but that these spheres were spotted all over the county.

This story was found at this link: lights

Security Guard Accused in Shooting Believes in Aliens

KNOXVILLE, TN -- The details are still murky about what happened in a Knoxville Jewelry store parking lot two weeks ago, Saturday night.

Security guard Jessie Walker of Corryton is accused of shooting two people but has not been charged.

He has not spoken publicly about the incident.

But he does reveal some of his general beliefs and experiences in books he published more than a decade ago.

The attorney for one of the shooting victims pointed 10 News to the McClung collection, and a book Jess Walker self-published: My Place in the United States Marine Corps History.

Another book written by Walker was also available for reading, but also not allowed to be checked out: Military History of the Tennessee Army National Guard: Honoring Delta Company 1/278th ACR, Loudon County.

"If they were that easy for us to find, and they were here locally and you Google the man or you reference him, I kind of question you put a man like this out on the street armed with a gun," said T. Scott Jones, representing shooting victim Kevin Bowman in a civil lawsuit.

Jess Walker described his experiences in the Navy, Marines and Tennessee Army National Guard in the two self-published books.

One book cover claims he published two other books -- Latter Day Prophesies and Walker Bible Dictionary -- but they were not available at the McClung collection.

Walker said he was a Baptist preacher and hosted a television ministry here in Knoxville.


You can read the rest of the report at this link: Shooting

Paraguay: Archeologists discover 5000 year old human body

The remains of a man that may have died around 5000 years ago has been unearthed in Paraguay according to the charity that fights for the rights of indigenous tribes, Survival International. These are the oldest human remains ever discovered in the South American nation.
The discovery was made on the traditional lands of the Pai Tavytera Indians, a sub-group of the Guarani tribe who were dominant in Paraguay prior to European settlement. Details of the find have not yet been released but archeologists have commented that the discovery was made during a project carried out in joint co-operation with the local traditional land owners. The researchers behind the find plan to reveal more information regarding the body during an upcoming archealogical convention.
The Guarani are a forest tribe best known for their elaborate ceremonial headdresses involving colorful feathers. They are a minority in Paraguay now however their legacy lives on in over 90% of the country’s population who still speak the Guarani language along with Spanish. Most Paraguayans are of mixed Amerindian and European ancestry and many are of Guaraní heritage. Traditional Guarani still live in the forested areas bordering with Brazil.


Here is a link to the original story:

At this time, the above link is the only source I can find reporting on this story.

If I find more I will post them.

Cow abducted by UFO?

ANIMAS COUNTY: A rancher in Las Animas County, Colorado made a shocking and gruesome discovery over the weekend. He found a mutilated cow by the Purgatoire River.

The mutilated cow was discovered near the town of Weston, which is about 20 miles west of Trinidad. "First reaction, she's been mutilated," said Mike Duran.

Duran's cow was found dead with her udders and reproductive organs missing. "No tracks at all," said Duran. "No blood, no predators," he added.

The cow was last seen alive on Friday. Two days later Duran says he found her mutilated by the river.

Duran has a theory about what happened. "We have other life out there and I think that's what it is," said Duran.

Duran says he thinks aliens abducted the cow, carved it up and then dropped it back by the river. He doesn't have proof, but claims to have seen some strange sights in the Colorado skies above his ranch. "Like a round circle in the air," said Duran. "I've watched them and then they just disappear," he said.

Duran has about 40 cattle on this ranch and believe it or not he says this isn't the first time something like this has happened. He says another cow was mutilated on the same field in 1995. "It's just a shock that it's happened again," said Duran.

The cattle rancher reported both mutilations to the Las Animas County Sheriff's Office, but so far investigators haven't been able to solve either case. "It's one of those unsolved mysteries I guess," said Duran.

Reports of mutilated cattle have been made across the country since the late 1960s. The FBI has investigated these bizarre occurrences and published reports.

By the way, Duran has left the cow in the spot where he found it, and says no predators have come to feast on it.



Here is the link to the original story: Cow

Race to Witch Mountain

From Wikipedia

Race to Witch Mountain is a reimagining of the original 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain, using elements from the originating book of the same name. The film is directed by Andy Fickman and stars Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, and Carla Gugino. Filming began in Los Angeles in March 2008. Race to Witch Mountain is scheduled to be released on March 13, 2009.



Let's go back in time:

Title: Escape to Witch Mountain
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Status: Released 1975
Country: United States
Genre: Fantasy

This fast-paced Disney endeavor stars Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann as two adolescents with acute psychic powers. The kids are actually space aliens, but suffer from amnesia and are unaware of their origins. Pursued by greedy business-mogul Ray Milland, who wants to harness their special powers for his benefit, Kim and Ike are rescued by likeable camper Eddie Albert. He and the kids escape to the mountain of the title when Albert's RV suddenly acquires the power of flight. In 1978, the film spawned the sequel Return from Witch Mountain.







Title: Return From Witch Mountain
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Status: Released 1978
Country: United States
Genre: Adventure

Review Summary
The Fury meets The Misadventures of Merlin Jones in this comic-book sequel to Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain. Reprising their roles as the psychic siblings from another world are Kim Richards as Tia and Ike Eisenmann as Tony. Their Uncle Bene (Denver Pyle) gives the kids a treat by letting them vacation on planet Earth, and they make the most of it by immediately getting into hot water. It seems that arch-fiend Dr. Victor Gannon (Christopher Lee) and his Bette Davis-like accomplice, Letha (Bette Davis), are in the process of testing a mind-control device. They want to see if they can mentally save their cohort Sickle (Anthony James) from plunging to his death from atop a building. Tony spots Sickle's plunge and telekinetically saves him. When Dr. Gannon sees Tony's powers, he kidnaps him, hoping to utilize his otherworldly powers for his own nefarious purposes. Enlisting the aid of a collection of low-life youngsters (Christian Juttner, Brad Savage, Poindexter, and Jeffrey Jacquet), Tia uses her powers of telepathy to contact her brother and tries to rescue him from Gannon's clutches. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide





Escape to Witch Mountain Opening Segment





Today Friday, March 13, 2009
Movie Details
Title: Race to Witch Mountain
Status: Production/Awaiting Release
Country: United States
Genre: Adventure, Family, Action

'Vampire of Venice' skull found

Scientists in Italy have found the skull of a woman with a brick in her mouth, suggesting she may have been considered a vampire.

The skull, discovered in Venice, dates from the middle ages and the brick was probably an attempt to prevent her rising from the grave.

Here is the picture of the skull:





Here is the video report: Vampire



This is from SkyNews

The remains of a female "vampire", buried with a brick jammed between her jaws, have been found in Venice, Italian researchers say.

he brick is thought to have been used to prevent the woman feeding on victims of a plague which swept through the city in the 16th Century.

