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HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Nearly a year after a Glen Allen neighborhood woke up to find dozens of vintage box television sets sitting on their front porches, the strange circumstance has happened again.
Only this time the culprits, who apparently dropped off more than 50 TVs, were caught on several neighbors' doorbell cameras.
The bizarre discoveries were made by families in the Hampshire neighborhood Sunday morning.
Michael Kroll spotted a TV set on his doorstep when he went to let his dogs outside.
"I thought my son brought it home, but apparently not," Kroll said. "I think it's just a prank."
Kroll speculated "bored" college students may be responsible.
"They had way too much time on their hands if they had all these TVs and spread them all over the neighborhood," Kroll said. "I think it's funny in some ways... Now if my whole front yard was covered with TVs, I'd kind of get upset."
Jim Brooksbank said he found an old, tube-style, 13-inch TV on his porch.
"It's sort of funny... He wants to be known as the TV Santa Claus, I don't know," Brooksbank said. "I can't think of any technology or political point that would be valid here. It's just a senseless prank."
Police: More than 50 TVs left in neighborhood
Lt. Matt Pecka with Henrico Police said more than one person "wearing a mask resembling a television" dropped off the TVs to "the majority of homes throughout the community."
"Many residents were alerted by their security devices of these unwanted deliveries," Pecka said.
As a result, Henrico Police and Solid Waste Divisions worked together to remove the more than 50 TVs.
"In just over an hour, officers were able to speak with residents and remove a lot of unwanted televisions," Pecka said.
Brooksbank said officers made quick work of collecting the TVs.
"Nobody should have to now go to the dump, pay the $3 and have to dispose of someone else's garbage," Brooksbank said.
Police urged anyone who spots suspicious activity to call Henrico County Police at 804-501-5000.
"It's summer, and people are getting ready to go back to school," Brooksbank said. "Maybe TV man was just ready to strike and put a little humor in our lives."
Vintage TVs left on Henrico front porches in 2018
Robyn Schorr told WTVR CBS 6 last year that she was leaving for work on Thursday, Aug. 23 when she spotted what she assumed was a package at her front door.
"I told my husband to get the package off the front door," Schorr said.
Schorr's husband instead found a Toshiba FST Black Stripe television dated February 1986 sitting outside of their front door.
"He took a picture of it and sent it to me and said, 'Amazon must be getting lazy. Where did you want this?'" Schorr said. "It looks like a TV from back to the future."
Schorr posted the picture on a Grey Oaks neighborhood discussion page where she found out she wasn't the only victim.
"Apparently down the road they have lots of TVs delivered to their houses," she stated. "People were calling them Trojan horses saying 'Don't put them inside your house. Who knows what can happen.'"
Neighbors estimated more than 20 vintage televisions were left at homes throughout their neighborhood.
However, it remained unclear whether a crime had been committed.
Watch CBS 6 News at 6:30 and 11 p.m. and check back with WTVR for updates on this developing story. This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can submit a news tip here.
Find unique, award-winning stories every night on CBS 6 News at 11 p.m.
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Tearful Beanie Babies Creator Admits Guilt to Tax Evasion Charges
The U.S. government accused the creator of Beanie Babies of tax evasion.
Oct. 2, 2013 -- A tearful and apologetic H. Ty Warner, creator of Beanie Babies, pled guilty today to federal tax evasion stemming from what the U.S. Attorney's office says was an illegal offshore account the toymaker kept in Switzerland. He earlier agreed to pay a $53 million civil penalty in the case.
Warner, 69, of Oakbrook, Ill., could get up to five years in prison when he is sentenced in January. He broke down crying and apologized as he entered his plea today before a federal judge in Chicago.
He was accused of failing to report to the IRS income earned from that account. By that failure, according to the government's court filings, Warner attempted to evade $885,300 in income taxes he otherwise would have had to pay for 2002.
The charges announced last month allege that Warner hid from his accountants and the IRS more than $3.1 million in foreign income generated in a secret Swiss account, said Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
The charge against Warner results from an ongoing investigation by the IRS of bank accounts established by the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) for U.S. clients. UBS in 2009 admitted to having helped U.S. taxpayers hide money from the IRS, and, as part of an agreement with the IRS, agreed to provide the government with the names of customers.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Warner cooperated with the investigation. He is the second U.S. taxpayer to be charged in connection with the IRS' investigation of UBS.
He faces a maximum $250,000 fine and five years in prison. U.S. taxpayers are required by federal law to pay taxes on all income, no matter where in the world it may have been earned.
Last month, Gregory Scandaglia, Warner's attorney, issued a statement in which he said that Warner reached an agreement last month with the U.S. Attorney's office "to resolve an investigation into an overseas account he opened in 1996. Mr. Warner will voluntarily enter a guilty plea to a single charge of tax evasion and resolve all issues with respect to any taxes owed. Also, as part of the plea agreement, Mr. Warner will pay a civil penalty of $53,552,248 for failure to file a Foreign Bank Account Report."
Warner and Scandaglia could not be reached for comment after today's plea.
Scandaglia's statement concluded, "This is an unfortunate situation that Mr. Warner has been trying to resolve for several years now--including through an attempt to enroll in the IRS's Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program in 2009. Mr. Warner accepts full responsibility for his actions with this plea agreement."
ABC News' Cheryl Gendron contributed to this report.

subset: commoncrawl


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The team at KISSmetrics has provided a B2B Marketing Guide infographic. Some of the facts I found interesting:
- 85% of B2B marketers invested in event marketing in 2010
- 28% of this group plan to increase their event marketing investments in 2011
- 69% of B2B marketers intend to try new digital marketing approaches in 2011
Lots of great stuff. Make sure you also check out A Startup Marketing Framework by April Dunford and 10 Marketing Lessons for Early-Stage Tech Startups by Mark Suster. Great contexts to better understand B2B Marketing.


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12 Toxic Pesticides used in Organic Farming
Reasons to avoid organic food.
It is commonly believed that organic farmers do not use pesticides and that organic food is therefore safer to consume than conventionally farmed fruit and vegetables. In a UK poll, 95% of the consumers bought organic food because they wanted to avoid consuming pesticides. This belief could not be further from the truth. The US organic industry has approved over 3000 toxic pesticides for use in organic farming, many of which are neurotoxins or with a toxic profile requiring "Danger" labels.
If a farmer has a pest, fungus or weed problem, he or she has to address it with a toxic agent or suffer the financial consequences of crop loss. Pesticides certified for use by organic farmers, like conventional ones, are designed to kill (with all of the environmental health consequences that entails) – if they did not, they obviously would not be used.
The condition for organic pesticides is that they must originally come from a natural source, but this does not imply that natural chemicals are any less deadly (Ebola is natural). The only difference between organic pesticides and those used in conventional farming is that 'organic pesticides' are rarely tested for health and environmental safety and there is no testing for toxic residue levels on organic produce. So we know a great deal about the levels of risk in eating conventionally grown food (and the risk is minimal) but almost nothing about the risks from organically grown food.
Three big lies spread by 'organic companies'.
The fact that organic farmers use pesticides should not be a big deal. A year's consumption of well-tested synthetic pesticide residues have been known to be far safer than drinking a single cup of coffee, and if we ever decide to start testing organic approved pesticides, we will probably have similar results. The problem is that the organic industry lobby lies about the safety of conventionally-farmed produce day-in, day-out. It seems like everyone working in the organic industry just got used to lying to others all the time (remember that cute Swedish family that were taken off of conventionally farmed food for a week? They were still eating pesticides, just organic-approved pesticides but they were not tested for those. The Co-Op supermarket chain in Sweden lied! … as did every organic industry lobbyist and social media food guru that spread that fiction video).
There are three big lies that the organic food lobbyists commit every moment of every day that indicate either a total brain-washed stupidity or a complete lack of integrity (… probably both).
That organic food costs more because they don't use pesticides.
It is one thing to lie about the widespread use of pesticides on organic food, but to do so in order to charge more money to consumers you have just frightened is a charlatanism worthy of imprisonment.
That organic food is safer than conventional food because they don't use pesticides.
This is in fact not only a blatant lie, it is reckless endangerment. We have volumes of data on synthetic pesticides, and regular testing of these residues on food – we have nothing at all about the safety of pesticides used on organic produce. What is worse, consumers have been led to believe they only have to rinse conventionally farmed produce – that there are no toxic residues on organic produce. All produce needs to be properly rinsed, not to wash away trace elements of pesticide residues, but to prevent the spread of pathogens like E coli (which is much more prevalent on organically grown produce).
That organic farming is safer for the environment because they don't use pesticides.
Many of the pesticides approved for use in organic farming on the Risk-Monger Dirty Dozen list below have proven to be highly toxic to bees and other wildlife – far more than the well-tested neonicotinoids that the organic industry has put so much effort into raising doubt on. Just because something is natural in its origin does not mean it has no effect on the environment (just think of an oil spill!)
When an industry is built entirely on a lie, it is time for regulators to stop looking away. The organic industry lobby has indicated its complete lack of legitimacy and integrity and should face the policy purgatory it has invoked on others.
[bctt tweet="Until the organic industry can guarantee organic pesticides are safe, they should be taken off the market."]
So while lobbyists for the organic industry continue to push the big lie and expand their market through fear campaigns (deep down, I'm sure they must be morally exhausted from carrying around such a heavy yolk of hypocrisy), I decided to focus on a group of toxic pesticides approved for organic farming. These are by no means the most toxic, but rather the ones I have seen widely discussed. All pesticides below are exponentially more toxic and carcinogenic than glyphosate and are sprayed on to organic crops using agricultural harvesting equipment.
I am using the LD50 measurement for lethal dose toxicity. The US EPA defines LD50 as a standard measurement of acute toxicity that is stated in milligrams (mg) of pesticide per kilogram (kg) of body weight. As the EPA explains, an LD50 represents the individual dose required to kill 50 percent of a population of test animals (e.g., rats, fish, mice, cockroaches). In this case I am using data from rats exposed orally (generally via liquid exposure). LD50 values are standard measurements so we can compare relative toxicities among pesticides. The lower the LD50 dose, the more toxic the pesticide, the higher the dose, the less toxic.
For a benchmark, I will use glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) that the anti-pesticide, anti-GMO activists funded by the organic industry lobby are screaming is probably carcinogenic, the cause of autism, obesity or whatever else we can be scared of. The LD50 for glyphosate is 5600 mg/kg meaning it is slightly toxic. For reference, the WHO (that recently published that famous monograph on glyphosate), considers any measurement over 2000mg/kg to be slightly toxic – its lowest level of measured toxicity. By comparison, baking soda found in most biscuits (LD50: 4220 mg/kg) and acetaminophen taken daily by many individuals (LD50: 1944 mg/kg) are more toxic than glyphosate. See a nice benchmark toxicity table.
All of the pesticides approved for use in organic farming in the Risk-Monger Dirty Dozen list below have an LD50 toxicity measurement much lower than glyphosate (meaning they are more toxic).
The Risk-Monger's Dirty Dozen
Every year the organic lobbyists release a 'dirty-dozen', a list of 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest concentrations of synthetic pesticides found in them. Below are 12 pesticides used in organic agriculture.
1 – Boron (LD50: 560 mg/kg)
Boron is used by organic farmers as a fertiliser. Prolonged or repeated ingestion of boron residues may affect the brain, liver and heart. Chronic poisoning (from ingestion, skin absorption, or absorption from body cavities or mucous membranes) causes anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, mild diarrhea, skin rash, alopecia, convulsions (or other nervous system disturbances), and anemia. I can never understand how organic lobbyists criticise the use of synthetic fertilisers when they promote boron or cow manure.
2 – Acetic Acid (LD50 3310 mg/kg)
The EFSA 2013 risk assessment on acetic acid found many data gaps and the need for further information, in the same way as neonicotinoids had data gaps, but they did not ban the use of acetic acid in organic farming because, at a more diluted level, this chemical is known as vinegar … and humans eat it.
Acetic acid at a concentration equal or above 90% used in organic farming is classified, in the US, for skin corrosion as "1A" and must have the hazard statement H314 "Causes severe skin burns and eye damage". Studies have identified high long-term risk for mammals, a high risk for honeybees and for non-target arthropods. Often pro-organic activists promote a cocktail of acetic acid, salt and soap as an herbicidal alternative to glyphosate. See an analysis of how much more toxic this mixture is to humans and the environment than glyphosate.
3 – Copper sulphate (LD50: 300 mg/kg)
Copper sulphate is used as a fungicide by organic farmers in over 100 applications despite its far higher toxicity when compared to synthetic alternatives. See a comparison between the organic use of copper sulphate and the much less toxic Mancozeb (LD50 11,200 mg/kg), the synthetic equivalent, used by conventional farmers.
It is widely known that copper sulphate is nasty stuff for humans, animals and the environment. Here are some quotes from a pro-organic research document produced by Cornell University.
"Copper sulfate is highly toxic to fish. Even at recommended rates of application, this material may be poisonous to trout and other fish, especially in soft or acid waters. … Injury to the brain, liver, kidneys, and stomach and intestinal linings may occur in copper sulfate poisoning. Copper sulfate can be corrosive to the skin and eyes. … Vineyard sprayers experienced liver disease after 3 to 15 years of exposure to copper sulfate solution in Bordeaux mixture."
[bctt tweet="This toxic chemical is approved for organic farming around the world." username=""]
The following quote catalogues the "hypocrite fatigue" that those in the organic food industry lobby must be feeling in continuing to promote the use of copper sulphate on organic produce:
The organic movement uses copper sulphate which causes reproductive problems in birds, hamsters and rats. It has been shown to induce heart disease in the offspring of pregnant hamsters that were exposed to it. It has caused endocrine tumors in chickens. Copper sulfate and similar fungicides have been poisonous to sheep and chickens on farms at normal application rates. … They are very toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates, such as crab, shrimp and oysters. There are cases where most animal life in soil, including large earthworms, have been eliminated by the extensive use of copper-containing fungicides in orchards. It is strongly bioaccumulated and is very persistent. Once a soil is contaminated with copper, there is no practical way to remove it."
The European Commission is suggesting that the use of copper as an organic pesticide should be "minimised". … Should be minimised? Couldn't the Commission at least say: "Pretty please"? One cannot help but notice the soft-handed hypocrisy among EU regulators, forced by environmental activists to come down hard on less toxic, well-tested synthetic pesticides, and look the other way on clear evidence of one of the nastiest, highly toxic (organic) pesticides known to man. There is some serious stupid going on here!!!
4 – Pyrethrin (LD50 ranges from 200 mg/kg to 2,600 mg/kg)
Pyrethrin (in different forms and nomenclature) comes originally from chemicals extracted from flowers but now the toxic properties have been identified and synthetically manufactured (although still allowed for organic applications). It is a good thing that pyrethrins are synthetically manufactured given the environmental burden of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of flowersbeing produced solely for organic pesticide production.
Rather than calling these highly toxic chemicals: "pesticides", many lobbyists for the organic industry have chosen to refer to pyrethrins with the more benign term: insecticidal soap. I am sorry, but pyrethrins, naturally sourced they may be, are known neurotoxins. If I started showering with neurotoxins, I would like the authorities to let me know, and I would NOT call them "soap"! Who are they trying to fool?
Some frightening quotes once again from that pro-organic farming study from Cornell:
"Pyrethrum, used in organic farming is highly toxic to bees. The average lethal dose (LD50) for honeybees was measured at .022 micrograms per bee (Casida & Quistad 1995). Direct hits on honeybees and beneficial wasps are likely to be lethal … Cox (2002) cites several studies indicating the possibility of a connection between pyrethrins and cancer, including one study showing a 3.7-fold increase in leukemia among farmers who had handled pyrethrins compared to those who had not. In 1999, a USEPA memo classified pyrethrins as "likely to be a human carcinogen by the oral route."
It should be noted that when European farmers were denied access to neonicotinoids by the well-lobbied and activist-influenced EFSA Bee Risk Assessment Working Group, the alternative the farmers had to turn to in order to protect their oil-seed rape was this much less efficient, highly bee-toxic class of pyrethrins. I cannot find the words to express the absurdity of all of this!
5 – Hydrogen peroxide
The HD50 toxicity measurement depends on the degree of concentration, but hydrogen peroxide is used by organic farmers as a general disinfectant to kill microorganisms on contact (so the more concentrated, the better).
It is often used to control bacterial and fungal pathogens. Once again, the pro-organic Cornell study warns:
"Exposed, treated seed may be hazardous to birds and other wildlife. It is also highly toxic to bees and other beneficial insects exposed to direct contact; it should not be applied or allowed to drift onto blooming crops or weeds when bees are actively foraging. Similarly, it should not be applied or allowed to drift onto crops where beneficials are part of an integrated pest management strategy."
Organic industry lobbyists and NGO save-the-bee campaigners say the very same things about neonicotinoids. The difference is that the pesticide industry has worked hard to lower the exposure from the applications of neonic seed dressings or drift, while the organic industry lobby doesn't seem to give a toss.
6 – Lime sulphur (LD50: 820 mg/kg)
Lime sulphur is made by boiling lime and sulphur together. It is sprayed on fruit trees to control diseases such as blight anthracnose, powdery mildew and some insects including scales, thrips and eriophyid mites. The Cornell studystates: "Lime sulfur can be fatal if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin. It is extremely caustic and can cause irreversible eye damage and skin burns. If mixed with an acid, it may give off extremely toxic and flammable hydrogen sulfide gas (Meister & Sine 2009)." It is extremely toxic to earthworms which play an important role in soil remediation and regeneration. For humans, it has the potential to burn exposed skin and eyes. In the US, lime sulphur has been assigned a DANGER rating.
7 – Rotenone (LD50: 132 mg/kg)
A small amount of rotenone will kill all of the fish in your pond. This deadly, highly toxic chemical is still available for use by organic farmers in products combined with pyrethrins (also highly toxic – see above) in products like Red Arrow. The Risk-Monger was shocked to learn not only that this bee-killer was not banned, but that PAN even looked the other way when faced with the nasty environmental and human consequences of this toxic (natural) chemical. Organic advocates like to claim that rotenone has been taken off of the market (also in comments on my blogs), but they fail to acknowledge that it has recently been re-approved.
Consuming organic food with residues of rotenone can enhance the onset of Parkinson 's disease. It is a pity that organic food is not tested for (natural) chemical residues so consumers could be aware of their health risks.
8 – Nicotine sulphate (LD50: 50-60 mg/kg)
Nicotine is natural, and thus approved for organic farming to control aphids, thrips, mites and other insects. It is amusing to have seen so many pro-organic campaigners arguing against the use of neonicotinoids by saying that these synthetic pesticides were using nicotine. Yes … and, like bt, so were organic farmers. But how toxic is this natural, organic-approved neurotoxin? Very! In the US, nicotine sulphate carries a Danger warning. It is an organic neurotoxin that interferes with the transmitter substance between nerves and muscles. Tests have shown that nicotine sulphate has caused abnormalities in the offspring of laboratory animals and a New Jersey State study revealed that nicotine sulphate poisoning of organic gardeners can lead to increased blood pressure levels, irregular heart-rate, and, in certain cases, death.
What does the Pesticide Action Network say about this toxic organic pesticide? Well, PAN recognises that this pesticide is probably bad news but in most cases says there is insufficient data, and recognises that it is still sold for organic farming (mea culpa!). Nicotine sulphate did not seem to make their dirty dozen list!
9 – Azadirachtin (LD50: 3,540 mg/kg)
Also known as neem oil, this toxic pesticide approved for organic farming (particularly for apples) puts all synthetic pesticides to shame in its ability to massacre foraging bee populations. The Risk-Monger has called for a ban of this nasty natural chemical that EU studies have acknowledged kills 50% of bee populations when exposed to a dose level 50 times lower than the recommended dose set for organic farmers. My demand flies in the face of the campaigning of the main organic lobby, IFOAM, who is begging the EU not to put safety requirements or data demands on Azidirachtin that would restrict this bee-killing pesticide because they claim that there are no other alternatives for organic apple growers. Hey IFOAM – how about using less toxic synthetic pesticides in order to protect bees? Unbelievable!
As for other health risks from Azadirachtin outside of bees:
"One of the most popular organic pesticides, neem, is toxic to non-target species including crustaceans and tadpoles. Neem has been shown to cause the brain disease toxic encephalopathy in children. In mice, it causes chromosomal abnormalities in bone marrow cells and damages the DNA of sperm."
I challenged the biased anti-industry activist scientists from the IUCN Taskforce on Systemic Pesticides to disprove the correlation between the decline in bee populations with the rise in organic farming (a correlation far more accurate that that drawn with neonicotinoids). These researchers have refused to look at the data (perhaps they could not find the funding from their pro-organic industry Sugar Daddies), but Azadirachtin is perhaps the best indication that organic farming is as dangerous to biodiversity, if not more, than any well-tested synthetic pesticide that the organic industry is trying to ban.
10 – Methyl bromide (LD50: 214 mg/kg)
Methyl bromide is a fumigant used by organic farmers to combat spiders, mites, fungi, plants, insects, nematodes, and rodents. Animal studies show that methyl bromide can affect the brain, kidneys, nose, heart, adrenal glands, liver, testes, and lungs. Methyl bromide also contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer. Because of the high risk of poisoning, it is strongly advised that organic farmers get professional sprayers to apply methyl bromide.
11 – Homemade concoctions (LD50: ???)
One of the most frightening things about the explosion of amateur organic farmers is the wide availability of recipes for these hobby farmers to make their own pesticides in kitchen sinks. Earlier in this blog, we provided a link to a site showing that a homemade mixture of salt, vinegar and soap was more toxic as an herbicide than glyphosate. Mother Earth News offers a wide selection of home-brews with base chemicals that are not designed for consumption or direct release into the environment. Most small organic farmers do not have a sufficient knowledge of basic chemistry to be making their own pesticides.
If NGO activists are campaigning against chemicals because of the unknown risks from chemical cocktails, why are they condoning all of these organic pesticide concoctions being dumped onto the soil and on people's untested food?
12 – Citronella oil, eucalyptus oil, garlic extract
A recent study published in the Oxford Journal of Insect Science showed that when adult worker bees ingested citronella oil, eucalyptus oil, garlic extract, neem oil, or rotenone, they suffered from 42% to 60% higher mortality rates than workers fed with uncontaminated control diets.
While the Risk-Monger has in the past questioned the value of lab-tests that fed bees any chemical contaminants, we need to be reminded that farmers today have been denied the crop protection benefits of three neonicotinoids on the basis of data from lab tests alone (sanctified by EFSA). If these types of lab-based feeding tests also show that bees have a 42% to 62% higher mortality from exposure to organic pesticides then EFSA and the European Commission need to decide whether they want to ban all pesticides, approved for organic or conventional farming applications, or get a little bit more reasonable and consistent in how they regulate what farmers can and cannot use on their crops. Just because a bunch of loud-mouthed activists have money to run silly campaigns, does not mean that regulators have to listen to their nonsense.
The same, but different?
The only difference then between conventional synthetic pesticides and organic farming approved pesticides is that with the synthetic plant protection products you get mountains of safety data and regular pesticide residue monitoring, while with organic-approved pesticides, you pay a lot more money to get a nice feel-good story built on well-fabricated lies that they are safer for human consumption, bees and the environment; they are not – you are being swindled out of your hard earned cash.
I am fully aware that facts don't matter and you want to feel good about the food you eat, but are you really OK with giving your money to this group of well-funded liars in the organic industry lobby?
Disclaimer: Although these pesticides approved for organic farming are far more toxic than glyphosate (or almost any other well-tested conventional pesticide), the purpose of this exercise is to highlight the stupidity and lack of integrity of the fear-mongers who attack conventional crop protection materials in order to try to gain market share for organic food. The risk to any well-tested pesticides is so low compared to other natural toxic exposures as to make any activist fear-campaigning ridiculous and unfounded.
There are more toxins in that cup of coffee you drank while reading this blog than in an entire year of conventional pesticide residues on the fruit and vegetables you consume (and probably organic pesticide consumption as well, but I am afraid there, we just don't know because there is no pressure from NGOs like PAN to test them). My intention was not to make people more afraid, but to realise how gullible we have become to such mal-intentioned individuals paid by the organic food industry lobby.
[bctt tweet="The organic food movement lies to you in order to charge you more for their products." username=""]
How do you deal with stupid?
So what should we make of all of this? Two points, first that the organic lobby (from the organic trade associations to the Food Babes and Mamavations of the world) have been knowingly lying in making people afraid about our well-tested, safe food chain in order to charge you more money for their products. Secondly, that they are either very stupid people for thinking that their pesticides are not as toxic as synthetic pesticides, or that they think the rest of us are stupid for believing them (probably both).
Written by The Risk-Monger
David believes that hunger, AIDS and diseases like malaria are the real threats to humanity – not plastics, GMOs or pesticides. Also follow him in smaller doses (smaller poison) on the Risk-Monger FB page: www.facebook.com/riskmonger


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Peru: UFO Investigation Office Reopens
Date: 02/04/2014
Source: La Nación, Sin Mordaza (www.sinmordaza.com) and Planeta UFO
Peru: UFO Investigation Office Reopens
An unidentified flying object (UFO) can be anything at all: an unauthorized flight, a light, a drone or unmanned aircraft, an optical illusion, or an alien spacecraft.
Any aerial object flying within national airspace whose flight is unlawful, anomalous and unidentifiable in nature represents a threat to civilian and military security and navigation. For this reason, the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) has the duty to look into these phenomena in order to safeguard order and proper use of the national air corridors. "These were the words of Pedro Cateriano, Peru's Minister of the Air, to BBC Mundo (BBC World).
It was thus that the government reopened DIFAA, the Department of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena Investigation, under the jurisdiction of the Air Force itself.
Whether aliens travel aboard those lights or vehicles is not the department's concern, and the beliefs or desires of its investigators regarding the subject are part of their private lives.
This office looks into any phenomenon or object that can jeopardize a military or passenger aircraft. However, most of the cases recorded cannot be explained and the question marks about signs of life beyond our planet emerge once more.
I've Seen a UFO
The phone rings at DIFAA and a specialist writes down the information. Calls have been received more than once from someone claiming to be in contact with aliens and that their mission is to save the world. These calls are usually dismissed.
"We have no way of telling what it is unless we can analyze the images or videos submitted to us, aside from the questionnaires to be filled in by the witnesses," said Marco Barraza, an investigator and member of the DIFAA team.
If someone reports a strange light, the first thing they do is cross-check the information with the control towers of the nearest airports. "The idea is to activate a protocol and create a record. This is how accidents are prevented," he explained.
DIFAA's advisory board is formed by eight civilians (an astronomer, an archaeologist, a sociologist, a former pilot, a physicist, a philosopher, a broadcaster and a sociologist) and two military men. They are in charge of conducting the evaluations and preparing a report for DINAE (the Office of Aerospace Interests).
The goal is to have a record. Certain constants emerge: spheres, elongated objects, cylinders, diamonds and luminous triangles. The places where they appear also repeat, almost always in the vicinity of archaeological sites.
What are they? Are they from other worlds? The mystery will remain unsolved until they can be touched, and their nature ascertained.
The Catch of the Day
Commander Julio Chamorro (Ret.) forms part of DIFAA's advisory board. Chamorro was the founder and leader of OIFAA (The Office of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena Investigation) which operated from 1999 to 2005, and the first military man to state the need to look into these phenomena.
The reasons Chamorro presented to his superiors for opening an office for the study of possible alien craft were based on Chapter 12 of the Peruvian Constitution, declaring that the duty of the State is to safeguard the Nation through its Armed Forces.
"The officers working at the La Joya military base were used to sightings. There was an event that repeated every December. We called it the Star of David because we didn't know the nature of that bright light that shined at us day and night. There was also the so-called lost city: in the distance you could see a brightly-lit city that receded as you approached it. It was so frequent that it stopped being important," said Chamorro to BBC Mundo.
A Luminous Orb
There was a rumor circulating at the time. Alberto Fujimori, who was president at the time, used to go fishing on the Amazon River aboard a FAP aircraft. They say that while he fished, a luminous orb emerged from the river and flew into the air. Fujimori and his team saw it, but agreed to say nothing about it.
"It's true, it happened," states Chamorro. Marco Barraza corroborates the anecdote. Was it for this reason that the office could be opened? According to Chamorro, "this possibly aided in making the decision to open the office." But what has been the use of all the information collected, both by the first office as well as the current department?
"What's important is acceptance by the public and their desire to share their experiences. This is something that involves all of humanity and no one is excluded from what's going on," Chamorro stressed. There isn't much criticism in Peru against programs of this sort, unless they incur considerable expenditures or some important error is revealed.
In The Region
Perú isn't the only country looking for an explanation about anomalous aerial phenomena. Chile has the Commission for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena (CEFAA), Argentina has the UFO Phenomena Study Commission (CEFORA) and Uruguay has the Unidentified Flying Obejct Report Reception and Investigation Commission (CRIDOVNI).
"Some of the country's regions have built alliances with a view toward exchanging specialized information in a strategic manner, in order to pool their efforts on the research into these subjects," stated Defense Minister Pedro Cateriano. "However, Peru is fully capable today of analyzing and researching this phenomenon in an autonomous and independent manner and it would only appeal for an exchange of information with neighboring countries in an exceptional manner with the aim of cross-checking information for more exact conclusions."
And until a more exact conclusion is achieved, DIFAA's advisory board will wait for the phone to ring again to create another file that may someday, perhaps, answer the question: What if we're not alone?
[Translation (c) 2014, Scott Corrales (IHU) with thanks to Guillermo Giménez, Planeta UFO]


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Critics say FERC not tough enough on Duke
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer
Since the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's draft environmental assessment recommending removal of the Dillsboro Dam has come out, concern has arisen over mitigation measures planned for the Tuckasegee River.
Duke Power is seeking new permits for six dams on the Tuckasegee River. FERC must analyze the environmental impact of those dams and require mitigation from Duke before renewing the permits.
The cover letter to the 402-page draft EA released May 10, reads, "In this draft EA, Commission staff analyze the probable environmental effects of implementing the projects and conclude that approval of the projects, with appropriate staff-recommended environmental measures, would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment."
River proponents say that's not true. Reading over the draft EA, Clean Water Management Trust Fund western field representative Tom Massie said that the document acknowledges "short-term" damage to the ecosystem as a result of removing the Dillsboro Dam. Such damages include "significant short-term effects" on the brown bat, which lives in the dam's powerhouse, also recommended for removal, and on the elktoe mussel.
The mussel does not fare well in warmer waters. Removing the dam would allow warmer waters to flow further downstream, potentially killing mussel colonies, Massie said. Also, removing the dam without dredging behind it would send the silt downstream, potentially settling on the fragile mussels and killing them.
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Furthermore, the EA's acknowledgement of short-term damage to vegetation and riparian buffers could mean that increased erosion also would pose a threat to the water system all the way down to Fontana Lake.
"They just transferred the problem from Dillsboro to TVA (the Tennessee Valley Authority)," Massie said.
The problem is that "short term" is not quantified. The re-licensing process comes around every 30 to 50 years. Short term in that regard could mean 5 to 10 years, Massie said.
However, some of those who have supported dam removal say that short-term effects could pay off in the long run.
"I do believe the short-term damage will be outweighed by bringing a river closer back to a free flowing state for future generations to come," said Shane Williams, owner of Dillsboro River Company, located just below the dam. Rafting operations stand to benefit by the removal of the dam, which impedes their operations because rafts have to be carried around dams.
Duke has supported dam removal in part for that reason — it will add about 10 miles of unimpeded river for boating and allow for species migration, according to a statement released by Duke District Manger Fred Alexander. Officials with the N.C. Fish and Wildlife Division have criticized the dam for preventing natural migration.
But even American Whitewater, which signed the original stakeholders' settlement agreement nearly three years ago, has taken issue with the draft EA, as it removes important mitigation measures relating to recreation.
American Whitewater, a non-profit organization working to restore whitewater rivers nationwide, disagrees with the draft EA's failure to endorse the original settlement agreement recommendation that Duke Power purchase and manage several river access areas along the Tuckasegee.
"Even though these measures would address the need for additional public access as well as formalize some of the existing undeveloped dispersed use on the Tuckasegee River, these measures do not enhance public access to project lands and waters," the draft EA reads. "The locations of these recreation-related measures are not within, adjacent, or even near the existing project boundaries, therefore, they are not within Commission jurisdiction and would not be included in any new license for the projects."
American Whitewater strongly disagrees.
"The Tuckasegee River between the uppermost dams on its forks and its termination in Fontana Reservoir is all project waters," read Whitewater's comments written by National Stewardship Director Kevin Colburn. "The river is strongly regulated by releases from the upstream dams and those releases encourage or discourage various types of recreation on the river. The access areas outlined in the [original settlement agreement] allow the public to enjoy these releases provided by the upstream dams — which are expressly timed for their enjoyment in these downstream reaches. The FERC draft environmental assessment agrees that flows can be timed to provide recreational opportunities several miles downstream, so why too cannot FERC support public access to the river so that the public can actually use the releases?"
Last week Jackson County's attorney hired to work specifically on the Duke Power issue, Paul Nolan, was in the process of working on filing a motion to extend the comment period on the draft. The motion will join one filed by Paul Marston, counsel for the Friends of Lake Glenville, on behalf of the Friends, Jackson County, Macon County, the Town of Franklin, and the Dillsboro Inn owner TJ Walker.
"The Draft EA is 402 pages long and was developed by the Staff during an 18-month long process. In addition, as the Commission is aware, the Draft EA reviews a highly controversial proposal where a competing comprehensive offer of settlement has been filed and where the Commission has formally stated that all reasonable alternatives will be analyzed in the EA," reads Marston's filing. "Under these circumstances, we respectfully submit that it is unreasonable — and contrary to the June 27, 2005 Order Denying Rehearing — for the Commission to provide just 30 days to review and prepare final comments on such a complex, lengthy and controversial proposal."
Martson's filing continues, "Moreover, the current schedule provides for the on-the-record public meeting to be held just one day prior to the deadline for submitting written comments. We respectfully suggest that this is also unreasonable as it forecloses a meaningful opportunity to integrate the transcript record into the final written comments on the Draft EA. This would essentially circumvent much of the purpose of compiling an official record transcript in the first place. If the public comments are worth being included in the transcript record, there must be a reasonable period of time to review and integrate them into written comments."
The filing requests that the public meeting be rescheduled to be held June 23 or 26, approximately 45 days after the draft EA's issuance, with an additional two weeks after the publication of the transcript to conclude the written comment period.
Jackson County attorney Paul Nolan concurred with the Marston filing.
"Despite what FERC has done, the public has a right to be heard," Nolan said.
Final approval of the draft EA requires an order from FERC.
"Typically, FERC issues a final environmental assessment (EA) after the draft EA comment period," according to a statement released by Duke District Manger Fred Alexander. "The next step in the relicensing process is issuance of a new license."


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PRSA National asked us to do some social media/guest blogging to help give PRSA members a sense of the PRSA 2009 International Conference: Delivering Value, and San Diego (we're hosting it).
I was tapped to take the lead partially because I immerse myself in social media (it's the bulk of what my firm does) and because I'm relatively new to San Diego. Here just two years, I still remember what it was like before I lived in paradise.
Instead of the normal glossy brochure blah, blah (you'll get plenty from other marketing pieces), my four-person team will tap social media tools and our "local" status to texturize the Conference setting and activities to consider. That in mind, I created a "locals" photo sampler highlighting noteworthy elements.
In later posts, we'll provide Google Maps of the hotel area and amenities, commentary from Conference "insiders", maybe even a spoof on what's being presented.
It's a conference, after all. Part's for work/learning/networkingand part's for fun.
Casey DeLorme, APR, is an award-winning public relations professional with extensive experience in online/social media marketing, presentations/presentation coaching, special events, media relations, creative strategic planning, and crisis communications. He moved his firm, Getspine Communications, to San Diego (from Tucson, Ariz.) in 2007 because he wanted to surf and paraglide more often. He is a past chair of PRSA's Western District and current co-chair of PRSA's PRSSA Student Affiliate Task Force.
Join Casey at the PRSA 2009 International Conference: Delivering Value, November 7–10, in San Diego, CA!
Experience spectacular views in the heart of America's Finest City.
Discover the perfect blend of coastal "cool" and downtown "hot" at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina. Take in the relaxing waterfront views, and then get ready to explore the vibrant city just steps from the lobby doors. Conveniently located adjacent to the convention center and the Gaslamp Quarter's shopping and restaurants, the hotel is also a short distance from the city's sparkling beaches and must-see tourist attractions, including the famous San Diego Zoo, Mission Bay Aquatic Park and SeaWorld. If speed is more your style, you can rent personal watercraft and powerboats at the hotel's marina. 1,362 spacious nautical-themed guestrooms in two 25-story towers offer expansive views of the bustling city or San Diego Bay.


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Two GoFundMe campaigns have raised more than US$290,000 in an effort to buy the web browsing histories of U.S. politicians after Congress voted to allow broadband providers to sell customers' personal information without their permission.
It's unclear if those efforts will succeed, however. Even though Congress scrapped the FCC's ISP privacy rules last week, the Telecommunications Act still prohibits telecom providers from selling personally identifiable information in many cases.
After last week's vote, and President Donald Trump's signature on the congressional resolution Monday, there's some question about whether those prohibitions on selling personal data now apply to ISPs. Under FCC rules, ISPs technically aren't telecom providers.
Asked if someone can now buy another person's browsing history, and FCC spokesman responded this way: "I can't comment on hypothetical, but the FCC retains the authority to protect consumer privacy on a case-by-case basis."
In other words, the FCC would likely step in and stop attempted purchases of a politician's browsing history.
Beyond that, broadband providers Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T have all promised not to sell individual customers' web browsing history. "We do not sell our broadband customers' individual web browsing history," Comcast Senior Vice President Gerard Lewis wrote in a blog post. "We did not do it before the FCC's rules were adopted, and we have no plans to do so."
Still, providers of so-called marketing cloud services -- think Salesforce and Oracle -- track web users and develop extensive profiles based on shopping and web-browsing habits, said privacy advocate Jeffery Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy.
It's likely possible to buy the web marketing profile of individual politicians from a marketing cloud provider, if not an ISP, including the kinds of websites they like to visit, by targeting them using their general location and other publicly available information, he said.
"Let the web monitoring and surveillance of the politicians begin," he said.
The recently passed congressional resolution kills FCC rules requiring broadband providers to receive opt-in customer permission to share sensitive personal information, including web-browsing history, geolocation, and financial details with third parties.
The recent congressional resolution will allow ISPs more latitude to sell customer information to ad networks for the purposes of delivering targeted ads to your browser, but that's different than selling your personal browsing history.
In an effort to strike back against the Republican-led legislation to roll back the FCC privacy rules, advocate Adam McElhaney has raised more than $205,000 since March 25 to buy the personal history of top politicians supporting the resolution.
Actor Misha Collins has raised more than $86,000 in the last six days in a similar GoFundMe campaign, although he's well short of his $500 million goal.
The congressional resolution raises serious privacy questions, McElhaney said by email. "The ISP knows more about your browsing habits than Facebook and Google combined," he said. "Why? All data flows through them."
The temptation to monetize web browsing habits will be too great for ISPs to avoid, he added. "They want in on selling your browsing habits," he said. "Once they realize there is more money to be made and a market to targeting a specific individual, your web habits will become increasingly attached to you."
The goal of his GoFundMe campaign is to "send a message to our legislators that we want protections and to show them this future where your data is traded around," he added.
McElhaney's campaign allows supporters to vote on whose web browsing histories they want to see.
Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, from Wisconsin, has received more than 23,000 votes, while Representative Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican and fierce critic of the now-overturned FCC privacy rules, has gotten more than 17,000 votes. Ajit Pai, the Republican chairman of the FCC and another critic of the old privacy rules, has gotten nearly 10,000 votes.


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Wi-fi nation: a terrific map
Aug 02, 2005
Here is one terrific map, courtesy of Ray Vella at Business Week.
This map works on two levels:
- The red and green dots provide strong visual cues to support the conclusion that Wi-Fi networks are being widely deployed across American cities, except in the mid-west
- The three shades of brown show the number of networks installed or planned in each state. Inclusion of such state-level information justifies the printing of state boundaries. Without plotting state-level information, state boundaries become chartjunk, as in the heat wave maps I previously discussed.
What's more, we can assimilate the city and state levels. For example, focusing on Texas, we see from the dark brown shade that it is a state with many networks, and then from the dots, we can see further where those networks are.
A few minor improvements can be made:
- Tell us the upper bound of the legend, name the legend: by changing 10+ to 10-X, the designer not only provides us another piece of data but also harmonizes the presentation with the other two categories. Besides, the legend needs a title
- Be more friendly to the color-blind: the red-green contrast should be avoided as much as possible. If a graphic designer is reading the blog, please tell us where we can find studies of color contrasts
- Use a softer national boundary: the solid black line sticks out against the soft background and it is the least important bit on the map
One would expect the choice of three shades of brown and the intervals used for each shade to be keyed to the frequency histrogram of the number of networks (shown right). The current division divides the 50 states into groups of 8, 16 and 26. Are there better divisions?
Finally, most readers will find the number of networks to be a dissatisfactory metric because more populous states will likely install more networks. A density measure such as networks per person or per household or per unit area would have been more telling.
Reference: "Wi-Fi Nation", Business Week, Aug 1 2005, p.12.


text: One of the most difficult tasks for a worker is negotiating with a boss. Whether it's getting a raise or a new assignment, or a simple request for more office supplies, asking a boss for anything can be nerve-wracking. Knowledge@W. P. Carey interviewed management professor Kevin Corley about the best way to negotiate with your boss. Part One of our two-part series on this topic addressed the matter of self interest — yours, your boss's, and the organization's. Part Two discusses how knowing your boss's negotiating style can make all the difference between success and failure. (15:30)


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I was wondering whether a turtleneck is the strict equivalent of a poloneck? I seem to have a vague recollection when I was younger that a turtleneck in the UK was slightly lower and the turnover was sewn together, as opposed to you actually rolling it over yourself, but I may be wrong and things may have changed.The trick here is that both AmE and BrE have the term turtle(-)neck, but it means something slightly different in the two dialects. Turtleneck was originally AmE, and, like many compounds, it is these days more likely in BrE than in AmE to have a hyphen or be spelt as two words. AmE turtleneck is a close, high neck of a garment that is typically folded over (although when I was a teen, the [orig. and chiefly AmE] preppy fashion was to not fold, but to let them appear squashed under the chin). In BrE, such a thing is called polo-neck. So, AmE turtleneck = BrE polo-neck. But BrE turtle-neck is (according to the OED):
A close-fitting roll or band collar, now usu. one intermediate in height between a crew-neck and a polo-neck; formerly also = polo-neck.So, BrE turtle-neck is sometimes used to refer to things that I'd call roll-neck in AmE, and sometimes to things that I'd call (AmE) mock turtlenecks (photo here). But roll-neck seems to provide other problems--which may be dialectal, or just idiolectal (individual). I'd only use it for something that has a neck that has no border (knitters will have to remind me what to call these things)--it's just knit-purled and finished off, and because there's nothing to stop it doing so, it rolls tightly in on itself--as in this photo. But a lot of people seem to be using it to mean a thicker, looser (but not really loose) turtle/polo-neck (not quite a cowl-neck--see below).
Now, I expect that lots of BrE speakers* will comment that they use polo-neck for any of these things--and the OED definition covers that possibility. It may also be the case that the omnipresence of US chain retailers may have also more recently re-introduced the AmE meaning for turtleneck. I don't imagine that one hears polo-neck much in AmE for high necklines, though. When I first heard it here, it misled me, since I assumed that a polo-neck would surely be the type of collar that one would find on a polo shirt--a term that is found in both AmE and BrE for meaning (a) below, but with an additional meaning (b) in BrE:
polo shirt n. (a) a shirt of the kind worn by polo players; (hence) a short-sleeved casual shirt with a collar and buttons at the neck. (b) a shirt with a polo neck. (OED 2007 draft entry)Finally, while the OED doesn't record it (yet), the term cowl-neck describes necklines that are tall and folded-over like a turtle/polo-neck, but which are wide enough that they flop over, rather than covering the neck closely. Now, although I can find cowl-necks on UK sites nowadays, I don't know how far back this term goes in BrE, since it is in AmE dictionaries (Merriam-Webster, American Heritage), but not in the Oxford ones (I'm not at the office with my bigger dictionary collection). So, BrE-speaking women who wore floppy high-necked jumpers/sweaters in the 1970s, what did you call them?
*Don't forget that no one can hear your accent when you type a comment. It's helpful if you always identify your dialect or homeland, or else comments like "well, I always say xyz" aren't very enlightening! (I may have come to know where you're from, but occasional readers won't have.)


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Lugh, whose name means "the shining one," was the Celtic Sun god. The underworld god Balor was his grandfather. Balor was the leader of the Fomorii. The Fomorii were evil people that lived in the darkness of the underworld. According to a prophecy, Balor had to be killed by his grandson. To prevent this from happening, Balor had his daughter Ethlinn imprisoned in a crystal tower .Nonetheless, Cian, the son of the medicine god, entered the tower . Ethlinn gave birth to a child whose name was Lugh. Unfortunately, as soon as the child was born, Balor had him thrown into the sea to drown. Lugh miraculously escaped from his destiny of death and was raised in the utmost secrecy by the god of the sea, Manannan. He learned the skills of the arts and crafts, and became an expert warrior.
When he reached manhood, he joined the Tuatha De Danaan, "the peoples of the goddess Dana" in their struggle against the Fomorii. During a desperate battle, the king of the Tuatha De Danaan died, being hit by the evil gaze of Balor. Balor had a malicious gaze capable of killing whomever looked at it. However, Lugh threw a magic stone ball at Balor's eye, and killed Balor as the prophecy had predicted. Lugh then became the king of the Tuatha De Danaan.
Lugh corresponds to the Welsh god Lleu and the Gallic Lugos. From Lugh's
name derives the names of modern cities such as Lyon, Laon and Leyden.
Today, people remember the figure of Lugh with a festival which
commemorates the beginning of the harvest in August. The feast of Lugh,
called by the Celts "Lughnasadh", is better known now as Lammas, or the
feast of first fruits.


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Made in America
Written by David Chase
Directed by David Chase
"It's like America...I mean this is still where people come to make it. It's a beautiful idea..."
Tony wakes up in the safe house: another day of hiding. That night, he and Paulie sit in the car at the end of a Teterboro airport runway, watching planes take off as they wait. Finally, Agent Harris shows up. Tony runs through the snow flurries to join him in his car. He tells Harris he remembered the name of the bank that the Arabs used. "You just remembered?" Harris asks. Tony counters with a question: if Harris's Brooklyn contact might be able to tell them where Phil is. "You're over-reaching," Harris ends the conversation.
Tony heads over to visit Carmela and the kids at their hideaway - the estate house Carmela bought for her next remodel. Meadow is on her way out and AJ is saying goodbye to Rhiannon. Tony tells AJ that Uncle Bobby's funeral is set and he's expected to attend. When AJ questions how that's possible, given they're all at "Defcon 4," Carmela explains: "There is always a large FBI presence." Indeed, at the burial, the feds are watching the camera feeds from a nearby van.
At the reception after the funeral, AJ blows up at the shallowness of the conversation at his table, complaining about the dire state of the world. Jason jokes they should join up "go kill some f**kin' terrorists," and AJ retorts that would be better than watching the "jack-off fantasies on TV of how we're kicking their ass."
Tony and Benny play cards at the safe house. Anthony Maffei enters with Patsy to deliver an envelope that's "light." When Carlo tells Tony they're going to visit Silvio at the hospital, Tony says he's got things to do: "My daughter," he says cryptically. "Yesterday it was his gout," notes Benny.
In Little Italy, Butch and Ray Ray take a call from Phil who's angry at the failure to locate Tony Soprano. Butch broaches the idea of reaching out, but Phil shuts him down: there's no going back.
Tony visits Janice at her house. He's the only one who understands her dark sense of humor she insists as they discuss her plans. She wants to make a go of it with Bobby's kids. As Tony's leaving, he gets a call from Agent Harris: "Multiple calls traced back to a pay phone in Oyster Bay, Long Island." Tony thanks him for the tip.
Parked in his SUV, AJ and Rhiannon listen to music - and make the move to consummate their friendship. As they are going at it, the car starts smoking - literally - and the two barely escape before it goes up in flames, exploding as they scramble away.
Tony and Carmela read AJ the riot act for parking his SUV in leaves. "The catalytic converter and the dry vegetation!" shouts Tony. "If there was children playing in those leaves you'd have run them over?" Carmela adds. AJ pleads his defense: depression. Still, he manages to see the bright side when told he's not getting a replacement car. "We have to break our dependence on foreign oil."
The Feds, listening in on a wiretap, pick up Tony's call to George, asking him to arrange a sit-down. In an empty warehouse, George brings Tony and Paulie together with Butch and Albie and Little Carmine. Tony asks for a location on Phil; they refuse but tell him to do what he has to do. Promising Tony they'll come to back to him with "a number" to cover Janice's loss, Butchie and Tony shake hands.
The Soprano family returns home and Paulie, Tony and the crew regroup in the back room of the pork store. Paulie is unnerved to see the cat from the safe house has made the trip. He wants to get rid of it, but Tony insists the cat stay. In the meantime, the guys cruise Oyster Bay, searching for Phil.
Janice visits Uncle Junior while Uncle Pat is visiting to report the news of Bobby's death, but Junior doesn't seem to know who she is. Later, Pat reports to Tony that Janice was fishing for Junior's money. But Tony insists Junior can "f**kin' rot."
AJ sits across from with his new female therapist (with legs to rival Melfi's) from the psychiatric hospital. He tells her he's felt "cleansed" since his car blew up.
Concerned, Paulie calls Tony from the Bing early in the morning when Carlo is a no-show for a meeting. He suggests maybe Butch has taken out another ranking guy, but Tony has another theory: Carlo's flipped. When Paulie recalls that Carlo's son Jason was picked up yesterday for selling X, the theory looks even more plausible.
Carmela is pleasantly surprised to see Meadow's friend Hunter - who she hasn't seen since she was kicked out of college. Now, however, Hunter reports, she's in her second year of medical school. Carmela abruptly informs Meadow that Patrick and his parents will be there soon to discuss wedding plans. Over cocktails, Patrick brags that his firm is interested in hiring Meadow out of law school. Tony and Carmela are pleased to hear about the high starting salary, but Carmela is less pleased with the kinds of cases he works on: "bid riggin. It's got bag men, whores...it's fascinating."
When Paulie catches the cat staring at a photo of Christopher, he gets more spooked, but Tony interrupts him with an offer: to take over skippering the Cifaretto crew now that Carlo's MIA. Paulie says he's honored but has to think about it. Tony, "miffled," gives him time to consider.
Driving, Tony spots AJ jogging and picks him up. AJ announces he's decided to join the army. Tony insists he not do anything just yet. He promptly reports the news to Carmela and the two pay a visit to AJ's new therapist. The doctor reports that AJ says he wants to "get past the hate...focus it on the terrorists." Tony quickly starts talking about his own upbringing and his difficult mother, as Carmela rolls her eyes.
Tony takes Meadow out "sake bombing" for a heart to heart about her career. She insists she wants to protect immigrant rights, having been moved by how Italian-Americans were mistreated. "If I hadn't see you dragged away all those time by the FBI then I'd probably be a boring suburban doctor," she says. Tony has no response.
Getting out of Patty's car at the gas station to make a call, Phil waves goodbye to his twin grandchildren. Before he can finish making plans, he is shot in the head. Patty screams and jumps out of the car. Still in drive, the car rolls as she tries to get to the twins but the car runs over Phil's head. When Agent Harris gets the news that Phil was "popped," he bursts out: "Damn, we're gonna win this thing!"
Carmela and Tony sit AJ down for a talk. They don't want him to join the army but have a counter-offer: he can be a development executive on a screenplay Tony got from Danny Baldwin that Little Carmine wants to produce. And after getting some real-world experience, Tony will consider financing his night club. AJ agrees, and also gives in to a new BMW so he can drive to his new job.
Over burgers, Tony's lawyer, Mink, breaks the news that someone's giving grand jury testimony. "So Carlo has flipped," Tony says. Mink puts his chances of being indicted at 80-90% but assures him "trials are there to be won."
Tony visits Silvio in the hospital, sitting with his comatose consigliere into the night.
At Satriale's Paulie declines Tony's offer to take over from Carlo, saying everyone who's had that gig has died prematurely. Tony ridicules his superstition - and finally sways him when he says he'll have to give the job to Patsy. "Prick. You always know what to say to me don't you?" says Paulie as he accepts the job.
Tony goes to visit Junior, watching him from afar before going over to talk to him. He tells Junior that if he remembers where his money is, he should tell Pat so Tony can hold it in trust for Bobby's kids; it's not fair that Janice should get it. But Junior doesn't know him. Tony tries to jog his memory: "This thing of ours..." he says, reminding him that he and Tony's father ran North Jersey. "We did?" he perks up. "That's nice." But then Junior stares into space again and Tony retreats.
Tony is the first to arrive at Holsten's for a family dinner. He sits in a booth and plays a song on the jukebox, watching the door. Carmela enters and joins him, asking about his meeting with Mink. He tells her Carlo's gonna testify and she takes the news with a sigh. AJ arrives next, complaining about the more mundane tasks of his job but quotes old advice from his father: "Try to remember the times that were good." Meanwhile, Meadow struggles to parallel park outside. Customers come and go - a shady looking guy who's been sitting at the counter enters the restroom. Finally parking the car, Meadow runs inside to join her family, just in time for dinner.


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Pictures feature Frazer Hines, Deborah Watling and screencaps from previously missing eps (click on the images for bigger versions). Also check out the picture of the mini wooden Yeti prop from The Web of Fear featured at the press launch earlier today (pictured right).
The stories recovered are The Enemy of the World (1967) and The Web of Fear (1968), both starring Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor. The Enemy of the World, is the fourth six-part tale of Series 5 which first aired on the BBC in December 1967. Episodes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 had been missing from the BBC archives. Alongside Patrick Troughton who plays both the Time Lord and his antagonist (Ramon Salamander) are his companions Frazer Hines (Jamie) and Deborah Watling (Victoria).
Also recovered is the 1968 six-part story, The Web of Fear. Episodes 2 – 6 were feared lost forever but now episodes 2, 4, 5, and 6 have been recovered. Unfortunately, episode three is still missing but a restoration team has reconstructed this part of the story using a selection of the 37 images that were available from the episode along with the original audio which has been restored.
Also starring Patrick Troughton alongside Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling, The Web of Fear introduces Nicholas Courtney for the first time as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart (who later returns as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart).
All episodes will be available to download exclusively from iTunes on 11 October. The Enemy of the World will also be available to pre-order exclusively on DVD from BBC Shop from 11 October for release on 22 November. The Web of Fear will be available on DVD from early 2014.
Phillip Morris says, "The tapes had been left gathering dust in a store room at a television relay station in Nigeria. I remember wiping the dust off the masking tape on the canisters and my heart missed a beat as I saw the words 'Doctor Who'. When I read the story code I realised I'd found something pretty special."


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Statement of the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics Regarding Representative Bill Owens
Pursuant to Committee Rule 7(g), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics (Committee) determined on February 6, 2013, to release the following statement:
On August 30, 2012, the Committee on Ethics of the 112th Congress received a referral from the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) regarding Representative Bill Owens. Pursuant to House Rule XI, clause 3(b)(8) and Committee Rule 17A, the then-Chairman and Ranking Member jointly decided on December 13, 2012, to extend the Committee's review of the matter. In order to gather additional information necessary to complete its review, the Committee will review the matter pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a). The Committee notes that the mere fact of conducting further review of a referral, and any mandatory disclosure of such further review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee.
In order to comply with Committee on Ethics Rule 7 regarding confidentiality, out of fairness to all respondents, and to assure the integrity of its work, the Committee will refrain from making further public statements on this matter pending completion of its initial review.
Pursuant to Committee Rule 17A, the Committee on Ethics hereby publishes OCE's Report and Findings relating to allegations against Representative Bill Owens and Representative Owens' submission to the Committee.


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Elia Kazan—Genius or Informant?
Half a century after McCarthyism, the Academy Award-winning director is again under fire for naming names
by Rachael Stark |
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Fifty years after the blacklisting of hundreds of artists in Hollywood and on Broadway, the list itself has become news. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' decision to present director Elia Kazan with a lifetime achievement award has angered many of those affected by blacklisting. Some of the surviving "Hollywood 10" who served jail time for refusing to testify against others before the committee are protesting the award, as are many others in the entertainment industry.
Kazan, director of such film classics as Gentleman's Agreement, East of Eden, and On the Waterfront, testified in 1952 before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He gave the committee the names of eight supposed communists who were subsequently blacklisted in Hollywood. Some of these artists had no choice but to write further works pseudonymously; some were forced to leave the country; still others were never able to work in theatre or film again. Kazan had been involved with leftist groups, though he ultimately rejected communism. Unlike thousands of other writers, actors, musicians, teachers, engineers, journalists and others who changed their minds about politics, however, he collaborated with HUAC.
Senator Joseph McCarthy made the phrase "Are you now, or have you ever been, a Communist?" famous and infamous during 1950's Senate hearings inspired by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Both HUAC and McCarthy were long on threat and bluster and short on civil liberties and due process. Witnesses were under strong pressure to testify and "name names" of people who might have little or no connection to the Communist Party, the stated enemy. Those who refused to testify risked jail sentences for contempt of Congress.
Some actors and writers refused to testify and resisted the hearings, blacklisting, and the witch-hunting spirit of HUAC and McCarthyism. Arthur Miller allegorically attacked them in 1953's The Crucible, which used the Salem witch trials to demonstrate the way in which broad and unproven accusations could—and did—expand into tragedy.
Among the artists to suffer for supposed affiliation with communists were actor Zero Mostel, who was blacklisted in the 1950s but was later able to make a comeback with such award winning plays and films as A Funny thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Producers. Director Joseph Losey, who worked with playwright Harold Pinter, fled the blacklist for England. Screenwriter Paul Jarrico used blacklisted actors in the political drama Salt of the Earth and also was forced to leave the country for twenty years. Actor Leo Penn, father of actors Sean and Chris, was blacklisted for supporting Hollywood trade unions. Unable to work as an actor, he became a director.
Conservatives and libertarians like Charlton Heston and the Ayn Rand Institute find Kazan's informing forgivable, or even commendable. Outside of the Academy of Motion Picture Art Sciences, the bulk of opinion seems to be on the other side. Individuals including Warren Beatty, Ring Lardner, Jr., Paul Jarrico, Lee Grant, Ron Howard, Morgan Freeman, Martin Sheen, and Rob Reiner, as well as groups from the Writers Guild of America to Bernard Gordon's Committee Against Silence weigh the harm Kazan did in his testimony against his directing and find him wanting.


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Republicans and Democrats quickly doled out blame to one another and China weighed in angrily after the first-ever downgrade in America's sterling credit rating — an expected but unsettling move that further clouds prospects for the recovery of the fragile U.S. economy.
The back and forth came after Standard & Poor's, one of the world's three major credit rating agencies, cited "difficulties in bridging the gulf between political parties" as a major reason for the downgrade from U.S.'s top shelf AAA status to AA-plus, the next level down. The rating agency has essentially lost faith in Washington's ability to work together to address its debt.
The downgrade, hours after markets closed on Friday, is a first for the United States since it was granted an AAA rating in 1917. S&P warned about a downgrade as far back as April. Its decision came just four days after fractious debate over raising the nation's debt ceiling ended in a compromise that would reduce the country's debt by more than $2 trillion. S&P said Friday the deal did not go far enough.
The S&P stayed agnostic on the question of whether larger deficit reductions should come from spending cuts or revenue increases, NPR's Tamara Keith said on Weekend Edition Saturday. The rating agency's statement, she said, talks about the need to address both entitlements as well as revenues. That didn't stop lawmakers from shoring up party lines.
Partisanship Warning Inspires More Partisanship
Both political parties used S&P's report to buffet their policy cases and attack the other side.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said he hoped the downgrade served as a wake-up call to the Democratic Party.
"It is my hope this wake-up call will convince Washington Democrats that they can no longer afford to tinker around the edges of our long-term debt problem," Boehner said in a statement. "As S&P noted, reforming and preserving our entitlement programs is the key to long-term fiscal sustainability."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), while not calling out Republicans by name, said S&P's action showed that Democrats preferred policy approach — a mix of raising taxes and budget cuts — was the correct way to move forward.
"The action by S&P reaffirms the need for a balanced approach to deficit reduction that combines spending cuts with revenue-raising measures like closing taxpayer-funded giveaways to billionaires, oil companies and corporate jet owners," Reid said.
At least one senator, Republican Mark Kirk of Illinois, called for the president to bring Congress back from its August recess to try and address the issues raised by S&P's report.
Potential opponents of the president in 2012 pounced on S&P's announcement.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), a Tea Party favorite, called on Obama to fire Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and quickly submit a plan to balance the budget, not just reduce deficits. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said the credit downgrade was the "latest casualty" in Obama's failed economic leadership.
The White House Fumes, Silently
President Obama met with Geithner in the Oval Office on Friday before leaving for a weekend at Camp David. On Saturday, the White House issued a statement saying it was time for elected leaders to work together to put the U.S. on stronger fiscal footing.
"The bipartisan compromise on deficit reduction was an important step in the right direction," the statement said. "Yet, the path to getting there took too long and was at times too divisive."
S&P's decision, though, clearly angered the Obama administration. Officials at the Treasury Department fought the downgrade until virtually the last minute. Administration sources familiar with discussions said the S&P analysis was fundamentally flawed. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
S&P had sent the administration a draft document in the early afternoon Friday and the administration, after examining the numbers, challenged the analysis.
In a statement, Treasury said, "A judgment flawed by a $2 trillion error speaks for itself."
China's Angry, But Options Are Limited
China, the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, voiced its displeasure Saturday through Xinhua, the government's official news service. In a commentary, it demanded America address its "addiction to debts" and said the U.S. could no longer borrow its way out of messes.
The tone was that of an investor ripping into a company's board of directors, NPR's Frank Langfit said on Weekend Edition Saturday. However, he added, a better indication of China's political reaction will come from top leaders like President Hu Jintao.
China holds an estimated $2 trillion in U.S. debt, and the common fear is that China may try to sell some of those securities. Langfitt said Chinese economists he's talked to say the country may continue to diversify away from U.S. treasuries, but that China's actually caught in a bit of a trap itself.
"If China were to try to dump treasuries, the price is going to drop," Langfitt said. "It's basic supply and demand. You put a lot out there — the price is going to go down if supply goes way up, and that's going to hurt the value of their remaining assets."
There's another reason China might hesitate to sell off its U.S. debt. "The more dollars they sell on the market, the dollar falls," Langfitt said. "Chinese currency would then become relatively more expensive and that would make Chinese exports more expensive on the world market. They're very concerned about their exports; it's very important in terms of their domestic employment."
Asian markets will be the first to open on Monday. "Everybody around the world's going to be watching to see how they react to this," Langfitt said. "There are fears that, again, it could get pretty messy."
As For The U.S. Economy ...
Whether the downgrade will have a more tangible impact on the economic outlook remains to be seen.
Though widely predicted, S&P's decision comes at a time when investors already appear spooked by U.S. economic indicators and debt troubles in Europe. The Dow Jones Industrial average fell 699 points this week, the most since the height of the financial crisis in October 2008.
Regulators and the Federal Reserve issued a statement designed to calm investors, saying that the downgrade shouldn't impact U.S.-guaranteed investments. The statement sought to ensure that banks understood the downgrade would not affect the amount of money that regulators require banks to hold onto against possible losses.
If this week is any indication, S&P's decision is unlikely to have an impact on how the United States finances its borrowing, through the sale of government-backed bonds, bills and notes.
The two other major credit ratings agencies, Moody's and Fitch, have not downgraded U.S. debt. Earlier this week they said that for now they were staying put at an AAA rating.
"Investors have voted and are saying the U.S. is going to pay them," said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics. "U.S. Treasuries are still the gold standard."
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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In Memory of Robin Rothrock
I wouldn't be the feminist I am today if it weren't for the internet.
I said this while on Digital Sisterhood Radio earlier this month and I've been meaning to expand on that statement for weeks. The death of Robin Rothrock brings me back to that thought.
I 'met' Robin on a listserv around 1995-1996. I was a know it all college student and she was amazing. This was my first evidence of the power of the internet. Somehow, I still don't know how, I was invited to join a new women's organization that was online. It sent out an e-newsletter and with your paid dues could join a listserv. After a trial period, I had no problem sending a $10 check to this group to maintain my membership for access to the listserv. That list connected me to feminist activists around the country, many of whom had reputations older than I was at the time. They weren't old, they were experienced and for the most part eager to share their knowledge with a pretty young feminist.
Reminder, this was happening during the Clinton administration and just after the GOP took over Congress. There was a lot to celebrate and worry about. I remember us discussing current events, pending bills and the history behind most of those two things. Why would someone as feminist as Hillary Clinton support welfare reform? What is behind the GOP push to pass a bill outlawing something called "Partial Birth Abortion" and what the hell is that procedure anyway?
I learned so much on that listserv. And I learned a lot from Robin.
When I joined the list, I was certainly pro-choice, but all I knew of reproductive health issues were things I had read about in the paper and going to the Planned Parenthood clinic each month for my pack of pills. Robin was the owner of a women's health clinic and shared her experiences with the group.
One such experience was the case of Michelle Lee, then 26, who had two children, a weak heart and an unplanned pregnancy. Due to the laws of Louisiana, Lee was unable to find a doctor to perform an abortion for her. "[LSU has] taken care of me for five years," she said during an interview inside her cluttered cinder-block shack. "They told me I couldn't get pregnant because it'd kill me, and now they're turning their back on me." And of course Lee found her way to Robin. And Robin worked day and night to find Lee a doctor who would do their job and save her life.
This case and Robin's insights helped propel me from a pro-choice feminist to the activist I am today.
Robin shared with us a lot of the fights she took on for the women of her area. They were the same fights that many activists took up in the USA. The same fights Robin and other providers have been fighting for years. She had just won a case in the fall against the state of Louisiana to keep her clinic open. The fighting won't stop with her death, especially as the same fights are being fought across the ocean.
Our listserv isn't as active as it was back in the late-1990s, but a lot of us still keep in touch. Thus when I heard that she died earlier this week my heart broke.
The reproductive justice and feminist communities lost a hero this week. A hard working hero who wanted something so very simple, for women to be able to make the best decision for themselves and their families.
All I can do is say thank you to Robin. For everything.
Her son posted on Robin's Facebook page a request for people to donate to the Center for Reproductive Rights in lieu of flowers. Robin and CRR worked closely over the years.


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Making Headlines: Paul "Front Page" LePage
A lesson in how not to govern.
Once upon a time we Mainers had a saying – it was a bit self-aggrandizing but hey, we are a proud, pick 'em up by the bootstraps people:
As Maine goes, so goes the nation.
But sadly, today, if that is true the country is in real, big trouble.
The man that has come to be known, not so fondly mind you, as "Front Page LePage," seems intent on being a national media darling. So far, he has been the gift that keeps on giving, garnering the attention of pundits and comics from every corner of the country.
This past week, the man who once falsely insisted Maine taxed everything, including bull semen, attempted to get in the last word with Maine novelist Stephen King. Maine's most famous author recently made headlines when he referred to three of the nation's new governors, Maine's Paul Lepage, Florida's Rick Scott, and Wisconsin's Scott Walker as Larry, Curly and Moe. Worse yet, he also called the Maine governor "stone brain."
These are more than pretty strong words – that are, well, downright insulting to the governor. But in fairness to Mr. King, barely three months into his first term as Maine's governor Mr. LePage appears intent on making the author's comments seem almost innocuous in comparison.
Less than three months removed from calling the NAACP a special interest group and telling their leadership "they could kiss his butt," LePage hit new lows when he asserted that the only bad thing about a chemical additive like BPA is that it might give women "little beards."
That came before the more recent events when he fired his biggest shot across the bow thus far. It is important to note that during King's extensive dissing of the three governors he also happened to offer some significant support for unions and their importance to American workers.
"Remember, when these people talk to you about it, if you like the weekend, thank a union guy," stated King.
"If you like a 40-hour week, thank a union guy. If you like a day's honest pay for a day's honest work, thank a union guy.
This past weekend the governor went through on his promise to have a mural depicting Maine's labor history from 1800 to the present removed from the Department of Labor building. The panels showing child labor, Rosie the Riveter at Bath Iron Works, and striking workers disappeared over the weekend.
In one-upping those who would support unions, he also managed to avoid dealing with potential protests that were rumored to feature people forming a human chain to block the mural's removal.
It seems he sort of had a plan for that as well, telling television reporters that if people did take such a step he would "laugh at them, the idiots. That's what I would do. Come on! Get over yourselves!"
God forbid if Maine's recent gubernatorial election is a bellwether for the next leader of the free world.
Not when the man seems like a character straight from one of Mr. King's novels.


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It wasn't the flashiest city. It wasn't the largest city. It wasn't the richest city.
But the people who called this city home knew it was special. They knew the truth. And they stuck around the place, this jewel of a city, and they went about their lives.
Then, slowly, the world took notice of this city. It took notice of its world-class cultural institutions and pioneering advances in medicine, health and science. It took notice of the finest beers and cocktails known to man that this city was enjoying. It took notice of the food coming out of this city's kitchens. Hark, the world said, this food is something special. And when the world listened for just a second, it could hear sweet sounds, music that made the world's heart dance with delight.
The city knew all of this, of course. And it was happy to share. Because this city didn't hold grudges. The city welcomed all with open arms and a smile and said, here, let us show you around. Let us guide you through the best of what we do, the best of what we have to offer. Because there is much you should do and see and know.
Eventually, there was such an abundance of glorious happenings in the city that even the people who called it home couldn't possibly know everything. So neighbors said unto each other, here, let me show you around. There is much to do and see and know.
And thus began a tradition in the city, whereby once a year it offered neighbors and strangers near and far a guide to the best of all that was happening. And so it happened again this year. Here's the Best of Cleveland 2016. Enjoy your city. And may you live happily ever after.


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2012 CMT Music Awards Hosts Toby Keith and Kristen Bell Get Funny Intro From President Obama, Mitt Romney, Bon Jovi + More
Toby Keith and actress Kristen Bell eventually took the stage to host the 2012 CMT Music Awards, but if you followed the opening moments of the show, you learned it wasn't easy for them to get along. The two spent time campaigning to host the show themselves in a pre-taped video segment that featured cameos from President Obama, Mitt Romney, Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson, Mario Lopez and more.
"This is one of the toughest decisions I've had to make since I've been in office," President Obama said, considering the alternatives. "I want them both."
"See I just put two people back to work," Romney deadpanned after suggesting the same thing.
In between celebs, Keith and Bell ran smear ads accusing the other of being untrustworthy, having illegal ivory teeth (Keith) and generally being unfit to host the show on their own. "We haven't seen a fight this bad since Toby Keith took on the Dixie Chicks," Hoda Kotb said on set with her daytime TV co-host Kathie Lee Gifford. Matthew McConaughey and Maria Menounos were two other stars to make an appearance.
The sketch followed Lady Antebellum's performance with Hot Chelle Rae. Early on, the 2012 CMT Music Awards have included a mix of country music's biggest names and stars from Hollywood and pop music. At the end of the skit, it was Nelson who finally convinced Bell and Keith to play nice.
"It's Willie's world, we kinda just live in it," Keith joked before the two came to the stage in a giant red Solo cup.
"CMT's got their own version of Lady Gaga's crazy egg, right there," he added. Thus far, the show is running all cylinders.
Watch the Intro to the 2012 CMT Music Awards


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A new unmanned surveillance drone that can stay aloft for four days at a time and has a wingspan bigger than a 757 successfully completed its first test flight over California's Mojave Desert, though it sustained minor damage on landing.
Boeing's Phantom Eye drone, which is powered by liquid hydrogen, flew for less than half an hour at 4,000 feet before touching down on a dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base near Bakersfield. The landing gear dug into the ground on landing, causing minor damage.
Most surveillance drones currently in use in the ongoing U.S. drone war against al Qaeda and the Taliban can stay in the air for a maximum of 40 hours without refueling. The Phantom Eye's unique liquid hydrogen propulsion system is meant to keep the spy plane aloft for up to four days at altitudes of 65,000 feet.
"This flight puts Boeing on a path to accomplish another aerospace first," said Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works. Davis said the Phantom Eye would provide greater amounts of "persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance" over broader swathes of land.
The Phantom Eye has two 150-horsepower engines, can carry 450 pounds of surveillance gear, and has a wingspan of 150 feet, 25 feet more than the Boeing 757. The Phantom Eye was unveiled in 2010.
"The team is now analyzing data from the mission and preparing for our next flight," said Phantom Eye program manager Drew Mallow in a statement. "When we fly the demonstrator again, we will enter higher and more demanding envelopes of high-altitude flight."


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all contents Copyright 1999-2003 EQ Atlas Web Site
NotesHistory of EQAtlasMuse, the creator of the original EQAtlas.com and author of all the maps, stopped creating maps for the site during the Planes of Power era (his last map being the Plane of Knowledge). Eclipsed by the in-game cartography system introduced in the Legacy of Ykesha expansion, the atlas slowly faded out of use as the years progressed. Muse continued to provide minimal updates to the site, including posting of several in-game maps upon user request. The last time he updated the site was in Feburary of 2005. Sometime in the autumn of 2009, some internal coding for the advertisements on the site seemed to break. Every page began to display unsightly code-related output and it appeared that the site was on its last legs. Unfortunately, this was true, as the site went down in full sometime in early November. While the info on the EQAtlas may be inferior to what is present on sites like Allakhazams (and the maps no longer used by the average EverQuest player), the site held special significance for all of the players on Al'Kabor, the Macinosh EverQuest server. With expansions only up to Planes of Power, the Al'Kabor server is unique in the fact that it does not have an in-game mapping system at all; many of the players heavily rely on the these now-ancient maps for day-to-day navigation. Thus, the final death of the site was a big loss to many. Myself and others on the server have been interested in providing a mirror for the atlas for some time now. Multiple attempts were made to contact Muse, but he seems to have stopped checking that particular e-mail address years ago. Luckily, Biertrinker of EQMac.com saved a copy of the site during the months prior to its death. After laboring to clean up all of the advertisement code out of all of the pages, he sent everything to me so that I could provide a mirror of the site here. In the absence of the original site, this mirror will remain online for free for any to use. If this site helps you in your Norrathian travels, please remember to give your thanks to Biertrinker! Years ago, Muse created a PDF version of the site and posted it for sale. That way, ambitious users could print out all of the maps and have them handy when they were already in-game. The store, hosted at esellerate.net, still appears to be working at the time of this writing (November 24th, 2009). Presumably, all of the profits from this store would still go to Muse, wherever he is. The link to the store is at the top right-hand corner of the page; if you enjoy the atlas, consider purchasing the PDFs as a means of helping out the original author. Changes from the OriginalI made a few minor changes from the original, as follows: |