Thursday, September 29, 2005
Judge Orders Release of Abu Ghraib Photos
Sploid has the best headline: Judge expected to die mysteriously.
Here's the story - be sure to check out the URL.
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:48 PM
Foetuses found at Bogota airport
Colombian police have found the bodies of three human foetuses hidden in statues destined for the United States.
The discovery was made by officers searching for contraband at Bogota Airport on Tuesday.
The corpses were wrapped in plastic and concealed inside statues of Christian icons, which were smashed open.
Colombian police chief Gen Jord Alirio Varon said the four- to five-month-old foetuses could have been intended for use in Satanic rituals.
WARNING: Gruesome picture
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:44 PM
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Israeli scientists solve mystery of 'dark matter'
A group of Israeli scientists have cracked a riddle of the universe that has been vexing researchers for years.
Dark matter - the stuff that seems to comprise most of the matter in the universe - is very mysterious because it appears to be absent from some galaxies. But it is there after all, according to Hebrew University physicists.
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:32 PM
Puerto Rico town may build UFO site
People in this sleepy hamlet are so sure they have been receiving other-worldly visitors, they want to build a UFO landing strip to welcome them.
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:26 PM
Scientists pinpoint mystery Maya city in Guatemala
A Mayan city whose fabulous art has beguiled collectors for decades but whose true location was until now a mystery has been pinpointed in the jungles of northern Guatemala, scientists said on Tuesday.
posted by Prof. Hex at 9:25 PM
Face to face at last with Captain Nemo's old foe
Scientists have taken the first photographs of the giant squid in its natural habitat, providing a remarkable glimpse of one of the most mysterious creatures on the planet.
posted by Prof. Hex at 9:14 PM
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Rumors of deaths greatly exaggerated
After five days managing near-riots, medical horrors and unspeakable living conditions inside the Superdome, Louisiana National Guard Col. Thomas Beron prepared to hand over the dead to representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Following days of internationally reported killings, rapes and gang violence inside the Dome, the doctor from FEMA - Beron doesn't remember his name - came prepared for a grisly scene: He brought a refrigerated 18-wheeler and three doctors to process bodies.
"I've got a report of 200 bodies in the Dome," Beron recalls the doctor saying.
The real total was six, Beron said.
Hysteria much? A tip of the hat to Elisabeth for the heads up.
posted by Prof. Hex at 5:02 PM
Societies worse off 'when they have God on their side'
Religious belief can cause damage to a society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide, according to research published today.
According to the study, belief in and worship of God are not only unnecessary for a healthy society but may actually contribute to social problems.
I knew it!
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:29 PM
Wonks find death sentence, lynching connection
States that sentence the most criminals to death also tend to be the states that had the most lynchings in the past, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that the number of death sentences for all criminals - Black and white - were higher in states with a history of lynchings. But the link was even stronger when only Black death sentences were analyzed.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:22 PM
'Milky seas' detected from space
Mariners over the centuries have reported surreal, nocturnal displays of glowing sea surfaces stretching outwards to the horizon.
Little is known about these "milky seas" other than that they are probably caused by luminous bacteria.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:20 PM
Three arrested in gangland-style murder of Suncruz founder 'Gus' Boulis
Three men were charged with the 2001 gangland-style slaying of Miami businessman Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis, whose sale of a casino boat fleet to Jack Abramoff and a partner has led to federal charges against the prominent Washington lobbyist.
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:32 AM
Monday, September 26, 2005
Able Danger as elusive as ever
As the story of the Pentagon's top secret mining program that some claim linked the 9/11 ringleader to al-Qaida well before the attacks on the US becomes increasing foggy, reporters are having a hard time getting the truth to the public.
posted by Prof. Hex at 7:53 AM
Another World Is Here: Coconut Crude
Price of gasoline got you down? If you're driving a diesel vehicle in the South Pacific, you may be in luck. Vanuatan entrepreneur Tony Deamer has adapted his fleet of rental cars to run on coconut oil, a plentiful local commodity.
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:37 AM
Thunderbird: The American Classic
What's the word? Thunderbird!
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:18 AM
Lurid stories of sex and abuse shock Spokane area
It's been a year of staggering news for a region that likes to bill itself as a good place to raise a family. The Spokane area seems awash in pedophiles.
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:34 AM
FAMILY DEMANDS THE TRUTH / New inquiry may expose events that led to Pat Tillman's death
Pat Tillman: Football player, Army Ranger, Noam Chomsky fan?
posted by Prof. Hex at 1:52 AM
Sunday, September 25, 2005
600 barrels of loot found on Crusoe island
The archipelago is named after Robinson Crusoe, but perhaps it should have been called Treasure Island.
A long quest for booty from the Spanish colonial era appears to be culminating in Chile with the announcement by a group of adventurers that they have found an estimated 600 barrels of gold coins and Incan jewels on the remote Pacific island.Great story. Check this out. The hoard is supposedly buried 15 metres (50ft) deep on Robinson Crusoe island, also known as the Juan Fernández island, home to Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, the adventurer immortalised by Daniel Defoe as Robinson Crusoe. Selkirk was dumped on the island and lived alone for four years before being rescued. His exploits brought worldwide attention to the islands.Even better: This most recent announcement, however, deserves greater credence because of the equipment used by the treasure hunters: a mini robot that can scan 50 metres deep into the earth. The robot, dubbed "Arturito", was invented by Chileans and over the past year has grabbed headlines by breaking some of the country's biggest criminal mysteries.
First, the robot detected the buried arsenal of a rightwing sect known as Colonia Dignidad. The guns and rocket launchers were buried at some 10 metres and while the authorities had searched for years, the robot found the buried weapons almost instantly.Colonia Dignidad is of course the ex-Nazi hide-out and pedophile cult headquarters of the now-imprisoned Paul Schafer. Here are some articles on Colonia Dignidad.
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:41 PM
Evil genius at work?
More weather control conspiracies.
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:27 PM
Storm conspiracy theories might lead to more research
Two odd hurricane-related stories caught my eye this past week. One was about an inventor thinking big.
His idea is that we could knock a hurricane's intensity down by a category or two. He says we should research using a fleet of jumbo jets to dump some kind of sponge-like stuff into one section of an approaching storm.
The sudden and massive absorption of moisture, that theory goes, could so disrupt that wedge of the storm that it would cause enough disorganization to knock the entire hurricane's circulation a bit out of whack.
I usually laugh off such stuff. But this time, I thought: Who knows?
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:25 PM
In Mexico's Murders, Fury Is Aimed at Officials
Victor Javier Garcia still has a dozen marks across his abdomen and genitals from the burning cigarettes the police used to torture him into falsely confessing to being a serial killer.
It made no difference to a lower court judge that the DNA tests on the bodies identified as his victims did not match the names of the women he was accused of killing. Or that a forensics expert testified that he had been ordered by his superiors to plant false evidence. Or even that witnesses retracted their testimony, saying the police had threatened them into making false statements.
Mr. García was sentenced to 50 years anyway.
Murder and corruption in Ciudad Juarez. Most depressing part of the article:
In the meantime, there are growing signs that the serial-style killings have spread to other cities, like Chihuahua, 200 miles along the border; Toluca, a suburb of Mexico City; the Gulf Coast capital of Veracruz; and Tuxtla Gutiérrez in the southern state of Chiapas. Attorney General Daniel Cabeza de Vaca says he is considering creating a special prosecutor's office to investigate.
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:12 PM
Mystery's romantic allure
The Mahogany Ship mystery deepened over the weekend as more theories about its origins were aired at the third symposium on the fabled wreck.
Even the number of Mahogany Ships has become cause for conjecture.
See also Mystery coin on Mahogany stage.
And Myth multiplies.
and Much conjecture at the symposium.
And here are a bunch of articles on the Mahogany Ship.
posted by Prof. Hex at 9:55 PM
Bigfoot aficionados relay beastly tales, insight
Bigfoot, Sasquatch, the Beast from the East or whatever you prefer to call him, is an integral part of Cryptozoology, the study of rumored animals that are presumed to exist, but conclusive proof of their existence does not.
posted by Prof. Hex at 9:45 PM
Woman held in probe into Tube shooting leak
A 43-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the leak of documents from the investigation into the death of Jean-Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian electrician wrongly shot by police as a terrorist suspect after the London bombings in July.
posted by Prof. Hex at 8:28 PM
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Why did the Bible allow slavery?
By today's standards it's hard to understand why the Bible accepted human slavery. The usual explanation: However sinful, it was too ingrained in ancient societies to eliminate.
posted by Prof. Hex at 7:35 PM
The Amber Witch Hoax
The giant lizard dines on stray cats. It menaces people with its hiss, and, with each sighting, the mystery around it grows.
At least, that's what the neighbors say.
posted by Prof. Hex at 7:10 PM
Shades of Loch Ness: Lizard lore mounting
The giant lizard dines on stray cats. It menaces people with its hiss, and, with each sighting, the mystery around it grows.
At least, that's what the neighbors say.
posted by Prof. Hex at 7:04 PM
Friday, September 23, 2005
New Orleans: Prisoners Abandoned to Floodwaters
Lovely.
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:56 PM
Forecaster leaves job to pursue weather theories
To the rest of the country, Scott Stevens is the Idaho weatherman who blames the Japanese Mafia for Hurricane Katrina. To folks in Pocatello, he's the face of the weather at KPVI News Channel 6.
The Pocatello native made his final Channel 6 forecast Thursday night, leaving a job he's held for nine years in order to pursue his weather theories on a full-time basis.
*snip*
Since Katrina, Stevens has been in newspapers across the country where he was quoted in an Associated Press story as saying the Yakuza Mafia used a Russian-made electromagnetic generator to cause Hurricane Katrina in a bid to avenge the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima.
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:46 PM
Dumping of Homeless Suspected Downtown
For decades, it's been an enduring urban tale about downtown Los Angeles, often talked about but never proved: Police departments wanting to get rid of society's lost and neglected - the homeless, mentally ill and criminals - simply drove through downtown and dumped them in skid row.
But on Tuesday, evidence landed in the lap of the person who most needed it: Capt. Andrew Smith, commanding officer of the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division.
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:41 PM
Caught red-handed
More on the British "undercover" operation in Basra. From Raw Story.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:36 PM
Tabloid adds its own scream to howling in the night
Roll over, Loch Ness, and tell Roswell, N.M., the news: The howls reported in the Miami Valley have made the tabloids.
HOWLING BEAST TERRORIZES OHIO TOWN screams the headline in the Weekly Sun, a tabloid in which you'll find out where UFOs are hovering and how Jesus very well could have, possibly, just maybe, changed the path of Hurricane Katrina. The story is in the Sun's Monday issue, on newsstands now.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:25 PM
Mystery animal eludes deputies
Kangaroo in Ohio?
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:22 PM
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Internet maps reveal Roman villa
Latest technology proved an unexpected aid to unearthing the past when an Italian man decided to look at internet maps of his home.
Computer programmer Luca Mori found the remains of an ancient Roman villa when he browsed Google Earth maps showing satellite images of his local area.
posted by Prof. Hex at 8:23 PM
He did it: Rumsfeld kills revelations on Mohamed Atta
Sploid has the details.
Today, Pentagon officers who worked on the secret data-mining program were to testify before Congress on the very hot subject. Donald Rumsfeld took care of that. All details will remain secret.
posted by Prof. Hex at 8:16 PM
Frist Sold Hospital Shares Before Drop
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a potential presidential candidate in 2008, sold all his stock in his family's hospital corporation about two weeks before it issued a disappointing earnings report and the price fell nearly 15 percent.
posted by Prof. Hex at 6:51 PM
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Healing Power of Age-Old Therapy
Descending from a family of traditional Chinese doctors that goes back 400 years, Dr Stephen T. Chang was once a rebel.
But his short detour to a career in Western medicine only made him determined in carrying on the long family tradition.
posted by Prof. Hex at 8:10 PM
French love of garlic on the nose
FRANCE has sounded the alarm over another symbol of fading Gallic identity as garlic joins a list of endangered species that already includes the beret, the Gauloise cigarette and the long lunch.
Growers have launched an appeal for l'ail, a sacred ingredient of French cuisine since the Romans taught its benefits to the ancient Gauls.
posted by Prof. Hex at 4:55 PM
Idaho Weatherman Touts Hurricane Katrina Conspiracy Theory
Scott Stevens, weatherman at KPVI-TV in Pocatello, Idaho claims that someone used Russian KGB technology to create Hurricane Katrina. According to a brief article on Flashnews.com, Stevens blames the Japanese Yakuza mafia, who he says were attempting to manipulate futures markets via the natural disaster.
posted by Prof. Hex at 4:40 PM
Bigfoot researchers weed through hoaxes
If there's something strange in your (remote, forested) neighborhood -- who're you gonna call?
"I get maybe three or four reports a week," says Eric Altman, 35, of Jeannette, director of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society. "Some are current, some are older, from the '70s, '80, '90s. People are finally finding the website on the Internet. People say, 'You're the first person I've ever been able to contact about it.'"
posted by Prof. Hex at 4:38 PM
Mystery over dead porn star deepens
Suspicions that a famous Italian porn queen might have faked her death 11 years ago were fuelled on Tuesday when the mayor of a small town in northern Italy denied her family's claim that she was buried in the local cemetery.
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:14 PM
Dressed As Arabs, U.K. Troops Nabbed For Setting Bombs & Killing Iraqi Policeman
Lovely. British soldiers posing as Arabs shooting at cops and setting off explosives. Arrested by Iraqi police, they are subsequently set free as British soldiers raid a Basra prison to free them. Sploid has a great overview, with links.
Rigorous Intuition has the ....uh, rigorous intuition.
Here's a picture of what these "soldiers" were carrying.
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:11 PM
Witchcraft and nail clippings: the weird world of Cherie Blair?
Really? The wife of a world leader practices witchcraft? I'm in shock. Why, you'd think an entire website could be devoted to such a thing.
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:44 PM
Friday, September 16, 2005
Ethiopia: Home of the Ark of the Covenant
The U.S. Government didn't have to send Indiana Jones through snake-infested tombs and temples to find the Ark of the Covenant in the movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
Ethiopians believe the original ark handed down by Moses lies in a small chapel in St. Mary of Zion Church in Aksum, a town in the northernmost part of the country. A monk who is supposedly the only person who has seen it, never leaves the compound and doesn't like to be photographed guards it.
posted by Prof. Hex at 8:16 PM
Avian Flu: Is the Government Ready for an Epidemic?
It could kill a billion people worldwide, make ghost towns out of parts of major cities, and there is not enough medicine to fight it. It is called the avian flu.
This week, the U.S. government agreed to stockpile $100 million worth of a still-experimental vaccine, while at the United Nations Summit in New York, both the head of the U.N. World Health Organization and President Bush warned of the virus' deadly potential.
posted by Prof. Hex at 7:13 PM
Doctor says FEMA ordered him to stop treating hurricane victims
In the midst of administering chest compressions to a dying woman several days after Hurricane Katrina struck, Dr. Mark N. Perlmutter was ordered to stop by a federal official because he wasn't registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
posted by Prof. Hex at 5:21 PM
Durbin writes Justice Department on Hilton, Dem hackings
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) penned a letter to Bush Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Wednesday asking why the Justice Department was able to successfully prosecute a teenager for hacking into Paris Hilton's cell phone, but has yet to fully investigate two Republican staffers who hacked into the Senate Democratic Judiciary computer system.
posted by Prof. Hex at 5:18 PM
Psychic 'heard' dead woman in lake
An Italian psychic who led police to the body of a missing woman at the bottom of Lake Como says an unworldly vision allowed her to unravel the three-year-old mystery.
Maria Rosa Busi, who sceptics call a fake, said she saw the last moments of Chiara Bariffi's life before she plunged into the lake inside her car in late 2002, and even heard a message from the deceased.
posted by Prof. Hex at 1:17 PM
2001 anthrax case still a mystery
Federal officials are preparing a report on the status of the investigation into the 2001 mailing of anthrax, which killed five people in the United States.
But after more than 8,000 interviews and chasing leads on four continents, investigators don`t appear to be close to solving the case, The Washington Post reported Friday.
posted by Prof. Hex at 1:15 PM
Power-dressing Aussie leaves trail of destruction
An Australian man built up a 40,000-volt charge of static electricity in his clothes as he walked, leaving a trail of scorched carpet and molten plastic and forcing firefighters to evacuate a building.
Frank Clewer, who was wearing a woollen shirt and a synthetic nylon jacket, was oblivious to the growing electrical current that was building up as his clothes rubbed together.
posted by Prof. Hex at 1:04 PM
Nessie hunters on verge of major breakthrough
Scientists hunting the Loch Ness Monster say they've made a significant breakthrough.
Flesh-like material, which could hold the key to Nessie's origins, has been recovered from the loch bed.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 PM
Thursday, September 15, 2005
HOW TO WIN AT CARNIVAL GAMES!
Summertime is rapidly approaching which means soon, in your neck of the woods, the fair is coming to town. If you're like me, you've spent tons of cash trying to win some giant bootleg Disney stuffed animal trying to throw balls into a bucket. Well waste your money no longer! Here's a handy guide on beating the carnival games so you can have the upper hand!
posted by Prof. Hex at 9:30 PM
Thar She Blows! The White Giraffe!
With very cool pic.
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:30 PM
Dream team ready to probe depths in search for Nessie
A DREAM team of experts, who have explored the ocean depths from the tropics to the dark waters below the Polar ice caps, has assembled at Loch Ness for what is being hailed as the definitive expedition to uncover its secrets
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:26 PM
Mystery predator strikes yet again
A mystery beast that attacked animals in Denby, has struck again with a vengeance.
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:24 PM
World's Hottest Fugitive Surrenders
A woman accused in a multimillion-dollar armored truck heist surrendered Thursday after more than 10 years on the run.
Heather Catherine Tallchief is accused of driving an armored truck loaded with cash away from the Circus Circus casino in October 1993. Speaking to reporters before she gave herself up, Tallchief acknowledged her role. I had the biggest crush on Heather Tallchief back in 1993. She took three million of the casino's money and vanished into the night. So much for Ocean's Eleven. My co-worker Pam and I had her picture pinned up at our office. She seemed pretty damned romantic. Apparently she's been hiding out in Amsterdam and has a ten year old son. Best of luck to you Heather.
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:39 PM
Anti-cancer compound found in beans, nuts, cereals
Eating a diet rich in beans, nuts and cereals could help to prevent cancer because the foods contain a natural compound that inhibits the growth of tumors.
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:34 PM
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Webpage for Psychic Predictions
Keeping track of the predictions and their outcomes.
Found over at the Rigorous Intuition message boards.
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:23 PM
Mystery: Levees Didn't Break, But Concrete Floodwalls Did
One of the central mysteries emerging in the Hurricane Katrina disaster is why concrete floodwalls in three canals breached during the storm, causing much of the catastrophic flooding, while earthen hurricane levees surrounding the city remained intact.
posted by Prof. Hex at 1:58 PM
Australians flock to witchcraft weddings
Witchcraft weddings are all the rage in Australia now that all states and territories have repealed laws that outlawed the observances of witches, wiccans, shamans, goddess worshippers and druids.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:37 PM
eBay: Found at Beach...Mystery Sea Monster Head
Whatever it is, it's creepy looking.
Found at the Anomalist.