Experts said the discovery supported the medieval belief that vampires were behind the spread of plagues like the Black Death.

The skeleton was unearthed in a mass grave from the Venetian plague of 1576 - in which the artist Titian died - on the small island of Lazzaretto Nuovo in the Venice lagoon.

Situated around two miles north east of Venice, the grave was used as a sanatorium for plague sufferers.

Matteo Borrini, of the University of Florence, said: "This is the first time that archaeology has succeeded in reconstructing the ritual of exorcism of a vampire. This helps... authenticate how the myth of vampires was born."


Shrouds used to cover the faces of the dead were often decayed by bacteria in the mouth, revealing the corpse's teeth, and vampires became known as "shroud-eaters".

"To kill the vampire you had to remove the shroud from its mouth, which was its food like the milk of a child, and put something uneatable in there," said Mr Borrini.

"It's possible that other corpses have been found with bricks in their mouths, but this is the first time the ritual has been recognised."

The succession of plagues which ravaged Europe between 1300 and 1700 fostered the belief in vampires, mainly because the decomposition of corpses was not well understood, Mr Borrini said.

Gravediggers reopening mass graves would sometimes find bodies bloated by gas, with hair still growing, and blood seeping from their mouths and believe them to be still alive.

According to medieval medical and religious texts, the "undead" were believed to suck the remaining life from corpses until they acquired the strength to return to the streets again.

While legends about blood-drinking ghouls date back thousands of years, the modern figure of the vampire was encapsulated in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.

Here is the link for the original story: Brick

100 Funniest Words in English

LEWISBURG, Pa., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lexiteria has announced the publication of The 100 Funniest Words in English by Dr. Robert Beard, AKA Dr. Goodword on the alphaDictionary.com website. This book examines what Dr. Beard considers the funniest of the 2500 words he has described and e-mailed daily to 200,000 people over the past 8 years.


After a short essay on what makes words funny, Dr. Beard examines the pronunciation, meaning, usage, and history of each funny word, giving several creative examples of its use. Dr. Beard's selection of the funniest words includes the likes of "absquatulate," "bowyangs," "collywobbles," "gongoozle," "hemidemisemiquaver," and "snollygoster."


"This was what I was born to do," Dr. Beard said in connection with the publication of his first trade book. "After 40 years of scientific research in the workings of words, I finally felt that I was ready to take my thoughts and ideas to a world-wide general audience."


Dr. Beard taught Russian language and Linguistics at Bucknell University for 35 years after completing his PhD in linguistics at the University of Michigan in 1966. "I feel that teaching linguistics at an introductory level for all those years put me in a position to talk about the intricacies of words on an authoritative but jovial level anyone can understand and enjoy," he added.


The book not only discusses funny words, it does so in a funny style. The examples given for each word rely on a cast of characters developed by Dr. Beard in the alphaDictionary "So, What's the Good Word?" series. They include the lady's man Phil Anders, Robin Banks (who works for the accounting firm of Cooke, Books & Hyde), a clothes horse, Maude Lynn Dresser, her friend, Lucinda Head, not to mention their overly expensive lawyer, Susan Liddy-Gates.


The book is available now in paperback and in electronic form on line at Amazon.com in the US and UK, as well as at the websites of Alibris and AbeBooks. Lexiteria promises a sequel to The 100 Funniest Words in English titled The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English later this year.

Here is the link to the original story: Words



Here is the link to the book: 100 Funniest Words In English


The 100 Funniest Words in English

Table of Contents

Abibliophobia
Absquatulate
Allegator
Anencephalous
Argle-bargle
Batrachomyomachy
Billingsgate
Bloviate
Blunderbuss
Borborygm
Boustrophedon
Bowyang
Brouhaha
Bumbershoot
Callipygian
Canoodle
Cantankerous
Catercornered
Cockalorum
Cockamamie
Codswallop
Collop
Collywobbles
Comeuppance
Crapulence
Crudivore
Discombobulate
Donnybrook
Doozy
Dudgeon
Ecdysiast
Eructation
Fard
Fartlek
Fatuous
Filibuster
Firkin
Flibbertigibbet
Flummox
Folderol
Formication
Fuddy-duddy
Furbelow
Furphy
Gaberlunzie
Gardyloo!
Gastromancy
Gazump
Gobbledygook
Gobemouche
Godwottery
Gongoozle
Gonzo
Goombah
Hemidemisemiquaver
Hobbledehoy
Hocus-pocus
Hoosegow
Hootenanny
Jackanapes
Kerfuffle
Klutz
La-di-da
Lagopodous
Lickety-split
Lickspittle
Logorrhea
Lollygag
Malarkey
Maverick
Mollycoddle
Mugwump
Mumpsimus
Namby-pamby
Nincompoop
Oocephalus
Ornery
Pandiculation
Panjandrum
Pettifogger
Pratfall
Quean
Rambunctious
Ranivorous
Rigmarole
Shenanigan
Sialoquent
Skedaddle
Skullduggery
Slangwhanger
Smellfungus
Snickersnee
Snollygoster
Snool
Tatterdemalion
Troglodyte
Turdiform
Unremacadamized
Vomitory
Wabbit
Widdershins
Yahoo

Now use these words tomorrow at work!

Guarding the U.S.-Mexico border From Your Computer!

Technology is amazing an it allows us to do things previous generations could not even dream about. For example consider this:

When her baby girl takes an afternoon nap, or on those nights when she just can't sleep, Sarah Andrews, 32, tosses off her identity as a suburban stay-at-home mom and becomes something more exotic: a "virtual deputy" patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border.

From her house in a suburb of Rochester, New York, Andrews spends at least four hours a day watching a site called BlueServo.net.

There, because of a $2 million grant from the state of Texas, anyone in the world can watch grainy live video scenes of cactuses, desert mountains and the Rio Grande along Texas' portion of the international border.

When Andrews spots something she deems suspicious -- perhaps a fuzzy character moving from right to left across the screen or people wading through the river with what appear to be trash bags atop their heads -- she and the site's 43,000 registered users can send e-mail messages straight to local law enforcement, who then decide whether to act.

"Today, there's a couple vehicles that are parked side by side next to each other," she said by phone, her 7-month-old cooing in the background, "but I can't tell what's going on, you know?"

You can read the entire report at this link: Border


When I read the story I knew I had to do some more research and see what I could find. So here it is:

I went to the blueservo.net website and found this:

The Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition (TBSC) has joined BlueServoSM in a public-private partnership to deploy the Virtual Community Watch, an innovative real-time surveillance program designed to empower the public to proactively participate in fighting border crime.

The TBSC BlueServoSM Virtual Community WatchSM is a FREE service consisting of a network of cameras and sensors along the Texas-Mexico border. This network feeds live streaming video FREE-OF-CHARGE to the user's computer, which they can access by creating a FREE account at www.BlueServo.net. Users will log in to the BlueServoSM website and directly monitor suspicious criminal activity along the border via this virtual fenceSM.

Citizens can sign up as Virtual Texas DeputiesSM to participate in border surveillance through this social network. Virtual Texas DeputiesSM from around the country will monitor the streaming video from these cameras 24/7 and report any suspicious activities directly to the Border Sheriffs via email. All emails regarding suspicious activity will be submitted anonymously.

The Public, acting as Virtual Texas DeputiesSM, is limited to reporting suspicious activities via email. Local county Sheriffs will respond to these reports, conduct all investigations, and take appropriate actions. This service will provide millions of dollars in benefits to local border Sheriffs, with the public acting as additional pairs of eyes for Deputies on the ground. This extra surveillance will allow the public to directly participate in reducing crime and improving their communities. It is a well-established fact that citizen involvement in community watch programs such as this one reduces crime.

Another facet of this program is the ability of the public to connect their own cameras to www.BlueServo.net to create local Virtual Neighborhood WatchesSM in order to protect their own homes, neighborhoods, and families from criminal acts. These Virtual Neighborhood WatchesSM can, in turn, be connected to form additional Virtual Community WatchesSM.

Membership on www.BlueServo.net site is free and open to anyone by signing up and obtaining a User Log-In. Because www.BlueServo.net is an internet social network, in the future, BlueServoSM anticipates that high volume of traffic to its website will generate advertising revenue to defray the operations cost of the Virtual Community WatchSM to the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition


You can check out their site at this link: BlueServo



Here is a link for the NPR report about the site: A New Way To Patrol The Texas Border: Virtually



Here is a link to another news report:

Let's hunt some immigrants!

Formula One Car

I found this video at the, A Turn For The Best blog. The video is just crazy!

Low-level ozone exposure found to be lethal over time

The following was reported in the LA Times

An 18-year study shows an increased annual risk of death from
respiratory illnesses, depending on the pollution level. It goes beyond
studies that linked brief ozone spikes to short-term effects.

Ozone pollution is a killer, increasing the yearly risk of death from
respiratory diseases by 40% to 50% in heavily polluted cities like Los
Angeles and Riverside and by about 25% throughout the rest of the
country, researchers reported today.

Environmental scientists already knew that increases in ozone during
periods of heavy pollution caused short-term effects, such as asthma
attacks, increased hospitalizations and deaths from heart attacks.


But the 18-year study of nearly half a million people, reported today in
the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first to show that
long-term, low-level exposure to the pollutant can also be lethal.

Current standards for ozone pollution cover only eight-hour averages of
the colorless gas, but even with that relatively relaxed rule, 345
counties with a total population of more than 100 million people are out
of compliance.

The Environmental Protection Agency "has already said that it will
revisit the current ozone standards in the country," said Dan Greenbaum,
president of the Boston-based Health Effects Institute, one of the
study's sponsors.


"Undoubtedly, when it happens these results are going to be a very
important part of that review," said Greenbaum, who was not involved in
the study.

The EPA may need to implement an annual standard, said University of
Ottawa environmental health scientist Daniel Krewski, one of the paper's
authors.

Coauthor Michael Jerrett of UC Berkeley said the findings could have
profound implications because they show that ozone worsens conditions
that already kill a large number of people.

Deaths from respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, emphysema and pneumonia, account for about 8.5% of all U.S.
deaths, an estimated 240,000 each year. Worldwide, such conditions
account for 7.7 million deaths each year.

Ozone is what is known as a secondary pollutant. It is not formed
directly by the burning of fossil fuels. Rather, nitrogen oxides
produced by such combustion react in the presence of sunlight to form
ozone. It is thus the biggest problem in areas that are sunny and hot,
Jerrett said.

As an oxidizing agent, ozone reacts with virtually anything it comes
into contact with. In particular, it reacts with cells in the lungs,
causing inflammation and a variety of other effects that lead to
premature aging.

Jerrett and his colleagues studied 448,850 people over age 18 in 96
metropolitan regions who enrolled in the American Cancer Society Cancer
Prevention Study II in 1982 and 1983. The subjects were tracked for an
average of 18 years. During that follow-up period, there were 48,884
deaths, 9,891 of them from respiratory diseases.

The researchers found that every increase of 10 parts per billion (ppb)
in average ozone concentrations was associated with about a 4% increase
in dying from respiratory causes.

Riverside had the highest ozone average (104 ppb), and the risk of dying
from respiratory causes was 50% greater than it would have been if there
were no ozone.

Los Angeles had the second-highest ozone level and a 43% increase in
risk.

In contrast, San Francisco had the lowest average ozone level (33 ppb)
of the 96 regions studied and only a 14% increased risk, probably
because of the fog and prevailing winds, which reduce ozone formation.
The Pacific Northwest also had low levels of ozone, again because of
rain and cool weather.

Cities in the East like New York and Washington had an average increased
risk of about 25% to 27%.

The researchers found no increase in deaths from cardiovascular disease
associated with ozone levels -- those deaths are caused primarily by the
fine particulates present in air pollution.

They also found no increase in overall mortality, suggesting that ozone
is causing deaths in people who were probably going to die in another
year or two anyway, according to epidemiologist Joel Schwartz of the
Harvard School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study.

"We do know that ozone is particularly dangerous for people living with
existing asthma or lung disease," Jerrett said. And it didn't matter
what someone's weight, income or education was. "It seems to affect a
lot of people relatively equally."


Source: Ozone

Ponzi schemes

The big news story today is,
Madoff Is Guilty in Ponzi Scheme; Ordered to Jail

Bernard Madoff was jailed after admitting he masterminded the largest Ponzi scheme in history, an epic swindle that may have reached $65 billion and made him the symbol of investor distrust in a global recession.

Madoff, 70, entered his guilty plea in Manhattan federal court three months after confessing to relatives that his firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, was “one big lie.” U.S. District Judge Denny Chin ordered that Madoff, who has been free on $10 million bond, should be jailed while awaiting sentencing, scheduled for June 16. He faces as much as 150 years in prison.

“I never invested the funds in securities as promised,” Madoff told Chin at a hearing today in a courtroom packed with victims and members of the media. He said he was “deeply sorry” and knew what he did was criminal.

Madoff told Chin that in the early 1990s, when the U.S. was in a recession, he felt “compelled’” to provide the returns he promised investors. He said when the Securities and Exchange Commission asked about it, he lied to the SEC.

Madoff’s guilty plea -- he repeated the word 11 times this morning -- marks the downfall of a once-acclaimed money manager who told the world his fortune came through an eponymous firm that specialized in making markets, trading securities and advising wealthy clients.

You can read the rest of the stroy at this link: Ponzi

Ok, so he is guilty of running a ponzi scheme. What does that mean? What exactly is a ponzi scheme?

If you have questions we have answers.

"Ponzi" Schemes
Ponzi schemes are a type of illegal pyramid scheme named for Charles Ponzi, who duped thousands of New England residents into investing in a postage stamp speculation scheme back in the 1920s. Ponzi thought he could take advantage of differences between U.S. and foreign currencies used to buy and sell international mail coupons. Ponzi told investors that he could provide a 40% return in just 90 days compared with 5% for bank savings accounts. Ponzi was deluged with funds from investors, taking in $1 million during one three-hour period—and this was 1921! Though a few early investors were paid off to make the scheme look legitimate, an investigation found that Ponzi had only purchased about $30 worth of the international mail coupons.

Decades later, the Ponzi scheme continues to work on the "rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul" principle, as money from new investors is used to pay off earlier investors until the whole scheme collapses.

Source: Ponzi


Ponzi Scheme


A fraudulent investing scam that promises high rates of return at little risk to investors. The scheme generates returns for older investors by acquiring new investors. This scam actually yields the promised returns to earlier investors, as long as there are more new investors.


Investopedia explains Ponzi Scheme...
The Ponzi scam is named after Charles Ponzi, a clerk in Boston who first orchestrated such a scheme in 1919.

A Ponzi scheme is similar to a pyramid scheme in that both are based on using new investors' funds to pay the earlier backers. One difference between the two schemes is that the Ponzi mastermind gathers all relevant funds from new investors and then distributes them. Pyramid schemes, on the other hand, allow each investor to directly benefit depending on how many new investors are recruited. In this case, the person on the top of the pyramid does not at any point have access to all the money in the system.

For both schemes, however, eventually there isn't enough money to go around and the schemes unravel.

Source: Ponzi

forbes billionaires

On Tuesday, November 11, 2008 I posted the article, GIVE ME A MILLION DOLLARS.

In the article I asked, why can't someone just give me a million dollars? The result to that article has been a little disappointing because I am still waiting for my check! For some reason no one has taken the time to send me a check for a million dollars. I know, they could be busy or maybe they just forgot to put it in the mail. Today I saw some news that has made me want to ask once again for someone to send me a million dollars!

The famous business magazine has released its annual Forbes Billionaires 2009 list:

Forbes.com reported the following:

After 13 years on top, Bill Gates is no longer the richest man in the world. That honor now belongs to his friend and sometimes bridge partner Warren Buffett. Riding the surging price of Berkshire Hathaway stock, Buffett has seen his fortune swell to an estimated $62 billion, up $10 billion from a year ago. Gates is now worth $58 billion and is ranked third richest in the world. He is up $2 billion from a year ago, but would have been as rich--or richer--than Buffett, had Microsoft not made an unsolicited bid for Yahoo! at the beginning of February. Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helú now ranks as the world's second richest person with a net worth of $60 billion.

Wow, can you imagine being worth not millions but billions? Come on guys, you will not miss a million dollars! Just send it to:

Trevor Hammack
1802 Moonlight Dr
Abilene, TX
79606


Think of it as your stimulus package! You will be stimulating the economy where I live because I will spend a lot of money after receiving your check!
You will be helping turn the economy around!

I don't do drugs or even drink! I don't gamble either, so your gift will not be wasted!

So I will be waiting for your check and if you want, please send it express! I really want to spend some quick. The economy needs it!

Here are links to the Forbes List
Billionaires











I am still waiting! Come on, send that Million!

Hawaiian Airlines

If you are looking to fly it appears you want to fly witth Hawaiian Airlines.

Check out the following news reports:


Airlines improve on-time performance
Bizjournals.com
, USA
- Mar 11, 2009
- 3 hours ago
Out of the 19 airlines surveyed for the report, Hawaiian Airlines once again ranked first with an on-time arrival rate of 90.82 percent. ...


Hawaiian Airlines reaches tentative labor contract
USA Today
- Mar 10, 2009
- Mar 10, 2009
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaiian Airlines says it has reached a tentative labor agreement with the union that represents 1200 of its employees. ...


Hawaiian tops in January for on-time arrivals
Bizjournals.com
, USA
- Mar 11, 2009
- 3 hours ago
Hawaiian Airlines was first in on-time arrivals during the month of January when compared to all major US airlines. Hawaiian, owned by Hawaiian Holdings ...


Hawaiian Airlines releases February traffic results
Trading Markets (press release)
, USA
- Mar 10, 2009
- Mar 10, 2009
Hawaiian Airlines carried a total of 641067 passengers in February 2009, up 15.1% from the same month last year. Year-to-date, Hawaiian Airlines recorded a ...

Tigger virus targets online stock trades

SPRINGFIELD -- A new computer virus has a funny name but it's the same ol' game.

Now the online crooks have spread a bug to steal your investments as you trade. It's called Tigger.

You may remember Tigger the cartoon character singing, "The wonderful thing about Tiggers is, Tiggers are wonderful things!" Well, the new Tigger that's bouncing around isn't wonderful at all. It's a computer virus that targets stock trades.

"This isn't so fun, no. These guys are really getting creative," said Doug Pitt, owner of Service World Computer Center.

Instead of just creating a nuisance on your computer, the virus goes after your finances on sites like E-trade, ING Direct ShareBuilder, Vanguard, Options Xpress, Scottrade, and Ameritrade. It records a user's key strokes to get vital information like usernames and passwords.

"Obviously, with that kind of access, they can do a lot of damage," said Pitt.

"I trade through Ameri-Trade and through Think or Swim, which is getting ready to merge with Ameritrade," said stock trader Bryan Harding.

He's a day trader, and uses stock trading Web sites every day.

"At the end of any day, you don't have any possessions. You have bought and sold, and flattened out, as they call it, by the end of the day," said Harding.

He does what he can to avoid viruses like Tigger.

"I'll do a firewall, a spyware program, and anti-virus as well," Harding said.

But the big problems with Tigger.A is, after a month, only one of the 37 major anti-virus products detected it, and it actually removes other viruses that could wave the red flag.

"They want you to get a clean bill of health so, obviously, you think everything's great," said Pitt.

Of course, for struggling investors, Tigger is the last thing they need.

