Aug 24, 2007

Scientists recreate out-of-body experiences in lab




Scientists recreate out-of-body experiences (no drugs)


For centuries, people have claimed to have had out-of-body experiences but now scientists have recreated the sensation without using drugs in the first experiments of their kind, a study said Thursday.

As many as one in 10 people say they have experienced the sensation of being awake and seeing their own body from another location, according to the study published in the journal Science.

"Out-of-body experiences have fascinated mankind for millennia. Their existence has raised fundamental questions about the relationship between human consciousness and the body," said Henrik Ehrsson, a neuroscientist formerly of University College London, and now at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

Now neuroscientists have manipulated a group of perfectly healthy volunteers into thinking they had moved outside their bodies by distorting their perception of reality.

Using virtual reality goggles to mix up the sensory signals reaching the brain, they induced the volunteers into projecting their awareness into a virtual body. Participants confirmed they had experienced sitting behind their physical body and looking at it.

The illusion was so strong that the volunteers reacted with a palpable sense of fear when their virtual selves were threatened with physical force.

The findings suggest there may be a scientific explanation for these types of out-of-body experiences, which are often thought of as delusional or paranormal, and the scientists believe their research could have important applications.

"The invention of this illusion is important because it reveals the basic mechanism that produces the feeling of being inside the physical body," said Ehrsson.

"This represents a significant advance because the experience of one's own body as the center of awareness is a fundamental aspect of self-consciousness."

And inducing people to have out-of-body experiences could have wide-ranging uses, he believes.

"This is essentially a means of projecting yourself, a form of teleportation. If we can project people into a virtual character, so they feel and respond as if they were really in a virtual version of themselves, just imagine the implications.

"The experience of video games could reach a whole new level, but it could go much beyond that. For example, a surgeon could perform remote surgery, by controlling their virtual self from a different location."

But scientists still don't know exactly what causes such experiences which have often been associated with traumatic experiences such as car accidents and linked to compromised brain function in epileptics, drug addicts and stroke victims.

"Brain dysfunctions that interfere with interpreting sensory signals may be responsible for clinical cases of out-of-body experiences," said Ehrsson.

"Though, whether all out-of-body experiences arise from the same causes is still an open question."

link to sauce, yahoo

Aug 23, 2007

Pet Pride Cat Food tainted with acetaminophen?


Yesterday i got my cat a bag of Pet Pride Beef & Liver dry cat food. He ate one bowl of it, and immediately starting acting lethargic. Soon after that, he started vomiting blood, and had loose, runny, bloody stool. I called the 800 number on the bag, and talked to a representative about what was going on. She sounded like she didn't care AT ALL about the situation, and tried to blow me off by telling me that my cat was sick because i changed cat food brands. I hadn't changed brands at all. She took my name, address, and phone number. I am supposed to hear something from them, but haven't yet.

After some googling, this is what I found:

Acetaminophen In Two Pet Pride Varieties—Pet Food Recall



Cat Owner Files Legal Action Against FDA in Pet Food Deaths

Symptoms of Acetaminophen Toxicity in pets

This is a known issue, and the person I spoke to on the phone made no mention of it. Pet Pride doesn't give a shit, the FDA doesn't give a shit, and Menu Foods doesn't give a shit...but I do.

Samples of the pet food in question are being tested now. Pet Pride, my lawyer will be in contact soon.

I'll be updating with images of the cat food bag, and the test results when I get them.

Aug 20, 2007

Service problems disable Wells Fargo ATMs


The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO --
Service problems disabled ATMs and online accounts at Wells Fargo & Co. for at least 24 hours starting Sunday afternoon, leaving some customers of the nation's fifth largest bank unable to get cash or use debit cards to pay for goods.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo would not say how many customers or machines were affected but acknowledged that services were down throughout the company - from personal banking Web sites and ATMs to the processing of mortgage and student loans.

"Customers may continue to experience transaction difficulties or delays in our stores, at ATMs and at the point-of-sale ... and processing for some mortgage, home equity, student loans and remittances," Wells Fargo spokeswoman Julia S. Tunis said. "Our systems teams are working to fix those problems and we hope to have all channels fully available soon."

Angry customers complained Monday at many of the bank's 6,000 branches nationwide. Customers could get cash if they went into a branch and talked to a teller - but they had no way of getting cash after-hours.

SAUCE

Aug 14, 2007

If you support keeping drugs illegal...


