Terrorist Plots, Hatched by the F.B.I.
April 30th, 2012Via: New York Times:
THE United States has been narrowly saved from lethal terrorist plots in recent years — or so it has seemed. A would-be suicide bomber was intercepted on his way to the Capitol; a scheme to bomb synagogues and shoot Stinger missiles at military aircraft was developed by men in Newburgh, N.Y.; and a fanciful idea to fly explosive-laden model planes into the Pentagon and the Capitol was hatched in Massachusetts.
But all these dramas were facilitated by the F.B.I., whose undercover agents and informers posed as terrorists offering a dummy missile, fake C-4 explosives, a disarmed suicide vest and rudimentary training. Suspects naïvely played their parts until they were arrested.
Disneyland: Club 33
April 30th, 2012My mom used to take my sister and me to Disneyland quite often when we were children. As a freak child, I was mostly interested in identifying the wizard-behind-the-curtain aspects of the place. I used to want to follow the Disney security men around to see where they went and what they did. To this suggestion, my mom would respond with something like, “How about a ride on The Pirates of the Caribbean?”
And I’d think, “Oh goody. The weird ’33’ door is near there.”
I remember the Club 33 door and intercom well. I even ding-dong-ditched it a few times to see if anyone would open the door. They never did. haha.
Now, more than three decades later, I looked into Club 33 a bit, and it’s a pretty open secret. Members of the public are allowed inside if attending with a member of the club. There are a couple of mundane explanations for the significance of the 33 on Wikipedia.
Students of other arts, crafts and sciences may find different meanings of 33 interesting.
Via: Disneyland Club 33:
Located within Disneyland, discreetly above the Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square is perhaps one of Orange County’s finest five star restaurants. With a limited membership of only 487, Club 33 is not open to the public. Members may however arrange for their friends and associates to experience the club.
If you are a Disney fan, we truly cannot express what a tremendous experience Club 33 has to offer.
Presidents of the United States, leaders of foreign nations, dignitaries, actors, and business leaders from around the world have all enjoyed the club. It is not unusual to be enjoying your meal, only to have a famous actor or well known celebrity sitting at the table next to you. There are many such stories, just ask any member or Club 33 staff.
We hope you enjoy this web site, finding it informative and entertaining.
Libya’s Former Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem Found Dead in Danube River
April 30th, 2012Via: BBC:
The body of Libya’s former Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem has been found in the Danube River, Austrian police say.
A spokesman said there were no signs of violence to Mr Ghanem’s body, which was in the river that flows through Vienna.
The former prime minister, 69, worked as a consultant for a Vienna-based company. He apparently left his home early on Sunday, police said.
Mr Ghanem defected from Libya as the country was engulfed in the uprising against Col Muammar Gaddafi last year.
At the time, he criticised the bloodshed in Libya, saying that the situation had become “unbearable”, making his position untenable.
He served as Libyan prime minister from 2003 to 2006 and then as oil minister until 2011.
Research Credit: afterhours
Australian Billionaire to Build Titanic II in China
April 30th, 2012Via: AFP:
One of Australia’s richest men, Clive Palmer, has unveiled plans for a 21st century version of the Titanic to be built in China, with its first voyage from England to New York set for 2016.
Palmer, a self-made mining billionaire, said he has commissioned state-owned Chinese company CSC Jinling Shipyard to construct Titanic II with exactly the same dimensions as its predecessor.
“It will be every bit as luxurious as the original Titanic but of course it will have state-of-the-art 21st century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems,” Palmer said in a statement, released on Monday.
“Titanic II will sail in the northern hemisphere and her maiden voyage from England to North America is scheduled for late 2016.
“We have invited the Chinese navy to escort Titanic II on its maiden voyage to New York.”
French Publication Claims Gaddafi Offered Sarkozy $66 Million to Finance His 2007 Campaign
April 29th, 2012Let’s start with the basics. The Frogs did it. It’s always worth repeating; this is a French war.
Via: Global Post:
In late 2006, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi offered nearly $66 million, or 50 million euros, to support the 2007 campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s current president who is now facing almost certain defeat in a May 6 runoff vote, according to the investigative journalist website Mediapart.
The revelation, purportedly in an official Libyan document, comes a month after Sarkozy publicly rejected claims that his 2007 campaign had accepted funding from Gaddafi — with whom he had publicly carried on amicable relations even before emphatically winning the presidency five years ago.
An image of the Arab-language memo cited by Mediapart can be viewed here.
According to the evening newspaper Le Monde, a Sarkozy spokeswoman today denounced the report as a diversionary tactic created by the campaign of Socialist rival François Hollande, the projected winner on May 6.
The Dec 10, 2006 document is signed by Moussa Koussa, Gaddafi’s foreign intelligence chief, and, according to a French translation, reads in part:
“Reference is made by the liaison office of the people’s general committee to the approval for supporting the electoral campaign of the candidate in the presidential elections, Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, at an amount valued at 50 million euros…”
Mr. Koussa transmits the confirmed “agreement in principle on the above-referenced subject.” But the note does not indicate whether the funds were ever transferred.
Possible Arsenic Poisoning Probed in Death of Coroner’s Official
April 29th, 2012Various conspiracy backwaters have lost their minds over a rumor that this has something to do with Andrew Breitbart’s death.
I’m just posting this so I don’t receive several dozen submissions for Sucha Fool, ATS, GLP, etc.
Via: Los Angeles Times:
Authorities said a Los Angeles County coroner’s official, Michael Cormier, appears to have died from poisoning.
“At this point we haven’t ruled out foul play,” said Lt. Alan Hamilton of the Los Angeles Police Department. “It is one of the things being considered. We are waiting for the coroner’s results.”
Law enforcement sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, said that finding the presence of poison does not necessarily mean the death was a homicide because the substance could have accidentally entered his system. According to sources, arsenic was one poison being examined as potential cause but stressed no final determination has been made.
Cormier, 61, died last week after being taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank from his North Hollywood home. Earlier he had complained of pain and vomiting.
Hospital staff notified police about concerns surrounding the cause of Cormier’s death.
Ed Winter, deputy chief coroner, said that an autopsy had been performed but that a determination of the cause of death has been deferred pending further tests.
Investigators have also interviewed his family and friends. Messages left at the home Friday went unanswered.
Authorities examined Cormier’s Auckland Avenue home for clues in the death. Sources said several hazardous materials experts and officers searched the small home.
Cormier, who also worked as a coroner’s photographer, had registered a small business under the name MAC Autopsy Services at the home.
Justice Department Clears Google in Wi-Fi Sniffing Scandal
April 29th, 2012Compared to what Uncle $cam and “Law Enforcement” are doing every second of every day, this Google debacle was almost hilariously trivial.
Via: Wired:
The Justice Department has cleared Google of wiretapping violations in connection to the company secretly intercepting Americans’ data on unencrypted Wi-Fi routers for two years ending in 2010, Google said.
“The DOJ had access to Google employees, reviewed the key documents, and concluded that it would not pursue a case for violation of the Wiretap Act,” Google wrote in a Thursday filing (.pdf) with the Federal Communications Commission.
The Justice Department declined comment.
If true, the development means that at least three government agencies — the FCC, Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department — found Google committed no wrongdoing in the so-called Street View debacle.
Those outcomes, however, contradict a federal judge who last year ruled the search-and-advertising giant could be held liable for violating federal wiretapping law. The decision by U.S. District Judge James Ware of California green-lighted about a dozen lawsuits seeking damages — a decision that has been stayed pending Google’s appeal.
Spanish Foreign Minister: ‘Spain Is in a Crisis of Huge Proportions’
April 28th, 2012Via: Reuters:
Spain’s sickly economy faces a “crisis of huge proportions”, a minister said on Friday, as unemployment hit its highest level in almost two decades and Standard and Poor’s downgraded the government’s debt by two notches.
Unemployment shot up to 24 percent in the first quarter, one of the worst jobless figures in the developed world. Retail sales slumped for the twenty-first consecutive month as a recession cuts into consumer spending.
“The figures are terrible for everyone and terrible for the government … Spain is in a crisis of huge proportions,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said in a radio interview.
Standard and Poor’s cited risks of an increase in bad loans at Spanish banks and called on Europe to take action to encourage growth.
The downgrade spooked financial markets, raising the interest rate fellow euro zone struggler Italy was forced to pay to sell 10-year bonds at auction. The yield was its highest since January as investors worried about the economic outlook in the bloc’s indebted states.
U.S. Firms Add Jobs, but Mostly Overseas
April 27th, 2012Via: Wall Street Journal:
Thirty-five big U.S.-based multinational companies added jobs much faster than other U.S. employers in the past two years, but nearly three-fourths of those jobs were overseas, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.
Those companies, which include Wal-Mart Stores Inc., International Paper Co., Honeywell International Inc. and United Parcel Service Inc., boosted their employment at home by 3.1%, or 113,000 jobs, between 2009 and 2011, the same rate of increase as the nation’s other employers. But they also added more than 333,000 jobs in their far-flung—and faster-growing— foreign operations.
Spanish Unemployment Hits Record 24.4%
April 27th, 2012Via: BBC:
Spanish unemployment has hit a new record high, official figures have shown.
The number of unemployed people reached 5,639,500 at the end of March, with the unemployment rate hitting 24.4%, the national statistics agency said.
The figures came hours after rating agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded Spanish sovereign debt.
Official figures due out on Monday are expected to confirm that Spain has fallen back into recession.