"It could be a big problem, since a lot of those folks have already taken a 40- or 50-percent hit in the last year, and to lose that last 40 or 50 percent would be a pretty big deal," said Harding.

"I don't think they have their arms around Tigger exactly," said Pitt.

To protect yourself from any viruses, Pitt suggests keeping up on your anti-virus sofware and Microsoft patches. He says probably the most important way you can keep yourself protected while trading or banking online is to use a limited user account.

Here's how you can set that up on your own computer: - go to Start, then Control Panel
- click User Accounts
- click Create a new account
- name the account
- click Limited
- finally click Create Account

Using a limited user account will not allow you to add or remove programs like an administrator account would, so Pitt says logging in to that limited account for banking and trading would provide some protection from viruses.

Source: Ky3.com

I cannot find any coverage as of yet from a Major News agency:

I did find this link:

Tigger.A Trojan Quietly Steals Stock Traders' Data



More to come...

10 Dead Alabama Shooting Masacre

Mormon Endowment Ceremony

The creators of HBO's controversial polygamy drama, "Big Love," defended an upcoming episode depicting a scene of a sacred and private LDS temple ceremony that has riled some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Meanwhile, while the TV network has apologized to those who may be offended by its contents.

"We therefore took great pains to depict the ceremony with the dignity and reverence it is due," according to a statement by creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer. Both were editing the season finale this week and unavailable for interviews.

The duo's unusual drama, about a modern-day Utah polygamous family, sparked controversy this week when Scheffer and Olsen announced that Sunday night's episode will include an endowment ceremony in an LDS temple involving one of the sister wives, played by Jeanne Tripplehorn. The scene, which was apparently supervised by an "ex-Mormon," includes sets of the temple's celestial room and the sacred temple clothing worn during such ceremonies.

"This approach is entirely evident in the scene portrayed in this episode and certainly reflected in Jeanne Tripplehorn's beautiful and moving performance as she faces losing the church she loved so much," the creators said in the statement. "In order to assure the accuracy of the ceremony, it was thoroughly vetted by an adviser who is familiar with temple practices and rituals."

Here is a link to the rest of the story: Big Love

Here are links to other reports about this story:



"Big Love" series to show rites from LDS temples
ABC 4
, USA
- Mar 10, 2009
- 8 hours ago
They argue that temples and temple ceremonies are not as much secret as very sacred. One BYU student asked, "Doesn't it say in the scriptures 'cast not your ...


Mormons Mad at Big Love
Queerty
, USA
- Mar 10, 2009
- 9 hours ago
And according to TV Guide, it now seems the show's writers are to depict what they understand to be sacred temple ceremonies. Certainly Church members are ...


LDS temple garments seen in TV Guide magazine
KIDK
, USA
- Mar 09, 2009
- Mar 09, 2009
This Sunday an episode will air showing temple ceremonies. This months TV Guide even shows a picture of Temple Garments. "I think that there's a lot wrong ...


The Ceremony in question is the, Mormon Endowment Ceremony

Here is what I have found about it:
The Mormon Endowment includes four basic aspects. One is a preparatory ordinance of ceremonial washing and anointing, and dressing in sacred temple garments or so-called "Mormon underwear," plus temple robes, always white as a symbol of purity and equality between everyone in attendance. Another aspect is a course of instruction that features the creation of the world, some of the experiences of Adam and Eve, and the plan of salvation or redemption available to every human thanks to the sacrifice of Christ. Covenants constitute yet another aspect of the Endowment: Mormons solemnly promise the Lord to be obedient, giving of self, chaste, and loyal to the restored Church of Christ and its cause; in return, God is enabled to fulfill promised blessings of joy, protection, progress, and eventual return to His glorious presence. Finally, temple visitors can actually feel a degree of divine presence even now, for Mormon temples are specially dedicated as places of holiness, of light, of peace and revelation and understanding. The Lord's hand can be felt in the Mormon Church's practice of temple building, and it can be felt in the hearts and lives of those who worthily and reverently enter the temple.

Information is conveyed in a highly symbolic manner during the Endowment in Mormon temples. Members of the Mormon Church have the experience of noticing and understanding different things each time they read the scriptures, and in a similar way, the Endowment provides understanding at various levels and encourages a person to return more and more so as to develop that understanding and to draw ever closer to the Lord. The meaning that someone derives from a symbol today is often different than the meaning previously derived. Both meanings are valuable in filling out the cumulative comprehension of the individual.
Symbols used in the Endowment and the meanings of those symbols are sacred to Mormons. They view the meaning of the symbols as knowledge (an endowment) from God. For this reason, the only acceptable place for Mormons to discuss the symbols or their meaning is within the walls of a temple. Faithful Mormons do not divulge specific details of what goes on in the temple, not because they are secret, but because they are sacred.

The first time a Mormon goes through an Endowment session, it is for his or her own benefit. This usually occurs before a Mormon male leaves on a two-year mission at age 19 to preach about the restored Church of Jesus Christ; Mormon women usually receive their Endowment before marriage, or if and when they leave on an 18-month mission at the age of 21.

During all subsequent sessions, which hopefully are frequent, Mormons receive the Endowment not for themselves but on behalf of deceased individuals, enabling the dead to accept or reject the ordinances and covenants according to their own free will. The living Mormon feels it an honor and a duty to thus act as proxy for others, and besides gaining a cumulative understanding through repeated visits, the Mormon also gets a vivid reminder of the grand scheme of things, remembering anew what this world and this life are really all about.

Source: Mormon

Here is an audio recording of the LDS Temple endowment made by Larry Cozad, jr in 1984
Audio

ferrari f599xx

The following is from Mirror.co.uk

Ferrari unveils the special one

Talk about special - the Ferrari F599XX has almost 700bhp, a racing car interior, massive carbon-fibre diffuser aerodynamic devices at the rear and loads more racy bits.

The bad news is Ferrari will only sell the model to "special" customers - and these people will only be able to drive them at special tracks through 2010 and 2011.

Apparently, it's a super-cool test rig for future models.


After reading that I decided to see what else I could find about this car. Here are my findings:





Ferrari revealed an ultra exclusive race bred car at the Geneva Auto Salon, this car being the Ferrari 599XX. The all new Ferrari 599xx is strictly intended for the track for those that are willing to pony up the price tag of admission- 1.5 million quid.

If you are familiar with the Ferrari lineup you will have know there was an FXX version of the Ferrari Enzo which was also a modified track racer that has F1 capabilites written all over it. This XX version of the 599 from Ferrari is more of the same. Propestive buyers of the Ferrari 599XX will be able to take part in special Ferrari dedicated track events.This car is stricly for the track and there will be only 30 made and two years of track time come with the car.

Underneath the hood the horsepower mark exceeds 700 Italian horses from a V12 in addition to aerodynamics and carbon fiber galore.

From Ferrari:

"The 599XX, on the other hand, is aimed at owners that want to experience Prancing Horse driving pleasure at its purest - in fact, Ferrari will be organising a programme of dedicated track events for it in 2010/2011. Conceived exclusively for track but not official competition use, and thus unrestricted either by homologation limitations or regulatory restrictions, this extreme sports car incorporates the very best of Ferrari technology, the fruit both of our Research and Development Department's labours and our long experience and experimentation in F1. The plethora of aerodynamic, electronic control and handling innovations used together for the first time on a single car make this model a genuine technological laboratory. The solutions adopted for the 599XX - many of which will remain exclusive to it - enhance its levels of performance and can be summed up in one highly relevant statistic: a Fiorano lap time of just 1 minute and 17 seconds. Although it is such an extreme car, the 599XX still retains the ergonomics of the road-going model which are essential for non-professional drivers engaging in intensive track driving."

Source: Car

The Seasteading Institute

The following was found at CNN.com

A floating city off the coast of San Francisco may sound like science fiction, but it could be reality in the not-too-distant future.

The Seasteading Institute already has drawn up plans for the construction of a homestead on the Pacific Ocean.

One project engineer described the prototype as similar to a cruise ship, but from a distance the cities might look like oil-drilling platforms.

According to the plans, the floating cities would not only look different from their land-based counterparts, but they might operate differently, too.

Patri Friedman, a former Google engineer who now works for the Seasteading Institute, said floating cities are the perfect places to experiment with new forms of government.

Some of the new political ideas the group is tossing around include legalizing marijuana and making intellectual property communal -- so that everyone would take ownership in art produced on the city at sea.

"The idea isn't just about getting away from rules or getting rid of rules. It's about a system that encourages experimentation with different political systems," he said.


Friedman said the floating city may be built in modular pieces so that city blocks and neighborhoods can be recombined to create new urban layouts.

The idea of building cities on the sea is not new, he said, but the Seasteading Institute has come closer to realizing the goal than others.

"A lot of people over the past hundred plus years have had this idea and even specifically building cities on the ocean to try out new forms of government," he said. "But they've pretty much been totally imagined and if they did try, they totally failed."

There are several unknowns about future attempts to create floating cities, said Christian Cermelli, an engineer and architect with Marine Innovation and Technology, based in San Francisco.

Cermelli, who is part of a team of designers creating a blueprint for the first seastead, said it's unclear if construction is possible -- or what it would cost.

Still, a prototype for the idea may be finished in as little as three years, he said.

Friedman said seasteads are loosely based on oil rigs, but with important modifications.


You can read the rest of the article at this link:
Sea


Here are some pictures:



Here is more information:
A Brief Introduction to the Seasteading Institute

What is "Seasteading"?
Seasteading means to create permanent dwellings on the ocean - homesteading the high seas. A seastead, like in the picture above, is a structure meant for permanent occupation on the ocean

Why would you want to do that?
Because the world needs a new frontier, a place where those who are dissatisfied with our current civilization can go to build a different (and hopefully better) one.

Currently, it is very difficult to experiment with alternative social systems on a small scale. Countries are so enormous that it is hard for an individual to make much difference. Seasteaders believe that government shouldn't be like the cellphone or operating system industries, with few choices and high customer-lock-in. Instead, they envision something more like web 2.0, where many small governments serve many niche markets, a dynamic system where small groups experiment, and everyone copies what works, discards what doesn't, and remixes the remainder to try again.

Think about all the hot air and argumentation about a whole host of different political issues - freedom vs. security, absolute wealth vs. inequality, strong family vs. tolerance, open vs. closed borders, whatever the topic du jour is. Instead of deciding them through rhetoric, or voting on a few representatives to decide them for tens or hundreds of millions of people at once, imagine if we could try them each on a small scale and see what happens. If people could create societies with different priorities - the environment, civil liberties, economic freedom, religious values - we'd be able to see how well these ideas actually work in practice. In some cases, certain approaches will work so well (or terribly) that everyone (or no one) will use them too. In others, it will turn out to be a matter of preference, in which case we'll be giving people the choice to choose to live in whatever small society is closest to their ideal.

In short, we seasteaders are people who, whatever our ideals, want to stop arguing about them, stop proselytizing them, and start living them. And it looks like homesteading the oceans is our best opportunity.


You can find more information at the Seasteading Institute website. Here is the link: Institute

Powerful sandstorm hits Riyadh

One of the strongest sandstorms to hit the Saudi capital Riyadh in decades has been filmed by a BBC viewer, Matthew Thomson.

Mr Thomson, who filmed this from his office on the 56th floor of Kingdom Centre, said the storm took around 10 minutes to pass over the city and reach his building.

He said: "In a matter of 30 seconds or so, visibility dropped from miles to just a few metres completely obscuring the view to the street below."

You can view the video at this link: Video



Here are a links top reports about the storm:

There's a storm comin' to town


Sandstorm in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia


Today, at lunchtime 12.15 pm a sandstorm is aproaching Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Pictures are taken from Al Faisaliah Tower facing north towards Kingdom tower. Kingdom tower is the highest building in Saudi Arabia , 330 meters.







Crazy sandstorm!! Riyadh, Saudi Arabia






This photo was taken in the same spot 30 minutes later, after the sandstorm hit.

Dr. Nouriel Roubini

US Recession Could Last Up to 36 Months: Roubini

The following is from CNBC.com

The man who predicted the current financial crisis said the US recession could drag on for years without drastic action.

Among his solutions: fix the housing market by breaking "every mortgage contract."

"We are in the 15th month of a recession," said Nouriel Roubini, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, told CNBC in a live interview. "Growth is going to be close to zero and unemployment rate well above 10 percent into next year."

Echoing a speech he made earlier in the day, Roubini said he sees "no hope for the recession ending in 2009 and will more than likely last into 2010."

Roubini, who is also known as "Dr. Doom," told CNBC that the risk of a total meltdown has been reversed for now but that the economy is going through "a death by a thousand cuts." He also said that "most of the U.S. financial institutions are entirely insolvent."

"The market friendly view for the banks is nationalization," said Roubini. "Temporarily take over the banks, clean them up and get them working again."

As for the claim that the Treasury Department can't legally take over the banks, Roubini said that most of the banks are already owned by the government and that the government could "put them in receivership" if it had to.

Earlier in the day, Roubini spoke to the CBOE Risk Management Conference and said he believes total losses could peak at $3.6 trillion in the financial system, with half of that being borne by banks and bank dealers and the other half borne by hedge funds and pension funds, among others.

He said that while U.S. GDP next year could be zero, global GDP could dip into negative territory.

"We could end up ... with a 36-month recession, that could be "L-shaped stagnation, or near depression," Roubini said. He puts the chance of a severe U-shaped recession at 66.7 percent, and a more severe L-shaped recession at 33.3 percent.

Roubini listed a litany of negative omens: Capex spending down 20-30 percent for investment grade companies, self-perpetuating deflation, all making a bad situation worse.

"If you expect prices to be lower tomorrow, why would you buy today?", asked Roubini. He says it's easier to break out of am inflationary cycle than a deflationary one, and while a year of deflation "is okay," longer would be "a disaster."

So what can the government do? The easy part is lowering interest rates and buying toxic assets. The hard part, he says, will be tackling housing. Roubini says that the housing market, like a company restructuring in bankruptcy, needs to have "face value reduction of the debt." Rather than go through mortgages one by one, he says reduction has to be "across the board...break every mortgage contract."

Roubini also took issue with the $800 billion stimulus package, saying it's not enough. For one thing, there's only $200 billion upfront, and half of that is a tax cut, which Roubini calls "a waste of money" that is not going to make a difference.

Finally, while he says there will be "a light at the end of the tunnel", it'll probably get worse before it gets better. Those who believe in a second half recovery this year "are delusional" he says.

In fact, based on Roubini's calculations, we could conceivably see the S&P 500 at 500, the Dow at 5000.

Here is the link to the original article: Recession


Watch Roubini Video From Today's Speech:
Roubini Part One

Roubini Part Two

Roubini Part Three

The US Government's Secret Psychic Espionage Program

In my last article I posted videos that claim the Soviet Military used psychics. After I posted that article I came across an article that claims, "the CIA and the American military intelligence community decided that psychic phenomena were worth investigating."

You can read the entire article at this link: Psychic

Soviet Military Psychic Uses

The goal of the Worldview blog is to provide you information about what is happening in our world and the ideas that are being promoted. I seldom offer my own comments and instead just provide the information. I challenge the readers to think and study for themselves.

The following videos make some amazing claims. I cannot validate the accuracy of the videos. I offer them to the readers of this blog for them to consider and study.

Flu Viruses Becoming More Resistant To Key Medication

Flu season peaks in February and March in the northern hemisphere. And now more than ever, doctors are concerned that the main drug used to treat this potentially deadly virus is becoming ineffective.

Video: Flu DrugWatch (WM)

You can read a report about this at this link: Flu

Developing world may need $700 billion

DAR ES SALAAM, March 8 (Reuters) - Developing countries could face a financing gap of $270 billion to $700 billion this year as trade income dwindles and rich nations vie for capital to deal with a global slump, the World Bank said on Sunday.

The World Bank said even at the lower end of that estimate, resources of international institutions would not be sufficient to meet the financing needs as more and more emerging and developing countries are hit.

"Should a more pessimistic outcome occur, unmet financing needs will be enormous," the World Bank said in a paper prepared for meetings of the G20 group of countries in London in April.

The World Bank spends billions of dollars annually fighting poverty in developing countries.

Last week, the International Monetary Fund said developing countries would need $25 billion, and possibly as much as $140 billion, in 2009 to meet their financing needs.

The World Bank said the crisis could have long-lasting repercussions for developing countries, which are contending with a drop in exports as world trade shrinks for the first time since 1982 at the same time remittances from overseas workers slow and falling commodity prices saps a revenue source many countries rely on.

Here is the link to the orignal story: 700 Billion


Here is a related report:

Global Economy to Shrink First Time Since WWII, World Bank Says

March 8 (Bloomberg) -- The global economy is likely to shrink for the first time since World War II, and trade will decline by the most in 80 years, the World Bank said today.

The World Bank’s assessment is more pessimistic than an International Monetary Fund report in January predicting 0.5 percent global growth this year. The Washington-based World Bank didn’t provide a specific estimate in its report.

World growth will be 5 percent below its potential, the bank said. Developing nations will bear the brunt of the contraction. They will face a shortfall of between $270 billion and $700 billion to pay for imports and service debts, the bank said.

“We need to react in real time to a growing crisis that is hurting people in developing countries,” said World Bank President Robert Zoellick in a statement. Action is needed by governments and multilateral lenders “to avoid social and political unrest.”

East Asia will be hit the hardest by the decline in global commerce, the bank said. Global industrial production is expected to be as much as 15 percent lower than in 2008.

The World Bank said that a surge of debt issuance by rich nations risks “crowding out many developing country borrowers, both private and public.” Emerging nations that can access capital markets will be forced to pay higher rates of interest.

The report said that 94 out of 116 developing countries had experienced a slowdown in economic growth, with poverty increasing in 43. The result, the bank said, would be growing dependence on foreign aid.

Here is the linik for the complete report: Economy

AIDS Cases on the Rise in Northwestern China

According to the Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, last year the number of AIDS cases rose by 50% to 216.

This is a vast increase from years past, with only 10 people diagnosed with the AIDS virus back in the year 2000.

According to Yu Ailing, head of STD/HIV/AIDS prevention at the GPCDC, last year, 34 people died from the AIDS virus.

“The main reason behind the rising number of HIV/AIDS cases year on year lies in the fact the government has stepped up efforts to prevent and control the spread of HIV/AIDS, and tests and monitoring were tightened accordingly,” said Yu.

The leading form of AIDS transmission continues to be through sexual contact between one infected partner who transmits the virus to their sexual partner.


Here is the link to the original story: Aids

Australia braced for cyclone

Holiday resorts on islands off the Australian state of Queensland have been evacuated and airports closed as Cyclone Hamish heads south along the coast.

Here is a link to a video report: Cyclone

Israeli Aircraft Strike Gaza as Militants Launch Rockets

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas security officials say Israeli aircraft targeted a Gaza City warehouse in a nighttime airstrike.

The officials say the warehouse was empty and no one was injured.

The Israeli military confirms the strike, saying the target was used by militants as a weapons warehouse. The military says aircraft also struck two smuggling tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border.

Palestinian militants launched a rocket and a mortar shell into Israel on Sunday, causing no injuries.

Rocket fire by Gaza militants and Israeli retaliatory airstrikes have become nearly daily occurrences. Israel halted a military offensive aimed at ending the rocket fire on Jan. 18, but sporadic violence persists as Egypt-mediated talks on
a long-term truce have failed to yield results.