You support robberies and assaults on innocent people.
The high prices of drugs caused by prohibition force many drug addicts to turn to robbery in order to pay for their drugs. Legalization would drop drug prices. Drug users would no longer need to rob/assault innocent people in order to support their drug habit. This violence against innocent people would end if drugs were legalized.

You support clogging our prisons and jails with nonviolent people.
Nearly 50% of all people in prison and jail are serving time for nonviolent drug charges. There are thousands of people in prisons for 5, 10, 50 years--even life--for possessing marijuana or cocaine! The average rapist is set free after serving only 3 years in prison, the average murderer is set free after serving only 9 years in prison! To house just one prisoner for one year costs the taxpayer $40,000! The result of these harsh penalties? Drug use has increased! (Tough laws have not stopped me from using marijuana--nor will they ever!)

You support organized crime and drug cartels.
Huge drug cartels and criminal organizations thrive off the enormous profits caused by drug prohibition. These organizations are responsible for thousands of murders! Many of people killed or hurt are innocent people who get in the way! These violent organizations will never be put out of business--unless drugs are legalized.

You support environmental destruction.
Underground cocaine and methamphetamine labs use toxic chemicals to produce those drugs--the wastes are recklessly dumped in forests and streams. These highly toxic chemicals are causing major environmental damage in South American rainforests and now in the U.S. This environmental destruction will stop only if drugs are legalized.

You support drug dealers and street gangs.
Drug dealers and street gangs fight over drug territories. Thousands of people are murdered and assaulted because of this fighting--many are innocent people who get in the way. This violence is another result of the huge profits caused by drug prohibition.

You lure thousands of young people into quitting school.
It is a fact that thousands of inner-city youths drop out of school to make enormous profits by selling drugs. The incentive to drop out of school would end if drugs were legalized.

You do nothing to keep drugs away from kids or out of schools.
In spite of what you may believe, keeping drugs illegal does not keep drugs away from children! Drugs are easily obtainable in almost every high school in America. Legalizing drugs would put schoolyard drug dealers out of business! There would be less drugs in our schools if drugs were legalized. Drugs would still be illegal for minors!

You subsidize criminals by letting them reap huge drug profits without paying taxes.
Since drugs are sold anyway, wouldn’t you rather have them heavily taxed so it would reduce your tax burden? You are giving criminals a free ride and it’s coming out of your own pocket. Working people pay 100% of all taxes for the drug dealers! Why do you want to pay taxes for drug dealers?

You advocate punishing millions of harmless drug users (like me) at an enormous cost to society.
If you believe drugs should be illegal, then you advocate spending your tax dollars to arrest/jail/punish millions of productive, honest, and harmless working people (like myself). Why? We hurt nobody! Who benefits from this policy? Nobody! Who loses from this policy? Everybody!

Drug users can only hurt themselves. But the drug war harms/kills hundreds of thousands of innocent people and burdens you--the taxpayer. The drug war costs you hundreds of dollars every year! The drug war has not reduced drug use!

Prohibitionists claim drugs must be illegal because they harm people. Why are prohibitionists so concerned about what other people do to themselves? Why do they feel it is their responsibility and right to control the lifestyles of other adults? The prohibitionists tell stories of people who hurt themselves with illegal drugs. So what? For every one person who has been harmed with illegal drugs, there are dozens of people who have used illegal drugs and were not harmed. For every one person who has been harmed by illegal drugs, there are 1,000 people who harm/kill themselves by deliberately choosing these harmful lifestyles...

* Being overweight
* Smoking cigarettes
* Watching too much TV
* Eating high-fat/high-cholesterol diets
* Eating too much meat
* Participating in dangerous sports/activities
* Drinking alcohol
* Eating too much sugar
* Eating too few fruits/vegetables
* Drinking too much coffee
* Getting little/no exercise

Why don’t the prohibitionists advocate banning all of the above harmful lifestyles? The prohibitionists tolerate people who hurt/kill themselves with tobacco, alcohol, poor diet, or no exercise, but they refuse to tolerate people who harm themselves with cocaine. Why? Inconsistent! Illogical! Irrational!

We now come to the real reason why marijuana, cocaine, LSD, and other drugs are illegal: Lifestyle control! Prohibitionists fear that if drugs are legalized, the “drug culture” will spread to the rest of society. Nobody can force others to use drugs! Adults must take responsibility for their own health! Because the prohibitionists have decided that drugs are wrong for them does not give them the right to force their lifestyle on others. Prohibitionists want government to play the role of parent. Prohibitionists believe they must babysit adults. Prohibitionists are the lifestyle police!

