What in the world?

[MC 1]

Monks brawl at Christian holy site in Jerusalem

 

Nov 9 01:06 PM US/Eastern

By MATTI FRIEDMAN

Associated Press Writer

 

 

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli police rushed into one of Christianity's holiest churches Sunday and arrested two clergyman after an argument between monks erupted into a brawl next to the site of Jesus' tomb.

The clash between Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks broke out in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, revered as the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

 

The brawling began during a procession of Armenian clergymen commemorating the 4th-century discovery of the cross believed to have been used to crucify Jesus.

 

The Greeks objected to the march without one of their monks present, fearing that otherwise, the procession would subvert their own claim to the Edicule—the ancient structure built on what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus—and give the Armenians a claim to the site.

 

The Armenians refused, and when they tried to march the Greek Orthodox monks blocked their way, sparking the brawl.

 

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police were forced to intervene after fighting was reported. They arrested two monks, one from each side, he said.

 

A bearded Armenian monk in a red-and-pink robe and a black-clad Greek Orthodox monk with a bloody gash on his forehead were both taken away in handcuffs after scuffling with dozens of riot police.

 

Six Christian sects divide control of the ancient church. They regularly fight over turf and influence, and Israeli police are occasionally forced to intervene.

 

"We were keeping resistance so that the procession could not pass through ... and establish a right that they don't have," said a young Greek Orthodox monk with a cut next to his left eye.

 

The monk, who gave his name as Serafim, said he sustained the wound when an Armenian punched him from behind and broke his glasses.

 

Father Pakrat of the Armenian Patriarchate said the Greek demand was "against the status quo arrangement and against the internal arrangement of the Holy Sepulcher." He said the Greeks attacked first.

 

Archbishop Aristarchos, the chief secretary of the Greek Orthodox patriarchate, denied his monks initiated the violence.

 

After the brawl, the church was crowded with Israeli riot police holding assault rifles, standing beside Golgotha, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified, and the long smooth stone marking the place where tradition holds his body was laid out.

 

The feud is only one of a bewildering array of rivalries among churchmen in the Holy Sepulcher.

 

The Israeli government has long wanted to build a fire exit in the church, which regularly fills with thousands of pilgrims and has only one main door, but the sects cannot agree where the exit will be built.

 

A ladder placed on a ledge over the entrance sometime in the 19th century has remained there ever since because of a dispute over who has the authority to take it down.

 

More recently, a spat between Ethiopian and Coptic Christians is delaying badly needed renovations to a rooftop monastery that engineers say could collapse.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[MC 1]

What a f*** up! I feel so sorry for the people in those buildings!

 

Source.

 

Apr 27, 2009 11:10 am US/Eastern

Military Jets Flying Over NYC Part Of Photo Shoot

FAA Confirms F-16s, 747 Seen Flying Near Statue Of Liberty Affiliated With Department of Defense Photo Op

 

CBS 2 Flooded With Phone Calls From Concerned Residents, Workers

NEW YORK (CBS) ―

 

Hooray For The Red, White And Zooom! 2009 Celebrity Deaths More Openly Gay Celebrities Celebrities Separated At Birth? Jessica Simpson: Then & Now Celebs Who Lean To The Right Funniest Caption Contest Hottest Female Athletes Best Picture Blunders Hottest Celebrity Moms Some military aircraft flying over lower Manhattan caused a brief scare for residents, workers, and pedestrians on Monday, but CBS 2 has learned the jets were part of a Department of Defense photo shoot and that there is no threat to the city.

 

According to many callers who flooded CBS 2 with their concerns, at about 10 a.m. the aircraft were seen flying at low altitudes over the Statue of Liberty and parts of lower Manhattan. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that two F-16s escorting a Boeing 747 that beared a similar appearance to Air Force One were part of the Department of Defense photo shoot.

 

Did You See The Jets? Tell Us What You Saw & Upload Your Pictures, Video Here

 

 

Many residents and workers who saw the aircraft evacuated their buildings as a result, but officials say there is no reason for a panic.

 

Ellen in Bayonne, N.J. described what she saw to WCBSTV.com: "I saw the jet flying very very low over the Hudson river, it looked like it was going to fly through our office window. Then it banked sharply toward New Jersey. But our building was evacuated because it did this 3 times. A photo shoot should have been communicated to the building in the area. We haven't forgotten 9/11, people were in a panic, lots of rumors, not a good situation."

Air Force officials say this was a photo mission for their crew. They were shooting from the Statue of Liberty to south of the Holland tunnel, as well as from the Newark Bay to north of the Staten Island Expressway.

 

Officials say the shoot was part of a normal training mission. They added that they do these mission quite often.

 

Here are some other descriptions sent in to WCBSTV.com by witnesses:

 

David Frank of Jersey City wrote: "I work in 30 Hudson, which is the largest building in NJ and is right on the water facing the Statue of Liberty. I ran out of the building after a stampede of people began running out of the building as they saw the jumbo jet being followed by two fighter planes veer sharply towards our building and climb right over it. By the time I got outside, it was coming around for its THIRD pass, and I watched it level off below building height over the water and then once again veer sharply towards the building. Several hundred of us began to run away fearing for our lives before it climbed steeply and flew over our building. Whoever thought that this 'photo op' was a good idea should be removed from command...why couldn't this simply be done with Photo Shop? Hollywood can create an entire armageddon on film but the US military can't photo shop a plane by the Statue of Liberty?"

 

Patrick Kennell of NYC wrote: "We saw a low-flying 747 buzz the Southwest edge of Manhattan, at Battery Park City, with a fighter jet appearing to chase it on its left wing. At about Rector Street or so, it took a hard left and looked to be headed straight for Jersey City. It flew over J.C., turned south, and continued to climb over Newark. It left our sight, only to return on the same path a second time about five minutes later. It was confusing and panicked the office. We dialed 9-1-1 and considered whether to evacuate. We were told by 9-1-1 that it was 'authorized' to be there. We later learned, from your website, that it was part of a DOD 'photo op.' NotifyNYC advises it was 'part of an approved federal activity.' To conduct a 'photo op,' unwarned in advance to Lower Manhattan residents and workers, in that manner was completely irresponsible."

 

Nancy in Lower Manhattan wrote: "Our building, One New York Plaza, was evacuated, as were most of the high rises in this area. How could the US MILITARY think that NYers wouldn't be alarmed by low-flying jets? Why was the city not notified beforehand?"

 

Stay with wcbstv.com and CBS 2 HD for more on this developing story.

[Hihomumio 168]

I feel bad for those people who were scared when they saw this.

[MC 1]

A radio talk show had a caller who used to be a mechanic on Air Force One. He said that Air Force One and One-b are always together (to have a spare) and that there's no way that second plane would have gone off by itself unless the White House authorized it. It's there to evacuate the President if there's an emergency. So somebody is lying here. At least I hope so. Because of even bigger concern to me would be if the President really didn't know that his spare plane was being taken for a ride. Of course the cynic in me wonders if Rahm wanted to create another little crisis so he can make sure it doesn't go to waste.

 

Source.

 

FAA Memo: Feds Knew NYC Flyover Would Cause Panic

Threatened Federal Sanctions Against NYPD, Secret Service, FBI & Mayor's Office If Secret Ever Got Out

 

 

Marcia Kramer NEW YORK (CBS) ―

 

A furious President Barack Obama ordered an internal review of Monday's low-flying photo op over the Statue of Liberty.

 

CBS 2 HD has discovered the feds will have plenty to question.

 

Federal officials knew that sending two fighter jets and Air Force One to buzz ground zero and Lady Liberty might set off nightmarish fears of a 9/11 replay, but they still ordered the photo-op kept secret from the public.

 

In a memo obtained by CBS 2 HD the Federal Aviation Administration's James Johnston said the agency was aware of "the possibility of public concern regarding DOD (Department of Defense) aircraft flying at low altitudes" in an around New York City. But they demanded total secrecy from the NYPD, the Secret Service, the FBI and even the mayor's office and threatened federal sanctions if the secret got out.

 

What are your feelings on federal officials demanding the NYC flyover be kept secret by the NYPD and the mayor's office?

 

"To say that it should not be made public knowing that it might scare people it's just confounding," Sen. Charles Schumer said. "It's what gives Washington and government a bad name. It's sheer stupidity."

 

The flyover -- apparently ordered by the White House Office of Military Affairs so it would have souvenir photos of Air Force One with the Statue of Liberty in the background -- had President Obama seeing red. He ordered a probe and apologized.

 

"It was a mistake. It will never happen again," President Obama said.

 

The NYPD was so upset about the demand for secrecy that Police Commissioner Ray Kelly vowed never to follow such a directive again and he accused the feds of inciting fears of a 9/11 replay.

 

"Did it show an insensitivity to the psychic wounds New York City has after 9/11? Absolutely. No questions about it. It was quite insensitive," Kelly said.

 

The cost of the frivolous flight was about $60,000 an hour and that was just for Air Force One. That doesn't include the cost of the two F-16s that came along. Our tax dollars at work folks! They berate the auto execs for using their own planes to travel to D.C. but we get to pay for this photo op that scared the sh!t out of NYC. Remarkable.

 

The mayoral aide who neglected to tell Mayor Michael Bloomberg about it was reprimanded.

[MC 1]

Source.

 

Liberty Co., FAA to discuss report of object near plane

By MIKE GLENN Copyright 2009 HOUSTON CHRONICLE

June 1, 2009, 11:38PM

 

Liberty County Sheriff’s officials are expected to meet with the FAA on Tuesday to discuss what a Continental Express pilot reported as a “missile or rocket” flying near his airplane.

A pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration that at about 8:15 p.m. Friday, an object passed within 150 feet beneath the aircraft, sheriff’s officials said.

The aircraft was near the southern edge of the county, flying at about 13,000 feet, officials said.

 

“The pilot, from what we understand, was former military. He was able to get the coordinates down real quick,” said Cpl. Hugh Bishop with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff’s deputies searched Friday night for signs of evidence where a missile might have been launched or landed.

“We couldn’t find anything,” Bishop said.

[MC 1]

Source.

 

 

Gov't posts sensitive list of US nuclear sites

 

 

Jun 3, 7:59 AM (ET)

 

By EILEEN SULLIVAN

 

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government accidentally posted on the Internet a list of all civilian nuclear sites and their activities in the United States.

The 266-page document was published on May 6 as a transmission from President Barack Obama to the U.S. Congress. According to the document, the list was required by law and will be provided to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Some of the pages are marked "highly confidential safeguards sensitive."

While there is security at the facilities, the list could presumably be useful for terrorists or anyone else who would like to harm the United States.

The publication of the list was first reported in an online secrecy newsletter Monday.

The document details the location of the nuclear sites and what is being done there.

For instance, there are nuclear reactors at the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh, Pa. This facility is currently working on research into what happens when there are accidents with the nuclear reactors. The project started in 2006 and is expected to end in 2012, according to the document.

The document was posted on the Government Printing Office Web site, and has since been removed.

[TubaGirl 7]

Check out Cryptome.

[schumibabe 0]

Check out Cryptome.

Ooooh, is it some sort of secret site? I just got an "Access Forbidden" notice.

[TubaGirl 7]

Check out Cryptome.

Ooooh, is it some sort of secret site? I just got an "Access Forbidden" notice.

 

Try it again. It just worked for me.

 

The guy that runs the site puts up stuff he gets thru FOID requests that the government probably wishes wasn't made public.

[schumibabe 0]

Got in this time!

 

It all looks a bit James Bond-ish. I was slightly worried about clicking on the links in case somebody is monitoring them! Although "CIA screws female NOC" turned out to be nowhere near as interesting as the title would have you believe. :4biggrin:

[MC 1]

We're bombing the moon? We have people living on the streets, people who are starving and uneducated and we spend money on bombing the moon? WTF?

 

LCROSS impact site picked

 

 

NASA has chosen the final destination for the LCROSS lunar impacting probe: the crater Cabeus A, near the Moon’s south pole.

So why is NASA smacking a probe into the Moon at high speed, and why there?

The idea is that over millions and billions of years, a lot of comets have hit the Moon. The water from these comets hits the surface and sublimates away… but if any settles at the bottoms of deep craters near the Moon’s poles, these permanently shadowed regions can act as a refrigerator, keeping the water from disappearing. It can stay there, locked up as ice, for a long, long time. Some estimates indicate there could be billions of tons of ice near the Moon’s south pole.

Detecting that water is tough. Radar results have been inconclusive, with some people saying there’s lots of water, and others saying there’s none at all. By impacting a probe there, any ice located at the impact site will be shot up above the lunar surface, where sunlight will break it up into O+ and OH- molecules, which can be detected. Thus, LCROSS. I have a more detailed description of all this in an earlier blog post about LCROSS.

The choice of Cabeus A for the impact site is a good one. It’s near the south pole, it’s a likely spot for there to be ice under the surface, it’s on the near side of the Moon, so people back here on Earth can observe it, but close enough to the limb that any ejected water can be seen. Here’s a map of the area:

 

 

LCROSS is planned to impact the crater at 11:30 GMT on October 9, which is early morning for the U.S. (in fact, there will be two impacts; one from the spacecraft and another by the Centaur booster) The plume from the impact should stretch up many kilometers. It will almost certainly be too thin to be seen by amateur instruments, but the impact itself should make a bright enough flash to be seen if you have a telescope. The crater itself will be in shadow, making the light flash easier to spot. It’ll only last a second or two, so if you want to observe it, be prepared! NASA has a nice webpage with all the info you need to watch this historic event for yourself. I hope everyone gets a chance to see this!

[alpierce 9]

Apparently the governator signed a new paparazzi law into effect that prohibits photos being taken when:

 

The new California law makes it a crime to take and sell unauthorized photos of celebrities in "personal or familial activity." Violators face fines up to $50,000. The anti-paparazzi amendment takes effect in January.

Now lets see if it is actually enforced.

[kappy22 1]

Apparently the governator signed a new paparazzi law into effect that prohibits photos being taken when:

 

The new California law makes it a crime to take and sell unauthorized photos of celebrities in "personal or familial activity." Violators face fines up to $50,000. The anti-paparazzi amendment takes effect in January.

Now lets see if it is actually enforced.

 

I'm all for this. As much as I love looking at photos of celebs, I'm more then willing to go without the personal and home pics. Not to mention we may never have to see the likes of Hilton again who used the paparazzi as her path to fame.

[virginia4 0]

But some of them want to be photographed with their families.

[MC 1]

Source.

 

Mystery object to whizz by Earth Wednesday

 

(CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE TO SEE THE IMAGE)

 

News – A mystery object from space, as seen from the Skylive-Grove Creek Observatory in Australia, is about …

Tue Jan 12, 1:52 pm ET

 

WASHINGTON – A mystery object from space is about to whizz close by Earth on Wednesday. It won't hit our planet, but scientists are stumped by what exactly it is.

Astronomers say it may be space junk or it could be a tiny asteroid, too small to cause damage even if it hit. It's 33 to 50 feet wide at most.

NASA says that on Wednesday at 7:47 a.m. EST, it will streak by, missing Earth by about 80,000 miles. In the western United States it may be bright enough to be seen with a good amateur telescope.

[MC 1]

Cool solution for cleaning up the oil spill.