Archive for March, 2009
Double Atomic Bomb Survivor Found in Japan
Telegraph: A 93-year-old Japanese man has become the first person to be officially recognised as a survivor of both atomic bombs dropped on Japan by the United States at the end of the Second World War.
Tsutomu Yamaguchi had already been a certified hibakusha, or radiation survivor, of the Aug 9, 1945, atomic bombing in Nagasaki. But officials have now confirmed that he also survived the attack on Hiroshima three days earlier.
Mr Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on Aug 6, 1945, when a US B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on the city. He then returned to his home in Nagasaki just in time for the second attack, officials said.
“As far as we know, he is the first one to be officially recognised as a survivor of atomic bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” said Toshiro Miyamoto, a Nagasaki city official. “It’s such an unfortunate case, but it is…
Could Aliens Be Sending Us Laser Signals?
Discovery’s Cosmic Ray:
Over a decade ago SETI pioneer Jill Tarter and I had a dinner discussion about the protocol procedures for announcing to the world the first detection of a signal broadcast from an extraterrestrial civilization.
I expressed relief that I would never have to worry about publicizing such a discovery from Hubble Space Telescope. “Hold on Ray,” Jill said, “you never know, Hubble might conceivably pick up a signal that other telescopes can’t detect.”
Oh, my worst nightmare! Imagine keeping that information under a news release embargo!
Now, some readers will scratch their heads at this because SETI has been popularized in the 1997 movie Contact where actress Jodie Foster “listens” for radio signals from E.T. with the huge radio telescope array near Socorro, New Mexico.
But another communication strategy that aliens might use instead of radio signals is to send brief and intense bursts of laser light across the galaxy – sort…
Israel Army ‘Used Human Shields’
BBC News: United Nations investigators have accused the Israeli army of using an 11-year-old boy as a human shield during its recent Gaza offensive.
Their report says troops ordered the boy to walk in front of them for several hours under fire, entering buildings and opening suspect packages. The UN team responsible for protection of children in war zones says it found “hundreds” of similar violations.
Israel has denied the charges, saying morals are “paramount” in its army. Israel’s ambassador to the UN criticised the report as “unable or perhaps unwilling” to address attacks against its civilians by Palestinian militants.
The lead investigator, Sri Lankan lawyer Radhika Coomaraswamy, said the incident with the boy in the Gaza neighbourhood of Tel al-Hawa on 15 January was a violation of Israeli and international law.
Her report also accuses Israeli soldiers of shooting Palestinian children, bulldozing a home with a woman and child still inside, and shelling…
Marijuana Reform Activist Destroys Former DEA Head
Rob Kampia Discusses Marijuana Tax and Regulation on CNBC’s “Power Lunch”:
Ron Paul Questions Fed Chairman Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Geithner on Capitalism
Go Ron Paul!! Check out the Campaign For Liberty. Anyone notice how his time was NOT extended…?
The Roots Back A Reformed Public Enemy on Fallon’s ‘Last Night’ Attempt
This guy is off to a rocky start, but in his favor, he does have a great house band:
Bride of Sharkey – Disinformation World News
Disinformation World News – Episode 5: Bride of Sharkey
iTunes • Direct Download • RSS
The lost skull of Geronimo, giant prehistoric sand worms, and the return and fall of Jonathan “The Impaler” Sharkey, this week on Disinformation World News.
Disinformation Podcast T-shirts available here!
Radioactive Science Kits of Days Past
This is truly an insane piece of vintage Americana. Thanks to Mark Frauenfelder of BoingBoing for posting:
Here’s a nice homage to the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab, from the early 1950s.
“This was the most elaborate Atomic Energy educational set ever produced, but it was only only available from 1951 to 1952. Its relatively high price for the time ($50.00) and its sophistication were the explanation Gilbert gave for the set’s short lifespan. Today, it is so highly prized by collectors that a complete set can go for more than 100 times the original price.
“The set came with four types of uranium ore, a beta-alpha source (Pb-210), a pure beta source (Ru-106), a gamma source (Zn-65?), a spinthariscope, a cloud chamber with its own short-lived alpha source (Po-210), an electroscope, a geiger counter, a manual, a comic book (Dagwood Splits the Atom) and a government manual Prospecting for Uranium.”
WOW! Original link here.…
Barney Frank to Code Pink: Resistance is Futile
Barney Frank recently scolded the protest group Code Pink over an interruptions the group made on the House floor. Frank remarked “I do not know how you think you advance any cause to which you might be attached by this kind of silliness.” While I agree with Alex Koppleman that over the years, Code Pink’s efforts have become predictable – I don’t think this Frank’s advice is “solid political wisdom.” Code Pink’s behavior is not “foolish” or “child-like,” in fact, they should step up their efforts.
The New Leader of Theistic Satanism Fires Back at Vatican
Recently a “Devil Squad” was formed to attack Satanists. Read about it here.
Dwarf Saved by Pet Chihuahua
A Welsh dwarf who she lost her way in the deep forest of Snowdonia near Dolwyddelan, North Wales, earlier this week is alive because of her pet Chihuahua, medics say.
Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Children For The Apocalypse?
Via Onion News:
Pray Like A Man
Christianity has decided it needs to toughen up and start attracting the guys. Think Promise Keepers disappeared in the 1990s? Think again: they’re still filling conferences across the United States, but now they’re joined by a host of other men’s ministries who want to put masculinity back on the spiritual agenda.
Big Brother’s New Ad Campaign
From the London metropolitan police site:
“Don’t rely on others. If you supect it report it.
Londoners are being asked to trust their instincts and report suspicious behaviour to help combat terrorist activity.
Just one piece of information could be vital in helping disrupt terrorist planning and, in turn, save lives.
This national publicity campaign across England and Wales raises awareness of the Anti-Terrorist Hotline and gives the public examples of suspicious activity and behaviour. The public are encouraged to trust their instincts and report anything confidentially to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline, where specialist officers will take their call.”
Man Strangles Woman Over Hickey
A Wisconsin man was charged with felony strangulation and suffocation after he admitted to choking a woman over a hickey.
Leading Adviser to British Prime Minister Calls For Drastic Cut In Population
Disinfo ed’s note: for those of you who thought Alex Jones’ Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement prediction that New World Order types were working on reducing global population by 80% was a little far out, maybe this will change your mind…
Jonathan Porritt, one of [UK Prime Minister] Gordon Brown’s leading green advisers, is to warn that Britain must drastically reduce its population if it is to build a sustainable society.
Porritt’s call will come at this week’s annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), of which he is patron.
The trust will release research suggesting UK population must be cut to 30m if the country wants to feed itself sustainably.
Porritt said: “Population growth, plus economic growth, is putting the world under terrible pressure.
Now The Chinese Pile On The New World Order Call For Global Currency
China’s central bank on Monday proposed replacing the US dollar as the international reserve currency with a new global system controlled by the International Monetary Fund.
In an essay posted on the People’s Bank of China’s website, Zhou Xiaochuan, the central bank’s governor, said the goal would be to create a reserve currency “that is disconnected from individual nations and is able to remain stable in the long run, thus removing the inherent deficiencies caused by using credit-based national currencies”.
Analysts said the proposal was an indication of Beijing’s fears that actions being taken to save the domestic US economy would have a negative impact on China.
I Was Followed, Harassed, And Ambushed By Fox News
Amanda Terkel: On March 1, ThinkProgress picked up on a story by News Hounds, which noted that Fox News host Bill O’Reilly — who has made controversial comments about rape victims in the past — was slated to speak at a March 19 fundraiser for the Alexa Foundation. The group is committed to supporting rape survivors.
Our post — which never criticized the Alexa Foundation — highlighted the fact that in the past, O’Reilly has implied that women who dress in a certain way or consume too much alcohol should perhaps expect to be raped.
Here is what he said on his radio show on Aug. 2, 2006, about Jennifer Moore, an 18-year-old woman who was raped and murdered.
This weekend, while on vacation, I was ambushed by O’Reilly’s top hit man, producer Jesse Watters, who accosted me on the street and told me that because I highlighted O’Reilly’s comments, I was causing…
What Gets Banned From American TV Via ‘Family Guy’
Jennifer Armstrong, EW’s PopWatch: It’s always fun to try to parse out what will and won’t get past network censors, and no show facilitates that parlor game better than Family Guy. The online banned-from-TV clip of the day features Stewie singing — FAIR WARNING: this is an insanely catchy tune that will stick in your head for hours after viewing — about the list of people he wouldn’t mind ridding the world of.
Then we see the likes of “the girl you date who doesn’t get the jokes in Caddyshack” and “the Asian guy who cuts in front of every single line” suffering violent, bloody deaths (getting smashed by a TV, run over by a roller coaster). What has been allowed to air on Family Guy? Just recently, (implied) horse-sperm eating and (accidental) bestiality. With that benchmark in mind, enjoy:
