Archeology Site of the Month - Sept. 2009

PETRA

The fabled city of Petra is one of the most remarkably romantic archaeological wonders on Earth. It is a "red-rose city half as old as time." Made instantly famous for it's "cameo" in an Indiana Jones movie, Petra is unique and wondrous. So much so that it was named an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

The architecture begun by the Nabateans circa 100 BC incorporates the Greco-Roman influences that came later. The city declined eventually under the Romans circa 300 AD. The word Petra means "cleft in the rock" in Greek.

Located in modern Jordan, not far from the Dead Sea, Petra was re-discovered in 1812 when at that time it's many building facades, features and tombs became an instant sensation that remains so to this day, as Petra is still a well known and must-see popular tourist destination.

The most photographed and well known of the cliff carved buildings are two called "The Treasury" and "The Monastery". Ascetically beautiful, the intricate architectural detailing, decorative bas-relief carvings and exquisite Byzantine tiling make Petra a marvel that is described as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."

NSFW tile detail in the Byzantine Church



More of the intricate tile detailing found
inside the cliff-side buildings of Petra

The Treasury



The Monastery


The tombs of Petra

Read more:

Wiki Article

Frommers Tourist Guide (Petra)

World Cup Update - Qualifier Rounds 3-5

Qualifying rounds for the World Cup have been underway for 3 years now and things are heating up in a number of groups.

Here's a breakdown of the various divisions:

Africa:
Australia and Japan have qualified from the first group of teams. The 2 Korea's (ha) Korea DPR and Korea Republic have stunned everyone and historically qualified. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are competing in a play-off to face New Zealand for a spot.

Europe:
Out of the 52 teams in 9 groups only Spain, England and The Netherlands have qualified.

North, Central North America and the Caribbean:
No. Qualified. Teams. That includes us. As in the US. WTF? Are we even contenders? Actually, yes, we are still in the lead. By 1 point. Yay..!

Oceana:
No qualifiers yet, but we are rooting for Vanuatu! Jeff Probst was there!

South America:
Out of the 10 teams, only Brazil and Paraguay have qualified. Brazil has been qualified since Pele was The King on the 70's. And look out for the the party of the century when Brazil hosts World Cup 2014.

FIFA World Cup Official Site

Wiki Article - World Cup History

Conspiracy Theory - September 2009

9/11 was Orchestrated

The September 11, 2001 (9/11) conspiracy theories revolve around two basic hypotheses: 1) 9/11 was allowed to happen on purpose by the US government and/or Pentagon for political/nefarious ill-gotten gain or 2) It was done on purpose by the US government and/or Pentagon for political/nefarious ill-gotten gain.

Further complicating matters is the contingent who flatly refuse that an airplane even crashed into the Pentagon. "How does an airplane 125 feet wide and 155 feet long fit into a hole 16 feet across" is their slow and steady mantra.

Conspiracy theories sprang up almost immediately in Europe. They didn't take hold in America until 2004 or so, but when they did, they did. 9/11 conspiracy theories were embraced enthusiastically, dramatically and almost virtually without question in a passionate frenzy to blame G.W. Bush for anything and everything in between.

For those of you who wonder how anyone could question the events on 9/11, we'd like to run through a little, how could you not? Let's jump to the gold standard question in the scientific method of conspiracy theories - who benefited the most from the attacks on 9/11?

Osama Bin Laden? We hardly think so. He's not chilling out somewhere cool like Dubai, living the life.

Al Queda? Who?

The Taliban? Saddam Hussein? Uday and Qusay? It was proven they had nothing to do with 9/11. No WMD's, no box cutters.

But you know what? Bush got re-elected and Dick "Stop saying I look like Dr. Strangelove" Cheney probably got about 2 billion in Haliburton and BlackWater money. Oh, and we lost 9 truckloads of gold in the collapse of Building 7 that was scheduled to be shipped by to China on Sept. 12th, 2011. And then there was the trillion-dollar loss of Pentagon money that Don Rumsfeld announced on Sept. 10th, 2001 that no one will ever care about because people died on 9/11 and we love our country.

Just. Sayin'

The scope and detail of the conspiracy theories go far beyond this sarcastic post.

Read more:
Wiki Article

9/11Truth.org

The Art Gallery - Paul Klee (1879-1940)

Landscape With Yellow Birds; 1923



Early Morning in Ro; 1927


The Messenger of Autumn; 1922



Six Types; 1930


Golden Fish; 1925

News You Should Know - 9/22/2009

China Bans Tourists from Tibet

China has closed the borders to Tibet, so they can celebrate the 60 years of Murder Communist Rule they have imposed granted upon the people.

Read more:
NY Times Article

Sun Microsystems Losing Over 100 Million a month

We aren't sure how this is possible, but while the courts decide if the proposed sale of Oracle to Sun Micro is legitimate and can go through or not, the company is said to be losing money faster than we can imagine. They lost $1 million while you were just reading this sentence.

Read more:
Reuters Link


Gather Round Everyone.

Tim Gunn Can Save the Day!

Marvel Comics Has Officially Made Tim Gunn A Superhero. We couldn't be happier to even type that. Marvel Rules. Make It Work.

Read more:

USA Today Article

Happy AWE-tumn

Today is the Autumnal Equinox - one of the 2 days a year when day and night are equal in length. We think this is the best season of year and we LOVE it.

