Martin Luther King, Jr

Rev. Dr. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

Today we honor, Martin Luther King, Jr. who was the voice of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950's and 1960's.

Had Dr. King not been assassinated by the United States Government he would've been 82 years old today.

He was the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004 years after his 1964 death.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has been established as a U.S. national holiday since 1986. He is the only United State Civilian of any color, race or creed to have his own Federal National Holiday.

"I Have a Dream Speech" (in entirety)

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

MLK Day.gov Official U.S. Site

Civil Rights Museum Official Site

MLK National Historic Site

The King Center

Göbekli Tepe

This is by far the most important archaeological and historical site you've never heard of.

Göbekli Tepe is a "stonehengian" like site in Southeastern Turkey, about 500 miles from Istanbul, in Sanhurfa. It's actually called The Turkish Stonehenge. It was discovered in 1994 by a local shepard and is currently a dig site led by the German Archaeological Institute, headed by chief archaeologist Klaus Schmidt.

At this point only 5% of the site has been excavated. But that 5% is so incredibly astounding that it is being called the most important archaeological find in HISTORY. That's right, folks. History.

Why? What is Göbekli Tepe and why is it heralded as the greatest discovery in modern times? Better yet, why have we never even heard of it?

We can answer that last one easily enough, no conspiracy theory here. It makes news in Europe all the time. Americans just don't seem to give a flying fuck about anything of historical importance. Sorry to be so cynical. We're just going on experience here.

Which brings us back to the first two questions. What is IT about Göbekli Tepe?


Göbekli Tepe (GO-BECK-LI TEP-EE) is the site of the OLDEST archaeological dig on the planet. The dates put forth by archaeologists are astounding. It was built somwhere between 11,500 and 12,000 years ago. We want to think it is the first BONA-FIDE ANTEDILUVIAN (Pre-Flood) site ever discovered, but we have a theory on that.

Göbekli Tepe is the oldest human made place of worship yet discovered. Hands down. That means it pre-dates Jericho, anything in South America and is beat only by the 100,000 year old gold mines in Africa. (Which are currently not being excavated. And are not on the archaeological radar. We're talking MAJOR conspiracy there.)

Thus, the structures (at Göbekli Tepe) not only predate pottery, metallurgy, and the invention of writing or the wheel; they were built before the so-called Neolithic Revolution, i.e., the beginning of agriculture and animal husbandry around 9000 BC.

It's so much older even than Sumer. And Sumer was known until now to be the beginning of history. Göbekli Tepe is twice as old as that and literally doubles human history. It's incredible.

The figures on the pillars unearthed so far represent animals of all shapes and class. A veritable "Noah's Ark." Interestingly, Göbekli Tepe is located in the shadow of Mount Ararat where Noah's Ark was said to have been left after The Flood.

This leads to our theory. "The Noah's Altar Theory", which we at Omni are coining as a term.

First a note about The Flood Myths around the World and the many names of Noah. We know Noah as the Flood survivor named in the Hebrew bible. God came down, spoke to Noah and asked him to build an ark to save his family, other righteous folks and one of every animal on Earth.

But Noah is known by many names:
Sumer: King Ziusudra
Babylon: Utnapishtim
Greece: Deucalion
China: Yu
India: Manu
Scandinavia: Bergelmir
Welsh: Dwyfan
East Africa: Tumbainot
Mongolia: Hailibu

Oh, jeez this goes on and on. EVERY civilization on the face of the Earth has a flood myth and a flood hero. For a semi bit more intensive list go to:
talkorigins.org

Back to the Hebrew version and Noah. The Bible states that the very first thing Noah did when he landed and was safe was build an altar to God. Genesis Chapter 8 Verse 20: "Then Noah built an altar to the LORD."

This is what we think Göbekli Tepe could be. Noah's Altar.

"Noah" was technologically savvy enough to build an ark to survive the global flood from the last ice age, and his people lived long before The Flood. The Antediluvian Society. A civilization that existed before the great global flood. This altar seems to be his work of praise to the almighty God.

What would this altar look like? Would it have animals carved on it? Isn't Noah synonymous with animals?

Interestingly, Göbekli Tepe was purposely buried. That's right. Tons of soil were carefully packed around the structures until it was invisible to the naked eye. It was that important. To save it from invading hordes or other destruction and to save it for US so that we may study it under a modern trained eye. We thank those distant ancestors who so carefully preserved this amazing archaeological site for us. Otherwise it may have been reduced to rubble and we may never have seen it or known about it.

It lay underground for millenia, undisturbed and intact. What it is and what it tells us about ancient man is nothing short of astounding. Here's the thing. We are supposed to believe that Göbekli Tepe was constructed by "people a stones throw away from Cavemen.*" Yet when you see the superior stone work and reliefs it is CLEAR that master stonemasons were at work here.

It is yet another megalithic structure that proves we have lost an epoch in our history. We did not go from "cavemen to striped toothpaste**" in one shot. Long periods of history remain hidden from us. We have these ancient structures that PROVE that humans have a MUCH LONGER history than historians will allow us to believe.

Artists rendering of what Göbekli Tepe must have actually looked like.

So is Göbekli Tepe Noah's lost altar? 95% of the site is STILL UNEXCAVATED. It's anyone's guess when they will find an inscription that tells the real story. But for now, we're going with our theory. It seems to fit.

On a secondary note to this story:

The second thing Noah did was build a vineyard and get drunk. Genesis Chapter 9 verses 20-21: "Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard; and he drank of the wine, and became drunk." Way to go Noah! If we survived the end of the world that's what we would do too.

This article came out the other day and reports the first industrial winery. It is located in Armenia...the same Armenia where Noah's ark is said to be.
Noah's vineyard?

Structures and sites like Göbekli Tepe make us want to know more. More about human origins and try to understand pre-history.

"Those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it."

* Quote: David Hatcher Childress
** Quote: John Anthony West

Ken Jennings is Toast

Watson's picture looks like the "space-blob"
from the news the other day

In Watson's trial run today it beat Ken Jennings and the other guy hands down with 10 mega bytes tied behind its back.

We're talking about the Artificial Intelligence nicknamed Watson. Watson cleared the first category without Ken getting a buzz in. Not one. See the look on the other guy's face? Not good.

Oh-boy. The much hyped Jeopardy contest is to take place February 14-16th, but in today's trial it kicked human ass.

Watson is able "to scour its roughly 200 million pages of stored content -- about 1 million books worth -- and find an answer with confidence in as little as 3 seconds."

Day-Umm. Poor Ken is going to regret trying this "Big Blue vs. Kasparov" forte fast. We have a feeling he's going to call in sick in February.

We wish him luck anyway. Ken is a great guy.

Here Comes the Sun...Uhh...Early

Ilulissat, Greenland

The Sun woke up residents of Greenland two full days earlier than expected this year, ending the month and a half darkness that envelopes the country every year.

Climatologists are upset, baffled and scared thinking it's climate change that has melted even more of the ice caps.

"The sun over Greenland has risen two days early, baffling scientists and sparking fears that Arctic icecaps are melting faster than previously thought.

Experts say the sun should have risen over the Arctic nation's most westerly town, Ilulissat, yesterday, ending a month-and-a-half of winter darkness.

But for the first time in history light began creeping over the horizon at around 1pm on Tuesday - 48 hours ahead of the usual date of 13 January."


NEWS ARTICLE

SURVIVOR: And in Richard Hatch News...

Sorry, not THIS Richard Hatch..the sexy one.



THIS Richard Hatch, the Survivor one...

We like Richard Hatch. He was one of the original Survivor's, strutting around the beach naked and hanging with the old man Rudy. He won that season and has paid hell for it ever since.

He didn't pay his taxes which led to a THREE YEAR prison term - in a REAL prison. Excessive? Yes, it was just a million dollars. Martha Stewart was insider trading for millions of dollars and spent 6 months at Club Fed., a pansy Federal prison where she got to cook and sew sweaters all day.

Anyway, Richard is in trouble AGAIN and in court AGAIN for violating probation for not paying taxes AGAIN on the same money! He now owes $400,000 in back taxes, penalties and fees and is AGAIN on the chopping block and facing MORE PRISON TIME! YIKES!

Today it was announced that he was selected by Donald Trump to be on the next Celebrity Apprentice. Wowza! We don't know what to say, except for if he wins he better pay up fast this time!

Maria Sharapova is Oblivious

"Oh Hi!
Am I foxy enough for a Belarus hunter?"

Maria Sharapova, responding to last years criticism of her Australian Open tennis outfit, held a press conference on Wednesday to show off THIS year's outfit.

While an inland sea the size of Germany has formed in hard-hit Australia and people are drowning, she took the time to show off her tits and ass. That is, non-existent tits and an ass with her head up inside of it.

We couldn't be more offended. While tennis ace after tennis ace has pledged help to the flood victims of Australia, Maria instead chooses to help herself.

As well as showing off her flashy and blingy engagement ring, she also is being sponsored by Tiffany and Co. who are proud to announce today that she will be wearing their earrings for the matches. WTF?

Go away, Maria. People all around you are suffering, you selfish blind bitch. We hope you don't make it past the first round and have to wade through flooded Brisbane to get out of the country.

Score One For The Fox

"Shoot me again, motherfucker.
And I'll shoot you back...again!!"

A fox hunter in Belarus was shot BY A FOX as he tried to "finish off the vulnerable creature."

The hunter did shoot the fox but when he approached it to kill it with the butt of his rifle, the fox managed to get his paw involved hitting the trigger. He shot the hunter in the leg and then ran off!

WAY TO GO FOX! The Fox shot the hunter with his own gun! Justice at last!

When will people learn to respect nature?


News Link

Oh My Stars! - UPDATED

Oh NO! This is most distressing news. The Horoscopes have changed!

The Zodiac as we know it was created by ancient Sumerians 6,000 years ago from knowledge given to them by the Annunaki.

However, "The moon's gravitational pull has slowly moved the Earth in its axis, creating about a one-month bump in the stars' alignment."

Basically, they mean precission. Precession in a nutshell is: A change in the orientation of the rotation axis of a rotating body. A complete precession of the equinoxes requires about 25,800 years.

This means, that the sky changes. What used to be a dominate constellation in your lifetime will not be there in another lifetime. The Earth's rotation changes things.

So what was the zodiac 6,000 years ago isn't the same anymore. Why didn't we think of this?

New Dates and a weird new name for a NEW SIGN:

Capricorn: Jan. 20 - Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 - March 11
Pisces: March 11- April 18
Aries: April 18- May 13
Taurus: May 13- June 21
Gemini: June 21- July 20
Cancer: July 20- Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10- Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16- Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30- Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23- Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29- Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17- Jan. 20

Now, for those of you who think that astrology is bunky bullshit...we have news for you too.

THERE IS AN ACTUAL SCIENCE BEHIND IT.

From Maurice Cotterell's website:
In 1989 engineer and scientist Maurice Cotterell found a way of calculating the duration of long-term magnetic reversals on the Sun. Using this knowledge he was able to break the codes of ancient sun-worshipping civilizations, first the Mayas of Central America, those of Tutankhamun of Egypt, and the Viracochas’ of South America.

The sun's radiation determines personality through genetic mutations at conception (sun-sign astrology). The planets affect the fetus at conception and birth. The 28-day revolving sun regulates menstruation and fertility. The sun controls biorhythms.

Apparently, there are 12 types of solar radiation bombarding us throughout the year as we rotate around the Sun. Thus, 12 personality "types."

Here is the main article regarding the Horoscope change. We have a few issues with it, specifically the Babylonian thing and the dates. It was actually the Sumerians - 6,000 years ago.
But here it is anyway: News Article

Another Article

Also, we love the naysayers. We have an open mind to everything! Sasquatch, Ghosts, Astrology, you name it we believe it! "If you don't believe in something, you'll fall for anything." Why be closed minded about anything? How can you not believe? And more importantly, why wouldn't you?

As, Freud said: "Just as no one can be forced into belief, so no one can be forced into unbelief."

We agree with 'ole Sigmund. But we like this better.

"Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation." Blaise Pascal

We are ALL IN.


UPDATE: Thanks to an astute reader who has pointed this out: In our distress yesterday we didn't even notice that the Scorpio sign is down to 7 days. SEVEN DAYS!!??

ANOTHER UPDATE: From PerezHiton.com
That was scary!
Yesterday, there was end-of-the-world-style panic on Facebook when we "learned" that our zodiac signs had pretty much all changed!
We learned wrong.
You can keep those Scorpio tattoos, because the discovery of a new 13th zodiac sign, Ophiuchus, does NOT apply to Western astrology, and almost definitely doesn't apply to you.

Here's what tarot.com astrologer Jeff Jawer had to say about it:
"When we look at the astrology used in the Western world, the seasonally based astrology has not changed, was never oriented to the constellations, and stands as … has been stated for two millenniums."

"Astrology is geocentric. It relates life on Earth to the Earth’s environment, and seasons are the most dramatic effect, which is why we use the tropical zodiac."
That was a close one! How are you supposed to pick someone up by talking about their zodiac sign when you can't even pronounce it?

We're glad we don't have to worry about U, Ophiuchus!"

HURRAY! We OWN being a Scorpio and weren't going to change for anyone.

SURVIVOR: Redemption Island

Well it hasn't begun to air yet, but the upcoming season named Redemption Island just got ALOT BETTER.

Guess who's back?

Boston Rob and Russell Hantz!

Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS (2)
Russell Hantz and "Boston" Rob Mariano

It will be Russell's 3rd (!) time and Rob's record breaking 4th attempt. Between them they have a combined 156 days out. You know the producers love these guys if they keep bringing them back and you know what? We do too! Rob's kind of an ass but he makes GREAT TV and Russell IS an ASS and makes even GREATER TV.

Host Jeff Probst: “I’m not concerned at all about any Russell fatigue — that people have had too much,” says Probst. “If you’ve had too much of Russell, I dare say you’re not really a Survivor fan. He embodies Survivor. He’s polarizing. You hate him or you love him.”

We LOVE LOVE LOVE him!

Bring it on!

Survivor: Redemption Island premieres Wednesday, February 16.

The Sunset in Stockholm Last Night Was....

GORGEOUS!

From the Daily Mail:

The sun as you rarely see it... through millions of ice crystals called diamond dust.

This amazing sunset with a difference is a phenomenon than can arise when you view the sun through millions of ice crystals. As water freezes in the upper atmosphere, millions of small, six-sided ice crystals - known as diamond dust - flutter to the ground.And at the approach of either sunrise or sunset, this is what an observer passing through the same plane as the falling crystals will see. Each crystal acts like a miniature lens, refracting the eye's view of sunlight and creating the phenomena known as sundogs.

The dramatic effect is also referred to a mock sun or a phantom sun.

And in Soccer News

Lionel with his Trophy, the Ballon d’Or

FIFA Player of the Year award goes to: Lionel Messi

Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi won FIFA’s Ballon d’Or award on Monday as the world’s best player of 2010. Messi won the trophy for a second straight year, finishing ahead of Barcelona teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.

“It’s a very special day for me,” Messi said

Also...

World rankings are out as of yesterday. Here they are according to FIFA:
The rankings are based on performances over the last four years (last month's positions in brackets):

1. (1) Spain
2. (2) Netherlands
3. (3) Germany
4. (4) Brazil
5. (5) Argentina
6. (6) England
7. (7) Uruguay
8. (8) Portugal
9. (10) Croatia
10. (9) Egypt
11. (11) Greece
12. (12) Norway
13. (13) Russia
14. (14) Italy
15. (15) Chile
16. (16) Ghana
17. (17) Slovenia
18. (18) United States
18. (18) France
20. (20) Slovakia

And in local news our own Philadelphia Union have a new sponsor and it's upsetting to say the least. Bimbo Bread (pronounced BEAM-BO) have labeled our players as well..Bimbo's. This sucks.

Just a reminder of cool our logo really is, you know..without that whole Bimbo thing...

LOTR News!

Attention Lord of the Rings fans!

Good news greets The Shire this morning as we find that all of our favorite actors have returned to film The Hobbit!

That means, Elijah Wood (Frodo), Dominic Monaghan (Merry), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Sir Ian McKellan (the Wizard Gandalf).

Of course, having actually read The Hobbit we have no idea why Elijah Wood's Frodo or Monaghan's Merry would be involved. Even though they are "hobbits" and the film is entitled The Hobbit, the book was about Frodo's Uncle Bilbo, the discovery of the one ring of power, the Battle of the Five Armies and the slaying of Smaug the Dragon.

Oh well, maybe they can invent a role for Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn and bring him back too!

Christopher Lee has been asked to reprise his role of the Wizard Saruman, but no word yet on whether or not he'll return.

We're not crazy about Orlando Bloom. His acting is poor to say the least and he is about as exciting as watching grass grow. To top it off, he'll be getting about $1M to make a cameo in the film comprising of about, oh 2 minutes! He's overrated and overpaid in our opinion. Well, at least we only have to suffer him for 2 minutes.

Bring back Viggo! We could watch him all day!

Filming is set to begin Feb. 14th in New Zealand. We're glad that Peter Jackson is back as director. The Hobbit will be a two part movie - that means at least 7 to 9 hours in Peter Jackson's world. Yay!

Pray for Our Aussie Friends

Cyclone Ellie has pummeled Australia and Queensland is being devastated as we speak. Downpours of rain have flooded an area the size of Germany and France COMBINED, leaving behind an inland sea the size of Germany. It started to recede the other day, draining 100,000 Olympic sized pools A DAY. However, rains came in again that poured an additional 6 inches falling within one half hour. 11,000 homes have been inundated and evacuated with another 6,000 being evacuated today.

The Great Barrier Reef is in direct peril as authorities say that the toxins unleashed by the flood are pouring right into it, killing off whole parts of the reef as well as dozens of schools of fish and other marine life. Eleven people were killed this week alone. This is a natural disaster of epic, tragic proportions.

Officials are calling what happened yesterday "an instant tsunami."

From AP: BRISBANE, Australia — Military helicopters searched Tuesday for scores of people missing after a tsunami-like wall of water ripped through an Australian valley, tossing cars like toys in the deadliest episode of a weekslong flood crisis. Emergency services officers plucked more than 40 people from houses isolated overnight by the torrent that hit the Lockyer Valley, and thousands were being evacuated. In one small community in the path of the floodwaters, Forest Hill, the entire population of about 300 was being airlifted to safety in military helicopters. Queensland has been in the grip of its worst flooding for more than two weeks, after tropical downpours across a vast area of the state covered an area the size of France and Germany combined. Entire towns have been swamped, more than 200,000 people affected, and coal and farming industries virtually shut down.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our Australian friends as we usually turn our thoughts to the Australian Open this time of year, set to begin on Jan. 19th. This is such a bummer we cannot even believe it. The Aussie Open is one of our favorite events every year and we so look forward to it.

The only benefit we can think of is that as soon as TV coverage begins later this week, that people everywhere will see the devastation and help out somehow.

The people of Australia have shown time and again how friendly, open and just how cool they are. They could really use our help right now.

Tennis super-stars pledge help to flood victims.
Read all about it here:

Hilarious!

Saturday Night Live's skit on The Black Swan was hysterical.
Has Jim Carrey hosted SNL before? The ratings were the highest in over two years even beating out the highly rated Betty White episode.

Here it is:

And the Personality of the Year Award goes to....

DRUM ROLL PLEASE:

Who else?

DR. ZAHI HAWASS!

In the "you can't make this shit up department"...Dr. Hawass the illustrious Pharaoh of Egypt has been awarded Personality of the Year.

"I accept this award of behalf of myself"

From Dr. Hawass.com

"Today at the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) offices in Zamalek, Francisco Lara, Vice President of La Asociación Plataforma Para El Fomento de Los Oficios Artisticos (APFOA) presented Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of SCA, with their Personality of the Year Award. Hawass received a beautiful original bronze statue of Don Quixote and a certificate in recognition of his efforts to preserve Egypt’s cultural and archaeological heritage.

Hawass was chosen by the APFOA because he has brought the wonders of Egypt’s heritage to the world through his amazing discoveries and major restoration projects that he has carried out at several monuments.

Lara said that among the most important restoration projects completed by Hawass are the Hibis temple in Kharga Oasis, and the Serapeum and Djoser’s Step Pyramid at Saqqara.

Hawass was delighted by the prize and remarked that it highlights the relationship between Egypt and Spain, particularly in the field of archaeology. There are two Spanish expeditions currently working in Egypt: the first one is excavating at the noblemen’s tombs on Luxor’s west bank and the other is excavating and restoring the site of Al-Bahnasa in Middle Egypt. Hawass also said that exchanging junior restorers between both countries is an important form of cooperation because it allows young Egyptians to be trained in the latest restoration techniques.

Hawass previously received the Medal of the Spanish Order of Arts and Culture from Spain in recognition of his contributions to world culture and his warm relationship with Spain. He was also chosen as a recipient of the Egyptian Pioneer Award from the Spanish Egyptological Society. The award was presented to the five most influential Egyptian “pioneers” and included Umm Kalthoum, Omar Sherif, Ahmed Zuweil and Naguib Mahfouz."

Congrats..? No. This guy needs another award like we need a hole in our head. He's already the world's leading narcissist. Make it stop!

Be Forewarned New York - The Pharaoh is Speaking to YOU

Uh-Oh. Dr. Hawass has his panties bunched again. This time it is New York City that faces his potential wrath. He has threatened to take back Cleopatra's Needle, the 71-foot, 224-ton obelisk, that has been monumented in Central Park since installed by George Vanderbuilt in January of 1881.

"I am glad that this monument has become such an integral part of New York City, but I am dismayed at the lack of care and attention that it has been given," Hawass wrote. "Recent photographs that I have received show the severe damage that has been done to the obelisk, particularly to the hieroglyphic text, which in places has been completely worn away. I have a duty to protect all Egyptian monuments whether they are inside or outside of Egypt. If the Central Park Conservancy and the City of New York cannot properly care for this obelisk, I will take the necessary steps to bring this precious artifact home and save it from ruin."

New York denies any damage and says "its not true." Liar, liar pants on fire! The damage is clear to anyone to see. Probably from acid rain and other pollution. And isn't Mayor Bloomberg crying that there's no money for anything anymore? They aren't going to save it. The Vanderbuilt/Astor - aka big money days - are over.

We're on the Pharaoh's side on this one. Take it back and preserve it!

Read the following article on the fabulous history of this obelisk and how it got to New York...
News Article

The Saddest Thing We'll EVER Publish - AND WE URGE YOU TO READ IT

Bill Zeller on the Princeton Campus

Today, we read a suicide note so full of pain that it was (it is) extremely hard to bear. We will publish it in it's entirety, as he wanted it, for reasons he explains at the end, although we're not sure if he knew that the entire world would read it.

Bill Zeller, unheard of until the mass publication of this note today, killed himself by hanging. Actually the attempt failed initally, but he died yesterday at hospital in Princeton, NJ of the complications from it.

Bill Zeller was a Princeton Ph.D candidate and renowned internet programmer. In fact, he is described by colleagues and students as brilliant. He was a programming whiz kid, responsible for creating applications such as Graph Your Inbox, which visualizes Gmail use over time, and myTunes, which enables users to download others' iTunes music. At 27 years old, sadly he was just beginning to put his programming skills to work.

It's hard not to be touched by this staggering 4,000 word suicide note. It's much more than that. We wonder what is wrong with a society that allows child molesters to be set free after serving a few paltry years in prison. We demand that it become a crime worthy of capital punishment. At the very least it should carry an automatic life sentence with no parole if convicted.

Here is Bill's note. Do not be too scared or too repulsed to read it. Do not be angry we posted it. He wrote it for all of us to understand. So that we may have the courage to do something about it.

It's long but stay with it. His message deserves to be heard. It was originally published on his website.

"I have the urge to declare my sanity and justify my actions, but I assume I'll never be able to convince anyone that this was the right decision. Maybe it's true that anyone who does this is insane by definition, but I can at least explain my reasoning. I considered not writing any of this because of how personal it is, but I like tying up loose ends and don't want people to wonder why I did this. Since I've never spoken to anyone about what happened to me, people would likely draw the wrong conclusions.

My first memories as a child are of being raped, repeatedly. This has affected every aspect of my life. This darkness, which is the only way I can describe it, has followed me like a fog, but at times intensified and overwhelmed me, usually triggered by a distinct situation. In kindergarten I couldn't use the bathroom and would stand petrified whenever I needed to, which started a trend of awkward and unexplained social behavior. The damage that was done to my body still prevents me from using the bathroom normally, but now it's less of a physical impediment than a daily reminder of what was done to me.

This darkness followed me as I grew up. I remember spending hours playing with legos, having my world consist of me and a box of cold, plastic blocks. Just waiting for everything to end. It's the same thing I do now, but instead of legos it's surfing the web or reading or listening to a baseball game. Most of my life has been spent feeling dead inside, waiting for my body to catch up.

At times growing up I would feel inconsolable rage, but I never connected this to what happened until puberty. I was able to keep the darkness at bay for a few hours at a time by doing things that required intense concentration, but it would always come back. Programming appealed to me for this reason. I was never particularly fond of computers or mathematically inclined, but the temporary peace it would provide was like a drug. But the darkness always returned and built up something like a tolerance, because programming has become less and less of a refuge.

The darkness is with me nearly every time I wake up. I feel like a grime is covering me. I feel like I'm trapped in a contimated body that no amount of washing will clean. Whenever I think about what happened I feel manic and itchy and can't concentrate on anything else. It manifests itself in hours of eating or staying up for days at a time or sleeping for sixteen hours straight or week long programming binges or constantly going to the gym. I'm exhausted from feeling like this every hour of every day.

Three to four nights a week I have nightmares about what happened. It makes me avoid sleep and constantly tired, because sleeping with what feels like hours of nightmares is not restful. I wake up sweaty and furious. I'm reminded every morning of what was done to me and the control it has over my life.

I've never been able to stop thinking about what happened to me and this hampered my social interactions. I would be angry and lost in thought and then be interrupted by someone saying "Hi" or making small talk, unable to understand why I seemed cold and distant. I walked around, viewing the outside world from a distant portal behind my eyes, unable to perform normal human niceties. I wondered what it would be like to take to other people without what happened constantly on my mind, and I wondered if other people had similar experiences that they were better able to mask.

Alcohol was also something that let me escape the darkness. It would always find me later, though, and it was always angry that I managed to escape and it made me pay. Many of the irresponsible things I did were the result of the darkness. Obviously I'm responsible for every decision and action, including this one, but there are reasons why things happen the way they do.

Alcohol and other drugs provided a way to ignore the realities of my situation. It was easy to spend the night drinking and forget that I had no future to look forward to. I never liked what alcohol did to me, but it was better than facing my existence honestly. I haven't touched alcohol or any other drug in over seven months (and no drugs or alcohol will be involved when I do this) and this has forced me to evaluate my life in an honest and clear way. There's no future here. The darkness will always be with me.

I used to think if I solved some problem or achieved some goal, maybe he would leave. It was comforting to identify tangible issues as the source of my problems instead of something that I'll never be able to change. I thought that if I got into to a good college, or a good grad school, or lost weight, or went to the gym nearly every day for a year, or created programs that millions of people used, or spent a summer or California or New York or published papers that I was proud of, then maybe I would feel some peace and not be constantly haunted and unhappy. But nothing I did made a dent in how depressed I was on a daily basis and nothing was in any way fulfilling. I'm not sure why I ever thought that would change anything.

I didn't realize how deep a hold he had on me and my life until my first relationship. I stupidly assumed that no matter how the darkness affected me personally, my romantic relationships would somehow be separated and protected. Growing up I viewed my future relationships as a possible escape from this thing that haunts me every day, but I began to realize how entangled it was with every aspect of my life and how it is never going to release me. Instead of being an escape, relationships and romantic contact with other people only intensified everything about him that I couldn't stand. I will never be able to have a relationship in which he is not the focus, affecting every aspect of my romantic interactions.

Relationships always started out fine and I'd be able to ignore him for a few weeks. But as we got closer emotionally the darkness would return and every night it'd be me, her and the darkness in a black and gruesome threesome. He would surround me and penetrate me and the more we did the more intense it became. It made me hate being touched, because as long as we were separated I could view her like an outsider viewing something good and kind and untainted. Once we touched, the darkness would envelope her too and take her over and the evil inside me would surround her. I always felt like I was infecting anyone I was with.

Relationships didn't work. No one I dated was the right match, and I thought that maybe if I found the right person it would overwhelm him. Part of me knew that finding the right person wouldn't help, so I became interested in girls who obviously had no interest in me. For a while I thought I was gay. I convinced myself that it wasn't the darkness at all, but rather my orientation, because this would give me control over why things didn't feel "right". The fact that the darkness affected sexual matters most intensely made this idea make some sense and I convinced myself of this for a number of years, starting in college after my first relationship ended. I told people I was gay (at Trinity, not at Princeton), even though I wasn't attracted to men and kept finding myself interested in girls. Because if being gay wasn't the answer, then what was? People thought I was avoiding my orientation, but I was actually avoiding the truth, which is that while I'm straight, I will never be content with anyone. I know now that the darkness will never leave.

Last spring I met someone who was unlike anyone else I'd ever met. Someone who showed me just how well two people could get along and how much I could care about another human being. Someone I know I could be with and love for the rest of my life, if I weren't so fucked up. Amazingly, she liked me. She liked the shell of the man the darkness had left behind. But it didn't matter because I couldn't be alone with her. It was never just the two of us, it was always the three of us: her, me and the darkness. The closer we got, the more intensely I'd feel the darkness, like some evil mirror of my emotions. All the closeness we had and I loved was complemented by agony that I couldn't stand, from him. I realized that I would never be able to give her, or anyone, all of me or only me. She could never have me without the darkness and evil inside me. I could never have just her, without the darkness being a part of all of our interactions. I will never be able to be at peace or content or in a healthy relationship. I realized the futility of the romantic part of my life. If I had never met her, I would have realized this as soon as I met someone else who I meshed similarly well with. It's likely that things wouldn't have worked out with her and we would have broken up (with our relationship ending, like the majority of relationships do) even if I didn't have this problem, since we only dated for a short time. But I will face exactly the same problems with the darkness with anyone else. Despite my hopes, love and compatability is not enough. Nothing is enough. There's no way I can fix this or even push the darkness down far enough to make a relationship or any type of intimacy feasible.

So I watched as things fell apart between us. I had put an explicit time limit on our relationship, since I knew it couldn't last because of the darkness and didn't want to hold her back, and this caused a variety of problems. She was put in an unnatural situation that she never should have been a part of. It must have been very hard for her, not knowing what was actually going on with me, but this is not something I've ever been able to talk about with anyone. Losing her was very hard for me as well. Not because of her (I got over our relationship relatively quickly), but because of the realization that I would never have another relationship and because it signified the last true, exclusive personal connection I could ever have. This wasn't apparent to other people, because I could never talk about the real reasons for my sadness. I was very sad in the summer and fall, but it was not because of her, it was because I will never escape the darkness with anyone. She was so loving and kind to me and gave me everything I could have asked for under the circumstances. I'll never forget how much happiness she brought me in those briefs moments when I could ignore the darkness. I had originally planned to kill myself last winter but never got around to it. (Parts of this letter were written over a year ago, other parts days before doing this.) It was wrong of me to involve myself in her life if this were a possibility and I should have just left her alone, even though we only dated for a few months and things ended a long time ago. She's just one more person in a long list of people I've hurt.

I could spend pages talking about the other relationships I've had that were ruined because of my problems and my confusion related to the darkness. I've hurt so many great people because of who I am and my inability to experience what needs to be experienced. All I can say is that I tried to be honest with people about what I thought was true.

I've spent my life hurting people. Today will be the last time.

I've told different people a lot of things, but I've never told anyone about what happened to me, ever, for obvious reasons. It took me a while to realize that no matter how close you are to someone or how much they claim to love you, people simply cannot keep secrets. I learned this a few years ago when I thought I was gay and told people. The more harmful the secret, the juicier the gossip and the more likely you are to be betrayed. People don't care about their word or what they've promised, they just do whatever the fuck they want and justify it later. It feels incredibly lonely to realize you can never share something with someone and have it be between just the two of you. I don't blame anyone in particular, I guess it's just how people are. Even if I felt like this is something I could have shared, I have no interest in being part of a friendship or relationship where the other person views me as the damaged and contaminated person that I am. So even if I were able to trust someone, I probably would not have told them about what happened to me. At this point I simply don't care who knows.

I feel an evil inside me. An evil that makes me want to end life. I need to stop this. I need to make sure I don't kill someone, which is not something that can be easily undone. I don't know if this is related to what happened to me or something different. I recognize the irony of killing myself to prevent myself from killing someone else, but this decision should indicate what I'm capable of.

So I've realized I will never escape the darkness or misery associated with it and I have a responsibility to stop myself from physically harming others.

I'm just a broken, miserable shell of a human being. Being molested has defined me as a person and shaped me as a human being and it has made me the monster I am and there's nothing I can do to escape it. I don't know any other existence. I don't know what life feels like where I'm apart from any of this. I actively despise the person I am. I just feel fundamentally broken, almost non-human. I feel like an animal that woke up one day in a human body, trying to make sense of a foreign world, living among creatures it doesn't understand and can't connect with.

I have accepted that the darkness will never allow me to be in a relationship. I will never go to sleep with someone in my arms, feeling the comfort of their hands around me. I will never know what uncontimated intimacy is like. I will never have an exclusive bond with someone, someone who can be the recipient of all the love I have to give. I will never have children, and I wanted to be a father so badly. I think I would have made a good dad. And even if I had fought through the darkness and married and had children all while being unable to feel intimacy, I could have never done that if suicide were a possibility. I did try to minimize pain, although I know that this decision will hurt many of you. If this hurts you, I hope that you can at least forget about me quickly.

There's no point in identifying who molested me, so I'm just going to leave it at that. I doubt the word of a dead guy with no evidence about something that happened over twenty years ago would have much sway.

You may wonder why I didn't just talk to a professional about this. I've seen a number of doctors since I was a teenager to talk about other issues and I'm positive that another doctor would not have helped. I was never given one piece of actionable advice, ever. More than a few spent a large part of the session reading their notes to remember who I was. And I have no interest in talking about being raped as a child, both because I know it wouldn't help and because I have no confidence it would remain secret. I know the legal and practical limits of doctor/patient confidentiality, growing up in a house where we'd hear stories about the various mental illnesses of famous people, stories that were passed down through generations. All it takes is one doctor who thinks my story is interesting enough to share or a doctor who thinks it's her right or responsibility to contact the authorities and have me identify the molestor (justifying her decision by telling herself that someone else might be in danger). All it takes is a single doctor who violates my trust, just like the "friends" who I told I was gay did, and everything would be made public and I'd be forced to live in a world where people would know how fucked up I am. And yes, I realize this indicates that I have severe trust issues, but they're based on a large number of experiences with people who have shown a profound disrepect for their word and the privacy of others.

People say suicide is selfish. I think it's selfish to ask people to continue living painful and miserable lives, just so you possibly won't feel sad for a week or two. Suicide may be a permanent solution to a temporary problem, but it's also a permanent solution to a ~23 year-old problem that grows more intense and overwhelming every day.

Some people are just dealt bad hands in this life. I know many people have it worse than I do, and maybe I'm just not a strong person, but I really did try to deal with this. I've tried to deal with this every day for the last 23 years and I just can't fucking take it anymore.

I often wonder what life must be like for other people. People who can feel the love from others and give it back unadulterated, people who can experience sex as an intimate and joyous experience, people who can experience the colors and happenings of this world without constant misery. I wonder who I'd be if things had been different or if I were a stronger person. It sounds pretty great.

I'm prepared for death. I'm prepared for the pain and I am ready to no longer exist. Thanks to the strictness of New Jersey gun laws this will probably be much more painful than it needs to be, but what can you do. My only fear at this point is messing something up and surviving.

---

I'd also like to address my family, if you can call them that. I despise everything they stand for and I truly hate them, in a non-emotional, dispassionate and what I believe is a healthy way. The world will be a better place when they're dead--one with less hatred and intolerance.

If you're unfamiliar with the situation, my parents are fundamentalist Christians who kicked me out of their house and cut me off financially when I was 19 because I refused to attend seven hours of church a week.

They live in a black and white reality they've constructed for themselves. They partition the world into good and evil and survive by hating everything they fear or misunderstand and calling it love. They don't understand that good and decent people exist all around us, "saved" or not, and that evil and cruel people occupy a large percentage of their church. They take advantage of people looking for hope by teaching them to practice the same hatred they practice.

A random example:

"I am personally convinced that if a Muslim truly believes and obeys the Koran, he will be a terrorist." - George Zeller, August 24, 2010.

If you choose to follow a religion where, for example, devout Catholics who are trying to be good people are all going to Hell but child molestors go to Heaven (as long as they were "saved" at some point), that's your choice, but it's fucked up. Maybe a God who operates by those rules does exist. If so, fuck Him.

Their church was always more important than the members of their family and they happily sacrificed whatever necessary in order to satisfy their contrived beliefs about who they should be.

I grew up in a house where love was proxied through a God I could never believe in. A house where the love of music with any sort of a beat was literally beaten out of me. A house full of hatred and intolerance, run by two people who were experts at appearing kind and warm when others were around. Parents who tell an eight year old that his grandmother is going to Hell because she's Catholic. Parents who claim not to be racist but then talk about the horrors of miscegenation. I could list hundreds of other examples, but it's tiring.

Since being kicked out, I've interacted with them in relatively normal ways. I talk to them on the phone like nothing happened. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I like pretending I have a family. Maybe I like having people I can talk to about what's been going on in my life. Whatever the reason, it's not real and it feels like a sham. I should have never allowed this reconnection to happen.

I wrote the above a while ago, and I do feel like that much of the time. At other times, though, I feel less hateful. I know my parents honestly believe the crap they believe in. I know that my mom, at least, loved me very much and tried her best. One reason I put this off for so long is because I know how much pain it will cause her. She has been sad since she found out I wasn't "saved", since she believes I'm going to Hell, which is not a sadness for which I am responsible. That was never going to change, and presumably she believes the state of my physical body is much less important than the state of my soul. Still, I cannot intellectually justify this decision, knowing how much it will hurt her. Maybe my ability to take my own life, knowing how much pain it will cause, shows that I am a monster who doesn't deserve to live. All I know is that I can't deal with this pain any longer and I'm am truly sorry I couldn't wait until my family and everyone I knew died so this could be done without hurting anyone. For years I've wished that I'd be hit by a bus or die while saving a baby from drowning so my death might be more acceptable, but I was never so lucky.

---

To those of you who have shown me love, thank you for putting up with all my shittiness and moodiness and arbitrariness. I was never the person I wanted to be. Maybe without the darkness I would have been a better person, maybe not. I did try to be a good person, but I realize I never got very far.

I'm sorry for the pain this causes. I really do wish I had another option. I hope this letter explains why I needed to do this. If you can't understand this decision, I hope you can at least forgive me.

Bill Zeller

---

Please save this letter and repost it if gets deleted. I don't want people to wonder why I did this. I disseminated it more widely than I might have otherwise because I'm worried that my family might try to restrict access to it. I don't mind if this letter is made public. In fact, I'd prefer it be made public to people being unable to read it and drawing their own conclusions.

Feel free to republish this letter, but only if it is reproduced in its entirety."

We at Omni once again reiterate..what is a crime worthy of capital puishment? Surely the adult who tortured Bill as a child is still walking the streets. Probably the family priest from the over tones in the letter. When as a society are we going to start actually protecting children from this and take it seriously?

Rape in general is almost impossible to bear, but to a child...we don't have to imagine amymore. Bill spells it out perfectly clear...it's a "darkness" that defines you as a person and one that haunts you all your life. There is no rationalizing it. The adult survivors who have been able to manage it through therapy will agree. You can barely manage it. It stays with you always. To the adult perpetrator, who does such a thing and walks away casually, it was just another encounter. To a child, it's a heinous life-altering, life-destroying act that will forever alter your perception of happiness and self-worth.

Many may argue that this guys was nuts and should have seen a doctor. He DID see many doctors over the years. This is another issue. He was scared to talk about it. Scared that he'd be outed. That the police would be contacted. He was tortured, not crazy.

The Psychiatric community is probably up in arms about this right now. But, they need to figure out a way to help more children and adults like Bill who are keeping this poison inside. Afraid.

This country needs to stand up and say no more. We urge all of you to write congress, write your represenatatives, call your governors and demand that the penalty for child molestation be raised to the fucking bar. LIFE IN PRISON OR THE DEALTH PENALTY. Enough is enough.

God Bless you, Bill. Suicide is not a sin and may God give you the peace on the other side that so alluded you here.

1000memories.com/billzeller/memories

Bucks County Playhouse

For the second time in its two hundred year history the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA has been saved.

The building had come under foreclosure earlier this year. An unsuccessful sheriff's sale led to a grass-roots campaign to save the building.

The theater, close to the Delaware River, houses 450 seats and was originally built as a grist mill in the 1790's. Back in 1939, the building was saved the first time and converted into a theater.

This time a new nonprofit called the Bucks County Playhouse Conservancy is raising funds to remodel and re-open it by summer 2011.

"The list of actors and actresses that have appeared at Bucks County Playhouse is impressive. Kim Hunter, Helen Hayes, Kitty Carlisle, Colleen Dewhurst, Shirley Booth, Sara Seegar, Lillian Gish, June Lockhart, Frances Reid, Peggy McCay, Grace Kelly, Bonnie Franklin, Kaye Ballard and Sandy Dennis have all appeared in performances. A list of actors includes Farley Granger, Robert Redford, Paul Lynde, Kevin McCarthy, Bert Lahr, Leslie Nielsen, Jack Klugman, Gale Gordon, Roddy McDowell, Walter Matthau, Merv Griffin and Larry Hagman.

In its 1960s heyday it was a place for Broadway and Hollywood actors to perform in summer stock.

"The entire theater community was aghast at the idea of permanently losing this legendary venue," said Jed Bernstein, producer of "Driving Miss Daisy" on Broadway and a lead figure in the preservation effort."

Official Website

An Historical Day in The House of Representatives

Today for the first time EVER, the ENTIRE Constitution was read line for line by both Republicans and Democrats.

The document is 222 years old and it was the first time being read in the House. Wow.

We think that's pretty cool, although most people were left unimpressed.

When the 13 the Amendment of the Constitution was read, the one that abolishes slavery, cheers broke out amidst a standing ovation.

The Preamble:
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Read the rest of our Nation's most treasured document here

Wikileaks: Japan Disappoints Once Again

Of course radical liberals like us would LOVE Wikileaks. And we really do. Screw the politicians and their two-faced bullshit. The more exposure the better.

Well, today it is Japan's turn. We just learned through Wikileaks that Japan asked the US for help stopping the Sea Shepard's!

While we are hardly surprised, we are heartened to learn that the US told Japan to fuck off.

Basically, Japan called into question the Sea Shepard's tax-exempt status as a non-profit and wanted them shut down.

"Yamada inquired about an investigation into the tax status of the U.S.-based NGO Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and repeated Japan's request for the U.S. to take action against the organization, which he said created a very dangerous situation on the seas," according to the cable written by U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos in reference to Shuji Yamada, the vice minister of international affairs in the ministry of agricultural affairs, forestry and fisheries..."

The only danger on the seas are the Japanese who continue to defy bans on killing whale's, especially in protected sanctuaries.

As we speak, the hunt is on again and the Sea Shepard's are risking their lives to protect the whales.

From Sea Shepard.org as of yesterday January 5, 2011:

"Sea Shepherd’s ships the Steve Irwin and the Gojira engaged in their second confrontation of the season when Sea Shepherd attempted to shake off the tail of a harpoon vessel on the evening of January 5th, 2011. This engagement took place on the International Date Line as the vessels crossed back and forth from Wednesday to Tuesday and back to Wednesday again.

The Sea Shepherd ships have been pursuing the Japanese factory ship the Nisshin Maru for the past six days ever since finding the Japanese whaling fleet on December 31st, 2010. Since then, the two fleets have covered over a thousand miles as the whalers attempt to shake off the pursuing Sea Shepherd ships."

To keep posted check out Sea Shepard's News Page

From Homeless to NFL Films

The viral video of the Ted Williams, homeless panhandler in Ohio has paid off big time.

Ted, a former alcoholic druggie, was videotaped after a passerby read his sign that said (in part): "I have a god-given talent of voice..."

The video was posted on Youtube, has drawn thousands of "hits" and lead to a "Let's get Ted a voice-over job campaign."

It worked! NFL films is said to be contacting him as we speak and the Cleveland Cavaliers want him as well.

Here's the blurb from USA Today.com:
"A producer at NFL Films has contacted the Columbus Dispatch newspaper, which profiled Brooklyn native Ted Williams to try to hire him for voiceover work, says NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy. The Cleveland Cavaliers are also said to be in the hunt to hire the overnight radio sensation."

We're sure as soon as he's cleaned up, housed and fed, he'll look the part too.

Way to go, Internet!

UPDATE:
"This morning, WNCI's DAVE KAELIN & JIMMY JAM interviewed TED, along with all three local network affiliates as well as INSIDE EDITION, CNN, and the TODAY SHOW, and the floodgates of opportunity opened wide.
Among the offers TED has:
- Arena announcer for THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS -- including a salary and they will buy him a house
- OHIO CREDIT UNION LEAGUE gave him $10,000 cash and a retainer deal for voicework
- ESPN is reportedly offering him a job
- MTV reportedly wants to discuss a reality series
- A free vacation trip to HILO, HI to voice a commercial ... and the list goes on!"


Watch the news interview from this morning's CBS show. He cries at the end thinking of meeting his 92 year old mom and telling her he has a job...and a home.

Stan Lee Gets a Star

Comic book Superhero creator Stan Lee was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame yesterday.

We say he deserves it. His TV show Superhumans is pretty awesome, too.

"More than 2 million of Lee's comic books have been published in 75 nations and in 25 languages. His characters have been featured in 24 animated television series and several live-action movies."

Wow.

What did Stan have to say about his Star, the 2,428th one?

"Wouldja believe I'm on the same block as Paul Newman and Sophia Loren?"

Lee is 88 years young.

The Pharaoh's First Interview of 2011

Dr. Hawass is back! Okay, he never really left but it's been a few months since anything new was breaking.

Here's an excerpt from the interview on Discovery News.com

King Tut's Wife's Tomb May Emerge in 2011

The tomb of King Tut’s wife, a buried pyramid, the Great Pyramid’s secret doors, and the final resting place of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony: these discoveries could await us in 2011, according to Dr. Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities...

Read the rest of the article from Discovery News.com

We cannot post the video of the interview itself.
You'll have to follow this link.

We have to say though, The Pharaoh is remarkably...sedate. It's quite the departure from his usual amped up self. And we have to say, it's very Nice.

Regarding the actual news, first let's say it's very exciting that they have discovered a buried pyramid! Of course excavations are underway, Dr. Hawass waits for no one. We'll soon know what they discover there. Finding Cleopatra's Tomb will be the Egyptian discovery of the century. That will be freaking awesome! King Tut's wife's tomb will also be a great discovery. But, as far as the secret doors in the Great Pyramid go, forget it. Hawass has that shit buried so deep, we'll never know unless he gets the rights to air it on Fox on 12/21/2012!

R.I.P: Pete Postlethwaite

Wow. The first RIP column of the year and we're only on Day Three. This one really sucks, too.

Pete Postlethwaite was an actor's actor. The best of the best. One of our favorites of all time. Because you knew if he was in the movie...it'd be a freakin' great movie.

You might not recognize the name but you'd recognize the face.

Spielberg called him the "probably the best actor in the world". Friends are saying he was quite simply "the most exciting, exhilarating actor of his generation." Bill Nighy, another Everyman veteran, called him "a rare and remarkable man", adding: "I was honoured by his friendship – he is irreplaceable". Stephen Fry tweeted: "The loss of the great Pete Postlethwaite is a very sad way to begin a year," and Simon Pegg, also on Twitter, called him "one of our finest actors", adding "Owned the stage, he did."

He was robbed of the Oscar, although nominated "in 1993 for In The Name of the Father, for his moving portrayal of Giuseppe Conlon, the father of one of the Guildford Four, who died in prison, wrongfully convicted of IRA bombings."

He spent time with the family to prepare for the role, and the real Gerry Conlon told Irish radio today: "He was so, so believable. There were times when he turned, and these quirky mannerisms that he performed, it was like looking at my dad."

Jim Sheridan, director of the film, said: "He was amazing. Everybody loved him. He was an amazing character and a lovely man."

That was the role we remember seeing him in the first. In the Name of the Father is one of the best films ever made. Pete was awesome in it.

Spielberg's description of him as the best in the world came in 1997, after Postlethwaite appeared in his films Amistad, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

Pete Postlethwaite was in dozens of movies including:
The Town
Inception
Clash of the Titans
The Omen
Aeon Flux
The Constant Gardener

Jurassic Park: The Lost World
The Shipping News
Amistad
Romeo and Juliet
DragonHeart
The Usual Suspects
In the Name of the Father
The Last of the Mohicans

R.I.P - Pete Postlethwaite
Thank you and Good-bye, Sir.

Where Horses No Longer Roam Free

The Bureau of Land Management is, quite honestly, run by a bunch of small minded stupid motherfuckers and assholes. Trust us, we are holding back what we really think.

What else do you call this?
Warning: Absolutely heartbreaking



DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Write President Obama and DEMAND a moratorium on the roundups!
White House Contact page

WRITE TO THE PRESIDENT!
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Please include your e-mail address

CALL THE WHITE HOUSE!
Phone Numbers:
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

Join a protest group!

The Cloud Foundation.org

Global Animal.org

Respect4horses.com

The fact that this is occurring at OUR expense, funded by OUR own tax dollars is OUTRAGEOUS. The BLM must be stopped! The concept of what they are trying to do: save the land for cattle grazing or something is understandable to a degree. The methods of clearing the land of horses is unconscionable, unreasonable, cruel, inhumane and downright disgusting. They are known to run the horses to a cliff and drive them off to die in heaps and piles at the bottom. We need to stop this immediately.


"Silver Springs, Nevada (CNN) -- The helicopter is on the chase. At first, you can only hear it. Then, from behind the hillside, you see a herd of wild horses running for their freedom, with the helicopter close behind.

One escapes the trap, barely. The crowd cheers.

This is the scene at the Lahontan wild horse roundup in Silver Springs, Nevada. The helicopter pilot works for the federal government. The crowd is composed mainly of activists opposed to the roundups.

More and more, the roundups are becoming showdowns between protesters and the Bureau of Land Management.

"They are by law supposed to protect these horses, and in fact they are doing the exact opposite -- they are exterminating them," says Simone Netherlands, founder of the advocacy group Respect 4 Horses. "They are managing them to extinction."


Read the rest of the article here: CNN article