See also Bigfoot flips the bird.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 PM
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
FEMA, La. outsource Katrina body count to firm implicated in body-dumping scandals
A secretary at the lawfirm that sued SCI over the Florida cemetery scandals gasped when informed that FEMA had outsourced handling of Katrina victims' bodies to an SCI subsidiary.
"Oh, good lord!" she said.
Peter Hartmann, general manager of the Menorah Gardens Cemetery chain, was later found dead in his car from carbon monoxide poisoning outside his parents' home in an apparent suicide.
posted by Prof. Hex at 6:52 PM
A feline mystery prowls Hilltowns
With great pic of big, scary cat.
posted by Prof. Hex at 5:11 PM
As bodies recovered, reporters are told 'no photos, no stories'
Bush continues to hide the bodies.
posted by Prof. Hex at 5:08 PM
Rigorous Intuition: Drowning by Numbers
New Orleans is beginning to look like Funeralgate, supersized.
FEMA has relieved volunteers of their emergency mortuary services in Louisiana only, and contracted out to Kenyon, a "wholly-owned subsidiary of Service Corporation International" of Houston, Texas.
Go, read.
posted by Prof. Hex at 4:34 PM
The beauty products from the skin of executed Chinese prisoners
A Chinese cosmetics company is using skin harvested from the corpses of executed convicts to develop beauty products for sale in Europe, an investigation by the Guardian has discovered.
When recycling goes too far.
posted by Prof. Hex at 11:10 AM
Say that again? 'Things are going relatively well'
From the disputed presidential election of 2000 to the terrorist attacks on America on 9/11/01 to the failure to find Osama bin Laden to the quagmire of a war in Iraq to Hurricane Katrina, this has been a terrible decade, century, millennium.
It's got to get better in 2006, doesn't it?
In the meantime, we're two weeks into one of the most tragic and shameful events in American history. Here, in chronological order, are some of the most memorable quotes from evacuees, politicians, journalists, media personalities and celebrities.
posted by Prof. Hex at 11:03 AM
Thief hid phone up her bum
The funny thing is that she could still text message.
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:57 AM
Monday, September 12, 2005
Arkansas meth addicts seem to be collecting arrowheads
File this in the WTF? column.
posted by Prof. Hex at 1:22 PM
Deep in the night
On 'Coast to Coast,' George Noory hears it all.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:37 PM
Shakespeare: An A-Z
A IS FOR AUTHOR.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:30 PM
What happened to William Morgan in Canandaigua in 1826?
The mysterious disappearance of mob-linked union leader Jimmy Hoffa in 1975 continues to baffle authorities and inspire conspiracy theories.
But Hoffa's disappearance 30 years ago is a relatively recent event compared with the strange case of William Morgan, who vanished - like Hoffa, without a trace - after being bailed out of jail in Canandaigua by members of a local Masonic lodge 179 years ago today, Sept. 12, 1826.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:24 PM
Treasure Hunt: On the trail of Blackbeard in a Marcus Hook plank house
What started as a home remodeling project for Michael Manerchia has turned into an historical mystery with an infamous pirate as the backdrop. In July 2004, Manerchia, 48, purchased what he thought to be an old, somewhat historic log cabin home at 221 Market St. in Marcus Hook. He and his wife, Pat, were looking to downsize from their home in Bethel Township after raising their daughters.
The log cabin was owned by Manerchia's relative, Jennifer Ward, and had been in Pat Manerchia's family for 100 years. Having grown up in Marcus Hook, Michael Manerchia was well aware of the dubious legends that surrounded the house.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:20 PM
Porn star 'faked death' to shield MP
The death of Italy's most famous porn actress more than a decade ago is being investigated on the suspicion that it was faked to hide her links to "a top politician".
Moana Pozzi was reported to have died of liver cancer 11 years ago in France at the age of 33. She is said to have had leukemia as a child. However, Rome prosecutor Attilio Pisani said there were "many flaws and inconsistencies" in the official version of her death.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:14 PM
Sunday, September 11, 2005
A few questions without answers in remote areas
Three true tales of the unexplained from California.
posted by Prof. Hex at 1:55 PM
The Voice of the White House
What the scrotum-heads in the power elite (a la C. Wright Mills) are doing now vis a vis New Orleans is this: First, all of the poor blacks (and other unproductive and non-spending individuals) will be forced out of their sodden homes because of 'health reasons.' Then, if fires don't level whole poor neighborhoods, FEMA will order these buildings raised to the ground as 'unhealthy' and 'uninhabitable.'
The owners, or residents, will have been dispersed throughout the country but will be duly notified by a proper advert placed in an obscure official New Orleans legal paper that the houses are being torn down and that the owners will be liable for the costs of destruction. Naturally, these people will not read the legal notices and their houses will be smashed flat and the remains put into trucks and used for landfill somewhere else.
Worth a read. I wonder how the Supreme Court's eminent domain decision will play into the rebuilding of New Orleans?
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:20 AM
LA SAGA CIGARETTE
An amazing gallery of cigarette pack art.
Link found at boing boing.
posted by Prof. Hex at 9:58 AM
Saturday, September 10, 2005
In the beginning there was the Flying Spaghetti Monster
In recent weeks, a satirical attack on the teaching of Creationism in American schools has become the world's fastest growing 'religion'. The Noodly Saviour looked at the furore He had created and pronounced it good, writes James Langton.
posted by Prof. Hex at 11:21 PM
1940s sex kidnap inspired Lolita
LOLITA, the novel by Vladimir Nabokov about a middle-aged man's infatuation with an underage girl, was modelled on an abduction in 1940s America, according to new research.
posted by Prof. Hex at 11:19 PM
Censored!
Project Censored presents the 10 biggest stories the mainstream media ignored over the past year.
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:58 AM
Friday, September 09, 2005
Just what was that in the sky on Monday night?
SOMETHING strange was seen in the sky above Old Inverell Rd on Monday night.
An Armidale taxi driver heading towards the town, who wanted to remain anonymous, claimed he and two other people saw a line of three bright orange lights, heading west about 8.10.
posted by Prof. Hex at 4:01 AM
How Reliable Is Brown's Resume?
When President Bush nominated Michael Brown to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2003, Brown's boss at the time, Joe Allbaugh, declared, "the President couldn't have chosen a better man to help...prepare and protect the nation." But how well was he prepared for the job?
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:08 AM
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Scientists able to move an object without touching
SCIENTISTS at Edinburgh University have developed a way of moving an object without touching it, in breakthrough research which could be as revolutionary as the discovery of electricity.
The team of researchers has been able to move objects across flat surfaces and even up a slope with nothing more than a light beam.
posted by Prof. Hex at 10:23 PM
Remains of old ship found in San Francisco
The remains of a massive Gold Rush-era sailing ship dating to the early 1800s have been discovered at the site of a large construction project in downtown San Francisco, archaeologists at the scene confirmed Tuesday.
posted by Prof. Hex at 1:38 PM
Bush Cohorts Profiteering at all levels
As Donna reported yesterday, inept FEMA director Mike Brown told a reporter on Studio B that the removal of bodies from New Orleans was being handled by a company called "Kenyon". Kenyon International bills itself as "Worldwide Disaster Management." How convenient for GWBush to have a disaster management company that enriches his friends and supporters to clean up after him as he spreads disasters worldwide.
Kenyon is a wholly owned subsidiary of SCI Corp., "the largest provider of funeral, cremation, and cemetery services in North America." SCI Corp is owned by major Bush contributor and friend Robert Waltrip, who was at the center of the scandal known as "Funeralgate".
Well, that's one way to handle the body count - hire your buddies to hide it for you.
posted by Prof. Hex at 11:02 AM
Church Street ghosts haunt lease lawsuit
Ghosts may be headed to court in Orlando to help settle a very human fight.
The owners of Amura Japanese Restaurant say they don't want to move into a renovated building at Church Street Station because it's haunted, according to a lawsuit filed by the building's landlord.
posted by Prof. Hex at 5:24 AM
Mysterious creature puts town on edge
Was the strange creature recently killed in this West Texas town a bloodsucking monster called a chupacabra? Or a coyote with a bad case of mange?
posted by Prof. Hex at 5:18 AM
FEMA packed with W's pals
The three top jobs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Bush went to political cronies with no apparent experience coping with catastrophes, the Daily News has learned.
Even if Bush were to fire embattled and suddenly invisible FEMA Director Michael Brown over his handling of Hurricane Katrina, the bureaucrat immediately below him is no disaster professional, either.
posted by Prof. Hex at 4:29 AM
FEMA Wants No Photos of Dead
The U.S. agency leading Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts said Tuesday that it does not want the news media to photograph the dead as they are recovered.
Hate to say I told you so....
posted by Prof. Hex at 4:20 AM
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Goodnight, little buddy
Bob Denver, whose portrayal of goofy castaway Gilligan on the 1960s TV show "Gilligan's Island," made him an iconic figure to generations of TV viewers, has died. He was 70.
Bob was a bit of a zen philosopher.
Gilligan's Island is wherever you want it to be in your mind.
You know, I have no worst experiences.
Bob Denver
posted by Prof. Hex at 11:09 PM
Strange pet deaths concern neighborhood
What is killing the pets of Lawrence, Kansas?
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:12 PM
40,000 Dead?
A co-owner of Shelbyville-based Gowen-Smith Chapel has been deployed to Gulfport, Miss., to help with recovery since Hurricane Katrina, and his business partner here has described the grim task there.
"DMort is telling us to expect up to 40,000 bodies," Dan Buckner said, quoting officials with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, a volunteer arm of Homeland Security.
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:30 PM
The post-hurricane speech Bush won't deliver
If only.....
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:06 PM
Man held in sex offender killings, says he found victims on Web
A man turned himself in to authorities in the killing of two convicted child rapists, saying he picked the victims from a sheriff's Web site, police said.
posted by Prof. Hex at 12:01 PM
Bush Says He'll Find Out What Went Wrong
Man, I feel better already. Maybe when he's finished he can "look into" the whole Iraq thing and then help OJ find the real killers.
posted by Prof. Hex at 11:23 AM
Spain searches for Nazi camp doctor, 91
Spanish police are scouring old people's homes on the east coast of Spain as the hunt closes in on a 91-year-old concentration camp doctor, regarded as one of the most wanted Nazis still alive.
Investigators say there is a strong chance that Aribert Heim, who is alleged to have killed hundreds of prisoners at the Mauthausen camp in Austria, is still alive and living on the Spanish costas.
posted by Prof. Hex at 3:13 AM
Monday, September 05, 2005
"Rescue Ticket"
I am stunned by an interview I conducted with New Orleans Detective Lawrence Dupree. He told me they were trying to rescue people with a helicopter and the people were so poor they were afraid it would cost too much to get a ride and they had no money for a "ticket." Dupree was shaken telling us the story. He just couldn't believe these people were afraid they'd be charged for a rescue.
posted by Prof. Hex at 9:12 PM
Ancient 46-foot long crocodile found in Amazon
Peruvian scientists discovered the fossilized remains of a giant, 46-foot-(14-meter)-long crocodile deep in the Amazon rainforest, lending credence to a theory that the Amazon was once a huge inland sea.
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:40 AM
Mystery of the lost fleet
Khubilai Khan was a man who had everything. He was the grandson of Genghis Khan, and had successfully taken over his grandfather's rule of China seven centuries ago. Nevertheless, there is one country that defied him - Japan.
So it was, that in the year 1281, Khubilai Khan (also known as Kublai Khan) built an armada of 4,400 ships carrying 140,000 men, and set forth to conquer the Land of the Rising Sun.
However, one fateful night in August that year, the massive fleet and all its crew members mysteriously vanished. It was the largest loss of life at sea in history, and a turning point that changed the history of the world, as we know it.
posted by Prof. Hex at 2:34 AM
Mystery Schooner In Lake Michigan
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