Author of the Month - September 2009

Happy birthday to

Stephen King!
　

There’s no doubt that Stephen King is the Master of Horror Fiction. With over 40 published books he has cemented a place in the higher echelon of the all-time great writers. And, although the tendency is to look down the nose at sci-fi and horror, these creative genres are more than worthy of literary praise and in some ways raise the bar far above normal by the very nature of their intense and out-of-the-box creativity.

Over a dozen of Stephen King's books have been made into theatrical films and TV movies. Who could forget the blood bath in Carrie? And he's not all about blood and guts horror, either. The Shawshank Redemption, a GREAT film, was based on a Stephen King short story called "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption." The period film, Stand By Me, is a classic adapted to the screen by Rob Reiner, who named his film company after the fictional town in many of Stephens earlier books, Castle Rock. The Running Man, is a sci-fi cult classic. The Green Mile, Secret Window and Needless Things are all classic dramas that focus on normal people dealing with extraordinary circumstances.

The books themselves are worth every invested minute. Highly entertaining and riveting, you'll probably remember each and every one. His bibliography is amazing. He has put many lifetimes work into just this one and seems to have so many more stories to tell.

Stephen King has been the recipient of countless book awards, including every award that every writers guild has to offer every year.

His prolific works go far beyond the reach of this post and you can read more at his website:

Stephen King Official Website

Paranormal Article - September 2009

Auras

An aura is the reported field of color emanating from a person, like a glowing halo, only all over.

This is a debated issue. Skeptics of course see this as more mystical mumbo jumbo, completely made up by people probably high on drugs, delusional or both. Scientifically proven to exist, as human beings do emanate an electromagnetic field, auras can be photographed using a technique called Kirlian Photography.

Clairvoyants who can see auras say the color of the aura itself reveals volumes about a person. The colors all have a different emotion or vibrational rate about them.

They tend to correlate with a lot of the sayings we all grew up with:

"He's yellow" (a coward)

Yellow - indicates a timid person, weak willed, possible inferiority complex.

"I feel blue" (sad)

Blue - generally artistic, but tends to be moody

"He's seeing red" (anger)

Red - violent temper, domineering and associated with war and turmoil

"He's green" (a rookie)

Green - symbol of youthfulness

The late, great Edgar Cayce called the aura "The weather vane of the Soul."

A source close to the Omni Report claims to have seen auras twice. Once a dark green around her meditation teacher, another from the Dalai Lama himself!

"During a seminar by the Dalai Lama at George Washington University in Washington, DC, I suddenly realised that he had a bright white glow about him. It was brilliant and I couldn't understand why everyone couldn't see it. He was sitting behind a table, and I could see his entire upper body had a solid white light about an inch from it and was a few inches wide after that. It was AMAZING."

We are part of a bigger picture and even within ouselves we are a complex mechanism that is mind, body and soul. It makes sense that some of this energy would surround us and be a part of the physical world as well.

Read more here:
http://www.thiaoouba.com/seeau.htm

News You Should Know - 9/16/2009

Joint Sea-Shelf Exploration
An American-Canadian expedition exploring the frigid Arctic Ocean has mapped broad swaths of the extended continental shelf for the first time, scientists reported Thursday. For the first time? What took so long?

Follow Article Link Here


Leonard Peltier Statement
Peltier has issued a long rambling statement regarding his parole denial last week. It pretty much covers everything and concludes that he is Barrack Obama’s political prisoner now.

Follow Article Link Here

Mongolian Fun!

What do you do for a good time when you grow up in Mongolia? Well, if you’re a boy, you ride horses for one thing and wrestle, just like they’ve been doing since the days of 'ole Ghengis Kahn.

Follow Article Link Here

And the Winner is...

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO of ARGENTINA!!

What a way to end the 2009 U.S.Open Tournament that was so full of stunning upsets, losses and victories. It was an epic 5-set barn burner last night in the men's final that had Roger Federer on edge, irate, cursing at the chair umpire and eventually losing to the 20-year old REAL DEAL known affectionately as Del Po.

This super-tall giant kid completely beat down Rafa and outlasted Roger. And with an unbelievable forehand shot that looks like something in light speed - the cameras can't even keep up with it.

We are ecstatic that all of our Open predictions went up in flames. The competition level was superior this year and surely one of the best Opens in recent memory. We got to see Sharapova get beat, Serena meltdown, Melanie Oudin took on the entire Russian Red Army and won, Clijsters had an awesome sports comeback - one of the best in history and Del Potro made a name for himself and TOOK OUT ROGER .

We can't wait for next season when Rafa is feeling better and takes on Del Po again. Until then, Good day, Good Tennis!

We Heart Kim Clijsters

Kim and her adorable little Jada with Kim's 2nd US Open Trophy

We LOVE LOVE LOVE Kimmy Clijsters. Sure, she has a j in her name that's pronounced as a y. She's Belgian! Shmoke and a pancake? flapjack and a shigarette? Cigar and a waffle? Pipe and a crepe? Bong and a blintz? No? Then there is no pleasing you.

We think she's awesome. For one, she's the first "mom" to win big since 1980, putting a shining, happy face on motherhood in the new millenium.

Secondly, she beats the Williams sisters, all the time. She's the only player to have beaten both Venus and Serena in the same tournament - twice! YGG!

Last but not least, she was only in this tournament to "warm up" from out of retirement... AND ENDED UP KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES!

We send her our utmost happiest congratulations and between us - good riddance Lleyton. Dumping him seems to have the best move of your life - CONGRATS!

EPIC TANTRUM AT THE US OPEN

You cannot be serious!! This is one for the ages folks.

KIM CLIJSTERS ADVANCES TO FINAL AFTER CHAOTIC SEMI...

Serena Williams just had one of the most epic tirade/tantrums in women's sports history. A lines woman called a foot fault on Serena, 2nd set Match Point for Kim Clijsters (Clysters). Serena lost it in amazing fashion. She literally pointed her racket in the lady's face and said "If I could, I would take this fucking ball and shove it down your fucking throat and kill you" then continued to berate the woman with more sailor-like profanity of epic proportions.

Complete chaos erupted as Tournament Officials ran onto the court - keep in mind, this was Match Point for Clijsters - to "talk" with Serena who yelled audibly in front of everyone "I never threatened to kill her!" Let me tell you, the little lines lady, who made a very bad call, by the way, there was no foot fault, looked scared to death. Serena is a huge athlete with a racket shaking and pointing in her face, screaming at her for a LONG time. Not just one comment mind you. A FULL BLOWN TIRADE.

Never in our lives have we heard or seen such a thing on court. It was like an episode of Cops!

For those of you who aren't into tennis because it's boring. We can assure you the game has changed alot in the last 30 years. This is a fast-paced, exciting, passionate and rocking sport. However, tonight was so over the top we can't even believe what we just saw. Two-time Defending U.S. Open Champion Serena Williams just went wild with anger and was thrown out for court violations and unsportsmanlike conduct on a Match Point for threatening to kill someone. Poor Kimmy Clijsters looked stunned and never got to do a victory dance. She had kicked Serena's ass ALL NIGHT.

Most players have had meltdowns, tirades and tantrums. This one made the old McEnroe, Becker, Roddick and Nastase outbursts look tame. Although all of those are pretty funny and all available on YouTube.

Serena's press conference was total spin because of course she is never at fault for anything, it always everyone elses fault, and even Mary Carillo commented that it should have won an Academy Award. She never apologized to the lines woman, not to the public or the tourney officials. She should be suspended and the women's doubles trophy awarded to the other team. She shouldn't even be allowed to be on the court again this year. What a sore-losing spoiled- rotten but tough bitch! I bet she wouldn't stop at shoving a ball down your throat and would stick a racket up your ass too!

Wow. What a night at the Open!

Read more:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8252971.stm

Causes

The Omni Report is proud to post links to the charities and causes that we feel are well worth the time.

Help People:
Families of September 11th

Help Children:
The Twin Towers Orphans Fund

Help Animals:
The Animal Legal Defense Fund

Help the Planet:
The Natural Resources Defense Council

"The good we do for ourselves, dies with us.
The good we do for others, is and will always be immortal."

Restraining Order on the Court

We clearly remember that day in April 1993, when a psycho German fan rammed a 10-inch knife into the back of Monica Seles, during a match.

Resting, as players do between games, she had her back to the spectators, thinking she'd be safe, in all places, a tennis court packed with people and playing out on live television. Then the unthinkable. A psycho with a knife, jumps into the court and attacks her brutally from the blindside.

You would think that the German courts would have locked this guy up for a long time. Attempted murder in front of 20,000 people and all recorded on tape..? Wrongo. The courts deemed him mentally unstable (duh, he's a psycho!) and LET HIM OUT. Apparently, in Germany, if you are deemed psychotic and attempt to kill someone in public, it's okay.

Seles never played in Germany again.

This year, not just one, but two players were approached ON COURT and touched by a spectator that got past poor or non-existent security. Not just any two players, mind you, but the NUMBER 1 and NUMBER 2 in the WORLD. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Oh, and not just at the Whatchmacallit Tournament in Backwater, but at WORLD MAJORS. Federer, arguably the best tennis player that ever played, was approached by a crazy guy who attempted to put a hat on his head at the French Open. This incident was laughed off and even the commentators joked "Hey Roger, don't forget to use the racket as a weapon and hit the guy next time!" LOL???

At the US Open last week Rafael Nadal, was approached and KISSED by a man yelling, "I love you, Rafa" over and over. Again, this is laughed off. WTF??!!

We've seen the lines at the Open. As the day session ends and the night begins the grounds crew and security have to switch out over 20,000 people in about 60 minutes. They can't possibly be able to check everyone adequately in that time for weapons. Imagine if Rafa or Roger had been stabbed like Seles. What an outrage!! What if that "kiss" had been a punch to the face? What would have happened if that guy broke Rafa's nose or something?

These security breaches are wholly unacceptable, scary as hell and not laughable in any way shape or form. Our most beloved players are at extreme risk. What has to happen to change things? Does one of these incidents have to be fatal? Will we have to actually watch one of our favorite players bleed out on live TV for stadiums to change security procedures?

Let's hope not.

Remember, Remember the 11th of September

Where were you on 9/11 when you heard the news?

We were listening to the radio and heard from Stuttering John that one of the World Trade Towers was on fire. Interested - off went the radio and on went The Today Show and the visual. Wow. It is on fire. Pick up the phone, call retired grandparent. Are you watching this? Yes. On the phone together when the second plane hits. HOLY SHIT! Did you see that? I'll call you back! OMG! Have to call My Boss who is - get this - driving back from Massachusettes this morning heading south on 95 right into NY. Jeez! Turn right - get off 95 - NY is under attack. What? Do not go to NY - get off 95 south now. Call you back. 5 minutes later, detour!

And that's how 9/11/01 started for us...then total chaos.

2,993 lives lost in one day. Every single airplane in North American airspace was immediately grounded and over 500 in bound international planes were turned away. And, as we all know, that was just the beginning.

Every life is worth something, however, risking one's life
to save another is beyond...

R.I.P. NY's Bravest

Art for Art's Sake

Let's Enjoy!

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

(2/25/1841-12/3/1919)

Noirmoutier, 1892

Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1881

Garden Scene in Brittany, 1886

Doge's Palace, Venice, 1881

U.S. Open - Update 9/7/2009

Shocking Saturday - Stunning Sunday - Monday Mayhem

What a weekend of shocking upsets and stunning matches! Seeded players fell left and right. Andy Roddick - Out, Maria Sharapova - Out, Venus Williams - Out, Dinara Safina #1 - Out! Blake, Hewitt, Haas, Davydenko all out.

MELANIE OUDIN (pronounced eewdan), contines to decimate the Russian woman's tennis contingent- known collectively as the "Ovas". She sent Sharapova home Saturday and Petrova home today! This unknown Georgian girl - Everybody's All American - is on her way to making a name for herself and has A HUGE LOUD fanbase already here at the Open. She now faces either Caroline Wozniaki or Svetlana Kuznetsova. We bet it's Ova - She's #6 in the world. So far Melanie has faced an Elena, a Maria and a Nadia. Bring on Svetlana!

A crazed 17-year old Melanie Oudin after qualifying
for the quarterfinals at the US.Open 2009.

U.S.Open - Day 6 Update

2 shocking early round exits. First, Stanislaw Wawrinka, seeded #19, Federer's doubles partner and fellow Swiss, was upset to unranked Ecuadorian Nicolas Lapentti in the first round.

Elena Dementieva, seeded #4, was completely and totally upset by unranked, 17 year old American Melanie Oudin from Georgia. Oudin coming from nowhere and shocking everyone with this on top of her fourth round run in Wimbledon two months ago. How far can she go? UPDATE: Melanie Oudin just ousted Maria Sharapova today in a 3-set stunner! Another shocking upset! It's making national news and being called an "inspirational win." We couldn't agree more. Oudin is knocking off seeded player after seeded player like a steam roller. WE LOVE THIS GIRL! BYE MARIA, you B****. Next is Nadia Petrova, #13 seed from Russia...

In other early round news...

Robin Soderling, with a huge 2nd round break, when his opponent retired after just two games.

Marat Safin saying goodbye to the game forever for retirement, leaving the way he always played, temperamental and unable to seal the deal. Boy, will we miss his antics on the court!

Taylor Dent in an epic 5 set barn burner Friday night that had the old Open magic flowing and almost palpable. Dent's win leading him to grab the chair umpire's microphone - a first - for an impromptu victory speech and sparked a 2 -lap victory run around the entire court. Classic Friday night Open passion and energy! Patrick Mac called it "goose bump making material." Dent refusing to leave the court until he signed for everyone, laughing and rubbing elbows with the fans long after the match was over.

Most men's seeded players have easily conquered their victims, excepting Juan Carlos Ferrero who fought back down 2 sets to win in 5 yesterday.

Gonzalez, Del Potro, Monfils, Berdych, Davydenko, Blake, Soderling, Robredo, Stepanek, Djokovic, Murray, Federer, Roddick and Nadal all advance...
Look for major changes today as most are playing...now.

In women's tennis - it's all William's sisters. How long can Venus last on her gimpy knee? She looks to be in terrible pain every match.

Kim Clijsters having a hell of a comeback so far, but having to face Venus tomorrow. The 2 champs have met before and it should be fun to see a re-match.

Better times with Marat Safin in 2005 with his
Australian Open Championship trophy.

Bye Marat! We had fun all those years watching you smash rackets and curse at the top of your lungs in Russian. We're sad, thinking about all of our fave players that have retired and that we'll only see on You Tube: Patrick Rafter, Gustavo Kuerten, Michael Chang, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Billie Jean King, Martina Hingis, Steffi Graff, Goran Ivanisevic, Jimmy Conners and John McEnroe and now Marat Safin...

News You Should Know - 9/4/2009

LAKOTA BLUES....

Leonard Peltier Once Again Denied Parole

Excerpt from The Examiner:

Six-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, American political prisoner Leonard Peltier, unsuccessful at his hearing on 28 July, 2009, is petitioning President Obama for Executive Clemency. A worldwide outpouring of support for Peltier's release has included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Rigoberta Menchu, the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, the European Parliament, the Belgian Parliament, the Italian Parliament, the Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, Rev. Jesse Jackson plus several American Indian nations and organizations including the National Congress of American Indians and the Assembly of First Nations according to Native Merican Times. Over 500 VIP and celebrity Peltier supporters have requested his release.

Read more:
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_6363.shtml


Vietnam Veteran lives in squalor on Indian Reservation

Is it wrong for a Vietnam Veteran, who also spent 16 years as a Fireman, to live in squalor? Herbert Hale is 54 years old, a veteran of two Army combat tours in Vietnam and a member of the Lakota tribe, which today means a level of poverty rivaled only by fetid refugee camps in third world countries.

