God Particle Experiment Nears Countdown

In a vast circular underground tunnel below the French-Swiss border, the final pieces of a gigantic machine are being set in place for an extraordinary investigation into the infinitely small at CERN: Europe's atom-smashing laboratory. If things go according to plan, the greatest experiment in the history of particle physics could unveil a sub-atomic component, the Higgs Boson, which is so tantalising that it has been called "the God Particle." The "Higgs," named after a British physicist, Peter Higgs, who first proposed it in 1964, would fill a gaping hole in the benchmark theory for understanding the physical cosmos. Other work on the so-called Large Hadron Collider (LHC) could explain dark matter and dark energy -- strange phenomena that, stunned astrophysicists discovered a few years ago, account for 96 percent of the Universe. It could shed clues on the mystery of how the Universe came to be. And it may determine whether, as some physicists believe, space-time holds dimensions other than our own. "We are standing on the shoulders of giants. But we want to know better and we want to know more," said a leading CERN investigator, Juergen Schukraft. A gamble costing six billion Swiss francs (almost six billion dollars, 3.9 billion euros) that has harnessed the labours of more than 2,000 physicists from nearly three dozen countries, the LHC is the biggest, most powerful high-energy particle accelerator ever built. "It's fantastic. It's like a baby, only it doesn't take nine months to be born, but 19 years," enthused Daniel Denegri, whose Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector is bidding to be first to snare the Higgs. In July or possibly August, the LHC will start its work, initiating a cautious programme of tests before cranking up to full intensity. In October, CERN (officially called the European Organisation for Nuclear Research) will invite heads of state and government to an official inauguration. Beams of hydrogen protons will whizz around at near-light speed in opposite directions until, bent by powerful superconducting magnets, they will smash together in four bus-sized detector chambers, where they will be annihilated at temperatures hotter than the Sun. Swathed within the chambers are arrays of delicate sensors which will track the wreckage from the smash-up -- the shower of quarks, muons, pions and other exotically-named members of the sub-atomic bestiary. Data from these collisions will then be sifted by a massive computer farm above ground, which will send the most promising events on "The Grid," a miniature World Wide Web.

10,000 Year Old Structure Found

The discovery of this mystery rock formation (an assembly of now seven rocks) were thought to be compound perched erratics (found in northern North America), where 2 or even 3 rocks happened to land on top of each other, leaving behind a natural structure. However, when geologists and archaeologists saw images of the object - a 1,000 pound, elongated and south pointing rock sitting on baseball-sized stones at each end, which in turn, were resting on a massive, several thousand pound slab on top of the ledge, they expressed doubts about its natural origin. Foremost, the straight edges and lack of roundness, as would characterize rocks scoured by glaciers, prompted them to discard the erratic theory. But could the structure be of human origin? If so, how could that be established? Subsequent dives closely examined the structure for any signs of the use of tools, decorative images or other irregularities, to no avail. The thick layer of silt covering the vertical surfaces suggests that certainly within living memory no human has ever touched the structure.

Al-Qaida: Strikes On U.S., Israel

Bin Laden and al-Zawahri have frequently referred to the Palestinian cause in their past messages, but usually in broader terms of liberating Jerusalem and denouncing Israeli violence. Their latest calls for attacks, however, had a more immediate and urgent tone. The string of messages has raised concerns that al-Qaida could be planning new attacks in the West — or is seeking to inspire its sympathizers to carry out violence. In another message last week, bin Laden warned of a "severe" reaction against Europe after Danish papers published a cartoon seen as insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The authenticity of the 4 minute, 44-second audiotape could not be independently confirmed. But the voice resembled that of al-Zawahri on previous audio and videotapes confirmed to be his. It was posted on an Islamic militant Web site where al-Qaida usually releases its statements, and a banner advertising the tape had the logo of al-Qaida's media arm, Al-Sahab. "Muslims, today is your day. Strike the interests of the Jews, the Americans, and all those who participated in the attack on Muslims," al-Zawahri said. "Monitor the targets, collect money, prepare the equipment, plan with precision, and then — while relying on God — assault, seeking martyrdom and paradise."

Taking Christ out of Christianity

That triumphal barnburner of an Easter hymn, Jesus Christ Has Risen Today - Hallelujah, this morning will rock the walls of Toronto's West Hill United Church as it will in most Christian churches across the country. But at West Hill on the faith's holiest day, it will be done with a huge difference. The words "Jesus Christ" will be excised from what the congregation sings and replaced with "Glorious hope." Thus, it will be hope that is declared to be resurrected - an expression of renewal of optimism and the human spirit - but not Jesus, contrary to Christianity's central tenet about the return to life on Easter morning of the crucified divine son of God. Generally speaking, no divine anybody makes an appearance in West Hill's Sunday service liturgy. There is no authoritative Big-Godism, as Rev. Gretta Vosper, West Hill's minister for the past 10 years, puts it. No petitionary prayers ("Dear God, step into the world and do good things about global warming and the poor"). No miracles-performing magic Jesus given birth by a virgin and coming back to life. No references to salvation, Christianity's teaching of the final victory over death through belief in Jesus's death as an atonement for sin and the omnipotent love of God. For that matter, no omnipotent God, or god. Ms. Vosper has written a book, published this week - With or Without God: Why the Way We Live is More Important than What We Believe - in which she argues that the Christian church, in the form in which it exists today, has outlived its viability and either it sheds its no-longer credible myths, doctrines and dogmas, or it's toast.

Cheney: Iran might be next US target

Vice President Dick Cheney is again talking about possible US military action to shut down Iran's nuclear program, the Israeli website DEBKA quoted the aide as saying. The official added Cheney had told US troops in a military base in Iraq that "Iran has got to be very high on that list (of the countries that might be attacked)". The remarks came ahead of the talks Cheney was to hold during his 10-day tour of the Middle East, in Iraq. The report added that Cheney is again talking about possible US military action to shut down Iran's nuclear program, citing military and political sources in the region. Cheney stopped over in Oman recently, after two days in Iraq. He will travel to Saudi Arabia and will be in al-Quds next Saturday. He is also scheduled to visit Ramallah and Turkey. According to the report, Cheney would emphasize the Bush administration's decision to distance itself from the National Intelligence Estimate indicating that "Iran has halted its nuclear arms program in 2003." The report has undermined the position of hawkish politicians who were beating the drums of war with Iran. Cheney will also underlines that "the administration now buys British, German, French and Israeli intelligence estimates that Iran is indeed pressing forward with programs for building nuclear weapons, warheads and ballistic missiles for their delivery." The report added the Americans will need the cooperation of Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey to mount a military attacks on Iran. Israel was notified by the White House that the Iranian issue had been added to Cheney's regional agenda at the last minute, DEBKA quoted informed sources as saying.

Next big quake worse than 1906

The next major earthquake on the Hayward Fault - inevitable anytime now, experts say - will be the Bay Area's own Hurricane Katrina, affecting more than 5 million people, causing losses to homes and businesses of at least $165 billion and total economic losses of more than $1.5 trillion, scientists warn. And that's from ground shaking alone. If major fires break out - think 1906 in San Francisco - the total losses would be far higher, they said. The staggering numbers come from new predictions of losses resulting from a magnitude 7 temblor on the fault, in which ground shaking could spread from the quake's epicenter directly on the fault to communities as far off as Santa Rosa and San Jose - or beyond. Seismologists and quake loss experts joined recently to report the latest assessment of what scientists call "the single-most dangerous fault in the entire Bay Area." The analysis came from the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, from Risk Management Solutions, a scientific and engineering firm in Newark, and from the Association of Bay Area Governments. Their view of the past and future was sobering. Records and geologic trenching show that five major quakes struck along the Hayward Fault between 1315 and 1868 - an average of one every 140 years. The 140th anniversary of the last big one falls on Oct. 21. Quakes don't follow timetables, of course, but "a repeat of 1868 is becoming increasingly likely with each passing year," said Survey seismologist Thomas Brocher. He is a leader of the "1868 Alliance," a consortium of quake experts and local officials working to persuade Bay Area residents to learn the elements of earthquake preparedness, to retrofit homes and businesses, to hold earthquake drills in every school and to keep emergency supplies on hand. Brocher and Mary Lou Zoback, former chief scientist of the USGS earthquake hazards team and now vice president of Risk Management, noted that the Bay Area's $165 billion forecast for losses to residential and commercial buildings far exceeds the $141 billion damage to New Orleans buildings from Hurricane Katrina.

Flooding a Sign of Things to Come

Major floods striking America’s heartland this week offer a preview of the spring seasonal outlook, according to NOAA’s National Weather Service. Several factors will contribute to above-average flood conditions, including record rainfall in some states and snow packs, which are melting and causing rivers and streams to crest over their banks. This week, more than 250 communities in a dozen states are experiencing flood conditions. The science supporting NOAA’s short-term forecasts allows for a high level of certainty. National Weather Service forecasters highlighted potential for the current major flood event a week in advance and began working with emergency managers to prepare local communities for the impending danger. “We expect rains and melting snow to bring more flooding this spring,” said Vickie Nadolski, deputy director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “Americans should be on high alert to flood conditions in your communities. Arm yourselves with information about how to stay safe during a flood and do not attempt to drive on flooded roadways – remember to always turn around, don’t drown.” Nadolski called on local emergency management officials to continue preparations for a wet spring and focus on public education to ensure heightened awareness of the potential for dangerous local conditions.

Attorney fears 'Prayer Police' in NY

A liberal special-interest group based in Washington, DC, is asking the town of Greece, New York, to dictate to its citizens what is acceptable speech for starting prayers in the town council's monthly meetings. Americans United for Separation of Church and State is suing the town of Greece, New York, on behalf of residents Susan Galloway, who is Jewish, and Linda Stephens, an atheist. The pair is offended because, for past decade, town council meetings have been preceded by a voluntary prayer -- typically offered by a local clergy member. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United, argues that repeatedly offering Christian prayer at the meetings "sends a message to non-Christians that they are second-class citizens. That's not a message public officials should want to send ...." But Joel Oster, the Alliance Defense Fund senior counsel representing the town, disputes claims by Lynn's gruop that the council is promoting Christianity by allowing the prayers. "[The town council does] not edit the contents of these prayers. They do not pre-review the prayers. They are not the prayer police," chides Oster. "They are just simply following a time-honored tradition established by our founding fathers ...." Oster says he is somewhat baffled by the fact that Americans United would ask the government to censor the content of voluntary prayers. "We actually believe that what Americans United are (sic) asking us to do is to violate the Establishment Clause," he continues, "because the town should not be in the business of telling private citizens how they should pray." The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Marsh v. Chambers that beginning deliberative sessions of legislative bodies with prayer is constitutional. Oster says he believes the judge in this case will stick to the Supreme Court ruling.

'Augment' Reality with Contact Lenses

Today, a handful of soldiers with advanced gear can see a few digital maps, through helmet-mounted monocles. Some pilots can get data about their world, on heads-up displays. But one day, troops could see an info-"augmented" reality all around them, with contact lenses that provide "first-person shooter-type video game" environments to those that wear them. At least, that's the idea behind the latest project from DARPA, the Pentagon's blue sky science and technology division. The agency's Information Processing Techniques Office announced recently that it's looking for information on "the creation of micro- and nano-scale display technologies for the purpose of creating displays that could be worn as transparent contact lenses." And not in some far-off future. But in "three to five years."

Google Joins MIT in Search ET Planets

Google has joined MIT scientists who are designing a satellite-based observatory -the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)- that they say could for the first time provide a sensitive survey of the entire sky to search for earth-like planets outside the solar system that appear to cross in front of bright stars. Google will fund development of the wide-field digital cameras needed for the satellite. "Decades, or even centuries after the TESS survey is completed, the new planetary systems it discovers will continue to be studied because they are both nearby and bright," says George Ricker, leader of the project. Most of the more than 200 extrasolar planets discovered so far have been much larger than Earth, similar in size to the solar system's giant planets (ranging from Jupiter to Neptune), or even larger. But to search for planets where there's a possibility of finding signs of living organisms, astronomers are much more interested in those that are similar to our own world. Most searches so far depend on the gravitational attraction that planets exert on their stars in order to detect them, and therefore are best at finding large planets that orbit close to their stars. TESS, however, would search for stars whose orbits as seen from Earth carry them directly in front of the star, obscuring a tiny amount of starlight. Some ground-based searches have used this method and found about 20 planets so far, but a space-based search could detect much smaller, Earth-sized planets, as well as those with larger orbits.

Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy

The Bilderberg group, an elite coterie of Western thinkers and power-brokers, has been accused of fixing the fate of the world behind closed doors. As the organisation marks its 50th anniversary, rumours are more rife than ever. Given its reputation as perhaps the most powerful organisation in the world, the Bilderberg group doesn't go a bundle on its switchboard operations. Telephone inquiries are met with an impersonal female voice - the Dutch equivalent of the BT Callminder woman - reciting back the number and inviting callers to "leave a message after the tone". Anyone who accidentally dialled the number would probably think they had stumbled on just another residential answer machine. On March 27, the Bilderberg group marks its 50th anniversary with the start of its yearly meeting. For four days some of the West's chief political movers, business leaders, bankers, industrialists and strategic thinkers will hunker down in a five-star hotel in northern Italy to talk about global issues. What sets Bilderberg apart from other high-powered get-togethers, such as the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), is its mystique. Not a word of what is said at Bilderberg meetings can be breathed outside. No reporters are invited in and while confidential minutes of meetings are taken, names are not noted. The shadowy aura extends further - the anonymous answerphone message, for example; the fact that conference venues are kept secret. The group, which includes luminaries such as Henry Kissinger and former UK chancellor Kenneth Clarke, does not even have a website. This year Bilderberg has announced a list of attendees, They include BP chief John Browne, US Senator John Edwards, World Bank president James Wolfensohn and Mrs Bill Gates. In the void created by such aloofness, an extraordinary conspiracy theory has grown up around the group that alleges the fate of the world is largely decided by Bilderberg. In Yugoslavia, leading Serbs have blamed Bilderberg for triggering the war which led to the downfall of Slobodan Milosevic. The Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, the London nail-bomber David Copeland and Osama Bin Laden are all said to have bought into the theory that Bilderberg pulls the strings with which national governments dance. And while hardline right-wingers and libertarians accuse Bilderberg of being a liberal Zionist plot, leftists such as activist Tony Gosling are equally critical. A former journalist, Mr Gosling runs a campaign against the group from his home in Bristol, UK. "My main problem is the secrecy. When so many people with so much power get together in one place I think we are owed an explanation of what is going on.

French Gov. Reports on UFO's

Some people claim that extraterrestrials have already visited Earth in the form of UFOs. Scientists usually dismiss the possibility of UFOs because the distances between stars are so vast. But last year the French government released a report by the French National Centre for Space Studies, which included 1,600 UFO sightings spanning 50 years, including 100,000 pages of eyewitness accounts, films and audiotapes. The French government stated that nine per cent of these sightings could be fully explained, that 33 per cent had likely explanations, but that it was unable to follow up on the rest. The most credible cases of UFOs involve multiple sightings by independent, credible eyewitnesses and evidence from multiple sources, such as eyesight and radar. For example, in 1986 there was a sighting of a UFO by JAL flight 1628 over Alaska, which was investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The UFO was seen by the passengers of the JAL flight and was also tracked by ground radar. Similarly, there were mass radar sightings of black triangles over Belgium in 1989-90 that were tracked by Nato radar and jet interceptors. In 1976, there was a sighting over Tehran, that resulted in multiple systems failures in an F-4 jet interceptor.

Untreatable TB arrives in Britain

Doctors have diagnosed what is believed to be the first ever case in Britain of a virtually untreatable strain of tuberculosis. A man, believed to be a Somali in his 30s, is in isolation at a hospital in Scotland and being treated with a range of antibiotics to control the disease. But he has been diagnosed with the XDR-TB strain, which kills half of those infected and is extremely resistant to drugs used to fight more common forms of the infection. Domestic cases of tuberculosis, an airborne disease which is spread though close contact with other people, are increasing but it is thought this is the first time the most deadly type has been found in this country. It is understood the patient, thought to be an asylum seeker, was screened for infectious diseases on his arrival into Britain last year. X-rays revealed TB scarring on his lungs, but the disease was not thought to be active so he was allowed to travel to Scotland. He was admitted to Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow with the disease in January and tests have now revealed he is suffering from the XDR-TB strain. Health officials are now trying to contact his close friends and family to prevent any further outbreaks. A spokesman for Gartnavel General Hospital said on March 20: “We can confirm a case of drug-resistant tuberculosis is being treated at the hospital. “We are in touch with all close contacts of the patient, and where appropriate they will be screened. “The strain is not any more infectious than normal TB. The main concern is that it is resistant to antibiotics, which makes it much harder to treat.” The first case of XDR-TB was reported in March 2006, after researchers discovered an emerging global threat of highly resistant TB strains. Six months later 53 “virtually untreatable” XDR-TB cases were found in an area of South Africa with a high prevalence of HIV. Samples were taken for drug resistance tests but all but one of the patients died an average of 25 days later. TB drug resistance has been increasing across the world, including Britain, and the World Health Organisation warns more needs to be done to combat the disease. Professor Peter Davis, secretary of TB Alert in the UK, said: “We are aware that it is quite prevalent in other parts of the world. Because our country is no longer separated from disease by the channel, we have got to be aware of it.”

The Future Of ID

A microchip implant is a radio frequency identification device (RFID) chip that is encased in silicate glass and implanted in an individual's body. The implants can be used for storing personal information including medical history, allergies and contact information. Some hospital in the US have been using implants in their patients so that hospital and emergency workers can have immediate access to a patient's medical history regardless of the location and state of the patient. Microchips implants could also be used in cars or homes equipped with scanners to eliminate the necessity for keys or tags which are easily lost or stolen.

Scientists Envision Familiar Aliens

There has been no shortage of alien depictions in literature, comic books and film. But now scientists are putting some extra thought into the idea of aliens. They've come up with some interesting results. An exhibition, set to open April 10 at the Montreal Science Centre, intends to add scientific rigour to a subject heretofore solely the domain of human imagination. Using the expertise of a number of renowned scientists, the exhibition presents ideas on what aliens might look like, taking into consideration biology, astronomy, and the laws of physics and chemistry. "It's fiction, yes, but it's science-based science fiction," says Louise Julie Bertrand, the head of exhibitions at the Centre. Such an exercise, she adds, will appeal to both kids and adults. "People are often attracted to the bizarre and intriguing and weird." The stars of the exhibition are these alien forms envisioned by the scientists to fit the specific characteristics of two "planets," such as carbon content, the temperature, the type of atmosphere.

Brain-Computer For Manipulating Dreams

A first-generation commercial brain-computer interface (BCI) is being released by Emotiv Systems later this year. What does the future hold for BCI? By 2050, and likely sooner, you will be able to buy a BCI device that records all your dreams in their entirety. This will be done in one of two ways. One method would be to use distributed nanobots less than a micrometer in diameter to spread throughout the brain and monitor the activation patterns of neurons. By this point, cognitive science will have advanced enough to know which neural activation patterns correspond to which sensory experiences. This has already been done with cats (using electrodes, not nanobots), where researchers led by scientist Garrett Stanley were able to extrapolate what a cat was seeing merely by monitoring the neurons of its visual cortex. The next steps will be to increase the resolution, add monitoring of emotions, sounds, and smells, and make it safe for human use. An alternative route, if nanobots are still not ready for commercial deployment by 2050, is to have minimally invasive surgery where tiny holes, no larger than a grain of sand, are drilled in the skull. Electronic nanofibers could be routed through these holes from a port on the outside to neurons throughout the brain. The holes could be protected by a plastic membrane, ensuring that no foreign particles could pass through them into the brain. The access ports on the scalp would be compatible with a BCI headset designed to monitor activity in specific neural groups and selectively stimulate neurons according to a program.

Will TVs Monitor Worship Of The Beast

If an image of the Antichrist of whatever type is someday "given life" and everybody everywhere is expected to worship it at a particular time or interval, how will global authorities know whether or not the masses obey? Some believe this will be accomplished through new wave interactive televisions where the "image" is broadcast at regular intervals and an all-seeing "Cyc" like A.I. computer records people paying homage as ordered. Simple fish-eye lenses on newer televisions have the potential to watch us now, and a report by the Center for Digital Democracy warned in a 2001 report - TV That Watches You: The Prying Eyes of Interactive Television [Read] - that this technology could become compatible with the larger prophetic task of Revelation 13. Among several startling facts, the Digital Democracy summary said, "For the first time ever, companies are able to collect detailed information about what each user of the system is doing.... A key concern for privacy is that each set-top box has a unique identifier built into it that allows for the service provider to identify the household or location of that box....ITV systems are generally based on a sealed 'black box' controlled by the company, giving users little or no ability to make decision to protect their own privacy. The systems are proprietary, making it difficult, if not impossible, even for advanced users to identify what the system is doing." Over time, the report speculated, the ITV would integrate payments systems, which according to Raiders News Service could be compatible with implanted microchip technology, also satisfying the global networking and prophetic necessities of the Antichrist.

Smart clothes that track your health

It is 7 o’clock in the morning. You check yourself in the mirror, adjust your collar, and consider the hectic day ahead. But at least you know that the stress won't damage your health, for this is no ordinary set of clothes you are wearing. Embedded within the fabric are numerous sensors, constantly monitoring your vital signs. If danger signs are detected, the garment is programmed to contact your doctor – and send a text message telling you to take it easy. A cluster of EU research projects (SFIT Group) is supporting this burgeoning field of smart fabrics, interactive textiles and flexible wearable systems. Jean Luprano, a researcher at the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), coordinates the BIOTEX project. “One of the most obvious applications for smart fabrics is in the medical field,” he says. “There has been a good deal of progress with physiological measurements, body temperature or electro-cardiograms. But no-one has yet developed biochemical sensing techniques that can take measurements from fluids like sweat and blood. We are developing a suite of sensors that can be integrated into a textile patch. The patch is a sensing and processing unit, adaptable to target different body fluids and biochemical species. At the very least, some basic biochemical analyses could complement the physiological measurements that can already be monitored. In some circumstances, fluidic analysis may be the only way to get information on a patient's health status.”

Thickest, oldest Arctic ice is melting

The thickest, oldest and toughest sea ice around the North Pole is melting, a bad sign for the future of the Arctic ice cap, NASA satellite data showed on March 18. "Thickness is an indicator of long-term health of sea ice, and that's not looking good at the moment," Walt Meier of the National Snow and Ice Data Center told reporters in a telephone briefing. This adds to the litany of disturbing news about Arctic sea ice, which has been retreating over the last three decades, especially last year, when it ebbed to its lowest level. Scientists have said the trend is spurred by human-generated climate change. Melting Arctic ice does not raise sea levels as the melting of glaciers on Greenland or Antarctica could, but it does contribute to global warming when reflective white ice is replaced by dark water that absorbs the sun's heat. Using satellites that measure how much ice covers water in the Arctic and Antarctic, Meier and other climate scientists found a steep drop in the amount of perennial ice -- the hardy, thick ice that is over a year old -- in the north. The oldest Arctic ice that has survived six years or more is the toughest, and even that shrank dramatically, Meier and the other scientists said.

Raytheon's Killer Bee UAV

Boeing, which is protesting its $35 billion loss to Airbus parent EADS on a refueling plane contract, currently has a lock on small, portable Marine and Navy UAVs used for recon missions. The company's ScanEagle first placed into Marine hands four years ago, when the Pentagon decided that they were vital for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. A year later the Navy purchased more to provide over-the-horizon monitoring of oil platforms and suspicious ships. (A nearly identical ScanEagle model is making its way into U.S. police departments.) To cover these purchases, the Pentagon crafted a non-competitive order—permitted when an item is designated as an “urgent operational requirement"—with Boeing and aerospace design firm Insitu, in July 2004. But now a full-scale military auction is on, and Raytheon has revealed its own battle-ready contender, the Killer Bee, exclusively to PopularMechanics.com nearly a week before its unveiling at the Navy League's 2008 Sea-Air-Space Exposition. We've seen test footage of the blended-wing aircraft before Swift Engineering teamed up with Raytheon, but these detailed new images—5-ft. curved wings and all—show an updated model ready for sale, and hoping to knock ScanEagle out of the Navy and Marine inventory. The Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System program is seeking to field a system that can stay aloft for 10 to 24 hours, takeoff from a mobile catapult-style launcher, land without a runway, navigate on its own, and have several UAVs controllable from a single platform. The ScanEagle fleet already fulfills many of these requirements, and steady upgrades and a battle-tested track record should make the trailblazing UAV competitive against new designs. Raytheon, however, says the militarized Killer Bee has more room for payloads and more than 100 miles of range, plus the ability to track objects day or night with video and infrared feeds, and guide precision munitions with an on-board laser designator. The new turn-down wings help to accommodate antennae and improve yaw stability (i.e. smooth turns.) The military's final decision is scheduled for June or July, with first fielding in 2011.

Guilford County school monitors Buses

The district installed the first surveillance cameras more than a decade ago, but an upgrade now gives leaders a look from three angles. "There's really no way to hide from them," Jeff Harris, transportation director for Guilford County Schools said about the new school bus cameras. No matter where you sit on one of 82 Guilford County school buses, anything you do will be caught on camera. "We can leave the camera hard drive on the bus and let it just continuously record the student behavior or any kind of actions on the bus," said Harris. The cameras record any action or conversation. "Each camera at each mounted location has a microphone," he said. Each bus equipped with a surveillance system has three different cameras, picking up three different angles of activity on the school bus. That means it's virtually impossible to do anything and not get filmed. Harris hopes the cameras cut down on problems, stemming from students or drivers. "If there's a problem where a student accuses a driver of something, one of the cameras catches the driver area," he said. Video surveillance caught this 2005 struggle between a student and a bus driver in Charlotte County, Florida. A year later, two sisters attacked a fellow student in New Mexico. Whether it's a fight like those, or something like vandalism, any inappropriate behavior will be harder to hide. "If they're covering up this camera at this angle, then that camera in the front is capturing who is messing with this camera," said Harris, pointing to the two cameras focused on bus seats. The district installed cameras in 82 out of 634 buses. The plan is to add a few more each year, depending on how much it costs to get buses around their routes. "We'll have to see what fuel costs are looking like for the future, and then that will determine what we can use money for," Harris said. Guilford County Schools picked up the $148,000 tab using taxpayer dollars. Middle school principals helped decide which buses to outfit with cameras. They each identified four or five buses at their schools with the most discipline problems. The new cameras can record up to 15 days of activity, compared to the old cameras, which could capture only 45 to 60 minutes at a time. Guilford County Schools isn't the only system using video surveillance on school buses. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools have a limited number in use. Rockingham County Schools purchased cameras for roughly half of their buses at the beginning of the 2007/2008 school year.

Video Surveillance Market to Explode

Video surveillance is the hot new thing. Tech market think tank ABI Research has just come out with a new study predicting that the global video surveillance market will "expand from revenue of about $13.5 billion in 2006 to a remarkable $46 billion in 2013." In a press release only Philip K. Dick could love, ABI gushes excitedly about all the fun new uses of the vidcams and databases you could be manufacturing, buying, and selling to the surveillance-craving masses. The release reads, in part: "Security" is the word on everyone's lips these days, but there is more to this dramatic market growth than that. Video surveillance finds uses in a variety of vertical markets such as retail, education, banking, transportation and corporate business. And it's not always about security: new facial recognition software can analyze shoppers' behavior within stores, for example, tracking eyeball movements as shoppers view product displays. European video surveillance markets are more mature than those in North America (some say the UK, with its 4.1 million surveillance cameras, is the most monitored society on earth), but massive deployments are also now taking place in North America and, in connection with the upcoming Olympics, in China. But while digital technology offers advantages - higher resolution, easier searching and retrieval, and more efficient storage - many of the traditional security resellers of analog equipment are not yet comfortable with digital, and a massive retraining effort is going to be required. "This is a modern version of the California gold rush," [ABI vice president Scott] Schatt concludes, "except that people are bringing cameras instead of pickaxes and shovels."

Americans Don't Care About Big Brother

In recent weeks, the papers have been full of stories about the warehousing of information on Americans by the National Security Agency, the interception of financial information by the CIA, the stripping of authority from a civilian intelligence oversight board by the White House, and the compilation of suspicious activity reports from banks by the Treasury Department. On March 13, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine released a report documenting continuing misuse of Patriot Act powers by the FBI. And to judge from the reaction in the country, nobody cares. A quick tally of the record of civil liberties erosion in the United States since 9/11 suggests that the majority of Americans are ready to trade diminished privacy, and protection from search and seizure, in exchange for the promise of increased protection of their physical security. Polling consistently supports that conclusion, and Congress has largely behaved accordingly, granting increased leeway to law enforcement and the intelligence community to spy and collect data on Americans. Even when the White House, the FBI or the intelligence agencies have acted outside of laws protecting those rights — such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — the public has by and large shrugged and, through their elected representatives, suggested changing the laws to accommodate activities that may be in breach of them.

Nanotech Making Invisibility a reality

Presto! Now you see it, now you don't. No, it's not magic. Scientists at the University of Maryland have used nanotechnology — the science of matter on the atomic scale — to come up with a novel invisibility shield that can mask appearances in visible light. In essence, the optical cloaking device renders objects invisible by guiding light around the boundaries of the cloak. This development could lead to breakthroughs in computer chip designs. And the military has expressed interest in it as a potential way to elude radar detection. But alas, don't expect to be buying an invisibility cape soon, if ever. The cloak consists of a two-dimensional pattern of concentric rings of transparent plastic on a layer of gold film. The two materials have different refractive properties, which causes the cloak to bend any light that strikes it. When electron waves — known as plasmons — in the metal get disturbed by light, they appear to move in a straight line but actually are guided around the cloak. Nothing gets reflected back to the human eye, so the contents appear invisible. The scientific trick comes from how the material surface is structured, says Christopher Davis, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Maryland's Clark School of Engineering. "We can show the waves coming into the surface being folded around a two-dimensional region and carried off to the other side," Davis said. "As a result, you can't see the cloaked region of the surface." This cloaking technology already has been used to build a powerful nanotech tool known as a super-lens microscope. It lets researchers see previously undetectable items on the nano-scale, at just 10 micrometers in diameter. Human hairs are 50 to 100 micrometers in diameter. Some day researchers could use such a microscope to capture crisp images of living cells, viruses and proteins. They might even see living DNA molecules, the genetic code for all life. Current electron microscopes must first kill such organisms before viewing them.

Manipulation Of Health: Globalist Elite

Through a process that began in the late 1800's, those who place personal gain and wealth above health and humanity have corrupted the four most important cornerstones that should be our shining benefactors and guarantors of providing mankind with good, nutritious food to drink, air to breath and water to drink: our food supply, our medicines, our industry, and our government. Today, instead of marshalling their efforts to benefit humanity, these cornerstones we depend on have been corrupted to benefit an elite few, turning them instead into just the opposite of what they should be - darkly corrupted purveyors of illness which rob us of our health and our wealth, take years off our life spans, and force us into a lifetime of managed illness and poor nutrition. If allowed to continue, the downward spiral in health may ultimately threaten the ability of mankind to even continue as a species.

UFOs, Bible and alien abduction

Magazine articles, books and even evangelists are engaging in Bible-based speculations about the nature and intention of extra-terrestrial entities that kidnap, paralyze, physically abuse and sometimes sexually molest victims. Many contend the topic is worthy of ongoing theological discussion. Among these is end-times prophecy author Terry James, a Benton native. James says he believes it's no coincidence that there has been a dramatic increase in strange sightings and encounters since the 1947 Roswell incident, at a time when global crisis is reaching unprecedented levels. This is addressed in his latest book, "The Nephilim Imperatives: Dark sentences," in which James explores the connection between UFO's, spiritual warfare and end-times prophecy. He suggests that the Biblical concept of "nephilim" is a possible explanation for alien abduction. The book is published by Anomalos Publishing. James notes that nephilim, as they are called in the Bible, are satanic hybrids born of sexual union between fallen angels (demons) and women. Such inter-dimensional abomination took place, according to the Biblical account, during the time of Noah. "The similarity between the abduction experience and demonic possession is very, very close," James says. "One of the evil objectives of the sexual union of fallen angels and women as we move toward the end-times could be to create a non-human society on Earth which would be impossible to be redeemed by Christ during the tribulation described in the Book of Revelation."

Bat-inspired spy plane under development

A six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to a soldier in real time. That's the Army's concept, and it has awarded the University of Michigan College of Engineering a five-year, $10-million grant to help make it happen. The grant establishes the U-M Center for Objective Microelectronics and Biomimetic Advanced Technology, called COM-BAT for short. The grant includes an option to renew for an additional five years and $12.5 million. U-M researchers will focus on the microelectronics. They will develop sensors, communication tools and batteries for this micro-aerial vehicle that's been dubbed "the bat." Engineers envision tiny cameras for stereo vision, an array of mini microphones that could home in on sounds from different directions, and small detectors for nuclear radiation and poisonous gases. Low-power miniaturized radar and a very sensitive navigation system would help the bat find its way at night. Energy scavenging from solar, wind, vibration and other sources would recharge the bat's lithium battery. The aircraft would use radio to send signals back to troops. "These are all concepts, and many of them are the next generation of devices we have already developed. We're trying to push the edge of our technologies to achieve functionality that was not possible before," said Kamal Sarabandi, the COM-BAT director and a professor in the U-M Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. COM-BAT also involves the University of California at Berkeley and the University of New Mexico. It is one of four centers the Army launched as a collaborative effort among industry, academia and the Army Research Laboratory to work toward this vision of a small, robotic aircraft that could sense and communicate. Each of the four centers is charged with developing a different subsystem of the bat, a self-directed sensor inspired by the real thing. "Bats have a highly-attuned echolocation sense providing high-resolution navigation and sensing ability even in the dark, just as our sensor must be able to do," Sarabandi said.

Building An Artificial Super Mind

Passing the Turing test--the holy grail of artificial intelligence (AI), whereby a human conversing with a computer can't tell it's not human--may now be possible in a limited way with the world's fastest supercomputer (IBM's Blue Gene), according to AI experts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. RPI is aiming to pass AI's final exam this fall, by pairing the most powerful university-based supercomputing system in the world with a new multimedia group designing a holodeck, a la Star Trek. "We are building a knowledge base that corresponds to all of the relevant background for our synthetic character--where he went to school, what his family is like, and so on," said Selmer Bringsjord, head of Rensselaer's Cognitive Science Department and leader of the research project. "We want to engineer, from the start, a full-blown intelligent character and converse with him in an interactive environment like the holodeck from Star Trek."

Globalist Requires Your Sacrifice

Senator and Presidential candidate John McCain said that it would be fine with him if the military stayed in Iraq for a hundred years. His prediction maybe be proved in the future to be correct. American men and women are being sacrificed on the alter of globalism. Your liberties are being taken from you by those you have never met. This is one of the biggest scams that have ever been run on the American people. Much like the Roman Empire our leaders are destroying our economy by borrowing more and more money to fight simultaneous wars around the world. Have you ever wondered why there are nations like China who continue to allow us to borrow money much like a degenerate gambler who doesn't know when to quit? We will be the ones to account for the damage that has been done. Every penny of debt that you have will be collected, your social security money has been stolen and the infrastructure that our forefathers fought for has been bought out by multinational corporations and foreign governments.

The Power of Swarm robotics

Forget the conventional notion of human-like androids; researchers are investigating large swarms of up to 10,000 miniature robots which can work together to form a single, artificial life form. Swarm robotics is a field of study based on the supposition that simple, individual robots can interact and collaborate to form a single artificial organism with more advanced group intelligence. As a part of an international collaboration dubbed the "Symbiotic Evolutionary Robot Organisms" project, or "Symbrion" for short, researchers from the University of York are developing an artificial immune system which can protect both the individual robots that form part of a swarm, as well as the larger, collective organism. Researches expect an artificial immune system to be able to detect faults and make recommendations to a high-level control system about corrective action - much like how a person's adaptive immune system works to keep the body healthy. Should any faults be detected, individual robots will be able to share the information with others in the robotic swarm. The swarm as a whole will thus be capable of evolving in the face of new problems, just as a natural immune system is able to cope with unfamiliar pathogens. The multi-robot approach to artificial intelligence is a relatively new one, and has developed from studies of the swarm behaviour of insects such as ants. Eventually, swarm robotics might be applied to real-world tasks such as rescuing earthquake victims, according to University of York research leader Jon Timmis, of the Intelligent Systems Group in the Department of Electronics.

Children As Young As 5 In DNA Database

Primary school children should be eligible for the DNA database if they exhibit behaviour indicating they may become criminals in later life, according to Britain's most senior police forensics expert. Gary Pugh, director of forensic sciences at Scotland Yard and the new DNA spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said a debate was needed on how far Britain should go in identifying potential offenders, given that some experts believe it is possible to identify future offending traits in children as young as five. 'If we have a primary means of identifying people before they offend, then in the long-term the benefits of targeting younger people are extremely large,' said Pugh. 'You could argue the younger the better. Criminologists say some people will grow out of crime; others won't. We have to find who are possibly going to be the biggest threat to society.' Pugh admitted that the deeply controversial suggestion raised issues of parental consent, potential stigmatisation and the role of teachers in identifying future offenders, but said society needed an open, mature discussion on how best to tackle crime before it took place. There are currently 4.5 million genetic samples on the UK database - the largest in Europe - but police believe more are required to reduce crime further.

Globalization of power by 6,000 leaders

It's not just trade and finance that's being globalized these days, it's sheer power — the power of about 6,000 distinguished people to get big things done across national frontiers, says author David Rothkopf. Trouble is, he complains, this "Superclass" isn't helping two billion powerless people who get along on $2 a day or less. He warns that unless those two billion get a voice, globalization will be in danger. The 6,000 are a scattered lot. Americans know about President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI. But how about Wu Xiaoling, who controls $1.3 trillion worth of foreign reserves from her post as deputy governor in the People's Bank of China? It's a hoard that Communist Chinese leaders have hung over the head of the world's financial markets. Then there's Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian writer who has sold more than 100 million copies of his books. And Rex Tillerson, head of Exxon Mobil. Know about them? Rothkopf takes pains to show in "Superclass - The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making" that he has long experience with members of, and aspirants to, this "superclass." He includes: -Heads of 120 governments that impact other countries, by war or otherwise. -Commanders of the most powerful militaries. -Key executives of 2,000 big corporations, 100 richest financial institutions and 500 investment firms. -Executives of international bodies, governmental and non-governmental. -Authorities of the biggest religious groups, terrorist leaders, criminal masterminds, the most widely read bloggers, thinkers, scientists, academics and artists who also impress the world. Before serving former president Bill Clinton as deputy undersecretary of Commerce for international trade, Rothkopf founded a company that arranged events for executives of influential organizations. He recalls sitting at a dinner next to Henry Kissinger, who ignored him throughout except for one remark before getting up to speak. "Mr. Rothkopf? . . . Let me give you some advice," said Kissinger. "When you are having an after-dinner speaker, it is best if you eliminate the salad course." The remark foreshadows one of the author's key contentions: The 6,000 have the power to obtain almost anything they want - except more time. That's why they spend so much of it spanning the world in customized private planes. He devotes some space to that privilege. "For private jet travellers," he writes, "globalization is not an abstract concept but a day-to-day reality. . . . For them, the greeting card platitudes of globalization are truths proved by their daily existence: Borders have disappeared and world is truly one global community." The Swiss resort of Davos used to be known for sanatoria, skiing and its attraction to writers including Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle and Thomas Mann. Since the 1970s, it has become famous for annual meetings of the World Economic Forum. Members of the superclass gather there from all over the world in January to talk about great problems and generate news about their discussions. Such figures as the pope and Osama bin Laden don't appear, for reasons of their own, though their huge power is just as real. But as a "forum" Davos is known more as a talking shop than as a source of decisive action. Rothkopf says power across national borders is not enough. "If the people at large do not become stakeholders in globalization, then they will become its enemies - and its undoing," the book concludes.

China Hacking U.S. Computers

The Chinese military continues to increase spending on efforts to break into U.S. military computer systems, expand its Navy, and invest in intercontinental nuclear missiles and weapons to destroy satellites, according to the latest U.S report on China's military power. The annual report from the Pentagon to Congress says China's total military spending in 2007 was between $97 billion and $139 billion, but it is hard to tell exactly how much was spent and on what. In comparison, the U.S. military budget request for 2008 is $481.4 billion, not including war requests. Pentagon officials said a chunk of China's spending went to cyberwarfare, because 2007 saw several "intrusions" believed to be from the Peoples Liberation Army. In the incidents, unclassified U.S. military computer systems were broken into and information was taken, according to Pentagon officials. While the information taken was not classified, Pentagon officials said the worry is the Chinese hacking required many of the skills and capabilities that would also be required for a computer network attack. Last summer, a cyber-attack on Department of Defense computer systems took down the e-mail capability of hundreds of staffers for weeks, but the Pentagon still will not comment on who initiated the attack. It is widely believed among the military to have been the Peoples Liberation Army. China is also investing heavily in and fielding improved nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles and antisatellite missiles, according to the report. The United States expressed its concern last year after China fired a missile at one of its old satellites and destroyed it, sending thousands of dangerous pieces of space debris into orbit.

Case of demon possession documented

An American woman who levitated, demonstrated paranormal psychic powers and spoke foreign languages unknown to her was clearly demon possessed, according to a board-certified psychiatrist and associate professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Medical College. The unnamed woman, with a long history of involvement with Satanic groups, was observed by a team of priests, deacons, several lay assistants, psychiatrists, nuns, some of whom also had medical and psychiatric training, levitating six inches off the ground while objects flew off shelves in the same room, according to Dr. Richard E. Gallagher, who documented the case in the February issue of the New Oxford Review. "Periodically, in our presence, Julia would go into a trance state of a recurring nature," writes Gallagher. "Mentally troubled individuals often 'dissociate,' but Julia's trances were accompanied by an unusual phenomenon: Out of her mouth would come various threats, taunts and scatological language, phrases like 'Leave her alone, you idiot,' 'She's ours,' 'Leave, you imbecile priest,' or just 'Leave.' The tone of this voice differed markedly from Julia's own, and it varied, sometimes sounding guttural and vaguely masculine, at other points high pitched. Most of her comments during these 'trances,' or at the subsequent exorcisms, displayed a marked contempt for anything religious or sacred." The subject would have no recollection of speaking these phrases upon recovering from the trance-like state, according to Gallagher. "Sometimes objects around her would fly off the shelves, the rare phenomenon of psychokinesis known to parapsychologists," reports Gallagher. "Julia was also in possession of knowledge of facts and occurrences beyond any possibility of their natural acquisition. "She commonly reported information about the relatives, household composition, family deaths and illnesses, etc., of members of our team, without ever having observed or been informed about them," he said. "As an example, she knew the personality and precise manner of death (i.e., the exact type of cancer) of a relative of a team member that no one could conceivably have guessed. She once spoke about the strange behavior of some inexplicably frenzied animals beyond her direct observation: Though residing in another city, she commented, 'So those cats really went berserk last night, didn't they?' the morning after two cats in a team member's house uncharacteristically had violently attacked each other at about 2 a.m."

'Worldwide anti-Semitism on the rise'

Worldwide anti-Semitism has increased over the last decade, a US State Department report showed on March 14. The report states that today, more than 60 years after the Holocaust, anti-Semitism is very much an existing phenomenon rather than merely being a historical occurrence. Without detailing exact statistics, the study concludes that US embassies the world over have, in the last 10 years, recorded a rise in attacks against the Jews as well as damage to their property and to their religious institutions. The report notes that in addition to traditional anti-Semitic acts, new types of the phenomenon have surfaced, manifesting themselves in harsh criticism of Israel which has fostered generalizations about Jews. This form of anti-Semitism, said the report, has gained a certain degree of encouragement from UN agencies. The study singles out several leaders and regimes who "fan the flames" of hatred against the Jews, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the Syrian government and Egyptian and Saudi Arabian state media.

Comcast Cameras to Start Watching You?

If you have some tinfoil handy, now might be a good time to fashion a hat. At the Digital Living Room conference today, Gerard Kunkel, Comcast’s senior VP of user experience, told me the cable company is experimenting with different camera technologies built into devices so it can know who’s in your living room. The idea being that if you turn on your cable box, it recognizes you and pulls up shows already in your profile or makes recommendations. If parents are watching TV with their children, for example, parental controls could appear to block certain content from appearing on the screen. Kunkel also said this type of monitoring is the “holy grail” because it could help serve up specifically tailored ads. Kunkel said the system wouldn’t be based on facial recognition, so there wouldn’t be a picture of you on file (we hope). Instead, it would distinguish between different members of your household by recognizing body forms. He stressed that the system is still in the experimental phase, that there hasn’t been consumer testing, and that any rollout “must add value” to the viewing experience beyond serving ads. Perhaps I’ve seen Enemy of the State too many times, or perhaps I’m just naive about the depths to which Comcast currently tracks my every move. I can’t trust Comcast with BitTorrent, so why should I trust them with my must-be-kept-secret, DVR-clogging addiction to Keeping Up with the Kardashians? Kunkel also spoke on camera with me about fixing bad Comcast user experiences, the ongoing BitTorrent battle and VOD. But he mostly towed the corporate line on these issues (the monitoring your living room came up after my camera was put away).

Next Intifada Will Be Nuclear

Turkish daily Sabah met in Gaza the Mental Health Program Director Dr. Iyyad Sarrac, who said that soon nuclear weapons would reach the Gaza strip and a nuclear clash would occur. He told Sabah that there is fear for a third uprising, due to the psychology and desperation of the people and said, “A new intifada is around the corner. This time it will not be with stones and sticks. A chemical or nuclear intifada is not far. If there will be no [peace] agreement, chemical weapons will enter Gaza and will be used against Israel. People here are not normal anymore. They are not feeling like human beings. Everybody is so desperate that even 36% of children want to die to become shahids”.

Prof. Wins Prize For Math Link To God

A Polish priest and mathematician who was a friend of the late Pope John Paul II has won the world’s richest academic prize for work that shows how maths can offer circumstantial evidence of God’s existence. Professor Michael Heller, 72, a pioneering cosmologist and philosopher specialising in mathematics and metaphysics, received the £820,000 prize yesterday in New York. His theories do not so much offer proof of the existence of God as introduce doubt about the material existence of the world around us. He specialises in complex formulae that make it possible to explain everything, even chance, through mathematical calculation. According to the Templeton Foundation, which has awarded its prize for Progress toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities for 35 years, Professor Heller’s research has “pushed at the metaphysical horizons of science”. The prize money is adjusted every year so that it remains greater than the amount given by the Nobel Foundation, which awards the Nobel prizes.

Robots May Soon Storm War Fields

It wields guns and missile launchers. It can think for itself . And it is programmed to hunt and kill people. This is not a scene out of ‘The Terminator’ , but the dawning reality of robot wars. Military applications are the fastest growing area of robotics and machine-killers are all set to take over the war arena , a leading artificial intelligence expert has said. Noel Sharkey, well known for his role in the BBC serial Robot Wars, says he is scared by the pace at which armed forces across the world, especially in the United States, are adopting robot weapons and have done little to create international laws or an ethical code on their use. “In case of robot weapons, it is the robot which decides ‘who to kill’ , ‘where to kill’ and ‘when to kill’ . This is treading on a danger path,” Mr Sharkey, who was in Mumbai to attend a trade show on innovation, said. Noel Sharkey, well known for his role in the BBC serial Robot Wars, says he is scared by the pace at which armed forces across the world, especially in the United States, are adopting robot weapons and have done little to create international laws or an ethical code on their use. “In case of robot weapons, it is the robot which decides ‘who to kill’ , ‘where to kill’ and ‘when to kill’ . This is treading on a danger path,” Mr Sharkey, who was in Mumbai to attend a trade show on innovation, said. At the bleeding edge of military robotics is, of course, the US. Robots are an integral part of its $230-billion future combat systems project, says Mr Sharkey. “Military applications are the biggest growth area in robotics,” he adds, adding that the US is set to spend $4 billion by 2010 and $24 billion by 2013 on developing unmanned fully autonomous military robots, he said. “My area of research in artificial intelligence (AI) tells me that, AI cannot have conscious reasoning capabilities. As even the Geneva Convention does not describe the correct technical definition of a civilian, so how would it be defined in a machine , this is very dangerous as it would only give rise to innocent killings and a different kind of weapons of mass destruction,” Mr Sharkey argued. The US already has 4,000 robots in Iraq to help the military clear roadside bombs and also another one in use is called Bear which helps pick up wounded soldiers from the battlefield. “And that’s just the tip of the iceberg ,” says Mr Sharkey. “The US is also testing its latest addition to its air fleet called the Reaper, a pack of unmanned aeroplanes which talk to each other and decide which target to kill and in February last week, it also successfully tested another unmanned fully autonomous land vehicle named the Crusher, which is a 7-tonne strong truck fitted with guns and bombs,” the professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at Sheffield University told ET. According to Unmanned Systems Roadmap from 2007-2013 , apart from the US, China, Russia and India, are planning their first steps in developing unmanned aerial combat vehicles . Adding to this, even terrorists have got hold of robotics technologies and already planning to put them to use, Mr Sharkey says, “And this scares me a bit.”

Rampant bird flu raises pandemic risks

Efforts to contain bird flu are failing in Indonesia, increasing the possibility that the virus may mutate into a deadlier form, the leading U.N. veterinary health body warned. The H5N1 bird flu virus is entrenched in 31 of the country's 33 provinces and will cause more human deaths, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said in a statement released on March 13. "I am deeply concerned that the high level of virus circulation in birds in the country could create conditions for the virus to mutate and to finally cause a human influenza pandemic," FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Domenech said. Indonesia "has not succeeded in containing the spread of avian influenza," Domenech said, adding that there must be "major human and financial resources, stronger political commitment and strengthened coordination." The H5N1 virus has killed at least 236 people in a dozen countries worldwide since it began ravaging poultry stocks across Asia in 2003. It has been found in birds in more than 60 countries, but Indonesia has recorded 105 deaths, almost half the global tally, according to the World Health Organization.

Transformer-style robots to be built

A £4.6 million project to create swarms of hundreds of autonomous, Transformer-style robots has been launched. Scientists aim to create a prototype team of self-organising, shape-changing mini robots that work as a team by 2013. The self-healing robots will be able to dock with each other, share energy and co-operate to maximise their abilities to achieve different tasks. Researchers from 10 universities who are collaborating in the European Union-funded Symbrion programme say future applications include search and rescue missions, space exploration and medicine. Prof Alan Winfield, of the University of the West of England, Bristol, said: "A swarm could be released into a collapsed building following an earthquake. "They could form themselves into teams searching for survivors or to lift rubble off stranded people. "Some robots might form a chain allowing rescue workers to communicate with survivors while others assemble themselves into a ‘medicine bot' to give first aid. "The robots have functionality on their own, but they can also combine together or adapt and change as the situation requires. "The individual robots won't change physically, but they will adapt and evolve their functionally." Scientists involved in the Symbrion project will develop software that allows the individual robots – which will be around an inch square – to collaborate in order to use their different attributes to maximise their performance. They will develop the principles that can be built into hardware and software to allow robots swarms to evolve, adapt and collaborate without human supervision according to the situations they face. The initial prototype swarm will consist of several hundred individual autonomous units, each measuring around an inch square. Prof Winfield denied the swarms could go wrong and cause harm to humans, but said scientists could not take responsibility for how societies decided to use them. "It might sound like something scary from science fiction but it's not, it's just a complex engineering system. "It will have to go through safety and validation assessments before it would be used in real-life situations. "As scientists we behave ethically but we can't determine how these things might be used. That is a question for wider society to determine." He added the first robot swarms would be ready for use in real-life situations between 10 and 15 years from now. Prof Noel Sharkey, of Sheffield University, last month predicted autonomous military robots that will make decisions about when and who to kill will be in use within a decade.

RV heli. can swoop and mark criminals

It may look like a child's toy but this unmanned spy helicopter can swoop down and squirt criminals with a liquid marker so they can later be identified by police. The £25,000 remote-controlled Microdrone, the size of a dustbin lid, can capture high-quality video footage and infrared imagery from more than 350ft away, beaming the data back to its operators on the ground. But its most revolutionary function is to mark offenders with a solution called SmartWater which identifies them to police. British Transport Police have been using the device, which took eight years to develop, as part of an operation to crack down on metal cable thefts on the railways, codenamed Operation Drum. A BTP spokesman said: "Although it may look simple, it's actually a complex bit of kit capable of many things. "There's only one being used at the moment as it is an expensive device." Police Constable Roy McMichael, who is co-ordinating Operation Drum in Warwickshire, said: "The Microdrone is an excellent piece of technology which is assisting BTP in our ongoing fight against cable thieves. Metal theft has become a major issue for police due to the soaring world prices of copper and lead. Officers say metal thieves in Britain are now participating in an international crime wave.Detective Inspector Danny Snee, who heads Operation Drum in the North-East said: "The Microdrone will assist in covering even large stretches of the railway to monitor criminal activity. "Its use will mean that we can police even more sections of the rail network in addition to regular patrols and other tactics that we adopt to disrupt cable thieves." He added: "The Microdrone will not be intrusive to the general public and will only be aimed at people involved in criminal activity." Dyan Crowther, from Network Rail, said: "Sadly the theft of cable from the railways remains a serious and pressing issue for us. "Anything which can help us to catch the thieves who are putting their own lives in danger and causing millions of pounds worth of disruption to the regions economy is to be welcomed."

Neckband used in 'telepathic' chat

A neckband that translates thought into speech by picking up nerve signals has been used to demonstrate a "voiceless" phone call for the first time. With careful training a person can send nerve signals to their vocal cords without making a sound. These signals are picked up by the neckband and relayed wirelessly to a computer that converts them into words spoken by a computerised voice. A video (right) shows the system being used to place the first public voiceless phone call on stage at a recent conference held by microchip manufacturer Texas Instruments. Michael Callahan, co-founder of Ambient Corporation, which developed the neckband, demonstrates the device, called the Audeo. Users needn't worry about that the system voicing their inner thoughts though. Callahan says producing signals for the Audeo to decipher requires "a level above thinking". Users must think specifically about voicing words for them to be picked up by the equipment. The Audeo has previously been used to let people control wheelchairs using their thoughts. "I can still talk verbally at the same time," Callahan told New Scientist. "We can differentiate between when you want to talk silently, and when you want to talk out loud." That could be useful in certain situations, he says, for example when making a private call while out in public. The system demonstrated at the TI conference can recognise only a limited set of about 150 words and phrases, says Callahan, who likens this to the early days of speech recognition software. At the end of the year Ambient plans to release an improved version, without a vocabulary limit. Instead of recognising whole words or phrases, it should identify the individual phonemes that make up complete words. This version will be slower, because users will need to build up what they want to say one phoneme at a time, but it will let them say whatever they want. The phoneme-based system will be aimed at people who have lost the ability to speak due to neurological diseases like ALS – also known as motor neurone disease.

Glowing lights around earthquake

An EU earthquake on February 27 did more than shake people up in the middle of the night. Reports have come in that mysterious lights also appeared around the quake’s epicentre near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. One witness described how a grapefruit-sized glowing sphere appeared in her bedroom and then went out like a light. “This thing seemed to be coming across the room straight at me. I was very frightened,” she told the Louth Leader. Another person described flashes like car headlights at her window, and others spoke of lightning flashes after the quake. However, there was no lightning activity at the time of the quake. In fact, there have been many reports of “earthquake lights” throughout history. Residents of Tangshan in China, for example, were awakened one night in July 1976 by bright flashes in the sky. Two days later an earthquake registering 7.8 on the Richter scale killed 240,000 people and destroyed the city. And a Japanese scientist took photographs of balls of light and red streaks in the sky during a swarm of earthquakes in Matsushiro between 1965 and 1967. One explanation for his phenomenon is that the electrical properties of rocks may change under severe stress before or during a quake. This may generate changes in the electrical behaviour of the atmosphere, ionising the air and producing glowing lights.

The Cognitive Radio Network

Broadly speaking, the word cognition means “the act of knowing or knowledge which relates to different thought processes and actions and how the outcome of these processes affects other groups which work in close relation.” Cognition is closely related to concepts of mind such as perceiving, learning, reasoning, and intelligence. We generally associate the word cognition with cognitive science, the study of mind and intelligence. As the title suggests, cognitive radio is the future of communications with added artificial intelligence on its communication backbone. With an increasing number of devices becoming wireless, the finite radio spectrum is becoming more and more occupied and problems of traffic congestion and interference are becoming frequent. Cognitive Radio Network seems to offer a solution to these problems. Well, now how can a radio network system become intelligent? Isn’t it intelligent enough? How will concepts like cognitive radio help in improving our existing wireless communication network? How will future gadgets evolve based on the concepts of cognitive radio? How will a cognitive engine change the face of our wireless systems? Perhaps more than once, we all have faced situations when our mobile calls get blocked because of the unavailability of free radio circuits or when the quality of the service on our radio systems goes real low while listening to commentary on a soccer match. All these situations are common when in a given region, more users than a network can handle happen to use the frequency spectrum all at the same time. Since our existing radio networks are trained to route calls or provide radio reception depending upon the free circuits available, they lack the intelligence to switch the transmission from the crowded part of the spectrum to a more open and less occupied region. Our wireless networks lack decision making capability. They are not aware of the environment and they lack frequency spectrum sensing capabilities. They are not intelligent enough. This is where the concept of cognitive radio comes into picture. The term cognitive radio is coined by Joseph Mitola III. According to him, Cognitive radio is “a smart radio that would be self-aware, RF-aware, user-aware, and would include language technology and machine vision, along with a lot of high-fidelity knowledge of the radio environment.” It is based on the combined concepts of software-defined radio and artificial intelligence. The cognitive radio concept enables a network or wireless node to change its transmission or reception parameters to communicate efficiently by avoiding interference with other users. With this technology, the cognitive radio actively monitors the external wireless network environment that affects the propagation of radio signals, user behavior, the network states and internal factors such as system hardware, sensors, etc. Based on the results gathered, the cognitive engine asks the system to alter the transmission and reception parameters. The cognitive engine is the decision making module where the intelligence of the system resides, which makes the cognitive radio concept dynamic. Cognitive Radio will prevent traffic jams in wireless networks by routing transmissions of signals from occupied frequency bands to idle frequency bands.

Biometric Cataloging of Americans

This is the rhetoric being used to entice U.S. citizens to voluntarily provide their biometric information to the U.S. government. The program, called "clear," is being installed at airports around the country now. For a little background on this, view a post at this website from September 2005, called Securitizing the Global Norm of Identity: Biometric Technologies in Domestic and Foreign Policy. In Fallujah, the cataloging of human beings has been involuntary since the U.S. siege of that city in November 2004. Having retina scans, fingerprinting and bar-code IDs is mandatory there for Iraqis. But now, in the "homeland" of the United States, you too can join the happy club of those giving their biometric data to the federal government. Just bring two forms of government issued identification to your local Clear airport or various downtown location, enroll, pay the $128 fee, wait 2-3 weeks, and then if you are accepted, step up to your nearest scanner, and try not to blink as your retina is scanned. These kiosks are planned for airports in New York, Denver, Oakland, and many others. So, no need to be intimidated by the government's desire to use biometric data to catalog U.S. citizens, (or Iraqis for that matter), as you can rest more peacefully knowing you are now more secure.

104 products contain toxic 'grey goo'

Potentially toxic chemicals are being incorporated into food, packaging, health supplements and other products by stealth, it is claimed. Manufacturers boast that nanoparticles can deliver drugs or vitamins more effectively, kill harmful bugs in food or create self-cleaning windows. But scientists, consumer groups and green campaigners fear the technology is being introduced into the diet, body and environment without proper safety checks. Nanoparticles are 80,000 times thinner than a human hair - so small they can cross membranes protecting the brain or a baby in the womb. Critics say it is not known how such tiny particles will interact with the body and organs in the long term, whether they are toxic or how long they will persist in the body. Doom-mongers have warned that nanoparticles could mutate and reproduce out of control, consuming all life on earth, a scenario often referred to as "grey goo". On March 12, a report by Friends of the Earth said current regulations are "ill-equipped" to deal with the unique properties of nanoparticles. It said: "Despite concerns about the toxicity risks of nanomaterials, consumers are unknowingly ingesting them because regulators are struggling to keep pace with their rapidly expanding use." The study found at least 104 food and agricultural products available in Europe, including the UK, which use nanotech particles or technology. This includes some nutritional supplements under the Solgar brand, cling wrap and containers, antibacterial kitchenware, processed meats, chocolate drinks, baby food and chemicals used in agriculture. Friends of the Earth's food and farming spokesman, Helen Holder, said: "Europeans should not be exposed to potentially toxic materials in their food and food packaging until proper regulations are in place to ensure their safety. "In the absence of proper safety regulations or mandatory labelling, consumers are being left in the dark about the products they consume and are unknowingly putting their health and the environment at risk." A Government sponsored report, published before Christmas, said a shortage of money for research had created an absence of basic information about nanoparticle toxicology. It said research into how long these tiny particles persist in the body is urgently needed. The consumer group Which? has called on the Government to set up a task force to take immediate steps to establish how nanotechnologies are being used in the UK and to urgently address gaps in current regulations.

German Scientist Exposes Chemtrails

We can state with a 97% certainty that we have on our hands chemical trails (chemtrails) comprised by fine dust containing polymers and metals, used to disrupt radar signals." The purpose of chemtrails, which are well documented over the United State and other parts of the world, according to researchers, is to manipulate the weather. Karsten Brandt, German meteorologist states, "The Federal Army is Manipulating the Meteorological maps." The disruption of radar signals is the main purpose theorizes Mr. Brandt in the interview. "I was surprised that this artificial cloud was so wide-spread. The radar images are stunning considering the needed tons of dispersed elements - although, the federal army claims that only small amounts of material were propagated. The military heads claim that the substances used are not harmful." Johannes Remmel, German Green party representative states, "The government must provide explanations to the unsuspecting population." While radar is tracking suspicious aircraft, the Germany Military then uses counterfeit satellite imagery to hide their operations. In Germany, weather manipulation is prohibited, and I would likewise believe that it is prohibited in the U.S. as well. Since Chemtrails are so widespread, I would rule out the idea that this is just military performing operations to disrupt radar signals as part of some sort of drill. The forefront of these operations in the United States appears to be the US Navy, as detailed in "Death in the Air: Globalism, Terrorism & Toxic Warfare," by Dr. Len Horowitz. Many government watchdogs claim global depopulation, the targeted reduction of the world's population by two-thirds, is secretly the reason behind chemtrail spraying. An alternative theory to explain Chemtrails, would be that a new weapon related to controlling the weather is being deployed. By creating droughts and thus famines, large populations could be easily controlled or eliminated. Other countries could be easily controlled and brought to their knees by a global power if the weather could be controlled or altered.

Rapid ID biometrics deployed in Florida

Washington-based Sagem Morpho says its biometric technologies deployment by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement marks a milestone for the company. Officials say the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's incorporation of Sagem Morpho's Rapid ID fingerprint identification system marks the first public safety organization in the United States with statewide biometrics use for remote rapid identification. Company officials say the system provides the officers with identification in less than 15 seconds of individuals with criminal records. "The Rapid ID system has already proven to be of significant value to our partner criminal justice agencies," Penny Kincannon, Florida Department of Law Enforcement chief information officer, said in a statement. "We plan to expand this technology statewide to other venues such as patrol vehicles for roadside stops, jails for inmate entry and release, and courtrooms to confirm if DNA already exists on file for a convicted felon." Officials say the use of biometrics in Florida is part of the state's Falcon integrated criminal history system. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says as many as 15,000 edge devices could be deployed by the state before the end of 2008.

Nanotech in Grocery Store Aisles

The report, Out of the Laboratory and onto Our Plates: Nanotechnology in Food and Agriculture, found nanomaterials in popular products and packaging including Miller Light beer, Cadbury Chocolate packaging and ToddlerHealth, a nutritional drink powder for infants sold extensively at health food stores including WholeFoods. “Nanotech food was put on our plates without FDA testing for consumer safety,” said Ian Illuminato, Friends of the Earth Health and Environment Campaigner. “Consumers have a right to know if they are taste-testing a dangerous new technology.” Existing regulations require no new testing or labeling for nanomaterials when they are created from existing approved chemicals, despite major differences in potential toxicity. The report reveals toxicity risks of nanomaterials such as organ damage and decreased immune system response. “Nanotechnology can be very dangerous when used in food,” said report co-author Dr Rye Senjen. “Early scientific evidence indicates that some nanomaterials produce free radicals which destroy or mutate DNA and can cause damage to the liver and kidneys.”

Forgiving Sins online

Already a repository for too much information from bloggers divulging their every intimate thought, the Web recently extended its reach into territory the church once dominated. Tens of thousands of the guilty among us are visiting confessional booths at ivescrewedup.com, mysecret.tv and dailyconfessions.com and unburdening themselves anonymously. As priests report a steady decline in sinners showing up to confess in person, according to a Georgetown University study, and parishes across America staff makeshift confessionals in malls with rotating priests, the guilty among us are repenting online. On camfess.com, a woman admitted, "I don't think my boyfriend is cute." If God is checking his e-mail, He might see the "ask for forgiveness" form you completed on forgivenet.com. Absolution is also available on YouTube, where videos of members of XXX Church, a team of pastors based in Michigan, discuss their unholy addiction to porn. Admissions on Christian church-operated sites such as ivescrewedup.com and mysecret.tv range from shoe shopping addictions ("I can't stop. They are all so pretty") to extramarital affairs ("I'm not sure whether I should tell my wife") to criminal acts ("I have stolen about $15,000 when working for a family member"). The majority of confessions, signed with initials and young ages, are descriptions of shame and guilt associated with sex. Confession 2.0 is a place where anonymity is a substitute for privacy and the intimacy traditionally experienced by talking to a priest, therapist or friend is replaced by a virtual community of strangers. Among the Web site managers CNN spoke with, none has professional counselors monitoring confessions. "This is a new genre of confession," said Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Sherry Turkle, who has researched cyber relationships and interviewed people who post confessions online.

Dogs Killed in Satanic Sacrifice in PA

Police say the dogs were found about 5 a.m. March 13, in Redstone Township, PA, hanging by ropes from a tree. Theresa Linden, manager with the Fayette County Humane Society, says officials don't know if the dogs were alive when they were hanged. Linden says authorities also found the image of a pentagram on the ground, a five-pointed star commonly associated with Satanism. The back of one dog was burned off. Another had puncture wounds to its neck. Authorities believe more than one person was involved because the dogs were heavy. One weighed about 75 pounds.

First-Temple Remains Found

The Israel Antiquities Authority announces the first time in the history of the archaeological research of Jerusalem that building remains from the First Temple period have been exposed so close to the Temple Mount – on the eastern slopes of the Upper City. A rich layer of finds from the latter part of the First Temple period (8th-6th centuries B.C.E.) has been discovered in archaeological rescue excavations near the Western Wall plaza. The dig is being carried out in the northwestern part of the Western Wall plaza, near the staircase leading up towards the Jaffa Gate. The Israel Antiquties Authority has been conducting the excavations for the past two years under the direction of archaeologists Shlomit Wexler-Bdoulah and Alexander Onn, in cooperation with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The remains of a magnificent colonnaded street [i.e., lined by columns] from the 2nd century C.E. were uncovered; the street appears on the mosaic Madaba map, and is referred to by the name Eastern Cardo. The level of the Eastern Cardo is paved with large heavy limestone pavers that were set directly atop the layer that dates to the end of the First Temple period. This Roman road thus “seals” beneath it the finds from the First Temple period, protecting them from being plundered in later periods. The walls of the buildings found in the dig are preserved to a height of more than two meters. Another impressive artifact found in the salvage excavations is a personal Hebrew seal made of a semi-precious stone that was apparently inlaid in a ring. The seal is elliptical and measures approximately 1 by 1.4 centimeters. The seal's surface is divided into three strips separated by a double line: in the upper strip is a chain decoration comprising four pomegranates, and in the two bottom strips is the name of the owner of the seal, engraved in ancient Hebrew script. It reads: "[Belonging] to Netanyahu ben [son of] Yaush." Though each of the two names are not unfamiliar, no one with that name is known to scholars of the period. A vast amount of pottery vessels was also discovered, among them three jar handles that bear similar stamped impressions. An inscription written in ancient Hebrew script is preserved on one these impressions, reading "Belonging] to the King of Hevron."

UFO: Admission could improve earth

Hundreds of reports concerning Unidentified Flying Objects are circulating around the world. Although unreported in leading media, it is nevertheless a fact. Certain national governments, that of France being one, have acknowledged that these objects, more technically advanced than the human race can manufacture, have been sighted over their territory. The Belgian and Royal Air Forces have admitted that their most advanced fighters are no match for the speed or versatility of these objects. The Japanese government has acknowledged that these crafts are being sighted but say that no hostile action will be taken by their air defences. Reports from the United States are legion, with some of these mysterious objects being described as being a mile in length. The same reports are being received from most civilized countries, including Russia. Why isn't this phenomena being acknowledged by the majority of national governments? The answer is probably that there is concern as to the reaction of their populations if it were admitted that highly advanced and more intelligent creatures than ourselves have carte blanch in our skies and are viewing us as we view animals in a zoo. It is rumoured that governments are now considering admitting that the phenomena is fact. It could have an effect on our religious beliefs. But I think that it might have a beneficial effect on the human race, and draw us together as one species in an unimaginably enormous and complex universe.

Tiny Brain-Like Computer Created

The most powerful computer known is the brain, and now scientists have designed a machine just a few molecules large that mimics how the brain works. So far the device can simultaneously carry out 16 times more operations than a normal computer transistor. Researchers suggest the invention might eventually prove able to perform roughly 1,000 times more operations than a transistor. This machine could not only serve as the foundation of a powerful computer, but also serve as the controlling element of complex gadgets such as microscopic doctors or factories, scientists added. The device is made of a compound known as duroquinone. This molecule resembles a hexagonal plate with four cones linked to it, "like a small car," explained researcher Anirban Bandyopadhyay, an artificial intelligence and molecular electronics scientist at the National Institute for Materials Science at Tsukuba in Japan. Duroquinone is less than a nanometer, or a billionth of a meter large. This makes it hundreds of times smaller than a wavelength of visible light. The machine is made of 17 duroquinone molecules. One molecule sits at the center of a ring formed by the remaining 16. The entire invention sits on a surface of gold. How it works: Scientists operate the device by tweaking the center duroquinone with electrical pulses from an extremely sharp electrically conductive needle. The molecule and its four cones can shift around in a variety of ways depending on different properties of the pulse - say, the pulse's strength. Since weak chemical bonds link the center duroquinone with the surrounding 16 duroquinones, each of those shifts too. Imagine, for instance, a spider in the middle of a web made of 16 strands. If the spider moves in one direction, each thread linked to it experiences a slightly different tug from all the others. In this way, a pulse to the central duroquinone can simultaneously transmit different instructions to each of the surrounding 16 duroquinones. The researchers say this design was inspired by that of brain cells, which can radiate branches out like a tree, with each branch used to communicate with another brain cell. "All those connections are why the brain is so powerful," Bandyopadhyay said.

Russian bombers continue patrol flights

Four Russian strategic bombers flew on March 13, routine patrol missions over the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea that lasted over 10 hours, an Air Force spokesman said. "Two Tu-95 Bear and two Tu-22 Blinder bombers conducted routine [patrol] flights over the Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea," Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky said. "During patrols, they were not accompanied by NATO fighters." Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by President Vladimir Putin. The move is widely seen by the West as a sign of Russia's increasingly aggressive military stance. Russian bombers have since carried out over 70 strategic patrol flights. Drobyshevsky said that all flights by Russian aircraft were performed by skilled pilots in strict compliance with international laws on the use of air space over neutral waters, without violating the borders of other states.

6 Signs U.S. May Strike Iran

Is the United States moving toward military action with Iran? The resignation of the top U.S. military commander for the Middle East is setting off alarms that the Bush administration is intent on using military force to stop Iran's moves toward gaining nuclear weapons. In announcing his sudden resignation today following a report on his views in Esquire, Adm. William Fallon didn't directly deny that he differs with President Bush over at least some aspects of the president's policy on Iran. For his part, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it is "ridiculous" to think that the departure of Fallon -- whose Central Command has been working on contingency plans for strikes on Iran as well as overseeing Iraq -- signals that the United States is planning to go to war with Iran. Fallon's resignation, ending a 41-year Navy career, has reignited the buzz of speculation over what the Bush administration intends to do given that its troubled, sluggish diplomatic effort has failed to slow Iran's nuclear advances. Those activities include the advancing process of uranium enrichment, a key step to producing the material necessary to fuel a bomb, though the Iranians assert the work is to produce nuclear fuel for civilian power reactors, not weapons. 1. Fallon's resignation... 2. Vice President Cheney's peace trip... 3. Israeli airstrike on Syria... 4. Warships off Lebanon... 5. Israeli comments... 6. Israel's war with Hezbollah.

NSA's Domestic Spying Grows

Five years ago, Congress killed an experimental Pentagon antiterrorism program meant to vacuum up electronic data about people in the U.S. to search for suspicious patterns. Opponents called it too broad an intrusion on Americans' privacy, even after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But the data-sifting effort didn't disappear. The National Security Agency, once confined to foreign surveillance, has been building essentially the same system. The central role the NSA has come to occupy in domestic intelligence gathering has never been publicly disclosed. But an inquiry reveals that its efforts have evolved to reach more broadly into data about people's communications, travel and finances in the U.S. than the domestic surveillance programs brought to light since the 2001 terrorist attacks. Congress now is hotly debating domestic spying powers under the main law governing U.S. surveillance aimed at foreign threats. An expansion of those powers expired last month and awaits renewal, which could be voted on in the House of Representatives this week. The biggest point of contention over the law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, is whether telecommunications and other companies should be made immune from liability for assisting government surveillance. Largely missing from the public discussion is the role of the highly secretive NSA in analyzing that data, collected through little-known arrangements that can blur the lines between domestic and foreign intelligence gathering. Supporters say the NSA is serving as a key bulwark against foreign terrorists and that it would be reckless to constrain the agency's mission. The NSA says it is scrupulously following all applicable laws and that it keeps Congress fully informed of its activities. According to current and former intelligence officials, the spy agency now monitors huge volumes of records of domestic emails and Internet searches as well as bank transfers, credit-card transactions, travel and telephone records. The NSA receives this so-called "transactional" data from other agencies or private companies, and its sophisticated software programs analyze the various transactions for suspicious patterns. Then they spit out leads to be explored by counterterrorism programs across the U.S. government, such as the NSA's own Terrorist Surveillance Program, formed to intercept phone calls and emails between the U.S. and overseas without a judge's approval when a link to al Qaeda is suspected. The NSA's enterprise involves a cluster of powerful intelligence-gathering programs, all of which sparked civil-liberties complaints when they came to light. They include a Federal Bureau of Investigation program to track telecommunications data once known as Carnivore, now called the Digital Collection System, and a U.S. arrangement with the world's main international banking clearinghouse to track money movements. The effort also ties into data from an ad-hoc collection of so-called "black programs" whose existence is undisclosed, the current and former officials say. Many of the programs in various agencies began years before the 9/11 attacks but have since been given greater reach. Among them, current and former intelligence officials say, is a longstanding Treasury Department program to collect individual financial data including wire transfers and credit-card transactions. It isn't clear how many of the different kinds of data are combined and analyzed together in one database by the NSA. An intelligence official said the agency's work links to about a dozen antiterror programs in all.

Russia: NATO trying to Replace UN

Russian President Vladimir Putin says NATO's continued enlargement creates the impression that the alliance is trying to replace the United Nations. He made his remarks on March 8, at a joint press conference in Moscow with German Chancellor Angela Merkel who is visiting Russia. Ms. Merkel sad NATO is purely a defensive alliance. The German leader also met with President-elect Dmitri Medvedev who is to be inaugurated in May. She is the first Western head of state to meet Mr. Medvedev since he was elected on March 2. President Putin warned that his successor will defend Russia's interests as staunchly as he has and that Russia's partners should not expect to find him any easier. Germany and Russia have disagreed over a range of issues in recent years, including Kosovo's independence, Iran's nuclear program and Russia's energy policy. Russia briefly stopped natural gas supplies to Ukraine on Wednesday, which in turn interrupted delivery to other European markets. Germany gets most of its natural gas supplies from Russia. The German chancellor has criticized Russia's human-rights and media-freedom record. She has also questioned the fairness of Russia's presidential election. President Putin has opposed a possible admission of former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia to NATO, saying that many people in those countries are against joining the Western alliance. He has also disagreed with Germany over U.S. plans to deploy a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Battlefield Ray Gun Tests by End of '08

Israelis may be suing their government, to get a chemical laser cannon, ASAP. But the project that many observers believe offers the best hope of producing a working laser weapon is making steady progress. A battlefield-strength version of the system may be ready for testing by the end of the year, according to its maker, Northrop Grumman. Chemical-powered lasers, like the one the Israelis are hoping to get, produce massively-powerful laser blasts. But the noxious stuff needed to produce all that power makes the weapons pretty much impractical in a war zone. So the Defense Department is pouring money into solid-state, electric lasers instead. In the past, these beams have been too weak to do soldiers much good. But Northrop appears to be getting close to hitting what's widely considered to be the threshold for military-grade beams: 100 kilowatts. Northrop's system combines a bunch of smaller lasers into a bigger one -- Death Star-style, sorta. The first of these eight "laser chains" is now done, the company says. The rest will be ready for 100 kilowatt testing before 2008 is over. "That will be a significant milestone; but there will still be some way to go before Northrop's concepts of laser air-defense vehicles or fighter raygun pods reach service," Lew Page notes. "Such vehicles will need at least half a megawatt of electric power (the Northrop gear's electro-optical efficiency is quoted at 20 per cent), so they won't be small or lightweight: more like heavy battle tanks, nowadays rather out of fashion." According to a new survey by the Center for Defense Information, the Pentagon is asking for $177 million in unclassified energy weapons research in 2009. The size of the classified budget is unknown.

9/11 Used To Dismantle First Amendment

The shadow of the Sept. 11 terror attacks is eclipsing press freedom and other constitutional safeguards in the United States, Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley said on March 4. ''What has become clear in the aftermath of 9/11 is how much expediency trumps safeguards,'' Curley said during the annual dinner of the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation. ''Congress steps back from its constitutional role of executive oversight. Civilian oversight of the military wanes. A Justice Department interprets laws in ways that extend police powers. More drastically, prisons are established in places where government or military operatives circumvent due process or control trials,'' Curley said in accepting the foundation's First Amendment Leadership Award. ''It's at moments like these when a free press matters most,'' he said. Curley was selected for his role in pushing for more openness in government and for emphasizing reporting on First Amendment issues. That includes efforts by the AP to establish the Sunshine in Government Initiative, a news media coalition that presses for strengthening Freedom of Information laws and for greater government openness. Also receiving First Amendment honors from the foundation Thursday were CBS News correspondent Bob Schieffer and NBC Universal vice president Paula Madison. A special award also recognized former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Richard Wiley.

Controversial nuclear club takes shape

A controversial nuclear club is taking shape. The UK has signed up to the Bush administration's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) just a few months after it was rubbished as unworkable by the US National Academy of Sciences. The UK joins several other recent recruits, including Canada, Senegal and South Korea. Set up to keep radioactive material away from "rogue" nations, the GNEP promotes nuclear energy, while restricting access to fuel and know-how. "Iran has focused minds on this," says nuclear expert Wyn Bowen of King's College London. Last week, a similar idea received a boost: Sweden offered $5 million towards a global nuclear fuel bank, which would limit production to existing nuclear nations. Previously, the US had been the only country to back the idea.

DARPA pushes limits of UAV's

Whether it is an aircraft that will stay aloft for its entire five-year life, or be rushed by rocket to fill a surveillance gap half the world away, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants to push the boundaries of unmanned aviation to extremes. Exploring the outer limits of technology is DARPA's charter, and the agency has its successes and failures, but the stated goals of its latest UAV programmes are raising eyebrows. "We want to completely change the paradigm of how we think of aircraft," says Daniel Newman, manager of the Vulture programme to demonstrate an unmanned aircraft capable of staying aloft for five years. "Aviation has a perfect record - we've never left one up there. We will attempt to break that record." Record breaking has played a key part in advancing aviation, from Bleriot's 1909 Channel crossing and Lindberg's 1927 transatlantic flight to Voyager's 1986 unrefuelled circumnavigation, but designing an aircraft that can be launched then not touched for five years seems a stretch, even for DARPA. Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk UAV can stay aloft for 40h Aerovironment's hydrogen-fuelled Global Observer aims for a week and there are designs with endurance measured in months. "What would it take to force people to break with the way they operate aircraft, so they no longer operate it as an aircraft?" says DARPA's Wade Pulliam. "It's more than a month - five years gets you there." The ability to "close the business case" on an aircraft that could be launched and then not maintained or brought home for five years would be a "paradigm shift", says Newman. "We would no longer define an aircraft by the launch, recover, maintain, launch cycle." But the challenges of an "infinite endurance" aircraft are enormous, and include increasing system reliability, closing the energy cycle, maximising aero-structural effiency and preventing materials degrading over their long exposure to stratospheric flight. To enable a paradigm shift, DARPA has set the goals for Vulture as five years on station with a 450kg (1,000lb) payload, 5kW of onboard power and sufficient loiter speed to stay on station for 99% of the time against winds encountered at 60,000-90,000ft altitude, Essentially, the Vulture is an aircraft that operates like a satellite, but is not regulated by orbital mechanics. "It could be positioned over the battle, at 65,000ft versus 260 miles," says Pulliam. Operating as a pseudo-satellite in the stratosphere and not low Earth orbit would provide a 65dB improvement in communications capability, he says, and significantly increase onboard sensor resolution. There are three architecture options, says Newman: a single ultra-reliable system equivalent to a satellite a modular vehicle where pieces can fly home to be repaired and replaced and an aircraft that can be serviced and replenished while remaining on station.

Nuclear attack is inevitable

A Nuclear attack by terrorists causing widespread panic, chaos and death is inevitable and will happen soon, a senior Scottish police officer has warned. Ian Dickinson, who leads the police response to chemical, biological and nuclear threats in Scotland, has painted the bleakest picture yet of the dangers the world now faces. Efforts to prevent terrorist groups from obtaining materials that could be made into radioactive dirty bombs - or even crude nuclear explosives - are bound to fail, he said. And the result will be horror on an unprecedented scale. "These materials are undoubtedly out there, and undoubtedly will end up in terrorists' hands, and undoubtedly will be used by terrorists some time soon," he declared. "We must plan for failure and prepare for absolute terror." Dickinson is assistant chief constable with Lothian and Borders Police, and has responsibility through the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland for protecting Scotland from chemical and nuclear attacks. He has been closely involved in co-ordinating the country's counter-terrorism response. He said: "An incident will continue for days and all the public will see is people dying without reason. What will we do when our children come home from school with blisters on their skin and their parents don't know what to do? "What happens if 10 deaths, 50 deaths, 100 deaths start occurring in an unconnected and random way all over the country? The public will be rightly and understandably terrified." Casualties caused by radiation, which most people don't understand, would trigger widespread "panic and fear", said Dickinson. And the response of the emergency services "would be chaotic" because of a shortage of resources. The police capability for dealing with the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threat - known as CBRN - needs to be increased, he argued. "I haven't got as many officers with protective equipment as I would like," he added. "We must prepare for the worst." Dickinson delivered his dire warnings to an international conference in Edinburgh last week. More than 300 experts from 70 countries were taking part in a high-level meeting organised by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency on the risks of nuclear terrorism. The police response to a CBRN incident when it happened would have a "profound effect on our communities which should not be underestimated", he said. The protective clothing that officers would have to wear would look "terrifying". As Dickinson made the point in his speech on Wednesday, one of his fellow police officers appeared dramatically on the stage dressed head to toe in a regulation black protection suit. With his face completely obscured by a gas mask, the officer then walked slowly through the delegates seated in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. Decontamination after a radiation attack would be an "enormous cost", Dickinson contended. It would far exceed the multi-million pound bill for cleaning up the 50 premises contaminated with polonium-210 after the poisoning of the former KGB agent, Alexander Litvinenko, in London last year. There would also be a huge drain on resources from having to reassure many people who were unharmed but worried. The additional monitoring and clean-up work would be "a major problem", he said. Worldwide efforts to stem the spread of radioactive materials by the governments represented at the conference were vital, Dickinson concluded. "But the sad fact is that your work will fail." Dickinson's nightmare analysis was backed up by Dr Frank Barnaby, a nuclear consultant who used to work at the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire. "The amazing thing is that this hasn't happened already," he told the Sunday Herald. "We should expect it any minute. It's an obvious thing for a terrorist to do. A primitive nuclear explosion would simply eliminate the centre of a city like Glasgow or Edinburgh."

Mankind's secrets kept in lunar ark

If civilisation is wiped out on Earth, salvation may come from space. Plans are being drawn up for a “Doomsday ark” on the moon containing the essentials of life and civilisation, to be activated in the event of earth being devastated by a giant asteroid or nuclear war. Construction of a lunar information bank, discussed at a conference in Strasbourg last month, would provide survivors on Earth with a remote-access toolkit to rebuild the human race. A basic version of the ark would contain hard discs holding information such as DNA sequences and instructions for metal smelting or planting crops. It would be buried in a vault just under the lunar surface and transmitters would send the data to heavily protected receivers on earth. If no receivers survived, the ark would continue transmitting the information until new ones could be built. The vault could later be extended to include natural material including microbes, animal embryos and plant seeds and even cultural relics such as surplus items from museum stores. As a first step to discovering whether living organisms could survive, European Space Agency scientists are hoping to experiment with growing tulips on the moon within the next decade. According to Bernard Foing, chief scientist at the agency’s research department, the first flowers - tulips or arabidopsis, a plant widely used in research - could be grown in 2012 or 2015. “Eventually, it will be necessary to have a kind of Noah’s ark there, a diversity of species from the biosphere,” said Foing. Tulips are ideal because they can be frozen, transported long distances and grown with little nourishment. Combined with algae, an enclosed artificial atmosphere and chemically enhanced lunar soil, they could form the basis of an ecosystem. The first experiments would be carried out in transparent biospheres containing a mix of gases to mimic the earth’s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide given off by the decomposing plants would be mopped up by the algae, which would generate oxygen through photosynthesis. The databank would initially be run by robots and linked to earth by radio transmissions. Scientists hope to put a manned station on the moon before the end of the century. The databank would need to be buried under rock to protect it from the extreme temperatures, radiation and vacuum on the moon. It would be run partly on solar power. The scientists envisage placing the first experimental databank on the moon no later than 2020 and it could have a lifespan of 30 years. The full archive would be launched by 2035. The information would be held in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish and would be linked by transmitter to 4,000 “Earth repositories” that would provide shelter, food, a water supply for survivors.

Searching for a new dimension

Sound like an episode from the “Twilight Zone?” Almost, but not quite; according to John Simonetti, associate professor of physics in the College of Science and Michael Kavic, graduate student and one of the investigators on the project. “The idea we’re exploring is that the universe has an imperceptibly small dimension (about one billionth of a nanometer) in addition to the four that we know currently,” Kavic said. “This extra dimension would be curled up, in a state similar to that of the entire universe at the time of the Big Bang.” The group is looking for small primordial black holes that, when they explode, may produce a radio pulse that could be detected here on Earth. These black holes are called primordial because they were created a fraction of a second after the beginning of the universe. Black holes are expected to evaporate over time, losing mass and therefore shrinking. A black hole larger than the extra dimension would wrap around it like a thick rubber band wrapped around a hose. As a black hole shrinks down to the size of the extra dimension, it would be stretched so thin it would snap, causing an explosion. “If we had evidence there is an extra dimension, it would really revolutionize how we think about space and time,” Kavic said. “This would be a very exciting discovery.”

AI With Reasoning Abilities of a Child

A group of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is working to engineer characters with the capacity to have beliefs and to reason about the beliefs of others. The characters will be able to predict and manipulate the behavior of human players, with whom they will directly interact in the real, physical world, according to the team. At a recent conference on artificial intelligence, the researchers unveiled the “embodiment” of their success to date: “Eddie,” a 4-year-old child in Second Life who can reason about his own beliefs to draw conclusions in a manner that matches human children his age. “Current avatars in massively multiplayer online worlds — such as Second Life — are directly tethered to a user’s keystrokes and only give the illusion of mentality,” said Selmer Bringsjord, head of Rensselaer’s Cognitive Science Department and leader of the research project. “Truly convincing autonomous synthetic characters must possess memories; believe things, want things, remember things.”
Such characters can only be engineered by coupling logic-based artificial intelligence and computational cognitive modeling techniques with the processing power of a supercomputer, according to Bringsjord. The principles and techniques that humans deploy in order to understand, predict, and manipulate the behavior of other humans is collectively referred to as a “theory of mind.” Bringsjord’s research group is now starting to engineer part of that theory, which would allow artificial agents to understand, predict, and manipulate the behavior of other agents, in order to be genuine stand-ins for human beings or autonomous intellects in their own right.

Dozens blinded looking for Virgin Mary

At least 50 people have lost their sight after staring at the sun hoping to see an image of the Virgin Mary, according to reports. Alarmed health authorities in India's Kottayam district have set up a sign dispelling rumours of a miraculous image in the sky and warning of the dangers of looking into direct sunlight. Forty-eight cases of sight-loss, allegedly caused by photochemical burns on the retina, have been recorded at St Joseph's ENT and Eye hospital in the region since March 7. Despite warnings, and the potentially harmful effects of their actions, believers are allegedly still flocking to a hotelier's house in Erumeli near where the divine image is said to have appeared.
"All our patients have similar history and symptoms… They have developed photochemical, not thermal, burns after continuously gazing at the sun," Dr Annamma James Isaac, the hospital's ophthalmologist said. Even churches in the area have disowned the miracle after health officers and doctors approached the clergy. The house where the miracle is said to have occurred has apparently been the subject of rumours for months. The hotelier, who has since moved, had claimed that statues of the Virgin Mary in his house have been crying honey and bleeding oils and perfumes.

Eugenics: Engineering Culture of Death

Her logic is impeccable. The evil act is automatically discarding certain categories of embryos because they aren't deemed good enough. This is eugenics, pure and simple, and it is evil in that, as the woman said, it presumes some lives have greater value than others. And in an age of radical individualism, if eugenics is good from one angle it is just as good from another. This right to have the baby we want, or not have the one we don't, includes the killing of viable late gestational babies. Indeed, one disgusting doctor is making an international practice of what amounts to infanticide... This is all very disheartening. We are fast becoming a society permeated in ME! I! ME! I!--and it is driving us toward the culture of death. Booth Gardner wants to legalize assisted suicide in Washington, yelling in speeches, "MY life! MY death! MY Choice!" A deaf couple wants their children to be deaf because it fulfills their desire to be part of a subculture, so out go their other embryonic offspring into the medical waste container. Other parents demand a child without disability--even if it means resorting to late term abortion or infanticide. If someone experiences a profound brain injury, we take away their food and water based on their quality of life, and call it medical ethics.

Arab leader denies temple ever existed

The al-Aqsa mosque was never the site of a Jewish temple, Sheikh Raed Salah, the head of the Islamic Movement's northern branch, said recently during a press conference he convened in Jerusalem to respond to voices calling for the expulsion of Israeli residents of the city who participate in terror activities against Israel. "Those calling for the expulsion of Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem are hysterical and stupid and belong in the trash can," Salah said at the conference. He went on to deny any Israeli or Jewish historical claim to the city, denying that there ever existed a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount. "The claims of the Jews are big lies and they have no right to any speck of dust here," he said. Israel, he claimed, was carrying out extensive digs under al-Aqsa mosque, and was hiding destructive tunnels under the compound which had already caused damage to the mosque and several houses in the Muslim Quarter. "I think that we are at a critical time. We believe that al-Aqsa is in danger and that it is under occupation, and we believe that Jerusalem is in danger because it is under occupation," Salah said. "Jerusalem is not only houses - it is faith, it is history, it is a culture, it is a present, a future and an eternal right that we will not relinquish." In January, Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz filed an indictment against Salah, charging him with incitement to violence and racism in a speech he made last year protesting the archeological dig carried out at the Old City's Mughrabi Gate.
During his sermon in Jerusalem's Wadi Joz neighborhood on February 16 of last year, Salah urged supporters to start a third intifada in order to "save al-Aksa Mosque, free Jerusalem and end the occupation." Salah's speech also attacked Jews, saying, "They want to build their temple at a time when our blood is on their clothes, on their doorsteps, in their food and in their drinks. Our blood has passed from one 'general terrorist' to another 'general terrorist.'" He also said, "We are not those who ate bread dipped in children's blood."

Oprah Begins Online New Age Class

In recent years Oprah has been inviting an increasing number of representatives of new age spirituality onto her talk shows, including figures such as Marianne Williamson, Barbara DeAngelis, LaVar Burton, Richard Carlson, Betty Eadie, and many others. Oprah has strongly endorsed many of their works, and has included some of them in her "Book Club" list. Since the beginning of this year Oprah has offered daily classes on her XM radio station on the book "A Course in Miracles." "A Course in Miracles" (or ACIM for short) was written by another major player in the New Age movement, Helen Schucman, who claims that the book was dictated to her by an interior voice, which she identifies with Jesus Christ. In that course, the listener is taught that there is no sin, is told not to make the "mistake" of "clinging to the old rugged cross," and that the name of "Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol."

Europe launches robot space freighter

The European Space Agency recently carried out the maiden launch of a massive robot freighter designed to rendezvous automatically with the orbital space station. The Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), a nearly 20-tonne payload the size of a London double-decker bus, blasted into the skies aboard a beefed-up Ariane 5 launcher, an AFP reporter saw. After being placed in orbit, the cylinder-shaped craft will deploy its solar panels and gently find its way to the International Space Station (ISS) and berth with it. The ATV will deliver seven and a half tonnes of food, water, pressurised air, fuel and personal items to the ISS crew. After docking, the ATV will use its engines to propel the station, which is being gently tugged earthwards by terrestrial gravity and lingering atmospheric molecules, to a safer height in low orbit. After six months or so, the craft will detach from the ISS, taking with it rubbish accumulated during the station's mission. The trash and freighter will then safely disintegrate over the Pacific, mission scientists say. Weighing 11 tonnes unloaded, measuring 10.3 metres (33.5 feet) long and 4.5 metres (16.25 feet) wide and laden with hi-tech optical navigation, docking sensors and communications equipment, the ATV has cost ESA 1.3 billion euros (1.96 billion dollars). The payload, handled by an Ariane 5 ES, is the biggest undertaken by ESA yet. It will be placed in orbit at an altitude of 260 kilometres (160 miles), and then take about two weeks to edge up to the ISS, in order to test its systems and wait patiently for the departure of a US space shuttle, the Endeavour, before docking with the station. Deployment of the ATV has been put off for some four years because of delays in assembling the ISS after the loss of the shuttle Columbia in February 2003. The first ATV is named after Jules Verne, the French author who pioneered science fiction. Four more cargo ships are in the works, with their assembly and launch each costing just over 300 million euros.

Small Drones to Hunt for Terrorist Nukes

Spotting smuggled nuclear and radiological materials won't be easy, a new report from the Royal Society says. One thing that could help: robotic aircraft. The report gives the findings of a workshop which brought together seventy experts from the U.K., U.S., Russia, Israel and Europe to look at the technical aspects of locating smuggled radioactive elements. They concluded that there is not likely to be magic solution to the problem, and highlighted the vital need for greater international co-operation. The report did make some interesting points about the technology of detectors, however. In the near term (3-5 years) low cost detectors with improved energy resolution for gamma ray spectroscopy will remain the key priority. Germanium based detector technologies remain the gold standard and developments in cooling will improve and broaden their field applications. In the medium term (5-10 years), there are promising opportunities to develop new technologies, such as muon detection systems. In the long term (10-20 years) detection could benefit from advances in nanotechnology and organic semiconductors. The report also describes the possibilities for using small unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, to hunt for these dangerous material -- especially in urban areas. Aerial detection platforms include fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles and detection systems tend to use externally mounted high resolution scintillation detectors to exploit a larger field of view. This increases the area survey rate so that more readings can be taken of a larger area in a given time. As the distance between the detector and the source increases, radiation flux is attenuated in air and scattered radiation builds up. The report notes that Israelis are already experimenting with this capability and have an experimental craft kitted for radiation detection. The Israeli Caspar UAV prototype can fly at a height of up 700 m at speeds of 20-85 km/h for up to 1.5 hours, and its field of view is over 10 km. The Caspar includes an off-the-shelf, combined gamma and neutron CsI(TI) (caesium iodide doped with thalium iodide) radiation detector, in addition to a camera and a global positioning system (GPS).

Feds can open mail without warrant

President Bush quietly has claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant. Bush asserted the new authority Dec. 20 after signing legislation that overhauls some postal regulations. He then issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open mail under emergency conditions, contrary to existing law and contradicting the bill he had just signed, according to experts who have reviewed it. A White House spokeswoman disputed claims that the move gives Bush any new powers, saying the Constitution allows such searches. Still, the move, one year after The New York Times' disclosure of a secret program that allowed warrantless monitoring of Americans' phone calls and e-mail, caught Capitol Hill by surprise. "Despite the president's statement that he may be able to circumvent a basic privacy protection, the new postal law continues to prohibit the government from snooping into people's mail without a warrant," said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the incoming House Government Reform Committee chairman, who co-sponsored the bill. Experts said the new powers could be easily abused and used to vacuum up large amounts of mail. "The [Bush] signing statement claims authority to open domestic mail without a warrant, and that would be new and quite alarming," said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies in Washington. "You have to be concerned," a senior U.S. official agreed. "It takes executive-branch authority beyond anything we've ever known."

Instruments of Surveillance and Control

These theories and concerns to affect command and control at–a–distance were echoing the conclusions from a much larger and significant military report that was published and made available in 1996 titled ‘New World Vistas’. ‘New World Vistas’ was a major undertaking by the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board to examine future developments in weapons, and totalled 14 volumes of studies. The fifteenth ‘ancillary’ volume concluded by putting forth some potential developments for a possible future man–machine integration. In a section dealing with ‘Biological Process Control’ the Report states that: "One can envision the development of electromagnetic energy sources, the output of which can be pulsed, shaped, and focused, that can couple with the human body in a fashion that will allow one to prevent voluntary muscular movements, control emotions (and thus actions), produce sleep, transmit suggestions, interfere with both short–term and long–term memory, produce an experience set, and delete an experience set." (USAF Scientific Advisory Board, 1995)... In military–speak the term ‘experience set’ implies a person’s stored memories and life experiences; thus suggesting that such a technology could delete and then replace a person’s memories, or ‘experience set’. Research and development along these lines have so far materialised a technology dubbed by the military as active denial system (ADS). The Active Denial System is a non–lethal, directed–energy weapon system recently unveiled by the U.S. military and which directs, or pulses, electromagnetic radiation at a frequency of 95 Gigahertz (GHz) towards the target subjects... Although neurotechnologies are likely to be put to therapeutic and medical uses, such as for improving emotional stability and mental clarity, they also open opportunities for intrusive strategies of control and manipulation.

China: Terrorists targeted Olympics

Chinese police killed alleged terrorists plotting to attack the Beijing Olympics, while a flight crew managed to prevent an apparent attempt to crash a Chinese jetliner in a separate case just last week, officials said on March 9. Wang Lequan, the top Communist Party official in the western region of Xinjiang, said materials seized in a January raid in the regional capital, Urumqi, had described a plot with a purpose "specifically to sabotage the staging of the Beijing Olympics." "Their goal was very clear," Wang told reporters in Beijing. Wang cited no other evidence and earlier reports on the raid had made no mention of Olympic targets. Speaking at the same meeting, Xinjiang's governor said a flight crew prevented an apparent attempt to crash a China Southern flight from Urumqi on March 7. Nur Bekri did not specifically label the incident a terrorist act, saying it remained under investigation. No passengers were injured and police were investigating, he said. China has ratcheted up anti-terror preparations ahead of the August Games, with the nation's top police official last year labeling terrorism the biggest threat facing the event. Police found guns, homemade bombs, training materials and "extremist religious ideological materials" during the Jan. 27 raid in Urumqi, in which two members of the gang were killed and 15 arrested, according to earlier reports. Chinese forces have for years been battling a low-intensity separatist movement among Xinjiang's Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim people culturally and ethnically distinct from China's Han majority. Iron-fisted Chinese rule has largely suppressed the violence, however, and no major bombing or shooting incidents have been reported in almost a decade. Wang said the group had been trained by and was following the orders of a Uighur separatist group based in Pakistan and Afghanistan called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, or ETIM. The group has been labeled a terrorist organization by both the United Nations and the United States. East Turkestan is another name for Xinjiang. China says its main terror threat comes from ETIM. Although the group is not believed to have more than a few dozen members, terrorism experts say it has become influential among extremist groups using the Internet to raise funds and find recruits.

Intelligence: Grim picture for Israel

Israeli intelligence agencies painted a bleak picture of threats facing the Jewish state in an annual assessment recently that came on the heels of the deadliest Palestinian attack in Jerusalem in four years. Arch-foe Iran and its controversial nuclear programme remain the main threat seen by the Jewish state, while rocket fire from Hamas-run Gaza is the most active front it is facing, a senior official quoted intelligence chiefs as telling the weekly cabinet meeting. "The main strategic threats are from Iran through its nuclear programme and the pivotal role it is playing as a leader of the radical axis in the Arab and Muslim world," the official quoted the annual report as saying. The Islamic republic, whose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel to be wiped off the map, is also increasing its cooperation with other foes Syria, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups, he said. While rocket fire from Hamas-run Gaza is the most "active front Israel is facing today," a widescale offensive by Israel in the coastal strip would likely lead to a flare-up of violence with Hezbollah, as was the case in 2006. "If Israel launches a broad operation in Gaza, that could lead to violence on other fronts, most notably from Hezbollah," the official said.

A record 3000 late abortions in Britain

Almost 3,000 were carried out on women who were at least 20 weeks pregnant, according to the latest annual figures in England and Wales, representing a 44 per cent increase in less than a decade. The vast majority were for "lifestyle" reasons; less than a quarter were because of a risk that the child would be born handicapped. The figures come amid rising concern over the current 24-week time limit for legal abortions. Campaigners who cite research showing improved survival rates for very premature babies, combined with evidence suggesting young foetuses can feel pain, are putting pressure on MPs ahead of a crucial debate on the issue next month. MPs are planning to add amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill to reduce the limit to 20 or 21 weeks. David Cameron, the Tory leader, has said he would back such a change. Doctors yesterday blamed failings in sex education for the rise in late abortions. Dr Trevor Stammers, a practising GP from the charity Family Youth Concern, said the Government's approach had left the present generation of young women with the impression that abortions were "like having an appendix out". He blamed "a very casual attitude towards sex, which is aided and abetted by the medical profession". He said: "Women get the idea it's a trivial matter and as a result they are much more cavalier about presenting to their GP late." Abortion providers said the rise in late terminations - from 2,041 in 1997 to 2,948 in 2006 - showed that some women were leading increasingly "out-of-control" lives. Ann Furedi, the chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: "Sometimes it's women who haven't recognised the symptoms of pregnancy. "Sometimes it is about women who are living very out-of-control lives, often with alcohol or drug problems, and sometimes it's about women whose lives have suddenly changed, whose guy has suddenly left them, so that a wanted pregnancy becomes unwanted." But Ms Furedi described the rise as "not necessarily bad news" given that "these are the very women for whom it would be a disaster if they were compelled to continue unwanted pregnancies".

Secret UN meetings discussing UFOs

The names of three senior officials who attended a series of secret United Nations meetings discussing recent UFO sightings have just been announced. Gilles Lorant, a French Aviation expert disclosed these names in a pre-interview discussion with a French radio journalist, Didier de Plaige (translation below) . Lorant revealed that the meetings he attended on February 13 and 14, were chaired by Srgjan Kerim, the President of the UN General Assembly. From photos shown to him, Lorant also identified the Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer to the UN, Archbishop Celestino Migliore; and Sir John Sawers, Britain’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. According to Loran, security at the meetings was not very tight and participants had to merely sign an “appreciation form” at their conclusion. Apparently, other more high security meetings were underway that were conducted behind chained doors with guards in front. Lorant said no documents were distributed at the meeting, but a report on UFO’s prepared by a branch of the U.S. National Guard (and U.S. Air Force according to an earlier statement) was projected onto a screen. Lorant revealed that the Report had been ordered by three U.S. Senators who commented on it. He did not clarify if the Senators actually attended the meeting or whether their comments were merely projected onto the screen. In an earlier statement, Lorant revealed that one and a half hours of the meetings was devoted to discussion of recent UFO sightings, and that agreement was reached to develop an official policy of ‘openness’ to UFO reports in 2009 provided two conditions were met. Peace and stability in democratic nations was the first. The second condition was that UFO sightings would continue at present levels. The secret meetings attended by Lorant involved 40 representatives of 28 member states. Lorant further claimed that depending on the official status of the meetings, a Report may be officially released by the end of March to member nations that could not attend. Further investigations are currently underway to corroborate more aspects of Lorant’s testimony, his reliability as a witness and to find other attendees willing to disclose what happened at the secret UN meetings discussing UFO sightings.

Chinese Cyberattacks Target US

Defense-related think tanks and contractors, as well as the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies, were the target of repeated computer network intrusions last year apparently originating in China, the Department of Defense said this week. In its annual report to lawmakers on China's military power, the department said the intrusions "appeared to originate in" China but added, "It is unclear if these intrusions were conducted by, or with the endorsement of" the Chinese government or military. The report gave few details, but one China expert who works in the private sector told United Press International that in the last 18 months, China scholars who have close links to the U.S. government have been the repeated targets of sophisticated hacking attempts, using malicious software packages called Trojan horses hidden in e-mail attachments. "Almost every think tank in Washington has dealt with this," said the expert, who did not want to be named because of the ongoing investigations into the intrusions. "I personally have received more than two dozen" such e-mails, which arrive purportedly sent by other China-watchers. "They would spoof the addresses to make it look like the e-mail was coming from someone I knew and give the attachment a name ¿¿ designed to catch my attention," said the expert. The e-mails varied in sophistication. "The vast majority are fairly primitive," said the expert, "littered with 'Chinglish' misspellings" or other obvious errors. But one purporting to come from a U.S. Air Force e-mail account was "very legitimate looking," said the expert, adding, "I would have opened the attachment, but fortunately it was on a subject I wasn't interested in." If the attachment is opened, the Trojan horse software hidden inside is designed to bury itself deep in the computer's operating system and begin covertly exporting data from the target's calendar, contacts and e-mail folders to an Internet address in China, the expert said. "This was a comprehensive intelligence-gathering effort by the Chinese, aimed at (China-watchers) with one foot in the government," said the expert. "People who likely have unclassified but still sensitive material on their computers." At the RAND Corp., a think tank with historic links to the U.S. Air Force, the expert said, the infections were buried so deep that the FBI physically removed some computer hardware. A statement from RAND Chief Information Officer Woody Stoeger confirmed that the think tank "has faced periodic attacks on our computer systems as have many organizations across the nation." Stoeger added RAND was "vigilant in guarding against (such) attacks" but declined to comment in any more detail about their nature or where they might have originated from. Because of the geographically dispersed nature of the Internet and the ability of hackers to launch attacks and intrusion efforts from "slave" computers they have secretly taken control of, attribution has been highlighted as one of the biggest problems for U.S. military planners developing cyberwar strategies. "Large amounts of data have been taken out in these intrusions," he said. "That doesn't mean that that data has been destroyed, but it could have been. It doesn't mean it's been altered, but it could have been." Some military officials say it is this last possibility -- that U.S. government data could be corrupted or altered without the knowledge of officials entrusted with it -- that troubles them the most about potential cyberconflicts.

Temple Institute: Garments for Priests

For the first time in 1,938 years the linen garments of the lay priests are being produced in preparation for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service. The last priestly garments to have been worn were those worn by the priests who were martyred by the Roman legions who brutally invaded and destroyed the Holy Temple on the ninth day of the month of Av, in the year 70 CE. The Temple Institute has spared no effort in procuring the necessary materials for the performing of this Torah commandment, and once again has enlisted 21st century technology in order to do so in a manner befitting the Torah injunction that these priestly garments be "both dignified and beautiful". (Exodus 28:40) Specially prepared flaxen thread, wound into six-ply strands, according to the Torah prescribed requirement, ("twined linen - shesh mushzar"), has been imported from India. These individual spools of thread are presently being spun into larger 1.7 meter long spindles in order to accomodate the next step: the weaving of bolts of fabric 1.7 meters wide. Before commencing this process, (known in Hebrew as hashtayah), of creating the 1.7 meter spindles, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute made the traditional shechechiyanu blessing expressing gratitute to G-d " ...for keeping us alive and preserving us and permitting us to behold this day." In addition, before every step of the manufacturing process, a special statement of intent must be uttered in Hebrew: "L'shem mitzvat assei assiyat bigdei hakehuna: for the sake of the positive commandment to make the priestly garments."

Possessed Students Sent Home From School

More than 100 students in a western Ugandan school become possessed by demonic spirits, Uganda's state-run newspaper reported on March 4. The New Vision said that authorities at Sir Tito Winyi Primary School in the western district Hoima described the "hysterical" students as suffering from a demonic attack. "The situation is bad. About 100 pupils are totally mad. They are chasing everybody including teachers and fellow pupils, throwing stones, banging doors and windows," the paper quoted headmaster Vincent Kitende as saying. Kitende said that a similar incident took place at the school late last year, affecting more than 200 students that time, according to the paper. He said: "We do not know what to do. On Sunday, we held special prayers before the pupils reported and assured parents to send their children, knowing there was no cause for alarm. But here we are in a bad situation again." Hundreds of parents came to collect their children from the school. Last year, four Hoima residents were arrested for casting a spell on the school, the paper reported. Belief in witchcraft was common in some parts of Uganda, particularly in deeply religious areas.

Commander warns of al-Qaida threat to US

Al-Qaida terrorists may be plotting more urgently to attack the United States to maintain their credibility and ability to recruit followers, the U.S. military commander in charge of domestic defense said. Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, chief of the U.S. Northern Command, also told reporters recently he has not seen any direct threats tied to the U.S. presidential elections. But he said it would be rash to think that such threats are not there. "We need only to look at Spain and see that they're certainly willing to try to do something that is significant that could affect an election process," Renuart said. "I think it would be imprudent of us to let down our guard believing that if there's no credible threat that you know of today, there won't be something tomorrow." While he said that U.S. authorities have thwarted attacks on a number of occasions, he said terrorist cells may be working harder than ever to plot high-impact events. He did not point to any specific intelligence that authorities have received but said the "chatter" they are hearing "gives me no reason to believe they're going to slow down" in their efforts to target the U.S. "If an organization like that is to maintain credibility and continue to grow more of its extremists, it has to show tangible results," Renuart said. "So I think there may be a certain sense of urgency among that organization to have an effect. So it would tell me that they're trying harder."

Cosmic Humanism: The Indigo Child

Today, evolution from embryo-god to "Christhood" through multiple reincarnations is no more clearly evident than in the phenomenon of the Indigo Child. Indigos are said to be highly evolved, uniquely gifted youngsters whose mission is to teach their elders and, thus, ensure planetary transformation into a burgeoning golden era of peace and brotherhood ... Rumor has it that Edgar Cayce foretold emergence of the Indigo Child long before fellow psychic Nancy Ann Tappe coined the term. A 1999 book thusly titled was written (actually "channeled") by Lee Carroll. An economics major, Carroll once ran a technical audio business, but now channels messages from a "higher being" named Kryon (followers of whom are dubbed "Lightworkers"). Supposed messages received contain instructions for spirit communicating, healing and attaining the "next level." Enter, Lucifer. Meaning "light-bearer," "morning star" or "the shining one," Lucifer appears only once in the Bible and is depicted as one who rebelled against God and, as a consequence, fell as lightening from heaven (Isaiah 14:12; Luke 10:18). Satan’s tempting Eve with the empty promise, "ye shall become as gods," has been repeated bait throughout the ages. Dupes accept that a mass planetary quantum leap via Luciferic Initiation (demon possession broadly known as "transformation") will usher in an anticipated New Age of Aquarius. The earth then will become a sacred planet distinguished by a New International World Order under a New Age "Christ" (actually Antichrist, latter-day visionary to surface as mother of all dictators.

Spielberg: UFO & Paranormal Network

Hollywood mega-director Steven Spielberg is reportedly setting up a social network for people interested in paranormal and extra-terrestrial activity, inspired by his own personal experiences with the unknown. The focus of the network will be on people who have an interest in, or have experienced paranormal phenomena, and the network may feature multimedia content of UFO sightings, paranormal activity and user-based content. Stories of Speilberg's own personal experiences with ghosts are widely known; his stay in the Excelsior House led him to become so frightened by alleged ghosts that he fled the room and moved 20 miles away, forming the inspiration for the movie 'Poltergiest'. The network may have been originally in development with Yahoo, but the project was abandoned before it was launched. But reports suggest that the idea lives on, and a team of developers are aiming for a mid-year launch.

Moses was high on drugs

High on Mount Sinai, Moses was on psychedelic drugs when he heard God deliver the Ten Commandments, an Israeli researcher claimed in a study published recently. Such mind-altering substances formed an integral part of the religious rites of Israelites in biblical times, Benny Shanon, a professor of cognitive psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem wrote in the Time and Mind journal of philosophy. "As far Moses on Mount Sinai is concerned, it was either a supernatural cosmic event, which I don't believe, or a legend, which I don't believe either, or finally, and this is very probable, an event that joined Moses and the people of Israel under the effect of narcotics," Shanon told Israeli public radio on March 4. Moses was probably also on drugs when he saw the "burning bush," suggested Shanon, who said he himself has dabbled with such substances. "The Bible says people see sounds, and that is a clasic phenomenon," he said citing the example of religious ceremonies in the Amazon in which drugs are used that induce people to "see music." He mentioned his own experience when he used ayahuasca, a powerful psychotropic plant, during a religious ceremony in Brazil's Amazon forest in 1991. "I experienced visions that had spiritual-religious connotations," Shanon said. He said the psychedelic effects of ayahuasca were comparable to those produced by concoctions based on bark of the acacia tree, that is frequently mentioned in the Bible. Blogmasters response - More end time crap, do not believe this for a moment. Moses was NOT on drugs, if he was high, he was high on the Holy Spirit. Read the Holy Bible and you are reading the truth.

Palm vein scanning promises results

Palm vein scanning, the latest in the series of biometric identification, is even more accurate than iris scan, officials have said. The technology is being displayed at the International Security National Resilience Exhibition and Conference that started recently in Abu Dhabi. The latest technology enables fool proof identification of individuals even better then iris scan and is an efficient and simple security system for personal computers, industry officials said. One can open personal computers by just flashing your palm vein to the scanner. "It was reported that cancer [disease] may affect the iris which makes loopholes on the identification based on it," said Peter Scharfetter, Product Manager, Biometric Centre of Siemens which displayed the palm vein scanner and reader system at the exhibition. "But palm vein scanning has overcome that loophole," said Scharfetter. His colleague explained that latest version of the 'touch less' palm vein scanner does the job faster and does not need the object within limited range.

Pentagon hackers stole data

A network intrusion at the Pentagon nine months ago resulted in the theft of an "amazing amount of data" that continues to pose a threat to national security, the CIO of the Defense Department said earlier this week. "This was a very bad day," Dennis Clem, who is also CIO of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, said during a panel discussion at the Information Processing Interagency Conference. "We don't know when they'll use the information they stole, [which was] an amazing amount." The pilfered data included processes and procedures that will be valuable to US enemies, he said, according to an article by Government Executive. Over the course of two months leading up to the attack, malicious code infiltrated several systems belonging to the Pentagon's network and culminated in an exploit of a known Microsoft Windows vulnerability, Clem said. That allowed attackers to send spoofed emails that appeared to come from Pentagon personnel in Clem's division. Somehow, the emails managed to steal login credentials for the network, according to this article from Federal Computer Week. Network forensics show the hackers were able to access sensitive information, which they encrypted as they transmitted it back to their sites. Clem's statements are just a tad more telling than those of US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates when first disclosing the June 2007 breach to reporters. "There will be some administrative disruptions and personal inconveniences," he said at the time. "It will come as no surprise that we aggressively monitor intrusions and have appropriate procedures to address events of this kind." Clem didn't identify the attackers, but according to some published reports, government investigators believe the the breach originated in China. It took three weeks and $4m to clean up the mess. Clem said the Pentagon gets 70,000 malicious entry attempts per day, ranging from relatively innocuous probes to more nefarious attacks. Outside hackers can pinpoint new servers or software within minutes of them being deployed and intrusions quickly follow.

Airship Surveillance Flight Target Date

Airship Surveillance, a strategic partner of WENR Corp. has set March 11, 2008, as the target date for the first flight of its "R&D-1" airship following a Flight Readiness Review. The target flight date provides sufficient time to complete all remaining work and allows for two contingency test days. The flight test procedure calls for the airship to initially be flown using conventional controls to create a performance baseline. Testing of the company's new flight control system will follow this initial test series.
"Everyone is very excited, as we progress towards this major milestone. This first flight will be the culmination of hard work by dedicated professionals, who have worked hard to make this project a success," remarked Sandy Mangold of Airship Surveillance. "We anticipate good weather on the 11th, but have built in back-up flight dates to be safe," he continued. Details of the first flight will be featured on the Company's web site after completion of the testing. About Airship Surveillance: The Company is developing a series of advanced unmanned airships designed to fulfill a wide range of roles ranging from surveillance to environmental monitoring. The Company's airships are built to be robust, yet simple to operate with the twin goals of providing highly reliable airborne platforms at an affordable cost.

In large disaster, care will be scarce

Older, sicker patients could be allowed to die in order to save the lives of patients more likely to survive a massive disaster, bioterror attack or influenza pandemic in California. It's not how nurses and doctors are accustomed to doing things, nor how Californians expect to be treated. But it is part of a sweeping statewide plan being praised for its breadth, even as it rankles providers who will have to carry it out. The new "surge capacity guidelines" released by the state Department of Public Health, depict a post-disaster health care environment that looks and feels nothing like the system most Californians depend on. It provides for scenarios in which patients could be herded into school gymnasiums for life-saving care or animal doctors could stitch up the human wounded and set their broken bones. The 1,900-page document lays the practical – and ethical – groundwork for local and county health departments, hospitals, emergency responders and any able-bodied health care worker likely to be called upon in a catastrophe. Striking in its specificity and its frank focus on the need to suspend or flex established laws and to ration health care, the plan is being hailed as a model for the rest of the nation. "I don't know of any state that has taken it to this level of detail in outlining a surge plan for everyone who needs to respond to an emergency of this magnitude," said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit group that has criticized the nation's emergency preparedness. "It's exactly the kind of dialogue that has to happen." The conversations emerging from the plan will be very painful, especially for professionals trained to save a life at almost any cost, said Betsey Lyman, deputy director for public health emergency preparedness at the state Department of Public Health. "Today, the practice of medicine is do everything you can for an individual patient," Lyman said. "This is, 'OK, we have limited resources. How do we best save the greatest number of lives?' That can mean saying to an individual patient, I can't give you a ventilator because I don't have enough for everybody." The $5 million plan was developed as a result of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2006 health care surge initiative. That $172 million effort included the stockpiling of millions of doses of antiviral medications, thousands of ventilators, mobile field hospitals and extra hospital beds. But health care officials acknowledge that when and if a global pandemic or major disaster strikes, no amount of extra drugs or supplies will be sufficient to manage the impact on an already strained health care system. That's why the state assembled public health professionals, hospitals, ethicists, nurses and others to hash out guidelines for procedures they hope will minimize red tape and maximize survival rates. The plan lists, for example, which responsibilities and patient protections can be waived if the governor declares a state of emergency. Hospitals will not have to report births, deaths, infectious disease outbreaks, medication errors, and suspected child or elder abuse. Existing rules that protect patients' privacy also can be tossed out.

Mideast War Is One Rocket Away

This is the Scenario: It begins with a single Qassam rocket, one of the thousands of homemade projectiles fired in recent years by the Islamic radicals of Hamas from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. The rockets have made life nightmarish for many Israelis but have largely missed their targets. But this one gets "lucky": It smashes into an elementary school, wounding 40 children and killing 15. The Israeli government, which had heretofore responded to the Qassams with airstrikes and small ground raids, cannot resist the nationwide demand for action. Within hours, tens of thousands of Israeli troops and hundreds of tanks are rushing into Gaza, battling house-to-house in teeming refugee camps. Just as swiftly, Palestinian officials accuse Israel of perpetrating a massacre and invite the foreign press to photograph the corpse-strewn rubble. The images flash around the Middle East on al-Jazeera TV and trigger violent demonstrations in Arab capitals. Hezbollah, the radical Lebanese Shiite militia, then gets into the act, raining Katyusha rockets on northern Israel. But when Israeli warplanes bomb the Katyusha batteries, Syria leaps in, sending its commandos to retaliate by capturing key Israeli bunkers atop the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel's counterattack succeeds only in precipitating a hailstorm of Syrian Scud-D missiles, some armed with chemical warheads, into Israeli cities. Then, just as Israeli planes are incinerating the main electrical plant in Damascus, the first of hundreds of Shehab-3 rockets, pre-targeted at Tel Aviv, lift off from Tehran. Sound fantastical or too horrific to ponder? Not to Israeli intelligence analysts it doesn't.

Superbug defies antibiotics

For Kerri Cardello McKoy, mother of four, a trip to the hospital to treat a broken nose seemed routine. But what followed wasn't: a raging MRSA infection that cost her both legs below the knee, a collapsed lung and four months in a hospital bed, much of it in a drug-induced coma. "When I think about it, it makes me want to cry," she says. Almost five years later, public health officials, hospitals and legislators are still arguing over the best way to curb MRSA, the drug-resistant bug that cost the Annapolis woman her legs and could be killing up to 19,000 people a year nationwide. Experts can't agree on whether hospitals are doing enough to address the growing number of MRSA infections - or whether government should make them take action. Advocates say the recent defeat of two MRSA bills in Annapolis leaves thousands of hospital and nursing home patients more vulnerable to the deadly pathogen. "It doesn't make any sense. The data, the science, the evidence, everything we know about this says that we have to act now," said Michael Bennett, who as director of the Coalition for Patients Rights has fought unsuccessfully for MRSA legislation in Maryland for three years.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA's official name) is a bacterium that can live harmlessly in the skin or nasal cavities but attacks wounds and causes life-threatening infections, including pneumonia and blood poisoning. Over the years, it has evolved into a superbug that resists the most common antibiotics. Random testing in Chicago hospitals has shown that about 10 percent of patients are positive for MRSA when they're admitted. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified at least 12 subtypes of MRSA, including a new variant - at large in the community - that killed a Virginia youth last fall and can spread in gyms, locker rooms and community settings. Last fall, CDC researchers estimated that MRSA could kill more than 19,000 people a year in the United States.

Bible says aliens are here, but beware

It’s amazing how many people are finally finding out (and believing) phenomena the Bible stated over 5,000 years ago. A case in point is Michael Bishop’s guest column in the Missoulian, “More Americans accepting idea of aliens visiting Earth.” The fact that outer-space visitors are making appearances on Earth is nothing new. Zechariah, writing in 500 B.C., records that he looked up and saw a “flying scroll” with dimensions given as 30 feet by 20 feet, which line up with some of the accounts of the past 100 years. He then saw a UFO that resembled a big bushel basket with a lid on it, and then two women came out of it! They then flew this contraption over to “Shinar,” which is modern-day Iraq, formerly known as Babylon, and set it down on a base. This puts all of the interest in that area of the world into proper perspective. This is not the first time visitors from outer space were recorded in the “old book.” In Genesis 6, prior to the universal flood, there was an appearance of the “sons of God.” These were fallen angels who rebelled along with Lucifer and were cast out of heaven. They caused great havoc, to say the least. Luke records in chapter 17:26, that “as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the son of man.” The context is the second coming of Jesus Christ. In other words, we can expect the events of Genesis 6 to be repeated, increasing in frequency, as that day draws near. Bishop’s documented studies prove what I just said. Other sources confirm the connection between what man has “discovered” and that other “history book,” the Bible. Johannes Nohl, in his book, “The Black Death,” records the sightings of more than 25 UFOs in the 1500s: “Disruptions in the atmosphere, storms, unusual invasion of insects and celestial phenomena” were followed by some sort of plague that killed thousands of people. You might want to rethink your interest in “making friends” with the inhabitants of these vessels. Bishop’s conclusions, along with help from Hollywood (“E.T.,” etc.) and the general media, are setting the world up to accept these aliens as just folks of another culture from whom we can learn something. In actuality, they are devils in humanoid form. They and their “leader” have had access to this earth for 6,000 years and are soon coming in “full color.” Anyone who says they are not satanic has swallowed the devil’s lie hook, line and sinker. Daniel (7-11) tells us that when the Antichrist (the devil in human form) comes, he will be charming, charismatic and will bring a false peace by his policies as he sits down at peace tables. Other Scriptures go on to say that at some point the Antichrist will cause all to take his “number” and “mark.” My advice is, don’t do it! The same book, that old archaic King James Bible, that told you all of the above, says your only hope is accepting another “man” who was God in human form, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to “seek and save that which is lost.” Trust him and you’ll be ready for a quick escape from planet Earth when all these things come to pass.

Superbug deaths soar in UK and Wales

The number of deaths linked with hospital superbug Clostridium difficile has soared in England and Wales, figures from the Office for National Statistics show. Between 2005 and 2006 the number of death certificates which mentioned the infection rose by 72 per cent to 6,480. Elderly people were most at risk from the bacteria, which caused more than 55,000 infections in NHS hospitals last year. It is thought that some of the increase may be due to more complete reporting on death certificates, but there has been a fiftyfold increase in C. difficile infections since 1990. Deaths citing C. difficile as a factor increased by 77 per cent in men, and 66 per cent in women between 2005 and 2006, the new statistics show. In more than half of cases, C. difficile was listed as the underlying cause of death. Rates in both sexes have risen dramatically since 2001, when there were only 1,200 mentions of the infection on death certificates. The ONS figures also showed deaths involving another notorious superbug, MRSA, remained roughly the same between 2005 and 2006 - at about 1,650 each year. C. difficile is present in the gut of 3 per cent of adults and two thirds of infants, although it rarely causes problems. However, certain antibiotics can disturb the normal balance, allowing the bug to thrive and causing severe diarrhoea and in some cases severe inflammation of the bowel which can be life threatening. Elderly hospital patients over 65 are most at risk from bacterial spores, which are difficult to eradicate from wards.

1 in 100 USA adults now in prison

For the first time in U.S. history, more than one in every 100 adults are in jail or prison, according to a new report documenting America's rank as the world's No. 1 incarcerator. It urges states to curtail corrections spending by placing fewer low-risk offenders behind bars. Using state-by-state data, the report says 2,319,258 Americans were in jail or prison at the start of 2008 - one in 99.1 adults. Whether per capita or in raw numbers, it's more than any other nation. The report, released recently by the Pew Center on the States, said the 50 states spent more than $49 billion on corrections last year, up from less than $11 billion 20 years earlier. The rate of increase for prison costs was six times greater than for higher education spending, the report said. The steadily growing inmate population "is saddling cash-strapped states with soaring costs they can ill afford and failing to have a clear impact either on recidivism or overall crime," the report said. Susan Urahn, managing director of the Pew Center on the States, said budget woes are pressuring many states to consider cost-saving corrections policies that might have been shunned in the past for fear of appearing soft on crime. "We're seeing more and more states being creative because of tight budgets," she said. "They want to be tough on crime. They want to be a law-and-order state. But they also want to save money, and they want to be effective." Some Maryland lawmakers said they hope the report will spur reforms in drug-sentencing laws. "We've been pounding the governor and chairmen of committees with this information for almost five years," said Del. Curtis Anderson, a Baltimore Democrat who has sponsored several bills that would lower maximum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. "The fact that somebody else is saying it and it's a national report might help us wake them up to this issue." There are 23,342 people incarcerated in Maryland, according to the Pew report. "And roughly 70 percent of them are in prison for drug or drug-related offenses," Anderson said. "And of that 70 percent, 92 percent are African-American." Anderson said the Pew report was not surprising. "We have the highest incarceration rate of every country in the world, including backward and despotic countries like Cuba," he said. "The problem is that the folks we put in jail aren't violent offenders or dangerous to society, but mainly low-level drug users or drug dealers. The way we should be dealing with these people is to put them into treatment, which is far less expensive and much more effective."

High-Tech Cameras Are Watching You

The ferry arrived, the gangway went down and 7-year-old Emma Powell rushed toward the Statue of Liberty. She climbed onto the grass around the star-shaped foundation. She put on a green foam crown with seven protruding rays. Turning so that her body was oriented just like Lady Liberty's, Emma extended her right arm skyward with an imaginary torch. I snapped a picture. Then I took my niece's hand, and we went off to buy some pretzels. Other people were taking pictures, too, and not just the other tourists -- Liberty Island, name notwithstanding, is one of the most heavily surveilled places in America. Dozens of cameras record hundreds of hours of video daily, a volume that strains the monitoring capability of guards. The National Park Service has enlisted extra help, and as Emma and I strolled around, we weren't just being watched by people. We were being watched by machines. Liberty Island's video cameras all feed into a computer system. The park doesn't disclose details, but fully equipped, the system is capable of running software that analyzes the imagery and automatically alerts human overseers to any suspicious events. The software can spot when somebody abandons a bag or backpack. It has the ability to discern between ferryboats, which are allowed to approach the island, and private vessels, which are not. And it can count bodies, detecting if somebody is trying to stay on the island after closing, or assessing when people are grouped too tightly together, which might indicate a fight or gang activity. "A camera with artificial intelligence can be there 24/7, doesn't need a bathroom break, doesn't need a lunch break and doesn't go on vacation," says Ian Ehrenberg, former vice president of Nice Systems, the program's developer.

Scientists clone glow-in-the-dark cats

Thanks to the work of a team of South Korean scientists, cats may now have more than nine lives. The scientists have begun cloning cats that glow-in-the-dark when exposed to ultraviolet light. They accomplish this by manipulating a red fluorescent protein (RFP) gene using a procedure that has the potential to improve treatments for human genetic diseases. Japan's Science and Technology Ministry (STM) reported recently that South Korea's Gyeongsang National University cloning expert, Il-Keun Kong, and a team of other scientists, had produced three Turkish Angora cats with altered red fluorescence protein (RFP), making them the very first of their kind. The first cloning of a cat dates back to 2002, when Texas A&M University produced the cat known to the world as "Copycat." Since then, several other domestic animals, including cows, dogs, pigs, bulls, and goats have been successfully cloned-mainly in North America, Europe, and South Korea. Different from previous "therapeutic cloning," Kong and his team sought a "reproductive cloning" technique that could produce stem cells that were able to be guided to grow into a specific body part. Before the work of Kong and his colleagues, only genetically identical animals had been cloned-not clones with tampered genes. Kong actually became the first person in South Korea to clone a cat in 2004. Thereafter, he worked fulltime on a project to clone animals for therapeutic research, which led to his attempts towards cloning cats with RFP genes. Kong and his team used skin cells from the mother of the cloned cats to manipulate the RFP gene into three offspring, and then they modified the clones' genes to make them fluorescent by using a virus that was transplanted into the eggs. Afterwards, the eggs were implanted into the womb of the "surrogate" mother. All three cats were born by caesarian section in January and February of 2007. Unfortunately, one was stillborn but the other two grew to become adults, both weighing roughly 6.6 pounds. According to the STM, the cats themselves do not glow in the dark, but their ears, nose, and other fur-covered places have the anticipated RFP glow. Kong says that the idea of making the glow-in-the-dark cats came from the fact that cats suffer from more than 250 of the same genetic diseases that humans do-making the genetically-modified cats useful in to treating human genetic diseases. "'The ability to manipulate the green fluorescent protein [GFP] and use this to clone cats opens new horizons for artificially creating animals with human illnesses linked to genetic causes," Kong said. "This can speed up efforts to find treatment and drugs by allowing the study of animals and experiments that are not possible with human patients."

The Realworld "Minority Report"

The Department of Homeland Security recently announced the development of futuristic sounding technology with a bizarre “Minority Report” twist. The criminals they’re looking for haven’t committed a crime yet. The program called Project Hostile Intent is part of the Human Factors Division of the DHS. DHS says that they need a way to detect possible “future” terrorists without a criminal past and with no known ties to terrorist organizations and therefore do not appear in any government databases. The technology will use advanced biometric technology in an attempt to “read minds” of people in public places, like airports. If a computer determines that you are thinking about committing a terrorist act, either imminently, or at some point during your stay in the US, then you will be picked up by security officers for an interview. What is especially creepy about this upcoming program is that since it is specifically targeting people with no known terrorists ties—the only evidence is the “opinion” of a invariably flawed computer program. The potential for abuse is staggering. Imagine that you get tagged by the computer, and the next thing you know you’re dragged off and treated like you were about to blow up an airplane. The only evidence against you would be that a computer deemed that you had some sort of undefined “hostile intent”. The fact that you did nothing wrong wouldn’t stop you from being detained, interrogated, and harassed. Missing your flight home will be the least of your worries! Some people are becoming more frightened by the governments secretive and vague “war on terror” than they are of terrorist attacks.

Sea Monster Fossil Found in Norway

Scientists from the University of Oslo announced their discovery of a fossilized, 150 million-year-old “sea monster” on Spitspergen, in the Arctic island chain of Svalbard. The 50 ft. sea reptile, nicknamed “The Monster”, is the biggest on record, and is one of 40 such fossils discovered on the island. A prior field expedition in the area revealed remains of another large pliosaur that is thought to be among the same species as “The Monster”. Dr. Jorn Hurum, the expedition’s director, said the new Svalbard fossil is 20% larger than the previous biggest marine reptile, a massive pliosaur from Australia named Kronosaurus. "We have carried out a search of the literature, so we now know that we have the biggest [pliosaur]. It's not just arm-waving anymore," Dr Hurum told BBC News. Pliosaurs were a short-necked, teardrop-shaped form of plesiosaur, extinct reptiles that lived in oceans during the age of the dinosaurs. The pliosaurs had two sets of powerful flippers they used to push themselves through water. "These animals were awesomely powerful predators," said paleontologist Richard Forrest in a BBC News report. "If you compare the skull of a large pliosaur to a crocodile, it is very clear it is much better built for biting... by comparison with a crocodile, you have something like three or four times the cross-sectional space for muscles. So you have much bigger, more powerful muscles and huge, robust jaws. A large pliosaur was big enough to pick up a small car in its jaws and bite it in half," he explained. "The flipper is 3 meters long with very few parts missing. Recently, we assembled all the bones in our basement and we amazed ourselves - we had never seen it together before," he said. The fossilized “Sea Monster” was excavated in August 2007. Researchers had to remove hundreds of tons of rock by hand, enduring perilous conditions such as high winds, fog, rain, freezing temperatures and under constant threat of attack by polar bears. The team was able to recover the animal's snout, some teeth, the shoulder girdle, much of the neck and back, and a nearly complete flipper. Regrettably, a small river running through where the head lay had washed away much of the skull. A preliminary analysis of the bones suggested the animal was of a previously unknown species. The Reptile has been taken to the Natural History Museum in Oslo. The researchers plan to return to Svalbard later this year to excavate the new pliosaur. A few pieces of skull, some broken teeth and vertebrae from this second large specimen are already exposed and the researchers believe much more may be waiting to be excavated.

Greater Research Needed On UFOs

In 1952, in an attempt to cope with the public outcry concerning hundreds of reports of UFOs, the U.S. Air Force organized “Project Blue Book” whose primary objective was to collect and analyze citizen reports of UFO sightings. The chief scientific consultant for that project was a well-respected Northwestern University astronomy professor, J. Allen Hynek. When Hynek first began his UFO research, he was very doubtful that the purported UFO sightings were of any real significance. In fact, during a 1966 congressional hearing on UFOs, he indicated that “the whole subject seemed utterly ridiculous,” and he thought the sightings were a fad which would soon pass. However, after decades of analyzing hundreds of UFO reports from airline pilots, military personnel, police officers, public officials, psychologists, astronomers and other scientists, Hynek said his opinion started to shift. He believed something was going on and serious research was needed to understand what it was.

Mass trance afflicts Indonesian women

Lina, a former worker at a cigarette factory in Indonesia, says she was 17-years-old the first time she was possessed by an evil spirit. "My older sister went down first. She was screaming and her body went rigid and she couldn't move. Then the spirit came into my body too," said Lina, who like many Indonesians has one name. Reports of schoolchildren, young women and factory workers going into mass trances or speaking in tongues are common across Indonesia's vast archipelago of 226 million people. The phenomenon may provide an outlet for stress, some experts say. In many cultures, it is part of a religious or spiritual experience, whether in the voodoo trances of Haiti, the mass hysteria of Europe's witch trials, or Christianity's exorcisms. Earlier this month, local news station Metro TV broadcast footage of 11 students and five teachers in a mass trance at a school in the central island of Sumbawa. Around 50 female workers at a garment factory in Tangerang, near Jakarta, went into a collective trance last June, weeping and jerking their bodies around, according to Tempo magazine. "Every society has some kind of culturally appropriate place for trance experiences, usually in religious settings," said Tanya Luhrmann, a Stamford University anthropologist who studies witchcraft and evangelical Christianity, where such group faintings are common. "There appears to be a contagion element to trance, but it really requires some kind of willingness on the part of the individual," she said in an emailed reply to questions, adding that this was the case even if it seemed unconscious or unwilled. In trance, people can do and say things for which they are unlikely to be held responsible, which can be cathartic, particularly for weaker members of society, she said. Few Indonesians are comfortable discussing their trance experiences, but Lina, now 23, said she had been possessed many times in the past six years, always by the same djinn. "Its face is exactly the same face as my older sister but the body is hard to make out. It calls my name but if I follow it, it disappears," she said. Lina said that mass trances were so common at the cigarette factory in Malang where she worked that she eventually quit. Indonesian media reported a group trance among workers at Bentoel's cigarette factory in Malang, Java, in March 2006. Hidajat interviewed 30 of the affected women for her research. "They told me that when it happened, they were sitting in a very long hall, working together in rows, rolling the cigarettes by hand," she said. "They were working in silence. That's one of the requirements of a trance to happen -- it's usually quiet and when they are engaged in monotonous activity." Suddenly, one of the workers started screaming and her body went stiff. The one next to her started crying and went stiff too. Others tried to help but soon they started too in a kind of domino effect. A local Muslim leader was summoned, but his prayers had no effect. Eventually, the exhausted women fell asleep and when they awoke they remembered nothing. When more than 30 high school students at Kalimantan's Pahandut Palangka Raya High School fell into a trance in November, they blamed a spirit living in a nearby tree. During the morning flag-raising ceremony, one of the girls suddenly started screaming and couldn't move. Soon her friends joined in until more than 30 of them were screaming and fainting, the deputy principal Friskila told Reuters.

Snow, Tornadoes, Giant Hail hit Texas

Snow fell across parts of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle on Monday, part of a storm system that produced at least two weekend tornadoes and hail as big as softballs.The National Weather Service posted a snow and blowing snow advisory for parts of Oklahoma, with 3 to 6 inches possible in eastern sections Monday. In the Texas Panhandle, ice and snow covered local roads in western areas of the Panhandle but no problems were reported. Up to 4 inches of rain had fallen by midday Monday in parts of Arkansas, the weather service said. The weather service forecast severe thunderstorms over parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning. A few strong tornadoes were possible in the area, with the greatest risk in much of Mississippi and parts of Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas, the weather service said. On Sunday, two tornadoes were spotted in rural areas of northwestern Oklahoma. Television footage showed one twister passing the communities of Carleton and Southard in northern Blaine County. The storm system also produced wind gusting up to 70 mph, lightning and hail as large as softballs that caused scattered damage, said weather service meteorologist Chris Sohl in Norman, Oklahoma.

Over 900 stricken with typhoid

More than 900 people have been stricken with typhoid in a city just south of the Philippine capital Manila, a Red Cross official said on Monday. The number could rise further as officials in Calamba city in Laguna province continue to track down the source of the disease, provincial Red Cross administrator Rutelly Cabutin told AFP. "As of 5:00 pm today (0900 GMT), we have confirmed 903 cases. This includes those still in the hospital and those discharged," Cabutin said. "It is quite alarming because the disease was not confined to one village, but is spread out in 18 villages. There could still be other undiagnosed cases," she said. "If the source can be immediately detected it can be stopped, but if it remains unknown, the number could increase." The outbreak started last month but the cases have quickly piled up over the past two weeks, she said, adding that some 5,000 residents in 18 villages have sought medical help from the local government. Health department officials in Manila were not immediately available to comment, but Cabutin said the local district water authority was testing samples. She said only the health department in Manila can officially declare an outbreak, but local news reports have said hospitals in the area were having a hard time coping and that medical supplies were running out.

Implanted Touch-Screen Runs On Blood

Jim Mielke's wireless blood-fueled display is a true merging of technology and body art. At the recent Greener Gadgets Design Competition, the engineer demonstrated a subcutaneously implanted touch-screen that operates as a cell phone display, with the potential for 3G video calls that are visible just underneath the skin. The basis of the 2x4-inch "Digital Tattoo Interface" is a Bluetooth device made of thin, flexible silicon and silicone. It´s inserted through a small incision as a tightly rolled tube, and then it unfurls beneath the skin to align between skin and muscle. Through the same incision, two small tubes on the device are attached to an artery and a vein to allow the blood to flow to a coin-sized blood fuel cell that converts glucose and oxygen to electricity. After blood flows in from the artery to the fuel cell, it flows out again through the vein. On both the top and bottom surfaces of the display is a matching matrix of field-producing pixels. The top surface also enables touch-screen control through the skin. Instead of ink, the display uses tiny microscopic spheres, somewhat similar to tattoo ink. A field-sensitive material in the spheres changes their color from clear to black, aligned with the matrix fields. The tattoo display communicates wirelessly to other Bluetooth devices - both in the outside world and within the same body. Although the device is always on (as long as your blood´s flowing), the display can be turned off and on by pushing a small dot on the skin. When the phone rings, for example, an individual turns the display on, and "the tattoo comes to life as a digital video of the caller," Mielke explains. When the call ends, the tattoo disappears.

Nanotech Nightmares: Ability To Harm

Due to their tiny size, nanomaterials have unprecedented mobility for a manufactured material and can cross biological membranes, cells, tissues and organs more easily than larger particles. When inhaled, they can go from the lungs into the blood system. Once in the bloodstream, nanomaterials can circulate throughout the body and can lodge in organs and tissues such as the brain, liver, heart, kidneys, spleen, bone marrow and nervous system. The jury is still out on the ease of their skin penetration. The increased surface area of nanoparticles creates increased reactivity and enhanced intrinsic toxicity. Once inside cells, they may interfere with normal cellular function, cause oxidative damage and even cell death.

Bee Loss to Devastate USA in 2008

The collapse of US honeybee colonies this year is set to devastate America's multibillion dollar agriculture and food industries. Last year about 750,000 of the 2.5m hives in the US were wiped out in mysterious circumstances, and already this year the American Beekeeping Federation says there is evidence from its members that losses will be even greater this year. For the first time individual businesses have stepped forward to give money to try to speed up the process of finding out, first of all, what causes colony collapse disease (CCD) and then eradicating it. Häagen-Dazs, the ice cream making subsidiary of General Mills, gave a total of $250,000 (£127,000) to two university research teams and Burt's Bees, the personal care products maker, made a undisclosed grant to create the Honeybee Health Improvement Project, a research task force. Burt's Bees also launched a public service announcement to run in cinemas showing Bee Movie. In the announcement co-founder Burt Shavitz talked about the important role bees play in agriculture. He then urged audiences to visit the company's website (www.burtsbees.com ) to sign up to receive a free packet of wildflower seeds to help create a bee-friendly environment. Honeybees are said to be critical to the production of $15bn worth of crops in the US and Häagen-Dazs says around 25 of its 60 flavours depend on fruits and nuts pollinated by bees. The ice cream maker is also aiming to raise consumer awareness about CCD by launching a new flavour this spring called Vanilla Honey Bee. Back in America all eyes are nowadays on California's almond trees, which represent a $2.5bn industry. The pink and white blossoms have started to appear and the concern is whether there are the tens of thousands bees needed to pollinate the crop. "The almonds are in bloom right now in California and we are hearing there are some significant die-offs. It's worrisome," said professor Cox-Foster.

"Family Secret" Of UFO Sighting

It was April, 1941 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Around 9:30 p.m., Charlotte's grandfather, Reverend William Huffman, got a call about a plane crash and was asked to help. "When they got out there, it wasn't a plane crash at all. It was a saucer, was how he described it," says Charlotte. According to the story, 3 alien bodies lie on the ground next to the spaceship; two already dead. "However, granddad said the third one when he got to him, he was breathing very shallow and so he did pray with him. He did expire as he was on his knees praying for him. He then went to the other two and prayed over them." Charlotte's grandfather then took a closer look at the spaceship. "What he was most impressed with was in the inside there were writings, but he did not recognize it. He said it looked similar to hieroglyphics. The Egyptian hieroglyphics," explains Charlotte. Quickly, the scene was covered with military personnel and Reverend Huffman was sworn to secrecy. Charlotte says, "He was told, 'This did not happen. You did not see this. This is enormous national security. You're not to ever speak of it again.'"

US warships to Mediterranean

The US Navy is sending three warships to the eastern Mediterranean Sea in a show of strength during a period of tensions with Syria and political uncertainty in Lebanon. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters the deployment should not be viewed as threatening or in response to events in any single country in that volatile region. "This is an area that is important to us, the eastern Med," he said when asked about news reports of the ship movements. "It's a group of ships that will operate in the vicinity there for a while," adding that "it isn't meant to send any stronger signals than that, but it does signal that we're engaged, we're going to be in the vicinity and that's a very, very important part of the world." Another military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because full details about the ship movements are not yet public, said the USS Cole is headed for patrol in the eastern Mediterranean and that the USS Nassau, an amphibious warship, would be joining it shortly. The officer said a third ship would go later, but he did not identify it by name.

The Cost Of Calling For UFO Disclosure

On Jan. 10, just one day after my article on UFO secrecy appeared in this newspaper and on this Web site (“Intelligent Extraterrestrial life: The Other Inconvenient truth?” Jan. 9), I was unceremoniously dropped as a Cato Institute adjunct scholar, a position I’d held for more than 20 years. First some background. I’m a Ph.D. economist with a national reputation in the antitrust area. I’ve written books, journal articles, and many dozens of op-ed articles over the years on a variety of public-policy issues. My association with the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington, D. C. goes back many decades. Yet they cut me away in a heartbeat because I dared call for more government disclosure on the UFO phenomenon.... The most recent attempt to “chill” serious media interest in UFO secrecy occurred in Stephenville, Texas. Stephenville currently is a hotbed of UFO activity, and much of the newspaper reporting has been done by the Empire Tribune’s Angelia Joiner. Ms. Joiner filed some of the first stories, talked to many witnesses of the phenomenon, and even appeared on a CNN Larry King special in January. Yet despite a worldwide interest in the sightings, Ms. Joiner recently was fired by the Empire Tribune for, among other things, openly questioning the U.S. Air Force’s improbable explanation of the sightings.

Sex education for five-year-olds

Children as young as five could be given compulsory sex education, it was revealed recently. The prospect emerged as ministers unveiled a review of Sex and Relationship Education in primary and secondary schools. A panel will examine "the right age to begin teaching what the key messages are and content that young people should receive at each key stage". The group will make recommendations to the Government later in the year without first consulting the public. Panel members include representatives from the Family Planning Association, Brook Advisory Centres, HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust and the Sex Education Forum. Critics warned that the review is an attempt to introduce by stealth a more explicit sex education programme for young children. They fear the panel will rubber-stamp an official report from Government advisers in 2006 which said sex education lessons should on the curriculum in all primary schools. The 2006 report by the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy and the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV said sex and relationship lessons should be compulsory in all schools. "The Government is under great pressure from the sex education establishment to introduce compulsory sex education for all children from the age of five and I'm sure there is a very real danger that this review will conclude that this is what is required."

Exorcisms May Be On The Rise

The Catholic Church has always believed in the idea of demonic possession -- of the fight, within the individual, between good and evil, says CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips. The ancient ritual of trying to drive evil spirits formtortured souls was dramatically portrayed by Hollywood in "The Exorcist." The Church, Phillips points out, would rather such graphic religious experiences took place privately. When one Archbishop, Emanuel Malingo, began holding increasingly popular public exorcisms, the Vatican made him stop. The exorcism scenes weren't pretty, Phillips observes. There is evidence, though, that the practice of exorcism is experiencing a revival, according to the Washington Post. Particularly, says Phillips, among the faithful in Poland, so many of whom came to Rome to mourn the death of Pope John Paul II. Demand for exorcism has apparently risen so high, 70 priests now perform the rite there, double the number of five years ago. And the Church is planning a dedicated exorcism center. Some blame the demand on the residue of the communist years. Father Jerome Hall, of the Washington Theological Union, says, "Once the oppressive regime falls, there's still a residue of pain, of betrayal, of anxiety, of evil. ... Some people who grew up in Eastern Europe would say, 'That's no wonder.' " But numbers are said to be up elsewhere, as well, reports Phillips. In Italy, 350 trained exorcists are now working. There were only 20 ten years ago. Italian exorcist Father Gabriele Nanni says, "For the sinners, who want to conquer entities or the devil himself, for them, the situation is very dangerous." Even in the United States, Phillips notes, one-in-ten Catholics, according to a recent survey, now says they've either submitted to or witnessed an exorcism. For many, it seems, the ancient battle between good and evil continues today, Phillips concludes. What's behind the apparent rise in exorcisms? Father Thomas Williams, Dean of Theology at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome and a CBS News religion consultant, told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez on The Early Show Tuesday, "There may be two reasons. One is that there's increased interest in the occult, even in Satanism. Where I live in Italy, Satanic worship is actually on the rise. And this is true in a lot of places in Europe. And the second reason I think is because people are less careful. Honestly, they maybe pray less. They play around with things they shouldn't play with, and then they get into trouble. ... Anyone can be possessed, but I think you really have to open yourself up to it. You have to be un-careful. And I think the spiritual demons, or bad angels, do exist, and I think it's an extreme thing, but it happens sometimes.