Here is the link to the original story: Gaza

Israeli Intel Says Iran Capable of Producing Nuclear Bomb

I have recently written two post informing people of Iran conducting a missile test. The concern is always with how Israel may respond. I just came across this report:

Israeli Intel Says Iran Capable of Producing Nuclear Bomb


A top Israeli general says Iran is capable of producing a nuclear bomb.

Israel's military intelligence chief told the country's Cabinet that Iran has crossed the "technological threshold" of nuclear capability. Major-General Amos Yadlin said this does not mean that Iran actually has an atomic bomb, but that it has the expertise and materials needed to build one.

So how long would it take Iran to acquire the bomb? Israeli analyst Barry Rubin says time is running out.

"There is a big gap between material and bomb," said Barry Rubin. "But basically, people who are well-informed estimate that Iran will need between 15 months to over three years."

Rubin says that is a significant timetable considering there is a new administration in Washington, and in a few weeks, there is due to be a new government in Israel.

"We are entering a period in which we can assume that during the administration of this president of the United States and during the term of this prime minister of Israel, Iran will obtain nuclear weapons and those governments will have to make major decisions," he said.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. But Israel has grown increasingly alarmed about Iran's intentions since 2005, when the Iranian president threatened to wipe the Jewish state "off the map."

The intelligence report has raised fresh speculation about whether Israel will launch a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Nationalist leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who is forming the next Israeli government, has warned that Israel will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and that there is a military option.


Here is the link to the story: Israel

Iran test fires new air-to-sea missile

TEHRAN: Iran said on Sunday it "successfully" tested a new air-to-sea missile with a range of 110 kilometres (68 miles), an Iranian news agency reported. It did not say when the test was conducted.

"Iranian defence specialists are able to successfully install missiles with a range of 110 kilometres on fighter planes and launch them," the report said, adding that the high-precision weapon weighs about 500 kilos.

The report said the latest test showed the Islamic republic's "ability to automatically direct the missile and carry warheads to destroy large targets at sea."

The announcement comes just days after a top military commander said Iran has missiles that can reach nuclear facilities in its arch-foe Israel.

Mohammed Ali Jafari, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, said Tehran has missiles with a range of more than 2,000 kilometres, bringing all of Israel within range.

But defence analysts question the accuracy of Iran's longer-range missiles.

Jafari's comment came amid sustained speculation that Israel could target Iranian nuclear plants.

Israel has a major nuclear facility at Dimona in the Negev desert, at which it is widely believed to have developed a nuclear arsenal.

Israel maintains a policy of neither confirming nor denying a nuclear capability, but it is suspected to have more than 200 warheads.

Iran does not recognise the Jewish state and has repeatedly predicted its demise.

Here is the link to the original story: Test

Iran test-fires new missile

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has test-fired a new air-to-surface missile, Iranian media reported on Sunday, in the Islamic Republic's latest display of its military capability.

The missile test was carried out despite the offer by the administration of new U.S. President Barack Obama to engage Iran in direct talks if it "unclenches its fist".

Iran's Fars News Agency said the domestically produced missile had a range of 110 km and was designed for use by military aircraft against naval targets.

"Now these jet fighters have acquired a new capability in confronting threats," the semi-official news agency said. Iran's Press TV initially said a long-range missile had been tested, but later also used Fars' way of describing it.

Iran often stages war games or tests weapons to show its determination to counter any attack by foes such as Israel and the United States.

Israel and Washington accuse Tehran of trying to develop nuclear bombs. Iran says its nuclear programme is a peaceful drive to generate electricity so that the world's fourth-largest oil producer can export more of its gas and crude.

Israel, believed to be the only nuclear-armed Middle East state, has said Iran's nuclear plans threaten its existence and has not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to end the dispute.

Iran has said it would respond to any attack by targeting U.S. interests and Israel, as well as closing the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway between the Gulf and the Sea of Oman through which about 40 percent of the world's traded oil is shipped.

The rest of this report can be found at this lnk: missile

Here is another report:

Iran test fires new missile

Iran test fired a new long-range missile, Xinhua reported according to Iran's English-language television station Press TV reported on Sunday.

"Iran test fires new long range missile," Press TV said in a scrolling headline without giving details.

The Press TV report came less than a week after a top Iranian military commander said that Iranian missiles could now reach Israeli nuclear sites, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, the Fars news agency reported that Iran said on Sunday it "successfully" tested a new air-to-sea missile with a range of 110 kilometres (68 miles). It did not say when the test was conducted.

"Iranian defence specialists are able to successfully install missiles with a range of 110 kilometres on fighter planes and launch them," the report said, adding that the high-precision weapon weighs about 500 kilos, according to the Fars news.

Here is the link to the original story: Iran


Here is the Jerusalem Post story:

Iranian news agencies were divided over the range and purpose of a missile fired by the Islamic republic on Sunday.

According to Reuters, while state-run television reported that a long-range missile was fired, the Fars News Agency said an anti-ship air-to-surface missile, with a range of 110 km. had in fact been tested. The latter report cited a missile having far less range than the Shihab-3 missile which Iran says can reach as far as Israel.

The Fars account claimed that "experts have managed to install missiles with a range of 110 km. on Iranian jets and successfully fire [them]." "Now these jet fighters have acquired a new capability in confronting threats," the report said.

Last Wednesday, a senior Teheran official announced that Iranian missiles can reach Israeli nuclear sites.

"All the nuclear facilities in different parts of the land under the occupation of the Zionist regime are in the reach of Iran's missile defenses," Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic republic's Revolutionary Guards, was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying.

Here is the link to the report: Test

ShamWow Song

A little humor for the day!

ShamWow Song (lyrics from Vince Offer) @ Yahoo! Video

Spain reports fifth human death from mad cow disease

The Spanish government late Friday confirmed the country's fifth fatality from the human variant of mad cow disease, a woman who died in the northern city of Santander in January.

The health ministry said laboratory tests confirmed that the woman had Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) as the human variant of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, is known.

"The appearance of sporadic cases of the disease does not indicate new risks for the health of the public," it said in a statement.

The last death in Spain which was confirmed to have been due to the brain-wasting disease took place in August 2008 in the northwestern region of Castilla and Leon.

Spain recorded its first human death from mad cow disease in June 2005 when a 26-year-old woman succumbed to it in Madrid.

More than 200 people around the world are suspected to have died, most of them in Britain, from the human variant of the disease, which was first described in 1996.

Scientists believe the disease was caused by using infected parts of cattle to make feed for other cattle.

Authorities believe eating meat from infected animals can trigger the human variant of the fatal brain-wasting disease.

The 27-member EU, of which Spain is part, has banned high-risk materials such as spinal cord from use in feed and stricter labelling was also introduced.

Here is the link to the original story: Mad Cow