Learn more:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/13/king.sotu.economy/


CHINA

Lead Weighs Heavier on Children in China

Acceptable levels of lead in human blood is 10 mg's per liter. In China, children in cities have levels measuring almost 60 mg's. In one city alone, over 1,300 kids have levels over 100 and the effects are devastating.

Read more:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/02/china.lead.poisoning.hunan/

Finally, to end on a light note -

The Beijing IKEA Store

Apparently it's not for shopping. People in China plan their day around going to the Ikea Store, not to purchase a new couch - but to sleep on one! Desperate to escape the noise, pollution and crowds of the city, entire families, go to Ikea to eat, browse, sleep, relax and take pictures. Hysterical!

Read more:

http://www.psfk.com/2009/09/chinese-ikea-shoppers-eat-and-nap-but-dont-necessarily-buy.html

Person of the Month - September 2009

Dr. Robert Ballard

Dr. Ballard is the world renowned oceanographer and explorer that discovered, amongst others, the wreck of the Titanic, this day in 1985.

We’ve named him the person of the month for all his incredible past work at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, using cutting edge technology to discover history’s missing ships and for his unrivaled academic work and continued exploration of the Earth's oceans and seas.

Bob Ballard’s illustrious career began in the 1960’s when he finished University with graduate degrees in geophysics and marine geology. He entered the ROTC program, rising from second lieutenant to Naval Commander before his honorable discharge in 2004 for reaching the statutory age limit.

He’s been with The Woods Hole Institute since the 1970’s pioneering and innovating marine exploration and technology.

He is credited with the greatest marine discovery of all time. The Titanic. Arguably, the world’s most well known vessel lost at sea, it’s discovery made world headlines, history and cemented his place in the pantheon of great and successful explorers.

Ballard’s team had been commissioned by the Navy to locate two sunken submarines. They did and in the process learned valuable lessons from their recovery. The team used this knowledge to locate the Titanic.

They finally achieved this on September 1, 1985, when the team located a debris field and followed it to the hull of the ship.

Ballard is also credited with the discovery of:

The USS Yorktown
The Bismarck
The Lusitania
And ** drumroll** John F. Kennedy’s lost WWII PT 109 boat.

Dr. Ballard has also pioneered sonar and undersea exploration of the Black Sea, discovering many wrecks previously unknown, leading to new theories in the historical trades of earlier peoples in that area. His contributions to the undersea archeology in this previously unexplored region is unparalleled.

We wish him the best of luck on all his future endeavors.

U.S. Open 2009 - Preview

Tonight is the U.S. Open tribute ceremony to Andre Agassi honoring his career and all that he has given back to the community through his charitable foundation.

"Agassi, the eight-time Grand Slam singles champion and a role model both on and off the court, owns the Open Era record of 21 consecutive US Open appearances, having last competed in the 2006 US Open. In 1994, the same year in which Agassi won his first US Open title at the age of 24, he founded The Andre Agassi Foundation. Dedicated to transforming U.S. public education through practice, policy and partnerships, the Foundation has raised nearly $75 million to provide opportunities to underserved youth. The centerpiece of the Andre Agassi Foundation is the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy (a K-12 public charter school) located in Las Vegas, Nev. On June 12, 2009, the first-ever senior class graduated from the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy with 100% of the students receiving a diploma and going on to higher education. "

The 14th Annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day kicked off the ceremonies this afternoon. Will Ferrell was there to have a great time with all the kids and played a doubles match with the Andy's in the creatively titled Andy vs. Will Match. Andy Roddick and Will Arnett vs. Andy Murray and Will Ferrell. It was Umped by Keenan Thompson of SNL who was calling strikes and 10 yard penalties off the line. Murray/Ferrell won on an error by Arnett.

Serena Williams, James Blake and Roger Federer were among the other celebs who donated their time for the kids.

Open Matches begin tomorrow EST 11 am.

OPEN PREVIEW

Mens Singles:

Roddick: Can he top Wimbledon? No. Is he on pace to win big? Yes.

Federer: It's a lock. Rafa's probably not back yet.

Murray: He is on also on track to win big. He's in the final vs. Federer.

Rafael Nadal: Is he back? We're not sure. If he wins it will cement his Grand Slam Title Career.

Djokovic, Del Potro, Blake, Davydenko, Tsonga, Soderling, Haas, Hewitt...Look for some awesome matches and a hell of an Open this year as the competition is the best it's ever been, right now.

Sad Goodbye - BIG MARAT SAFIN IS RETIRING - Look for his final match(es) this week.


Womens Singles:

The Williams Sisters: Give it to Defending Champ Serena.

Venus: She cannot beat Serena here.

Safina: Overdue... but will never win due to the "Safin Temperament Syndrome."

Sharapova: Bitch.

Jankovich, Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Bartoli...Again look for some awesome matches this year!

Clijsters is back! You go girl! Will we see Mauresmo? This could be the year of the Ghost of Women's Tennis Past... Henin...Hingis...where are you?


Keep up:
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/index.html

Causes

The Omni Report is proud to post links to the charities and causes that we feel are well worth the time.

Hurricane Katrina hit this day in 2005 and the people, animals and environment of the Gulf Coast are still reeling. In honor of the victims of Katrina and the catastrophic levee breaks that claimed so many lives and ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands of others, we are spotlighting causes that can help the people, children, animals and environment of the Gulf Coast.

Help People:
The Bush Clinton Katrina Fund

http://www.bushclintonkatrinafund.org/

Help Children:
Childrens Health Fund
http://childrenshealthfund.org/

Help Animals:

The Mutt Shack

http://www.muttshack.org/

Help the Planet:

The Nature Conservancy - Mississippi Delta

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/mississippi/

"The good we do for ourselves, dies with us.

The good we do for others, is and will always be immortal."

"LET FREEDOM RING"

"I HAVE A DREAM"

Martin Luther King, Jr gave the most memorable and inspired speech in modern history this day in 1963 to a packed "house" in Washington, DC. Indeed people of all races were there to witness the oratory genius of Martin Luther King that day and it is estimated that over 250,000 people lined the reflecting pool and Lincoln Memorial and experienced what was the seminal moment in Civil Rights History.

Read the entire transcript and see the entire 17 minute video:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Together Again....

The three undeniably most famous political figures in American history have reunited on the other side as today marks the end of an era in American politics with the death of Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. Today 40 years and 3 months almost to the day of her death, Mary Jo Kepechne finally gets her "day in court" with good 'ole Teddy.

Jean Kennedy Smith, former Ambassador to Ireland, is now the only surviving child of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. You may know her better as the mother of William Kennedy Smith, one of the nephews that Uncle Teddy took to Obar Nightclub in Florida and was later accused and acquitted of rape in 1991.

As easy as it is to make fun of the entire clan, we remember that as self-indulgent as this family is, they have counter-balanced themsleves with a sense of community and giving back. They always, always, have fought for "the little guy" and all 2,000 members of the Kennedy family (it seems) have gone into public service and lobbied for people, animals and the Earth. We thank them for that.

With the complete dying off of the main family what we'll miss most is The Kennedy Curse and the "what will happen to them next" soap opera...

R.I.P. Ted Kennedy

Happy Anniversary NPS

Isle Royal National Park, Michigan

Today marks the anniversary of the National Park Service, signed into law this day, by President Woodrow Wilson, in 1916. He mandated at the time "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

270 million Americans visit National Parks every year. The most visited parks include: Cape Code National Seashore, The Great Smokey Mountains, Lake Mead and The Delaware Water Gap. Yellowstone, the Everglades and Yosemite do not make the top ten NPS most visited sites, because they are UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well as National Parks and are of a class of themselves.

The National Park Service manages more than just parks and recreation areas. They are responsible for: The National Trails System comprising Historic and Scenic trails. Also, more than 2 dozen National Heritage Areas are under their protection, including such diverse regions as The Hudson River Valley in New York and Shenandoah Battlefield in Virginia. In addition, the NPS manages 16 of the 19 World Heritage Sites in this country, including The Carlsbad Caverns, The Grand Canyon, Independence Hall and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Horseshoe Bend, Grand Canyon

Mammoth Caves, Kentucky

Learn More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park_Service

Our Phavorite Phillies Players

Part 3 of a series....

Chase Utley
Philadelphia Phillies
#26 Second Base


Chase Utley makes our list because he is great guy on and off the field. A 3-time Silver Slugger award winner, he will always be known to Phillies Fans for his expletive laden announcement that so eloquently stated loud and clear at the Championship Parade October 2008 that we were the "World Fucking Champions."

Off the field, Chase donates his time and money to Philadelphia's humane shelters and does all he can to use his celebrity to promote animal welfare and charities. His wife is currently serving as a Board member for The Humane Society.

Rafa's Back! Sort of...

Rafael Nadal is back and he is kicking some ass already. He won last night over Paul-Henri Mathieu at the The Cincinnati Master Tournament and his next match is with Tomas Berdych today or tomorrow.

Our problem is that we hardly recognized Rafa last night. What happened to him while he was rehabbing his knee? He used to be the Leader of Tough School and now it looks like he took a trip to Nerdville during rehab.

Rafa as we knew him...One tough kid!

Rafa now...Gone is the Ninja Turtle Tough Guy, he looks....different

Maybe he just needs time to warm up before the US Open begins on August 31st.
Come on Rafa!

Author of the Month - August 2009

WALT WHITMAN 1819-1892

Known as the Father of Free Verse, Walt Whitman is certainly one of America's most celebrated poets. Among his noted works is his penultimate collection, Leaves of Grass.

Some of the great poems included in Leaves of Grass are:

* O Captain! My Captain!

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

* Salute au Monde!

What do you see Walt Whitman?
Who are they you salute, and that one after another salute you?
I see a great round wonder rolling through space,
I see diminute farms, hamlets, ruins, graveyards, jails, factories,
palaces, hovels, huts of barbarians, tents of nomads upon the surface,
I see the shaded part on one side where the sleepers are sleeping,
and the sunlit part on the other side,
I see the curious rapid change of the light and shade,
I see distant lands, as real and near to the inhabitants of them as
my land is to me.

*Song of the Open Road

Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money,I give you myself before preaching or law;
Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

*Give Me the Silent Splendid Sun

Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling,
Give me autumnal fruit ripe and red from the orchard,
Give me a field where the unmow'd grass grows,
Give me an arbor, give me the trellis'd grape,
Give me fresh corn and wheat, give me serene-moving animals teaching content,
Give me nights perfectly quiet as on high plateaus west of the Mississippi, and I looking up at the stars,
Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturb'd,
Give me for marriage a sweet-breath'd woman of whom I should never tire,
Give me a perfect child, give me away aside from the noise of the world a rural domestic life,
Give me to warble spontaneous songs recluse by myself, for my own ears only,
Give me solitude, give me Nature, give me again O Nature your primal sanities!

Also, such poems, that we have not quoted here:

*Who Learns my Lessons Complete
*The Voice of the Rain
*A Clear Midnight

Whitman also writes extensively about what he witnessed first hand during the Civil War. His book, Memoranda During the War, contains detailed poetry of his accounts and feelings about the war. These poems stand the test of time and are emotionally moving when read to this day. Some of his war poems are also contained in Leaves of Grass including the cheerful sounding:

*Strange Vigil I Kept on the Field One Night
*Over the Carnage Rose a Prophetic Voice

Walt Whitman is buried in a beautiful cave like setting in a cemetary in Camden, NJ.

Yes. We said Beautiful and Camden in the same sentence.

Read more:
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/126

http://www.blackcatpoems.com/w/walt_whitman.html

Groucho

Groucho Marx died this day in 1977. He was, as far as we are concerned, the greatest comedian of all time - Hands Down. He was consistently hilarious with the off-the-wall-stream-of-consciousness-in-your-face barrage of craziness that made him Groucho.

He was completely unique as a comedian and made a tremendous mark in the world. We love the movies he made with his brothers the most especially Monkey Business and Night at the Opera.

He died 3 days after Elvis Presley, so sadly his death was just a passing note in the news one day. Completely unbefitting, the American Icon that is Groucho Marx.

There are almost too many quotes to attribute to Groucho...some of his best one liners will hold up until the end of time and never go out of style...

*"Die, my dear? Why that's the last thing I shall do!"

* "Closer...Closer.." "If I get any closer, I'll be in back of you."

* "I never forget a face. In your case though, I'll make an exception."

* "I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."

* "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."

Do yourselves a favor and go rent a Marx Brothers movie tonight and laugh at the genius that was Groucho.

Read more:
http://www.groucho-marx.com/

News You Should Know - 8/17/2009

Afghan Woes...

Wow. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the women of Afghanistan, this happens. Shia husbands, by law, have the legal right to starve their wives to death for not having sex with them. Where does it go from here?

Read more:
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/afghan-husbands-win-right-to-starve-wives/

http://www.afghanistanwomencouncil.org/

Another R.I.P...

Like something out of a bad horror movie, famed Geologist Campbell Bridges was attacked by a mob of angry villagers and killed the other day, with machetes.

"He was credited with discovering tsavorite – a brilliant dark green gemstone – in the 1960s on the nearby border with Tanzania. His Tanzanian mines were nationalised in the 1970s, and he moved his operations to Kenya – where he studied geological records and located tsavorite again. Initially he lived in a tree house, and claimed to have set a python to watch over the first gems he found. He kept a pair of leopards instead of guard dogs. He was also a special consultant to the famous New York jewellers Tiffany & Co."

Read more here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/13/geologist-campbell-bridges-stabbed-kenya

Sign of the Times...

Is this the end of Readers Digest? Thought it was already gone? Well, it may be soon.

Read more:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/17/readers-digest-bankruptcy-business-media-readers-digest.html

Conspiracy Theory of the Month - August 2009

CHEMTRAILS

This was a new one for The Omni Report - and a good one!

This conspiracy theory states that all those plane trails that you see streaking across the sky are chemical or biological agents being deliberately sprayed at high altitudes for unknown reasons, and are known as Chemical Trails or Chemtrails. The general public assumes that when you see a trail from a plane across a clear blue sky, that the white streak is coming from the engine or exhaust and these are known as Condensation Trails or Contrails.

Proponents of the Chemtrail Conspiracy accuse the government of dispensing various chemical agents in the air for any number of reasons: chemical, biological or military weapons testing; population control, global warming research and or control, and more nefarious and sinister yet, behavioral modification of civialian populations - a.k.a mind control and that these chemicals are causing health problems and respiratory illnesses.

It is said that a contrail dissipates within a few minutes, certainly no longer than two hours and that a chemtrail lingers much much longer. Sometimes up to a day and some leave behind a haze that blankets the sky.

A conspiracy theory isn't fun unless it's denied by at least three governments as are chemtrails. The official US statement is that chemtrails are a refuted hoax, the British see it as a unscientifically recognized phenomena and the Canadians say there is no scientific evidence for them.

Omni Staffers are continually pointing out the prolific amount of trails in the sky all the time and the debate continues over whether or not we remember this amount of trails in our youths or even before 9/11. The consensus seems to be "we don't think so."

So does a secret program exist? Would it be run by the Department of Energy? Are you aware of the DOE Aerosol Campaign? We weren't until now. Is this the "cover" for the black op known as Chemtrail?


Learn more about the DOE Aerosol Campaign:
http://www.energy.gov/news/6694.htm
http://acrf-campaign.arm.gov/isdac/


Learn more about Chemtrails:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail

An innocent sky or something more...sinister?

The Lady with the Lamp

Florence Nightingale died this day in 1910. A pioneer, visionary and iconoclast, Florence set the gold medal standard in humanitarianism and philanthropy.

She was known as The Lady with the Lamp, for the times during the Crimean war when she would make rounds late at night checking in on every poor injured soldier in the hospital, with the flickering light of a lamp held in her hands.

She wholly reinvented the concept of patient care establishing the foundations of modern nursing. In the first six months of her first tenure at the war hospital in Istanbul, the mortality rate fell from 42% to 2%. WOW! She saved hundreds if not thousands of lives with her new standard of hygiene.

None of this even scratches the surface of her fascinating and remarkable life achievements. Next year, the centennial of her death has been deemed by the U.N General Assembly the International Year of the Nurse. The Omni Report will write extensively about her at that time.

For now, we honor ALL THE NURSES THAT MAKE SUCH A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN OUR LIVES AND IN THE WORLD. THANK YOU!

R.I.P Les Paul 1915-2009

“RIP Les Paul-thank you for the instruments that changed the course of music. If u have ever “rocked” or “been rocked” u can thank Les Paul.” — Tom Morello

Co-Inventor of the electric guitar, we owe Les Paul our undying gratitude for all the ROCK! Thanks to Tom Morello, one of the greatest guitarist EVER, who summed it up succinctly.

Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen, B.B. King, Slash, The Late Great Randy Rhodes, Tommy Morello, Joan Jett, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Richie Sambora, Steven Van Zandt, Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Billie Jo Armstrong, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Dave Davies, The Edge, Robin Finck (NIN), Ace Frehley, David Gilmour, Dave Grohl, Kirk Hammet and James Hetfield, Jimi Hendrix, Toni Iommi, Woody Guthrie, Mick Jones (The Clash), Brian Robertson (Motorhead), Bob Marley (Buried with his Les Paul Guitar), Paul McCartney, Joe Perry and last but not least Keith Richardson are among the artists that use and are inspired by and grateful for the LES PAUL Electric Guitar...

And for that list above....We THANK YOU, LES!

Jimmy Page and Les Paul in 1987

Awesome Women

Today two very awesome women are in the news for all the wrong reasons.

We mourn the death of Eunice Shriver who founded the Special Olympics and showed the world the value of investing in the disabled and mentally challenged.

In a statement issued today President McAleese said, "Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a visionary who founded the Special Olympics and devoted her life to creating a better and more inclusive world for people with disability. In founding and developing the Special Olympics, which thrived in virtually every country on the planet, she created an organisation and a community in which people with disability could demonstrate their talents and where all of us could participate and learn."

"Today we celebrate the life of a woman who had the vision to create our movement. It is an enormous loss, but I know we can rest assured that her legacy will live on through the millions of people around the world who she touched and transformed. In her memory, we will continue to work to bring her powerful vision to life to change the lives of those with intellectual disabilities, their families and communities, using sports as the catalyst for respect, acceptance and inclusion."

In her own words, Eunice said this: "It is my deepest hope that the world can begin to look at our friends with special needs and, for once, tell them, 'Yes, you do belong; yes, you are wonderful; yes, you can be a shining light of hope for the world!"— Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Please make the effort to donate to the Special Olympics. If everyone gave $10, imagine the possibilities. http://www.specialolympics.org/

We join in the worldwide protest over the mistreatment of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, 64, who has been under house arrest for most of the past 20 years. She was sentenced by Myanmar's military regime to 18 more months of house arrest. Her original "crime" was that she led a political movement to replace the generals with a democratic government. This peaceful woman is a direct threat to the government through peace and democracy. The farce that is the the government of Burma/Myanmar has got to be stopped. What is it with these MFers that crave absolute power to the point they will kill and oppress anyone who gets in their way? They don't even care that they rule over desperate, starving people and have no other accomplishment other than bullying through the abuse of its own militia. Honestly, isn't the number one perk of being a world leader, ALL THE PERKS? Why screw it up by being an asshole?

FREE AUNG SAN KYI!!

Archeology Site of the Month - August 2009

The Taj Mahal

The Emperor Shah Jahan built the iconic mausoleum, Taj Mahal, for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It was constructed between 1632-1653 in Agra, India.

The Emperor described his creation this way:

"The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made
To display thereby the Creator's Glory."

And those words sum up the reason why we've chosen the Taj as this months UNESCO* World Heritage Site. Although you've seen it a hundred times before once you re-visit the images it immediately sweeps you away again. It is one of the most iconic and beautiful buildings in the world.

There are actually several structures that make up the complex known as Taj Mahal. The grounds hold gardens and a beautiful reflecting pool. The architecture of the iconic mausoleum incorporates bits of various cultures such as Persian and Indian. The walls are decorated with calligraphic versus from the Qu'ran. Marble, jewels, gold, bronze, herringbone, jade and more, were imported from across the globe and all used in the construction of the building, cited as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired pieces of the world's heritage." The sheer numbers of artisans, craftsman, laborers, elephants, construction materials used in the construction are astounding. For a detailed description of the architecture, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_mahal

Interesting visitor's note: The Taj Mahal is only open during daylight hours, except during the full moon on which it is open to visitors for night viewing.

The grounds interestingly enough also hold the mausoleums for the Emperors other wives and a large one for his favorite servant.

Inlaid marble detail

Inside the Taj

The Taj at sunset

UNESCO* = United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization