Russian Ice Hockey Team Killed in Plane Crash

Lokomotiv ice hockey team.
They all perished in the plane crash

Terrible news from Russia today as we learn that most everyone on board a small plane were killed on take off.

The Yak-42 aircraft was leaving Yaroslavl, north of Moscow, and flying to Minsk in Belarus.

It crashed immediately after take-off from the city, which is on the Volga River about 150 miles from the capital.

The Emergency Situations Ministry said 45 people had been on board and only two are believed to have survived.

The Lokomotiv ice hockey team from Yaroslavl, a leading force in Russian hockey, were travelling on the plane.

They were going to Belarus for the opening game of the season in the Kontinental Hockey League against Dinamo Minsk on Thursday.

The wreckage, from Russian TV, on the Volga River

"Lokomotiv is coached by Canadian Brad McCrimmon, former Detroit Red Wings assistant, and includes several international stars in its ranks, such as goalkeeper Stefan Liv of Sweden and Czech Republic players Karel Ranuchek, Josef Vasicek and Jan Marek and Slovakia's Pavol Demitra.

Demitra, the Slovakian national team captain, played in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks. Other top names include Russian defensemen Ruslan Salei and Karlis Skrastins."

This is unbelievably tragic and hits close to home. Brad McCrimmon played for the NHL for 18 seasons. He spent years as a Philadelphia Flyers (1982-1987) playing with Big Tim Kerr, Brian Prop and the Sutter Brothers. He was a GREAT defenseman. After retiring as a player he became a coach on several teams.

He will be missed.



MSNBC News Article

Daily Mail News Article

Happy 65th Freddie! We Miss you...

Rock God Freddie Mercury would have turned 65 years old yesterday had he not been taken from us so soon.

Freddie, lead singer/song writer for Queen, died in November of 1991. It doesn't seem possible that it's been so long.

Freddie Mercury was a legend in his day and now almost 20 years after his untimely death his legend and legacy glows brighter than ever. As recently as 2005 he was voted the BEST male singer of ALL TIME. In 2008, Rolling Stone editors ranked him number 18 on their list of the 100 greatest singers of all time and in 2009, a Classic Rock poll saw him voted the greatest rock singer of all time. Allmusic has characterised Mercury as "one of rock's greatest all-time entertainers", who possessed "one of the greatest voices in all of music".

Amen, brother. Freddie fucking ruled.

Freddie is universally loved and hailed as the musical genius he was. He wrote "We are the Champions" the greatest rock and roll sports ballad of all time. Do you know how many drunken people have sung that song after their team won everything from Little League playoffs to The Stanley Cup to The Superbowl? Millions.

Freddie was born in Zanzibar in 1946. He grew up there and in India until his teen years when his family moved to England.

In April of 1970 he met Brian May and Roger Taylor and Queen was born. Queen's music is incomparable for their fans. Singularly unique, Queen knows how to rock out. Brian May is one of the best guitarists in history and BONUS, he's a BONA FIDE astrophysicist with an honorary PhD from Imperial College. (Jimi Hendrix, Tom Morello and Brian May - our top three)

The Queen performance at Live Aid in 1983 is considered to be one of the best live performances of anything from anyone anywhere. They rocked. They kicked ass and took names. They were THE BEST.

Freddie was diagnosed HIV Positive in 1987. AIDS was "new" and Freddie was mortified. Although it was said he was open in his sexual orientation, he did not publicly disclose his illness until the day before he died.

Fans were inconsolable. And still are to this day.

We will always miss Freddie. One of the true rock gods. RIP Freddie. Your music speaks for itself and lives forever.


Here's some of our favorite Queen songs:

"I'm Going Slightly Mad"




"One Year of Love"



Anything from the Highlander soundtrack:



and of course FLASH!

Betty and Barney Hill Abduction Marker

Betty and Barney Hill were already pushing the envelope as an interracial couple in late 1950's America.

However, in September of 1961 they blew the lid off of the very first reported alien abduction.

The two were driving home late at night through the White Mountains of New Hampshire when a "white light" startled them. They reported the UFO to authorities the next day. In fact they contacted Pease Air Force Base because they were so concerned.

Later on, still bothered by unexplained events of that evening and suffering some weird consequences like vivid dreams, the two were hypnotically regressed individually and both told a remarkably similar story.

They had been taken aboard a space craft and undergone some medical procedures, such as semen extraction, needles in the abdomen and hair and nail clippings taken.

This was THE LANDMARK case that put alien abduction on the map. Never before had anyone, much less a couple, made such a claim and in a serious way. These two were not delusional nutcases. Betty was a 41 year old child welfare worker and Barney, her 39 year old husband was a US Postal worker.

It cannot be overstated how unique this case was and is to the entire alien abduction phenomena. It's such a landmark event that "many of Betty Hill's notes, tapes and other items have been placed in a permanent collection at the University of New Hampshire, her alma mater. As of July 2011, the site of the alleged abduction is marked by a state historical marker." You can see the picture above.

The most amazing thing about this entire incident and the one thing that has kept this case on the front burner after 50 years - September 19th is the 50th year anniversary - is what they call "The Zeta Reticuli Incident."

