Year: 2013

JP Morgan Chase to limit cash withdrawals, prohibit all outgoing international bank wires, bank officials say

You may have heard about this for months in the circles of online conspiracy.. but here we are: FEMA REGION 3 is ready to go on their ‘world’s largest earthquake drill’ .. It all happens today at 10:17 am.. A magnitude 8 is set to happen today.. Follow it live on TWITTER..
This is just a drill…

THURSDAY OCTOBER 17 2013..

The United States did not default. Once again, politicians took the nation to the brink of destruction and, at the last moment, turned back and agreed on a deal–one that will only be temporary of course.. So the brink of disaster will happen again. And again. And again. But if we make it through November and December we’ll be fine..
If only elections were this year….

But the passage of the budget was not without incident–and a strange one, as well.. The HORROR REPORT reported last night about the strange Freeman rant that a House stenographer had on the floor of Congress last night. . . she shouted “You are all sons of the devil” as she was taken from the floor by security.. Her name is Diane Reidy, and she approached the mic in Congress like a zombie in a trance-like state.. She began to shout, saying “The greatest deception here is this is not one nation under God, it never was!” There is video of the affair.. While some are laughing at Reidy’s predicament, this was somewhat alarming to me. There is always something strange to me about people in zombie-like appearances shouting about God, Freemasons, or anything else. It also reminded me of something I heard on Clyde Lewis just the other evening, when he spoke about the woman on an airplane shouting “God you’re my savior” in a repetitive fashion.. Are people over the edge? Has the borderline of sanity been reached and ..well, passed by? I don’t know.. I, for one, will not laugh at Reidy and her outburst..The Washington POST reported that House staffers are visibly shaken by the incident. She has been sent to the hospital for a mental ‘evaluation’.. .. Let’s hope someone finds out just why she snapped and what took place to put her over the edge.
Imagine.. someone saying Congress is absent God. How dare she. ..
On to the news, even scarier than the Congressman who inhabit D.C. .. well, maybe..

Pro-Obama blogger with the DAILY KOS lambastes Obamacare and has profanity-laced rant about how he will cancel his insurance..
Then again, if Congress doesn’t read bills they pass, how on earth would Americans even know what’s in it? We will all find out soon enough.

Sinkhole swallows man’s back yard in Maryland..
Multiple sinkholes in Palmyra, PA.. *(Palmyra is very close to Harrisburg, PA, the state’s capitol.. that city has experience numerous sinkholes over the past year)

A new global survey reveals slavery worldwide: Nearly 30 million Earthlings around the planet are slaves.. India has the highest number of slaves with 14 million..

Convicted murderers released from Florida prison because of mistake..

Big moose die-off in Montana..

Divers working at a Russian lake have recovered a half-tonne chunk of the space rock that exploded over Chelyabinsk earlier this year…And right after they pulled it from the water, they promptly broke it up..

Fort Hood soldiers getting training on how to ‘manage themselves in peaceful situations involving civilians’

A school survey was asking students what their parents’ political affiliations were and if rifles should be banned. Parents fumed. The Blaze reported. The survey got deleted. Life in 1984 sure is a BRAVE NEW WORLD..

Domination: Monsanto hires former Senator to lobby..

Expect to hear much ado about nothing with this story.. while I don’t believe Oreo cookies have the same addictive nature as cocaine, that is what researchers claimed.. Of course an Oreo does typically proceed to pleasure and, most likely the craving to have more, I can quit them whenever I want to.. I predict this story will vanish from our collective memory quite quickly. A few more Oreos will help ..

All due credit must go to Clyde Lewis who brought this topic to national attention.. A flesh rotting drug is now in the United States.. It’s called Krokodil.. and it kills after it takes your skin from your body. It all started in Russia. And just when you ask yourself, “why would anyone mix gasoline and other ingredients to make a drug that eats your flesh, consider this: 2.5 million Russians did. And now it’s here, in the United States. Are you ready for the horrors you are going to see?

A new picture of Saturn’s rings are completely amazing..

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER has an exclusive about the movie NOAH.. according to the report, Darren Aronofsky and Paramount are at odds over the final cut.. .. Even more: The HR reports religious people who have seen the movie during test screenings were not impressed.. Miley Cyrus continues to dominate pop culture, headlines, and the Billboard 200..

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: Leo to the rescue!?
…Jamie Dornan?
..or Francois Arnaud?

“HELL NO”.. the most realistic horror movie ever? *It’s a comedy.

Could it be? CPO in STAR WARS EPISODE VII?

A list has been released of the highest paid TV actors. Ashton Kutcher tops the list.. he’s the biggest boob tube star of our age, I suppose.. According to FOBRES, he makes $24 mil a year.. Jon Cryer second at $21 mil.. Ray Ramano (what year is it!?) with $16 mil, Neil Patrick Harris (who should be 1st) $15 mil.. Mark Harmon $15 mil, Patrick Dempsey $13 MIL, Tim Allen (WHAT YEAR IS IT!?) $11 mil, Angus Jones $11 mil, Michael Hall $10 mil, and rounding out the list: Charlie Sheen at $10 mil.

Author argues that it’s time to ban Halloween in schools.. Charles Haynes writes in the WASHINGTON POST: “Even better, dialing back Halloween during the school day would send a message of respect for the beliefs and values of many religious parents. Yes, Halloween as currently celebrated in elementary school classrooms is constitutional. But just because it’s legal doesn’t make it right.”

TRANSFORMERS 4 director attacked on set in Hong Kong! 

MADE IN CHINA: Halloween decorations could be health hazard due to chemicals in products..

Ke$ha describes ghost meter beeping in her vagina.. I don’t know what to say.

This is not one nation under God’: House stenographer taken from the floor after bizarre outburst..
More here..

And audio here..

A very weird event..

A New Dad Asks, If Male Violence Is the Biggest Threat to Women—How Do I Raise a Kind Son? by Christopher Zumski Finke

Will we default at midnight?

It’s all up to Congress now..

I feel I have done a great disservice to readers.. I had a wonderful experience this weekend at a ‘haunted’ attraction and failed to do any in depth posting about it.. My apologies..

I am relatively close to the beautiful town  of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. If you are too, or willing to take a drive to get there, it’s worth the travels over the next few weeks until the end of the Halloween season.

The town itself is filled with culture, classy restaurants, cool stores, and one of the most interesting court houses you’ll ever be in: The Old Jail.

If you have a lack of knowledge of the coal region of Pennsylvania, know only this: Coal barons were in charge at one time. There were company stores.. there was slave labor.. child labor .. any kind of labor. Deaths in coal minds occurred regularly. Even  the town of Ashland, PA, in Schuylkill County, had a hospital established that, at that time, served only the miners who succumbed to often life threatening injuries in their daily work. I have miners who were in my family.. A great grandfather that I sadly never met had a career in mining before his untimely death prior to my birth in 1980..

And also know this: Molly MaGuires became the first true labor union that organized and often fought their way to social justice. It’s worth your research or simple Google searches if you wanted to read anything further about the Mollys and their brand of unionization..

The ‘old jail’, then the Carbon County Prison, Molly Maguires who were convicted of murder (that they perhaps never committed) and met their fate: Public hangings.

The Old Jail Museum website explains the story of why their prison this way with emphasis added by me in bold:

“The building is best known as the site of the hanging of seven Irish coal miners known as Molly Maguires in the 1800s. On June 21, 1877, today known as the Day of the Rope, Alexander Campbell, Edward Kelly, Michael Doyle and John Donohue were hanged at the same time on gallows erected inside the Old Jail Museum cell block. On March 28, 1878, Thomas P. Fisher was hanged here, and on January 14, 1879, James McDonnell and Charles Sharp were hanged on the same gallows. Historians today feel the Molly Maguire trials were a surrender of state sovereignty. A private corporation (a coal/railroad company) initiated an investigation through a private detective agency (Pinkerton Detectives), a private police force (the Coal & Iron Police) arrested the alleged offenders, and private attorneys (employees of the coal companies) prosecuted these men. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided only the courtroom and the gallows. “

The site goes on to explain this, bringing in that strange paranormal element:

“Before their hanging, the men proclaimed their innocence and today historians believe many of the condemned men were falsely accused of murder. Before his hanging one of the man, thought to be Alexander Campbell, put his hand on the dirty floor of his cell and then placed it firmly on the wall proclaiming, ” This handprint will remain as proof of my innocence.” That handprint is visible today for everyone to view even though past wardens tried to eradicate it by washing it, painting it, and even taking down part of the wall and replastering it.”

Not mentioned in the description: Children of the rich, powerful, and important in then Mauch Chunk, were playing on the gallows the night before the hangings. The privileged few were reportedly mocking the men who would die the next day at the hands of injustice and wealthy coal barons being in charge of law..

I did see the hand print in cell block 17 when I was there.. You are not permitted to photograph the hand or touch it. No photos because the current owners copyrighted the print.. Smart move, I suppose.  So while you may not be able to have a photo proving you saw the hand, you can buy some sweat pants to prove it!

The overall atmosphere wasn’t filled with actors jumping from behind curtains, or groans in the dark with speakers.. No, this ambiance of the Old Jail Museum is just plain, maybe low key to some, and filled with dark history for others. The real paranormal story is the hand print–and a couple other little tales of whispers and pats on the back.. One of the tour guides told me after the show that he is aware of a female tour guide that, during one particular evening, had her hair not only touched but moved up into the air while she was conducting her presentation..   The website has a few photos of ‘ghosts’.. I personally did not see any this weekend when I was there, though I really didn’t want to. There is a certain amount of ‘ghost hunting’ that I find a little disingenuous. If there are truly spirits, I don’t think we should talk to them.. I am sure they’ll talk to us if they need something.  Sometimes it’s better to let things be….without the EVPs …(A few folks did have recorders on my experience)..

The aspect of the Old Jail Museum that amazed me more was the history of it all: This old jail, filled with concrete windowless solitary confinement cells and a history of wrongful public hangings, was still used until 1995 after an inmate sued the county for ‘wretched housing’ at the prison.. imagine! A cell in which prisoners were being injured on a regular basis just under 20 years ago.. My friend remarked to me, ‘imagine a guy being picked up for drunk driving, being put into a cell with a freaky hand print that never goes away?’ …too true.

Some researchers have tried their best to debunk the hand..  The very idea of the hand has been  the talk of the town for decades.. Some still think it’s a fraud.. others think it’s a sign of innocence..

Other legends of the area are as profound.. For example, Molly Maguires were being called out during church services at Saint Ignatius in Centralia Pennsylvania (maybe you’ve heard of this town, the ‘hottest place on earth’?) .. a priest was reportedly taken to the back of the cemetery where he was beaten by activist Mollys.. The priest then,  legend would say,  condemned the town to misery. A mine fire later consumed it and now only a few people remain under imminent domain..

Tales like that are fun.. curses, hexes, and stories of mystery and intrigue.

And while the Old Jail Museum may not scare you as other attractions, it will allow you to get a glimpse into the past, examine your present, and wonder about your future. Did Alexander Campbell leave his mark for generations to come? …and the deeper question… did the Molly Maguires win the battle against unfair corporations, or are they still in charge?

MONDAY OCTOBER 14 2013
Columbus Day.. (We still celebrate this?)

It was an interesting weekend.. no budget deal yet.. but the weather in my neck of the wood sure was perfect. It almost makes financial disaster less scary when the skies are blue and the autumn breeze is warm. Nonetheless, calamnity may befall the nation this week if our Congress fails to pass anything that President Obama will sign. No budget.. no debt ceiling.. we are on the ‘edge’ ..
And free-falling is always fun with Tom Petty signing, but living on the edge is the only thing I can hear with Aerosmith screaming in the distance..

This weekend, as reported on the HORROR REPORT, the EBT system went down. I speculated (at least some did) that the crash may have been a dry run for what would happen if there’s no debt deal.. But not information is being revealed that without a deal, food stamps, unemployment payments, and social security checks could be delayed for days (if not longer) if the United States suffers a debt default.. The WASHINGTON POST reported that these payments may be delayed for one to four days without a deal..

But here is a story that is opposite of the EBT cards not working; Imagine if there’s no limit! Sky’s the limit.. That happened at a Louisiana Walmart, where the cards were still being permitted to use even though a glitch stopped limits from being applied to them. What occurred? Large orders, packed cards.. empty shelves. And eventually, Saturday night police action. Read about all the action here from KSLA . Oh, and of course, there is video.

When federal workers lose weight: One federal worker lost 10 pounds and said she won’t eat solid foods until the government is up and running fully again..  And when she’s back to the office? She EXPECTS LUNCH.

Senate leader sees hope..

The HAJJ and MERS: Good thing the government is shut down.. (*Slate headline is sarcastic, of course)

One pricey hole: Sinkhole in Assumption Parish nears $10 mil!

A video from former CPS investigator: “Corruption, kidnapping, and drugging of children”

A U.S. citizen who had been detained by the Egyptian authorities for more than six weeks was found dead in a police station..

Stampede kills 91 in India (and it killed more than the massive Cyclone Phailin did this weekend)

Moving forward despite the creepy factor; Google unveils plans to use real faces and names in their ads.. The future of advertising is now. Cameras watching your body heat in stores is one thing.. but using YOUR FACE to sell products (And you won’t make a penny off of it?) that’s a whole new thing. Telescreens with messages beamed into your head.. and subliminal marketing used to coerce you into thinking you need something you clearly don’t. Buy buy buy!

More benefits of drinking red wine.. In moderation, I suppose. The bottle a night folks don’t have better skin than me..

“MasterChef” runner-up Joshua Marks was found dead of a gunshot to his head in an alley on Chicago’s south side Friday night, police said Saturday..

From Art Bell: A TV station ghost caught on camera?

Apparently even porn companies are out of ideas: Now the new trend: Dinosaur on human sex novels..

“Illuminati and Masonic” symbolism you may have seen in movies.. I think sometimes, people look very, VERY, deeply into these types of things. It can be overdone–but I agree that things are not placed into movies by accident.

Madonna reportedly banned from film festival for texting..

Say it ain’t so! the creator of the most famous photo of the ‘Loch Ness Monster’ now reveals it was a complete fake..

A THIRD X-FILES movie a bad idea?

HAPPY VISIONS THAT NEVER WERE

Can you imagine being a child left in such a place? It must have been terrible to be taken away from your family (if you had the benefit of having one that cared) and basically dumped off at an institution that labeled and discarded you into one of their many buildings or cottages. Understaffed the ratio of care taker to residents was absurd and the institute was severely underfunded, having little ability to change anything. Children were basically left to fend for themselves or tied into beds, becoming often the victims of neglect, beatings and even rape. Children drew into themselves, failed to progress – some became silent. Thankfully, Pennhurst was closed down in 1987. New laws emerged.