In the last 25 years, per capita alcohol and tobacco consumption has decreased significantly. This was accomplished by education and treatment, not by threat of punishment! Drug use/abuse would drop significantly if we spent our resources on education and treatment instead of law enforcement. No rational person would call for imprisonment of smokers and drinkers in order to reduce tobacco and alcohol use. But that method is exactly how we try to reduce drug use. The savings to be had in ending the drug war could easily pay for all the drug treatment and education programs we need. The drug war is a failure! Education and treatment work!

If you don’t like a culture or a lifestyle, don’t live it! If you don’t like alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or other drugs, don’t use them! But don’t ban my personal lifestyle for fear it will poison your lifestyle. Adults must take responsibility for their own actions! It is a flagrant violation of individual freedom to threaten others with punishment just because they choose a lifestyle that is not right for you.

I will continue to smoke marijuana and enjoy it! I hurt nobody! If others do not approve of what I do to myself in my own home, too bad! I may not care for the music you listen to, the food you eat, or the culture you have adopted, but I would never advocate punishing you because I don’t like your lifestyle. If someone violates the rights of others, the violater should be punished; otherwise, people should mind their own business. Adults who use drugs responsibly--whether they be tobacco, alcohol, LSD, or marijuana--cause no harm to others! Leave us alone!

If you still believe drugs should be illegal, answer this question... Why do you believe it is good policy to punish me--and 20 million adult Americans like me--because I choose to use marijuana in the privacy of my own home? Who benefits from this policy and how do they benefit?

Moar

Aug 10, 2007

Top 50 Factors that Affect the Value of the US Dollar



By Jessica Hupp

Would you believe something as mundane as a rainstorm in New England can affect the value of the Dollar? It’s true. The US Dollar is subject to numerous influences, from politics to Walmart, and everything in between. The following list contains 50 factors that affect the value of the US dollar, both big and small.

Balance of trade and investment

The balance of trade and investment is often cited by analysts as the most important influence on the value of the dollar, with good reason. The balance of trade, related to the current account, represents the difference between what the US exports and imports in terms of goods and services.

The balance of investment, or financial account, represents the difference in exports and imports of capital. If exports exceed imports, in either the current account or financial account, it is called a surplus. When imports exceed exports, on the other hand, it is referred to as a deficit. The following points elaborate on how the current account and financial account affect the USD.

1. Balance of trade: Otherwise known as the current account balance, the trade balance is equal to the difference between imports and exports. The US has been running a trade deficit with the rest of the world for most of recent memory. At $2 billion a day and growing, the trade deficit is making foreign investors increasingly nervous and can affect the dollar significantly.
2. Falling prices on foreign goods: When the prices of foreign goods decrease, they become more attractive to American consumers, creating a larger trade deficit. Conversely, a rise in the prices of foreign goods, through natural price inflation or because or increased demand, can make American goods look more attractive and help to narrow the trade deficit. This also supports American industry and the economy. All of this serves to help the dollar.
3. Balance of investment: When the US imports more than it exports, it means investors from other countries have to buy US assets to keep the dollar from falling. Simply stated, if the US imports more than it exports, foreign investors must buy dollar-denominated assets like bonds or treasury securities in order to offset the difference.

Politics

Government policies often have a great impact on the value of the dollar. Savvy foreign investors know to keep an eye on the state of our political affairs, especially as they impact the strength of our economy and our ability to service the national debt.