For the doubters who want to poo-poo this story, keep the following fact in mind:

Betty Hill was given information during the abduction, from the aliens, that she did not consciously remember and which came out during the subsequent hypnotic regressions.

Betty Hill described an unknown star system, and drew a picture of it. In 1968 Marjorie Fish tried to decipher it. She "constructed a 3-dimensional model of nearby sun-like stars using thread and beads, basing stellar distances on those published in the 1969 Gliese Star Catalog."'



It matched to Zeta Reticuli, a double star system. One unknown until the Gliese publication of 1968. A full 7 years AFTER Betty Hill described it and drew a map of it.

It has said to be "statistically improbable to have happened by chance from a random group of stars in our immediate neighborhood."

Whether you believe or not, this case has been a polarizing one for almost 50 years now. And the State of New Hampshire has commemorated the event with a State Historical Plaque.

News Article

Greater in- depth Article at ufos-aliens.co.uk

Wiki Article

Operation Desert Seal

The animal cruelty train continues unabated with news of out Namibia of their cruel senseless seal killings. Tens of thousands...yes, TENS of THOUSANDS, of fur seals are killed every year.

Thankfully, The Sea Shepherds have come to the rescue..literally...and are rallying a defense for the seals.

By uncovering this previously unknown practice, The Shepherds, will save the seals and at least shine a spotlight on it and prepare for next year.

News Article

Sea Shepherd.org Namibia Seal Site

99 Luft Ballons - Okay Make it 343

343 hot air balloonists broke the world's record for taking off at the same time.

The pics are pretty amazing.



The event took place back in July at the 12th Lorraine World Air Balloon Festival, in Chambley-Bussieres, France and included balloonists from over 14 countries.

Chinese Animal Cruelty Facing Lawful Ban

Chinese Bear Bile "farms" are facing criticism as doctors fight back against hokey claims that bear bile cures various ailments. Hopefully this will lead to a lawfully enforced ban.

The poor bears are put through a never ending life-long torture as the bile is extracted through "through crude holes cut into the abdomen wall and the gall bladder."

It's truly disgusting, cruel and sick.

The Asiatic black bears are one of the gentler species of bear. It's heartbreaking to see it.

The above pic shows the cramped filthy cages and the bears with tubes sticking in the holes in their stomach lining. The cages don't even have floors they are just bars the bears struggle to lie/stand in. In the above case the bear was encased in a cage sideways so they could access the stomach tube easier.

Thank God it seems that the Chinese people as a whole are starting to wake up to the horrific animal cruelty that they so propagate.

This is a great start to end this horrific practice.

News Link

Is Apollo 18 Based on Real Events?

Apollo 18, the new Hollywood movie set to release this Friday, is of the "found footage" genre, ala Blair Witch, Cloverfield, Super 8, The Fourth Kind and Paranormal Activity. These films claim to be based on real footage found after the disaster/disappearance etc.

According to Bob Weinstein, head of the film studio, in Entertainment Weekly:
“People intrinsically know there are secrets being held from us, look at WikiLeaks: There are secrets that are really true to the world. It’s not bogus.” Weinstein also says. “We didn’t shoot anything, we found it. Found baby!”

Ok. Yeah.

This found film footage is as real as The Blair Witch. It even looks very cheesy from what little we've seen.

There are a lot of reasons to believe that we:
1) Never even went to the Moon
2) We went and found something that didn't want us there
3) or no Conspiracy at all. We went in the 60's and never went back just because

Now, we firmly believe, scenario's 1 and 2. There are logical and realistic logistical reasons why we couldn't have gotten there in the first place.

See our post: Omni Moon Conspiracy Article for more of our theories on this.

Scenario #2, intrigues us as well and this is where the cancelled Apollo missions 18-20 come in. It is a fact that NASA had more Apollo missions ready to roll and they were cancelled.

SO, WHY THE HELL DID WE NEVER GO BACK AT ALL? If it was "so easy" and conspiracists are morons for thinking it's made up, then why haven't we perfected moon travel in the last 50 years? You'd think we'd have regular shuttles for travel vacations up there already.

What DID we see up there?

There are so many reports of anomalies on the Moon that when you google "moon anomalies" you get back 2,580,000 results on 8o pages.

See our post: Omni Moon Anomalies Article for more of our theories on this.

There are Internet stories of at least one guy who was privy to the entire Apollo 18-20 cover up.

From Bad Ass Digest.com: William Rutledge states that "they were actually completed, but that they were joint US/Soviet efforts. The mixed crew went to the Moon where they explored a wrecked alien spaceship, first photographed by Apollo 15, and found the remains of at least two ETs."

It's all very vague and no one can ever prove anything really.
However, NASA is as shady an organization as it gets, so we wouldn't out it past them to cover up anything. It's their main policy.

Here's the official trailer:

Give Me a Hug

This adorable family of koala bears was spotted at the Lone Pine Conservation Park in Queensland Australia sitting in height order while giving each other a hug. Cute!

Slater wins 47th Surfing Competition

Slater celebrating with tradional Tahitian garb

The most famously skilled surfer in the world, Kelly Slater, won his 47th competition, The Billabong Prop Tahiti, yesterday.

