Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Mysteries of the Mind

The Human Brain is one of the most mysterious, wondrous and miraculous things in the known Universe.

In fact, our brain cells LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE KNOWN UNIVERSE.

Here's a picture to prove it:


The human brain contains 100 billion brain cells called neurons. According to the picture above, it seems we all carry about 100 billion miniature Universe's inside each of own heads. "The Body is a Temple", "God is Within", "Use Your Brain" kind of all make sense now. Or as the 14th Buddha of Compassion, commonly known as the Dalai Lama, would say: "There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness."

There are so many fascinating facts about the brain that we cannot encompass them all in this post.

Click here to see a list of the top 100 of them.

It has been reported that a Croatian teenager studying German at school fell into a coma (blood poisoning) and awoke 24 hours later unable to speak her native language at all and instead speaks only fluent German. 2 days previously she could barely manage "Hi. My name is" in German and now she communicates perfectly in it. In fact, doctors at the hospital had to bring in a translator to speak with her because everyone at the hospital speaks Croatian!

"Hospital director Dujomir Marasovic said: "You never know when recovering from such a trauma how the brain will react."

Psychiatric expert Dr Mijo Milas added: "In earlier times this would have been referred to as a miracle, we prefer to think that there must be a logical explanation – its just that we haven't found it yet."


This kind of thing has happened before and is called "Foreign Accent Syndrome." This has been documented in over 60 cases between 1941 and 2009. As recently as 2006 an English woman awoke from a coma with a distinctly Jamaican accent.

Again, another "version" of this phenomena is called Xenoglossy. This is where a person without any prior exposure to the foreign language in question wakes up and can speak it fluently. Typically, the languages spoken here are ancient Biblical ones, leading to speculation of reincarnation.

It is a myth that we only use 10% of our brains. In fact the brain represents 3% of our total body weight and yet consumes 20% of our body's energy. It is when we are resting that the 10% comes into play. No pun intended.

Typically, the average human uses every part of the brain at times for certain things.

What's not understood is how clusters of neurons from the diverse regions of the brain collaborate to form consciousness. The 100 billion neurons in the brain comprise only 10% of all brain matter with the other 90% percent of brain matter, called glial cells, encapsulating and supporting the neurons.

"Albert Einstein's brain possessed a greater number of glial cells for each neurone, suggesting his brain needed and used more energy. As a result it may have generated more processing ability. The job of glial cells is to provide support and protection for neurones."

Ancient brain surgery dates back to 3,000 BC with the Ancient Egyptians performing a procedure called trepanning, where a tiny hole is drilled into the head. This procedure is practiced today with groups of people swearing that it enhances brain performance. We think we need that like we need a hole in the head.

Michelangelo, the great artist and sculptor, painted on the Sistine Chapel a perfect replica of the human brain. You have all seen it and might not have known. It is by far his most famous fresco, known as the Hand of God:



You can see how he carefully "hid" the image for over 500 years! In plain sight.


Read more on the Human Brain

Monday, November 29, 2010

R.I.P - Leslie Nielsen

"Don't Call Me Shirley"








Thursday, November 25, 2010













Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The End of an Era - GOODBYE SPECTRUM!

The memories! The games! The concerts!

Oh, Spectrum - we will miss you!

We wrote you a poem

The Spectrum

Broad Street Bullies
Beaming toothless with pride
Every punch, every penalty
Every hit on our side
The concourse was jammed
Packed tight with the crowd
Everyone crammed, scrammed
And always so loud
Orange and black
Purple and white
At the Spectrum hockey
Kicked ass every night
76ers – Champions of ‘83
The players taller than the trees
Concerts – loud music and smoke
People rallying and sneaking a toke
The Spectrum we’ll miss you
We bid you adieu
The Spectrum we’ll never forget
For the lifetime of memories
We owe you a debt
They are tearing you down
But they can’t take you forever
You’re part of our hometown
Now and always and ever




Monday, November 22, 2010

Death of a President

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot to death today in 1963. We personally have never forgiven Texas or the FBI/CIA scumbags that organized it.

WARNING: The following is extremely graphic!



Look how Jackie tries to flee the car after her husband's head is blown apart all over her. So sad.

Never forget these 2 things.

1) The Secret Service that were supposed to physically ride on the back of the car and run beside it using specifically installed handles attached to the car were intentionally CALLED OFF at the last minute.

The secret service guys were so pissed they kept waving their arms in the air - 3 times to be exact - in exasperation and confusion. Why were they being called off by their boss? Here's the video to prove it.




And 2) Right after JFK was assassinated the United States Treasury was plundered. The paper money that used to read "Payable to the Bearer on Demand" became a useless "Federal Reserve Note" and rumors abound to this day that Fort Knox was emptied out in one night.



Blackbeard the Pirate

Capture of the Pirate, Blackbeard, 1718, by Jean Ferris

292 years ago today, one of the world's most famous and feared sea pirates was put to death.

Edward Teach, a Brit who became known as Blackbeard, enhanced his already fearsome image with actual fuses he entwined into his hair and beard and lighting them on fire to look like a fucking lunatic...a fucking lunatic you don't mess with. He was described as "such a figure that imagination cannot form an idea of a fury from hell to look more frightful."

He was moderately successful as a pirate. He stole and attained treasure all over the Caribbean and also up and down the East Coast of the United States. Sometime in 1718 he and his cohorts blockaded the port city of Charleston and caused a major ruckus.

Ole' Eddy, or Blackbeard as he was then called was caught on 11/22/1718 and killed in a ferocious battle organized by the Governor of Virginia.

While most people assume treasure is always gold, silver and jewels, it was mostly sugar, cocoa, coffee and fine linens that he was most interested in attaining for trade. Let's see - coffee, chocolate, sugar and fine clothes - treasure enough for us! Especially in 1718. The only pirate to have officially been documented to have buried a treasure (and we're not sure it was gold either) was Captain Kidd.

Blackbeard's heavily armed and fortified ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, was discovered in 1997. So far, over 15,000 artifacts have been recovered from it and are on display at the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

Are we leaving stuff out? Of course, one post cannot accommodate the life of the most famous pirate the world has ever seen!

READ MORE here

Blackbeard's flag for his ship The Queen Anne's Revenge.
A skeleton spears a heart while toasting The Devil!
the three dots look like a pirate map to us....

Excellent Daily Mail article

Friday, November 19, 2010

The Gettysburg Address


147 years ago today, Abraham Lincoln took the podium at Cemetary Hill, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and delivered a 2 minute speech that was and continues to be the gold standard of political speeches.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.


We think that is fucking brilliant!




Miscellaneous Civil War banter:
We are Yankees through and through, however we always have to give a true Rebel Yell for General James Longstreet - Long Live General Lee's workhorse!

From the movie Gettysburg regarding the discussion of evolution:
"You may believe you descended from an ape. I may believe I am descended from an ape, but I dare any man to go up to General Lee and tell him, HE is descended from an ape!"


Thursday, November 18, 2010

Patience and Fortitude


These are the names of the two majestic lion statues that flank the front door of the New York City Library. One of the world's largest repository of books, the NYC Library is a modern marvel and second in this country only to the Library of Congress (which is the world's largest library).

Patience and Fortitude were sculpted from Tennessee pink marble and have been standing guard since the Library's opening dedication on May 23, 1911.

They are super-popular in New York and are themselves their own tourist attraction. The tradition of dressing them up for holidays and events has been discouraged in recent years in order to preserve them. The lions recently underwent a total renovation in 2004 and were scrubbed clean for the first time since the Library opened.

The lions are synonomous with the Library and were even made into the Library's official logo and trademarked.

Their original names were Leo Astor and Leo Lenox, after The New York Public Library founders John Jacob Astor (who died on the Titanic) and James Lenox. They were renamed Patience and Fortitude by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia during the economic downturn of the 1930's. He so named them "for the qualities he felt New Yorkers would need to survive the economic depression." The names were golden and have never been changed since.

Library's Page on the Lions

There's a book about them!







Patience - guards the southside












Fortitude - the North

Goodbye Carlos

No Moya will we enjoy ya - :(

Former tennis #1 seed and French Open Champ Carlos Moya retired from the game yesterday.

Carlos hails from Mallorca (may-orca), that little island off the coast of Spain that also spawned the greatest tennis player in history - Rafael Nadal. In fact, Moya was Rafa's early training partner and fellow member of the winning Davis Cup team in 2004.

Moya won 20 ATP titles, including the 1998 French Open. He was also awesome in the Olympics. He has been plagued by injuries in recent years and has to retire.

We will miss him on the court. We loved watching him play. And of course, just watching him. In 1999 People magazine chose him as one of the World's 50 Most Handsome Men. We couldn't agree more.

#1

I'm Number One!!...Again!!!

Susan Boyle, the unknown Scott who moved the world to tears with her stunning performance on Britain's Got Talent, has made history!

Susan's new album, The Gift, went #1 in the U.K AND the U.S, following her debut album "I Dreamed a Dream" that also went #1 in the U.K and the U.S. Two consecutive #1 albums in the SAME year! She is the first female in history to have achieved this. Madonna, Mariah Carey or Lady Gaga have never done this or even come close.

"The only other acts to have achieved this in the history of music were The Monkees in 1967 and the Beatles in 1969, her record company said."

This is groundbreaking in SO MANY WAYS! The fact that no one has done this in 40 years is Amazing. The fact that she is the first woman in HISTORY to do so is Amazing. The fact that she is an untrained, non-professional is Amazing. She is Amazing.

Way to go!!

We love her story the most because she is talent. She is not some pre-packaged Britney Spears forced into our consciousness. A true rag to riches, pauper to princess story. We also love that she is 49 years old and not 16. Yes, that is a big F-U to Justin Bieber.



Tuesday, November 16, 2010

ICON of the YEAR!

Picture from Perez Hilton
It's The Dude!

Congrats to GQ for finally getting it right! Jeff Bridges has been our Icon for years.

Gentleman's Quarterly Magazine has also named Stephen Colbert as Patriot of the year, Scarlett Johanssen as Babe of the Year (sexist bastards) and Drake and James Franco also as Men of the Year.

Kudos to Franco who is blowing audiences away with his Oscar worthy performance in 127 Hours.


The Doc Wins Cy Young!

Congrats to Phillies pitcher Roy "Doc" Halladay for kicking ass this season.

He was awarded the Cy Young award, unanimously, for best NL pitcher.

"He thew a perfect game on May 29th, and led the league in wins (21), complete games (9), shutouts (4), innings (250.2) while issuing the fewest walks per nine innings (1.1) and leading the NL in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.30). He was among the leaders in ERA (2.44, third) and strikeouts (219, second) as well. And of course, the threw a no-hitter in Game One of the NLDS."

He rocks!

The Penis Cemetary of Iran


Attention World Travelers! Looking for that next "hot" destination? The Hajj not for you? Well, look no further - we have got the place for you!

There's an ancient cemetery in Iran that is all the rage today. It's attracting a ton of attention for it's unusually shaped headstones. Penis shaped headstones, that is. And that's not all. Breast shaped stones are also present. The ancient dicks and titties are upsetting to some and blamed for the site remaining hidden from the world for so long.

However, what is repugnant to some is also a magnet for others. Visitors from all over the world are making it the next hottest travel destination. Located in a remote mountainous region of Iran, it is VERY difficult to get to. Penis shaped stone seekers are making a go of it though.

Khalid Nabi cemetery is hundreds of years old and home to over 600 of these headstones.

We can GUARANTEE that once the Japanese get wind of this that they'll be making their own pilgrimages to this "fertility" site and fucking all over the place! Look out Iran! You thought it was bad now...just wait.

NEWS ARTICLE - A must read!




If Dolphins Can Love Him...Can We Love Him Too?


You've probably seen our other piece on Vladmir Putin and while it looks as if we have a little "hero worship" going on with the guy we just have to ask if dolphins can love him, why can't we love him too?

CLICK HERE for a 24-picture expose on Vladmir with cute animals! We think #13 is our favorite. What a guy!


The Hajj

The Hajj 2010

The world's largest pilgrimage, The Hajj, is happening now as we speak in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. At least 2 million faithful Muslims annually converge on Mecca as part of The Hajj. The Hajj is a mandatory pilgrimage required at least once in a Muslims lifetime demonstrating the pilgrims solidarity with other Muslims and their subservience and submission to God's will.

The Hajj dates back to the time of Abraham and the ritual itself is thousands of old. There are many components to this event. One of them, is the "Stoning of the Devil" that is taking place today. This is where everyone takes their turn throwing rocks at a wall in a symbolic gesture of refuting Satan. How charming! The most well known task is the gathering at the Kabba, the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, with the faithful walking in counter-clockwise circles and pointing to the Black Stone, the cornerstone of the Kabba, as seen in the picture above.

The Black Stone is believed by modern scholars to be a meteorite, as traditions dictate that it "Fell from Heaven." The Muslims worship this stone and say it was cast from heaven to show Adam and Eve where to build an altar to God. The stone was lost during Noah's time. It's location was revealed by an angel to Abraham who set into the Kabba, where it has been worshipped to this day.

This tradition is remarkably similar to the ancient Egyptians who worshipped the "Ben-Ben" stone at Heliopolis for millenia. The Benben was also a "Stone from Heaven" and is thought to have been a meteorite. This Benben tradition gave rise to the ancient stories of the Phoenix - a miraculous being who could resurrect its dead self from flames and rise into a brand new entity.

It's all very fascinating - the core of ancient religions. The more you read and learn the more you question everything - The historical timeline, the events themselves and the very "cast and crew" of this play called Life on Earth.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Remembering Vivien Leigh


Vivien Leigh would've been 97 years old last November 5th.

Who could ever forget Blanche DuBois? Or Scarlett O'Hara? Those two roles won her two Best Actress Academy Awards. She was also a Tony Award winner for Best Broadway Actress.

Vivien Leigh was also super-controversial. She was married to Laurence Olivier and was apparently a bi-sexual, bi-polar, nymphomaniac and died, of all things, from tuberculosis. Crazy!

We think she was one of the most beautiful actresses to ever grace the Silver Screen and will always remember her waiting to be "kissed. Hard and often"!


Vivien with co-star Clark Gable, who she famously stated had "bad breath"


Friday, November 12, 2010

FREE AT LAST! FREE AT LAST!

Political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi
HAS BEEN SET FREE
!
Everyone stand up now and shout!

She has been held for YEARS by the Burmese military dictatorship in Rangoon. We want her to leave the country and be safe somewhere else but know that she will continue to stay in Myanmar and fight for her people's freedom as well.

She is now 65 years old, a Nobel Peace Prize WINNER and recipient of the 1990 Sakharov Prize. She is also just one of over two thousand two hundred political prisoners in Burma being held in over 43 prisons nationwide.

We miss Benazir Bhutto and hope she is smiling down in solidarity for Aung Kyi...




HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEIL YOUNG!

Rock and Roll's Greatest Songwriter and Performer was born today in 1945.

Happy Birthday Neil!

Although Harvest Moon and Heart of Gold are two of our all-time faves, today we are Rockin' in the FREE WORLD...


Thursday, November 11, 2010

Veteran's Day


"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest
appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"This nation will remain the land of the free only
so long as it is the home of the brave."
- Elmer Davis


Dirge for Two Veterans

The last sunbeam
Lightly falls from the finish’d Sabbath,
On the pavement here—and there beyond, it is looking,
Down a new-made double grave.

Lo! the moon ascending!
Up from the east, the silvery round moon;
Beautiful over the house tops, ghastly phantom moon;
Immense and silent moon.

I see a sad procession,
And I hear the sound of coming full-key’d bugles;
All the channels of the city streets they’re flooding,
As with voices and with tears.

I hear the great drums pounding,
And the small drums steady whirring;
And every blow of the great convulsive drums,
Strikes me through and through.

For the son is brought with the father;
In the foremost ranks of the fierce assault they fell;
Two veterans, son and father, dropt together,
And the double grave awaits them.

Now nearer blow the bugles,
And the drums strike more convulsive;
And the day-light o’er the pavement quite has faded,
And the strong dead-march enwraps me.

In the eastern sky up-buoying,
The sorrowful vast phantom moves illumin’d;
(’Tis some mother’s large, transparent face,
In heaven brighter growing.)

O strong dead-march, you please me!
O moon immense, with your silvery face you soothe me!
O my soldiers twain! O my veterans, passing to burial!
What I have I also give you.

The moon gives you light,
And the bugles and the drums give you music;
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,
My heart gives you love.


- from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman(1900)

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

He's Done it AGAIN!

What we think he said:
"I told you people, I want my shit back!"
What he actually said:
"I'm going to fight.
I'm going to go and tell the world
that these countries have no right
to these antiquities,"
Dr. Hawass said in an interview.

The Last Great Pharaoh of Egypt has once again cried Thief! and has been heard.

The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art is sending back to Egypt 19 items that they had housed for over 62 years.

Items include "small figurines and jewelry, including a miniature bronze dog, a sphinx-shaped bracelet trinket and a necklace."

Way to go, Dr. H!

No one fucks with The Pharaoh and dares to think they can get away with it!

Dr. Hawass called the return "a wonderful gesture" and praised the Met for its "ethical behavior."

His repatriation campaign has resulted over the years in the return of more than 5,000 antiquities to Egypt, Dr. Hawass claims. The items he is seeking are intended to fill a new national museum in Cairo set for completion in 2013. The 935,000-square-foot Grand Egyptian Museum will cost an estimated $550 million, house more than 100,000 artifacts and will be "one of the flagship institutions in the world," the archaeologist said.

Dr. Hawass, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities, said he envisions the Rosetta Stone, a 196 B.C. text used to first decipher hieroglyphs, as the "natural centerpiece" for the new museum. He also seeks return of a Ramses II statue on display in Turin, Italy, and a statue depicting the architect of the Great Pyramid in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.


Do you hear that, World? He's coming for YOU!

News Article

WSJ News Article

SS Edmund Fitzgerald


On this day in 1975, one of the United States' most tragic maritime disasters occurred on Lake Superior.

The Supertanker Edmund Fitzgerald was lost at sea with all hands. 29 men died in what would be one of the most mysterious Great Lake shipwrecks of all time.

Lake Superior, known for its rough seas and terrible winter storms, claimed the Edmund Fitzgerald in 80 mile an hour winds and 25-foot high waves. The supertanker was not unlike the Titanic as far as the notion of "it's too big to be lost at sea". It sank fast, without sending out a single distress call. This wasn't 1875 but 1975 and the suddenness of the tragedy surprised everyone. The ship was equipped with state of the art everything...radar, sonar, communications. To this day not one body has been recovered.

The ship, discovered at the bottom of the lake a few days later, sits a silent tomb. Home forever for the crew of 29 that perished so suddenly and horribly that November night. The Son of the Late Great Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel, brought The Calypso to Lake Superior and were the first crew to use a submersible to dive to the ship, in 1980.

What made the wreck so mysterious was the circumstances of how it sank so fast without sending a distress call. Not one SOS. It was so weird that people came up with every theory under the Sun including Alien Abduction.

It has been determined in the intervening years that the hatches were insufficiently closed and that water poured through them, compromising the ship. One thing led to another and within minutes, all were gone. The Captain, Ernest M McSorley, was a veteran seaman. It probably surprised the hell out of him, too.

In 1995 the beautiful golden Bell, engraved with the ships name, was brought to the surface. It is now housed reverently at The Great Lakes Shipwreck museum.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is home to an entire exhibit for the Fitz. Be forewarned - "The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald" is on a loop. (God Bless Gordon Lightfoot!) If you can't handle the song...wear earplugs. But go. Whitefish Point, Michigan is as beautiful and wild a place in all of North America and it's AWESOME. We don't even have words to describe accurately the majestic views of Lake Superior.

The museum is hosting it's annual Edmund Fitzgerald tribute later today that always concludes with a prayer and a ringing of the original Bell 29 times, once for each man lost.

For those of you old enough to have FINALLY gotten the Gordon Lightfoot tribute song out of you head...sorry... Here it comes again. It's a friggin classic!



The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the Captain well seasoned.

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.

The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane West Wind

When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.

The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her.

They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the ruins of her ice water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.

And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.


© 1976 Moose Music, Inc.

Wiki article on the Edmund Fitzgerald

UPDATE: Travel Channel's new show "Mysteries of the Museum" just filmed a show at The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and Discovery Channel's "Ghost Lab" also filmed an episode there as well! We were onto it YEARS ago but kudos to the Museum for finally getting some good PR!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Federal Bureau of Intimidation


The Feds better back off, nice and slow.

What happened to cyclist Yaroslav Popovych in late October was completely uncalled for.

One of our favorite cyclists was totally ambushed and harassed by UNNAMED SPECIAL AGENTS when one of the agents just went wonky and cornered Popo's car to serve him a subpoena in the ongoing Lance Armstrong FBI witchhunt.

Witnesses say that poor Popo, in the US to help Lance raise money for the Livestrong Foundation, spent the day with Lance riding and signing autographs for fans at an all day event when all of a sudden, a man charged up to poor Yaroslav demanding something. Who knows? Popo can't even speak English! The other Radio Shack riders were asking what is going on and Popo tried to leave the scene. That's when the Situation turned into a Situation.

Getting into an unmarked SUV, the Special Agent followed the cyclists rental car, cut them off and abruptly and without identification served Yaroslav a subpoena while threatening him to not leave the country or he'd be arrested. Yaroslav must've thought he was back at home...in the USSR.

Popovych's attorney had this to say:

Wednesday Yaroslav Popovych testified for approximately 90 minutes before the Lance Armstrong grand jury. Ken Miller, Popovych's attorney, said he didn't understand why the government would serve the Ukranian rider in Austin when he was only supposed to be in the country for four days, only to make him wait for almost two weeks.

"He arrived on October 21st, was served on the 22nd. And then he had to come out for a grand jury appearance on November 3rd," said Miller. "And he doesn't know anything about what they're investigating."


We just have to say...What the fuck? Are you serious? This is how they are getting the cycling community to testify against Lance Armstrong? Is this really happening in this country? We're never going to sign up for a Tea Party but we're ready for the Revolution, baby!

BRING IT!


HuffPost Article

All Those DAYS OF OUR LIVES

"Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives."

The long-running NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives celebrated their 45th year yesterday by "breaking the fourth wall" at the end of the show with a little "hello" from cast member Suzanne Rogers.

“Today, we’re celebrating 45 years of Days of Our Lives. Our families have been through a lot together, and today we especially want to thank you for being with us through it all and to let you know that we are looking forward to many more years of all of us sharing…the Days of Our Lives."

Yes, we've been through ALOT! From the drug dealing "days" of Snake, the many abductions of Marlena, the many deaths of John Black, The never-ending saga of Bo and Hope, The Hortons, The Bradys, THE EVIL AND AWESOME STEFANO DiMERA, the daunting Victor Kiriakis, Demonic possessions, The Paris Underground, Paternity Questions, Live Burials, Deaths, Weddings, Births and The This-That and Every-Other-Thing of a Daily Soap Opera.

A BIG HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO DAYS. We don't know what we'd do without ya! And we won't have to wonder. As of yesterday, November 8th, 2010, the 45th anniversary of the show, Days was renewed for another 2 years with a 3rd year option! The show has survived and thrived where many others have fallen by the wayside.


EW's KEN CORDAY Interview!

Will John and Marlena return to Salem?
Will Stefano discover he has yet another biological love child?
Will the evil Vivian succeed in destroying Maggie?
Will Melanie find out that Phillip has been lying about his "family business"?
Will everyone find out that it was Sammi who shot EJ?
Will Kate's nostrils continue to flare for another 23 seasons?
STAY TUNED!


Official Days page at NBC.Com
- Cast lists, episode guides, spoilers and more!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Remember, Remember the 5th of November!

It's the only night of the year where we openly celebrate Treason!

Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
'Twas his intent.
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below.
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd,
With a dark lantern and burning match

Holloa boys, Holloa boys, let the bells ring
Holloa boys, Holloa boys, God save the King!

Hip hip Hoorah !
Hip hip Hoorah !

A penny loaf to feed ol'Pope,
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down,
A faggot of sticks to burn him.

Burn him in a tub of tar,'
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head,
Then we'll say: ol'Pope is dead.



Wow! We just don't create poetry like this anymore, do we?

To properly celebrate Guy Fawkes Day rent the movie V for Vendetta, prepare a nice bonfire and firework celebration for tonight with an effigy of 'ole Guy to burn, and oh yeah, don't forget to plot to overthrow your government of choice!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

King Tutankhamun

This mask is ELECTROPLATED GOLD -
Yes, Electricity was used in creating this mask!

On November 4th 1922, Howard Carter, financed by Lord Carnarvon, discovered the Tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, known as King Tut.

What made this discovery astounding was that it was a virtually untouched tomb - it was barely looted - and it contained priceless treasures.

More Info

An inside look - scenes depicting the first hour of the
Pharaoh's journey into the afterlife

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Top Horror Movies

The Omni Horror Movie Pick List
We've split the movies by release year into three catagories:

Classics 1920-1969

Nosferatu, 1922
Phantom of the Opera, 1925
Dracula, 1931
Frankenstein, 1931
The Mummy, 1932
Hound of the Baskervilles, 1939
The Wolfman, 1941
Them!, 1954
Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956
House on Haunted Hill, 1959
Psycho, 1960
The Pit and The Pendalum, 1961 (Classic Vincent Price. The ending still scares us.)
The Birds, 1963
Night of the Living Dead, 1968 (We're coming at 1mph to get you, Barbara!)
Rosemary's Baby, 1968

New Classics 1970-1999

The Legend of Boggy Creek, 1972 (One of our faves of ALL TIME)
The Exorcist, 1973
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974
Jaws, 1975
The Shining, 1980
An American Werewolf in London, 1981
Wolfen, 1981
Poltergeist, 1982
The Thing, 1982
Creepshow, 1982
Evil Dead II, 1987 (Sam Raimi. Bruce Campbell - The world's greatest B Actor-EVER)
Hellrasier, 1987
Silence of the Lambs, 1991
Dracula, 1992 (We'd watch paint dry and the grass grow if it starred Gary Oldman)
The Blair Witch Project, 1999

Modern Classics 2000-2009

Shadow of the Vampire, 2000 (Three words: Malkovich. Defoe. Priceless.)
Fraility, 2001
Jeepers Creepers, 2001
The Others, 2001
The Ring, 2002
28 Days Later, 2002
House of 1000 Corpses, 2003 (Rob Zombie is a brilliant film maker.)
High Tension, 2003
Alien vs. Predator, 2004 (This movie ROCKS!)
The Grudge, 2004
The Exorcism of Emily Rose, 2005 (Tom Wilkenson is one of the 3 best actors of the modern era. Period. The other two are Viggo Mortensen and Daniel Day-Lewis.)
The Descent, 2005
Hostel, 2005
30 Days of Night, 2007
The Mist, 2007
28 Weeks Later, 2007
The Strangers, 2008
Cloverfield, 2008
The Happening, 2008 (Movie is so-so, but filmed a mile from Omni HQ. Pretty effing cool)
Drag Me to Hell, 2009


What are your picks?

Harry Houdini



Harry Houdini died on Halloween in 1926 and is still one of the most famous magicians/escape artists known to this day.

Everyone knows Houdini. Many, many performers over the years have tried to imitate and build a career on escapism acts...and so far none have ever lived up to the Great Houdini.

Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1874, he led a fascinating life. He loved aviation and bought a plane for $5k in 1909, hiring a full time mechanic to help him with it. He successfully flew it in Germany and was the first to fly over Australia without crashing on March 18, 1910. A hundred years ago! He stated at the time that no one would remember Houdini the magician but would always remember Houdini the Aviator.

His house, a beautiful brownstone in Harlem New York, was purchased by him in 1904 for $25,000. Amazing! The same housing today costs between $400,000 and $1.2M.

Learn more about the Amazing Houdini:

Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Charlie Chaplin Time Traveler



Examine the above video closely. You can see a woman enter the frame and walk past the zebra holding a "cell phone". She looks like she is talking to someone on a cell phone in 1928.

So far experts are at a loss. The video comes from extras included in a DVD release of a silent Charlie Chaplin movie titled "The Circus". The extra footage is from the premiere release of the film and shows the exterior of Manns Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The footage is not the actual film The Circus but of additional real-life footage from the premiere. This footage became available when the Charlie Chaplin box set was released.

The video is legit and not doctored. Opinions vary as to what the woman in question is actually doing.

Theory #1: She's a time traveler speaking on a real cell phone
Theory #2: She's a schizophrenic talking to herself
Theory #3: She's just listening to a portable radio and talking to herself
Thoery #4: It's a 1928 hearing-aid, which at the time were HUGE

What do you think?




Remarkably, this is not the first time traveler caught his year. Early in April the above photo surfaced. It was taken after the 1940 reopening of the South Fork Bridge in Canada. It shows a crowd of people watching the bridge and in that crowd is a young man in a t-shirt, "hoodie" and sunglasses.

The man doesn't blend in with everyone else and looks exactly like someone today, unlike everyone else in the frame that look VERY 1940's. The guy sticks out like a sore thumb. Photoshop!




He's ALIVE!

The Emperor

Reports of The Emperors death are high exaggerated!

To the dismay of EVERYONE, reports had surfaced earlier in the week that the magnificent wild Stag nick-named "Emperor" was killed by trophy hunters during rutting season in Britain.

Thought to be the largest wild animal in the British Isles, Emperor weighs around 300lb and stands 9ft tall from the ground to top of his antlers. He is a truly majestic animal. Gorgeous!

Everyone was grief stricken and in despair over the senseless culling of the beast. However, even though it was a legal kill and his head and antlers are worth thousands of dollars to trophy hunters, not one person came forward to claim responsibility. Experts were upset that the stag had yet to breed this fall and unable to pass on his genes to another generation.

Yesterday additional reports surfaced that maybe he hasn't been killed after all. Several Brit farmers claim to have seen The Emperor in their gardens and back yards, leading to speculation that HE'S STILL ALIVE.

The farmers in the area are fiercely protective of him and until we get a confirmed sighting, it may still be up in the air. We are hopeful!

NEWS LINK

Archeological Treasure Trove in Jeopardy

An estimated THREE MILLION separate artifacts, found in a grassy floodplain in Australia, face an uncertain future as officials decide to go ahead with pre-planned highway and bridge.

The artifacts, dating back some FORTY-THOUSAND YEARS, offer an unprecedented look into Aboriginal life in Tasmania and Australian history.

Michael Mansell, legal director of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, says: “That’s a place that really strikes at our heart, and is about our identity, our past and our future. When you stand down by that levee, you can feel the presence of our ancestors. This is “cultural vandalism". We thought they would share our excitement about this discovery, but instead they just saw it as a handicap to their highway,” he says. “To them, white heritage is sacrosanct, but Aboriginal heritage, they’re happy to build straight on top of it.”

"If all else fails," says Mansell, "Aboriginal people are prepared to blockade the riverbank and prevent the bulldozers going in."

Damn right! We are appalled at the lack of respect for these cultural antiques. It's the Australian archaeological discovery of a lifetime and if this site isn't worthy of protection than what the hell is?


News Link

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

R.I.P. - Zecharia Sitchin

Sitchin with (a copy of) the now-famous 4,500 year old cyclinder
seal #VA/243, depicting our solar system.


The Omni Report is in mourning today after learning of the passing of the iconoclast author, Zecharia Sitchin.

Sitchin launched to fame in the 1970's with his ground-breaking work, The 12th Planet. This led to the Earth Chronicles series - a must read for alternative history fans - such as ourselves.

Compared to Erich Von Daniken as far as subject matter, Sitchin employed his knowledge of ancient languages to redefine ancient Mesopotamian texts and bring forth new translations of the Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian cultures and God pantheons.

His work is seminal, beyond ground-breaking. He will be missed immensely.

Sitchin passed away at age 90 in NYC on October 9th. His family is just releasing the news as they wanted it to remain private.

We are at a total loss for words at his point and will release a posthumous tribute post later in the week.

Official Zeharia Sitchin Website

Wiki Article

Announcement at The Daily Grail


FREE TAITIA JUAN!

Taita Juan

In a MAJOR MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE, Colombian Shaman Taita Juan was arrested in Texas carrying Ayahuasca and faces 20 YEARS in prison! We must help him!

From the website: FREE TAITA JUAN

On Tuesday, October 19, 2010 while en route to leading traditional Ayahuasca ceremonies in Oregon, indigenous Colombian healer Juan Agreda Chindoy was detained in the Houston International Airport. He was formally arrested by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for possession of his traditional medicine Ayahuasca. He is now being charged as a federal criminal and is facing up to 20 years in federal prison. Taita Juan is certified by his community and by the Colombian ministry of health as a traditional healer. He is one of the few remaining indigenous spiritual leaders in the world that holds the ancestral medicinal knowledge of an ecosystem that is rapidly disappearing. Taita Juan is a father, a husband and a godfather to more than 20 children. With more than 3000 supporters from several countries in the world, his life and work have touched many.

Ayahuasca is one of the Earth's oldest, most sought-after mind altering drugs. Is it illegal to carry in the States? Apparently it is in Texas where its always legal to shoot something with your gun but illegal to exercise your mind.

Go to the website to learn how to help.

Rain On....Uluru!

ULTRA-RARE Never See it again view of Uluru!

In a once-in-a-lifetime event, Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, experienced almost 3 inches of rain on one day! Normal rainfall totals are less than 6 inches per year.

The torrential downpour left Uluru dripping wet and tourists and tour guides alike scrambling for their cameras. The event took place a week ago on October 14th.

'Most residents of Central Australia know that rain anywhere, let alone rain at the rock is rare,' 'So for a photographer to capture the rain in full pelt with the distinctive rivers and falls coming off Uluru is magically stuff indeed.' It started bucketing down just before midnight and altogether over 2.8 inches fell.

So, is this another sign of the oncoming apocalypse?

Uluru, the way it normally looks, 364 1/2 days a year.



See all the pics: HERE

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Most Famous Shootout in History

The Shootout at the O.K. Corral!

FROM HISTORY.COM

On this day in 1881, the Earp brothers faced off against the Clanton-McLaury gang in a legendary shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.

After silver was discovered nearby in 1877, Tombstone quickly grew into one of the richest mining towns in the Southwest. Wyatt Earp, a former Kansas police officer working as a bank security guard, and his brothers, Morgan and Virgil, the town marshal, represented "law and order" in Tombstone, though they also had reputations as being power-hungry and ruthless. The Clantons and McLaurys were cowboys who lived on a ranch outside of town and sidelined as cattle rustlers, thieves and murderers. In October 1881, the struggle between these two groups for control of Tombstone and Cochise County ended in a blaze of gunfire at the OK Corral.

On the morning of October 25, Ike Clanton and Tom McLaury came into Tombstone for supplies. Over the next 24 hours, the two men had several violent run-ins with the Earps and their friend Doc Holliday. Around 1:30 p.m. on October 26, Ike's brother Billy rode into town to join them, along with Frank McLaury and Billy Claiborne. The first person they met in the local saloon was Holliday, who was delighted to inform them that their brothers had both been pistol-whipped by the Earps. Frank and Billy immediately left the saloon, vowing revenge.

Around 3 p.m., the Earps and Holliday spotted the five members of the Clanton-McLaury gang in a vacant lot behind the OK Corral, at the end of Fremont Street. The famous gunfight that ensued lasted all of 30 seconds, and around 30 shots were fired. Though it's still debated who fired the first shot, most reports say that the shootout began when Virgil Earp pulled out his revolver and shot Billy Clanton point-blank in the chest, while Doc Holliday fired a shotgun blast at Tom McLaury's chest. Though Wyatt Earp wounded Frank McLaury with a shot in the stomach, Frank managed to get off a few shots before collapsing, as did Billy Clanton. When the dust cleared, Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers were dead, and Virgil and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday were wounded. Ike Clanton and Claiborne had run for the hills.

Sheriff John Behan of Cochise County, who witnessed the shootout, charged the Earps and Holliday with murder. A month later, however, a Tombstone judge found the men not guilty, ruling that they were "fully justified in committing these homicides."

The movie Tombstone is quite frankly - ONE OF THE GREATEST MOVIES EVER MADE. It is in our Top Five of all time! If you've never seen it or generally hate Westerns, please try and take another look. Tombstone has some of the best actors in the world including the tour de force performance by Kurt Russell who deserved an Academy Award for his portrayal of Wyatt Earp.

Actors in Tombstone
Kurt Russell
Val Kilmer - nails it as Doc Holiday
Sam Elliot - Is there anything he's in, where he doesn't kick ass?
Powers Booth - should have gotten an award
Charleton Heston - brief cameo
Jason Priestley
John Corbitt
Michael Biehn - Absolutely kills it as Johnny Ringo
Stephen Lang - See him as Gen. Pickett in Gettysburg!
Michael Rooker
Billy Zane
Thomas Haden Church
Terry O'Quinn - Pre-Lost, holds his own with A-listers.
Bill Paxton
Harry Carrey, Jr.
Frank Stallone - Seriously!
Billy Bob Thorton - In one of the best scenes in the movie - see 2nd clip below




A GREAT SCENE! "Skin that smokewagon and see what happens."