4. Budget deficit and national debt: The US government’s budget can affect the dollar’s value, too. If foreign investors see that the government is spending more money than it currently has, they know that it will be forced to borrow from future generations as well as from the private sector from foreign entities. The US national debt currently stands at $9 trillion and is growing by over $1 billion per day.
5. Little or no default on debt: When the government keeps a good credit history, risk goes down and the dollar goes up. Fortunately, the US is currently considered the world’s most credit-worthy borrower, which in large part explains why the dollar has remained strong.
6. President’s popularity: Often, the popularity of the US president is tied to the value of the dollar. Experts debate whether or not the two have an effect on each other, but reports point out that “international investors like to a see a strong U.S. executive because they prefer a single national decider setting the agenda and fear a fractious, parochial Congress.”
7. Terrorist attacks and war: Attacks damage consumer and business confidence, hampering economic growth. They also increase the likelihood of war, and consequently, a budget deficit to support associated spending. An ongoing war can quickly become expensive. It makes investors nervous because it will likely increase our national debt, and slightly increase the risk of default.
8. Geopolitical events: Anything that could be seen as precipitating a conflict or foreign involvement can affect the dollar negatively. The value isn’t necessarily about what it’s actually worth, but rather what investors think it’s worth. Perception is often reality in the forex markets.
9. Consistent policies: If investors feel that things will largely stay the same, they’ll flock to the dollar because it’s a safe bet. This increases demand and thus, the value of the dollar. Remember, unlike many other investment vehicles, forex is hurt by volatility. This is especially true with regard to financial policy: if investors believe US policy is on the right track, they’ll want to put money in dollar-denominated investments. Conversely, investors can lose faith in an economy that can change with new policies, so they’ll see the dollar as less of a safe bet.
10. Government expansion: New departments and increased government functions cost money, too. Like other government expenses, expanding or creating new groups like the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security can lower the dollar’s value due to their opportunity cost against other expenses in the budget.
11. Elections: Confidence in or wariness of a new administration can cause investors to flock to or flee from the dollar. Also, as new members of Congress are elected, new laws are passed which can affect our economy. Foreign investors may react positively or negatively to these changes, affecting the dollar’s value.
12. Tax cuts for consumers: Tax cuts for consumers fuel spending, which can improve the economy of our country as well as others, like China. This can be good for the dollar as long as it does not deepen the trade deficit or our budget deficit. On the other hand, increases in taxes discourage personal spending, but they help with government spending and debt. This can slow the economy, but at the same time lessen our deficits.

Other countries

Political impact on the dollar does not originate entirely from the US; it can come from all over the world. Trade, conflict, consumption, and other issues can affect the dollar from outside our country.

13. Turmoil in other countries: When other countries are in a state of conflict, their respective currencies may be perceived as unstable. In this case, investors may flock to the dollar because it is considered a safer bet.
14. Stability in other countries: On the other hand, if other countries are consistent in their policy-making as well as politically and economically stable, the dollar may weaken because investors have more confidence in these alternative currencies. They’ll see them as less risky and diversify into non-dollar denominated assets.
15. A change in foreign reserves: The USD benefits strongly from being the world’s reserve currency. Most central banks hold more dollars than any other currency, but the dollar faces problems when they decide to diversify their currency investments. This could mean that they sell dollars, or simply just stop buying more. This is especially damaging when a large purchaser like China decides to stop adding to its foreign reserves.
16. A strengthening Euro: The dollar faces competition from the rising Euro. It’s an attractive alternative to the dollar when investors choose to diversify or if the dollar becomes unstable.
17. Acceptance of oil in dollars: As long as the majority of world oil contracts are settled in USD, other countries have to use the currency. This increases demand for the dollar and therefore, its value. Additionally, most oil exporters hold a significant portion of their oil proceeds in dollars.
18. Strong foreign economies: If other countries’ economies are booming, the dollar may fall because it will become a relatively less attractive place to invest.

Entitlements

As a significant government expense, entitlement programs can have a large impact on the way investors view the value of the dollar. If it looks like the US is letting things get out of hand, these programs can shake the confidence of investors. These are a few of the programs and issues that affect the dollar.

19. Social Security: It’s apparent to Americans and foreigners alike that Social Security is a sinking ship that will only get worse with time. Clearly, this causes investors to lose faith in the US money management system, but when the US works to reform the program, some of this confidence is restored and the dollar can benefit.
20. Medicare/Medicaid: Like other costly entitlements, government sponsored-health care programs are becoming difficult to maintain, which could drive investors to seek countries with more stable budgets.

Economic theory

The laws of supply and demand are ever-present in economics, and currency trading offers a prime example of this law in action. These are a few of the effects that supply and demand exert on the value of the dollar.

21. Demand for dollars: This factor can be tied to most others, but it can function on its own as well. For example, “if French investors saw an opportunity in the U.S., they might be willing to pay more francs in order to get dollars to invest in the U.S.” More francs per dollar means the dollar’s value has risen.
22. Demand for physical currency outside the US: Some countries accept dollars as a physical currency, so they need a supply. For example, “large international demand for US currency bills in the 1990s gave the US government a unique and inexpensive-to-produce export.” Although it requires supplying more currency, this is a factor that can strengthen the dollar’s value.
23. Increase in money supply: With every new dollar printed, each one is valued less than before. The more dollars there are in circulation, the less the currency is valued because the supply has been increased. In practice, this usually causes inflation, which directly eats into the value of the dollar. While this would seem difficult to measure, the Federal Reserve periodically publishes M2 and M3 data reports on the US money supply.

