Australian Open Update - 1/26/10

WoW! Marin Cilic (Chill-ich) is a kid on FIRE! He took out Roddick in 5 sets. We think he would be a serious contender if he hadn't had to go 5 sets in his last three matches(Blake, Del Potro & Roddick). As Mary Carrillo put it "He's tenderized. He's been softened for his next opponent." He'll be too drained to fight Murray or Federer. Then again, he's a kid and may have energy and fitness levels that can get him through it. He's Goran Ivanisevic's protege so we LOVE him now, even though he looks like Martin Scorsese did in 1801 when he was young...

Poor Andy Roddick! What a freaking choke artist he is! He cannot, cannot, cannot complete the deal..any deal...in a grand slam major. The guy cleans up in every other tourney all year. He's a GREAT Player. He just cannot seal a slam, ever. He's almost 29 now and will only have a few more seasons to do it. If he can't win another now in his 20's, he'll never do it in his 30's. Andy Roddick was a former World Ranked #1 and it's a shame he's only won 1 Grand Slam (2003 U.S. Open) in his career. He's lost to Federer 4 times in other finals including the Epic Heartbreak at Wimbledon which will live in Infamy (You WON that, Andy!). We'll have to see how he does the rest of the season. It's not too late!

Rafael Nadal. **SIGH** We're upset. He retired injured in 3 today against the other Andy. We've learned the reason he looks so anemic is that he lost a ton of weight to rehab his knee. His knee that he re-injured today. Poor Rafa. The only reason anyone ever questioned whether or not Federer was the best in the sport was because this kid, Rafa, came from nowhere and seemed unstoppable for a while - giving Federer a real run for his money every slam. Now, at only 23, his career may be over. Look for him to make a comeback at Wimbledon and the French - softer surfaces.

Andy Murray, is a ROCK STAR in England, they can't get enough of him. And we don't want to bash Little Timmy Henman, the UK's last "star" but it's no wonder the UK loves Murray. He's animated and passionate and for a pasty white boy from Scotland, he's got Game. Look for him to give Federer a challenge this year.

That leaves our favorite - Novak Djokovic (Joke-o-vich). He's beaten Alfred Tsonga before so we're hoping for a great rematch today.

Stay tuned!

Aussie Open Update - 1/25/10

Happy Australian Day to our Friends Down Under!

There were some BIG men's matches this weekend. Big Juan Del Potro lost in a 5 set barn burner to Marin Cilin. Verdasco and Davydenko also went 5 as well as Tsonga and Almagro. Davydenko and Tsonga were victorious and will move on to play against Federer and Djokovic.

Round of 8:
Roger Federer v Nikolay Davydenko
Novak Djokovic v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Andy Roddick v Marin Cilic
Andy Murray v Rafael Nadal

Look for Federer to advance to the finals. We're hoping for Roddick to beat him this time!

In the women's round, the Williams sisters are going to end up head to head in the finals. Serena will probably win if she can resist shoving a racket down a linesman's throat.

Robert E. Howard

Author of the Month - January 2010

All fled--all done, so lift me on the pyre;
The feast is over, and the lamps expire.
- Howard's suicide note 6/11/1936

Robert E. Howard

On June 11, 1936, Robert Ervin Howard, The World's Greatest Writer of Fiction, killed himself by a self-inflicted gunshot. The above prose was found on his person at the time of death. Today is the 104th anniversay of his birth.

We firmly believe that Robert E. Howard was the greatest pulp fiction author, creator and literary genius that ever lived. He was a tortured person and that self-depth and imagination led to a lifetime's work of literary characters and world's that up until then had never before been penned.

We can thank him for creating such fantastic and awesome literary characters like Conan the Barbarian and Solomon Kane. He wrote in a surprising number of genres including detective stories, westerns, horror, historical fiction and of course his grand opus and gift - sword and sorcery. A genre he created and perfected.

Rivaled only by J.R.R. Tolkien in his lifetime, Howard enjoyed financial success having his short stories published in dozens of high paying magazines. His first Conan story, "The Phoenix and the Sword" was published in 1932. Like Tolkien, Robert E. Howard invented an entire world for his protagonist, Conan - the mythical land of Cimmeria in the Hyborian Age. It's an amazing place and one we enjoy visiting every now and again.

Robert E. Howard has continued to influence entire generations of writers including: Michael Moorcock, L. Sprague de Camp, Fritz Lieber and John Jakes to name a few.

Although most well known for his novels and stories, Howard's poetry is also just as hauntingly beautiful, creepy, powerful and amazing. Not exactly sunshiny happy stuff, due to the fact the Robert was a lifetime depressive, but remarkable just the same.

Here are a few verses from some of his best poems:

The mighty poets write in blood and tears
And agony that, flame-like, bites and sears.
They reach their mad blind hands into the night,
To plumb abysses dead to human sight;
To drag from gulfs where lunacy lies curled,
Mad, monstrous nightmare shapes to blast the world.
- "Musings"


What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie?
I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky.
The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing;
Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king.
- "The Road of Kings"


Who are you?" I asked the phantom,
"I am rest from Hate and Pride.
"I am friend to king and beggar,
"I am Alpha and Omega,
"I was councilor to Hagar
"But men call me suicide."
I was weary of tide breasting,
Weary of the world's behesting,
And I lusted for the resting
As a lover for his bride."
- "The Tempter"


From wild red dawn to wild red dawn we held our iron line,
and fought till the blades broke in our hands
and the sea ran as red as wine.
With arrow, spear and heavy mace we broke the dragon's pride,
Thigh-deep in the roaring sea we fought and crimson ran the tide.
- "Diombar's Song of the Last Battle"

Bonus: Special Prayer to Crom, Supreme God of Cimmeria

Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!

Conan.com
REH Wiki Article
Crossplains,TX Offical REH Site

Famous Frank Frazetta renditition of Conan the Barbarian


Arnold as Conan - Amazing!

Get Burned!

The 4th season of Burn Notice begins tonight!

16 new episodes of Mikey and Fiona blowing things up!
16 new episodes of BRUCE CAMPBELL!.

USA tonight at 10pm EST

UPDATE: Last night's episode is scoring a 9.6 out of 10. We agree!

Who do you think burned Michael?

Wes Studi

Check out this great interview by Brad Balfour with Native American Legendary Actor Wes Studi on his role as tribal chief Eytukan in the mega-hit Avatar:

HuffPost Article - Wes Studi

Studi as "Magua", the Bad Ass Motherfucking Huron warrior in The Last of the Mohicans

And as CGI tribal chief - Eytukan, in Avatar

No Cognac and Roses For Poe....

This year marks the first time since 1949 - 1949! - that the Poe Toaster failed to arrive to drink and leave the three red roses and half bottle of cognac for America's Greatest Writer.

Speculation is running high as to why the mystery man known as the Poe Toaster didn't show. Rumours run the gamut from "Did he die?" to "Maybe he has the Flu this year" to "it's over." It is believed that since last year was the 200 anniversary of his birth this would've been the perfect time to end the tradition.

50 people showed up at the cemetery this year to catch a glimpse of the man in black with the wide brimmed hat who makes this annual gift to Poe's grave. In other years, up to a hundred people have shown, some from as far away as Japan. This Poe Toaster thing has grown big and is/was a magnificent "literary" tradition. The people of Baltimore were shocked and saddened that he didn't show this year. It's a quirky thing that has turned into an elegant (albeit it COLD)ritual.

If it's over, we're sad to see it go. Something tells us though that someone will pick up the mantle next year and keep the yearly pilgrimage alive.

"New" lithograph reveals a happier looking Edgar Allen Poe

Hear the mellow wedding-bells,
Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Through the balmy air of night
How they ring out their delight
From the molten-golden notes!
And all in tune,
What a liquid ditty floats
To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats
On the moon!
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
What a gust of euphony voluminously wells!
How it swells!
How it dwells
On the Future! how it tells
Of rapture that impels
To the swinging and the ringing
Of the bells, bells, bells--
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells--
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!

2nd verse - "The Bells" - E.A. Poe
Not so Doom and Gloomy - eh?

Australian Open 2010 - Update

Australian open.com

SHARAPOVA UPSET in FIRST ROUND!
After a more than 3 hour battle, Maria Sharapova lost and is out to friendly rival Maria Kirilenko (our new fave!). Bye Maria! We'll try to enjoy the rest of the tourney without you!

For the Men - Murray, Nadal, Del Potro, Gonzalez all breezed through to the second round and for the Women - Clijsters, Henin, Safina and Kuznetsova are all also heading to the second.

What's wrong, Maria?

Golden Globes 1/17/2010

Golden Globes Official Site

THE 67th ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS NOMINATIONS
HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION

UPDATE: Winners in Bold!

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
AVATAR
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
UP IN THE AIR

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
EMILY BLUNT - THE YOUNG VICTORIA
SANDRA BULLOCK - THE BLIND SIDE
HELEN MIRREN - THE LAST STATION
CAREY MULLIGAN - AN EDUCATION
GABOUREY SIDIBE - PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
JEFF BRIDGES - CRAZY HEART
GEORGE CLOONEY - UP IN THE AIR
COLIN FIRTH - A SINGLE MAN
MORGAN FREEMAN - INVICTUS
TOBEY MAGUIRE - BROTHERS

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
THE HANGOVER
IT’S COMPLICATED
JULIE & JULIA
NINE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE –COMEDY OR MUSICAL
SANDRA BULLOCK - THE PROPOSAL
MARION COTILLARD - NINE
JULIA ROBERTS - DUPLICITY
MERYL STREEP - IT’S COMPLICATED
MERYL STREEP - JULIE & JULIA

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
MATT DAMON - THE INFORMANT!
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS - NINE
ROBERT DOWNEY JR - SHERLOCK HOLMES
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT - (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
MICHAEL STUHLBARG - A SERIOUS MAN

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
CORALINE
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
UP

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
PENÉLOPE CRUZ - NINE
VERA FARMIGA - UP IN THE AIR
ANNA KENDRICK - UP IN THE AIR
MO’NIQUE - PRECIOUS
JULIANNE MOORE - A SINGLE MAN

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
MATT DAMON - INVICTUS
WOODY HARRELSON - THE MESSENGER
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - THE LAST STATION
STANLEY TUCCI - THE LOVELY BONES
CHRISTOPH WALTZ - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
KATHRYN BIGELOW - THE HURT LOCKER
JAMES CAMERON - AVATAR
CLINT EASTWOOD - INVICTUS
JASON REITMAN - UP IN THE AIR
QUENTIN TARANTINO - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
BIG LOVE (HBO)
DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
MAD MEN (AMC)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
GLENN CLOSE - DAMAGES
JANUARY JONES - MAD MEN
JULIANNA MARGULIES - THE GOOD WIFE
ANNA PAQUIN - TRUE BLOOD
KYRA SEDGWICK - THE CLOSER

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
SIMON BAKER - THE MENTALIST
MICHAEL C. HALL - DEXTER
JON HAMM - MAD MEN
HUGH LAURIE - HOUSE
BILL PAXTON - BIG LOVE

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
30 ROCK (NBC)
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
GLEE (FOX)
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
THE OFFICE (NBC)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
TONI COLLETTE
COURTENEY COX
EDIE FALCO
TINA FEY
LEA MICHELE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
ALEC BALDWIN
STEVE CARELL
DAVID DUCHOVNY
THOMAS JANE
MATTHEW MORRISON

Causes

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

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

Help People
Red Cross Haiti Relief

Help Children
UNICEF Haiti Relief

Help Animals
ASPCA Animal Rescue FUND - HAITI

The Art Gallery - Claude Lorrain 1600-1682

Pastoral Landscape, 1648

Landschaft mit der Nymphe, 1669

Harbourview at Sunrise, 1637

Coast Scene with Europa and the Bull, 1634

Aeneas, 1671

Haiti

Haiti's Presidential Palace before the 1/12/10 earthquake and after.

Please donate to the Red Cross and help.

The Great Wall of China

January 2010 - Archaeological Site of the Month

The Great Wall of China is an amazing monument of human achievement and one of the most famous landmarks on Earth. Whether or not is can be seem from space is in doubt, however, at over 4,000 miles in length, it is a awesome work.

It was designed an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Although it's over 2,000 years old, parts of the wall are in remarkable shape, a testament to the masonry and craftsmanship that went in to the building of the wall. You can see from the pictures below, the watchtowers and ramparts could be usable today to repel an invading army.

Great Wall Tour Groups

Wiki article

R.I.P. Stephen Huneck

This is so sad.

The world lost a fabulous guy yesterday when artist and all-around-nice-guy Stephen Huneck killed himself.

Stephen who was famous for his superior artistry in wood carvings, of dogs!, was despondent over having to lay off staff at his Vermont art gallery called Dog Mountain and fearful over losing the establishment altogether.

From the AP:
"A native of Sudbury, Mass., he started out whittling wooden sculptures and later dog-themed furniture, like the wooden pews eventually installed in the chapel, which he built in 2000, a miniature version of the 19th-century churches that dot Vermont's landscape.

Built of wood harvested from his 175-acre Dog Mountain property, it had vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows with images of dogs pieced into them.

"Welcome all creeds, all breeds. No dogmas allowed," says the sign outside.

"When dogs pull up in here, they may never have been here before, but it's like they saw the 'Disneyland' sign," said Huneck in a 2008 interview with The Associated Press. "They just get so excited, so happy," he said.

Anyone who goes out his way to make dogs happy is aces with us.
Our condolences to his family, friends, supporters and staff.

Picture from Stephen's website. Stephen and his dog's Artimus, Molly and Heidi in front of the Dog Chapel on Dog Mountain, St. Johnsbury, Vermont

Dog Mountain Art Gallery
Abc news article
Dog Chapel Story Wonderful!

The King is Dead - Long Live the King!

Who loves ya, Baby?

Elvis reached the Billboard #1 in 1956 for a little ditty called "Heartbreak Hotel" and followed that up with gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards for about 150 singles and albums, not to mention a bunch of Grammy awards. Today he would've turned 75 years old.

75th B'day Party at Graceland

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villians Cast Reveal

The All Star Heroes vs Villians Survivor cast was revealed during The People's Choice Awards last night.

One word: Colby! Two words: Russell Hantz!

Here we go:
Heroes
Rupert Boneham (Previous seasons: Pearl Islands, All-Stars)

James Clement (Previous seasons: China, Micronesia)

Colby Donaldson (Previous seasons: The Australian Outback, All-Stars)

Cirie Fields (Previous seasons: Panama, Micronesia)

Amanda Kimmell (Previous seasons: China, Micronesia)

Jessica “Sugar” Kiper (Previous season: Gabon)

Stephenie LaGrossa (Previous seasons: Palau, Guatemala)

James “J.T.” Thomas (Previous season: Tocantins)

Tom Westman (Previous season: Palau)

Candice Woodcock (Previous season: Cook Islands)


Villains

Tyson Apostol (Previous season: Tocantins)

Randy Bailey (Previous season: Gabon)

Sandra Diaz-Twine (Previous season: Pearl Islands)

Danielle DiLorenzo (Previous season: Panama)

Russell Hantz (Previous season: Samoa)

Jerri Manthey (Previous seasons: Australian Outback, All-Stars)

“Boston” Rob Mariano (Previous seasons: Marquesas, All-Stars)

Parvati Shallow (Previous seasons: Cook Islands, Micronesia)

“Coach” Benjamin Wade (Previous season: Tocantins)

Courtney Yates (Previous season: China)


Rupert! Colby! Russell!
Jerri Manthey is back. People hate hated her, but what can she do now?

3 things:
Coach again? NOOO!
It's another season of Jeff yelling Poverty instead of Parvati, which is actually quite funny.
And.....Boston Rob...

War at Sea!

War at Sea!

The war between The Sea Shepard Conservation Group and Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean near Australia escalated yesterday with a series of incidents leading to the sinking of one boat, extensive damage to another and the anti-whaling vessel, Bob Barker, coming to the rescue!

A Japanese whaling ship rammed the super high tech stealth boat, Ady Gil, operated by The Sea Shepard Conservation Group. Smashed into pieces the Ady Gil crew was evacuated and rescued by the crew of THE BOB BARKER, the newly renovated former Norwegian whaling vessel.

Where the fuck is the Royal Australian Navy?

Protesters are pissed. "This is Australian Antarctic territorial waters and I see the Japanese whalers doing whatever they want with impunity down here without a single Australian government vessel anywhere to be found..."

They have a valid point and one that isn't being taken seriously by their own government. Australian officials have basically told the Sea Shepards "to exercise restraint in the name of safety." WTF?

The other Sea Shepard vessel, Steve Irwin, has also been involved with this, pursuing the Japanese whaling fleet for weeks and avoiding Japanese "security ships" that threaten the Sea Shepard's daily. It was one of these security ships, The Something or Other Maru, that critically disabled the Ady Gil.

Learn more:

Sea Shepard.org

Bob Barker ship

Pic of the ruined Ady Gil

News - 1/4/2010

America's Most Wanted strikes again.
Way to go John Walsh!

Hungarian Rhapsody
In the "you can't make this shit up department" - the next time you find yourself living in a cave, you might just be the next multi-billionaire...

The Turkish Zahi Hawass
Not another one!

Uganda is messed up!
And these guys sure didn't help. Why is it that the people most drawn to Christ and his desire for love and peace - HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE? Dont they know that they have to die a horrible death for eating shrimp?! It's in the bible, right next to the whole "gay thing". Oh wait, they missed that part...oh! That explains it.

Top Archaeological finds of 2009
Great slide show at msnbc.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MOVE YOUR MONEY

Sacramento Tent City 2009 - Population 300+ and growing fast

Our last post regarding the year in review made light of the poor financial situation affecting this country.

In reality, the situation we're in is worse than you can imagine. Unemployment statistics reveal that as of November 2009, 15.4 million people are unemployed, a number that was 7.5 million in December 2007*.

The "Housing Bubble" is a stupid euphemism that means entire families are now living under bridges, in tent cities, in decrepit conditions and with other members of their families in crowded over-filled houses.

Who's to blame? Ordinary people are a minor cause. There were millions of people who bought houses without the means to support the mortgage payments. The MAJOR cause? "Predatory Lending" from major financial institutions that don't give a fuck.

From Huffington Post:
"The big banks on Wall Street, propped up by taxpayer money and government guarantees, have had a record year, making record profits while returning to the highly leveraged activities that brought our economy to the brink of disaster. In a slap in the face to taxpayers, they have also cut back on the money they are lending, even though the need to get credit flowing again was one of the main points used in selling the public the bank bailout. But since April, the Big Four banks -- JP Morgan/Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo -- all of which took billions in taxpayer money, have cut lending to businesses by $100 billion."

Have you had enough of this Wall Street Bullshit? Then help support Main Street!

Join a Grassroots Movement that can impact you and help free America from the callous, jaded and wholly unacceptable behaviour of these big banks.

GO LOCAL AND MOVE YOUR MONEY! Move Your Money.info

The theory is that if ordinary people started to move their money into local community banks and credit unions, then the big banks wouldn't be able to spend millions of dollars to lobby the government against US. It's an idea so simple, that it just might work. Of course, we aren't economists but we are optimists and believe that one good turn deserves another.

WAKE UP SHEEPLE and JOIN THE REVOLUTION!

Here is the link to Arianna's main article: Huffington Post

* Department of Labor statistics

A MUST SEE!

2009 Year in Review

2009 was quite a year and one we are happy to have end.

The economic situation dominated everything and changed America's spending habits. Staycation became a household word - pun intended. Money, or lack of it, has driven some people to suicide and despair while others are taking advantage. After all, mansions are half price now.

We lost more celebrities than any other year in history. Although somehow, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears managed to stay alive. Go figure!

Celebrity scandals were almost low key except for the J&K+8 explosion. Jon and Kate Gosselin dominated the gossip rags ALL year. We can't even wait for J. Goss to kill himself. Go for it Jon! And take your whores with you! Speaking of whores....

Tiger "Check out my One Wood! Have you seen my Love Club"? Woods. We actually have to hand it to this guy. How the hell did he have time to 1) have a successful busy career, 2) marry and have 2 kids and 3) have sex with 675 whores a year? Beware of Tiger's Not-so-Hidden Dragon!

For some reason, celebrity divorces seem to be the big end of the year story. We couldn't care less.

Reality shows continued to dominate in 2009. Every profession has one: repo men, pawn shop owners, salon owners, saloon owners, bakers, paranormal investigators, wedding dress proprietors - not to mention ice road truckers and Bering Sea crabbers. We would like to see one on Administrative Assistants That Kill.

Pawn Stars is one of our favorite shows of all time. It's like the Antiques Roadshow on steroids. Love. It.

Survivor, Top Chef and Amazing Race had their BEST SEASONS EVER. Seriously, after 20 seasons Jeff Probst is just hitting his stride. We are looking forward to Survivor All Stars: Heroes vs. Villains. Anyone for more Johnny Fairplay? How about Colby? We're just guessin'.

Movies this year received scathing blows from critics leading most people to avoid them at all costs. Still, teens flocked to Transformers 2 and New Moon, and the end of the year Hollywood numbers are off the chart because of Avatar and Sherlock Holmes.

Wolverine was one of our favorite movies this year. Hugh Jackman is AWESOME as Wolverine. And Liev Strieber was in it - cannot go wrong there. Speaking of Liev, anyone see Defiance? Great movie about defiant Jews. And speaking of Defiant Jews - Run don't walk to rent Inglorious Basterds. Best. Jewish. Revenge. Fantasy. Ever. Although it's probably the ONLY Jewish revenge fantasy movie.

Star Trek was definitely worth it. Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy is inspired casting at its best. Go Karl! BTW, Karl had the Best Movie of 2007 - Pathfinder (with the ever awesome, fave actor Clancy Brown). Go rent it.

The Hangover is THE BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR. Hands down. This movie is spectacularly hilarious. Comedies are really never funny the whole way through. Hangover is hysterical. On every level. The whole way and do not miss the credits!

In politics...oh, the hell with it. Do you care?

Let's talk SuBo!! Susan Boyle is one our favorite people this year. Her story is incredible and lovely. It's a Cinderella fantasy come true! How could a middle-aged frumpy lady become an international sensation outselling Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Beyonce and Rihanna combined!? Her record "I Dreamed a Dream" has smashed the record charts on every continent in the world, becoming history in and of itself. We're happy for her!

Lady GaGa. What can we say? Anyone who can make a dress out of Kermit the Frog dolls and another one out of Hello Kitty dolls deserves 15 minutes of fame. Talk about letting your Freak Flag Fly...YGG!

Well, we can't wrap-up our 2009 end of the year post without mentioning.....2012! 2012 end-of-the-world-mania has taken off and gone mainstream. Everyone knows about it now. What will happen? Will the world end? Will we be obliterated through war, famine, disease, an asteroid, zombies? We'll save our opinion for another post, but are leaning towards zombies right now....

Other things to mention for 2009? Captain Sully, Michael Jackson, Somali Pirates, Barack Obama, Ted Kennedy, Swine Flu, Juan del Potro....There are 50 million more subjects that we could have touched on for 2009.

What else happened in 2009? The Omni Report! We hope you've enjoyed our "little blog". Thanks for reading and supporting our sponsors. Have a GREAT New Year and come back soon. We have lots planned for 2010.

Conspiracy Theory of the Month - 12/09

SANTA CLAUS

Does he exist or not? How does he deliver presents to all children on Earth in one night? Do his reindeer really play games and have a leader with a red nose? Are his elves volunteers or actually child laboring slaves? Is Mrs. Claus complicit, an unwitting pawn or is she the secret mastermind of this whole affair?

All these questions and more will be answered by the end of this post!

First, what is his real name? Father Christmas? Saint Nicholas? Kris Kringle? Santa Claus? Gandalf? Is he in the witness protection program? Why so many names for one man?

Secondly, where does he live? In the mountains of Finland? The ambiguous "far north"? The North Pole? He must be in the witness protection program. His location is always changing!

Legends of the man known as Saint Nicholas date back to the 8th century while others take us up to the 13th century in Germany and to 17th century legends in Belgium and the Netherlands. All describe a man giving presents to children and the other variants of the story crop up through time as the legend grew - 8 reindeer, a sled, sliding through chimneys,etc....

Current intelligence places his location at the North Pole where he is residing, as he has the past century, under the guise "Santa Claus".

Radar confirmations through the U.S. government military agency NORAD, do seem to verify the existence and travels of "Santa Claus" on the 24th night of December every year. Radar indications of a large sled pulled by eight reindeer are also confirmed! So the legends, so far, seem true!

The reindeer games are speculative. The deer aren't talking to anyone. You know how loose lips sink ships. With this economy, even the disgruntled deer know not to make waves with "the big guy". Everybody wants to keep their job. We were able to confirm through a secret Elf source, that yes, Rudolph, the lead reindeer, does indeed have a bulbous red light as a nose "that is as cute as a button and more functional than Halogen lights in a hailstorm." Another Elf source was quoted as saying "They definitely play games." Well there you have it. Now do they let Rudolph play is the question.

Interviews with the Mrs. and the Elves are a little easier to come by. According to NPZ, the North Pole exclusive gossip rag, Mrs. Claus has gone on record, going so far as to say, "It's a shame that this controversy has to come up every year. Of course my husband exists, of course he delivers presents to all children on Earth in one night...His secret? Magic, of course! Anyone for some hot chocolate?" This leads us to believe that Mrs. Claus is an innocent yet complicit pawn that secretly masterminds the entire North Pole Operation of one such "Santa Claus".

The Elves? Well, they are befuddled as to how they could be confused with "slavery" and "forced labor camps". Hermie, the Head Elf and Chief Dentist of the North Pole Elves Association, recently tweeted that Elf Service contract negotiations with "Santa" are on going every summer and that this year, despite the economy, the Elves are promised a bonus and no more furlough days. Although salaries are frozen again this year, Hermie added, "Everything is frozen up here anyway." They couldn't be happier with the the way the contract talks turned out this year.

As far as Santa's one-night delivery system, good and bad children's list and strange clothing style, we're told by "a source" that Santa has been on top of technology from the beginning and was "way ahead of Lotus notes" and "turbo charged fuel injected nitrous overdrives." One Elf close to Hermie's upper echelon camp bragged, "Twitter and Facebook have nothing on what we've got!"

We couldn't obtain a comment about the clothes so we went to The Fashion Master, Tim Gunn, and asked his opinion. All he could say was that Mrs. Claus must have had to "make it work".

Well, for some, Santa will always be a conspiracy. A made up commercial "Deity" for mass consumption and everything that is wrong with a materialistic society that has "lost its way".

For others he will always be real.

Why is it important to believe in Santa Claus?

Because Hope, Magic, Faith and Dreams are the things that bring out the best in us and what makes us better human beings. He represents Giving, Family and Selflessness. And that is a Good Thing.

NORAD Santa Tracker

Paranormal Article - December 2009

Special Double Article

Guardian Angels / The Third Man Factor

Guardian Angels

Most of us are familiar with the concept of a Guardian Angel regardless of religious upbringing. It is an spiritual being or angel assigned by God to protect and/or guide a person.

The bible references them specifically in Matthew (18:10) inferring that children have Guardian Angels. Apparently, the belief was also common amongst the ancient Greeks. They wrote that "God sends a spirit to watch every individual."

The Catholic Church changes every so often on the subject, but as of 2009, the Guardian Angel Feast Day is October 2nd. Supposedly every person is assigned a Guardian Angel, although some Catholic saints believed whether or not you were given a Guardian Angel had to do with "how great the dignity of the soul."

Islamic angels, record your deeds from two angels that sit on each shoulder, but they do not influence or interfere, guide or protect.

Contrary to medieval belief, most modern guardian angels do not appear with humongous wings and a glowing halo. They appear to people as other common people. Some have been described as so normal and common as to be just another middle-aged gray haired kindly man. Or a just another good looking lady. What makes them stand out as a guardian is the manner and timing of their appearance. It's at a persons lowest point mentally or physically or at the moment of near death.

Sometimes the angel will appear to deliver a few words of comfort and vanish and other times the angel will appear to have stayed and interacted perhaps, but not really, as other people will not have seen the person that is described as helping. Other times, the angel has a direct physical interaction that saves a life from death in a survival situation. Or, sometimes just a voice is heard giving advice to move or not move or whatever it is that in the next few moments can save your life.

There are literally thousands of Guardian angel stories on the Internet. Too many to mention! Here are some slightly whacked out but excellent sites. Enjoy the stories there.


I Believe In Angels.com
Angel Realm.com
Angels-Online.com
Angel Focus.com
Beliefnet.com (Padre Pio's angel story)



The Third Man

* Frank Smythe turned to his companion, an offering of food in his hand, and was shocked to find no one there.

* James Sevingy was alone when he heard the voice telling him he had to live.

* Ernest Shackleton and his two companions, on their long march to survival, swore that they were a party of four, not three.

* Charles Lindbergh alone on his solo flight discussed navigational problems with something aboard his plane.

* Ron DiFrancesco was told to "get up" by a disembodied voice that kept him moving through fiery flames to safety.

All of the above men, and more, experienced what is called The Third Man Factor, during their intense near death fights for survival.

Frank Smythe was alone on Mt. Everest's Death Zone fighting to live when the sense of the comforting presence that kept him going was so strong he tried to feed it!

Sevingy had just suffered a severe fall in a mountain climbing accident. The voice spoke to him for hours, invisibly leading him to water and eventual rescue. Get this - after leading him through the mountains Sevingy encountered 2 people - a nurse and a mountain guide! Who better to rescue anyone hurt and stranded on a mountain?

The Shackleton expedition, a survival story of epic and legendary proportions, was literally on it's last ounce of energy, traversing by foot an entire antarctic island - desperate and starving. All three men literally thought a fourth man was walking with them. Shackleton wrote extensively of it afterwards.

Lindbergh was suffering from extreme cold and sleep deprivation. The beings in his cockpit kept him awake, on course and alive.

DiFrancesco was guided by a disembodied voice from the World Trade Tower seconds before collapse, making him one of only 4 people to escape from above the 81st floor.

This phenomena, The Third Man, isn't common but is recorded most amongst travelers and explorers under extreme duress and survival conditions. Those in dire peril have been inspired to live by this invisible yet strong and comforting presence. Sometimes it is just the feeling of an invisible presence other times it is a clear audible voice that gives critical information for surival.

The name, The Third Man, comes from a poem by T.S. Elliot called "The Waste Land." Elliot, inspired by Shackleton's story penned the following:

"Who is the third who walks always beside you?
When I count, there are only you and I together
But when I look ahead up the white road
There is always another one walking beside you
Gliding wrapt in a brown mantle, hooded
I do not know whether a man or a woman
But who is that on the other side of you?"

The Third Man Factor by John Geiger at Amazon.com

Happy Birthday Steven Spielberg!

A Freilekhn Gebortstog!

Thank you for bringing us the following films that you either directed or produced. Some of these films were purely fun, some were eye-opening and a few were truly inspired works of genius.


Our Faves by year of release:

Jaws
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Blues Brothers
Used Cars - one of our faves of all time!
Raiders of the Lost Ark
E.T
Poltergeist
Gremlins
Back to the Future
The Goonies
Empire of the Sun
Harry and the Hendersons
Jurassic Park
Schindler's List
Amistaad
Men in Black
Saving Private Ryan
A.I.
Munich
War of the Worlds

We know we left off quite a few. Spielberg's career has been amazing.

Spielberg also won the Medal of Freedom this year for his work in the Shoah Foundation Project..

Writer of the Month - December 2009

Sir Arthur C. Clarke

One of the greatest writers in history was born today in 1917. Sir Arthur C. Clarke, British Grand Master of Science Fiction who entirely reinvented the genre and set a course unmatched even today.

More than just a writer, Clarke held degrees from King's College in London in Mathematics and Physics. This on top of a first class career in the Royal Air Force, serving from radar specialist to Flying Officer to Flight Lieutenant, where in each of these positions he had involvement in developing new technologies in the field of radar technology.

Later, his ideas on bouncing radio signals upwards and then back to Earth would lead to the development of and and credit for inventing the Geostationary Telecommunications Satellite! This is amazing stuff that you cannot make up!

His involvement in real life science lead to incredibly rich and through science fiction novels.

He is most well known for his grand epic 2001: A Space Odyssey series. It ponders the concept of what is driving everything and is a pretty in-depth commentary of the meaning of what it means to be alive and how far the machines of the future will think they are alive. The Stanley Kubrick movie version is well worth watching again. The dynamic between the astronaut Bowman and the intelligent ghost in the machine HAL is amazing. The line, "My God, it's full of stars!" is a classic.

His other most popular novel was Rendezvous with Rama, an amazing tale of a giant space ship that enters the solar system and is met by a group human explorers, "who intercept the ship in an attempt to unlock its mysteries." It is THE. BENCHMARK. OF. SCIENCE. FICTION. It is a classic that has won every major sci-fi award, including the Hugo and Nebula awards.

Our favorite Clarke work is the first we ever read of his. Childhood's End. This book blew our minds. It's an vivid take on aliens, politics, religion, the implications of human evolution cloaked/not-so-cloaked in a thorough social commentary...it's a rich tapestry that's a fast easy intelligent and worth-while read.

Clarke wrote for numerous magazines and was super-popular then and today. He may be remembered for a few TV shows that aired in the 1980's that centered on the mysterious and paranormal.

Arthur C. Clarke was awarded numerous honors during his lifetime including (from Wiki):

* The UNESCO-Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science in 1961.
* The Command Module of the Apollo 13 craft was named "Odyssey".
* 1969 Academy Award nomination with Stanley Kubrick in the category, Best Writing,
Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
* In 1985, The Arthur C. Clarke Award for the best science fiction novel published in the United Kingdom was established.
* Clarke was knighted in 2000
* In 1994, Clarke was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
* In 2000, he was named a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association.
* The 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter is named in honour of Sir Arthur's works.
* In 2003, Sir Arthur was awarded the Telluride Tech Festival Award of Technology.
* In 2004, Sir Arthur was awarded the Heinlein Award for outstanding achievement in hard or science-oriented science fiction.
* In 2005 he lent his name to the inaugural Sir Arthur Clarke Awards
* On 14 November 2005 Sri Lanka awarded Arthur C. Clarke its highest civilian award, the Sri Lankabhimanya for his contributions to science and technology and his commitment to his adopted country.
* An asteroid was named in Clarke's honour

* A species of ceratopsian dinosaur is named for him: Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei, discovered in Inverloch in Australia.
* The Learning Resource Centre at Richard Huish College, Taunton, which Clarke attended when it was Huish Grammar School, is named after him.
* Clarke was a distinguished vice-president of the H. G. Wells Society, being strongly influenced by H. G. Wells as a science-fiction writer.

We recommend his opus "Childhood's End" - Amazing!



* NOTE: Phillip K. Dick was also born this day. He is another award winning and fabulous writer whose epic, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" went on to be made as the sci-fi classic movie - Blade Runner. A few of his others books were adapted into the blockbuster movies Total Recall and Minority Report!

Chief Sitting Bull

"My feather is, and always will be, bigger than yours..."

From Wiki:

"Sitting Bull 1831 – December 15, 1890 was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man, who led his people as a war chief during years of resistance to United States government policies.

He is notable in American and Native American history for his role in the major victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn against Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment on June 25, 1876, where Sitting Bull's premonition of defeating the cavalry became reality. Seven months after the battle, Sitting Bull and his group left the United States for Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan, where they remained until 1881.

Sitting Bull returned with most of his band to the US and surrendered, coming to live at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in the Dakotas.

After his return to the United States, he briefly toured as a performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. After working as a performer, Sitting Bull returned to the Standing Rock Agency in South Dakota.

Because of fears that he would use his influence to support the Ghost Dance movement, Indian Service agent James McLaughlin at Fort Yates ordered his arrest. During a struggle between Sitting Bull's followers and the agency police, his supporters fired at police. Standing Rock policemen Tatankapah and Marcelus Chankpidutah shot Sitting Bull in the side and head in return fire.

Sitting Bull became a Sioux holy man,during his early twenties. His responsibilities as a holy man included understanding the complex religious rituals and beliefs of the Sioux, and also learning about natural phenomena that were related to the Sioux beliefs. Sitting Bull had an "intense spirituality that pervaded his entire being in his adult years and that fueled a constant quest for an understanding of the universe and of the ways in which he personally could bring its infinite powers to the benefit of his people." Sitting Bull knew techniques of healing and carried medicinal herbs, so he was commonly called a medicine man.

Because of his status as a wichasha wakan, Sitting Bull was a member of the Buffalo Society, a dream society for those who dreamt of buffalo. He also was a member of the Heyókȟa, a society for those who dreamed of thunderbirds."



How cool is it that they had a society for those who dreamed of thunderbirds?

WOWAHWA TANKAL! (Peace Out)

The Last Great Pharaoh of Egypt

Zahi Hawass!

He's done it again! Facing mandatory retirement can mean mandatory retirement to most people but not the Last Great Pharaoh of Egypt. Dr. Hawass has defied convention again.

The President of Egypt has signed a decree to name Zahi Hawass the Vice Minister of Culture, therefore skirting the mandatory retirement rule, as Vice Ministers and Ministers cannot be forced to retire!

Are we surprised that Dr. Hawass could pull something like this off? NO! This man is the most amazing Egyptian in modern history. His official title is: Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt/Vice Minister of Culture of Egypt/General Headcase or something like that...

In regard to his Indiana Jonesian quest for stolen artifacts, just today, France returned another piece. This only serves to solidify his hold as the reigning Pharaoh.

It's only a matter of time before Zahi becomes President of Egypt and then the world will finally behold the power of Hawass!

This guy takes narcissism to entirely new level, like Mock 10.
See for yourself at http://www.drhawass.com/ and hey while you're there join the Fan Club!

Sports Roundup - 12/14/2009

CYCLING:

We are jumping out of our seats! It's just been announced that IVAN BASSO will ride the Tour de France this year! It's been 4 years since the Italian was a contender in the big race. We can't wait!

Yaroslav Popovych has been chosen as one of the riders on Lance Armstrong's new team, Radioshack. Great news for young Popovych!


OLYMPICS:

Shaun "The Tomato" White won the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix in Colorado on Saturday. This is a critical first step towards defending his Olympic Gold in Vancouver.

Marcel Hirscher of Austria won the Alpine Skiing World Cup Sunday with a giant slalom victory high in the French Alps. Former Olympic Champ Bode Miller skipped the event because he sprained his ankle earlier in the week playing volleyball. What an idiot.


RUGBY CUP 2011:

Calling all Wellington Lovers - the venue is New Zealand!
So grab your All Blacks Jacket and get your tickets here: http://tickets.rugbyworldcup.com/info/ticketPrices.aspx


AMERICA'S CUP:

The 33rd America's Cup Match is in Valencia, Spain on February 8, 2010 between the Société Nautique Genève of Switzerland and the Golden Gate Yacht Club of the United States of America. These things always get nasty and weird so stay tuned.


NFL:

13-0! Kudos's to the New Orleans Saints - the Aint's no more - and the Indianapolis Colts. This is well on its way to being a historical season and potential Superbowl match up.

Archeology Site of the Month - Dec. 2009

The Dome of the Rock

This holiday season we look to the Holy Land and to what is considered the holiest city on Earth, Jerusalem and its Dome of the Rock.

What makes the city of Jerusalem sacred? It is a major player in the world's three largest and most popular religions. For the Jewish people, it is the biblical city of Zion, the city of David and the site of Solomon's great temple. For Christians, it is the city where a 12-year old Jesus blew the minds of the temple elders with his religious understanding and knowledge. More importantly for Christians, it is the site of last supper and where the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus took place. For the Muslim people, it is the place where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven with the angel Gabriel.

Jerusalem houses over twelve hundred synagogues, over one hundred and fifty churches and over seventy mosques. In addition, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the al-Aqsa Mosque and The Western Wall are located here. Unquestionably, the 3 most well known places to worship on Earth.

We turn to the The Dome of the Rock erected high on the Temple Mount (also known as Mount Moriah), widely considered the oldest Islamic building in the world. The rock itself, over which the dome is built, is considered by Jews to be the site of the Holy of Holies. It is placed over the Foundation Stone that covers that Well of Souls. According to religious legend it is here that Yahweh fashioned Adam out of the very ground. And it was this spot, this rock, where Adam, Cain, Abel, and Noah offered sacrifices to their God. Additional Jewish sources claim this to be the place where Abraham wanted to and almost killed his only son for his Jewish God, Yahweh. And it is also known as the place where Jacob had a dream about a "ladder" from heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it. That's a lot of history, right there.

The Dome itself is magnificent. It is said to have been casted from 100,000 gold dinar coins, that were melted down to be used as the exterior. It's gleaming gold can be seen for miles. It's difficult to believe the dome was built between the years 685 and 691, when such architecture is rarely designed or built today with modern construction equipment.

The walls are constructed of porcelain in splendid, vivid Byzantine design. Thousands of lavish tiles comprising mosaics decorate the exterior walls and the inside as well, along with heavy marble inlays. The inside is splendid and the rock itself is right there, left as an unfinished floor of mountain, basically.

Thousands of pilgrims and tourists come to Jerusalem and The Dome of the Rock every year. It is widely held that Israel, Jerusalem in particular, is one of the safest places to travel in the world. Hundreds of tour groups conduct tours here daily and during the religious holidays thousands of Catholics go to re-trace the footsteps of Jesus and walk the the stations of the Cross without incident or fear.

The Foundation Stone as seen from under the Dome

Detail of the lavish mosaic tiles comprising the outer walls

The entrance to the Well of Souls

Interior mosaic detail

The Dome cupola

The Art Gallery - Diego Rivera (1886-1957)

The Outskirts of Paris, 1918

Portrait of Natasha Gelman, 1943

Evening Twilight at Acapulco, 1956

House Over the Bridge, 1909

Portrait d'Adolfo Best Maugard, 1913

Imagine

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

R.I.P.
John Lennon (10/9/40– 12/8/80)
"Strawberry Fields Forever"

The Date That Will Live in Infamy

The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor today

Person of the Month - December 2009

Fred Hampton

"You can kill the revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution."
— Fred Hampton

40 years ago today, Black Panther Chairman and popular outspoken leader, Fred Hampton, was murdered by the Chicago Police Department, in a bloodbath, as he lay drugged and asleep in his apartment bed.

Fred was born and raised in Chicago and its suburbs. A natural leader he immediately became active as a youth organizer through the NAACP.

He coined the term "Rainbow Coalition" in 1969 in relation to his efforts in ending gang-related violence in Chicago and bringing together the youth there. Fred was instrumental in starting the free breakfast program which guaranteed inner-city kids at least one meal a day.

Fred became active with the Black Panthers as an adult. Far from being the stereotypical Panther radical thug, Fred Hampton brought his God-given oratory skills to the forefront and sought out non-violent change for black equality.

The FBI were alerted to Fred by the popular rallies he would hold in downtown Chicago. When Fred spoke thousands of people showed up to hear. He was super-intelligent, thought-out, dedicated and talented. And beyond that - he was a man who cared about changing the street paradigm - and he tried- very, very hard to do so.

The FBI COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) held Fred high on its "Agitator Index."

He was only 21 years old when he was shot multiple times by the very people supposed to protect and serve. Fred was assassinated like the other black leaders of the 1960's: Medgar Evers (1963), Malcolm X (1965), Rutledge Pearson (1967) and MLK, Jr. (1968), to name a few.

To quote Bernadine Dorhn of Weatherman infamy "They were locking us whites up...but they were killing the blacks."

Over 5,000 people attended his funeral where he was eulogized by such notables as Jesse Jackson, who later stole Fred's Rainbow Coalition theme for himself, and Ralph Abernathy.

A federal suit was eventually settled to Fred's family for an undisclosed amount.

Chicago celebrated Fred Hampton day on 12/4/1992 as a way to heal and let feelings on both sides sort out, saying that "Fred Hampton, who was only 21 years old, made his mark in Chicago history not so much by his death as by the heroic efforts of his life and by his goals of empowering the most oppressed sector of Chicago's Black community, bringing people into political life through participation in their own freedom fighting organization."

Wiki article on Fred

Top Animal Videos 2009

Verified as the Cutest.Kitten.Ever.


How Ninja Cat got it's name



The unbelievable creativity of animals and why we MUST save them



When we saw this thing, we immediately wanted one

Causes

This time of year our thoughts are on our nation's firemen, who risk their lives every day to rescue people from fires. Winter is the most common time for fires and the time of year when your local firemen need your help the most.

Help People

Donate to:
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

Help Children

Help the children affected and displaced by fire:
Fire Fighters Charitable Foundation

Help Animals

The Dalmatian, known as the classic fire fighter dog, desperately need your help!
Second Chances Dalmatian Rescue

Help the Planet

Always remember "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires."
Happy 65th Birthday Smokey!
Smokey Bear.com

Is Galileo Laughing or Crying?

400 years after the Catholic Church murdered one of the most famous people in history, it has conceded it was...wrong.

The Pope's Chief Astronomer has admitted that other intelligent beings could exist in outer space. Wow. At least they admit there is an outer space! That's more than it could when they executed poor Galileo for inventing the telescope and "trying to make God look bad."

This is the latest in a bizarre series of news articles over the last few years where potential alien beings have been called "our brothers" and have been, we think, actively sought out by Vatican astronomers. Do they believe, now, that Jesus is an alien?

Should we be astonished to find out that the Catholic Church has invested billions of dollars into a modern observatory with it's own state of the art website that is proud to admit that it is one of the oldest astronomical observatories in the world instead of actually using that money to fund orphanages or feed people? When we think of what Jesus would do, it usually doesn't involve building celestial observatories.

The Vatican just concluded a five day conference on astrobiology. A few dozen scientists, including astronomers, physicists and biologists were invited to help study the possibility of life elsewhere in the Universe.

The consensus is that the Vatican thinks we are only 10 years away from "contact." On which side we don't know. Is it 10 years until we are contacted or 10 years until we discover them?

The Vatican also states, correctly so, that there is a huge difference between finding microbial life vs. sentient life. However, their wording intrigues us. They state that basically "it would be a different strategy" (dealing with sentient life). They have strategies for dealing with aliens?

We'd love to see the Vatican playbook on "Take me to you leader, 101".

And we'd love to know what Galileo would think of all this.

The Vatican Observatory
News Link

Update: The Pope released his CD today. Proceeds from the album will help fund musical education for underprivileged children around the world. We like that, but think the kids would appreciate food, clean water, shelter or clothes first. Or better yet, sell the damn observatory and use the money for a free music academy on every continent for every child.