The surf was unbelievably challenging for the competition with swells so big they actually called off the entire thing for an entire day. That is unheard of in a sport that craves the giant waves.

Kelly's victory was all the more thrilling with a finale showdown between him and Owen Wright "that left Wright disappointed".

Here are the highlights of the final day:




News Article

ESPN News Article

Happy Birthday Rudolf Schenker!

Rudolf Schenker is the FOUNDING member of The Scorpions. He turns 63 years old today.

Rudolf founded the band in 1965 at the age of 17.

Amazing!

Here's some awesome concert footage from the 1989 Moscow Peace Festival.
This one goes out to Vlad!

Vladimir "NightWolf" Putin Rides Again

Macho Man Putin is at it again. This time attending The Night Wolves, rally in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, Russia.

The Night Wolves are his favorite biker gang. He really loves these guys calling them his "brothers".

Awwww.

Also being Russia's premier Fame Whore he cannot help himself to some free publicity.

Awww.

Vlad faces Alexander Zaldostanov, the imposing leader
of the Night Wolves. But they are best friends, so no worries. Awww

Go Rob Halford Vlad!

News Article

Hurricane Irene Damage

Right now as of 4pm EST, Tuesday 8/30/11:

* 2.8 million people STILL without power - 500,000 each in CT and NY alone
* Governors begging outside utility crews for help
* 38 deaths..so far. People still missing in VT.
* Food being airlifted into Vermont - DOZENS of TOWNS cut off from outside world
* Vermont, Connecticut and New York state left devastated
* Hundreds of roads are impassable
* At least three towns in New York remained cut off by flooded roads and bridges
* During the course of Irene, 7.4 million customers lost power
* Over 1,000 people in NC still in shelters
* NJ and PA residents getting power back just today

In Newfane,Vermont the storm's effects were staggering: About 150 people were unable to drive cars to their homes, 30 of them effectively stranded in theirs, seven bridges were washed out, two homes were knocked from their foundations by surging floodwaters and one 19th century grist mill smashed into kindling wood right where it stood

Oh, and Sebastian Bach lost his house. Boo hoo. Sorry Sebastian, we love you, but we don't really feel sorry for your millionaire ass right now.

We're not sure why people are complaining that Irene was over hyped. Are you kidding? Were you the ones huddled in your hallways and basements at midnight because of Tornado warnings? Tornadoes that struck 3 miles from YOUR home? Are you the ones going without power for the next two weeks with no roads leading in or out of your town? Were you the 9 year old kid killed by a falling tree?

There is no over hyping safety. Period.

Ed O'Neill Gets Star on Walk of Fame

And you'll never guess where it's located...

In front of a shoe store! If he were real, Al Bundy would be laughing his ass off.



How did he get two gorgeous TV wives? Ed's doing something right!

US Open Begins!

Opening Ceremonies last night in NYC

Hurricane Irene only interfered with one event at the US Open this weekend and that was the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day on Sunday. Considering how bad it could have been and how bad it is for NC and VT, we can't really complain.

All of our favorites have been in NY getting ready for a week now and round one started yesterday.

CBS is broadcasting more than 37 hours of tennis on it's 44th year of doing so. We'd like to give CBS a round of applause. Thank you!

For those of you not familiar with the US Open in NYC, it's a BLAST. Forget tennis stereotypes of old. There is no just back-and-forth, it's a rip roaring ride! Rabid fans will be cheering and screaming day and night for their faves.

Night matches are famous in NYC for their excitement and fun. Who will ever forget Jimmy Connor's nighttime run back in 1991 and how awesome that was?

We'll be cheering for Big Juan Del Potro, Novac Djokovic and Rafael Nadal and of course, cursing out that stupid bitch Maria Sharapova and the horrid Williams sisters (while cheering who ever they are playing that day).

Tune in for for all the rounds every night on ESPN.

Burning Man 2011

The 2011 Burning Man festival starts today deep in the desert of Nevada.

The sold out one week festival is celebrating it's 25th year as people from all over the world are gathering at Black Rock Desert.

Black Rock City has been erected and will be torn down in totem at the end as green counter-culture organizers will leave the desert as pristine as they found it.

"It began in 1986 when Larry Harvey and Jerry James burned an 8-foot effigy on a California beach in honor of summer solstice. An effigy is burned every year at the end of the event. Four years after the first burning, the festival was moved to the remote Nevada desert where it has been gaining participants ever since."

No longer counter-culture, tickets sold from $210 to $360 a piece. A limit of 50,000 people will be allowed in each day.

Among the most famous traditions, as is the end of the fest actual Burning Man, will be the Tesla Coil display by Dr. Megavolt.



The Festival is a haven for art and artists and vendors, such as beverage and food sellers, are urged to barter their products and not sell them.

It is a gathering not for the faint of heart but for the brave and for those who want to party like motherfuckers and show their distaste for the machine as they "Burn the Man."

News Article

Irene

WEATHER CHANNEL

Hurricane Preparedness by Ready.gov

National Hurricane Center

Red Cross Hurricane Page

Checklist

Nobody Does it Like Busta

We're not happy this is actually a Chris Brown song but...

WE LOVE THIS SONG.

NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN BUSTA RHYMES!

Rafa's Got Balls...On and Off Court

With only a few days to go until Hurricane Irene officially cancels the start of the US Open, Tennis Super Star Rafael Nadal, unveiled his new Armani campaign today in NYC.




He met with fans signing for them and taking pics at Macy's Herald Square. Rafa's other news this week is the release of his autobiography. We just fucking love this kid. If you haven't seen him play, you're missing out. If you have, you know what we mean.

The 25 year old bachelor from Majorica is a hit with the ladies...

We cannot imagine why.

This is a marvelous opportunity to remember Beckham's Armani campaign as well.



And Cristiano Ronaldo's...



God, we love Tennis and Soccer!

Nope, nothing to see here, folks. Just move on ;)

Dick Regrets Shooting Load in Friends Face

Really, he does.

Dick Cheney writes in his autobiography/memoir/confessional that out of everything that's happened in his life the only thing he truly regrets is shooting his friend in the face. In fact it was "the saddest of my life". Awww.

The 2006 hunting mishap left the friend, Harry Whittington, severely injured.

Dick doesn't mind the torture of prisoners, the unlawful incarceration of people at Guantanamo Bay, pushing his war pal Donald Rumsfeld to be Vice President or the invasion of Iraq.

Just shooting his load in someone's face.

His most famous quote is "Go fuck yourself", so what else did we expect?

His mom named him Dick for a reason.

Graham Hancock's Important Message

Graham Hancock is one of our heroes.

Here is a video he made on location in Mexico that deals with some heavy shit.
Including the soul of man and altered states of consciousness.

It's WELL WORTH WATCHING.

Faithful to the End and Beyond

The above is a picture of Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson and his dog, Hawkeye. Hawkeye and Jon were inseparable buddies.



This is Hawkeye laying by Jon's casket at Jon's memorial service in Rockford, Iowa the other day.

Jon was killed in the August 6th helicopter shoot down in Afghanistan that also claimed the lives of 29 other Navy Seals.

"Tumilson’s Labrador retriever, Hawkeye, walked up to the casket at the beginning of the service and then dropped down with a heaving sigh as about 1,500 mourners witnessed a dog accompanying his master until the end, reported CBS.

Hawkeye was such a huge part of Tumilson’s life that Tumilson’s family followed the dog down the aisle as they entered the service in front of a capacity crowd in the gymnasium at the Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Community School. Hawkeye then followed Tumilson’s good friend, Scott Nichols, as Nichols approached the stage to give a speech. As Nichols prepared to memorialize his friend, Hawkeye dutifully laid down near the casket."

Hawkeye will now live with Scott Nichols, who was more than willing to adopt him for his fallen friend.

Remembering "Baby Girl"

It's impossible to believe that today is the TEN year anniversary of the death of singer Aaliyah. She and other passengers in her entourage had just finished filming a video on a boat in the Bahamas when the plane they chartered to return in crashed killing everyone on board on August 25, 2001. She was 22 years old.

It feels like it was just yesterday. Someone wrote "if Aayliah was still alive then Beyounce would still be with Destiny's Child and Rihanna would still be in Barbados." We like that and couldn't agree more!

Aayliah was just on the cusp of worldwide never-forget-you fame - although she achieved it a little. Her movie with Stuart Townsend "Queen of the Damned", from the vampire books by Anne Rice, had to be released posthumously. It was a major blow to the studio and was a dud at the box office. No one could watch it knowing she had died before even seeing it herself. It was to be her springboard into the mainstream.

Here are a few of her great songs:

Try Again



Yes, that's Jet Li the the video for "Try Again" with her. They had just filmed the movie "Romeo Must Die" together and we're friends.

Here's another fave, "Are You That Somebody"



And our personal favorite, "More Than a Woman"
"Because no scale can measure the secret pleasure that keeps on getting better..we can be like Bonnie and Clyde, I'll be be your side..."



From Aaliyah's Wiki Page:
"Legacy

Aaliyah has been credited for helping redefine R&B and hip hop in the 1990's, "leaving an indelible imprint on the music industry as a whole."

Steve Huey of Allmusic wrote Aaliyah ranks among the "elite" artists of the R&B genre, as she "played a major role in popularizing the stuttering, futuristic production style that consumed hip-hop and urban soul in the late '90s."

Described as one of "R&B's most important artists" during the 1990s, her second studio album, One in a Million, became one of the most influential R&B albums of the decade.

According to Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine, Aaliyah provided a "missing link" between hip hop and electronica.

With sales of 8.1 million albums in the United States and an estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide, Aaliyah has been named the "Princess of R&B" and "Queen Of Urban Pop" and "proved she was a muse in her own right".

Aaliyah was honored at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards by Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Ginuwine and her brother, Rashad, who all paid tribute to her.

In the same year, the United States Social Security Administration ranked the name Aaliyah one of the 100 most popular names for newborn girls.

Aaliyah was ranked as one of "The Top 40 Women of the Video Era" and "100 Sexiest Artists" in VH1's 2003 The Greatest series. She was also ranked at number 18 on BET's "Top 25 Dancers of All Time". Aaliyah has also appeared on both 2000 and 2001 list of Maxim Hot 100 in position 41 and the latter at 14.

In memory of Aaliyah, the Entertainment Industry Foundation created the Aaliyah Memorial Fund to donate money raised to charities she supported.

In December 2009, Billboard magazine ranked Aaliyah at number 70 on its Top Artists of the Decade, while her eponymous album was ranked at number 181 on the magazine's Top 200 Albums of the Decade."

Missy Elliot, her friend and collaborator, had this to say this morning:
"“It doesn’t feel like it’s been 10 years because Aaliyah’s leaving is still fresh in our minds and always will be. What I will miss the most about Aaliyah is her laugh and smile. She could light up any room. I miss that from her. I’ll also miss recording with her because she wasn’t ever scared to push boundaries as an artist.”

“If Aaliyah was still with us she would be setting trends as she always did and breaking down barriers. Her music and acting career would have been exploding out the roof because she was already on her way to that place.”


We still really miss her, too..
RIP Aaliyah "Baby Girl"

The Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

NPR has released the list of fan voted sci-fi and fantasy books.

We have to agree on almost every one of these at least being included, although we are surprised The Stand by Stephen King came in at #25. Really? Really?

Here is the top ten:

1 The Lord Of The Rings
by J.R.R. Tolkien

Tolkien's seminal three-volume epic chronicles the War of the Ring, in which Frodo the hobbit and his companions set out to destroy the evil Ring of Power and restore peace to Middle-earth. The beloved trilogy still casts a long shadow, having established some of the most familiar and enduring tropes in fantasy literature.

2 The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
by Douglas Adams

In the first, hilarious volume of Adams' Hitchhiker's series, reluctant galactic traveler Arthur Dent gets swept up in some literally Earth-shattering events involving aliens, sperm whales, a depressed robot, mice who are more than they seem, and some really, really bad poetry.

3 Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card

Young Andrew "Ender" Wiggan, bred to be a genius, is drafted to Battle School where he trains to lead the century-long fight against the alien Buggers.

4 The Dune Chronicles
by Frank Herbert

Follows the adventures of Paul Atreides, the son of a betrayed duke given up for dead on a treacherous desert planet and adopted by its fierce, nomadic people, who help him unravel his most unexpected destiny.

5 A Song Of Ice And Fire Series
by George R.R. Martin

As the Seven Kingdoms face a generation-long winter, the royal Stark family confronts the poisonous plots of the rival Lannisters, the emergence of the Neverborn demons, the arrival of barbarian hordes, and other threats.

6 1984
by George Orwell

Portrays life in a future time when a totalitarian government watches over all citizens and directs all activities.

7 Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury

A totalitarian regime has ordered all books to be destroyed, but one of the book burners suddenly realizes their merit, in a chilling novel of a frightening near-future world.

8 The Foundation Trilogy
by Isaac Asimov

A band of psychologists, under the leadership of psychohistorian Hari Seldon, plant a colony to encourage art, science, and technology in the declining Galactic Empire and to preserve the accumulated knowledge of humankind.

9 Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley

Huxley's classic prophetic novel describes the socialized horrors of a futuristic utopia devoid of individual freedom.

10 American Gods
by Neil Gaiman

On the plane home to attend the funerals of his wife and best friend, Shadow, an ex-con, encounters an enigmatic stranger who seems to know a lot about him. When Shadow accepts the stranger's job offer, he finds himself plunged into a perilous game with the highest of stakes: the soul of America itself.


We have to agree almost entirely with this top ten. Although we would have put The Stand in at #10.

To view the entire list go HERE

Piers Anthony's Xanth series is seriously getting jipped off at #99. It's at least a top 50 series. Especially when a stupid Star Wars book is at #88. Come on!

We are glad to see so many Isaac Asimov, Rad Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke titles. But putting Rendezvous With Rama by Clarke at #76 is almost like...ok it IS a mortal sin. #76? It should be top twenty at least.

Ok. Since we are critiquing here, who are they kidding that Jules Verne - anything Jules Verne - is outside the top thirty? Journey to the Center of the Earth at #76 is just plain wrong.

The two worst sins of the entire list:
Robert E. Howard's Conan coming in at #68 instead of #2 is giving us a heart attack. Yes, NUMBER TWO. Robert E. Howard was one of the most gifted Pulp Fiction writers in the history of the world. His writing style and content are unsurpassed in the fantasy field. LOTR gets #1 because of its epic scale however for pure enjoyment its REH all the way.

And, Terry Brooks's Shannara series is listed at #67 instead of the top twenty it deserves. We're biased here, having met Terry and having him sign all of OUR Shannara books way, way back in the day. What a NICE guy.

We could go on and on as these are our fiction genre of choice. Way to go NPR! All in all a very good compilation and guide for those who want to catch up on "The Classics."

R.I.P. - Budd Hopkins and Stuart Miller - UPDATED

Budd Hopkins

2 well known UFO researchers have passed away.

Budd Hopkins was the most well known alien abduction researcher in the world. He wrote the most famous book in the field, Missing Time (among others) and was singlehandedly responsible for bringing the abduction phenomenon into the mainstream.

Hopkins was well liked amongst UFOlogists and his passing is an enormous loss to the field and the world in general.

We at The Omni Report have been greatly influenced by Budd and the news of his passing just yesterday at age 80 makes us very very sad.

He took the "alien abduction phenomenon" from the whacked out fringes of society to a serious level. His book Missing Time is now a classic work and is no longer a laughing matter. His influence on Harvard Researcher John Mack opened up the topic to serious research. Sadly, we lost John Mack years ago to an untimely accident, but Mack's seminal work, Abduction, was the direct result of Budd Hopkin's tireless cause to helping those who feel they have been abducted by aliens.

Mack's stance from the beginning was that whether or not you believe in alien abductions is besides the point. Thousands of people DO believe its happened to them and he set out to document the phenomena, saying, if it's not aliens then we have to find out what's happening to these people because to them it's very real. Is it a mass hysteria type situation or are people really being abducted?

The two men gave credence not only to each other's work but to all of humanity having to deal with this "sensitive" issue.

From the Intruder Foundation Website:

"Budd Hopkins has long been considered ufology's most visible figure. He pioneered and continues to lead the investigation into the most controversial aspect of the UFO phenomenon-the systematic abduction of human beings by UFO occupants. As the world's premier expert on this issue, he has worked with more than one thousand people who have reported abduction experiences over the past twenty years. These individuals come from all walks of life and include physicians, psychiatrists, attorneys, police officers, military personnel, political figures, personalities from the entertainment world, and even a NASA scientist."

We will miss Budd and his work greatly.

Stuart Miller, one of the most well-known British UFO researchers, was killed in a motorcycle accident over the weekend.

Stuart, most well known for his online magazine, UFO Review, was also very well liked in the community. His friend, Paul Kimball wrote this:

"one of the truly good guys in ufology...a genuinely good man, full of joie de vivre, wit, humour, and a true spirit of adventure and humanity. He will be missed by all who were lucky enough to know him."

The passing of these two greats in their field, THE SAME FIELD, is a terrible set back for abduction theorists and all of UFOlogy.

It is now up in the air as to who will continue the work of these two wonderful and open minded gentlemen.

You can read more about Budd here at his Intruders Foundation website.


Update - Stuart Miller sadly passed away in May of 2011, not this last weekend as originally thought. The information is just being released now, hence the confusion. The Omni Report thanks Mr. Paul Kimball who graciously informed us of our mistake. Our condolences to you, Paul, and all of Mr. Miller's fans, friends, family and followers. He will be missed.

The Dude Goes Blu Ray

Achievers Rejoice! Our movie has just been released on Blu Ray and celebrated with a cast reunion and lots of White Russians.

The Big Lebowski is a cult movie phenomenon. You either get it or you don't. It's one of those movies you could quote from ALL DAY LONG.

John Goodman gets asked to say "Shut the fuck up, Donny" all the time and he complies because he loves the film as much as the rest of us.

Academy Award winning Jeff Bridges, such an accomplished actor before all the Lebowski stuff, has been forever branded "The Dude."

Would we mind if he did a J? No way. But that's just, like our opinion, man.

Days of Our Lives - Reboot Promo

JACK IS BACK!

ATTENTION DAYS FANS!

Check out the new promo for the September "re-launch/re-boot" of our beloved serial. Producer Ken Corday has finally brought back so many of our favorites - Carrie and the original Austin, Patrick Muldoon!, John Black and Marlena, Drake Hogestyn and Deidre Hall (actually we could use less of Marlena) and Jack, MATTHEW ASHFORD!

Finally after ALL THESE YEARS we can get us some Matthew Ashford. He was always the best Jack of them all. Even better than the really cute one, Mark Valley.

Remember the old Days (ha, see what we did there?), with Jack and his old man, Harper?

Here's the promo. Check it out and tell us what (or who) you are looking forward to!



Now, Attention Ken Corday: BRING BACK CHARLES SHAUGHNESSY! Damn it. You KNOW he's really EJ's father! Not Stephano. Not with that British, I'm-Really-Kimber and Shane's-Love-Child accent! You know? We think Stephano stole EJ and raised him as a Dimera when he was really Shane and Kimberly's kid the ENTIRE time.

"Shane" - aka Charles Shaugnessy BEFORE
Fran Dresher got him on The Nanny

"EJ" - Clearly Days needs to make him Shane's long lost son

John Walsh to Be Honored at Emmy Awards

America's Most Wanted host, John Walsh, is to receive a special Emmy Award in September.

Here's the entire news article from Reuters:

"(Reuters) - "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh, whose TV crime show has helped police capture 1,500 fugitives and find 50 missing children since 1988, is being given an honorary award from organizers of the Emmys.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Tuesday said it will give its Governors Award to Walsh for making an impact on society through the use of TV.

"John Walsh has dedicated his life to the betterment of society, and while doing so has used television in an inventive and extraordinary way," academy chief executive John Shaffner said in a statement. "His contribution to society goes far beyond just hosting a hit TV show, but sets a prime example of how television can be used to convey an important message."

Walsh became known around the world as a crime fighter and victims' advocate after his 6 year-old son Adam was abducted from a mall near his home in Hollywood, Fla., on July 27, 1981 and found murdered two weeks later.

The case remained unsolved for 27 years until 2008 when police linked the slaying to a serial killer who died in prison and who claimed responsibility for hundreds of murders.

Walsh's personal tragedy is credited with sparking the creation of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 1984 after President Ronald Reagan signed the "Missing Children's Assistance Act."

His work on America's Most Wanted, which tells viewers of crimes and alleged perpetrators who are still at large, helped spark child protection laws, including "The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act" that tracks convicted sex offenders who disappear after they're released from prison.

He is one of three Honorary U.S. Marshals and was named "Man of the Year" by both the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI. Walsh will receive the Governors Award during the Creative Emmy awards in Los Angeles on September 10.

(Reporting by Jason Kandel, Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)"

His show captured 1500 wanted criminals and found 50 missing children!

This guy, John Walsh, should be given much more than an Emmy. He is our HERO. There are great Americans and then there are the TRULY GREAT Americans. John Walsh is one of the latter.

He suffered a terrible tragedy when his son Adam was abducted (and God knows what else) before being hacked up into little pieces like that poor kid from Brooklyn a few weeks ago, Lieby Kletzky.

John wanted everyone to remember Adam as he fought hard to pass laws that could protect children from predators but in all honesty, it's John that we will all remember.

Adam would be so proud of his dad, like we all are. You know the expression "you fucked with the wrong guy?" Well, the scum that killed Adam fucked with the wrong kid because his dad didn't fall apart at the seams. He instead found his inner Superhero, donned an invisible cape masked as a leather jacket and went ape shit against pedophiles.

Many parents of murdered children have done great things to remember their children through tougher legislation on child predators. We admire them all.

John Walsh, however, we admire the most.

And...BAM! There's a New "Top Chef" Judge

The Fat Bastard we know and love as Emeril Lagasse has just been named a permanent new judge on Top Chef. He will be joining Tom Colicchio and some other guy as the three judges. So we guess Gail Simmons is out too?

They should have fired the loathsome Padma. She's about as fun as watching paint dry.

Emeril is a welcome change to the show and he certainly knows his way around a TV show kitchen. He's been off TV for a while and we think he's going to be well received on Top Chef.

Look for the new season this fall.

Jon Benet's 21st Birthday

Murdered beauty queen Jon Benet Ramsey would have turned 21 today.

She was killed, 15 years ago, in her family's Boulder, CO, home and to this day the killer remains at large, unknown and unprosecuted.

Her mother died of cancer in 2006 and just 2 weeks ago her father remarried and is still trying to rebuild his shattered life. Jon Ramsey not only lost Jon Benet at 6 years of age, but he lost his first wife to cancer and his 22 year old daughter in a car accident in 1992. And to top it off, the media portrayed him and his late wife, Patsy as a couple of psychos that killed their own daughter.

It took years and years plus a public apology from the Boulder Sheriff's department to stop all of that.

DNA from the scene is conclusive that NO ONE IN THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY was the killer.

Jon Benet's murder remains an open cold case.

Happy Birthday, Graham Hancock

Our favorite author and iconoclast, Graham Hancock, turns 61 this week.

His books are a remarkable, awesome and life-changing look at archeology and it's current restraints.

In the majority of his books, Hancock sets out to change the norm which is the pathetic paradigm that our society as we know it is the apex of civilization as it ever was on the planet.

His latest non-fictional work, Supernatural, is his best yet. This book deviates from the archaeological "norm" of his prior works and explores the Shamanic Legacies around the globe, their common elements and connections with the other worlds "within". This book is the "Gateway Drug" that can open your mind to serious new potential. We had never heard of DMT* before and now we want to know everything.

1992: The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant

1995: Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization

1996: The Message of the Sphinx: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind. Published in the United Kingdom as Keeper of Genesis: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind

1998: The Mars Mystery: A Tale of the End of Two Worlds

1998: Heaven's Mirror: Quest for the Lost Civilization

2001: Fingerprints of the Gods: The Quest Continues (New Updated Edition)

2002: Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization

2004: Talisman: Sacred Cities, Secret Faith

2005: Supernatural: Meeting with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind

2010: Entangled: The Eater of Souls, this is his first book of non-fiction. And if you think Graham is a stuffy old Brit, then be amazed! His "tripping" with ayahuasca has obviously opened his mind to an entirely new level. We LOVED it and can't wait for the sequel.

Graham Hancock's next book, The Master Game, is due soon and is another collaboration with the awesome Robert Bauval. Bauval is known for his Orion Correlation Theory.

Hancock's basic theory is that we are "a civilization, a species with amnesia". Here is a quote from Fingerprints of the Gods:

"..., there is a common legacy of all these world wide ancient civilizations that they do not even address. This legacy lies not in the 'modern' myth of Atlantis, but in the myths and legends of each of these civilizations which make common reference to cataclysms, especially floods, similar gods or god experiences, and precessional and other astronomically significant numbers, etc, etc. The writing, architecture, and agriculture of these ancients are by products of their development which had its roots in a lost civilization of 12,000 years ago."

Graham Hancock.com

* We HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the book, DMT: The Spirit Molecule, by Dr. Rick Strassman. This is conconscious altering stuff, folks. The subject matter is pretty heavy, but the book is easy to read and follow as are Graham's books. It's WELL WORTH the read. This is knowledge everyone should have. An absolute must.

BREAKING NEWS: THE STEVE IRWIN IS SAVED!

“We are in a war to save our oceans from ourselves,” said Captain Watson. “And if we lose, we all lose because if the oceans die, we all die – it’s as simple as that.”

THEY'VE WON!!

The Sea Shepherds have gotten their flagship vessel, The Steve Irwin, back from the Brits and they are fast tracking it out to sea to protect our oceans from poachers.

Please read all about it here at the: Sea Shepherd Official Site

Good job, Everyone and Congrats to Captain Watson!

Shark Week vs. Bear Week

Discovery Channel fans everywhere are celebrating Shark Week, to the tune of almost 35 million viewers nightly.

It has been pointed out, correctly so, that we shouldn't be afraid of sharks, we should be afraid for them. They are being hunted mercilessly for their fins and cruelly attacked and "finned" before being let go to die in agony.

So go and protect a shark. It's the right thing to do.

Now, however, although sharks are awesomely awesome in every way, the entire Shark Week..week..is being contested by the guys and gals over at Collegehumor.com.

In an insanely hilarious piece, Kevin Corrigan, has put together the top ten reasons to have BEAR Week instead of Shark Week.

Read Kevin's college humor here. You won't regret it.

Imagine if they were BOTH!

Breaking News: News is FAILing!

World, we have a problem. It's the 24/7 feed-the-beast news cycle.

"You can't believe everything you read" has never been a truer axiom. With the rush to fill every second of every day with fresh Breaking News, major outlets are failing every day at bringing us ACCURATE news.

Here are two examples from JUST THIS WEEK!

Case in Point #1:

Headline:
Internet Explorer Users Have a Lower IQ (than people who use other web browsers)

This one should have caught someone's attention before the rush to publish it in every newspaper and Internet news site in the entire world.

This "news" article was a complete HOAX, even down to the phony website that listed the information.

The only outlet that questioned the authenticity of the article was the BBC.

Original article from our local Fox affiliate

The Real News - It's a Hoax


Case in Point #2:

Headline:
Amy Winehouse Was About to Adopt a Child

We didn't believe this one from the get-go but don't tell the reporters that spread this falsehood like wildfire.

It was retracted the next day after it had been posted as real by...again...every newspaper and Internet news site in the entire world.

Original UK article

CBS.com retraction

Of course, no news article is actually "retracted". They just publish the "truth" the next day and if you missed it but caught the first, you'll never know you were duped.

In both of these cases the news itself was throw away news. Who cares if Internet Explorer users are dumber than rocks or if Winehouse wanted to or was going to be a mom?

However, how much of the news that we rely on for world or financial information is also false?

Is there any accountability in this day and age? Can you literally publish anything and get away with it? Even if you are an "accredited newsource"?

We checked The Drudge Report, the right-wing extremist news site and found they have linked to false stories like the Internet Explorer story the other day.

SURVEY: Internet Explorer users have lower IQs... ^
From the August 01, 2011 13:13:47 GMT edition of the Drudge Report.

True, they are a just a blog...like us...but in the rush to "print", they will hand out false story links like candy - 24/7.

How in the world are people to know or accept that the news story they are reading about is true at all? Do we have to give a 24hr "breather" before we believe or act on a particular story?

Can we only believe its-happening-live-on-tv-right-in-front-of-us-news?

As we go forward into this technological age we are living in, these questions will have to answered and news outlets will have to face accountability. Especially before they inadvertently cause mass trauma over a "terror threat" or something else that turns out to be a non-existent falsehood.

While we are bashing the news organizations that are supposed to give us real news, read this Blog from Al Gore.

His point is well taken although we're 100% sure that the news people will completely ignore it.

Breakfast At Tiffany's

There was a 50th anniversary screening of Breakfast at Tiffany's the other night at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Jay Weston did a wonderful blog post about it and the film that you can read here: Jay Weston's Huff post blog

We've always loved this movie. A young George Peppard paired with the gorgeous young Audrey Hepburn in New York City and you can't really go wrong. Add Tiffany's jewelry store, Sing Sing prison, apartment parties, an orange tabby cat, the rain and let the romance run wild.

If you've never seen the movie, then surely you've seen THE ICONIC pics of Audrey in her skinny pants or LBD and for sure you've heard the song Moon River. A song written just for Audrey which became the Academy Award Winner that year.

Blake Edwards directed this film. Edwards of Pink Panther fame and of course, Julie Andrews real life husband.

One caveat...okay, two...Mickey Rooney does his best to ruin the film, not intentionally of course, but he does and two, they NEVER stop smoking. To quote Methos "It was the times."

Go and rent Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's a fun wild ride depicting those fun wild times. And you'll never forget the name Holly Golightly.

And it was about a girl in NYC light years ahead of Sex and the City that had more fun, style, grace and class in her small toe than those 4 annoying ugly sluts on the TV show ever had in their entire bodies or careers all put together.

Put That In Your Pipe and Smoke It

Let's hear it for the newest crop circle in Wiltshire, England.

This dandy was put up two weeks ago by persons unknown.
And no,... no one thinks that THIS one is from them.

It was put into place near the ancient white horse of Cherhill, near Stonehenge.

Quite a bunch of jokers those Brits...