Interest rates

Just like consumers might shop around for the highest-yielding savings account, foreign investors look for the best deal in currencies. Here’s how interest rates affect the dollar’s value.

24. Rise in interest rates: Higher interest rates mean more profit for investors, so a US rate hike will generally strengthen the dollar. In the long-term, however, the law of interest rate parity dictates that currency valuations and interest rates should move in opposite directions. The opposite also holds true. If the Fed lowers interest rates, investors might drop the dollar in the short-term because there’s not enough profit in it.
25. Attractive interest rates in other countries: Regardless of whether US interest rates are rising or falling, the dollar’s value also depends on how US interest rates stack up to those of other countries. If US rates are lower, investors may switch to different currencies that can offer a better return. On the other hand, if other currencies have unattractive interest rates, that allows us to entice investors with a better deal.

Click here for the rest of the list...

Aug 5, 2007

Vanilla Ice Ice Bacon!


turn those speakers on!

ICE ICE BACON!

Amazonian Shamans State Their Mission For the United States of America : Healing A Sick Country

Shamanism Aliens & Ayahuasca : Graham Hancock





Nifty Collection of Alan Watts Flash Animations




Alan Wilson Watts (January 6, 1915 – November 16, 1973) was a philosopher, writer, speaker, and expert in comparative religion. He was best known as an interpreter and popularizer of Asian philosophies for a Western audience.

He wrote more than twenty-five books and numerous articles on subjects such as personal identity, the true nature of reality, higher consciousness, and the pursuit of happiness, relating his experience to scientific knowledge and to the teachings of Eastern and Western religions or philosophies (Zen Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Hinduism, etc.).

Here is a link to six animated flash movies featuring the narration of Alan Watts.

Have fun!

The `Dump Cheney' Countdown Is On




by Jeffrey Steinberg

In the immediate aftermath of Lyndon LaRouche's July 25 webcast from Washington, D.C., momentum has grown for the removal of Vice President Dick Cheney from office—before the Guns of August are fired. In his remarks, LaRouche directly addressed members of the U.S. Congress:

"This is the month of August; it's the anniversary of August 1914. It's the anniversary of August 1939. The condition now is worse, objectively, than either of those two occasions. Either we can make a fundamental change in the policies of the United States government now, or you may be kissing civilization good-bye for some time to come. That's the reality. Anyone who thinks differently is either just an incompetent, or an idiot, or a raving lunatic: That's reality. Are you prepared to act now? If you're not prepared to act, please leave the House of Representatives. If you're not prepared to act, please leave the Senate; and above all, leave the Federal government, in terms of the key officials, because you'll only make a mess of things. It'll be worse with you there, than if you simply got out, and left it to a minority to solve the problem."

LaRouche then got to the heart of the issue: "There are two things that must be done. Let's start with the simplest thing, which is on the table now: Remember, impeachment is in the background, but impeachment is not the issue. The issue is getting Cheney out. You get Cheney out, now, and the situation can be manageable. If you do not get Cheney out, you're kissing civilization good-bye. If it survives, it's not to your credit. And any Congressman who says he's not going to get Cheney out now, should leave the premises now, as a final act of decency. If Nancy Pelosi and others—if they can't get Cheney out now, if they're not determined to do it now, this month, before they leave Washington, they should quit now! Submit their resignations, and let somebody who's more competent come in, because it has to happen. Cheney has to go."
Cheney's War

Extremely well-placed U.S. military and intelligence sources have re-emphasized to EIR that all of the preconditions for a U.S. preventive attack on Iran have been met. Over half of the U.S. Navy's combat force is now in the immediate vicinity of Iran, with two U.S. aircraft carrier groups in the Persian Gulf, and two more in the Indian Ocean, ostensibly as part of five-nation manuevers scheduled for September in the Bay of Bengal. U.S. and Arab military sources report on a massive buildup of U.S. Air Force bombers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The buildup of naval and air power, contrary to some news accounts, is not directed at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, where Taliban and al-Qaeda forces have established a serious base once again. Pentagon sources confirm that the target of these awesome military assets is Iran.

The reason for the buildup in Iraq and Afghanistan is that no Arab state is willing to allow U.S. basing or overflight rights, for an attack on Iran, thus rendering U.S. air bases and naval ports in such countries as Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar useless. Turkey, likewise, is not about to allow the U.S. to launch attacks on Iranian targets from air bases in Turkey. In fact, Turkey and Iran are working together, behind the scenes, against the PKK, the Kurdish insurgent group promoting an independent "Kurdistan" to be carved out of the territories of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

As one retired flag officer reported, no such costly buildup of military force is undertaken unless there is a clear plan to go to war—soon. And Cheney's unmistakable target is Iran.

Since the June 2007 deployment of Gen. Kevin Bergner to Baghdad, as the designated Cheney/Elliott Abrams "stovepipe" for a steady stream of anti-Iran propaganda into the White House and the press, the Administration has shifted its focus away from the scare stories about Iran being "months away" from having a nuclear bomb, to inflated allegations that Iran is behind the insurgency in Iraq that is killing American soldiers, and preventing the "surge" from succeeding. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and other top military brass are reportedly seething over the Bergner-Abrams-Cheney agitprop efforts.

And it now appears that there are even counter-moves coming out of the Executive branch. According to U.S. intelligence community sources, White House officials have recently leaked a series of news stories, revealing that the biggest "foreign" factor in the Iraqi insurgency is not Iran, or Syria, but Saudi Arabia, which accounts for 40% of the foreign fighters now in jail in Iraq, and an even higher percentage of the suicide bombers. In comparison, according to several recent news accounts, originated at the White House, only 1% of the insurgents captured in Iraq are Iranians, and under 10% are Syrians. These stories certainly angered the Vice President and Abrams, the National Security Council Middle East chief and a rabid neo-con.

continued...

NASA Plans 'Armageddon' Spacecraft To Blast Asteroid With Nuclear Warheads



NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has designed a nuclear-warhead-carrying spacecraft, to be launched by the US agency's proposed 's Ares V cargo launch vehicle, to deflect an asteroid that could threaten all life on Earth.

The 8.9m (29ft)-long "Cradle" spacecraft would carry six 1,500kg (3,300lb) missile-like interceptor vehicles that would carry one 1.2MT B83 nuclear warhead each, with a total mass of 11,035kg.

Launched by an Ares V, the spacecraft would leave low-Earth orbit using a 45,359kg liquid-oxygen/liquid-hydrogen fuelled "kick stage".

The spacecraft's target near-Earth object (NEO) is the Apophis asteroid, which will pass by the Earth within the orbit of the Moon in April 2029.

For the study, however, its orbit was changed to bring it into a "dead-centre" collision course with Earth and its mass was assumed to be 1,000,000kg. The spacecraft's possible launch dates were 2020 and 2021.

By the 2020s NASA concluded that "the nuclear interceptor option can deflect NEOs of [100-500m diameter] two years before impact, and larger NEOs with at least five years warning".

The Cradle would have solar arrays, radiators, a light detection and ranging (lidar) instrument, a set of wide and narrow field of view (W/NFOV) cameras for guidance, a reaction control system and an avionics and communications package.

Each interceptor vehicle, with a terminal rendezvous package (TRP), would have a hydrazine-fuelled engine, a nitrogen tetroxide reaction control system and a lidar, and W/NFOV cameras for guidance.

continued...

Aug 4, 2007

BEST. KITE. EVER!




where can i get one of those?

Women's Rights Website pwn3d by anonymous hackers...



PIC UNRELATED.

UPDATE # 2: womensspace.org is shut down, having been gigaraped into oblivion.

An anonymous group of hackers, which my sources have confirmed mostly come from eBaum's world, have unleashed hell upon www.womensspace.org

The forums there have been hacked, and complete pwnage has ensued. Apparently, the forum members used the same password for their forum account, email accounts, and even paypal accounts. Read all about it here.

All this started when a poster at the womensspace.org forums started a thread about grounding her 15 year old son for masturbating to porn on the net. The hacker army vowed to have revenge.

The main site, www.womensspace.org is currently on the verge of collapsing, due to an ongoing DDOS campaign by this invisible internet army. Over 9,000 hackers are using www.gigaloader.com to shut the site down.

Moar on this story as it develops...

UPDATE: here is the text of the original thread on womensspace.org's forum:

###########################################################################

I have three sons, ages 16, 15, and 12. I was also in an abusive marriage for ten years in which my 15 year old was a frequent target of my x husband. These boys had a rough time of it, as did we all.

After I left my husband my children acted out for a short time, we all spoke of feeling relief and feeling safe yet there were still some rough spots as I got the hang of trying to do it alone.

Several years ago my accountability program found that the computer had been accessing pornography. Turns out it was my middle son. To date he has been 'caught' accessing pornography many times since then. He was 13 I think when this started.

I banned him from the computer, but after a few months I would allow him to be on it for short periods of time. Each and every single time my son would access pornography within days (and sometimes hours) of being allowed back online. He was aware that he would be caught because the computers are monitored but he chose to do it anyway.

Most recently my youngest son allowed my middle son to play with his PSP. Brandon (the middle child) used it to immediately access pornography online. The child is now banned from computers, video games and so forth. I've talked until I'm blue in the face, I've grown angry and yelled, I've cried when I was alone and when I was in front of him. I've had him read Dworkin, my site, and other places (namely OAG's site) and I still can't unseat this problem. He can recite feminist literature all day long, he can understand the tenets, the ideas behind it, how it links together but he will not allow this knowledge to stand in the way of his porn use.

I don't think I'm looking for advice (I've tried everything I could think of so far) but more a place to simply be sad. I can clearly see why he's looking at pornography, I've figured all that out readily enough, but I can't seem to make it stop.

#########################################################

Credit/Check Clearing System Beginning to Lock Up- No Money for Nobody


The global financial system is clearly in big trouble. Everyday last week at least one hedge fund or mortgage company blew up.

Many funds are no longer allowing redemptions. Rumor has it that several of the clearing houses for stocks, commodities, and banking transactions are beginning to lock up due to the velocity of monetary transactions.

It could be said that we are reaching a financial singularity.

In the worst case this would mean that if you depend on ANY type of check for payment, it may not be negotiable for days, weeks, or months.

This includes paychecks, social security, pensions, welfare, etc. This means that only currency will be acceptable as tender.

There is only about 300B of currency in circulation which amounts to about $1000 per person in the US. The FED has been silent, but behind the scenes I suspect mass panic.

Perhaps that is why Bernanke said upon his appointment, that if we ever had a financial crisis, he would not hesitate to send fleets of helicopters out to drop dollars from the air.

Mastercard has taken a big hit and there are reports that high risk holders accounts are being frozen, so they do not max out there cards in a panic.

Thousand of people are being evicted from their homes which could turn into millions if paychecks can no longer be cashed.

Time to duck and cover friends

FOX NEWS on UFO Disclosure

"Disclosure is at hand. It is very close. And the American people need to preparte themselves very soon for an announcment from our government...that there is in fact an extra-terrestrial presence engaging this planet and the human race."

Aug 2, 2007

American Home Mortgage to close Friday-report



PIC UNRELATED!


Thu Aug 2, 2007 9:11pm ET138

NEW YORK, Aug 2 (Reuters) - American Home Mortgage Investment Corp (AHM.N: Quote, Profile , Research) plans to close most operations on Friday and said nearly 7,000 employees will lose their jobs as the lender becomes one of the biggest casualties of the U.S. housing downturn.

Experts said it is likely the Melville, New York-based company will have to seek bankruptcy protection, and no later than Monday.

In a statement, American Home on Thursday night confirmed earlier reports that it was ceasing most operations. The company said its employee base will be reduced to about 750 workers, down from the 7,409 it reported at the end of last year. The terminations are effective Friday.

American Home originated $59 billion in loans last year, and mostly to people with better credit than risky subprime borrowers. About half of those mortgages were adjustable-rate loans, whose defining feature is an interest rate that can be adjusted upward.

SAUCE

Henry Rollins - BEST RANT EVER!



thats what i'm saying! screw at&t, screw the war on terror, screw facism!

Is it too early to make fun of the bridge collapse?



moar lulz coming soon! man, thats one funny picture! i know its insensitive, but you can't help but to laugh. always look on the bright side of life! thats what monty python sez!

Short Circuit 3?








here is a link to the script for the unmade movie Short Circuit 3.



i also heard that the original short circuit is being remade.

DO NOT WANT!


Playing With Fire!

Would you feel comfortable flinging around flaming balls of fire? Can you do it without burning yourself? Do you like the smell of asbestos in the morning?







MINNEAPOLIS BRIDGE COLLAPSE- BEFORE & AFTER PICS




Here are some photos of the bridge, before and after collapse...

Before:









After: